BuzzSugar

Buzz Gift Guide: Goodies For Gramps

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:30:06 -0800

Welcome back, folks, to the next installment of my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I suggested some fun gifts for grandma (after tackling mom and dad), and that leaves us with grandpa!

The first thing I thought of for my grandpa was the soundtrack to AMC's hit show Mad Men. I know he'd enjoy the collection of tunes by artists like The Andrews Sisters, Bobby Vinton and Rosemary Clooney.

A lot of grandpas might also appreciate some help with ditching the old rabbit ears and updating to a digital converter. This model looked pretty sleek and shiny to me, and you can even help him apply for a coupon!

If your gramps is squared away technology-wise then he also might appreciate this Alfred Hitchcock DVD collection or the complete series of Get Smart.

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection ($83.99)	Mad Men: Original TV Soundtrack ($13.99)
Get Smart - The Complete Series ($109.99)	TV Converter Box ($59.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:30:54 -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.

Get Smart
Get Smart is the big pick of the week this week, and as far as rentals go, this would be an excellent choice. I enjoyed the goofy comedy on the big screen, but it's just as much fun for a relaxed, lighthearted at-home viewing - especially after watching all those scary movies for Halloween last week.

Netflix explains, "When the identities of secret agents from Control are compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) promotes hapless but eager analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) and teams him with stylish, capable Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), the only spy whose cover remains intact. Now, they must work together to thwart the evil plans of KAOS and its crafty operative Siegfried (Terence Stamp)." The Rock also stars in the film and he is both funny and handsome.

Two more funny-geeky picks this week, so read more.

Reaper
Yes! The CW's Reaper was one of my favorite new shows last year and I faithfully watched every single wacky, silly, bizarre episode. The show follows Sam (the very cute Bret Harrison) who learns on his twenty-first birthday that his parents sold his soul to the devil (played to hilarious perfection by Ray Wise) and now Sam must re-capture souls that escape from hell. Together with his bumbling friends Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez), Sam chases down the souls and brings them to Gladys (Christine Willes) at the DMV who naturally has a direct portal to hell through which she sends back the souls.

It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I had my reservations about the show at first and ended up loving it. The cast is totally endearing and the writing is very clever. Check out season one before the second season starts up (sometime in early 2009)!

Futurama: Bender's Game
Here you go, Futuramaheads, Bender's Game has arrived. I appreciate the punny play on the sci-fi classic Ender's Game in the title, and I'm sure this Futurama movie will be full of all kinds of nerdy goodness.

This feature film "traps the Planet Express crew in a fantastical world where anything can happen - and does. Billy West is back as the voice of hapless pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry, with John DiMaggio and Katey Sagal reprising their roles as Bender the potty-talking robot and Cycloptic captain Turanga Leela. Rich Little and George Takei guest star."

The DVD comes with ample bonus features, including (but not limited to): commentary by members of the cast and production team (including Matt Groening), interviews with the writers and producers, a featurette titled "How To Draw Futurama in 83 Easy Steps," recording session bloopers, a deleted scene and the preview for the next Futurama feature, Into the Wild Green Yonder.

Hancock Is a Box Office Superhero

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:30:27 -0700

A surprise to no one (but still a delight to me, since I find this Will Smith movie to be pretty fun), Hancock won the crown at the box office over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. According to Variety, the movie "is the eighth Smith film in a row to open at No. 1 domestically, as well as his fifth - and most successful - Fourth of July outing." It is also Smith's second-biggest opening after the record-breaking opening of I Am Legend in December. Over the long holiday weekend (5.5 days), Hancock raked in approximately $107.3 million.

So, in case anyone doubted it before, Will Smith = box office gold.

Elsewhere in the top five box office hits, Wall-E stepped into second place over the weekend, followed by Wanted and then Get Smart. Kung Fu Panda rounded out the group in fifth place. Kit Kittredge came in at No. 8, performing less well than studios had hoped.

Within the indie market, The Wackness did exceptionally well in its per-location average, and the Dr. Hunter S. Thompson documentary, Gonzo, also "enjoyed a solid debut."

Next weekend will bring us yet another movie deemed "male-skewing" by Variety: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (though I not-so-secretly cannot wait to see it!). Overall (with the exception of Wall-E), it looks like next weekend's top five at the box office will be pretty "male-skewing" (Hellboy II, Hancock, Wanted and Get Smart, with The Incredible Hulk still not too far behind).

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Box Office: Cuteness Will Always Triumph

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:30:12 -0700

The cutest robot to hit the screen in a long time, Wall-E, proved irresistible to audiences over the weekend, earning the top spot at the box office with an estimated $62.5 million. According to Variety, this is the third best opening for a Pixar film after The Incredibles ($70.5 million) and Finding Nemo ($70.2 million).

The Angelina Jolie-James McAvoy action flick Wanted nabbed the No. 2 spot with a respectable $51 million, and Get Smart stayed strong in the third spot earning $20 million over the weekend.

While most had adorable robots on the brain this weekend, some were still looking for some big panda fun and kept Kung Fu Panda going strong at No. 4, beating The Incredible Hulk which landed in the fifth spot.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Box Office: Carell & Co. Outsmart the Guru

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:30:14 -0700

Looks like enough people were craving the silly fun of an updated Maxwell Smart story this weekend, making the Steve Carell-Anne Hathaway comedy No. 1 at the box office. The Mike Meyers comedy The Love Guru was expected to show Get Smart some stiff competition during the opening weekend for both movies. Instead, The Love Guru brought in $14 million to Get Smart's $39 million, and failed to crack the top three.

At No. 2 was Kung Fu Panda, which bumped the more recent Incredible Hulk to third place. The Love Guru came in fourth, followed by M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening.

This weekend the crown will most likely go to Pixar's latest (and much-promoted) project, WALL-E about a little robot with the saddest, most endearing "eyes" ever. The action flick Wanted, however, may entice that coveted young male demographic, and will probably do quite well for itself.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Get Smart: A Light, Easy Treat

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:30:10 -0700

You know when you're tired, cranky, and hungry right around mid-afternoon and you know you should just gnaw on the baby carrots you put in the office fridge during a fit of optimism but all you want to do is grab the Ho-Hos (or in my case, those Tag-a-Long Girl Scout cookies) in your top drawer and stuff your face? And then sometimes you decide to stuff your face and it's insanely satisfying (if only temporarily)? That's what my experience of watching Get Smart was like. This was one week when I needed a good, lighthearted laugh and in that sense, Get Smart is the perfect thing. It's obviously not high art and it's not even really clever as far as comedies go. It's just fun. I watched, I laughed, I went home happy.

Steve Carell resurrects Maxwell Smart, the main character from the 1960s TV series on which this movie is based. Smart only becomes a secret agent for the spy organization CONTROL when The Chief (Alan Arkin) needs more people on his team after their offices have been attacked by nemesis spy team, KAOS. Now deemed Agent 86, Smart is paired up with the intelligent, accomplished Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) and, together with The Chief and the outrageously manly Agent 23 (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), the CONTROL operatives struggle to stop KAOS from carrying out their plans of mass murder and world domination. Other CONTROL duos like Agent 91 (Terry Crews) and Larabee (David Koechner, who I wish had been recast with Rob Corddry), and the young geek team Bruce (Masi Oka) and Lloyd (Nate Torrence) provide additional laughs when necessary. To find out what I liked best about the movie, read more.

One of the best things about this movie is that the humor comes in quick, brief spurts as the plotline trots gamely along. So often the complaint with things that "should be funny, but aren't" is that the gags go on for too dang long. This is not a problem in Get Smart, and I seriously appreciate it. In a similar vein, with the exception of Carell, no one actor is used for so long that we start to tire of them. Each person does what he or she does best and then gets out of the way.

For example, as much as I like Alan Arkin as an actor, I'm glad he's not in the movie more than he is, and the same goes for Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson who, I'm convinced, was born to have roles like these. His good looks and overt masculinity are played for laughs, but this schtick is doled out in moderation. As much as I enjoy looking at him (and I truly love looking at him), I wonder if instead of carrying entire movies on his own, he should have smaller roles like these in a variety of different projects. I'd like to see that.

As for the guy carrying this movie, Carell's Maxwell Smart is not too different from his alter-ego on The Office, Michael Scott. Carell rarely strays too far from his Michael Scott-style naivete, but then again, Carell is often a pleasantly restrained actor. While I've seen episodes of the original Get Smart series, I don't have such an attachment that I have any specific feelings about the transition from little screen to big screen. At first Anne Hathaway seemed an unlikely choice as Agent 99, but there's an explanation for why she seems so much younger than Agent 86, and she's capable enough in the role. Overall, I think Maxwell Smart - especially as played by Carell - works well in a modern-day movie, and the director makes several clear nods to the original show.

An older gentleman at my screening said he didn't like the movie and thought it was "stupid," which I can understand, but maybe it's because I've also seen The Love Guru and I know what extremely stupid looks like (more on that here) that I can appreciate something that's neither mentally taxing nor insultingly dumb on every possible level. Also, this man told me he doesn't watch The Office, and I think there are simply some people who enjoy that humor and some who don't. I don't presume everyone will like this movie. It's not super intelligent and it's not Apatow-crass - it's just plain silly. But if you're brain's fried and you've had a long week, it might be just the cure, if only temporarily.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Spies and the BuzzSugar Who Loves Them

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:30:03 -0700

Spies are the coolest of the cool. The secret-holders and protectors. The smartest and often the most spry. It's no wonder many of us want to be them, or you know, make out with them. This weekend's spy comedy Get Smart reminded me that there are so many spies I love. To see my favorite spies from TV and movies, just hit "Start."

View Slideshow ›

Link Time! 2/28

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:28:36 -0800

There's a new, full-length trailer out for Get Smart with Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway and the dreamiest of men, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson up on /Film.
Check out Mollygood for new images from The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton.
I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but The TV Addict is challenging NBC's remake-obsessed Ben Silverman to take on The West Wing: The Santos Years.
You Ain't No Picasso loved Be Kind Rewind and tells us so with appropriate mp3s.
According to Cinematical, anyone who calls himself or herself a horror film fan absolutely needs to see The Signal.
TV with MeeVee thinks American Idol's Danny Noriega reminds them of someone a little fiercer.
Popwatch wonders what shows you've been watching out of desperation while waiting for the strike drought to end, like, say, Two and a Half Men.
Vulture decides that if Maxim can review albums without listening to them, they can review lots of things without seeing them.

Source

New Get Smart Trailer Released

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:29:51 -0800

It's a good day for Steve Carell fans. An international trailer has appeared online for Get Smart, in which he plays the legendary bumbling Agent 86 (Maxwell Smart). The headquarters of US spy agency Control are attacked, and the identities of its agents compromised, just as evil crime syndicate KAOS plots world domination. Thus, Control Chief (Alan Arkin) is forced to promote his eager analyst Smart, pairing him with veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). They then stumble their way through attempts to thwart KAOS's destructive plans.

The trailer features plenty of Steve Carell-y jokes and slapstick humor. I totally can't wait to see Get Smart when it opens June 20. To watch the trailer and have a few chuckles, read more.

Source

Comic-Con Report: Reaper, Clive, Gondry, More

BuzzSugar — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:25:57 -0700

Friday was another busy day at Comic-Con in San Diego, and Team member Phasekitty is again offering up her reports from the floor. Be sure to check out all of her blogging about the event. Here are a few highlights:

At the "Reaper" panel, Phasekitty got to hear Kevin Smith talk about his role in directing one of my favorite pilots for the CW. You should really just read Phasekitty's full report from the panel, but a couple of highlights: She saw the re-shot pilot with Missy Peregrym (a newer version than I've seen) and learned that Smith has two upcoming film projects scheduled back-to-back starting in January.

Remember that teaser for Get Smart I posted a little bit ago? Well, at the Warner Bros. panel, Phasekitty got to see the whole thing. She writes: "It shows more of the cast and gives us a taste of the physical comedy and action. Also we get to see a lot more of Anne Hathaway's character, Agent 99, previously only briefly seen in the teaser."
There was also an update on Watchmen, where Phasekitty says fans seemed pleased so far. Cast members Jackie Earle Haley and Malin Ackerman joined the panel where, Phasekitty says, "they mostly talked about how they planned to do the source material justice and how they hoped that if Alan Moore ever sees it he wouldn't hate it too much."
The New Line Cinema panel featured three of the action sequences for Shoot 'Em Up, the Clive Owen film out in September. Phasekitty says: "It is some of the most exciting action I've seen in a long time; very similar to the Transporter series, though with a new comedic element. Clive Owen's character is protecting a woman and a child from a hit man (Paul Giamatti), and spends most of the action sequences out-shooting people with one hand and carrying the infant baby in the other."

More goodies, including updates on the new Michel Gondry film and the Star Wars episode of "Family Guy," so read more

New Line also showed the trailer for the new Michel Gondry film, Be Kind Rewind. I'm jealous! Here's what she said: "Ever since I heard the concept of this film, a guy accidentally erases all of the tapes in his video rental store and him and a friend replace them with their own homemade takes on the films, I've been looking forward to seeing footage from it. I love Michael Gondry and this is just the original concept that he seems to shine with. The trailer they screened for this was hysterical. The film stars Jack Black and Mos Def and is set to release by the end of the year."
After a five-minute clip from The Golden Compass, Phasekitty got worried that it was maybe a little too much like the Narnia film, though she said Nicole Kidman fit well into the villain's role.
Frank Miller project update!

He said that Sin City 2 is on definite hold right now. It was delayed last year, for his vague reason of "something to do with the Weinsteins," but he did sound a little annoyed when he said that it should have been out by now. The script is ready and will be based on the second installment to the series, A Dame to Kill For, and various other short stories from the seventh installment. Another highly anticipated project in the comic book adaptation world is Will Eisner's "The Spirit." Miller announced that he would be helming the project as the director at Comic-Con last year and this year divulges that he is storyboarding it now and they will begin shooting soon in Albuquerque. Many people, myself included, feel that Miller may have bit off more than he can chew with this one; he is adapting a very beloved character in the comic book universe and has very little experience. His only directing credit comes in the form of a co-directing credit on the first Sin City. Let's hope he does the character justice. Miller also revealed that though his arm had to be twisted to agree to Sin City, after the success of that and 300, he plans on adapting more of his works, but would not hint at which ones.
Here's how the cast breaks down for the Star Wars episode of "Family Guy": Stewie is Darth Vader, Peter is Han Solo, Chris is Luke Skywalker, Brian is Chewbacca, Lois is Princess Lea, Quagmire is C-3PO, and Cleveland is R2D2.