Movies
Forget "Twilight" and "Harry Potter": "Tron: Legacy" just might be the most talked-about film of 2010, and that's high praise for a sequel to a 1982 sci-fi flick that few people actually saw in the theaters. Jeff Bridges returns to play Kevin Flynn, who got trapped in the video game in the first movie, as well as a computerized avatar of himself who hasn't aged. Garrett Hedlund plays the son of Bridges' character, who finds himself in the digital world that took his father away from him when he was just a toddler. And yes, it's in 3-D. (Opens Dec. 17.)
"Rabbit Hole" is garnering great reviews, but it could be hard for sensitive hearts to take, especially parents of young children. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart play a couple who lose their preschooler son in a car accident, and a grief-stricken Kidman befriends the teenager who hit the boy. The Hollywood Reporter calls her performance "riveting." (Opens Dec. 17.)
TV
Two big reality show finales this week. On "Survivor: Nicaragua," six contestants remain — Chase, Dan, Holly, Jane, Fabio and Sash. Oddly, it’s still a bit difficult to predict who might make it to the final three because the group repeatedly makes incredibly dumb moves. But it all ends this week, first with another elimination episode on Wednesday, then the two-hour finale on Sunday followed immediately by the reunion show. (Final regular episode 8 p.m. Dec. 15 and finale and reunion show Dec. 19, 8 p.m., CBS.)
And on "The Biggest Loser," America’s vote decides whether Ada or Elizabeth joins Patrick and Frado for a shot at the $250,000 grand prize. Season 10's finale night also sees the eliminated contestants step on the scale to determine who'll be named the biggest at-home "Loser," an honor worth $100,000. (Finale airs Dec. 14, 9 p.m., NBC.)
We seldom see ourselves in movies — instead we see spies, superheroes and exquisitely beautiful women who double as nuclear physicists. (Looking at you, Denise Richards.) "45365" gives ordinary folks a chance in the spotlight. 45365 is the ZIP code of Sidney, Ohio, hometown of filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross, and the film looks at the town's residents and their everyday lives. This is the real America, not those supposed "Real Housewives." (Airs on PBS' "Independent Lens" Dec. 14, check local listings for times.)
DVD
Well before "Megamind," there was another 2010 animated film featuring supervillains duking it out. "Despicable Me" has a pretty charming story and the voice talent of Steve Carell as the grumpy Mr. Gru. Even the 3-D is used fairly well, and my toddler loved the batch of entertaining little yellow pill-shaped minions hopping around. The DVD includes three minion minimovies — she'll be in heaven. (Out on DVD Dec. 14 — reserve one at Best Buy and they give you a free minion doll.)
The best documentaries take us inside a world that we would otherwise never have known. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" does just that for the world of street art, following French immigrant Thierry Guetta and his encounters with other artists, including Shepard Fairey, famed for his Obama "HOPE" poster, and British graffitist Banksy, who directs the film. There's some debate over whether it's a true documentary or a mockumentary, but does it matter? Not to critic Roger Ebert, who says he "sat spellbound during this film." (Out on DVD Dec. 14.)
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is TODAYshow.com's movies editor. Ree Hines and Anna Chan contributed to this article.