It's hard to explain where fanaticism develops, but for anybody who has experienced it, they can commiserate on how it feels. They understand the planting of this seed and how it grows, burns, and consumes, driving people to follow something. When most people think of extremely passionate people, they automatically think of “nerds” or “geeks”. But, frankly speaking, everybody experiences fanaticism, whether it's being a football fan and buying a player's jersey or going to the shoe store three times a week for just “one more pair” of boots.

MOCKINGJAY PART 1 is the continuing story of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and is the 3^rd movie adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy of books written by Suzanne Collins. The film picks up where CATCHING FIRE left off, without very much time lapse in between. Katniss wakes up in District 13 (the district below ground that was always thought to exist, and which no one -- not even President Snow -- knew where) after surviving the Quarter Quell, saving the life of her partner, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and seemingly putting an end to the Hunger Games for good.

Jell-O Pudding. Fat Albert. Rape allegations. One of these things is not like the other -- one of these things just doesn't belong.

It might seem that these last few weeks have seen an outpouring of allegations against America's favorite dad, Bill Cosby. It might seem that way, but in truth this has been a rumor that's been simmering for a long time.

The fuse to these flare-ups appears to trace back to stand-up comic, Hannibal Buress. Well, not directly, because he picked it up from your average Google search, but he does bring up the allegations in his stand-up routine when he attacks Cosby's "smug old man" attitude toward modern black society. From that point on, one alleged victim after another has begun popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain.

Does anybody remember the 80s movie CAN'T BUY ME LOVE that launched nerdy Patrick Dempsey into becoming a sex symbol?

Don't worry if you missed it, because with CBS Films' and Lionsgate's THE DUFF you'll get another shot at the plot. Mae Whitman plays Bianca, a high school student who learns by accident that she is the DUFF of her group -- the Designated Ugly Fat Friend, whose job it is to make all the others look better by comparison. Determined to make herself over, she recruits the popular athlete (Robbie Amell), offering to tutor him into passing his science exams if he will teach her how to de-DUFF herself. But she runs into opposition from the school's Queen Bee (Bella Thorne) who doesn't like it when people try to bust out of the labels she's slapped on them.

The BBC series AFTERLIFE starring Lesley Sharp and Andrew Lincoln comes to a full stop after only two seasons, leaving behind a number of questions that will never be answered -- which, for a series dealing with the eternal questions, is just how it ought to be. Maybe.

In this continuation of the story of medium Alison Mundy (Sharp) and the psychology professor Robert Bridge (Lincoln) who takes an interest in her -- first to debunk her then to help her come to terms with her own ghosts -- we are told right up front that things aren't going to go on forever for these two. Robert is diagnosed early on with an inoperable brain tumor, which he keeps secret from everyone, even his ex-wife as he attempts reconciliation with her. Meanwhile, Alison -- who briefly died at the end of the first season -- has brought back a haunter of her own: her mother.

It would be an easy, predictable thing for the folks at Zenescope to make a mythical character like Santa Claus the focus of their holiday issue. Which is probably why they did exactly the opposite, and chose a more obscure holiday-related icon to weave a story around: Krampus!

What's that you say? You've never heard of Krampus? (Why do I feel like an animated Burl Ives should start singing an introduction here?)

You can do your own googling of the puckish little imp who leaves coins in the shoes of good children on Christmas, while shoving the naughty ones into a bag and beating them with a stick. Zenescope, of course, is going to have their own modified take on the legend, beginning with an origin story out of Myst. It's a tale told to the next generation of guardians-in-training, who meet it with their usual cynicism -- but it's one with far too much current relevance to one of our heroes, who must face off with Krampus in the here-and-now.

Melissa McCarthy's titular character, Tammy, is having a rough day. She hits a deer, is late for work, gets fired, goes home to find her husband at the table with another woman, and moves back to her mother two doors over, where she promptly announces she's shaking the dirt off her feet from this nowhere town -- again. This culminates in a wild, mouthy road trip with her grandmother (played by Susan Sarandon) to Niagara Falls, with no map, no plan, and no filters.

This contest has completed. The randomly selected winner is LORI W. of RESTON, VA.

SESAME STREET has always embraced cultural inclusion, with versions of the show appearing in several countries, in many languages, around the globe.

With SHALOM SESAME, children learn about Jewish customs and traditions through the eyes of Grover, who travels to Israel in this unique series. Critical Blast is proud to present this opportunity to win a copy of SHALOM SESAME: THE COMPLETE SERIES, perfect for your classroom or home, or for a special Hanukkah gift.

To enter for your chance to win this DVD set, complete and submit the form below. You may want to check out our complete rules. Critical Blast does not sell or make available any personal information, and all entries are destroyed upon confirmation of product delivery to the randomly selected winner.

When I sat down to watch LEGENDS OF THE KNIGHT, I confess my expectations were low. I elected to review it because I'm a lifelong Batman fan. At 6, I had converted the top bunk into Wayne Manor, with a hand-drawn picture of George Washington tacked to the wall that, when trouble arose (as it inevitably did) I would turn around so that it displayed the convenient sign "To the Batcave -->" after which I would then slide down the bedpost and prepare to save the world. (My youthful impressions of Batman were obviously informed by the Adam West / Burt Ward television adventures.)

I knew, at its most basic level, that LEGENDS OF THE KNIGHT was going to focus on individuals who were also Batman fans, and I assumed I would be meeting up with some kindred spirits divided among collectors and obsessors.

Every time an opportunity arises to review "Sesame Street" products, I jump at the chance. The Children's Television Workshop has been creating masterful programming for little ones my entire life. Now that I have a toddler, its a wonderful way to review material that I can watch with my son.

Time is of the essence these days, so working and enjoying family time is a treat. Children of the United States aren't the only ones who have a chance to spend Sunny Days on the Street. My little guy and I often watch the Latin American version "Plaza Sesamo". It's a wonderful way to expose him to the Spanish language and cultural diversity.

"Shalom Sesame" offers a similar window to the nation of Israel and the Jewish people of the world. Disparate cultures are dealt with in an inclusive way that is a boon to young ones in our global community.

A single scene can elevate a mediocre film into a great film. By the same token, a single scene can take a mediocre film and taint it to the point that it's all audiences will remember.

At this point, I'm thinking the Farrelly brothers have to still be debating whether or not it would be worth the cost to recall all the prints of DUMB AND DUMBER TO just to excise about thirty seconds -- little more than a cameo, really -- that drew groans from preview audiences.

Crag Banyon is a private investigator cut from the same cloth as Sam Spade and Mickey Spillane. Unfortunately, his world is a Terry Pratchett-like mishmash of Christmas elves, underworld demons, anthropomorphic personifications of ideals -- and superheroes. If it's a science fiction trope, it's just another client to Banyon.

In FLYING BLIND, the latest installment of the Crag Banyon Mystery series from James Mullaney, Banyon has to put aside his hobby -- drinking -- to take on two cases: tailing a husband whose rich, smoldering wife suspects of cheating, and sleuthing out the identity of a super-villain who has taken it into his head to be the arch-enemy of the latest cape-and-tights wearing flying super do-gooder, Minus. (Actually, the identity isn't the issue -- it's Doctor Cohen -- but do you know how many Doctor Cohen's there are in the city? And that's just assuming all the MDs!)

During the first few episodes of the seventh and final season of TRUE BLOOD, it was starting to look as though the question wasn't "How was it going to end?" but rather "Who was gonig to be left?" Death after death of recurring characters drove home the finality to the viewers -- it was really going to be over, these characters really were not going to come back.

And yet, the seventh season was also one of exactly that -- characters coming back. Whether it was as a ghost, the way Tara (Rutina Wesley) returned in the V-fueled dreams of her mother, or as a prodigal son in the return of Hoyt Fortenberry (Jim Parrack) who comes back from Alaska, still having amnesia of why he left Bon Temps.

Almost as regular a tradition as Charlie Brown now is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. And, bonus, it's always something new instead of a repeat!

The teaser for this year's Chrissy Pressy from the TARDIS looks almost nothing like Christmas, and a whole lot more like a Ridley Scott outer space thriller! But fear not -- as The Doctor so aptly puts it, "It's Christmas, at the North Pole! Who are you going to call?" Well, it's sure not Ghostbusters! (Can I squeeze a third Sigourney Weaver flick into this description? Probably not.)

So just enjoy the teaser below, and start counting down the days til the arrival of that magical man in the strange flying conveyance who can get around the world without even a second passing. (And I may or may not be talking about The Doctor!)

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes, fiction is a lot more fun.

For much of my life, I've heard the strange tales about Area 51, Groom Lake, Nevada and the Roswell, New Mexico UFO story -- always connected, even though the two sites are a 14 hour drive apart. Oh, the theories that were generated about the strange lights in the sky, the rousting of trespassers, the autopsies of aliens and all advanced technology that we simply couldn't have come up with on our own. It was the seed from which the best science fiction stories blossomed.

DisneyToon Studios (not Disney*Pixar, as would be an easy mistake to make) brings us the next installment of PLANES -- set in the world of CARS -- with PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE. Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) continues to make a name for himself as a world famous racing plane, which makes his small airport town of Propwash Junction a tourist mecca as the annual Corn Festival approaches.

But during a routine training session with his coach, Skipper (Stacy Keach), Dusty experiences an irrepairable mechanical failure. If he pushes himself to maximum torque any more, he risks his engine flaming out entirely -- and the part that's failing is out of production.

Oh Les Claypool, you misunderstood genius, what in the world have you done?

“Big Hero 6”…are you kidding me? When I heard that Marvel had greenlighted this project sometime back, I just shook my head. “Ant-Man?” “Guardians of the Galaxy?” “Big Hero 6?” Did somebody lose a bet? How are they going to get movies of these screwball comics when they haven’t yet mined obvious gold from the classics, like Power Man and Iron Fist, Black Panther, Dr. Strange, or put out a Black Widow solo feature? Then I heard it was going to be a Disney animated film. Oh, well, okay then. Disney knows a thing or two about making successful animated films.

Got a problem? Odds against you? Call The Equalizer. 212-555-4200.

Back in the 80s, those action packed nights of television drama, Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) was a sort of one-man A-TEAM. Disillusioned with his former career as a secret agent, McCall chose to retire and start standing up for the little guy. No situation was too large and no situation too small (although the smaller ones usually turned into subplots, while the larger ones drove the episode). Whether you were a high school kid being bullied or your invention has been stolen by a corporate giant, whether the bad guys are international terrorists or just a crumb-bum of a slumlord, anyone who called upon The Equalizer and truly needed him found him at their side -- and the fee was always quite reasonable.

My favorite version of ANNIE is the 1982 version with Albert Finney and Carol Burnett -- even though every version out there is the same story, with the same songs. All you can basically do is change the actors and alter the dialogue a bit. That's a challenge to any director who wants to make his mark on the long-running franchise about the plucky little orphan girl who goes from rags to riches by warming the heart of a tycoon.