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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:30:00 -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 also rent Reservation Road (not to be confused with Revolutionary Road), and Leonardo DiCaprio's global warming warning, The 11th Hour.

There Will Be Blood
This April is a great month for renting DVDs because a new stellar, Oscar-nominated film seems to come out every week. Today's release is the stirring Paul Thomas Anderson masterpiece, There Will Be Blood. The film is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! and follows the story of an ambitious oil man, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he becomes one of those famed self-made American magnates, a la William Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.

If you haven't heard by now that this film is both visually stunning and soul-stirring, and that Daniel Day-Lewis gives the Oscar-winning performance of the year, then you've had a very distracting year. I stuck this movie on my April must-haves list not only because of its classic story of greed vs. compassion, but also because Day-Lewis only seems to emerge to knock one out of the park every five years or so, which in Hollywood years can seem like a lifetime. You'll want to own this one to get you through to 2013 when he's had enough of shoe-making on the Italian Coast or something and decides to show the rest of those amateurs how it's done. Again.

For two more titles that couldn't be more different than each other, read more.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
2007 truly was the year of Judd Apatow, though admittedly this spoof on the musician biopic he co-wrote was probably his weakest submission. While it was hard to recommend paying theater prices for this film, it is a perfectly serviceable at-home rental.

Starring John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox, a rocker with secrets (shocker!), the film pokes fun at movies like Ray and Walk the Line and takes many prisoners, sparing neither Bob Dylan nor the Beatles (in a hilarious scene starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as the Fab Four). While it drags in some parts, Reilly is great in this role and the whole thing is more or less a good time.

Special features include deleted and extended scenes and featurettes titled, "The Music of Walk Hard", and "The Real Dewey Cox."

Lions for Lambs
First of all, the stars of this movie need to have a serious talk with the DVD cover-art people. How is it possible to airbrush Robert Redford so that he looks utterly unattractive? And that's one highly arched brow on Meryl Streep. Anyway, don't let the cover distract you from this serious meditation on the nature of current American politics.

While I realize many are turned off by movies about the current war in Iraq, I think this film, directed by Robert Redford, gives us a lot of food for thought. More talking than action, I thought this might have worked better as a play than a movie, but it's still a highly worthwhile watch. Most intriguing are the questions Redford brings up about young people who, he asserts, seem to feel disaffected amidst these turbulent times. All three performances are fine (Tom Cruise is particularly good as a smarmy congressman), but most importantly it gets you thinking and might spur on good debate.

Special features include audio commentary by Robert Redford and a making-of featurette.

Box Office: Bee Movie Buzzes to the Top

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:30:00 -0800

In round two of American Gangster vs. Bee Movie at the box office, the bees buzzed their way to the top. Bee Movie brought in an estimated $26 million in its second weekend, flip-flopping last week's results by edging out American Gangster's $24.3 million.

None of the weekend's new releases came close to challenging those two. Fred Claus brought in about $19.2 million to finish in third place, while Lions for Lambs was a very distant fourth with just $6.7 million. I suppose a lot of people must have agreed with those of you who said you don't necessarily enjoy contemporary political movies. Interestingly, the audience for Lions for Lambs skewed old, with two-thirds of its viewers over age 35.

Possibly the best news this weekend comes for No Country for Old Men. The Coen brothers' Western opened in just 28 theaters around the country, but it still brought in $1.2 million and finished at No. 14 for the weekend. It expands to more theaters this Friday and will be in wide release after Thanksgiving.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:00:44 -0800

Hollywood writers went on strike this week, shutting down The Office and delaying 24, among other things. I wondered if you care and whether the strike will make you watch more Web-exclusive shows.
It was a week chock full of music videos, so watch as Rilo Kiley does The Frug, Jay-Z becomes an American Gangster, Rashida Jones rocks out with the Foo Fighters, and John C. Reilly walks hard.
We learned a lot about next summer's Valkyrie, thanks to this featurette and a full-length trailer.
This week saw the release of Lions for Lambs, and I wondered how you felt about movies dealing with contemporary politics.
What's your list of the worst TV shows ever?
NPR Music got infinitely cooler with its great new Web site. Also, I suggested a step-by-step guide to getting into Neko Case.
It was a week for first looks at a couple of creepy things: the Terminator-based Sarah Connor Chronicles and the freaky-looking film Awake.
And finally, something to mull over for the rest of the weekend: Who could be the heir to John Cusack in an updated Say Anything?

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Lions for Lambs: An Interesting Debate

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:30:00 -0800

Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs is not exactly a cinematic tour de force. In fact, it could have easily been a play, or even a staged reading. Set in three places for the entirety of the movie's 88 minutes, it's low on action and high on talk. Thus, while it's not a visually interesting film, as a spirited debate about current politics, Lions for Lambs is very engaging.

One of the locales is in the office of California professor Dr. Malley who has called in one of his brightest students, Todd (Andrew Garfield) to find out why the boy went from enthusiastic debater to a slacker who's stopped participating. In their discussions Dr. Malley tells Todd about former students of his Ernest and Arian, who, inspired by Dr. Malley's class to do something meaningful with their lives, joined the military. He explains that the two were not the brightest kids and that he didn't even agree with their decision. But they risked their lives to do something important while Todd, with all his intelligence and privilege, was cutting class and slacking off. Meanwhile, in Washington, DC, a senator (Tom Cruise) reveals to a journalist (Meryl Streep) his bombshell plan of action that will directly impact Arian and Ernest's lives. Lively arguments about right and wrong ensue. Actually, with the exception of some combat scenes with Arian and Ernest, the majority of the movie is filled with argument.

For the rest of my take on Lions for Lambs, read more

This is not just a debate over the current administration's dealings in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan - what went right, what mistakes were made, etc. It's also an examination of the nature of apathy. In particular, I am intrigued by the critical eye Redford casts on young people - college-aged kids and people in their 20s who find themselves caught in an extended adolescence. The bright, youthful, idealistic and energetic members of our society who, instead of trying to do something, choose to be distracted and disaffected.

What's more, Redford never suggests all these youths join the military (in fact, his character discourages this). It isn't so much a call to arms as it is a call to heart. The performances are fine - Streep is especially compelling - but they are secondary to the issues at hand. Redford is wise and stern, and likable on screen. Cruise is smarmy and superior, employing that sneer that always reminds me of his hateful character in Magnolia. And yet, he's not totally without humanity. Whomever you sympathize at the end of this talk-heavy film, and however you feel about Redford's decision to make it, at the very least Lions for Lambs will get you thinking and maybe discussing some important stuff.

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What Do You Think About Movies Based on Current Politics?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:30:00 -0800

This fall we've seen some films, like The Kingdom and Rendition, that deal with current political issues, and they've been met with mostly lukewarm responses. I'm curious to find out whether or not Lions for Lambs will experience the same fate when it opens this weekend. This all makes me wonder: do people want to see movies that deal with current politics?

Movie Preview: Lions for Lambs

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:27:03 -0800

The tag line for Robert Redford's political drama Lions for Lambs is "If you don't stand for something, you might fall for anything." Yet aside from that and the fact that Tom Cruise is making his first onscreen appearance since Mission Impossible III, what do you know about this upcoming movie?

The stories of three disparate Americans - one professor (Redford), one journalist (Meryl Streep) and one presidential hopeful (Cruise) - intertwine over the prickly subject of the war on terror. Meanwhile, two of the professor's students go off to Afghanistan in an attempt to do something important with their lives, and the professor is left with mixed feelings about their decision.

As with most movies dealing with current political issues, Lions for Lambs does not look like a particularly comfortable film to watch, though it may be very well-done. The movie opens this Friday November 9, so to watch the trailer and tell me what you think, read more

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Lions for Lambs Online Competition Builds Buzz, Helps Others

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:28:08 -0700

In an effort to build buzz for the November 9 release of Lions for Lambs, starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise, MGM is holding a YouTube/Google video competition. Through the competition, "individuals can produce a 90-second video discussing the social issue they’re most passionate about." People will then watch the videos and vote on their favorite submissions. The person whose video gets the most votes by November 9 will win $25,000 for the charity of their choice.

Variety has this quote from Amy Elkins, senior VP of theatrical marketing for MGM: “We really wanted to bring out the themes of the movie and tell a story in a relevant way. To do that, we wanted to look at the widest platform we could and build a community around the film’s message, namely ‘What do you stand for?’”

Sure, this is mostly a publicity stunt. But like Will Ferrell auctioning off a role in his next movie, at least it's an example of Hollywood-types doing something good. Click here to check out the YouTube Lions for Lambs site and upload your videos.

What would you make a video about for this contest?

Fall Movie Preview: Just Drama

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Well it's September, folks, and the summertime movie season is officially over. Now we have a whole new crop of films to check out in the coming chillier months, so in preparation for that, I'm giving you little glimpses of this fall and winter's must-see movies with my Fall Movie Preview series. Today's roundup is full of drama, drama, drama.

December Boys
I am very excited to watch Daniel Radcliffe in his first major non-Harry Potter movie role. Hopefully I can get through the film without seeing him solely as everyone's beloved boy wizard. In December Boys Radcliffe plays one of several orphans vacationing with a couple who will ultimately choose one of them to adopt. The movie opens in select theaters today, September 14, so go here to watch the trailer.

Several more oh-so-dramatic movies if you read more

Lions for Lambs
From the trailer for Lions for Lambs, it looks like Meryl Streep and Robert Redford are compelling in their roles while Tom Cruise is sniveling and obnoxious. Still, Cruise's presence won't stop me from seeing this tense political drama, directed by Redford himself, in which "injuries sustained by two Army ranger behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman (Cruise), a journalist (Streep) and a professor (Redford)." Lions for Lambs opens November 2, so check out the trailer on the film's website.

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?
Tyler Perry stars in his own latest film project which may not be a severely dramatic film but, basically, I didn't know which other Fall Movie Preview category to place it in. Janet Jackson joins Perry in this story that examines marriage in all its glory and complications. As Lionsgate describes the plot, "During a trip to the picturesque snowcapped mountains of Colorado, eight married college friends have gathered for their annual seven-day reunion. But the cozy mood is shattered when the group comes face-to-face with one pair’s infidelity. As secrets are revealed, each couple begins questioning the validity of their own marriage." Start wrestling the hard issues on October 12 when Why Did I Get Married? opens.

Into the Wild
Sean Penn directed this project, and adapted the Jon Krakauer book on which this film is based. Into the Wild tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who graduates college, gives away his savings and ventures on his own in pursuit of ultimate truth and freedom. He tells no one where he's going, and his family never hears from him again. The movie tells of the people he meets and the adventures he has before reaching the desolate Alaskan wilderness he so wanted to find. The film opens everywhere September 21, so check out the trailer here.

Feel the Noise
Jennifer Lopez produces this drama all about rap and dance in Puerto Rico. As IMDB describes it, "After a run-in with local thugs, aspiring Harlem rapper Rob (Omarion Grandberry) flees to a place and father (Giancarlo Esposito) he never knew, and finds his salvation in Reggaeton, a spicy blend of hip-hop, reggae and Latin beats." Check out the trailer before Feel the Noise hits theaters October 5.

Why Did I Get Married? photo courtesy of Lionsgate
Into the Wild photo courtesy of Paramount Vantage
December Boys photo source
Other photos source

Tom Cruise in Lions for Lambs, Out of Germany

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

I'm finding it difficult to take Tom Cruise seriously - ever since the couch-jumping and disparaging remarks about psychiatry I've cast a wary eye on him - but the German military is taking him very seriously. Cruise's attempts to shoot his Nazi drama Valkyrie have been thwarted by the German military because Cruise is a Scientologist. According to the article:

Defense Ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer said the film makers "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult."

That's the second time in recent history that Scientologist actors have come under fire for the characters they are portraying: Gay critics have lashed out at the casting of John Travolta as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, complaining that an iconic gay character such as Edna (previously played by Divine in John Waters' Hairspray) should not be played by an actor who belongs to a church believed to have homophobic views.

While Cruise and his people are duking it out with the German military, however, a few snippets from Cruise's next movie Lions for Lambs were recently aired on "Entertainment Tonight." The movie stars Meryl Streep and Robert Redford (Redford also directs), and from the clips it looks like the two actors who are not Tom Cruise are excellent as usual, while Cruise is, again, pretty hard to take seriously. To see the clips, read more

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