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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:30:23 -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.

The Wrestler
I said it in my list of must haves for April and I'll say it again: In addition to being a touching film with an astounding performance by Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler is one of those rare movies that a diverse group of adults can agree to see together. There's something for everyone, really: Action, romance, some tearjerking, etc.

The movie follows an aging professional wrestler with a ton of regrets. He tries to take control of his life, however, when he befriends an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) and attempts to make peace with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).

In addition to earning all kinds of nominations during awards season, the movie contains one of my favorite scenes of the year. Special features include a featurette titled "Within the Ring: A No-Holds-Barred One-on-One With Wrestlers and Filmmakers" and music videos (presumably featuring Bruce Springsteen).

Two more up next, so read more.

Frost/Nixon
Director Ron Howard successfully adapts for the screen a Peter Morgan play (Morgan wrote the screenplay for this movie as well) that portrays President Nixon's infamous interview with journalist/TV personality David Frost.

The movie follows Frost (played by Michael Sheen, reprising his stage role) on his journey to get the disgraced former President (Frank Langella, who also originated the role on stage) on television to face questioning about his involvement in Watergate. It's a duel between two giant egos where only one can really win, and the filmmakers take creative liberties filling in the backstory to the famous historical event.

Special features include deleted scenes, "The Making of Frost/Nixon," footage from the real interview, and commentary with Director Ron Howard.

Notorious
Notorious is a biopic based on the life of rap legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in his early 20s in a drive-by shooting.

Newly discovered actor and hip hop artist Jamal Woolard delivers a standout debut performance as the rapper, and is surrounded by other strong performances of well-known personalities (dead and alive). Naturi Naughton plays the pint-sized, naughty girl Lil Kim and Derek Luke does a great job channeling Sean "Puffy" Combs, as does Anthony Mackie as the late Tupac Shakur.

Special features include commentary with director George Tillman Jr., co-screenwriter Reggie Rock Bythewood and co-screenwriter Cheo Hodari, as well as commentary with Biggie's mom Voletta Wallace, Biggie's co-manager Wayne Barrow, and Biggie's co-manager Mark Pitts.

Notorious: A Star Is Born Playing a Tragic Figure

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:30:41 -0800

Notorious is a biopic based on the life and times of music legend Christopher Wallace, a.k.a Notorious B.I.G., who was tragically killed in his early 20s in a drive-by shooting. It comes extremely close to telling an interesting story about the measure of a man and the price of fame - close, but no cigar.

That said, there is a silver lining and that's the discovery of an artist named Jamal Woolard (also known as Gravy) who plays the title role. This relative unknown (in the acting community, he's a hip hop artist), who had zero acting experience before this production, delivers the kind of charismatic, slam-dunk performance only someone with a natural gift can deliver. His is a nuanced performance that manages to bring to earth the larger-than-life persona of Biggie with eerie accuracy. Physically, we rarely see an actor like this on the big screen and it's refreshing. Woolard uses his sympathetic eyes and giant body to convey the rapper's ability to draw people to him, despite how exasperating he could be.

Unfortunately, Woolard is the bright spot in this cookie-cutter biopic, which too often veers into sentimental and blandly conventional territory. To see the rest of my thoughts on why this is a bit disappointing, read more.

First let's talk about the cloying sentimentality. As I watched this movie, I found myself getting lost in the fun of it - the nostalgia, the music, etc. - only to be jolted out of those good feelings by lines like, "You can't change the world until you change yourself." And they don't just say that line once, but multiple times. It's a hollow, after-school special-type cliche and doesn't ring true at all.

The movie is also awfully conventional. It is literally a play-by-play account of the rap star's life and falls short of giving the audience an interesting look at the guy. Instead it's a shallow tribute reel that shows the crappy stuff Biggie was guilty of (ditches his mom when she has cancer, is a deadbeat dad, sells crack to a pregnant lady, etc.) without any real consequence. In fact, he's completely redeemed in the easiest, most absurdly convenient endings I've ever witnessed. The movie even glosses over the East Coast/West Coast rivalry and chalks the whole episode up to Tupac's paranoia. There's hardly a moment in the film that isn't overly simplistic.

The rest of the cast does a commendable job portraying the notorious figures that surrounded B.I.G. throughout his life including Naturi Naughton as the pint-sized, naughty girl Kim and Derek Luke as Sean "Puffy" Combs (though I think if the real Puffy weren't involved with this movie we would have seen a much more interesting character onscreen).

The movie is at its best, though, when it gives its audience a little credit and instead of telling us through clunky dialogue what made Biggie so dynamic, it shows us. One of the best scenes comes when a just-signed Chris Wallace has to win over a rowdy college crowd and does so with his nihilistic anthem, "Party and Bullsh*t." It's a smart, visceral moment in the movie that helps you forgive the man his sins and feel thankful he graced us with his talent during the short time he was alive.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight Films

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:30:59 -0800

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Here are today's selections:

Live and well: You know who I haven't been able to catch live in a while? My Morning Jacket. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that iTunes has a special live performance EP that was recorded at The Palms in Las Vegas. I love hearing songs like "Tonight I Want to Celebrate With You" live, and there's even an unreleased track included titled "Dear Wife" (it's pretty!).

B.I.G. is back: The Notorious B.I.G biopic will hit theaters this week (stay tuned for my review) and today the flick's soundtrack is out. The album includes rare recordings of songs from Biggie's demo tape given to Bad Boy Records including "Microphone Murderer" and "Guaranteed Raw." There's also a remix of "One More Chance" that features Biggie's son Christopher (who also appears in the movie) rapping along with his dad - adorable and heartbreaking.

One more up next so read more.

File under spooky: Fever Ray is the name of the solo effort by Karin Dreijer Andersson who is better known as one half of the Swedish duo The Knife. Her album features a seriously spooky track titled "If I Had a Heart" (the video is one of the creepiest things ever) and a song I've listened to twice already, "Seven." She's not for everyone, but it's definitely something a little different to check out.

First Look: Notorious

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:30:03 -0700

There's a teaser trailer for the Notorious B.I.G. biopic making the rounds lately, and I kinda like it. The music is great, there's a grandly dramatic, dangerous tone to the whole thing, appropriately. It starts out soft and low and builds to a flashy finish.

After an exhaustive search, the filmmakers and Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace cast Brooklyn rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard for the title role last March. Other cast members include Angela Bassett as Biggie's mother, Derek Luke as Sean Combs, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur. Notorious opens Jan. 16, 2009. To check out the teaser, read more.

Buzz-Worthy Video: Regis and Kelly Spoof the Rachel Zoe Project

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:34 -0700

Halloween on a Saturday means that weekday talk shows are celebrating today, including notorious costume lovers Regis and Kelly (last year they wore 14 different costumes, including Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn). Who did they dress up as this morning? None other than Rachel Zoe and Brad Goreski from The Rachel Zoe Project! Not only that, Gelman does a killer Rodger, and wait until "Taylor" pops up, too!

To see the Regis and Kelly as Rachel and Brad, just read more.

The Office, "Niagara": Best Lines of the Night, Plus Video!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:17:58 -0700

OK, I've discreetly wiped the tears from my eyes post-wedding and have to report that I was pleasantly surprised - after all the hype, The Office managed to pull off unconventional and totally touching nuptials for Jim and Pam.

The video sneak peek didn't give away the wedding surprises - or the moments of hilariousness that arose. I've put together my favorite lines of the episode here, so check them out - and for another Office water cooler, join The Office group in the community!

To see the best lines of this week, just read more.

"A three ounce fetus is calling the shots! That's so badass." - Dwight
Dwight is entranced by Pam's pregnancy, but he and the rest of the office are not exactly sympathetic. That is, until Dwight's peeled egg makes Pam barf, then Andy barf, then a full-on chain reaction barf ensues, reminiscent of the notorious scene in Stand By Me.
"Some of us have to be our own grandmother." - Angela
Angela's uptightness kills me in this episode - from her being offended by Pam's pregnancy to honking incessantly at Kevin in the office parking lot. Hilarious.
"A lot of people told me I was crazy to wait this long for a date with a girl I worked with, but I think even then I knew, I was waiting for my wife." - Jim
Obviously this line isn't funny, but it was possibly my favorite one in the whole episode. It's such a sweet, genuinely Jim thing for him to say at the rehearsal dinner and is one of those moments at any crazy wedding where you remember why you're there. Oh and it's the line that's uttered right before Jim accidentally slips that Pam is pregnant and everything comes crashing down.
"I was dancing and I did a split and I landed on my car keys in my pocket." - Andy
Andy's accident actually sets off many hilarious lines, such as "He is in my room icing his balls," Jim's "No! Let's talk for a long time," and "Andy, did I dream that you were crying through the night?"
"What else you got?!" - Erin
Meek receptionist Erin rarely gets a funny line, but her screaming at Andy to show off another dance move after he was so obviously injured is so funny and timed perfectly.
"I bought those boat tickets the day I saw that YouTube video." - Jim
Pretty sure my jaw dropped when "Forever" from the JK Wedding Entrance dance came on. It's just the kind of cheesy disaster that would befall Jim and Pam, but they've already secretly gotten married, so instead of horror, it's joy on their faces watching their co-workers and family groove down the aisle. The fact that they cut in footage from the ceremony at sea? Perfect.

Need to see that wedding dance again? Say no more!

Want even more? Check out Pam's video diary from the big day (starring Jim in his underwear!):

So, everyone's favorite colleague couple is now married, and I was not disappointed by the wedding episode at all. What did you think? Was it a fitting event for Jim and Pam?

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC