In this Friday's Friends with Benefits, two pals decide to use each other for sex, until deeper feelings get in the way. Not that they should be surprised; if they had watched any of these films, then they certainly would've known the outcome to their little experiment. May we present exhibit A: onscreen buddies who went from platonic to romantic. Take a look!
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. In addition to my selections below you can now add Bottle Shock and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa to your queue.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
I still smile when I think about this movie starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks because it's so silly and raunchy and yet manages to be somewhat heartwarming. But it should come with a serious warning: This is pretty graphic stuff so you should avoid watching with say, a boss, or a brother, or even maybe your roommate's boyfriend. It's a series of really awkward movie moments just waiting to happen. It's also hysterically funny in parts, though, so don't hesitate to add this one to your queue.
The special features both frighten and intrigue me. They include deleted scenes; a "making of" featurette; something called "Money Shots Webisodes"; outtakes, ad-libs and bloopers; and "Seth vs. Justin: Battle for Improvisational Supremacy."
Two more up next, just read more
Yay: The Zack and Miri Make a Porno DVD will hit shelves next Tuesday, Feb. 3! But on Wal-Mart's shelves the title may look a little bit different. Wal-Mart requested that director Kevin Smith change the title on the DVD covers so the word "porno" isn't there, and Smith has agreed to do it. Here's more:
Smith said Weinstein Co., which released the film Oct. 31, has complied with Wal-Mart's request and created new DVD covers for the retailer, but the director worries that some unsuspecting customers will be fooled when they see the shortened title.
[Smith said,] "I mean, at least with the word 'porno' in the title, you can kind of give people a warning about what they're in for."
That's a good point, really — is it actually doing anyone a service to take the word "porno" out of the title? Or is it understandable that Wal-Mart would want the DVD cover to not include that word?
Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company
The animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was a big hit with audiences over the weekend, earning a whopping $63.5 million. In fact, it set some records and "narrowly scored the best opening of the year for a family toon, as well as the seventh best bow of all time." Madagascar 2 just barely surpassed Wall-E which brought in $63 million its opening weekend.
In the No. 2 spot came the Paul Rudd comedy Role Models that exceeded expectations with an estimated $19.3 million. High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Changeling, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno rounded out the top five followed by Soul Men, which opened at No. 6.
Picture courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Thanks for all the great caption suggestions for this week's image from Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Ready to vote on a winner? Here are your finalists. . .
Those whippersnappers have once again snapped up the box office crown. Over the Halloween weekend, High School Musical 3 got top marks at the box office for the second weekend in a row, this time bringing in just over $15 million. According to Variety, this pushed "its worldwide total to an estimated $146.8 million after 10 days in release."
Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno debuted at No. 2, just barely beating out Saw V with each movie raking in something in the $10 million range. Opening nationwide over the weekend, Clint Eastwood's Changeling nabbed the fourth spot with an estimated $9.4 million. Per location, however, Changeling is the big winner, with an "average of $5,085, the best of any film in the top 10 chart." The Haunting of Molly Hartley rounded out the top five with approximately $6 million over its opening week.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures
Don't get me wrong: Zack and Miri Make a Porno is extremely disgusting at times. But I expected that. I didn't expect it to be quite so sweet or touching (in the emotional way, gutter mind). I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan (as you may have noticed from my Comic-Con coverage of him), and this latest product of his dirty, dirty mind does not disappoint. It's one part sex jokes, one part sweetness and eight parts F-bombs. It's certainly not for everyone and it's not going to go down in history as a cinematic tour de force, but it is hilarious and raunchy and oddly sweet.
Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been best friends since childhood, and now they room together in a Pittsburgh apartment. They're not the most ambitious pair, and when they run out of money, they need to come up with some fast cash in order to pay the rent and bills. Thus, they decide to make a porno. Their friend Delaney (Craig Robinson, just as funny as he is on The Office) helps with casting, and soon four more (including real-life ladies from the world of adult entertainment, Traci Lords and Katie Morgan) join the project and the group is on its way to making a pornographic movie. But things get a little complicated (see? I could have used the word "sticky," but I didn't because that would have been gross) when these two just-friends decide to have sex together on camera. The main joke seems to be that pesky things like emotions and love get in the way of great, entertaining porn. For more on why I so enjoyed this movie, read more
Kevin Smith's upcoming movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno has seen its fair share of controversy. First, Smith had to fight for an R-rating instead of NC-17, and then the movie poster was changed to stick figures after the original one was deemed too racy.
But all this controversy is probably a good thing for this comedy starring Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks as friends who try their hand at adult filmmaking when money gets tight.
From what I've seen of the previews, it looks pretty funny. But it will also be crass and likely cringe-inducing and I know Smith's shtick isn't for everyone. So I'm curious if you'll head to theaters over the weekend to see this with a live audience or do you prefer for these kinds of comedies to come out on DVD and watch with friends? Or maybe you have no desire to see Seth Rogen make a porno at all?
Welcome to the Caption It game on BuzzSugar! Every other Wednesday, I'll post a photo still from a TV show or movie here and challenge you to think of the most hilarious caption possible. I'll announce the finalists the following Tuesday, and you'll get to vote for the best caption; the winner will get a fabulous BuzzSugar t-shirt!
First, congrats to sushibananas for winning last week's challenge with the following:
"Nigel Barker instructs his model, "Remember, you are a fish. Be the fish. I'm gonna feed the fish. And 1. . .2. . .3!"
This week's challenge comes from the upcoming comedy just begging for a caption, Zack and Miri Make a Porno:
Leave your captions in the comment space below before 5 p.m. PDT on Monday, Nov. 3, to be considered for a spot in the voting round. Have fun! To see a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, just read more
I'll admit that I can be susceptible to the appeal of a red-band trailer (a trailer made for mature audiences, often including profanity or racy content) when it comes to certain movies. For instance, when I saw that Kevin Smith's upcoming comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno had a red-band trailer, I was super excited. It's not so much about shock value as it is the chance to see what this movie, in all its raunchy Smith glory, is truly going to be like.
But not all of these trailers have that effect on me. I haven't been rushing to watch the red-band trailer for the little indie flick Good Dick, for example.
I think the first red-band trailer I was interested in was for Superbad last year. Nowadays it's becoming an increasingly popular tactic, as marketers look to generate buzz with a little online provocation. Do you find that the appeal of a movie goes up with these trailers?
