Entries from January 2010

January 26, 2010

Video Verdict: ‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It,’ ‘Surrogates,’ ‘Whip It,’ ‘Saw VI’

This week’s home video releases include a Bruce Willis action flick, a new entry to the “Saw” franchise and Drew Barrymore’s first feature as a director, but it’s a documentary about late pop star Michael Jackson that leads the pack in terms of both quality and stature.

January 19, 2010

Video Verdict: ‘Invention of Lying,’ ‘Gamer,’ ‘Whiteout,’ ‘Pandorum’

Sadly, this week’s major home video releases are all second-tier, but the best of the batch is an offbeat comedy that has comedian Ricky Gervais’ fingerprints all over it.

January 18, 2010

Kristoffer Polaha has high hopes for his new series, ‘Life Unexpected’

When “Life Unexpected” premieres tonight on The CW, nobody will be more anxious to see the response than former Reno resident Kristoffer Polaha. The 32-year-old actor stars in the series, along with Shiri Appleby (“Roswell”), Brittany Robertson (“Dan in Real Life”) and Kerr Smith (“Dawson’s Creek”), and he has high hopes for its future. “So [...]

January 12, 2010

Video Verdict: ‘The Hurt Locker,’ ‘Moon,’ ‘Fame,’ ‘Post Grad’

This week’s home video releases include two of the best movies to hit theaters in 2009, plus a handful of also-rans.

January 5, 2010

Video Verdict: ‘Cloudy With Meatballs,’ ‘The Final Destination,’ ‘Chuck’

This week’s home video releases include a trite horror film, the second season of an excellent TV dramedy and a charming adaptation of a classic children’s book.

January 4, 2010

And the best films of the decade are …

During a good year, compiling a list of the period’s top 10 movies can be one of the most frustrating exercises a writer can attempt. The reason? Artistic endeavors aren’t designed to be competitive, and top 10 lists have an inherently competitive spirit. Imagine, then, the difficulty in coming up with a list of the [...]