2010

“Little Fockers” is focking stupid

Big acting talent, unfortunately, doesn’t always transfer into quality entertainment. “Little Fockers,” the third installment in the popular comedy franchise, takes a once-fresh idea and smothers it to death. After eight years, Robert De Niro still questions Ben Stiller’s position in the Byrnes Family Circle of Trust. He spends most of the film “watching” poor

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Old Millennial Review True Grit - Coen Brothers

Coens do Western right with “True Grit;” performances power “The Fighter”

Known for quirky comedies (“The Big Lebowski”), dark dramas (“No Country for Old Men”), and sometimes both combined (“Fargo”), the Coen Brothers have crafted “True Grit” as their most straightforward and mainstream film to date. It’s an entertaining yarn that executes all the classic Western elements and adds distinct Coen dialogue alongside a trio of

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‘Tron Legacy’ spectacle overpowers substance

Following in the footsteps of last year’s holiday feast, “Avatar,” Disney’s reboot of “Tron” tries for the same overstuffed helping of bright, shiny eye-candy. One thing is certain: The neon-infused action sequences must be seen on the big screen. Also like “Avatar,” the storytelling is decidedly less successful. “Tron Legacy” provides enough recap of the

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Natalie Portman makes spectacular transformation in ‘Black Swan’

Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” mixes the classic beauty of ballet with the disturbing imagery of a sudden and debilitating mental illness. Natalie Portman agonized through months of rigorous training to play Nina, a veteran dancer who unravels emotionally after she earns the coveted lead in “Swan Lake.” She’s got the innocence of the Swan Queen,

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Best Animated Movie Characters–The Top 50

Nobody can deny that most animated movies are made for kids. As adults, we’re supposed to ignore “Looney Tunes” and engage in more “intellectual” fare. For most of Americans, that means “CSI: Miami” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Pretend those social norms don’t exist for a minute. Because when it comes to truly memorable onscreen

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Instant Netflix Christmas – Very, merry streaming

You’ve already burned through multiple viewings of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and “Ernest Saves Christmas” still sits with a “very long wait” in your Netflix queue. Luckily, the bandwidth-sucking empire also offers several holiday streaming options to tide us all over until Dec. 25. Get these yuletide offerings in your Instant Queue today. Movies A

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‘Deathly Hallows’ solid precursor to Harry Potter finale

Count me as one of the “Harry Potter” fans firmly against splitting the final book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” into two movies. There are seven books, so there should be seven movies. Period. Sure, important details can be lost when translating a plot-heavy book to the big screen. But movies are a completely

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‘Unstoppable’ train powered by old-school thrills

The only thing missing from “Unstoppable” is an Ozzy Osbourne-fueled credit sequence. The crazy train in director Tony Scott’s thriller is a half-mile-long freight locomotive carrying explosive toxic chemicals. After a dimwitted employee leaves the train on auto-pilot, a slew of railroad executives, operators and local law enforcement try to stop the thing from derailing

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