By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
From the random salute to James Bond to the non-sequiturial "Chicago" revival to Seth MacFarlane's predictably fratty but unpredictably tedious stint as a host — dear Rob Lowe and Snow White: All is forgiven — this year's Oscars were even more tumefied and wearisome than usual.
It was an extra starry, musical day at the Dolby Theatre.
Anne Hathaway was deemed best dressed _ by people who dress her for work.
Someone is dreaming the dream: "Les Miserables" is coming back to Broadway.
Styled as a film noir homage, "Broken City" is maddeningly literal in the way it pays tribute to the genre.
It should come as no surprise that every character in a movie called "Broken City" is either rotten to the core, or a liar, or a schemer, or the bearer of seriously damaging secrets.
"Broken City" _ It should come as no surprise that every character in a movie with a title like this is either rotten to the core, or a liar, or a schemer, or the bearer of seriously damaging secrets. What is surprising is that these characters never feel like real people, despite a series of twists that should, in theory, reveal hidden, unexpected facets of their personalities and despite being played by big-name stars including Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones. They're all still conniving, only with varying alliances and targets. At the center of these dizzying double crosses is Wahlberg as Billy Taggart, a former New York police detective who got kicked off the force after a questionable shooting. Seven years later, Billy is barely getting by as a Brooklyn private eye. Then one day, the mayor (Crowe), who'd always been on Billy's side, hires Billy to investigate whether his wife (Zeta-Jones) is having an affair. He's up for re-election in a week and doesn't want to lose to a young, well-financed challenger (Barry Pepper) over revelations that he's being cuckolded. But Billy's digging leads to further revelations involving the mayor's rival, the rival's campaign manager (Kyle Chandler), the police commissioner (Jeffrey Wright) and some wealthy, well-connected land developers. Everything is simultaneously too complicated and overly spelled out. Director Allen Hughes' film is a forgettable piece of pulp. R for pervasive language, some violence and sexual content. 108 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
Highlights of Hollywood's 2013 schedule (release dates are subject to change):
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" continues to rule them all at the box office, staying on top for a third-straight week and capping a record-setting $10.8 billion year in moviegoing.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" continues to rule them all at the box office, staying on top for a third-straight week and capping a record-setting $10.8 billion year in moviegoing.
Academy award-winning actor Russell Crowe has been reunited with his family, returning to Sydney and visiting the home of his estranged wife, Danielle Spencer, where his children live.
Tom Hooper's extravaganza, big-screen telling of the beloved musical "Les Miserables" is as relentlessly driven as the ruthless Inspector Javert himself. It simply will not let up until you've Felt Something _ powerfully and repeatedly _ until you've touched the grime and smelled the squalor and cried a few tears of your own.
Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of joyful fans? It is the music of a people who, for the past 27 years, have helped "Les Miserables" become one of the most successful musicals of all time, and who finally this Christmas can see a cinematic adaptation of their beloved, song-powered show.
Tom Hooper's extravaganza, big-screen telling of the beloved musical "Les Miserables" is as relentlessly driven as the ruthless Inspector Javert himself. It simply will not let up until you've Felt Something _ powerfully and repeatedly _ until you've touched the grime and smelled the squalor and cried a few tears of your own.
James Bond is in a box-office photo finish with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny over what looks to be the last slow weekend of the holidays.
You couldn't do that kind of performance of `I Dreamed the Dream' onstage," he said.
"Thanks to Seth and the boys from the US Coast Guard for guiding the way...4 hrs 30 mins, 7m(11.2km)," he wrote.
