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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:30:57 -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 my selections below, you can also check out the dreamboat special that is Leatherheads and Simon Pegg's comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run.

Sex and the City: The Movie
Well, the big day has arrived: the Sex and the City movie is here for you to rent or own. Whether you missed this one in theaters (hard to imagine) or are excited to fast-forward to your favorite parts, the fab four has come full circle back to your small screen. I'm interested in revisiting this one, since the movie is super long and there is a lot to take in.

This is the kind of movie for which special features were made. Get a load of these: commentary by director Michael Patrick King; a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King; featurettes titled, "The Fabulous Fashion of Sex and the City," "Fergie in the Studio: Watch a Hit in the Making as the Singer Records Labels or Love for the Movie Soundtrack," and additional scenes.

So, are you bringing this one home this week?

Three more selections to go, so read more.

More TV-to-DVDs
The neverending flow of TV-to-DVD continues this week as more of our favorite shows return to the air with new episodes. Here are two of my favorites, out today.

Samantha Who?: Season One
My mom called after the Emmys to ask about that show Jean Smart is on and I told her Samantha Who?. Then we got into one of those "who's on first?" (ha!) conversations where she kept saying, "Who?" and I would say, "No, that's the name of the show." Anyway, I convinced her to give it a shot because it really is one of the sweetest, most entertaining little scripted comedies around right now. Special features include a blooper reel, deleted scenes, and commentary.
Brothers and Sisters: Season Two
This ABC drama is coming back this Sunday, so catch up on last season while you can! Special features include featurettes ("TV Dinners: Food From Season Two," "Open House: Designing The Brothers and Sisters Set"), and bloopers.

This American Life: Season One
I know a lot of people who, despite my encouragement, still haven't checked out the TV version of this popular Ira Glass NPR radio series, so I'm hoping this DVD release will get more eyeballs on it. The show is unlike most things on television right now, as it gives Americans of all shapes, sizes, colors, and geographical locations a chance to tell their stories.

I can't help but think how nice it feels to explore America this way in the midst of a heated campaign season that can sometimes make the country feel bitterly divided.

Box Office: 21 Wins Again as Leatherheads Fumbles

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:30:55 -0700

For the second weekend in a row, Jim Sturgess and gang were No. 1 at the box office - though the overall March slump continued. 21 was down a bit from the weekend before but held on to the top spot with a weekend take of $15 million.

As for the No. 2 spot, Variety is calling it a "virtual tie" between George Clooney's Leatherheads (with an estimated $13.5 million) and the Jodie Foster-Abigail Breslin family flick Nim's Island, which brought in $13.3 million.

Horton Hears a Who came in fourth place followed by the big horror film opening of the weekend, The Ruins, which took in $7.8 million. The Rolling Stones documentary by Martin Scorsese, Shine a Light, opened in limited release and brought in $1.5 million.

What did you see at the theaters this weekend? Did you give George and Renee a chance despite so-so reviews?

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Leatherheads: Smartly Dressed, Otherwise Boring

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:41:42 -0700

Leatherheads is neither an exhilaratingly triumphant sports movie, nor a funny 1920s romance with a ton of old-timey spark and charm. It's got adorable men (George Clooney, John Krasinski), one really fine performance (Renee Zellweger), and some good costumes but everything else is pretty mediocre. There's nothing so good about this film that I would recommend seeking it out in the theater. Not offensively bad or outrageously entertaining, I'd say Leatherheads falls under the category of "perfect movie to watch on an airplane."

The story begins with cheering crowds and young men playing an exciting football game on a huge field. Afterward, star player Carter Rutherford (Krasinski) is jauntily walking amidst a group of reporters when one asks what's next for America's most beloved college football star. Another suggests he could play professional, which elicits a hearty laugh from the group. We soon find out why: professional football is an entirely different experience, played out in fields to meager crowds. Lacking any official rules, it's easy to cheat and to make things up along the way. One by one, teams drop out of the league from lack of money. This same fate threatens our hero, Jimmy "Dodge" Connelly (Clooney), the captain of the Bulldogs. You can probably guess how Dodge decides to save his team, but still, read more.

Dodge gets the bright idea to recruit Carter and once Carter agrees, the team gets an instant upgrade: better uniforms and shoes, multiple footballs (as opposed to just one per game), and an audience that will pay just to watch Carter practice. In addition to being a football star, Carter also won America's favor by allegedly single-handedly forcing a troop of German soldiers to surrender during WWI. Smelling something fishy in this story, the Chicago Tribune sends their best lady writer, Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) to spend some time with the nation's golden boy and suss out the real story behind his heroic tale. Of course, she crosses paths with Dodge and the two begin a sassy flirtation consisting of fast-talking battles of wits. Problem is, Carter Rutherford takes a liking to Lexie, too, so Carter and Dodge fight over Lexie's affections. Eventually, the love triangle sorts itself out and professional football gets a whole new book of rules - and some respect.

Krasinski is endearing in this role, easily adopting the good ol' boy confidence of Carter Rutherford, America's poster child for American bravery. Clooney - as both the director and the film's star - is good-looking and charming as always, and clearly has a love of the over-the-top, vaudevillian humor. It can be funny and there's a refreshing sweetness to this style, but it also seems like Clooney is trying really, really hard in this film. By contrast, Zellweger seems to fit easily in her role, channeling great smart-mouthed reporters of yore (His Girl Friday comes to mind). If I cared about any character, it was Lexie Littleton by a long shot.

There are some hilariously funny moments that almost make this movie worth the $10, but not quite. I found that my mind wandered, content to let the pretty images flash away and the fun, jazzy music of the roaring '20s squeal throughout the theater with no underlying substance to bring it all together. So if you require anything more than this, look elsewhere.

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BuzzSugar's Must Haves for April

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Happy April! Here in my part of the world, the sun is shining brightly, but I still plan to be inside a good part of this month due to movie releases like Baby Mama and Leatherheads - not to mention the great TV returning this month. In addition to new movies and good TV, this April brings some fabulous new music, an exciting new read and a few Oscar darlings on DVD. To see my picks, just press "Start."

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Link Time! 3/6

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:30:40 -0800

TV Squad isn't sure that Victoria Beckham would be nasty enough to host her own fashion-disaster show.
Popwatch examines the apparently "definitive" list of the 50 Gayest Songs of All Time.
The TV Addict isn't sure that any one actress could live up to the hype of being "the mother" on How I Met Your Mother.
The Film Experience wonders if there was ever a prettier brunette in Hollywood than Natalie Wood.
Whoa! The Telefile reports that the Television Without Pity creators are leaving TWoP.
Vulture tries to handicap which Kid Nation contestant is suing CBS.
Check out the final installment of PopSugarUK's interviews with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman! These girls are really well-spoken.
Give Me My Remote finds a new Leatherheads clip, filmed in old-time-y, black and white style.

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BuzzSugar's Most Anticipated Spring Movies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:30:00 -0800

The sunlight might be lasting longer and longer these days, but I'm still planning to spend time indoors at the movie theater this Spring. What is striking about the movies coming out this season is the variety: From quirky little indies that premiered at Sundance to highly anticipated blockbusters, you can check out the movies I'm most excited to view in the coming months by pressing "Start." Source

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Link Time! 1/31

BuzzSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:31:07 -0800

Cinematical compares the two new Leatherheads posters: romance or sports?
Popwatch proudly talks about applauding along with the rest of the audience at the end of Rambo.
SFist has a photo of Sean Penn as Harvey Milk and other photos from the set.
TV Squad ranks TV judges - think Wapner and Judy, not Simon and Paula - through the ages.
Stereogum has a video of KT Tunstall covering The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian."
United Hollywood has a story of a fifth-grader launching a readathon to support the strike.
This Slate reviewer calls Meet the Spartans a "massive consumer fraud" for charging $10.50 for a movie that's barely one hour long.
TV Filter wonders if anyone else hated the Pop Up Video-style Lost rerun.
YouAintNoPicasso is hosting a large collection of Of Montreal covering everyone from Blondie to The Shins to Gnarls Barkley.
Bridezilla hilariously suggests some great ideas for having a sob-free Valentine's Day as a single gal, including more Romy and Michelle, less Meg Ryan.

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Movie Preview: Leatherheads

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:30:00 -0800

George Clooney is handsome and fast-talking, John Krasinski is the good-looking big man on campus, and Renee Zellweger is sassy and wears hats. I'm sold! The new trailer for Leatherheads, directed by George Clooney is a sight for wary eyes after the release date for this film was pushed back. Thankfully, it looks like they were simply taking their time in making the movie as cute as they possibly could. Opening April 4, Leatherheads takes place in the world of 1920s football: the owner of a professional team (Clooney) boldly drafts a college kid (Krasinski). When a newspaper reporter (Zellweger) appears on the scene, both owner and new wonderkid player find themselves vying for her affection.

I'm genuinely surprised by how adorable this movie looks - and by how dashing George Clooney is with his jaunty haircut - so to take a look and tell me what you think, read more.

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Clooney's Leatherheads Gets Pushed to April '08

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:28:48 -0700

I was pretty wary when I noticed that we've been getting all sorts of trailers for winter movies (like the one for Sweeney Todd, and the one for Juno, and the one for The Golden Compass), but we have seen nothing resembling a trailer for the George Clooney period movie Leatherheads. The film also stars Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski and was originally scheduled to open on December 7.

Now Variety is reporting that Leatherheads will not open until April 4, 2008. Yikes! I was so hoping to catch the Clooney-directed romantic comedy sooner than that. I guess I'd much rather they take their time and make a real quality film than rush it along just to make the December 7 deadline. Until we can see these handsome men on the big screen, check out all of Pop's pictures from the set.

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For Your Viewing Pleasure...

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:00:13 -0700

I recently came across a couple of movie stills that I thought were super cool, so here they are in a nice end-of-Monday post. Knowing how many of you are John Krasinski fans, too, I knew you'd appreciate this first one from the set of Leatherheads. The movie is George Clooney's third directorial venture, and I can't wait to see what he does with the comedic material.

I'm also sharing this latest image from the Iron Man movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. I first saw this picture in Entertainment Weekly, and gazing at it for too long makes me weirdly queasy. To check it out, read more

Oh, and then there's this new photo from Fred Claus.

Leatherheads image source
Fred Claus image courtesy of Warner Bros.