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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:30:50 -0700

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.

21
The box office winner 21 is the kind of movie I'd be happy to come across on basic cable whilst channel surfing. It has a likable cast and a not-mind-numbing-but-not-confusing plot that is perfect for a day on the couch. The movie stars newly anointed heartthrob Jim Sturgess as a geeky genius MIT senior who's having trouble drumming up enough tuition money. He's soon recruited by the no-good professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey) into a secret little card-counting operation (which includes five other MIT students, one of whom is played by Kate Bosworth) to scheme Vegas out of a lot of cash.

It's based (loosely) on the true story documented in the memoir Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, and overall I had a good time seeing it in theaters. Special features on the two-disc edition include featurettes titled "The advantage player: The cast explains the game of blackjack and card counting," and "Money Plays: A tour of the good life."

One more for TV fans so read more.

Las Vegas: Season 5
Hey hey, it's a Vegas kind of day. For fans of the sexy NBC drama Las Vegas the fifth and final season on DVD is reason to celebrate because now your at-home collection can be complete.

The series stars manjoyment heavyweight Josh Duhamel along with Vanessa Marcil and Molly Sims. They were also able to nab Tom Selleck to lend some star power to the last season as two regulars (James Caan and Nikki Cox) exited early. Special features include a gag reel.

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Box Office: Forbidden Kingdom Kicks the Competition

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:30:28 -0700

Forbidden Kingdom gave kung fu fans the match up of their dreams, pairing up martial arts screen giants Jackie Chan and Jet Li for the first time. Together the two stars proved to be a formidable force at the box office, earning the top spot over the weekend with an estimated $20.9 million. Forgetting Sarah Marshall came in second place, earning $17 million.

Variety reports that while this opening represents a vast improvement over recent Apatow films like Drillbit Taylor and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, it still wasn't a return to the box office glory of his mega-hits like Superbad, Knocked-Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Prom Night continued to do well, coming in at No. 3 followed by the weekend opener starring Al Pacino, 88 Minutes which only took in $6.8 million. Nim's Island rounded out the top five followed by 21, Street Kings, and Horton Hears a Who. In the ninth spot was the Ben Stein documentary about intelligent design, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Box Office: A Memorable Prom Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:30:38 -0700

Maybe it's that time of the year, or perhaps there was a strong nationwide desire to see a scary movie, but whatever the reason, horror flick Prom Night was crowned queen at the box office this weekend. Variety reports that the movie's $22.7 million marks the best opening for a horror picture so far this year, possibly due to the teen-friendly PG-13 rating.

Though Street Kings is loaded with bloodshed and big names like Forest Whitaker and Keanu Reeves, it was still no match for the teen screamfest, earning second place with an estimated $12 million. 21, on the other hand, is still performing well, taking the third spot with $11 million. It was followed by Nim's Island, Leatherheads, and Horton Hears a Who.

Little family comedy Smart People starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, and Dennis Quaid came in No. 7 earning about $4.2 million. The overall box office is still experiencing a slump compared to last year. I wonder if Forgetting Sarah Marshall will get more folks to the theaters next weekend?

And if you're curious about Prom Night, head over to movies.ivillage.com for the trailer and video clips.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Box Office: 21 Wins Again as Leatherheads Fumbles

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:30:55 -0700

For the second weekend in a row, Jim Sturgess and gang were No. 1 at the box office - though the overall March slump continued. 21 was down a bit from the weekend before but held on to the top spot with a weekend take of $15 million.

As for the No. 2 spot, Variety is calling it a "virtual tie" between George Clooney's Leatherheads (with an estimated $13.5 million) and the Jodie Foster-Abigail Breslin family flick Nim's Island, which brought in $13.3 million.

Horton Hears a Who came in fourth place followed by the big horror film opening of the weekend, The Ruins, which took in $7.8 million. The Rolling Stones documentary by Martin Scorsese, Shine a Light, opened in limited release and brought in $1.5 million.

What did you see at the theaters this weekend? Did you give George and Renee a chance despite so-so reviews?

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Weekend Box Office: 21 Wins the Pot

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:15:05 -0700

Well, it looks like 21, the film about MIT students who take Vegas by storm, was a safe bet as it easily won the top spot at the box office. However, the overall weekend box office total was down 17 percent compared to last year, Variety reports. 21 earned an estimated $23 million, beating Horton Hears a Who and firmly establishing Jim Sturgess as a viable leading man.

Compare these results to another new release this weekend: Stop-Loss, starring Ryan Phillippe, who is a household name. Another box office casualty in a long line of Iraq War-related film flops, Stop-Loss only earned $4.5 million, coming in at No. 8.

Which brings me to the other box office disappointment this weekend, Superhero Movie. Could it be that Round One of Harvey Weinstein vs. Fanboys' fanboys goes to the geeks (more on the feud here)? Protesters gathered on both coasts where Superhero was playing, though in LA it appears Weinstein was prepared with guards. One protester told the Hollywood Reporter:

Guards were everywhere. At one point, I counted nine, no joke. They hired a whole force and whenever someone showed up looking around for the protest, they were surrounded by guards and told to leave instantly or be arrested. I guess you can't really hold a protest on private property.

Ultimately the film came in the third spot with a measly $9.5 million. Is this a little bit hilarious to anyone else?

Finally, Run Fat Boy Run starring Simon Pegg came in 13th and only earned an estimated $2.3 million here in the US. The movie grossed $22.6 million in the UK last Fall.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

21: Predictable, Generic Fun

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:32:04 -0700

Well, it turns out this writer was right: you could absolutely review 21 based on the trailer alone. Having seen previews for this movie (or even having seen a cinematic work put out by Hollywood once or twice), the movie is predictable from start to finish. But you can also probably predict how you'll feel about 21 from the trailer. If it looks entertaining to you, that's because it is, with its glittery Vegas backdrop and good-looking cast. If it looks predictable and cheesy, well, it's that, too. The "twists" come at you a mile away and the themes (searching for a father figure, defining oneself not by wealth, etc., etc.) rain down on your head like a plague. But at the same time, it's a PG-13 movie clearly trying to appeal to a younger audience, and it probably will. It's going to be flashy and obvious. It's going to be fond of montages and driving music. For what it is, it's a pretty fun time.

Jim Sturgess plays the endearingly geeky genius MIT senior Ben Campbell, whose ability to attend the school of his dreams, Harvard Medical School, is blocked by a pesky little $300,000 tuition. When the shady Professor Rosa (a disappointingly one-note villain's performance by Kevin Spacey) discovers Ben's ability to do math under pressure and keep his cool, he folds Ben into his secret little card-counting operation. This business, as Mickey Rosa calls it, consists of five MIT students who work together to scheme Vegas casinos out of some major cash - using math. To see what else happens and more of my take on it, read more.

At first, Ben is anxious about the whole thing, but of course, as he starts to succeed, it becomes easier and easier to enjoy the big money he's pocketing. Plus, "the prettiest girl at school," Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth, in a mostly forgettable role) is involved in the scam, giving Ben further incentive. Thus, the geeks become the gangsters. Yet when Ben has a falling-out with Rosa, his newfound pompousness moves him to suggest the students continue without the teacher. Only thing they don't count on is a casino security head (Lawrence Fishburne) with his own bitter vendetta against Rosa and his little "business."

The movie is too long, has surprisingly little real action and lots of low moments that drag. There are, however, fast-paced montages (the Learning the Ropes montages, the Winning Big montages, the Spending Spree montages, the Generally Living the High Life montages) set to any number of the soundtrack's hipster tunes, and quick zooms onto cards and chips aplenty. Most of all, there is a fondness for the slow-motion. If I've learned anything from the movies, it's that you can take any group of average schlubs, make them walk toward the camera in a fan formation, employ some thumping bass and some slow-motion and suddenly it's Gangsta Paradise. This applies to MIT students, too, apparently. And yeah, it's generic. But it's fun, too.

To see the trailer and more clips from 21 check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Link Time! 3/27

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:30:30 -0700

Filmonic has a pretty awesome rundown of which actors would play the Simpsons characters in a live-action Simpsons movie. My favorites are Allison Janney as Mrs. Krabappel and Kevin Smith as Comic Book Guy.
The Ausiello Report has the strangest news that a Prison Break character we thought was dead is alive after all. Huh?
Cinematical claims the movie 21 proves that sometimes a film can be reviewed entirely from its trailer.
Popwatch has a helpful - and very funny - video that will catch you up on Dancing With the Stars, just in case you didn't catch all 3.5 hours of it this week.
TV Filter wonders why John Adams is the most boring character in HBO's John Adams.
According to Stereogum, even Juliana Hatfield is addicted to watching The Hills (though she simultaneously hates it).
Give Me My Remote is glad that a Battlestar Galactica alum is giving Joss Whedon's Dollhouse some sci fi cred.
Thanks to You Ain't No Picasso for showing me that Andrew Bird has blogged for the New York Times!

New LCD Soundsystem: "Big Ideas" For the Movie 21

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:30:27 -0800

If the new track by LCD Soundsystem, "Big Ideas," sounds like it could be in a movie, well, it is! The fast-paced, slightly robotic-sounding song was commissioned for the Kevin Spacey movie 21 in which a bunch of MIT students use their brains to count cards at a Vegas casino and swindle their way to millions.

Stereogum, which premiered the song recently, suggests it will be used for a chase scene, though I think it might be placed during some kind of montage, like when all the students are honing their skills in preparation to win big at the casino. What do you think?

To take a listen to "Big Ideas," read more.

Movie Preview: 21 With Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:30:16 -0800

I have to admit, I kind of enjoy watching Kevin Spacey play the seedy, morally gray characters as he gets older. He's pretty darn convincing as the everyman-turned-bad.

In 21, a casino heist movie due in theaters March 28, he plays a man who leads six MIT students in an operation to count cards at various Vegas casinos, counting their way to millions of dollars. To check out the trailer before 21 weasles its way into theaters in March, read more

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Link Time! Bob Saget Gets His Own Reality Show

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:41 -0800

Bob Saget will investigate odd American subcultures on a new reality series for A&E - The Hollywood Reporter
Christopher Waltz talks about The Green Hornet - Vulture
Decorating ideas to steal from the set of New Moon - CasaSugar
Check out the new Alice in Wonderland posters - Rotten Tomatoes
HSM writer Peter Barsocchini is developing a new series for Nickelodeon about Summer camp. Salute your shorts redux? - PopWatch
Rob Marshall will direct Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - Worst Previews
Take a sneak peek at tonight's episode of V - MTV Movies Blog
The Magnetic Fields announce their 2010 tour - Pitchfork
Usher's new album, Raymond vs. Raymond, will drop on Dec.21 - Billboard