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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:30:00 PST

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 the titles below, 30 Days of Night is available if you have the need to get the bejesus scared out of you, and you can finally catch the emotional Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale on DVD.

The Darjeeling Limited
In the latest addition to director Wes Anderson's growing collection of movies that feature dysfunctional families, The Darjeeling Limited gives us Anderson's typically quirky characters, his stylized look and of course some witty, awkward dialogue. The movie stars Adrien Brody alongside Anderson regulars Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman as brothers who plan a road trip across India.

The first part of the film contains all the goofy and neurotic trademarks of this director's films, though the story takes an unexpected dark turn in the middle. While there are certainly problems with this movie, fans of Wes Anderson won't be disappointed. The DVD's special features include the film's prequel Hotel Chevalier which stars Natalie Portman.

Two more movies you might enjoy are out this week, so

Death at a Funeral
I've been waiting for Death at a Funeral to come out on DVD as it was one of my Must-Haves this month and I never got to catch it in the theaters. The movie received a lot of great reviews from critics and audience members alike, and the tag line perfectly sums up what I've heard about it: "From director Frank Oz comes the story of a family that puts the F U in funeral."

I'm a big fan of those find-humor-in-the-bleakest-of-situations stories so I'm really excited to see this one. Special features include a gag reel as well as commentaries by the film's writer, Dean Craig, and director Frank Oz.

Beowulf
The epic English poem comes to life (albeit with some liberties taken) as a 3-D animated film thanks to director Robert Zemeckis. Voiced by big-time talent including Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich, the movie tells the story of a Scandinavian warrior's journey to find and kill some terrifying monsters. In Beowulf, Zemeckis again employs the motion-capture process used in The Polar Express, which proves very impressive during the battle scenes.

Today this title is also released in an unrated director's cut version which takes the chains off the film's scenes that include violence and nakedness. Special features include a treat for folks interested in animation with plenty of making-of featurettes, an extensive look behind the scenes, and an odd bit with Zemeckis discussing how much he hated the original poem.

Sugar Bits - Saw IV Takes Top Spot at Box Office

PopSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:29:59 PDT

Saw IV took the top place at the box office this weekend, followed by Dan in Real Life and 30 Days of Night. Guess that means Saw V is unavoidable - BuzzSugar
Oprah tearfully apologized to the parents of students in her South African girls school after allegations of abuse against teachers and administrators. Hopefully the school will recover from this scandal and continue to bring education to the girls who need it. - South Africa News 24
Natalie Portman had a hard time getting a table at a top NYC restaurant even when she flashed her cute smile and asked them "Are you sure?" Apparently they couldn't totally resist and made some room for her and her boyfriend at the lounge. - Page Six
Michelle Williams is apparently thinking of leaving Brooklyn for Manhattan, as Heath Ledger has already done, because her townhouse is too big for her and Matilda alone. A fresh start is probably what's best for both of them. - Page Six
Another woman has spoken out about David Copperfield's "creepy" attempt to hit on her during one of his performances. Now would probably be a good time to perfect his disappearing act. - TMZ

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Box Office: Saw IV Takes No. 1 Spot

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:30:00 PDT

I would make some kind of "Saw IV slaughtered the competition!" pun here but I'm just not in the mood after hearing that this fourth installment of the Saw series took the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend. The horror flick drew in an impressive $32 million, significantly more than the No. 2 movie, Dan in Real Life. Surely the proximity to Halloween helped get people in the theaters for Saw, but I'm still a little surprised by this. Most surprisingly, however, is that more women than men were in the audiences for Saw. Interesting, to say the least.

At No. 3 was 30 Days of Night, while The Game Plan continued to score big time at No. 4. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? took fifth place, bumping Michael Clayton out of the top five.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Box Office: 30 Days of Night Sucks Up All the Money

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:15:24 PDT

Not a lot of folks are going to the movie theaters lately, but those who are seem to be most interested in the super scary vampire flick 30 Days of Night, which came in at No. 1 at the box office with $16 million. What with all the highly dramatic dramas coming out, maybe it's understandable that people are drawn to the fun unreality rather than checking out movies that address the starkest aspects of human life.

Only one of the weekend's anticipated dramas even cracked the top five at the box office: Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone came in fifth place. At No. 2 was Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? while Disney's The Game Plan held steady at No. 3, and Michael Clayton followed up in fourth place. Rendition opened in ninth place to the tune of just over $4 million. The Halle Berry/Benicio Del Toro weepie Things We Lost in the Fire came in fifteenth place, while Reservation Road - only playing in a handful of theaters - came in at No. 39.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

30 Days of Night: Is Your Bejesus Packed and Ready to Go?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:30:00 PDT

Pop was right to suspect me of chickening out of seeing 30 Days of Night - I very nearly did. Normally I enjoy the opportunity to see a horror flick, even if it might give me the creeps for days afterward. However, the trailer for this movie terrified me enough, and I could only imagine what the movie itself would entail. But I bucked up, dragged a friend, and only spent maybe three-quarters of the time curled into a tight, unyielding ball. I'm glad I went, but I was totally right: this movie scared the bejesus out of me.

30 Days of Night brings us to Barrow: a sleepy, isolated town in the northern most part of Alaska on the last day of sunlight before being taken over by darkness for 30 days in the winter. Sheriff Eban Oleman (Mr. Manjoyment himself, Josh Hartnett) really shall we say, "sunk his teeth" into this role. Get it? Okay, to move on,

Director David Slade sure knows how to pile on the tension in this movie, as he did with his indie thriller Hard Candy. You know something is going to jump out at you but you just can't tell exactly when. Layer on the creepy soundtrack, crazy camera angles with all those shadows, amazing vampire makeup (along with a whole vampire language and utterly terrifying noises), and you have the prefect recipe for a scared-so-badly-I-almost-peed-my-pants movie.

In many ways, this is your typical vampire genre movie. You know how it goes: quiet, tense moments quickly followed by loud action sequences and a hint of love story thrown in to keep you from vomiting long enough to get you to the next blood-soaked moment. But what sets it apart are the circumstances. Vampires in Alaska in the winter! No waiting it out for 12 measly hours - this time they're trapped there for a month. If that doesn't "suck" I don't know what does (sorry, had to sneak in one more of those).

Eban (Hartnett) and Stella (Melissa George) are believably heroic, trying to keep the remaining survivors alive for the 30 days. Nothing is ever so over-the-top to that you'll chuckle with disbelief and lose interest. The movie also succeeds in showing us that blood-sucking vampires are part human too, not just raging crazies. They're smart and have definitely (definitely) planned ahead this time around.

All in all, the movie taught me a few lessons:

Don't move to Alaska.
See this film in the daylight hours.
Preferably with someone that won't laugh at you too hard if you do in fact, wet yourself.

Photos courtesy of Sony

Josh Is the Man of the (30 Days of) Night

PopSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:32:02 PDT

Josh Hartnett was back to his icky facial hair ways at the premiere of his new movie 30 Days of Night in LA last night. The black carpet was appropriately colored considering the movie looks absolutely horrifying, but we guess it comes with the spirit of the Halloween season. Sadly Josh didn't bring his new lady of the hour, Rihanna, to the premiere, but maybe that was a smart move considering his old flame Helena Christensen was in the house. Be sure to check Buzz next week to see her take on the movie - that is, of course, if she doesn't chicken out.

More pics including Bai Ling, Lucy Lawless and lots more so just

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Images include Ben Foster, Josh Hartnett, Helena Christensen, Bai Ling, Lucy Lawless, Melissa George, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Amber Sainsbury, Abbey-May Wakefield, Danny Huston.

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Fall Movie Preview: Oh, the Horror

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:30:00 PDT

Well it's September, folks, and the summertime movie season is officially over. Now we have a whole new crop of films to check out in the coming chillier months, so in preparation for that, I'm giving you little glimpses of this fall and winter's must-see movies with my Fall Movie Preview series. Today I'm bringing you three titles from the bloody, fright-filled horror genre.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
In this film version of the stage musical, Johnny Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a barber who is wrongfully imprisoned and seeks revenge on the judge (played by Alan Rickman) who sentenced him. Tim Burton directs (naturally) while Sacha Baron Cohen and the ever-commanding Helena Bonham Carter also star. Sweeney Todd's story begins with these ominous words: "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd./His skin was pale and his eye was odd./He shaved the faces of gentlemen/Who never thereafter were heard of again." The movie, of which some parts were rumored to be cut because they were too gruesome, opens this Christmas.

For two more horrifying titles,

30 Days of Night
Josh Hartnett stars as the Sheriff of a small Alaskan town that naturally spends 30 days a year in darkness. As the last bit of sunlight fades, the town is overtaken by a gang of bloodthirsty vampires (I wonder if vampires are ever not bloodthirsty?). Hartnett and his Deputy wife are the town's last hope. Ben Foster stars as well, doing that creepy thing he does so well. 30 Days of Night opens October 19, just in time for Halloween, so in the meantime check out the scary-looking trailer.

Saw IV
And the Saw movies keep on coming. In this fourth installment, the plot description is this: "Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grizzly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences. " If you're into these movies, check out Saw IV when it opens October 26.

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What to TiVo: Saturday

Maggie Pehanick — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Spider-Man 3

8:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (repeat)
9:00 Criminal Minds (repeat)
10:00 48 Hours Mystery (new)
11:30 Saturday Night Live (new, season finale, with guests Mick Jagger, Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and Jeff Beck)

7:00 Major League Baseball

8:00 Harry's Law (repeat)
9:00 The Firm (new)
10:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (repeat)

What to TiVo: Thursday

Maggie Pehanick — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Missing (new, season finale)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (new, season finale)
10:00 Scandal (new, season finale)
11:35 Nighline (new)
12:00 JImmy Kimmel Live (new, with guest Matthew Morrison)

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (repeat)
8:30 Rules of Engagement (new, season finale)
9:00 Person of Interest (new, season finale)
10:00 The Mentalist (new, season finale)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guest Conan O'Brien)
12:37 The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Mila Kunis)

8:00 American Idol (new)
9:00 Touch (new)

8:00 Community (new)
8:30 30 Rock (new, season finale)
9:00 Community (new)
9:30 Community (new, season finale)
10:00 Awake (new, part one of the season finale)
11:34 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guest Hugh Laurie)
12:37 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guest Arsenio Hall)

8:00 Perez Hilton All Access: Katy Perry (repeat)
9:00 The Vampire Diaries (repeat)

Jay-Z Talks Baby Blue and Makes an All-American Announcement

Katie Henry — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:59:38 PDT

Jay-Z was in the City of Brotherly Love yesterday to announce his involvement with the Budweiser's Made in America two-day musical festival, which will take place over Labor Day weekend. Jay will headline the holiday celebration, featuring 30 acts at Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The mega-music event will take place Sept. 1 and 2 with proceeds benefiting the United Way.

Jay talked about his involvement with the show, saying, "I'll headline the first night; I'll probably get one of those silly headsets with the thing, just to look important. . . You'll see me with probably a beer in my hand, just enjoying the festivities and the music like everyone else. I'ma try and keep it as normal and simple as possible." Jay also hinted that Beyoncé might join him on stage during his act, "I tried to put it far enough away that she'd have a little gap in her schedule, so hopefully that works."

Beyoncé wasn't the only lady on his mind during his chat with the press. When asked about his return to music and how Blue has influenced Jay-Z's sound and lyrics he responded, "I thought that I would after my daughter was born. I thought I would be more inspired with all the new feelings and everything that I'd have to write about, but it really happened the other way. . . I just really wanna hang out with her. I just wanna enjoy those moments for a bit and I'm sure that feeling of music will come back to me."