One day before China's big moment, the Olympic opening ceremonies, a dull haze hung over Beijing.

NPR: Beijing Preps For Opening Of Olympics

According to USA Today's Claudia Puig, the "obnoxious, over the top and often dull" result constitutes "a feeble attempt to rehash action-hero glories".

BBC: Die Hard sequel leaves critics cold

The Pontipee brothers, after all, are trapped in a dull, generic plot when they're not leaping over sawhorses, whereas there's a knowing awareness of form to Dr. Frank-N-Furter's gyrations that goes way beyond mere choreography.

NPR: The Greatest Musicals? 'Singin' in the Rain' Tops List

The newspaper that Mr Chandler took over in 1960 reflected the old Los Angeles: it was dull, predictable and primitively right-wing.

ECONOMIST: Otis Chandler

Blues midfielder Robert Garrett fired over from 16 yards in one of the few chances in a dull first half.

BBC: Linfield 0-0 Rosenborg

Even a decade or so ago, most phones had dull gray screens, clamshell designs or tiny keypads that made you hit a button over and over to text one letter of the alphabet.

CNN: Before they got smart: When cellphones were hideous