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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:11:27 -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 these titles, you can now check out the second season of Big Love, High School Musical 2, and the indie movie Interview with Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller.

The Bourne Ultimatum
This third installment in the Bourne series was one of the most refreshing things of the summer movie season. From the looks of my Best Action Flick of 2007 poll, you all seriously enjoyed it as well! This chapter of Bourne's story finds him bopping around Moscow, New York, Paris, Madrid, London, and Tangier as he continues to figure out his past. The DVD version boasts plenty of extras, from the audio commentary and deleted scenes to the many production featurettes, including pieces on the many locations they traveled to and the making of the chase and fight scenes.

Harry Potter Works Record-Breaking Magic Worldwide

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:27:59 -0700

Just for funsies, someone over at Warner Bros. has done some number-crunching and come up with further proof that the Harry Potter franchise is on its way to world domination. Beating out the Star Wars and James Bond franchises, Harry Potter's is the top-grossing film franchise worldwide. Ever.

The first five Harry Potter movies have raked in a total of $4.47 billion worldwide, magically flying past the records set for the 22 James Bond flicks (which grossed $4.44 billion worldwide) and the six Star Wars movies ($4.23 billion).

Now, this is pretty crazy. But do these numbers account for inflation or higher ticket costs? No. Furthermore, this is worldwide they're talking about. Domestically, the Star Wars franchise still wins. As Variety points out, "All told, the Star Wars pics have grossed $2.18 billion, while the Harry Potter franchise has grossed $1.41 billion. But then there are still two more Potters to go."

Indeed, there are two more Harry Potters to go, and they will undoubtedly be extremely successful. Yet there's a definite end in sight for the Harry Potter story. James Bond, however, well, his stories could go on for many, many years. Someday his franchise may even outpace the boy wizard's.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Chuck & Larry Somehow Take No. 1 Spot at Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 05:34:51 -0700

Wow. In my poll last Friday I wondered if the No. 1 movie at the box office this weekend would be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or Hairspray, and here we are on Monday with I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry smiling at us from the top of the list. The movie was critically panned (and even annoyed Molly), but apparently Adam Sandler has enough fans to float a pretty mediocre-sounding movie. Or maybe all the Harry Potter fans were just home reading the newest book!

The top three movies were close in sales, however, with Chuck and Larry and Harry Potter only about $2 million apart. In third place was Hairspray with $27.8 million, the most any musical movie has ever grossed in its opening weekend. At No. 4 was Transformers, staying strong with a cool $20 million, followed by Ratatouille at No. 5, raking in $11 million in its third weekend.

As for this weekend, I'm extremely excited to see The Simpsons Movie, so check out my review this Friday. For now, watch the trailer again and then see if you can get "Spider-Pig" out of your head.

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Which Will Be No. 1 at the Box Office: Hairspray or Harry Potter?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:28:47 -0700

There are an awful lot of people looking forward to seeing the new Hairspray movie this weekend, but can they rival the die-hard Harry Potter fans going to see The Order of the Phoenix for second, third, fourth or fifth times? What do you think? Which of these battling summer flicks will take the crown as No. 1 at the box office this weekend?

Box Office: Harry Potter, Of Course!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 04:45:00 -0700

Harry Potter and Company made all sorts of money - both here and overseas - over the five-day opening for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Earning a tremendous $140 million nationally and $330 million worldwide, this fifth movie in the Harry Potter franchise had the best five-day opening of a non-holiday movie ever. Order of the Phoenix is on track to be the highest-grossing of all the Harry Potter movies.

Despite the mesmerizing spell cast by Potter, other summer favorites didn't fall behind very much. Transformers held its own at No. 2 with $36 million, while Ratatouille stayed strong at No. 3. In fourth place was Live Free or Die Hard with License to Wed following behind. This doesn't appear to be the summer for torture porn, however, as Captivity opened to a dismal $1.5 million and came in at No. 12. This weekend it will be interesting to see if Harry Potter can bewitch his way to No. 1 even in the rotund face of John Travolta getting his groove on in Hairspray.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Harry Potter Is Box Office Magic

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 09:20:33 -0700

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix just opened yesterday, but it is already breaking records at the box office. The film made $12 million for the midnight showing alone, beating out Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as the No. 1 Wednesday opening midnight run ever. Still with me? Order of the Phoenix doubled the midnight revenue of Goblet of Fire, which opened up on a Friday night back in 2005. Basically, what this all means is that the Transformers are in for some stiff competition at the box office this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix: Just What You'd Expect

PopSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:35:13 -0700

I feel the need to start off my review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with the disclaimer that I am and always have been a fan of the books. As good as the movies are, they will probably never fully capture the wonderful magic of the novels. That being said, the fifth film installment of Harry Potter definitely makes a solid attempt.

The movie takes us back to Hogwarts for year 5, and so begins a much darker time for Harry and the rest of the wizarding world. A war is brewing between good and evil, and the need to take a side is growing imminent. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is reunited with his best friends and sidekicks Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), but the brooding teenager has never felt more alone. To find out why, and more, read more

As the only good wizard who can confirm Lord Voldemort’s return, Harry is constantly faced with opposition from his peers, the particularly awful new Professor Umbridge, and the Ministry of Magic. Umbridge and the Ministry have teamed up to prove that Harry is a fraud and will stop at nothing to assure that all is well at Hogwarts and in the world of magic. Unfortunately, the school begins to crumble under Umbridge’s nauseatingly negligent care while Harry is forced to confront his own inner demons as he struggles to make sense of the connection between himself and the Dark Lord.

The best things about The Order of the Phoenix are the visual effects and the acting. The young actors only get better as they age, and I was particularly impressed with Imelda Staunton as Umbridge and Helena Bonham Carter as the frightening Bellatrix Lestrange. The cinematography is stunning, and the world director David Yates creates for us is almost better than what you’d imagine when you’re reading the book. The magical action sequences are a lot of fun, and there are enough flashes and fireworks to keep kids and adults entertained throughout.

My biggest problem with the film is its lack of emotional depth, although Yates tries his hardest to pack as much teenage angst into Harry as he possibly can. There’s just so much plot to get through that the audience has little time to feel connected Harry's problems. The movie barely scratches the surface of his complicated situation and I couldn’t help but feel a little empty inside, even despite the dazzling visuals. However, I realize the movie is intended to be suitable for kids which means making light of heavier issues, and it does a great job in this category, even injecting a fair amount of comedy into a story that is often very grim.

Overall, I’d say that fans of the Harry Potter mania that has been sweeping the world will enjoy this movie, and be satisfied enough to make the ticket purchase worth it. Whether you’re an avid reader or grew to love Harry in the films, audiences will appreciate a good reason to take a two-hour escape into Harry’s whimsical world.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Unnecessary Reminder: Harry Potter 5 Opens This Wednesday

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:30:00 -0700

I'm pretty sure most of you don't need reminding that the fifth Harry Potter movie opens in just a matter of days, but in case you hadn't heard, the much-anticipated Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is coming out this Wednesday, July 11. As has become the fad this summer with early openings securing higher box office results, the movie's release date was moved from Friday July 13 to Wednesday the 11th. If you've somehow missed the trailer, it's high time you checked it out.

There has been other exciting Harry Potter news in recent weeks, such as the announcement of the Harry Potter theme park, and the open casting calls to find the actors for the next installment of the little wizard's story. As for this newest movie, there promises to be mayhem at theaters across the country come Wednesday. Are you ready for it?

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 09:59:00 -0700

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has a new release date! Also, did you know there's going to be a Harry Potter theme park in 2009?
Looking for great new musicians? Emily King is an artist to watch.
If you could pick a cast of modern actors for the 1989 classic Heathers, who would you choose?
This week, "House" and "Shear Genius" had their season finales. What did you think of them?
Judd Apatow: a) is everywhere, b) was the original writer/creator of "Freaks and Geeks," which I highly recommend, c) is the writer/director of Knocked Up, which I recommend even more, and d) did a hilarious promo for Knocked Up that features the funny and adorable Michael Cera.
The New Pornographers and Sufjan Stephens have some great songs going on right now.
Who are the Top Ten Ladies of Summer? Funny you should ask!
As far as summer TV shows go, both "Traveler" and "Starter Wife" got off to pretty good starts. I've also put together a rundown for when all the summer TV shows begin, for your convenience.

Harry Potter Theme Park: It Was Only a Matter of Time

BuzzSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:36:30 -0700

Well, Harry Potter fans, it's official: Universal Studios in Florida is opening a Harry Potter theme park called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" in 2009. The park will include the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village. The Variety article continues:

"The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed," said author J.K. Rowling, who has been working with a creative team to make sure the park resembles the books and films.

The Potter park will allow visitors to view the iconic locations in Rowling's magical world, like Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts and the shops in Hogsmeade. Some locations may be in upcoming books.

Actually, I think this has the potential to be fun, and hopefully not too cheesy. The sketches for the theme park look pretty cool, so to view them, read more

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