A Mighty Heart

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Transformers
The summer's loud, raucus, action-packed robot movie is finally available for consumption on DVD, complete with all the special feature trimmings. In addition to the story of the Autobots vs. the Decepticons, the DVD boasts such extras as a featurette in which Steven Spielberg discusses his love for the franchise, a peek into how the actors were selected for their roles, a look at the military training Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson endured for their roles, a full exploration of how the film came to fruition from initial storyboards to special effects, and much, much more.

A few more new titles to add to your queue, so read more

Not only can Steve Carell get animals to board an ark — he can also entice people to go to the movies. Carell's Evan Almighty took the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, bumping The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer from its temporary throne. But Evan didn't exactly attract a moviegoing flood of Biblical proportions. Considering that it was said to cost at least $175 million to make, chances are the movie's estimated $32.1 million take wasn't exactly the miracle its producers were hoping for.

Possibly the biggest surprise of the weekend was the John Cusack thriller 1408, which edged out Silver Surfer to take the No. 2 spot with just over $20 million. Variety notes that more than half of its ticket-buyers were women — maybe because it's a creepy but not gruesome horror film, maybe because John Cusack is just kind of awesome.

A Mighty Heart, on the other hand, took in just $4 million to finish in the No. 10 spot. Was the weighty biopic just too heavy for a breezy summer weekend?

Other notable results: Ocean's Thirteen nabbed the No. 4 spot with $11.3 million, while Knocked Up finished in fifth with more than $10 million, bringing its total for the summer to almost $109 million — which, incidentally, is about how much Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin raked in overall. Those Pirates brought in another $7 million to finish at No. 6. Surf's Up, Shrek the Third and Nancy Drew rounded out the top 10.

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As you could probably guess, A Mighty Heart is difficult to watch. Knowing the true story on which the movie is based — and knowing the outcome of this story — causes a dense, heavy sense of impending doom to sit like a rock in one's belly throughout the film's duration. In fact, there were times when I wondered what I was doing watching this horrifyingly sad tale. In the end, however, I was glad I did. The story is an important one.

In 2002, journalists Daniel and Mariane Pearl were reporting from Pakistan. Five months into Mariane's pregnancy, the two decided to leave Pakistan, but Daniel had one more interview he wanted to conduct. He left for the interview, and disappeared. Kidnappers contacted Mariane and her team of journalist allies and U.S. officials, demanding the release of certain Guantanamo prisoners in return for Daniel's release. Of course, this is not the end of the story, so read more

Angelina was more than happy to sign autographs for fans at the premiere for A Mighty Heart last night. As many of you have noted she looks very thin these days. Her smaller frame has sparked anorexia rumors but she tells London Evening Standard that's not the reason behind her recent weight loss. Here's more:

"Someone saying to me that I'm thin is not a compliment," Jolie said. "I've always been lean and this year I lost my mom and I've gone through a lot. I have four kids and I finished breastfeeding - it's been hard to get my nutrition back on track. Instead of people saying I look like a person dealing with something emotionally, they assume it's because I want to fit into skinny jeans."

Although she does look hot in her skinny jeans, it's good to know she realizes she looks thin and it's not on purpose. She certainly has gone through a lot of changes this year. Hopefully she will take a little more time for herself to get better.

Lots more pics of the premiere and after party just read more

As some of you may have realized, wherever Angelina goes, heated conversation follows, but at last night's NYC premiere of A Mighty Heart the whispers weren't about her life or actions -- they were about her dress. Instead of going with the myriad designer frocks she could clearly get her hands on, Angie went with a $26 vintage dress from a thrift store in LA. I'm not loving it, but I totally know when you find something you like, you gotta go with it! She wasn't nearly as frugal with her feet though -- for those she went with some crystal heeled Louboutins (very much like those amazing $930 Louboutins Cam wore on Ellen). Aside from her clothes, Angie looked radiant and in love alongside Brad on the red carpet. I'm sure they're thrilled to finally see this labor of love on the big screen, but the rest of us are going to have to wait -- it's not really released until June 22.

To see the rest of the premiere attendees, including some total randoms like Kimora, Edie Falco and Jeremy Piven just read more

Earlier in the week we got a peek at Angelina talking about avoiding the media coverage of her life in her exclusive new interview with Ann Curry to promote A Mighty Heart. This morning's Today Show aired a portion of the interview, and after watching the clip, I must say that I was impressed by how poised Angelina comes off, even when reduced to tears talking about her mother. On that difficult subject, "I'm at a strange place in my life. I think that that happens when you lose a parent — you drop into a different kind of serious. And yet, at the same time, you want to enjoy and laugh as much as possible every day...I'm holding onto my family really tight at this moment because of that. And trying to be as good a woman as I can be in my life." Check out the clip here and watch the full interview tonight on Dateline NBC.

Admittedly, I was nervous to read the reviews for A Mighty Heart, a movie based on the horrific story of journalist Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002 and ultimately beheaded. The real-life story is heartbreaking, and I worried that a movie might trivialize rather than honor Daniel Pearl's story.

So far, the reviews have been positive with critics giving kudos for the respectful way in which the Pearls' story is told, though also mentioning that the movie presents moments of discomfort having to do with such ripped-from-the-headlines tales of torture and terrorism. Jolie is being lauded for her sensitive and accurate portrayal of Mariane Pearl, tasked as she was with the precarious challenge of playing a person who is still alive. So far, the only reviewers to write about A Mighty Heart have been from Variety and Hollywood Reporter — though over on Popwatch, the reviewer was too moved to write a review yet. UPDATE: New excerpt from the Guardian's review after the jump.

Variety:
“But this is ultimately — and very intimately — Mariane Pearl's story, and much of it rests on Jolie, who fits comfortably into the naturalistic mold that shapes the entire ensemble... this isn't the sort of commanding star turn in which the performer vanishes behind a well-known celebrity mask, but rather a subdued, carefully considered portrait of a woman caught between premature grief and persistent hope.

Jolie plays Mariane as sharp and prickly, but also highly principled and completely devoted to her husband. Wisely, Winterbottom opts to shoot her more high-pitched outbursts from a distance or in near-darkness, as if refusing to milk more histrionics than necessary."

More thoughts if you read more

Angelina and Brad looked beautiful at the A Mighty Heart photocall earlier in the day, but at the actual premiere it was glamor all the way. Brad really snazzed it up in a tuxedo and slick-backed hair, while Angie opted for a stunning simple black number. None of their little kiddies joined them, but Mariane Pearl herself was there holding the hand of her brave little man. To help promote the film, Angelina sat down for an interview with Ann Curry which will air Wednesday on both the Today Show and Dateline NBC. Here's a peek at what she had to say, specifically on not reading what is written about her:

I know there’s a cycle of certain things that they keep rewriting or whatever, but I can assume things are made up. But no, I haven’t a clue. (laughter) And why would I, you know? There’s nothing I have to hide or defend. You know, I’m gonna live my life. And there are gonna be times when people wanna try to attack me and I don’t know why, but they will. And that’s okay...

Well, there are other things I’m more concerned about. My kids are healthy. I have a lot I want to do in this world. Before I do, I wanna do a lot of things as a woman, as a mom, and that’s my focus. At the end of the day, I’m gonna be dead... and what people say about me is gonna be what I accomplished and what I did in my life and how my children are.

Despite being one of the most famous and controversial celebrities around, it really does seem like Angie has a good head on her shoulders. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this movie turned out. If the preview is any indication, I can't imagine there was a dry eye in the theater at the end of the film.

To see tons more pics from the premiere, including all the lovelies above and Diane Von Furstenberg just read more

Brad and Angelina showed up to the photocall for A Mighty Heart in Cannes arm in arm and minus their adorable entourage. They even took off their matching shades and showed some teeth for lots of photo ops. Both Brad and Angie had a large hand in making the film - Brad produced and Angie's the star - so naturally they both had a lot to say about their project. Here's more:

Pitt said he was captivated by the Pearl story from the moment he started following it on CNN. "It was our goal to see this thing through," said Pitt. "And to fight hatred."

Jolie said that despite the serious nature of the film, which tracks Daniel's kidnapping and his wife's desperation to save him, she remains able to smile in her downtime. "I am still capable of being silly and have fun," she said.

It's always fun to hear about the lighter films in Cannes like Ocean's 13, but we're glad to see that many A-listers are also using their celebrity to create films for the greater good.

A lot more pics of beautiful Brad and Angie, so just read more