The best JRR Tolkien adaptations tend to resemble long walks in miserable weather. (To be clear, this is a good thing.) But this weird yet watchable animated foray into Middle-earth history – fast-tracked so that New Line Cinema could hang onto the film rights to Tolkien’s work – feels more like ice skating on a well-tended rink.

Ted Danson appeared in almost all 12 seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as one of Larry David’s nemeses. Playing a pretentious and smug version of himself, the “Cheers” star became a fan-favorite on the show, most recently appearing in the series finale. But Danson was initially quite skeptical of the unscripted HBO sitcom — and only …

Warner Bros. Animation’s new Lord of the Rings anime film is everything that’s disappointing about IP cash grabs.