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More than 10 years experience writing and editing for online publications and daily newspapers. Strong background in entertainment writing and TV criticism. Experience writing for SEO and coordinating all aspects of media product including production and web/print design.
This portfolio is only a sampling of Mike's work over the years as an entertainment writer and critic.
TV Reviews and Recaps
In a lot of ways, The Strain reminds me of Robert Rodriguez's late '90s horror thriller From Dusk Till Dawn. Like Dusk, The Strain is the blood-drenched brainchild of a celebrated auter genre filmmaker (This time out, its Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy helmer Guillermo Del Toro).
saved the best for last with a riveting season finale that reestablished the show's central premise by essentially blowing up the whole goddamn house. If every episode of Sherlock feels like a well-crafted movie, this finale was the show's The Two Towers - enormously entertaining, suspenseful, packed with big, showy set pieces, and smart enough to leave us anticipating the next chapter.
The first season of Helix didn't quite live up to its potential to become TV's next great sci-fi thriller. About halfway through the premiere episode, it was clear that this show was not on the same level as Battlestar Galactica, executive producer Ron Moore's bold and ambitious sci-fi series.
The episode mostly follows Russ after that; he complains about his home situation with his friends, the very funny Jenny Slate, Brett Gelman, and John Hodgman, and he decides to woo a girl he meets while getting his ears waxed.
So much for set up. Say goodbye to hand holding. You're either in or you're out, because Fringe ain't waiting for you to catch up. The show is charging full speed ahead with a twisty but focused story about - what else? - the end of the world.
I watched Nashville pretty regularly during its first season, but I didn't realize how much I relished those weekly viewings until the show was on the verge of cancellation.
Troy Barnes sailed rode away on the Childish Tycoon on Donald Glover's farewell episode of Thursday night. It was one of the most anticipated episodes of the season. Everyone was wondering how returning creator Dan Harmon was going to handle the task of writing Glover's character out of the show this season, while also reestablishing control over the series' tone, course, and characters, not to mention dealing with Chevy Chase's departure.
Grab your fezzes and Jammie Dodgers; The Doctor is back for more mind-boggling, timey-wimey fun! It's been four months since we last saw Amy, Rory, and our beloved Doctor zipping through time and space and bending our little nerd brains with perplexing plots and paradoxes.
Speaking to The New York Times , The Blacklist star Megan Boone had the following to say about her co-star, James Spader, who plays an infamous, and ably droll, criminal mastermind turned FBI informant who's hiding a mysterious agenda: "He does play the overly confident, egomaniacal, morally ambiguous guy really well."
(S05E01) 'Design Star' is back with new contestants, new challenges and a more hands-on approach from its trio of shrewd and savvy judges. Former host Clive Pearse has been edged out this season to give chief critics Vern Yip, Candice Olson and Genevieve Gorder more screen time.
I love Conan O'Brien, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed when his TBS show, Conan, premiered in 2010. After Conan's split with NBC, he toured the country with a wild and original live variety show that earned raves at every stop.
Dexter has been wildly inconsistent over the past several seasons, offering surprising depth and thrilling suspense in its early years and vacillating between mediocre and just plain bad in its later life. At its worst, the series delivers little more than cheap thrills and one far-fetched development after another.
Falling Skies , the new alien invasion series produced by Steven Spielberg (and other people), dropped us right in the middle of the action during its solid, if not amazing, two-hour series premiere. There was no cryptic buildup to the Earth-shattering events that define the show's world, and there was no stale origin story to eat up the first half hour.
'Warehouse 13' - 'Reset'] 'Warehouse 13' shut the door on Season 2 with an enormously entertaining final hour. The season ended with an emotional cliffhanger that ruptured the show's warm and fuzzy family dynamic and left some of our major players in tears.
Fringe went out with its heart on its sleeve and the theme of sacrifice hanging heavy over its final two hours. We said goodbye to Walter, who exited a hero and a beloved father, and we watched as Peter finally got to hold baby Etta once again, his family reunited and his house in order, save for one flatulent, licorice chewing mad scientist whom he called "Dad."
Welcome back to the hot, sticky, blood-soaked devil's playground of Bon Temps, Louisiana, ya'll. Can you taste the bacon grease? It's been a whole year since we last visited this swampy southern ghetto, where Sookie Stackhouse and her entourage of bloodsuckers, shapeshifters, werewolves and other supernatural beasties love to wreak havoc.
Mike Moody dives into the fifth season of FX's motorcycle drama. Sons of Anarchy is back, and show creator Kurt Sutter didn't waste any time riding in low gear with this intense season premiere. Sutter, who wrote this episode, started twisting the knife in SAMCRO's side seconds after Jax Teller and crew first sped across the screen.
The Gate stopped spinning and Destiny went dark in the captivating 'Stargate Universe' season finale. 'Gauntlet' was a strong, densely plotted, emotional hour. It failed to wrap up all of the show's many hanging threads, but I don't think anyone expected 'SGU' to answer every single mindboggling question it ever brought up here, especially since it's well-known that the actors and creators learned about the show's cancellation after filming had wrapped.
Celebrity Interviews
Highly-cited interview piece with Sigourney Weaver
Chelsea Peretti's sharp, acerbic wit reaches far and wide - it's likely she's had a hand in creating something that's made you laugh. From writing episodes of Parks and Recreation to doing stand-up, starring in web videos, and penning articles for The Village Voice and The Huffington Post, Peretti is probably one of the busiest comedians working today.
Before stand-up comedians were branding YouTube channels and programming podcast networks, Ari Shaffir earned his web cred the old fashion way: by starring in viral videos. The Comedy Store staple found fame with a series of ironic hidden camera shorts called The Amazing Racist , in which he portrays a nerdy bigot who hurls cutting racial slurs at unsuspecting targets on the streets of LA.
Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek: The Next Generation's former "Number One," has moved on from sci-fi stardom to a successful career as a TV and film director. He's helmed four feature films, countless hours of Star Trek and Roswell, plus the two latest entries in TNT's Librarian telemovie franchise.
Stealing scenes on the small screen is nothing new for Christian Slater. The actor, known for films like Heathers, True Romance and Pump up the Volume, has made memorable guest appearances on shows like , The West Wing and My Name is Earl .
We're only hours away from the premiere of the final season of 'Lost'. I'm excited, you're excited, and Richard Alpert himself, Nestor Carbonell, is right there with us. I spoke to Carbonell recently about his role in the show's much-anticipated endgame.
Smart, geeky, passionate and verbose -- not only could that description suit 'Stargate Atlantis''s science wiz Rodney McKay, it also fits the actor who played him, nerd-for-hire David Hewlett. Two years after viewers waved goodbye to McKay and Hewlett in the 'Atlantis' series finale, the fan-friendly genre actor is resurrecting his most famous role tonight with a guest spot on Syfy's 'Stargate Universe' (Mon., April 4, 10PM ET).
Lists and Entertainment Features
With the recent announcement that Marvel is producing four superhero shows and a miniseries to air on Netflix, 2015 is already shaping up to be a banner year for fans of sci-fi and fantasy TV.
It's a sad day for 'Stargate' fandom. After only two seasons, the third series from the sci-fi franchise, 'Stargate Universe,' is coming to an end. The cancellation of 'SGU' leaves the TV landscape without a 'Stargate' show for the first time in 14 years.
After snagging 'Firefly' almost a year ago, the Science Channel has picked up syndication rights for another cult science fiction series. Starting Tuesday, November 20, the cable network will begin airing repeats of Fox's 'Fringe.'
Feature on the real-life inspiration behind the third season of AMC's 'The Killing.'
Full disclosure: I'm a member of the colossal nerd tribe that's predisposed to love the shit out of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. My office is cluttered with Marvel comics, I applauded and probably shouted "Woo!" at the end of every Marvel movie (Yes, even Thor), and my idea of a good time is doing a full series rewatch of Joss Whedon's Angel.
AFT is celebrating the end of Breaking Bad by exploring our favorite characters from the show. First up, Mike writes about Walter White's noble shit-kicking brother-in-law, Hank Schrader. One of the greatest things about Breaking Bad is how believable Walter White's transformation from slumping schoolteacher to cutthroat criminal has always felt.
We're six episodes into Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama, and Mike Moody takes a look at what works and what doesn't. HBO premiered Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom only six weeks ago, but it feels like I've been reading negative reviews and sarcastic tweets about the show for the better part of a year.
Marc Maron fans are teetering on the brink of Maron overload these days. His WTF podcast is more popular than ever, he's seemingly always on the road doing stand-up, and IFC has been airing funny promos for his new TV show, Maron , non-stop for weeks.
Yep, I got a Twitter. It's part of my plan to plaster the Internet with links to my must-read blog posts about ' 90s indie rock and that handsome bastard Neil Patrick Harris (don't ask). Fortunately for you, some clever TV stars also use Twitter for fun and shameless self-promotion.
Bruce Willis unplugs from a cybernetic utopia to crack some skulls and kick some ass in Surrogates , director Jonathan Mostow's big-screen sci-fi comic book adaptation, opening everywhere today. Willis plays an FBI agent investigating a murder in a world where people live vicariously through well-preserved - and sometimes just plain creepy -- robot avatars.
Before pondering the meaning of identity on , Joss Whedon gave us some great shows featuring iconic heroes and some really nasty but unforgettable villains. Unlike Dollhouse, most of Whedon's earlier shows featured a "big bad," a major villain who caused trouble throughout an entire season, or series, for the heroes and their friends.
Even before I caught on the big screen, I was comparing it to , the great teen sci-fi/romance series that aired on The WB (and later The CW UPN) from 1999-2002. The Twilight ads and trailers seemed to tell the same story Roswell toldmore than nine years ago: A sensitive girl is saved by a supernatural hunk who makes it his mission to protect her at all costs.
After ten seasons and hundreds of super, strange and shirtless moments, 'Smallville' is coming to an end. The two-hour series finale, featuring the highly anticipated return of Michael Rosenbaum as bald baddie Lex Luthor, airs tonight (8PM ET on The CW). Are you excited? 'Cause we're excited. Super excited!
Entertainment News and Short Posts
It looks like both CNN and Fox News might have a legitimate claim to use the slogan "The Most Trusted Name in News." According to a new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll, CNN has edged out Fox News as the nation's "most trusted" television news channel.
Is there a better way to greet the apocalypse than by sharing a few frosty pints with friends? We don't think so. That's an idea we can get behind, and it's the basic idea behind 'The World's End,' the upcoming Simon Pegg comedy also starring his 'Shaun of the Dead' buddy Nick Frost and directed by 'Shaun' and 'Hot Fuzz' helmer Edgar Wright.
Brace yourselves, Twi-hards, because the end is near! Summit Entertainment has announced that 'Breaking Dawn - Part 2,' the final film in its mega popular 'Twilight Saga' franchise, will hit theaters on November 16, 2012. Edward and Bella's swan song will premiere less than a year after 'Breaking Dawn - Part 1' arrives on November 18, 2011.
Don't expect to see a new Clown Prince of Crime terrorizing Gotham City in the next Batman movie: Director Christopher Nolan confirmed today that the Joker will not return in the upcoming sequel to 'The Dark Knight.' The role famously earned the late Heath Ledger a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2009, one year after his unexpected death.
Aaron Sorkin 's upcoming feature film about the fall of John Edwards could reveal new details about the scandal that scarred the former presidential candidate's political career. Sorkin's film is an adaptation of Andrew Young's book 'The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down.'
While I sit here riding my own melt and enjoying my Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Ben Stiller is busy turning his seminal '90s comedy Reality Bites into a TV show for NBC.
'America: The Story of Us' is a hit for History. Sunday's premiere of the six-part miniseries drew 5.7 million viewers to become the cable net's highest-rated special ever. The record-breaking educational series, which featured an intro by President Barack Obama, tracks 400 years of American history, from the early Jamestown settlers to the headlines of today.
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the writing team behind last year's best and worst blockbusters ('Star Trek' and, you know, 'Transformers 2'), have inked a three-year deal to develop new shows for 20th Century Fox. The 'Fringe' scribes will write and produce TV projects under their own company, which Fox hopes they'll populate with creative moneymaking geeks like themselves.
Movie Reviews
Review of director Bobcat Goldthwait's controversial comedy 'God Bless America.'
By Mike Moody | Sunday, January 14, 2007 Filed under: Uncategorized Tags:Art House, SF, Thriller, Video It's hard to single out one moment in director Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men that doesn't feel urgent, tense or, more frighteningly, very plausible.
By Mike Moody | Thursday, December 28, 2006 Filed under: Uncategorized Tags:Art House, Foreign Language, Video Volver, a charming minor work by Pedro Almódovar, is probably my least favorite film by the great Spanish director. Since the 1980s, Almódovar has delivered a successful string of florid and risky melodramas about Spanish women and their families.