Ryan Murphy (1) (1965–)

A school for young witches in New Orleans faces enemies from the outside and the inside.

I assume this was the blandest of the three seasons of American Horror Story for one reason: I had the nerve to finish it. i expected horrible things to happen, and they did, but I didn't stick with it for the thrills, scares, and surprises, No, what I enjoyed was the acting.

Every actor over the age of thirty was terrific, but especially the big three -- Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and Jessica Lange. show more Bassett was cold, cruel, regal. Bates made a racist torturer seem pathetic and silly. Lange was the most impressive, as a sick, aging woman whose fear of death had made her rabid.

As for the under thirty crowd, Evans Peters, as a Frankenstein monster, was the most impressive. Gabourey Sidibe improved the most, going from wobbly to solid. Taissa Farmiga and Emma Roberts were pretty and monotonous. show less

television series

Film plot: Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) thought she had everything she wanted in life: a home, a husband and a successful career. Now newly divorced and facing a turning point, she finds that she is confused about what is important to her. Daring to step out of her comfort zone, Liz embarks on a quest of self-discovery that takes her to Italy, India and Bali.

Directed by Emmy® Award winner Ryan Murphy and written by Academy Award® nominee Larry Kramer, The Normal Heart tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. Based on Kramer’s Tony Award® winning play of the same name, it takes an unflinching look at the nation’s sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial. An ensemble of show more searing performances featuring Academy Award® nominee Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Emmy® winner Jim Parsons, and Academy Award® winner Julia Roberts. show less