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The Year in TV: January 2010

Because so many noteworthy things happened in the history of American television this year, it’s best to look at it all one month at a time. So let’s take a look at the biggest events on TV in January 2010.

Television

Passengers

As much effort as apparently went into it, the film nonetheless feels like a pit stop for everyone involved.

Reviews

Variety's "The Movie That Changed My Life" by Robert Hofler

By the end of both tabloid and book you are forced to abandon your childhood idealism and confess that celebrities are rather trite.

Books

The New Classics - The 30 Best Films of 2008

Unlike previous years, where classics came crawling out of the celluloid woodwork with regular reckless abandon, 2008 was more calm… and considered. That's not to say that choosing 30 top titles was hard. The difficulty in placing them in some manner of rank order suggests the actual depth of quality involved.

Film

Iconic - The Top 20 Male Performances of 2008

Like the gladiators of old, 2008 resembles a battle of formidable acting gods, especially when looking over the 20 choices presented below. Indeed, if anything, choosing a winner requires more of a leap of faith than any amount of critical skill - they all were that good.

Film

Tough and Tender - The Top 20 Female Performances of 2008

Twenty talented ladies, 20 performances worthy of multiple little gold men. Unfortunately, as in all years, someone has to come out on top. But after looking over this impressive list, picking the preeminent turn of 2008 seems almost impossible.

Film

Bride Wars

Bride Wars is part cautionary tale, part fairy tale, and part Jerry Springer episode, as Liv and Emma's so-called dreams are wholly conventional and their antics are increasingly outrageous.

Reviews

Rachel Getting Married

In Rachel Getting Married, Kym and Rachel's relationship is routinely rocky, abetted by what's unspoken by everyone else.

Reviews

Talk, Talk, Talk: October 2008

What studio suit thought this was a good idea? With four months to schedule your high priced efforts, you instead unload almost 30 overpriced pictures on an unsuspecting movie audience.

Film

Get Smart

Get Smart makes rudimentary efforts to update, with passing references to terrorists, profiling, and inter-agency competition.

Reviews

The Return of the Popcorn Circus: June 2008

If May almost tent-poled itself out of existence, June will be even worse. After all, are audiences really ready for 13 major release in less than two months -- with more to come?

Featured: Top of Home Page

Becoming Jane

Julian Jarrold's fictionalized biopic offers up big-boomy melodrama, full of broken hearts, romantic montages, and predictable plot turns.

Reviews

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

According to this film women in power are cruel, lonely, and constantly paranoid; not to mention supremely non-sexual.

Matt Mazur

Reviews

Pop Ten

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

Jackie Chan's 10 Best Films

The 10 Best Indie Pop Albums of 2009

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 2: 80 - 61

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 5: 20 - 1

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 1 (100 - 81)

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Mixed Media

Collapse Expand Mixed Media

PM Picks

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The Year in TV: January 2010

Because so many noteworthy things happened in the history of American television this year, it’s best to look at it all one month at a time. So let’s take a look at the biggest events on TV in January 2010.

Passengers

As much effort as apparently went into it, the film nonetheless feels like a pit stop for everyone involved.

Bride Wars

You know what this movie will make you want to do? Elope.

Variety's "The Movie That Changed My Life" by Robert Hofler

By the end of both tabloid and book you are forced to abandon your childhood idealism and confess that celebrities are rather trite.

The New Classics - The 30 Best Films of 2008

Iconic - The Top 20 Male Performances of 2008

Like the gladiators of old, 2008 resembles a battle of formidable acting gods, especially when looking over the 20 choices presented below. Indeed, if anything, choosing a winner requires more of a leap of faith than any amount of critical skill - they all were that good.

Tough and Tender - The Top 20 Female Performances of 2008

Twenty talented ladies, 20 performances worthy of multiple little gold men. Unfortunately, as in all years, someone has to come out on top. But after looking over this impressive list, picking the preeminent turn of 2008 seems almost impossible.

Bride Wars

Bride Wars is part cautionary tale, part fairy tale, and part Jerry Springer episode, as Liv and Emma's so-called dreams are wholly conventional and their antics are increasingly outrageous.

Camera Trick Undermines 'Rachel''s Realism

Rachel Getting Married

In Rachel Getting Married, Kym and Rachel's relationship is routinely rocky, abetted by what's unspoken by everyone else.

Talk, Talk, Talk: October 2008

What studio suit thought this was a good idea? With four months to schedule your high priced efforts, you instead unload almost 30 overpriced pictures on an unsuspecting movie audience.

Get Smart

Get Smart makes rudimentary efforts to update, with passing references to terrorists, profiling, and inter-agency competition.

'Smart' Sucks

The Return of the Popcorn Circus: June 2008

If May almost tent-poled itself out of existence, June will be even worse. After all, are audiences really ready for 13 major release in less than two months -- with more to come?

Becoming Jane

Julian Jarrold's fictionalized biopic offers up big-boomy melodrama, full of broken hearts, romantic montages, and predictable plot turns.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

According to this film women in power are cruel, lonely, and constantly paranoid; not to mention supremely non-sexual.

The Ugly and Unlistenable Death Spiral of Eddie Van Halen

Josh Rouse Gets Us in the Holiday Spirit With "Sleigh Brother Bill" (premiere + interview)

Parker Gispert Re-Imagines Sinatra Classic "That's Life" (premiere + interview)

Samuel Jack Lays Bare His Mental Health Struggle on "In My Head" (premiere)

The Stone Foxes Set the Spotlight on San Francisco's Homelessness Epidemic in "Million Dollar Shoes" (premiere)

Folk Rock's the Dales Contemplate "Easy Times" (premiere)

Mellotron Variations Inspire With "Went Home to Meet Konrad" (premiere)

Stand and Sway Take It "One Day at a Time" (premiere)

EG Vines' 'Family Business' Seeks to Find the Humanity in Others (album stream) (premiere)

Yasser Tejeda and Vicente García Break Down Borders with "Amor Arrayano" (premiere)