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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:30:17 -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 catch Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD on DVD.

Nothing But the Truth
I didn't get to see this in the theaters, so I'm curious to check out this political thriller starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett, Vera Farmiga, David Schwimmer, and Alan Alda.

The movie's plot is described as "ripped from the headlines" and centers on a journalist (Beckinsale) who outs an acquaintance of hers as a CIA agent. Things get interesting when the government's prosecutor (Dillon) sends the journalist to jail for contempt. The movie was written and directed by Rod Lurie, the guy behind one of my favorite political movies, The Contender.

Special features include commentary from the director, deleted scenes, and a making-of featurette.

76%

Read about three more movies out this week when you read more.

Bride Wars
Hey, speaking of wedding tips we can learn from movies: Don't . . . destroy a life long friendship over a conflict in wedding scheduling! Which is to say, Bride Wars is out on DVD.

The movie stars Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as best friends who spend their lives dreaming of weddings together, and part of that dream is getting married at the Plaza Hotel. After both women get engaged, though, things get nasty when the Plaza books both their weddings on the same day. Instead of graciously working it out as two intelligent, grown women might do, the brides-to-be turn against each other, with each trying to sabotage the other's wedding. Needless to say, their friendship suffers.

Special features include three deleted scenes, including an alternate opening, and a featurette titled - wait for it - "The Perfect White Dress."

12%

What Doesn't Kill You
Here's another movie I am excited to bring home to watch. Netflix has a good description of the plot: "Partners in crime Paulie (Ethan Hawke) and Brian (Mark Ruffalo) find themselves at odds after years of pulling dangerous jobs, surviving turf wars and evading a determined detective (Donnie Wahlberg) in this gritty crime drama set in South Boston. The childhood buddies have gone through the wringer together, but when Brian's relationship with his wife (Amanda Peet) begins to fall apart, their loyal friendship is tested."

The New York Times called it a "a no-nonsense, few-frills crime drama about two losers hustling their way into an early grave" that "says a little something about what it means to look at the American dream from the bottom up." Sounds awesome.

Special features include commentary with writer/director Brian Goodman and writer Donnie Wahlberg; deleted and alternate scenes; and "Makes You Stronger: The Making Of What Doesn't Kill You."

68%

The Uninvited
Elizabeth Banks had a good year in '08 and has been popping up in movies left and right well into '09. The Uninvited was one of them, and it looks pretty darn scary.

Netflix's description of this remake of a Korean film is super-creepy: "Committed to a mental hospital after her mother's tragic death, teenager Anna (Emily Browning) discovers upon her release that her father (David Strathairn) plans to marry his deceased wife's former nurse, Rachael (Elizabeth Banks), a woman who may not have the best intentions. Foreboding warnings from her mother's ghost only cement Anna's suspicions." Yikes! I'm such a wimp about scary movies that I will definitely be recruiting people to watch this with me.

Special features include a behind-the-scenes featurette called "Unlocking the Uninvited," deleted scenes, and an alternate ending.

33%

Game Show Canceled After Woman Admits Murder Plot

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 16:44:44 -0700

Here's a new point for those who like to argue that TV has gone too far: A Colombian game show has been canceled after a woman confessed to hiring someone to murder her husband - and won $25,000 for it.

The woman was competing on a Colombian game show called "Nada Mas Que la Verdad," or "Nothing But the Truth," in which contestants are hooked up to lie detector machines and asked increasingly invasive questions for a chance to win up to $50,000 if they answer truthfully. She admitted she had hired a hit man to kill her husband, adding that the crime was never carried out because her husband was tipped off to the plot and fled.

The show had become a sensation in Colombia, so much so that spinoffs are planned for several countries, including the United States. Fox bought the rights to the show earlier this year and plans to make the stakes even higher, with $500,000 on the line for contestants who answer all 21 questions honestly.

American TV has done some pretty stupid things in its day - see: Darva Conger - but do you think the U.S. version of the show will go this far?

Source

Get Ready to Play Even More TV Game Shows

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:30:05 -0700

Whether it's because of the possible Hollywood writers' strike, the success of "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" or something else, this television season is beginning to look like the Year of the Primetime Game Show. At the head of the trend is now-legendary reality producer Mark Burnett, but he's not the only one with game shows on the brain. Here's a sampling of the other game shows coming soon to a tube near you:

"Jingles" - The latest Burnett show to be announced, this series will challenge teams of players to write jingles for products. (Advertisers must be thrilled!) CBS has ordered eight episodes of "Jingles," and viewers will vote each week for which team's jingle should be in a real ad and which should get its writers sent home.
"Nothing But the Truth" - This Fox series, based on a wildly popular Colombian game show, will hook up contestants to a lie detector and make them answer questions about their lives. People who answer all 21 questions honestly will win $500,000, but they may also have to admit ridiculously embarrassing things about themselves. Is it better to get caught lying about cheating on your husband - or be honest, take the money and run?
"Amnesia" - Another Burnett show, this one tests contestants' memories of their own lives. OK, technically it's called "Amne$ia." Producers will talk to friends and family members of the contestant to research questions, then challenge the reliability of their memories of key people, places and things.
"My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" - Burnett's third new series is exactly what it sounds like: dads competing in a series of challenges, driven by what Burnett calls "the universally relatable concept of bragging that your dad is the best." So far, it sounds vaguely like a higher-stakes version of "Double Dare."

So, here's my question: Are there enough game show fans out there to support all these series?

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Buzz News Roundup, 8/15

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:30:23 -0700

"Weeds" ratings hit a new, um, high on Monday, writes Variety.
The L.A. Times has confirmed that Edward Norton is indeed writing the screenplay for The Incredible Hulk.
Len Wiseman has signed on to direct the Escape From New York remake, Variety reports.
ABC is producing music videos for 11 of its shows, including "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers & Sisters," Billboard reports.
The AP is reporting that a stage musical version of Dirty Dancing will open in Chicago in September of 2008.
CBS has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with Don Imus, who may return to radio before too long, Reuters reports.
According to Variety, 20th Century Fox is hoping to lure screenwriters by promising them that they will receive gross participation if their original scripts are made into movies.
Ellen DeGeneres is filming a two-hour variety show for TBS, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
Fox has bought a new game show called "Nothing But the Truth," in which participants will be hooked up to lie detectors and asked a series of personal questions for the chance to win $500,000.
Casting news: Chris Mulkey will play the new coach on "Friday Night Lights," Zap2it reports. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Benny Ciaramello will also join the show to play a love interest for Lyla, while TV Guide says Marin Hinkle will guest star on "Brothers & Sisters."

Photo courtesy of Showtime