Please Give

Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner did the honors of announcing the nominees for the Independent Spirit Awards this morning. Winter's Bone, which also won big at the Goatham Awards last night, led the pack with seven nominations. Nipping at its heels are Black Swan (including a nod for Natalie Portman), Rabbit Hole, and The Kids Are All Right. Don't count out 127 Hours either: future Oscar host James Franco got a nomination for best male lead, and the film also earned nods for best feature and best director.

The show will air in February, but check out the full list of nominees when you read more

If you're looking to pencil in some quality couch time this weekend, look no further than the week's new DVD releases. On the docket: Jesse Eisenberg dons peyas, Adrien Brody fights aliens, and Catherine Keener gets self-critical — take a look!

Predators

Robert Rodriguez produces this latest installment in the Predator franchise with Adrien Brody as the hot (sometimes shirtless) leading man. Brody heads up a group of strangers (among them are Topher Grace and Alice Braga) dropped in a jungle to serve as potential prey for aliens. The film serves up plenty of suspense and gore — just in time for Halloween. DVD extras include audio commentary and featurettes.

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Please Give

Catherine Keener stars as Kate, the owner of an upscale resale furniture store who feels guilty about her own wealth. Her latest moral crisis involves her elderly neighbor Andra and Andra's two granddaughters (Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet). Writer/director Nicole Holofcener (Friends With Money, Lovely and Amazing) weaves in sharp comedy with social commentary, making this little film both funny and thoughtful. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes footage and a Q&A with Holofcener.

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One more release when you read more

Freddy's back! For this week's movies, secret horror film aficionado FabSugar endured the guts and gore of A Nightmare on Elm Street, while one of our Buzz editors sat down for the smaller, female-centric flick Please Give. One is a watch, the other's a rent — can you guess which is which? Find out now.

Christina Aguilera's new music video features several looks that remind us of Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan heads to NYC before possible jail time, and Halle Berry steps out to support charity amid reports she and Gabriel Aubry have split.

Movies can often leave us feeling entertained, uplifted, silly — but it's not every day that you find one that makes you think. Enter Please Give, the latest from director Nicole Holofcener (Friends With Money, Lovely and Amazing). In a world of films with paper-thin plots, Holofcener once again raises her discerning magnifying glass, examining age-old themes of conscience and societal responsibility in a way that feels fresh.

At the center of her story is Kate (Catherine Keener), the owner of a high-end resale furniture store in Manhattan. She makes her living by, as her husband Alex (Oliver Platt) puts it, getting unusual antiques from "the children of dead people" and marking them up for a lofty price. She tries to overcompensate for her actions by passing out twenties to the homeless taking residence on her street. It's a give-and-take driven by her guilt that it drives her family crazy, especially teenage daughter Abby (Sarah Steele). Kate is complicated, flawed and often irritating, but for the audience her moral dilemma feels all too relatable — and it's pretty comical, too.

To see what I mean, read more

When it comes to tackling human insecurities and modern-day relationships, writer-director Nicole Holofcener and Catherine Keener are a dream duo. With the past critical success of Walking and Talking, Lovely and Amazing, and Friends With Money to their credits, they're once again reteaming on the big screen for their latest collaboration, Please Give.

Keener plays a Manhattan-based mom grappling with her own conscience. A buyer of dead people's furniture, she resells the items at her high-end store, basically profiting off their misfortune. In an effort to balance out her own karma, she passes out $20 bills to homeless people, in part to teach her daughter the importance of helping those in need.

The trailer raises a good point — how do you buy your child $200 jeans when there are hungry people living on your street? Can you be a good person and be well off? It's subject matter to make you think, mixed with Holofcener's insightful humor. I'm also excited to see Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall here, as the granddaughters of an elderly neighbor.

The film comes to theaters on April 30. Take a look and tell me your first impressions when you read more