What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:30:32 -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 my selections below you can also add RocknRolla, The Rocker, and Kirk Cameron's Fireproof (have you seen the trailer?!) to your queue.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
I love Penelope Cruz as an actress and I'm glad her performance in this Woody Allen flick is earning her lots of attention - including an Oscar nod. The movie follows Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), two girlfriends who set off for a Summer in Barcelona. They soon befriend a famous painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who is known for his volatile relationship with his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). Things get wacky when a love-square gets underway between all these women and Juan.

Oddly, there isn't a single special feature available with this DVD. Not a one. Boo!

Two more up next, so read more.

Blossom: Seasons One and Two
This TV show is a nostalgic favorite of mine, so I'm excited for this release (finally!). When I did the recast challenge for this show, some folks chimed in that they had never heard of Blossom. Well, now here's your chance to get to know a '90s television gem starring Mayim Bialik in the title role as a smart, fashion-forward (for the time, depending on your perspective) teenager living with her dad and two brothers after their mom leaves the family. Blossom's fast-talking best friend Six was one of my favorite characters as a kid.

I still can't believe this show is actually out on DVD! What's next, Ally McBeal?! One can only dream. Special features include the original pilot; a retrospective look at the creation of the series and its impact on television which includes new interviews with creator Don Reo and stars Mayim Bialik, Jenna von Oÿ, Joseph Lawrence and Ted Wass; and a featurette completely devoted to the show's fashion.

As Joey might put it: "Whoa!"

Lakeview Terrace
First of all, let's discuss this DVD cover. What the heck is going on here? Is Samuel L. Jackson pointing a gun at that couple? Are they scared? Because Kerry Washington doesn't look scared, exactly. . . more like asleep with her eyes open. And why is Samuel so gigantic? They probably could have shrunken that pic a little to fit in at least his whole head. Anyway.

Despite the loopy cover, I'm curious to see this movie because it did well at the box office and it earned middle-of-the-road reviews, which is to say it probably doesn't totally suck. Oh, and the director, Neil LaBute, made the interesting and provocative flick In the Company of Men which gives me hope about this thriller.

According to Netflix Lakeview Terrace follows "Chris and Lisa Mattson (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) as they settle into their Los Angeles dream house - only to be harassed by their off-kilter cop neighbor, officer Abel Turner (Samuel L. Jackson). Turner disapproves of the couple's interracial relationship and is determined to drive them away, but as the harassment turns violent, the newlyweds have no choice but to fight back."

Box Office: Lakeview Terrace Wins So-So Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Lakeview Terrace, a thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson, came in at No. 1 at the box office over the weekend and performed relatively well with an estimated $15.6 million. Second place went to the Coen brothers' comedy Burn After Reading which continues to also do well at the box office, earning an estimated $36.4 million over its first ten days.

Around the No. 3 spot on this weekend's box office report things start to look a little gloomy, starting with the Dane Cook-Kate Hudson comedy My Best Friend's Girl. The movie only earned about $8.3 million, perhaps a result of some harsh reviews (or maybe it was just the poster, as Cook whined, that drove audiences away).

The animated family film, Igor, came in fourth place followed by Righteous Kill in fifth. Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys and The Women rounded out the sixth and seventh place respectively, and a movie I enjoyed, Ghost Town, opened at No. 8.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures