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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:30:26 -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 titles below, you can now rent or own the Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler weepie, P.S. I Love You.

I'm Not There
I'm Not There was a highly buzzed-about film last year with a lot of the attention focusing on director Todd Haynes' unique conceptualization of Bob Dylan's (or, "a musician like Bob Dylan") life through the years. The talent associated with this film was staggering but the untimely death of one of the stars, Heath Ledger, added even more poignancy to Haynes' ambitious endeavor.

In the movie, six different actors emulate Bob Dylan using different names and appearing in different eras. I wasn't the biggest fan of the film, but other folks were enamored with this movie, more willing than I to ignore the annoying parts and focus on the great performances by Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett (who won the Independent Spirit award for her role), and Christian Bale. This is a good addition to your queue if you have been curious about this film but would enjoy the luxury of a fast-forward button.

Special features include commentary by director/co-writer Tod Haynes, red carpet footage, and deleted scenes.

Two more titles if you read more.

Teeth
GiggleSugar watched this oddly funny and scary movie about a teenage girl who, as IMDB puts it, "discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence" or as Giggle put it, "her vagina has teeth." Giggle found it to be much more than the vulgar horror flick one might expect from this premise, where you simply watch a "vajayjay rip men to shreds" (sorry, Giggle has so many amazing lines in her review I can't stop quoting her). Instead, Teeth is a genre bending, wickedly scripted good time - but definitely not for the faint of heart.

Special features include commentary by writer/director Mitchell Lichenstein, behind-the-scenes footage, and deleted scenes.

First Sunday
David E. Talbert is sort of a creative jack-of-all-trades: playwright, novelist, and - in the case of this movie starring Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan - writer/director. The film follows two amateur crooks as their plan to rob a church goes terribly wrong and they find themselves with a full-blown hostage situation. I've read that it's a bit cluttered but definitely a fun little farce, so I figured I'd wait for the DVD with this one.

Special features include a gag reel, outtakes, David E. Talbert's camera wrap speech, and a "Hood Robbin' With the First Sunday Cast and Crew" featurette.

Announcing the Winners: The 2008 Independent Spirit Awards

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:02:53 -0800

Juno, I'm Not There, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly were big winners at Saturday's beachy, laid-back Independent Spirit Awards, which recognized the year's best independent films. Juno won awards for Best Feature, Best Actress, and Best First Screenplay, while Diving Bell won awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography - a precursor to tomorrow's Oscars?

Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett won an acting award for I'm Not There, and the film also received the Robert Altman Award, which recognizes an outstanding ensemble cast. That award led to a touching tribute to Heath Ledger from director Todd Haynes, who said he still has a hard time imagining the film world without Ledger in it.

To see the full list of winners, just read more.

BEST FEATURE
Juno

BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark, Walter Parkes

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
August Evening

BEST SCREENPLAY
Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody (Juno)

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Ellen Page (Juno)

BEST MALE LEAD
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Talk To Me)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Crazy Love

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Once
(Ireland)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast)
I'm Not There
Director: Todd Haynes
Casting Director: Laura Rosenthal
Ensemble Cast: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bruce Greenwood

I'm Not There: You Shouldn't Be, Either

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:59:00 -0800

It must be something with the name Todd that motivates talented directors to make films that have the potential to be great, but then ruin them with complicated casting and an overly ambitious plot. First it was Todd Solondz (director of the wonderful Welcome to the Dollhouse) who cluttered Palindromes by employing eight different actors to play the same 13-year-old girl; now it's Todd Haynes who uses a very similar technique in the truly awful I'm Not There. Instead of a 13-year-old girl, the actors portray Bob Dylan, and this time around there are six actors instead of eight. One would think that two less actors would make the movie a little less jumbled. It didn't.

The reason I'm Not There is even more perplexing than Palindromes (which I didn't believe was possible) is that in addition to six actors emulating Bob Dylan, they each have different names and live in different eras. At least Palindromes was linear and each of the eight actors used the same name. In I'm Not There "Bob" is referred to as John, Jack, Jude, Woody, Arthur, and Billy. Confused? I certainly was! If you want to read the only two compelling reasons to watch this film read more

Undeniably the strongest part of this film is the music. Just like Across the Universe, the other film this year that featured a catalog of songs from a specific artist (in that case, The Beatles), the true standout is the vocal artistry of Bob Dylan. Although most of the songs included are a little more obscure (surprise), there are tried-and-true favorites like "All Along the Watchtower," and "Highway 61 Revisited." If you're a Dylan fan, take my recommendation and just buy the soundtrack. But, if you still want to see this film, there is one thing worth watching.

The one, and only, reason to actually go see this film is for the incredible work done by Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett, and Christian Bale - all of which is almost undone by the ridiculously ill-conceived Richard Gere as Billy the Kid/Bob Dylan. I honestly don't blame Gere for his lacking performance, he did the best he could with the cards he was dealt. The other actors, most notably Blanchett and Bale, have more realistic Dylans to portray, and each do so beautifully.

There are other things I could mention about the film: the political subtext (the film deals with the JFK's death, the civil rights movement, Vietnam), Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore's cameos, or Heath Ledger's nude scene, but I'm afraid this might entice you to see the film. And I'd rather you buy the soundtrack, if you must.

Photos courtesy of The Weinstein Company

The Many Faces of Bob Dylan and the New Trailer for I'm Not There

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:30:00 -0700

Wow, Christian Bale is almost unrecognizable in these photos from the set of I'm Not There, the Bob Dylan biopic in which seven different actors will be playing the beloved musician. Between these photos, the images from the set of The Dark Knight, and the trailer for his upcoming Western 3:10 to Yuma, we're getting quite the Christian Bale fix these days, which I'm sure you all don't mind too much.

In addition to Bale, we've caught glimpses of various other Dylan incarnations as played by Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett and Ben Wishaw. Now, there's a newly cut - albeit brief - teaser trailer for I'm Not There in which we see flashes of all these Dylans. For photos of all the Dylans along with the new I'm Not There trailer, read more

Another of Christian Bale:

Heath Ledger:

Richard Gere:

Cate Blanchett:

Ben Wishaw:

And apparently, this kid is also going to play a version of Bob Dylan:

I'm Not There photos source
Marcus Carl Franklin photo source

First Look: Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There"

Molly — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:30:01 -0700

When I first heard that Cate Blanchett was going to be one of the actors portraying Bob Dylan in a new biopic about the singer, I'm Not There, I was intrigued.

When I first saw this photo of Cate as Bob Dylan, I was impressed.

But when I saw this first clip from the movie, all my hopes were dashed. I'm certainly not trying to knock Cate's acting chops - if any woman could pull it off, it would be her - but this is downright ridiculous. I mean, unless I was under the wrong impression and this is supposed to be a comedy...but I don't think that is the case.

David Cross is playing Allen Ginsberg? And driving around in a zany golf cart-ish mobile? Uh, okay!

Honestly, it's a little painful, but maybe it will be better in context? Let's hope. To see the clip just read more

Source

Judy Greer Is Giving TV Another Go

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:30:41 -0700

Back in August, the overwhelming majority of you said that Judy Greer deserves more leading roles, and now she's getting one. The actress will be returning to the small screen in I'm With Stupid, a new comedy in development for ABC.

Based on the novel by Elaine Szewczyk, the show will focus on Manhattanite Kas Sienkiewicz (Greer), whose life takes an unexpected turn when she has a vacation fling with a park ranger in South Africa, and a few days later he shows up on her doorstep and moves in.

Greer seems to have a pretty loyal fan base out there, but it wasn't enough to save Miss Guided. I'm a bit skeptical about this project, but maybe it's just the title that's throwing me off. What do you make of this news? Will you welcome Greer back to TV with open arms?

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:30:14 -0700

It's one of my favorite days of the week: Tuesday! Which means I get to add DVDs to my Netflix queue, along with some brand new tunes for my iPod. So check out today's music releases for what you should download. (And if you like to review albums, don't forget to take a peek at the Music Review Group in the community.)

A smooth ride: Sufjan Stevens takes a breather from his states project with BQE, an ode to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. He originally performed the work to accompany a film about the road, but the music stands on its own as a beautiful orchestral arrangement. Warning if you like Stevens's mellow voice: BQE is all instrumental. Still, it proves that he has what it takes as a composer, and I'd like to see him lend his talents to more of this sort of work. My picks: Movement II: Sleeping Invader, which sounds like a ballet dream sequence, and Traffic Shock, which mixes in clashing electronic sounds like a busy gridlock.

Pretty packs a punch: If you haven't heard of Florence and the Machine, get ready. Florence Welch is the latest spunky Brit singer on the scene, and her debut Lungs already went platinum in the UK. Today, it's available to buy stateside. She's the singer I'd want to be if I had my own band - a woman who wails while banging the tambourine - and her album veers between tough-chick anthems and haunting ballads a la Sarah McLachlan. Make sure you try the hand-clapping, feel-good Dog Days Are Over or the romantic Cosmic Love.

See two more releases when you read more.

Freaky fun: If you're a Flight of the Conchords fan - or even if you're not - you'll want to check out I Told You I Was Freaky, a compilation of music from season two (including three previously unreleased tracks). Sure, half the fun is watching the boys act out each song on the show (and Jemaine's wicked dance moves), but when you listen to the music on its own, you realize just how talented they really are. Each selection could qualify for radio-play - or just a ridiculously fun karaoke night. The album includes favorites like Sugarlumps, Hurt Feelings, and the Emmy-nominated Carol Brown.

Lyrical wanderlust: Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie team up on One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur, an ode to the famous author's work. The two musicians met while working on a documentary about Kerouac and decided to collaborate on this album using words from his novel. It's fitting then that the result feels like a cross-country trip - lazy and laid-back with some twangy country, Americana sound. I'll be adding the title track and California Zephyr to my car playlist.

Oprah's Getting in Bed With HBO

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:30:39 -0800

Well, kind of. The days of Oprah Winfrey's talk show may be numbered, but don't expect her to disappear anytime soon. Just a few days after her big announcement, the media mogul already has a project with HBO in the works - and she's kicking things up a notch. Her company Harpo films is working to develop a steamy hour-long pilot about a woman who abandons her family in LA to explore her sexual fantasies and desires.

Erin Cressida Wilson is on board to write, which seems fitting since she also penned the S&M-themed flick Secretary. Oprah will be one of the executive producers.

HBO has never shied away from racy shows (True Blood, anyone?) - but it still feels kinda strange to see Oprah's name attached to a project that's centered on overtly sexual storylines. Then again, it's not like Winfrey will be the one starring in it, and I'm always game for something new from HBO.

Buzz-Worthy Video: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Mellows Out

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:30:41 -0800

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, so you know I was pysched to watch him play host on SNL this weekend. And boy, did the guy come prepared. He kicked things off with a ridiculously impressive singing-and-dancing performance of "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain, but my favorite skit of the night was "The Mellow Show." Hosted by Andy Samberg as Jack Johnson and featuring Bill Hader as Dave Matthews, the guys poked fun at some of the music industry's most notoriously laid-back guitar strummers.

JGL fit right in as Jason Mraz, complete with fedora. Check out the video below for even more of Gordon-Levitt's singing skills, and be sure to keep watching for a cameo by Dave Matthews himself! To see it, just read more.

Is New Moon Better Than Twilight?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:30:17 -0800

Now that New Moon's record-breaking opening weekend is over, it's time to dish on the film. I already gave you my review, pointing out that I think the sequel is better than the original. In my opinion, the film's special effects and acting are far superior than what we see in Twilight, though Edward and Bella's whirlwind romance is better showcased in the first film. Now I'm curious about what you all thought - is New Moon bigger and better than Twilight?