Family Drama

Disney creates cure for insomnia with ‘Tron: Legacy’ (2010)

As “Tron: Legacy” (2010) lightly brushes over might-have-been interesting issues such as open-source code versus code ownership and settles for a flat, emotionless, CGI-effects-driven adventure,

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‘Karate Kid’ (2010) and the problem with sticking to the script

The last 15 years or so have proven that returning characters mean more to audiences than reusing the title. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” with the original characters,

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No shadow of a doubt that ‘Step Down to Terror’ (1958) is inferior

“Step Down to Terror” (1958) is Alfred Hitchcock’s “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943) put into a blender with Fifties sitcoms where father knows best …

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‘RoboCop’ (2014) drops the satire for slick, familiar sci-fi

“RoboCop” (2014) is the definition of a thankless task. Director Jose Padilha and writer Joshua Zetumer do a workmanlike job but aren’t able to make

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‘Poirot’ Season 11 (2008-09) runs into adaptation challenges

“Agatha Christie’s Poirot” has never looked better than in Season 11 (2008-09, ITV, A&E), as we’re invited into the cluttered boarding house of “Mrs. McGinty’s

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If ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ (1991) doesn’t leave, I’ll kill it myself

“Psycho” (1998) gets the wrath among near beat-for-beat remakes of Alfred Hitchcock’s films, but there are many candidates for worst remake of his work. “Shadow

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‘Poirot’ Season 10 (2005-06) a mix of smart and ill-advised alterations

“Agatha Christie’s Poirot” began its “dark half” by adapting four masterpieces in Season 9. Season 10 (2005-06, ITV and A&E), on the other hand, tackles

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We really need to talk about ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ (2011)

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” (2011) possesses two endearing qualities. (Three if you count the title.) The first is the prowess in visual storytelling

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‘The Book Thief’ (2005) is a beautiful novel about death and Nazis

I’ve read enough books now to develop a personal taste and know what topics to avoid, but after reading “The Book Thief” (2005) for my

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‘Poirot’ works out math of love triangles in Season 9 (2003-04)

“Poirot” Seasons 1-8 feature the cozy quartet of Poirot, Hastings, Japp and Miss Lemon and proven, skilled writers like Clive Exton and Anthony Horowitz. But

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