Should Wall-E Be Nominated for Best Picture?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:30:24 -0700

Wall-E has been showered with praise from critics and audiences alike. These kinds of accolades haven't really been heard since, say, There Will Be Blood, or I dunno, Juno - both of which were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year.

Now there's a a campaign afoot to get Wall-E out of the Best Animated Film category and into competition with the big guns. Vulture argues that Wall-E should be the second animated film (so far we've only seen Disney's Beauty and the Beast) to be included in this category because it's exactly the kind of movie that the Academy wants to consider for Best Picture: it's both well-reviewed and beloved by audiences.

Hollywood Elsewhere argues against this, stating that "the electric segregation fence must be respected and fortified" and that animation can't really hold a candle to the "unfettered dignity that comes from simply aiming a camera at real people and real locations and making it all sing."

Where do you stand? Do you think Wall-E deserves to be in the Best Picture category in February, or should everyone be happy with a Best Animation nod?

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:32:54 -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. In addition to the below titles, family films The Astronaut Farmer and The Last Mimzy also come out on DVD today. As much as I adore Virginia Madsen and Rainn Wilson, however, I won't be talking about either of those movies in this post.

"Extras - Season 2
Recently named an Emmy finalist for a Comedy Series, "Extras" is the hilarious project of Ricky Gervais, the original creator of "The Office." Gervais plays Andy, a struggling actor whose aspirations greatly exceed his resume - not to mention his talent. He and cohort Maggie (Ashley Jensen, aka Christina-the-wardrobe-girl from "Ugly Betty") are barely making a living as extras in films headlined by A-list stars (like Kate Winslet and Daniel Radcliffe) who make cameos, poking fun at Hollywood culture.

As for special features, there's a behind-the-scenes documentary, and a "hilarious featurette that shows... how the 'Extras' cast handles the most outrageous moments on the set." Check out one of my favorite moments on the show in which David Bowie musically humiliates Andy.

Two more suggestions if you read more

After the Wedding
This Danish weepie was an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language film earlier this year. Its tag line ominously reads "Champagne is poured... secrets are spilled." The story follows the devoted Jacob Petersen who manages an orphanage in India that is in danger of being forced to close. Enter Danish benefactor Jørgen who offers Jacob $4 million to keep the orphanage open. The conditions to the deal, however, include Jacob having to take part in the wedding of Jørgen's daughter in Denmark. But then Jacob meets Jørgen's wife Helene, and realizes they share a complicated past. This also means Jørgen's daughter may not actually be his. Soapy, tense drama ensues.

"Beauty and the Beast" - Season 2
I must say, I was surprised by the number of people who not only knew about the "Beauty and the Beast" TV series on the list of top cult TV shows, but who fervently agreed with its place on the list! Clearly this cult favorite crept its way into some of your hearts when it aired in the late 1980s, and for those unfamiliar with the show, the time has come to rent it. It only took 10 years, but the second season of the show, a then-modern-day take on the classic tale of the love between a woman and her beast, is finally on DVD. Sadly, there are no cool extra features. I wonder if Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman were not available to provide the commentary.