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Buzz Gift Guide: Hey, Daddio!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:30:36 -0800

Welcome to another one of my Buzz Gift Guides for all the entertainment lovers in your life. Yesterday I tackled gifts for moms and today I've got some ideas for the original special fellow in your life: Dad.

I know a lot of dads (not just my own) who were sad to see HBO's mobster hit The Sopranos end, so I was delighted to find a whole collection of wines inspired by the show. You can choose from an old school Chianti called "Uncle Junior's Wine" and a Pinot Grigio inspired by Carmella ("light but tasty enough for a strong woman"), among others. If your dad's a fan of the show he'll probably get a kick out of these.

If your dad's a music lover he might enjoy this CD and DVD box set of Frank Sinatra singin' his hits in Vegas, a collection of Louis Armstrong's Christmas tunes, or Martin Scorsese's rock doc chronicling two Rolling Stones concerts, Shine a Light.

Of course, many dads would be thrilled to get this humongous set of James Bond films on DVD. And finally, while it's not exactly my favorite series, my dad really does think Two and a Half Men is one of the funniest shows on TV, so I'll be picking up the fourth season on DVD for his collection this year.

Shine a Light ($18.99)	Sinatra: Vegas ($63.98)
The Sopranos Wine ($24.99)	James Bond Blu-ray Collection Six-Pack ($111.95)
Two and a Half Men - The Complete Fourth Season ($28.99)	The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters: Louis Armstrong & Friends: Music ($10.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:30:26 -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.

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
My pal Molly had the honor of heading out to the screening of Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay to let the rest of us know how it was. She basically came away feeling that it was a bit on the offensive side of the fence, even for a movie like this. But she also acknowledges that it could be the kind of movie that gets funnier with each viewing, and that Neil Patrick Harris is once again pitch-perfect in his ability to make anything hilarious.

So I'll be honest: I'm adding this to my queue for when I'm in the mood for some dumb laughs. Also, after enduring that-of-which-we-do-not-speak and an Eddie Murphy bomb in the past month, I kinda feel like I can't get too picky about my at-home comedy at this point.

Special features include commentary with the directors and stars as well as a featurette titled "The World of Harold and Kumar."

Two totally fascinating documentaries if you read more.

Surfwise
When I first viewed the trailer for this documentary about nine surfer kids raised in a camper who travel from one beautiful surfing locale to another, I was totally intrigued. At first blush it sounds like an ideal childhood (to me at least): cool parents who thought outside the box, exposing their kids to the joys of surfing and travel. Of course, this isn't as straightforward as it sounds, and in the documentary the kids "speak out" about the unorthodox parenting practices of their father.

Special features include commentary with Doug Pray (director) and Matt Weaver (producer), and lots of outtakes.

Shine a Light
This movie surprised me in its ability to make me reconsider my contention that emptying my wallet to see a Rolling Stones concert in a giant stadium at this point is something I would pass on. Martin Scorsese's rock doc chronicles two Stones concerts from 2006 and totally succeeds at capturing what all the fuss is about. The movie is particularly absorbing when capturing the quiet moments you'd miss as an audience member.

If you're a Rolling Stones fan you'll want to own this immediately, and if you are currently ambivalent about what these aging rockers can bring to a live show, this movie might make you see the light.

Special features include four bonus performances by the Rolling Stones, not shown in theaters.

Box Office: 21 Wins Again as Leatherheads Fumbles

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:30:55 -0700

For the second weekend in a row, Jim Sturgess and gang were No. 1 at the box office - though the overall March slump continued. 21 was down a bit from the weekend before but held on to the top spot with a weekend take of $15 million.

As for the No. 2 spot, Variety is calling it a "virtual tie" between George Clooney's Leatherheads (with an estimated $13.5 million) and the Jodie Foster-Abigail Breslin family flick Nim's Island, which brought in $13.3 million.

Horton Hears a Who came in fourth place followed by the big horror film opening of the weekend, The Ruins, which took in $7.8 million. The Rolling Stones documentary by Martin Scorsese, Shine a Light, opened in limited release and brought in $1.5 million.

What did you see at the theaters this weekend? Did you give George and Renee a chance despite so-so reviews?

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Shine a Light: Long Live the Rock Doc

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:30:51 -0700

When I realized that Martin Scorsese's new rock doc Shine a Light chronicles two Stones concerts from 2006, I was slightly disappointed. Don't get me wrong: I devour rock documentaries (Scorsese's The Last Waltz is one of my faves), and I love me some Rolling Stones. But I've never had much interest in seeing the band live in its modern incarnation (or in paying the high-ticket price for a stadium show). But Shine a Light makes me realize I was sorely mistaken. The modern-day Stones are well worth seeing live, and after screening this movie in its full IMAX glory, I feel like I have.

With camera work conducted by a team of Oscar winners, Shine a Light covers two nights of benefit shows at New York's Beacon Theatre. Like its concert-film forebears (Woodstock, Rattle and Hum), Scorsese's two-plus-hour odyssey is comprised mostly of performance footage. There are, however, archival clips sprinkled in, as artfully chosen as the intimate moments captured by Scorsese's crowd of cameras. For the details, read more

The concert, like the Stones' career, careens through different phases, from flashy hip-shaking numbers to pedal-steel-infused country tunes. The set list is mostly stellar, though oddly, there is no footage of the Stones performing the namesake tune. Seeing the legends up close, you realize how much the Stones truly love what they do, and the archival footage suggests a common theme: From the beginning, the most commonly asked question of the band was, how long do you think you'll do this? The impossibly spry Mick Jagger, who somehow still has the figure of a 25-year-old hipster, continues to prove his doubters foolhardy.

Unlike The Last Waltz, which is a movie about a concert and a band, Shine a Light is merely a film of a concert. Aside from some bland footage of Scorsese and the Stones setting up, there's very little behind-the-scenes access. And while The Last Waltz stood out for its cameos - a parade of legendary performers who influenced The Band - this documentary tepidly imitates that trope. Buddy Guy adds to the entertainment, but Christina Aguilera and Jack White don't even look like they think they deserve to be there.

But as a chronicle of a concert, the movie succeeds, particularly when capturing quiet moments you'd miss as an audience member: a flirtation between Jagger and his backup singer, a lingering, pensive shot of Guy resting between beats, and the Pirates of the Caribbean brooch on Keith Richards' lapel. Honestly, seeing this movie on an IMAX screen with a stellar sound system was so much like the real thing that I occasionally had to glance around to make sure it wasn't the movie audience roaring with applause. Shine a Light is the closest I'll ever come to seeing an intimate Stones concert, and thankfully, it's all I'll need.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

The Boys Are Back: A Quiet Film With a Few Heart-Tugs

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:30:26 -0700

Has Clive Owen - a man who's best known for playing con artists, spies, and other brooding alpha males - gone soft? It appears so, and he's surprisingly good at it. In The Boys Are Back Owen plays Joe Warr, a recently widowed sports reporter raising two boys in the Australian wilderness. And thanks to his understated performance, what could've been an overwrought tearjerker worthy of a made-for-cable movie turns into something quietly moving.

Based on the memoir The Boys Are Back in Town by Simon Carr, the film opens with Joe driving on the beach with his son Artie. Did I mention Artie is sitting on the hood of the car with Joe at the wheel?! Parental guidelines haven't been a priority in the Warr household ever since Joe's wife passed away from cancer. Now, he has to explain her death to Artie, while his older son Harry from his first marriage moves into the house. Left to their own devices, the two boys play soccer in the hallway, zip line across the yard, and even defrost a chicken in the bathtub.

Typical parenting? Not so much. For more on the film, read more.

These moments of chaos are fun to watch and add levity to the heavier subject matter, but the movie really shines in the conversations that Joe has with his sons as he helps them grieve - Artie for his mother; Harry for a childhood void of a father. Neither boy really knows how to mourn his loss, but then again, neither does Joe. Instead, he relies on the parental guidance of his deceased wife in the form of visions and voice-overs to help rebuild his family. (This felt very heavy-handed to me, but luckily it was really the only part of the film that crossed over into overly contrived.)

Does it seem out of place to have man's man Owen pillow fight with a 6-year-old and shed tears? A bit. But because he almost seems uncomfortable with the sentimentality, he ends up playing the role with the light touch needed for the part.

The young actors who play his sons are brilliant, even at times stealing the spotlight right out from underneath him. (Not an easy feat when you act - and look - like Owen.) Their performances feel very real despite their ages, and they give us some of the film's most tender moments.

I also must mention the fourth character of the film: the Australian landscape. Oscar-winning director Scott Hicks (Shine) beautifully captures the countryside from sweeping fields to oceanside beaches strewn with rocks, and when paired with music by Icelandic group Sigur Ros, every frame feels almost like a sleepy dream.

All in all, The Boys Are Back is a nicely done portrait of the relationships between fathers and sons. It's not out to be a huge blockbuster, but if you appreciate a good character study kind of film, it's a solid choice for a subdued Saturday afternoon.

Photos courtesy of Miramax Films