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One of the best-known niches in the Western genre is the movies made in Italy during the height of Western film popularity, commonly known as Spaghetti Westerns. Highly influential thanks to their political discussions, historical relevance, and boundary-pushing gore, Spaghetti Westerns have inspired great filmmakers of many genres, particularly those who have made contemporary Westerns. One of the most famous modern directors of Westerns and well-known for his violent stories, Quentin Tarantino, makes movies for audiences who would respond well to the classic genre.

Many of Quentin Tarantino's best movie characters share traits with the iconic anti-heroes found in classic Spaghetti Westerns. Grappling with the role of isolation and justice in the so-called "lawless" West, these characters are often forced to interrogate their own positions as forces for good or evil. While the graphic imagery and fast-paced fight sequences are definitive aspects of Tarantino's filmography, that's not all these Spaghetti Westerns have to offer.

Plus, I offend cat owners (again), John Barrowman's greatest hits, Iron Man cologne, and Matt Taibbi vs. the Catholic Church.

Castle has been renewed by ABC for a third season. I like Castle, it’s smart, witty, and it has Nathan Fillion. Is it too much to ask that maybe his mother, who works in musical theater, could have a gay friend?

Let’s tiptoe around fun with languages. In German, “Hell” can denote a type of ale. Austria has a town name that rhymes with “bucking” that has just registered with the European Union to sell beer that will be named “**cking Hell.” I really thought this was a joke until I realized it was sourced from the German publication Der Speigel.

Coming Soon: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the video game.

M. Night Shyamalan’s long, long interview with io9.com has finally come out. He addresses...

Is the red-band trailer the new Joe Camel? The cartoon character allegedly used for years as a means to lure kids to cigarettes was retired in 1997 after a suit was brought against R.J. Reynolds claiming that sales of Camels to underage kids had skyrocketed since the Us introduction of the ad character in 1988. Now some are saying that red band trailers effectively target underage audiences for R-rated films in much the same way that Joe Camel was used by R.J. Reynolds. Cigarettes and R-rated movies: same dangers, right? The New York Times reports that, starting with a Federal Trade Commission report in December, there is increasing concern over the audience that red band trailers is really reaching. That report criticized "explicit and pervasive targeting of young children," and lax age-gate policies. Red-band trailers were originally cut to be shown in front of some R-rated, Nc-17 and unrated movies, but as...

To paraphrase Michael Scott near the conclusion of last night's episode:

Isn't the air a little fresher this morning? Aren't the birds singing a little prettier? Won't those 2:30 p.m. ants on a log taste a little better?

Indeed, order has been restored on The Office, as perfectly evidenced by the closing scene:

Jim calmly dunking Dwight's tie into his coffee. That's the Jim Halpert we know and love! We understand he's in this for the money (and the women), but viewers have been yearning for the prank-pulling, dry-witted Jim for weeks now, as opposed to that corporate drone we've been stuck with for most of this season.

He appears to be back now, as does the inner-office shenanigans and one-liners that make this the funniest show on TV when it's hitting on all cylinders. To wit:

Andy has a "good crotch," according to Jo's dogs and, based on her nod and smile,...

We won't see another new episode of The Office until March, so "Manager and Salesman" will have to be enough Scranton for the next few weeks. I'm just not convinced it was quite up to the task. Yeah, it was good in parts, with a few sublime moments thanks to Meredith, but Kathy Bates is too famous for a guest role on a show all about pathetic realism. Too many of the moving parts -- Jim and Michael, Erin and Andy, Dwight and Ryan, Jo and everyone -- just never quite synced up with each other. Bates' Jo Bennett came to Dmhq with two massive,...

Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) finds a message in his mailbox

Photo: Touchstone Pictures It's strange to think The Insider was released just shy of ten years ago and was based on a 12-year-old "Vanity Fair" article and yet the tobacco industry seems just as strong as it has always been. Sure, smoking in bars and other public situations has been barred in a lot of places, but that hasn't stopped people from firing up a death stick. The absence of Joe Camel billboards doesn't stop me from seeing cigarettes everywhere. As The Insider gives us a mildly exaggerated look at just how far the tobacco industry will actually go to keep a lid on their secrets and to realize it is still legal for them to operate and sell their cancer is astounding. Billed heavily on Al Pacino's shoulders, The Insider is probably best remembered as Russell Crowe's break out role (this or L.