Paul Ben-Victor

CHICAGO – Why do they keep making these awful movies? I’m a horror fan. I think Tobe Hooper’s original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is a truly effective (if a bit overrated) movie that has to be included on a list of the most influential of its era. But nearly everything that it has literally spawned has been awful. Sure, “TCM 2” has some wackadoo charm but the modern remakes — the two Platinum Dunes flicks and now this 3D stinker, reecently released on Blu-ray and DVD, are just a waste of time. To be fair, this reboot/sequel isn’t nearly as annoying as the last two but it’s still awful.

CHICAGO – “The Goodwin Games” is bad, bad, bad. You know a show is likely to be awful when a network cuts back the order and buries its premiere in a time of year when most people are getting outside or going to see Summer blockbusters. While the networks are busy promoting Fall 2013 at Upfronts, who cares about a new show that won’t make it more than two months? And yet there is sometimes reason for hope that a network executive just missed the humor and is actually burying a hidden gem. Hope dies at “The Goodwin Games” and I wish they had buried it deeper.