With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, we're thinking about beloved movie moms, particularly the actresses who time and time again have taken maternal roles and made them memorable. The first person who comes to mind? Meryl Streep. She's been a mom who sings, a mom who psychoanalyzes, and of course, a complicated mom. Here are my five top mom parts from her acting arsenal.
Before you bank up your rentals for this weekend, consider these new releases. One is sweet, the other is totally trippy — and both are available for your viewing pleasure starting today.
Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin play Jane and Jake, divorced parents who reignite the old flame in secret and stir up old feelings. Things really get, er, complicated when Jane begins seeing her nerdy architect (Steve Martin), and a love triangle is formed. Streep, Baldwin, and Martin are a delight to watch on screen, and they take this premise beyond typical rom-com schlock. But also rent it for John Krasinski who turns his supporting role as Streep and Baldwin's future son-in-law into a scene-stealer. DVD extras include a commentary track and featurette.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
In what is perhaps best known as Heath Ledger's final performance, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a whimsical morality tale about a group of circus-type performers who welcome visitors into one man's messed-up mind. Christopher Plummer plays the title role alongside Ledger and an ensemble made to look like the late actor, including Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell. The cast is solid, but the story itself is a confusing, tangled mess. Even so, you can't do much better when it comes to interesting visual details to ogle, thanks to the creative mind of director Terry Gilliam. DVD extras include a deleted scene and interview with Ledger.
No surprise here: Avatar topped the box office for its fourth straight week in a row, a feat that hasn't happened since 2008's The Dark Knight. The film took in $48.5 million for the No. 1 spot, but also saw its biggest sales dip yet with a 29 percent decrease from last week's numbers.
Sherlock Holmes came in second yet again with $16.6 million, followed by Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel with $16.3 million.
The majority of you said you were interested in seeing the vampire flick Daybreakers, and it proved to be the most promising of the weekend's debuts with $15 million for fourth place. It's Complicated came in fifth with $11 million.
Other newcomers Leap Year and Youth in Revolt didn't fare as well. The Amy Adams vehicle took in $9 million for a No. 6 spot, while the latter made $7 million for a disappointing No. 9 finish.
Another holiday weekend, another big win for Avatar. The film still held strong at the No. 1 spot, pulling in an impressive $68.3 million domestically and bulldozing the rest of the competition, including Sherlock Holmes which came in second with $38.3 million.
Avatar's earnings push it past the $1 billion mark globally, making it the fourth highest grossing film worldwide behind James Cameron's other baby, Titanic, as well as Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. And it's only in its third weekend in theaters so time will tell.
Rounding out the rest of the top five was Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel with $36.6 million, It's Complicated with $18.7 million, and The Blind Side which continued to surprise by earning $12.6 million — even better than last week's figures.
There's no denying the fact that text messaging has fundamentally changed communication, but it's a dangerous feature. It requires two hands (for most of us), mental effort and some focus. Enough focus that it's risky — and even deadly — operating a car while getting your text on and services have popped up that prevent you from being able to do both.
There's a cute scene in It's Complicated where John Krasinski's soon-to-be sister-in-law backs out of the driving typing away and he reminds her in a sweet fatherly tone to cut it out. Unfortunately, it's a reminder most of us need often. Back in 2007, 48 percent of you said you text while driving "every once in a while." Have times changed?
Oh, love in the digital age. It's confusing, isn't it? My Tech Dating 101 series regularly tackles how technology and new forms of communication are evolving dating and relationship rules, and though I've tackled many a topic, I have yet to nail down the specific meaning of "It's Complicated." You know, the status you can select on Facebook? To see what I think, read more
Thanks to a few film juggernauts, it was a record-breaking weekend at the movies, with the industry taking in an unprecedented $278 million in sales. Leading the pack was reigning champ, Avatar. Despite three big releases breaking into the top five, no one was able to unseat James Cameron's sci-fi spectacle, which brought in $75 million in its second week (that's an incredibly small drop off of only 2.6 percent from last weekend's final gross).
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law gave a strong showing at No. 2 with their Sherlock Holmes raking in $65.3 million and breaking the record for biggest Christmas opening ever. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel followed at No. 3 with $50.2 million. The Meryl Streep comedy It's Complicated earned $22.1 million for fourth place, and finishing out the top five was Up in the Air with $11.7 million.
Santa brought plenty of great movies to the theaters this Christmas. Before you make your selection, let the Buzz editors guide you with reviews on Nine and It's Complicated.
Find out why BuzzSugar says Nine and It's Complicated are both worth spending your hard earned bucks on to watch them in the theater!
Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin might be too old for you to actually consider dating, but that doesn't mean they're too old to play the lead in a romantic comedy. The pair faceoff in It's Complicated, which comes out today and they'll also duel when they co-host the Oscars next year. If you're into funny men, these guys might do the trick, although their brands of comedy differ. Alec has perfected the dry, slightly arrogant humor, while Steve's comedy is more physical and adorable. Are you on Team Alec or Team Steve?
