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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:30:00 -0800

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, wartime movies Rendition and In the Valley of Elah are also out this week. If you missed Noah Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding starring Nicole Kidman, you can add that to your queue as well.

American Gangster
Great timing for this stirring drama to be released on DVD if you're trying to view Oscar nominees before the big ceremony. Director Ridley Scott recreates 1960s and 1970s Harlem to bring the true-life story of Frank Lucas to the silver screen. Played to eerie perfection by Denzel Washington, American Gangster follows Lucas as he comes to power in New York via a heroin drug ring. His savvy business instincts eventually put Lucas' business on par with that of the Italians, and catches the attention of one of the only non-corrupt law enforcement officials in town, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe).

This film earned Rudy Dee an Oscar nod for her role as Lucas' mother, and has been nominated for Best Achievement in Art Direction. Special features include a taping of the still-living Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts discussing the film and their roles in making it.

Two more interesting films, so read more

Michael Clayton
Tony Gilmore, whose screenwriting credits include The Devil's Advocate and The Bourne Ultimatum, took the director's seat for the first time for this legal thriller starring George Clooney. Michael Clayton follows a corporate lawyer (Clooney) who has made a career as his law firm's "janitor," cleaning up client legal messes. Clayton faces his biggest legal - and moral - challenge trying to help a colleague (played wonderfully by Tom Wilkinson) who has finally broken down and grown a conscience. The film has been showered with Oscar love including nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.

Lust, Caution
Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee follows up his critically-acclaimed Brokeback Mountain with this thriller set in post-WWII Shanghai. Lust, Caution is part spy thriller, part haunting love story, and tells the tale of one Chinese woman's penetration into the world of a powerful Japanese collaborator in order to aid his assassination. Lee's ability to convey extreme yearnings of lust, combined with some drawn-out love scenes earned this film an NC-17 rating. Fans of this director's work will not be disappointed.

Oscar Nominee: American Gangster for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:33:32 -0800

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Today's featured movie is American Gangster.

With American Gangster, director Ridley Scott was given the challenging task of conveying the gritty, dangerous atmosphere of a drug-riddled Harlem in the 60s and 70s. There's a glitzy-glam aspect to it with the fashions and sensuality of the era, and then there's the pain of drug addiction, the grim realities of gang life and the ominous presence of racial tension. The result in Scott's movie is a world awash in browns, grays and blues, with the occasional shock of gold and glitter to show the opulence that these drug lords enjoyed when business was booming.

I find it fitting that Scott is nominated in this category for so vividly depicting the ugliness of this time period - as well as the bleakness of the drug trade. To check out a gallery of evocative images from American Gangster, read more

View 12 Photos ›

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Beowulf Is a Box Office Warrior

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:00:00 -0800

Beowulf killed more than just a couple monsters over its opening weekend, easily coming in at No. 1 at the box office with just over $28 million. The movie enjoyed the widest release for a 3-D digital film ever, and was the first 3-D movie that wasn't for children. The success of the film spells good things for the future of digital 3-D filmmaking.

In second place taking home half as much was animated family film Bee Movie, and American Gangster held steady at No. 3. Following up in fourth place was holiday comedy Fred Claus, while Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium opened at No. 5, bringing in $10 million.

This upcoming holiday weekend should prove successful for studios releasing new titles, like Disney's Enchanted, the Bob Dylan flick I'm Not There, heartwarming family drama August Rush and Stephen King's The Mist. Also, this weekend expect to kick into the holiday season when This Christmas opens this Wednesday.

Image courtesy of Paramount

Box Office: Bee Movie Buzzes to the Top

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:30:00 -0800

In round two of American Gangster vs. Bee Movie at the box office, the bees buzzed their way to the top. Bee Movie brought in an estimated $26 million in its second weekend, flip-flopping last week's results by edging out American Gangster's $24.3 million.

None of the weekend's new releases came close to challenging those two. Fred Claus brought in about $19.2 million to finish in third place, while Lions for Lambs was a very distant fourth with just $6.7 million. I suppose a lot of people must have agreed with those of you who said you don't necessarily enjoy contemporary political movies. Interestingly, the audience for Lions for Lambs skewed old, with two-thirds of its viewers over age 35.

Possibly the best news this weekend comes for No Country for Old Men. The Coen brothers' Western opened in just 28 theaters around the country, but it still brought in $1.2 million and finished at No. 14 for the weekend. It expands to more theaters this Friday and will be in wide release after Thanksgiving.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Music Video: Jay-Z, "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)"

Molly — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:30:00 -0800

I was excited to see the first preview track off Jay-Z's American Gangster over a month ago and since then I've been patiently sitting tight for the album's release yesterday. Now, here's another video to help whet your appetite. The track is called "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)" and while it's no "99 Problems" (really, what is?), I think I like it better than the first release, "Blue Magic."

Now that the movie American Gangster is out, getting great reviews and dominating at the box office, I'm even more excited to hear what Jay-Z has made with his cinematic inspiration. Plus, ever since he admitted to being a bit silly with his multiple faux retirements, I love him more than ever. So sit back and enjoy the mini movie/music video. Then let me know what you think - are you excited to hear Jay's whole album? Or does it seem like a gimmick? Does it in any way play into your desire/lack thereof to see the movie?

To see Jay's new video just read more

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American Gangster Whacks the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:30:00 -0800

Ridley Scott's gritty gangster drama easily took first place at the box office this past weekend, making American Gangster's opening weekend the highest-grossing for any R-rated crime drama in history. The film brought in a mighty $46.3 million over the weekend.

In second place was Seinfeld's Bee Movie, which also raked in an impressive amount: just over $39 million. Saw IV continued its reign of terror in third place, bringing in $11 million, while Dan in Real Life followed closely behind. 30 Days of Night rounded out the box office top five with $4 million.

This weekend Christmas comes early with Fred Claus. There will also be the Coen Bros. Western No Country for Old Men and the Robert Redford political drama Lions for Lambs opening nationwide.

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American Gangster: Gritty and Effective

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:28:05 -0700

"The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room." - Frank Lucas
This line from American Gangster basically sums up Denzel Washington's quietly powerful portrayal of Frank Lucas. Every move he makes - no matter how violent - is done with a frighteningly calm control. It is in this way that Lucas manages to bring his Harlem drug ring to be on par with that of the Italians' in gritty 1960s and 1970s New York. And this quiet calm is deeply effective, not just in terms of what Lucas accomplishes in the story, but in Washington's ability to command our attention every moment he's onscreen.

The narrative runs the stories of two men simultaneously. One follows Frank Lucas (Washington), the quiet driver to Harlem's leading crime boss. When the boss dies, Lucas sees this as an opening to take over his boss' position. He uses his own connections and cleverness to bring a purer drug to the city's streets and sells it at a lower price, thus creating a booming business and countless more addicts. A serious businessman, Lucas brings his family into the organization and uses his wealth to provide for his mother and wife. Meanwhile, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is one of the few honest cops in a police force overrun by corruption, and he's on Lucas' trail. Bit by bit he gets closer to proving that Lucas is at the top of the crime chain and subsequently taking down Lucas' empire. That's not all there is to this film, though, so read more

You can believe all the hype surrounding this film. It is absolutely going to be nominated for awards. It's a compelling story from both a historic and dramatic point of view. Ridley Scott lovingly directs this movie with an eye toward capturing an ugly era, both socially/politically and just visually. The acting is superb. As the lead actors, Washington and Crowe are utterly without pretense, focused on getting the job done. It's eerie how well Washington is able to put a kindly family man face to the horrifying world of drug trafficking and addiction. It's way too easy to sympathize with those quiet eyes, that easy smile. Strangely, you want him to succeed, which automatically puts you on the side of the bad guys, technically speaking. But you just can't help it. Frank Lucas is a kind of twisted hero.

All in all, it is simply excellent: a historical story, a crime drama, a biopic exploring a crime boss who broke racial barriers in his particular business arena. If you're already a fan of movies like The Godfather and Scarface, or if you just want to be in the know once this film undoubtedly receives Oscar nods, American Gangster is a must-see.

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Get a Taste of the American Gangster Soundtrack

Molly — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:29:51 -0700

The highly anticipated American Gangster hits theaters this Friday and while I can't wait to get to see the movie, I'm almost as excited just to hear all the great music used to set the tone for the film. We got a taste of the album Jay-Z is releasing inspired by just seeing a screening and now the production company has released an awesome widget with a taste of ten different songs from the movie's official soundtrack. The soundtrack starts out with Anthony Hamilton's "Do You Feel Me" written by Diane Warren and featured in the preview for the film and from there moves through John Lee Hooker, Public Enemy and more. Check it all out below.

To see the widget and get a taste for the movie's stellar soundtrack just read more

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New Song and Video From Jay-Z's American Gangster

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:15:06 -0700

Jay-Z fans, take heart: You'll have plenty to hold you over until the November release of Jay's new album, which is inspired by the upcoming movie American Gangster.

Yesterday, Fader debuted a new song from the project called "Roc Boys (and the Winner Is)," which you can listen to online. I don't love it as much as "Blue Magic," maybe becaause the brass-laden beats sound like something recycled off of Kingdom Come.

But that's ok, because I'm too busy watching the official video for "Blue Magic," which hit the web today. Much like the mood of the music, the video straddles old Hollywood and modern-day New York, with imagery of fancy cars, artful graffiti, and even a glimpse at Denzel Washington, who stars in the movie about a 1970s heroin kingpin. Watch and tell me what you think when you read more

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Link Time! 10/9

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:31:05 -0700

E!'s Watch with Kristin gets the scoop that "Gossip Girl" is getting a full first season, the first show of the fall to get the official order.
Cinematical claims these are the top seven worst Stephen King adaptations, but I'm pretty sure Shawshank Redemption should not be on that list.
Buddy TV interviews Yvonne Strahovski from "Chuck."
The MTV Movies Blog chatted with George Lucas about all things Crystal Skull.
Merry Swankster delivers a quarterly podcast stuffed with great songs, including tracks from The New Pornographers, MIA, Spoon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
An essential part of every "Friday Night Lights" fan's wardrobe: Give Me My Remote's What Would Riggins Do? T-shirts.
Popwatch opts to talk about lunchtime tacos instead of Britney Spears, and it really is more entertaining than you might think.
Tube Talk puts together some Halloween costumes for TV lovers.
One writer over at Rolling Stone's Rock 'n Roll Daily got a preview of Jay-Z's American Gangster LP, "I'm Better Than Al Capone."
Meanwhile, Best Week Ever gets a sneak listen to Radiohead's In Rainbows. (They're kidding.) (I think.)
TV Squad shares one of the weirdest things I've seen all day: "Deal or No Deal" models recreating a scene from "The Office."

Photo courtesy of The CW