Through the 1940s and 1950s, the DoJ went to war on the "studio system" -- a system whereby studios locked up actors in exclusive contracts and then bought or strong-armed all the movie theaters in America so that they'd screen whatever the studios made, freezing out independent productions from movie companies that might offer their talent a better, less restrictive deal. Read the rest

With the cacophony of an election year ablaze with unparalleled drama being fought on the front lines of Twitter, we find ourselves slowing down and staring at it like a bad accident. The need for escapist relief is perhaps more dire than usual right now. This fall, if it's drama you crave, but the Hillary v. Trump show is driving you to near-suicide, then the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire is your new best friend. Returning for its third season on Tuesday, August 23rd with a two-hour premiere, you'll still get your fix of intriguing plot twists, flawed personalities, and high stakes, but without the partisan tantrums and pre-apocalyptic anxiety.

What the Hell is this Show About?

The show's title refers to the computing term (HCF), "Halt and Catch Fire," an early technical command that sends a computer into race condition, forcing all instructions to compete for superiority at once. Control of the computer could not be regained. The namesake series takes place in the personal computing boom of the 80s, when IBM was dictator, and before "website" was a word. Though HCF is categorized as a "workplace drama," you could say the same thing about Breaking Bad, and you'd be completely missing the point--and the thrill--of both shows.

To "break bad" is a colloquialism used in the American South meaning to challenge authority. Breaking Bad and HCF have three important things in common: obscure, nondescript titles that run the risk of losing potential viewers who need their plot summaries spoon-fed and hashtagged, a committed, forward-thinking home on AMC Networks, and the consistently visionary TV producer Melissa Bernstein. Read the rest

Kevin McFarland reviews the latest episode of AMC's lumbering, flesh-chomping, zombie-infested near future. More episode recaps are in Boing Boing's "The Walking Dead" archives.

Richard Johnson and Andrew Barr of the National Post have sifted through all two and a half seasons of AMC's The Walking Dead and have come up with one of the most straightforward and fascinating visual guides documenting every single zombie killing that has taken place on the show. It has statistics, graphics, plot points, pretty much everything you could ask for in a Walking Dead infographic. For example, Rick has the most zombie killings out of everyone with 84, out of a total of 347 killings. Firearms are generally the most popular weapon of choice, but something as innocuous as a golf ball can still kill one zombie in a pinch. The number of killings also grew per season as the show progressed. (And we're only halfway through the third season!) It's a really interesting way to see where the show started and where it's led us. (via Warming Glow) Read the rest

In the aptly-titled mid-season finale of The Walking Dead, "Made to Suffer" introduced us to a new group of survivors and reunited a bunch of familiar ones. But if you're thinking about giant, relieved hugs after a triumphant run across a grassy field, you are going to be sorely disappointed. In summary: a moment of manliness by Carl, a moment of insanity by Rick, a moment of power by Carol, and one million awkward moments between all the people who used to hang out together -- Andrea, Merle, Daryl, Michonne -- and no longer do.

As usual, plot spoilers are discussed after the jump, so you have been warned! Read the rest

In case you've missed any of this season's episodes of The Walking Dead, AMC will be running a marathon leading up to its mid-season finale this Sunday, December 2. I highly recommend watching as much of it as you can because this season has been pretty spectacular in a variety of devastating and entertaining ways! (You can also read all of my recaps, if you feel so moved.) The marathon starts at 2:00 PM (Eastern), and by the time the mid-season finale airs at 9:00, you'll be so full of zombie goodness that you can't hear! (via AMC) Read the rest

We're getting closer and closer to a very merry Dixon reunion, but first, there is some business to attend to -- checking in on Glen and Maggie, seeing if Rick let Michonne into the prison, and eventually introducing the survivors to Woodbury and the Governor. Have you been waiting for the Gov to show us his nasty side after weeks of seeing him act merely weird and a little dickish? You're in luck, if you like watching awful people do awful things! But meanwhile, what's going to happen when Merle and Daryl see each other again, now that Daryl has made himself very comfortable with the survivors who abandoned his brother, and Merle... hasn't changed all that much?

As usual, a discussion that includes spoilers will commence after the jump. Read the rest

Exciting news for Walking Dead fans who have been crossing their fingers for characters from the comics to show up, because that is exactly what is going to happen. I'll keep the name of said character until after the jump, but what I will say is that there have been two characters on the show from the beginning who had, up until this announcement, seemed like the logical "replacements." But deep down, we all knew there was a missing piece. Follow us inside to find out who is finally joining the survivors! Read the rest

Man, do I love this season of The Walking Dead. Stuff happens in every episode! And this week's episode, "Hounded," brought us closer to the reunion of Merle and the survivors who ditched him -- plus his brother, Daryl, who shares some personal stuff with an incredibly jaded Carl. But wow, what a cornucopia of events and things! Between Rick's deteriorating mental state, Andrea's horrible taste in men, and Michonne's crafting skills, it's looking like our mid-season finale on December 2 will be one for the ages. As far as mid-season finales go, anyway.

As usual, after the jump will be a plethora of plot spoilers. Read the rest

After last week's tragedy parade, "Say the Word" takes some time to show us the survivors dealing with the aftermath as well as catch up to the weirdness taking place in Woodbury. Up until now, aside from the, uh, heads in jars, the Governor has seemed fairly mild-mannered, especially compared to his counterpart in the comics. But Walking Dead audience, we are in luck -- this week, we finally got a nice taste of why Andrea should really listen to Michonne and get the heck out of this joint.

As always, plot spoilers are included after the jump. Read the rest

Fair warning, fair readers: There is no way to discuss this episode of The Walking Dead without major spoilers, because this one was probably one of the most emotionally impactful episodes of the season, maybe even the series so far. Serious things happened to major characters; one of them could have been predicted by fans of the comic, but another was pretty unprecedented. What I can mention ahead of the jump (and all the spoilers) is that we have more with Merle, Michonne, Andrea, and the Governor, and it looks like our separated factions will soon reunite.

Once again, this recap contains major spoilers for The Walking Dead, so proceed with caution. Read the rest

Last night's episode of The Walking Dead took us away from the prison and back to Andrea and Michonne and their misadventures in zombieland. When we last saw Andrea, she was what doctors call "seriously illin'," and she reminded us of this by puking, if her zombie-like makeup job was not evidence enough that she was under the weather. But good news -- they have found help! What's the catch? Their help arrives in the form of Merle Dixon. And later, the Governor. But he seems so nice! Nothing like that greasy-haired Gov from the comics... right? Wrong. Also noteworthy: a helicopter with more survivors in it! Oh, and there they go, plummeting into a tree... Read the rest

Hey, so, what really went on with those plucky survivors during the months we didn't see them? It's understandable that a few months spent in a zombie apocalypse may cause a shift in priorities. But let's just say it: Rick has gone off the deep end, albeit in a very entertaining fashion. When we last left everyone at the end of the season premiere, one of our zombie-fighting friends suffered a bit of a flesh wound, and we met five more possible friends... or living human obstacles.

Spoilers after the jump, so consider yourself warned! Read the rest

In case you haven't seen it already (and this post contains lots of spoilers after the jump, so you might want to hold off), AMC's The Walking Dead came back with a vengeance, picking up months after we saw the survivors fleeing Hershel's farm and Andrea meeting the warrior woman we now know is Michonne. A lot has changed, and if you're a reader of the comics, you'll know that some crazy, crazy stuff is about to go down. What has a few more months of the zombie apocalypse done to our "heroes"? The answer: very upsetting, but understandable things.

Since I'm going to be discussing things that happened in this episode, please assume that I'm, well, going to be talking about things that happened in this episode. And that means there are spoilers from this point on. Read the rest

As they did for the season premiere of Breaking Bad this summer, AMC will be streaming the third season premiere of The Walking Dead online for all those frustrated Dish customers who still don't have AMC. It's only good for the one episode -- airing Sunday, October 14 at 9:00 PM EST) -- and then everyone will have to seek out less legal ways to watch the show (or just go to a friend's house). Visit the page especially for Dish customers for more details. (via Bleeding Cool) Read the rest

Good news! AMC has all but confirmed a fourth season of The Walking Dead -- by nonchalantly mentioning it while talking about something else entirely! In an announcement for not the show, but a blood drive for the American Red Cross, a prize entailing a trip to the set during the show's fourth season was offered up. So, hopefully that's a sure thing that is definitely happening, because people are literally going to allow themselves to be partially exsanguinated to visit that freaking set. (via Arrow in the Head) Read the rest

If you find yourself obsessing over a TV show, watching three or four episodes in a row, becoming completely immersed in this fictional world of fictional people, you tend to form opinions and pick favorites. And you also pick out at least one character who annoys the crap out of you. For some people, that show is Breaking Bad, and that character is Marie. Marie Schrader -- a kleptomaniac, snoopy, deeply flawed, purple-loving human being who still finds a way to be a sympathetic character. For most people, anyway. Some people still don't like Marie, and the woman who plays her, Betsy Brandt, is regularly notified by Twitter users that they would like to see the character she plays dead. Brandt granted an interview with Spinoff Online, and if you still don't like her by the time you're done reading it, then there is no hope for you. You have broken bad, and you just won't return. Because she is delightful. (And she's talking about upcoming episodes and a possible Breaking Bad movie, so that might be relevant to your interests, too.) (via Spinoff Online) Read the rest