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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:30:05 PDT

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 add Zack Snyder's animated Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter to your queue.

Quantum of Solace
It seems like just yesterday we were puzzling over the title of the newest Bond flick and now here it is, out on DVD. The man with the killer looks and dreamy eyes, Daniel Craig, reprises his role as superspy James Bond, who is still pretty peeved at having been betrayed by Vesper Lynd, the woman he loved in the previous film. He wishes to take revenge on the company that blackmailed Vesper, though, and in his search he and M (Judi Dench) uncover plans of a shady leader of an environmentalist company to take control of Bolivia's water supply.

Bond also meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who has her own vengeful plan in mind. There's a lot of international locales included as well as Craig locking and loading guns throughout some intense action sequences - what more do you need?

Special features include the music video for "Another Way to Die," a featurette titled "Bond on Location," and commentary from director Marc Forster.

Two more still to come, so

Bolt
Aw, Bolt. That little computer-animated dog is so cute. Also, how hilarious does that hamster in a ball look? Every time I see that guy in commercials, I laugh. I actually never caught this one in the theaters, so I'm excited to check it out on DVD.

Here's how Netflix describes the movie: "Featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, this animated adventure (nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar and Golden Globe) centers on a dashing German shepherd named Bolt, a canine actor forced into making an action-filled cross-country trek when he's accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York. Believing that he and his fictional character are one and the same, Bolt gets a glimpse of what it takes to be a hero in the real world."

Special features include a new exclusive animated short film titled "Super Rhino," a special featurette called "In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus," their music video for "I Thought I Lost You," and a behind-the-scenes look at the movie from conception to completion, which I hope includes some of the cool storyboards I got to see at Comic-Con.

In Treatment: Season One
When I first saw the schedule for HBO's In Treatment, I felt overwhelmed. The show was airing new episodes every night of the week for nine weeks! That's quite the commitment. It was pretty easy even for someone (like me) who was and is digging the show to fall behind, so yay DVD - and just in time for the second season premiere on April 5!

If you're new to the show, now's your chance to check it out. It follows a therapist named Paul, played by Gabriel Byrne, through a week of clients - one on Mondays, one on Tuesdays, and so on. Paul's own therapy session comes on Fridays. It's an inventive and unusual concept that won Byrne a Golden Globe this year. This DVD set is features-free, but you'll be busy enough just with all the episodes, right?

Box Office: Audiences Love Christmases

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:30:01 PST

Reese and Vince proved a potent pair at the box office once again as Four Christmases came in at No. 1 for the second weekend in a row. The holiday comedy earned an estimated $18.2 million over the weekend, bringing its overall total since debuting to $70.8 million. Meanwhile, Twilight continues to plow full steam ahead, coming in at No. 2 and bringing its overall total to an impressive $138.6 million. The top five was rounded out by Bolt in third, Australia in fourth, and Quantum of Solace at No. 5.

There are a lot of "specialty" offerings at the moment, many of which are doing very well given how many theaters they're playing in. Cadillac Records had a decent debut at No. 9, and both Slumdog Millionaire and Milk continue to thrive thanks to great buzz.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Four Christmases Wins the Holiday Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:30:35 PST

I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying Four Christmases starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, and maybe some of the early buzz from others who also liked it helped the holiday comedy win the Thanksgiving weekend box office this year with an estimated $46.7 million since opening Wednesday.

Meanwhile the highly anticipated Baz Luhrmann epic Australia opened at No. 5 after Quantum of Solace in fourth place, Twilight (which passed the $100 million mark this weekend) in third, and Bolt in second place. Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk also did very well for a limited release, coming in at No. 10 over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Twilight Drains the Competition

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:30:47 PST

Anticipating Twilight might just be this weekend's big box office winner, I asked you guys to ring in with some possible box office headline puns for the news this morning. Well, briggs313's suggestion in the post was awesome, so I went ahead and used it - thanks briggs313!

Twilight's debut on the big screen was a smash success, earning $70.6 million over the weekend and breaking several records. It has the honor of being the biggest debut ever "for a female director and also beats the $57 million debut of Sex and the City in May." The studio was so impressed with the buzz around the screen adaptation of the popular book that they went ahead and announced plans for the sequel, New Moon, on Saturday.

It seems Twilight sucked up all the young adult love, which may have contributed to the disappointing opening of Disney's Bolt over the weekend. The animated pup earned about $27 million and came in at No. 3, behind Quantum of Solace which had the No. 2 spot. The top five was rounded out by Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in fourth place followed by Role Models in fifth.

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Sugar Bits - Quantum Is Biggest Bond Opening Ever

PopSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:30:25 PST

Quantum of Solace took the top spot at the box office this weekend with $70.4 million, the highest opening for a James Bond film ever. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa came in second. - BuzzSugar
Barack and Michelle Obama had their first post-election interview on 60 minutes last night and spoke about the economy, re-deploying troops out of Iraq and much more. - CitizenSugar
Comedian Wanda Sykes revealed she's "proud of being gay" at a Proposition 8 protest in Las Vegas on Saturday. - AP
Proposition 8 protestors are rallying people to boycott Sundance Film Festival since it is in the state of Utah and the Mormon Church supported the ban on same-sex marriage. - E! Online
The SEC has charged Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, with insider trading after selling shares of Mamma.com the day before they announced private financing and avoiding $750,000 in losses. - Wall Street Journal
The O.C's Autumn Reeser is engaged to her college sweetheart, writer and director Jesse Warren. - Us Weekly

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Box Office: Quantum Leaps Into First

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:30:29 PST

The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, leaped to box office success in its opening weekend, coming in at No. 1 with an estimated $70.4 million. This was a record breaker, in fact: According to Variety, it was "the biggest opening ever for a James Bond title and a major victory for a film franchise nearly half a century old."

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa came in at No. 2, followed by Role Models, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and Changeling rounding out the top five.

Another movie earning a bunch of buzz, Slumdog Millionaire, also did well over the weekend in a limited opening. I'm excited to see that one myself. Did you head out to see Bond? What did you think?

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

I'm Asking: How Much Does a Movie Cost at Your Theater?

SavvySugar — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:00:49 PST

I was one of thousands who went to see Quantum of Solace on Friday night and sat in a packed theater with everyone else who had paid $10.75 to get their 007 fix. Yes, seeing Daniel Craig on the big screen was worth every penny, but I couldn't help but think back to a time when movie tickets weren't so expensive. How much do tickets cost for movies in your city?

Source

Quantum of Solace: Just an Action Flick

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:34:39 PST

Where Casino Royale was bright, shiny and breathtaking, Quantum of Solace is cold, steely, and flat. Don't get me wrong - the explosions, gun play, and dry quips are all present and accounted for. But where there might've been a compelling narrative there's just a string of action sequences and chase scenes, interrupted by the occasional heart-to- cold, mistrusting spy heart. It's not bad, it's just that it seems like there's no real pulse beating behind Bond's deadly calm veneer.

Daniel Craig reprises his role as superspy James Bond, who is still consumed by anger at having been betrayed by Vesper Lynd, the woman he loved. Still, he wishes to take revenge on the company that blackmailed Vesper and in his search, he and M (Judi Dench) uncover the plans of Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the shady leader of an environmentalist company, to take control of Bolivia's water supply from the equally shady General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio). In the midst of all this, Bond meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who has her own vengeful plan in mind for General Medrano. Camille and Bond then become partners in crime (literally) in their efforts to take down Dominic and Medrano. For some more of my take on all this,

One of the things I like best about this movie is that the "Bond Girl" (Camille) isn't just there to sexily wield a gun and sleep with Bond. In fact, she has her own past and her own agenda - and it never includes sleeping with Bond. It’s rather refreshing, really, and hers is the story that intrigued me the most, by far. While it’s fun to see Bond kick some butt and continuously lock and load, it might have been fun to have had some more mystery in this story of our "international man of mystery," so to speak. There is, however, plenty of the "international": we leap and soar and zoom from country to country (each with its own font, a quirky touch), with little breathing room in between each location's requisite fight scene.

In general, it would have been cool to have had some more scheming and more outwitting the opposition, and maybe less of a blindly rage-filled Bond just blowing away everyone and everything in his path. While that might have been the intention - to show how much Vesper’s death has messed with our hero and left him colder and crueler - it’s not altogether satisfying to watch for two hours. It is still a treat to see Daniel Craig onscreen, and the intense action scenes are sure to please many moviegoers, but expecting more than that may leave one disappointed.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Olga Kurylenko, Badass Bond Girl

FabSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:22 PST

Her name is Kurylenko, Olga Kurylenko. While acting is her forte, there's no denying the killer beauty of my new Fab favorite. Olga took the opportunity to show off her sultry and sophisticated style while out on her nationwide promotion of Quantum of Solace. Bond's lady doesn't disappoint. While you eagerly await the movie, quench your thirst and check out some of Olga's hottest looks. P.S. Happy birthday, Olga!

Will You Brave the Crowds This Weekend to See Bond?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:30:39 PST

Ah, that face. The zooming Aston Martin. Those eyes. The tough-as-nails M. That body. The wailing brassy sounds in the iconic James Bond music. . . . So much to love about Daniel Craig. . .'s Bond movie.

Will you brave the crazy opening weekend crowds to see Quantum of Solace in the theater this weekend? Or can you wait until some of the excitement has died down to see it later? Or maybe this whole Bond thing just bores you to tears.

One-sheet courtesy of Sony Pictures