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Silent Bob finds his voice for 'Comic Book Men'

Director and Denzel elevate danger in 'Safe House'

Local events for the week of Feb. 10-16

'NCIS' hits the 200-episode mark

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Michaela Conlin has sweet TV role

February 10

Beehive Mug

Michaela Conlin is heart and soul of "Bones."Read more →

Director and Denzel elevate danger in 'Safe House'

Feb 09

Generally, action movies are either lightweight, puffed-up macho-man vehicles or so cerebrally deep that it's almost impossible to follow the action. Despite having only a few directing jobs to his credit, Daniel Espinosa found a nice blend of chest-pounding bravado and smart storytelling to make "Safe House" entertaining on multiple levels.

"Safe House" could have been just another spy drama. The elements are all there: Ryan Reynolds plays Matt Weston, a novice CIA agent who's job is to run a CIA safe house -- a secret sanctuary for spies -- in South Africa. He's led a boring life during his 12-month stint, but that changes when rogue agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought to the facility. Read more →

Don't get stranded on 'Journey 2' island

Feb 09

Do whatever necessary to avoid "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," a quasi-sequel to the 2008 release "Journey to the Center of the Earth." It's a monumental failure because of clunky acting, an uninspired story, not-so-special effects and flat 3-D.

Despite borrowing from multiple Jules Verne novels -- and even a few other classic adventure books -- "Journey 2" has less plot than a Super Bowl commercial. Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson), who went on a quest with his uncle to find his dad in the first "Journey," teams with his stepfather (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to search for his missing grandfather (Michael Caine). They're joined by a quirky helicopter pilot (Luis Guzmán), who has some real sexual issues, and his spunky daughter (Vanessa Hudgens). Read more →

'The Vow' is perfect for Valentine's Day

Feb 09

The new romance film "The Vow" suggests love means never having to say you can't remember your spouse's name. The film, loosely based on a true story, follows the life of a woman who comes out of a coma with no recollection of her married life.

"The Vow" has three things going for it: likable starring actors, a director who knows how to stay away from saccharine-sweet sentimentality and a compelling story. Read more →

'Vow' actors Tatum, McAdams make romance believable

Feb 09

LOS ANGELES -- Although they're just co-stars in the new tear-jerker romance "The Vow," if you didn't know any better, it'd be easy to think Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams were an old married couple.

The actors laugh at each other's jokes, finish each other's sentences and compliment each other like a couple who have been together longer than the weeks it takes to make a movie. Read more →

Oscar-worthy short films make a big splash at Tower Theatre

Feb 09

Gone are the days when the categories of short animated, live-action and documentary films were little more than wild cards in your annual Oscar party contest.

Until recently, it was pretty much impossible to see the nominees unless you were an Academy member living in Los Angeles or New York. Thanks to such initiatives as the national release of "The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012," however, you can compare and contrast the nominees -- and make your own educated guesses in that Oscar party pool. Read more →

Silent Bob finds his voice for 'Comic Book Men'

Feb 07

PASADENA -- Silent Bob speaks -- he speaks a lot.

It's actually actor/comic book writer/director Kevin Smith doing all the talking. But the conversation has to do with the mum's-the-word character he has played in several feature films. Read more →

'The River' frames TV thriller with reality-TV style

Feb 06

PASADENA -- Fuzzy images, collected by a camera that appears to have been dropped on a ship's deck, offer a quick look at a mysterious figure. A hand-held camera tries to follow the action but can't keep up with the shape.

These images may look like the work of a documentary filmmaker or a reality show TV crew, but it is the unique filming method used to make the new ABC thriller "The River." Read more →

TV briefs: Phil Keoghan 40-day bike ride

Feb 06

Amazing ride: "The Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan is featured in a new Showtime documentary that debuts at 8 p.m. Feb. 18. The documentary follows Keoghan on a 40-day bike ride across America during the spring of 2009.

Keoghan set out to pedal 3,500 miles from Los Angeles to New York. His goals: experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with his father; embark on the biggest mental and physical challenge of his life; and work toward raising $1 million for his favorite charity, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. However, this life-changing adventure did not come without a price, which included a trip to the hospital, extreme exhaustion, countless spills, drastic weight loss and a dangerous crash in Ohio that left him bloodied and shaken. Read more →