Truly Dreadful Film

Purely Joyful Movie!

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

I discovered this show only months ago, and was so mad that it had been on so long without my knowledge. I am not interested in becoming an actor or director, but I am a movie lover to the core and am always interested in what actors have to say. These interviews are wonderful because they are not the average "hollywood" interview. It's not about who the actor is sleeping with, and how hard they've been partying. The interview explores the reasons behind the career choices, and experiences of filming. It is much more real, and deep, and interesting then any others. You really feel like you are part of the audience, and you get to see a different side to some very incredible actors and learn something new. I love it!

James Lipton would be really just a good Film and acting professor at the New School in New York City (it may be a different school now) if not for his show Inside the Actors Studio, where he brings on a different big name actor (and occasionally the infamous director, comedian, or even TV show cast or musician) and interviews them about the process. It ends then with his 'questions', which usually bring out hilarious responses, then leading to the students asking questions.It's hard sometimes to watch the show to not think of Will Ferrel's dead-on imitation of Lipton from SNL; there is something to Lipton that is full-of-himself, that he's so honored to be interviewing these highly revered celebrities and actors about their craft. Sometimes this is a worthy place to be that he's in; interviews with Robert De Niro, Meryl Street, Martin Scorsese, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, and Steven Spiebgerg are very worthwhile to hear from. But sometimes the questions asked by the students themselves end up having some more worth, as they're the ones who will want to know more for their lives than Lipton; also, some of the interviewees are either still on their way in their careers, or make you scratch you head thinking 'why is HE on the show'? But for the most part, it is a consistently interesting program past the overly serious and sad points, and for film buffs it is always of some fascination to hear their favorites speak about the craft and the process and the actors they work with. Sometimes it is a little too full of bull, but then that is countered with the funnier guests (people like George Carlin and the cast of the Simpsons have appeared).

I admit that I am a fairly frequent viewer of this show. Whenever I know that it's on, I often wish to go right to it immediately and find out what established actor/screenwriter/director is being interviewed...and then, of course, it got to a point where a lot of the guests didn't seem all that "established" to me. I'm sorry, but Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Will Smith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Melanie Griffith, Mike Myers, the voice cast of "The Simpsons"...for all of their collective accomplishments, they do not exactly strike me as the ideal choices for guests on a show that prides itself on getting the most out of legends like Spielberg, Streep, De Niro, Ford, etc. Moreover, it pained me to see episodes like ones featuring Robin Williams or "The Simpsons" cast - episodes that seemed less like informative, compelling interviews and more like bloated, tedious showcases for the guest(s)'s comedic flair, and/or versatility with voices and characters. The "Simpsons" episode in particular...I don't think I'll take this show so seriously again, after watching that disappointment. I don't know about you, but when host James Lipton starts repeatedly asking guests to answer his questions in a certain voice or character, it sort of kills the show's once-high level of credibility. Now, it's just a train wreck in the works...slowly winding down into a disastrous, unwatchable wasteland of "Talk TV".

This is a great show. James Lipton's research and interview style are always on the number.The guests really seem to enjoy the whole experience in what is a unique kind of chat show. ITAS is both clever and entertaining.The only down side is when the students get to ask questions.Man,these people irritate.Still, a perfect antidote to the usual talk show pap.Reccomended.