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Movie Preview: Crossing Over

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:34:13 -0800

Despite some moments that seem a little overwrought, this trailer for Crossing Over (not to be confused with the TV show about talking to dead people) is one of the most riveting previews I've seen in a while. It looks a bit like Crash (several storylines weaving together in various ways), but with the subject matter being illegal immigration (and what it means to be an American and what's right and what's wrong, etc. etc.).

The other intriguing aspect of the trailer is the impressive cast: Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Summer Bishil (Towelhead) and Alice Eva.

Oh, did I forget to mention Jim Sturgess?

Crossing Over opens sometime in 2009. This trailer really sucked me in, so to watch for yourself, read more.

Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:30:50 -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.

21
The box office winner 21 is the kind of movie I'd be happy to come across on basic cable whilst channel surfing. It has a likable cast and a not-mind-numbing-but-not-confusing plot that is perfect for a day on the couch. The movie stars newly anointed heartthrob Jim Sturgess as a geeky genius MIT senior who's having trouble drumming up enough tuition money. He's soon recruited by the no-good professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey) into a secret little card-counting operation (which includes five other MIT students, one of whom is played by Kate Bosworth) to scheme Vegas out of a lot of cash.

It's based (loosely) on the true story documented in the memoir Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, and overall I had a good time seeing it in theaters. Special features on the two-disc edition include featurettes titled "The advantage player: The cast explains the game of blackjack and card counting," and "Money Plays: A tour of the good life."

One more for TV fans so read more.

Las Vegas: Season 5
Hey hey, it's a Vegas kind of day. For fans of the sexy NBC drama Las Vegas the fifth and final season on DVD is reason to celebrate because now your at-home collection can be complete.

The series stars manjoyment heavyweight Josh Duhamel along with Vanessa Marcil and Molly Sims. They were also able to nab Tom Selleck to lend some star power to the last season as two regulars (James Caan and Nikki Cox) exited early. Special features include a gag reel.

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Weekend Box Office: 21 Wins the Pot

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:15:05 -0700

Well, it looks like 21, the film about MIT students who take Vegas by storm, was a safe bet as it easily won the top spot at the box office. However, the overall weekend box office total was down 17 percent compared to last year, Variety reports. 21 earned an estimated $23 million, beating Horton Hears a Who and firmly establishing Jim Sturgess as a viable leading man.

Compare these results to another new release this weekend: Stop-Loss, starring Ryan Phillippe, who is a household name. Another box office casualty in a long line of Iraq War-related film flops, Stop-Loss only earned $4.5 million, coming in at No. 8.

Which brings me to the other box office disappointment this weekend, Superhero Movie. Could it be that Round One of Harvey Weinstein vs. Fanboys' fanboys goes to the geeks (more on the feud here)? Protesters gathered on both coasts where Superhero was playing, though in LA it appears Weinstein was prepared with guards. One protester told the Hollywood Reporter:

Guards were everywhere. At one point, I counted nine, no joke. They hired a whole force and whenever someone showed up looking around for the protest, they were surrounded by guards and told to leave instantly or be arrested. I guess you can't really hold a protest on private property.

Ultimately the film came in the third spot with a measly $9.5 million. Is this a little bit hilarious to anyone else?

Finally, Run Fat Boy Run starring Simon Pegg came in 13th and only earned an estimated $2.3 million here in the US. The movie grossed $22.6 million in the UK last Fall.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

21: Predictable, Generic Fun

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:32:04 -0700

Well, it turns out this writer was right: you could absolutely review 21 based on the trailer alone. Having seen previews for this movie (or even having seen a cinematic work put out by Hollywood once or twice), the movie is predictable from start to finish. But you can also probably predict how you'll feel about 21 from the trailer. If it looks entertaining to you, that's because it is, with its glittery Vegas backdrop and good-looking cast. If it looks predictable and cheesy, well, it's that, too. The "twists" come at you a mile away and the themes (searching for a father figure, defining oneself not by wealth, etc., etc.) rain down on your head like a plague. But at the same time, it's a PG-13 movie clearly trying to appeal to a younger audience, and it probably will. It's going to be flashy and obvious. It's going to be fond of montages and driving music. For what it is, it's a pretty fun time.

Jim Sturgess plays the endearingly geeky genius MIT senior Ben Campbell, whose ability to attend the school of his dreams, Harvard Medical School, is blocked by a pesky little $300,000 tuition. When the shady Professor Rosa (a disappointingly one-note villain's performance by Kevin Spacey) discovers Ben's ability to do math under pressure and keep his cool, he folds Ben into his secret little card-counting operation. This business, as Mickey Rosa calls it, consists of five MIT students who work together to scheme Vegas casinos out of some major cash - using math. To see what else happens and more of my take on it, read more.

At first, Ben is anxious about the whole thing, but of course, as he starts to succeed, it becomes easier and easier to enjoy the big money he's pocketing. Plus, "the prettiest girl at school," Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth, in a mostly forgettable role) is involved in the scam, giving Ben further incentive. Thus, the geeks become the gangsters. Yet when Ben has a falling-out with Rosa, his newfound pompousness moves him to suggest the students continue without the teacher. Only thing they don't count on is a casino security head (Lawrence Fishburne) with his own bitter vendetta against Rosa and his little "business."

The movie is too long, has surprisingly little real action and lots of low moments that drag. There are, however, fast-paced montages (the Learning the Ropes montages, the Winning Big montages, the Spending Spree montages, the Generally Living the High Life montages) set to any number of the soundtrack's hipster tunes, and quick zooms onto cards and chips aplenty. Most of all, there is a fondness for the slow-motion. If I've learned anything from the movies, it's that you can take any group of average schlubs, make them walk toward the camera in a fan formation, employ some thumping bass and some slow-motion and suddenly it's Gangsta Paradise. This applies to MIT students, too, apparently. And yeah, it's generic. But it's fun, too.

To see the trailer and more clips from 21 check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Movie Preview: 21 With Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:30:16 -0800

I have to admit, I kind of enjoy watching Kevin Spacey play the seedy, morally gray characters as he gets older. He's pretty darn convincing as the everyman-turned-bad.

In 21, a casino heist movie due in theaters March 28, he plays a man who leads six MIT students in an operation to count cards at various Vegas casinos, counting their way to millions of dollars. To check out the trailer before 21 weasles its way into theaters in March, read more

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Link Time! Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst Cast in Upside Down

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:38:51 -0700

Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst will star in Upside Down, a romantic sci-fi fantasy - Coming Soon
Lisa Kudrow is developing TV comedy Rapture for Showtime - Variety
Dollhouse is being pulled during sweeps, which could signal its cancellation - The Ausiello Files
Check out these new stills of Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Emily Blunt in The Wolfman - MTV Movies Blog
An Education originally had a different ending - Movieline
Watch Rainn Wilson's funny new commercials for the NBA - Best Week Ever
Ryan Murphy is writing an episode of Glee that mocks the show's real-life denial for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - The TV Column
Bravo has picked up a second season of Top Chef Masters - YumSugar
Before the release of Saw VI, here are six terrible sixth sequels - Rotten Tomatoes
A list of TV's memorable dumb jocks - TV.com
20 of the worst horror movies ever made - Moviefone