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David E. Kelley's unusual primetime drama "Picket Fences" debuted on CBS in 1992, and it was, like a lot of media of the 1990s, an aggressive takedown of the previous generation's tropes. The title, "Picket Fences," was meant to evoke the placid serenity of the post-War Baby Boom, describing a common yard feature in the then-new 1950s suburbs. The series, however, took place in Rome, Wisconsin, a place that was anything but placid. The stories surrounded bleak and sometimes unexplained crimes, and the show regularly tackled sensitive and political topics like abortion, sexual assault, polyamory, and the place of faith in the modern world. 

"Picket Fences," with its soapy stories and unusual tone, was clearly a knockoff of (or merely following the trends started by) David Lynch's 1990 series "Twin Peaks." That show also aimed to deconstruct placid 1950s media images with dark violence and surreal mysteries. 

But "Picket Fences...

Star Trek (2009) borrowed and improved upon two dramatic moments from Voyager season 3, enhancing the impact of those scenes. Kirk and Sulu's fight on Nero's drill and subsequent rescue after they fall were both moments first done in two different Voyager episodes. J.J. Abrams interpreted the Voyager scenes better, making them more memorable in a higher-stakes setting.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) stole two things from Star Trek: Voyager season 3. Voyager was the fifth overall entry into the Star Trek timeline and focused on Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew of the USS Voyager as they traveled through the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 lightyears from Earth. In contrast, Star Trek (2009) was a reimagining of the early lives of the main characters from Star Trek: The Original Series, featuring alternate timeline versions of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the other Tos characters on their first mission aboard the USS Enterprise.

Director: Alberto Belli.

Writers: Jason Lerner and Joe Swanson.

Cast: Michael Patrick Breen, Nicci Claspell and Kelly Connell.

According to the Urban Dictionary, a zombo is one of either five definitions and there is no unanimous agreement over which is the correct term. In the short film of the same name, it is the nom de plume of the lead character, a zombie hobo looking for the sound of music to sing along to in the world of 1930's Broadway.

In this little alternate universe, zombies are a fact of life and they retain their human intelligence. Because of that, these creatures are treated like dogs. When they become a nuisance, they can be carted away to a pound. With Zombo (Nicholas Joseph Harden) and Frank (Kelly Connell) looking for their next meal, how each of them embraces their life on the streets differs from how they interpret success. Frank...

This partisan politico-drama focuses on the Cuban missile crisis, with only a cursory glance in the direction of Havana and Moscow. With Kevin Costner in the starring role, we wouldn't expect anything else

Director: Roger Donaldson

Entertainment grade: B+

History grade: A–

The Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 was a nuclear stand-off between the United States and Ussr. The Soviets placed missiles in Cuba, so the Americans blockaded the island. For two weeks, there was a serious danger that the confrontation might result in a third – and potentially devastating – world war.

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The film focuses on John F Kennedy's appointments secretary, Kenny O'Donnell (Kevin Costner). O'Donnell begins by establishing that he is an all-American hero, breakfasting with his 400 or so apple-cheeked children and flirting manfully with Jackie Kennedy. Though he was a member of Ex-Comm, the committee which advised Kennedy during the crisis, O'Donnell was a minor figure. It's conspicuously...