Taken 2 – Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson) is a dad “with a particular set of skills” who, in the prequel film (2008), rescued his daughter from an Albanian human-trafficking syndicate, using the unconventional tactic of applying his experience as expert CIA operative in a merciless rampage across Europe.

In this year’s sequel, Bryan is still trying to get close to his daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace), while working off-and-on as a high-profile personal security consultant. When he finds out that his ex-wife Lenore (played by the stunning Famke Janssen) is having a rough time at home with an estranged husband, Bryan invites Kim and Lenore to visit him in Istanbul after his next assignment for a few days vacation.

Meanwhile, in Albania, trafficking kingpin Murad Krasniqi (played by Rade Serbedzija) plots revenge against Bryan, and travels with his goons into Istanbul just in time to catch the family reuniting for their vacation. During one outing, Bryan and Lenore seem to be reigniting an old flame just as Murad’s goons barge in with orders to take Bryan alive. Needless to say, a series of kidnapping attempts against Bryan, Lenore, and even Kim ensues, while Bryan spends much of the movie performing his signature vicious rampage.

But you already knew that, didn’t you? Check out the rest of the review after the button…

With moms of Oscar contenders being encouraged hired to tweet about the show, Variety writer Timothy Gray suggests we pay dads a bit of attention. “It’s appropriate because 2010 was filled with meditations on life with father — or without him,” says Gray. He mentions that many of the 2010 “best picture” nominees deal with father issues, including “The Kids Are Alright,” “Winter’s Bone,” “True Grit,” as well as the mind-melding “Inception.”

Gray discusses the possibilities of why cinema examined fathers in 2010, suggesting that maybe the directors, who grew up in a Darth Vader “Luke, I am your father” (oops, sorry about that spoiler) generation, now are fleshing out the issue themselves. Is it a re-evaluation of the role of fatherhood? Is it an answer to other gender politics? Are we looking for a father figure in an economically-and-politically-lost time? Has it been going on and we’ve been missing it? Who knows.

Gray mentions, among many others, more 2010 movies from other categories that deal with father issues, such as: “Iron Man 2,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” “Shutter Island,” and “Tron: Legacy.”

Was 2010 the year of the dad in cinema? Or was it just when we, the viewers realized that fathers played such a big part in movie plots?

Since it’s Presidents Day, your kids are out of school. But if your boss is a real American, he’s making you work, just like George Washington had to on his birthday. If you’re one of the lucky dudes that got to bring your kids to work, DadLabs has you covered.

I wish this video was longer.

“Big Lebowski? Does your dad let you? Is he alright with that?” Too true, DadLabs. Too true.

Sauce: DadLabs

ShortList compiled a – wait for it – short list of movie-character-chicks that you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.

Among the undatable daughters – Kim Bauer from 24 and Princess Leia from Star Wars, though I’m wondering if she counts since she didn’t know Darth Vader was her father until right before the Emperor turned him into a microwave dinner.

Sauce: ShortList

Not that this is breaking news, but the Discovery Channel/TLC network has been making money off of a father-and-son struggle for years now, and the American public has eaten it up. Are we all proud of ourselves?

American Chopper started out as a show about a father-and-son team that built custom motorcycles for different companies and events. Over time, however, Paul Teutul and his son, Paul Jr., had a falling-out. Paul Sr. fired Paul Jr., and their business was split up. They now run competing bike shops in New York, and despite the father-son drama and lawsuit, cameras kept rolling, even when Paul Sr. had asked otherwise. Once Paul Jr. was past a lawsuit-mandated non-competition period, the network came to him, asking if he’d be building bikes again, and if so, if they could film him for the show. Paul Sr., less than four miles away in his own shop, told the show that he wasn’t interested in doing a show that pit father and son’s shops against each other. The network threatened to cancel Sr.’s portion of the show if he didn’t agree to it.

The rest, as they say, is history. Comments from both Sr. and Jr. seem to indicate that their relationship has been stressed more by the show’s constant filming, which is done in two separate locations by two separate crews.

Is the American Chopper storyline appropriate for television? Or should Paul Sr. and Jr. have focused on their private lives instead of making their now-ratings-snatching relationship a commodity?

Sauce: NY Times

When you first have a kid, you want to believe that you won’t have your television on 24/7, because every study and website out there lambasts you for even thinking of turning on the boob-tube while your kid is anywhere near it. So, for awhile, you tried to be that household – the one that consumes less television. When you just had to have the television on, you pointed your baby away from it, toward more educational stuff – like the wall.

But let’s be honest – you’re human and you’ve got stuff to do. Once your kid learns to walk, you need some sort of wizard’s spell to keep your kid in one place for more than 2 minutes. Toys and books work for awhile, but eventually, everyone goes back to their old friend, the television. All those flashing colors and animal sounds are like magic spells for a kid. And within reason, you can let your kid watch the television without melting his brain.

Now that my son is learning about the real world, and not just taking Yo Gabba Gabba at face value, I’ve been able to filter some “normal” adult television back into our evening schedules. The four shows I’ve had the most success with, after the jump.

We first found Atom.com’s Stay At Home Dad back in October and have enjoyed it since. RegretfulMourning.com recounted their favorite episodes, which coincidentally were also the most offensive. Or, you can just go straight to Atom.com’s Stay At Home Dad channel and watch all of the webisodes. Each one is only a couple minutes long, so they’re the perfect length for a couple of laughs during your mid-day lull.

If you’re new to Stay At Home Dad, it’s the story of Brandon, who lost his job “to a computer” at the Commodities Exchange, so now he’s at home full-time taking care of his kids.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out Louis C.K.’s new DVD Hilarious, you’re missing out on something special. While he has uproariously funny material on all topics, he really shines when talking about his daughters.

We linked to a video of Louis a couple of days ago in a clip talking about how people feed their kids chemicals, and then beat them when the child reacts to it. And through a sarcastic and vulgar delivery, Louis C.K. gets to that little grain of truth; in this case, that as a culture, we pump our kids full of chemicals like caffeine, and then blame the child when he or she reacts to it. In another anecdote, C.K. talks about entertaining his daughters’ questions and how when you argue with a child, you’re always the loser.