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What to Netflix: Denzel Deja Vu

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:15:20 -0800

Denzel Washington's latest sci-fi/action film, Deja Vu, opened on November 22nd to mixed reviews. The overall impression seems to be that Denzel's grounded and emotionally pitch-perfect performance saves the murky plot from being a total let-down. In fact, Denzel could take virtually any half-baked movie premise and make it engaging, so have a little deja vu with one of Hollywood's most talented actors and put these old favorites in your Netflix queue.

The Preacher's Wife
This is probably my favorite Denzel movie of all time, as cheesy as that sounds. He's just so darn charming, funny, and handsome. He plays an angel sent from God to help the Reverend Henry Biggs, who is struggling to keep his marriage to Julia (Whitney Houston) intact while property developer Joe Hamilton (Gregory Hines) is threatening to destroy his church and build a funky new mega-church. Because this movie is called The Preacher's Wife and has Whitney Houston in it, it is largely about her, but Denzel is the truly divine member of this cast. Also, its great music and holiday setting make this an especially fun movie to watch now.

For two more Denzel films, read more

Man On Fire
In this movie, we are treated to both Denzel-the-tough-guy and Denzel-the-softhearted-dad-type. Set in Mexico City, the movie has Denzel playing John Creasy, a haggard, alcoholic ex-assassin for the CIA who, for lack of anything else to do, agrees to serve as the bodyguard for industrialist Samuel Ramos' daughter Pita, played by Dakota Fanning. Fanning is at her precocious best here and succeeds in worming her way into Creasy's heart. When she is kidnapped, Creasy is frantic to find her and swears vengeance on anyone involved in the abduction. While it isn't the happiest of movies, it is worth watching if only to see the sweet relationship between Creasy and Pita develop.

Philadelphia

Though Tom Hanks took the Oscar for his performance in Philadelphia, many argue that Denzel deserved one as well. Denzel plays Joe Miller, a homophobic lawyer who helps fellow attorney, gay HIV-positive Andrew Beckett (Hanks), make a wrongful termination case against his conservative law firm. Over time, Joe and Andy form a friendship, and Joe races against time to try and win Andy's case before AIDS can take over Andy's body. This is one of those "important" movies about the power of love over prejudice.

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:50:22 -0800

ABC is new with FlashForward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor, CSI, and The Mentalist
FOX is new with Bones and Fringe
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
E! has 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks, and is new with Secrets of Twilight
MTV has Jackass: The Movie, and is new with Gone Too Far
VH1 is new with Top 20 Celebrities Gone Good
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Orange County
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
Late-night highlights include Dakota Fanning and Jane Krakowski on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Ted Danson on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Stephen Colbert and John Mayer on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Nicole Kidman, Anderson Cooper, and Leona Lewis on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Carrie Underwood and Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Sandra Bullock and Ben Foster on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Taylor Lautner on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:30:16 -0700

The 100 worst-reviewed movies of the last decade - Rotten Tomatoes
Paul Dano has joined the cast of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz's movie Wichita - Vulture
The CW is going to shoot a reality about real-life NYC socialite Tinsley Mortimer - The Wrap
That's right: The Real Housewives of Atlanta have made a music video - Show Tracker
The 5 greatest hit-man flicks - Cinematical
David Mamet's Anne Frank project has been rejected by Disney - MTV Movies Blog
The top 10 TV character comas - TV Tango
Find out how much your favorite TV characters would earn in real life - SavvySugar
Of the cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, who would you most want to be stuck in a car with? - PopWatch
NBC has ordered a script for a new show called Slacker Sons - Variety

Movie Preview: Amy Adams in Leap Year

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:30:04 -0800

You can rarely accuse a romantic comedy of being original, and the set up for Leap Year is no different. Amy Adams stars as Anna, a woman who's waiting for her boyfriend (Adam Scott) to propose when she learns that according to Irish tradition, women are "allowed" to propose to men on February 29, leap day. She chases him to Dublin and when she's diverted to Wales, meets a handsome stranger (Matthew Goode) who makes her rethink her scheme and relationship. Stop groaning.

I know the movie sounds cliche and sexist, yet I can't dismiss anything with Adams in it - her charm is just too powerful! Seriously, though, amid the mildly offensive plot details and too-familiar setting (how many times have we seen that stuck-in-the-road-while-cows-cross scene?), Adams still shines along with her freakishly dreamy foil, Matthew Goode. Take a look at the trailer to see for yourself, and watch out for a small bit from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson, when you read more.

Leap Year comes out January 8, 2010.

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:50:33 -0800

ABC is new with Flash Forward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor, CSI, and The Mentalist
FOX is new with Bones and Fringe
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Orange County
Comedy Central is new with Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
MTV is new with World's Strictest Parents and Gone Too Far
Late-night highlights include Larry David on Lopez Tonight on TBS; Penelope Cruz and Dolly Parton on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Amanda Peet on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Al Gore, Jim Parsons, and Jason Mraz on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Danny DeVito and Switchfoot on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Kate Walsh on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and Danny Glover on Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:50:44 -0800

ABC is new with FlashForward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor, CSI, and The Mentalist
FOX is new with Bones and Fringe
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Atlanta and Real Housewives of Orange County
MTV is new with World's Strictest Parents and Gone Too Far
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
VH1 has 40 Naughtiest Celebrity Scandals
Late-night highlights include Bill Maher, Gabourey Sidibe, and Keith Urban on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Wanda Sykes and Rachael Ray on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Jim Carrey and Olivia Wilde on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Florence and the Machine on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Denis Leary and Jena Malone on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; Ian McKellan, Paula Patton, Yoko Ono, and Sean Lennon on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and Matisyahu on Last Call With Carson Daly

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:50:25 -0700

ABC is new with FlashForward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor, CSI, and The Mentalist
FOX has Game 2 of the World Series
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Atlanta
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
MTV is new with World's Strictest Parents
VH1 has Behind the Music: Lil Wayne
Late-night highlights include Tom Hanks and Weezer on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Tina Fey on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Denis Leary and The Swell Season on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Jason Schwartzman and Rod Stewart on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Carrie Fisher and Sam Rockwell on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; and Derek Luke on Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:50:00 -0700

ABC is new with FlashForward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor: Samoa and CSI, and has a repeat of The Mentalist
FOX has MLB ALCS Game 5: Yankees at Angels
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW has repeats of Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
MTV is new with Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, Nitro Circus, and MTV's Ultimate Parkour Challenge
Bravo is new with The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Comedy Central is new with The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
Late-night highlights include President Barack Obama on a repeat of The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Hilary Swank on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Charlize Theron and Dave Matthews Band on a repeat of The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; John C. Reilly and NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak from The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Tim Gunn, Colbie Smulders, and Lynyrd Skynyrd on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone on a repeat of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

Law Abiding Citizen: Deserves a Death Sentence

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:30:13 -0700

Oh, Gerard Butler, what were you thinking? You might be able to forgive the 300 actor for starring in this horror flick disguised as a meaningful thriller, but he also served as producer to help finance the train wreck. Did he not even read the script?

Law Abiding Citizen opens with Butler as Clyde Shelton, a devoted father and husband who witnesses the murder of his family by two psychopaths after a break-in. When his lawyer, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), strikes a deal in the case that lets one of them free, Shelton begs Rice to reconsider. And that’s where Shelton's deadly resentment - and the slasher flick stuff- begins.

To hear more about what I mean, read more.

Ten years later, Shelton returns to seek vengeance against Rice and the entire Philadelphia legal system through a series of mass killings and car bombs. The man is understandably still distraught over his family’s deaths, but he’s clearly gone cuckoo.

This is when the movie becomes less of a drama and starts resembling the Saw franchise instead. While Shelton starts off as the good guy, he's later partaking in gruesome torture scenes that leave him completely in covered in blood like the prom scene in Carrie. To make matters worse, Shelton throws out bad jokes as he's wreaking havoc for a few cheap laughs. It negates any possibility for the audience to feel sympathy for Shelton, and the attempted shock value also completely ruins the movie's credibility.

The film wants to make us question the inner-workings of law - when dealing with a killer, is it better to leave things to the justice system or take matters into your own hands? Really though, it would’ve worked better as a cheesy horror movie. It has all of the requirements: splattered body parts, a giant chain saw, abandoned warehouses, goofy wigs and costumes, creepy music, the obligatory muffled voice on the end of the phone - and loads of plot holes. Like, why is Shelton rich enough to buy all of his assassin-style supplies and how does he know how to use them all? The film attempts to answer the question for us later in the film, but it feels tacked on and much too late.

In other words, if you do go see this film, don't try to think too much about it. Foxx and Butler do their best with what they're given, but the film is only good for a couple of thrills that make you jump in your seat. As for me, I just wanted to walk out.

P.S. Don't forget to check out the Movie Reviews community group if you want to weigh in about your own weekend film picks.

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:50:00 -0700

ABC is new with Flash Forward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor: Samoa, CSI, and The Mentalist
FOX is new with Bones and Fringe
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
MTV is new with Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, Bully Beatdown, Nitro Circus, and Pranked
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Atlanta
E! is new with E! Investigates: Last Days of Michael Jackson
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
Late-night highlights include Built to Spill on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Matt Lauer on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; John C. Reilly on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Taye Diggs and Kristin Cavallari on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Forest Whitaker and A Fine Frenzy on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; Gerard Butler and Ivanka Trump on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; Keane on Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC