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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:14:39 -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 the titles below, Black Snake Moan also comes out on DVD today, but from my review you can see that I wouldn't highly recommend that film. It's interesting, but not entirely noteworthy.

Shooter
This movie tried to make Mark Wahlberg into a bankable action star, and though that didn't really work, this overlooked shoot-'em-up is definitely worth watching. Designed to stoke your most far-fetched conspiracy theories and entertain you in the process, Shooter follows an endearingly righteous sniper named Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) as he tries to squirm out of being framed in a shady government plot. The somewhat silly premise is bolstered by a good supporting cast - particularly up-and-comer Kate Mara as the widow of Swagger's former partner. For more, check out my review.

One more suggestion if you read more

"Monk" - Season 5
Granted, I'm not a regular viewer of "Monk," and so all the seasons kind of blend together for me. But "Monk" isn't the kind of show you have to watch from the start to get a feeling for its greatest charm: Tony Shalhoub's fantastic performance as a skittish, obsessive-compulsive, and oddly brilliant detective. This four-disc set includes a bunch of special features, including both color and black-and-white versions of "Mr. Monk and the Leper," a noir-style episode.

TMNT Tops the Weekend Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:04:05 -0700

I knew there was a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie coming out, but I'd heard so little about TMNT that I was surprised to see it No. 1 at the weekend box office. Taking in an estimated total of $24.4 million, it knocked 300 to second place after its two-week reign. I guess this just goes to show that you can never underestimate the power of kids - or CGI turtles who are also mutant ninjas.

Both TMNT and 300 are Warner Bros. productions, so you can bet that studio is happy after this weekend. As for me, I was bummed to see that Shooter only came in third, debuting with $14.5 million in sales. I know many people were looking to this movie as a test of Mark Wahlberg's star power, and while third place isn't bad, it may not be what the actor needs to get more A-List roles.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Shooter: Overblown But Still Satisfying

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:41:35 -0700

First, let's get one thing straight: Mark Wahlberg's new thriller, Shooter, is full of shooting. Possibly more shooting than I've ever seen in a movie. So if that sort of thing bothers you, you'll probably want to skip the latest from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). But if you can put up with some oh-how-convenient plot twists and gratuitous cleavage and bulging-bicep shots, Shooter is a captivating, conspiracy-drenched action flick that's part Fugitive and part Bourne Identity, with lots of post-9/11 paranoia thrown in.

Wahlberg plays Bob Lee Swagger, a top Marine sniper who leaves the force after the death of his spotter (aka, a sniper's very important partner) during a botched mission. He's living like a liberal Ted Nugent in the Wyoming mountains, hunting his food and reading The 9/11 Commission Report, when he's approached by some covert government types (led by Danny Glover) with a mission. It seems the government has received a presidential assassination threat involving sniper tactics, so the guys want Swagger to figure out how the crime would be committed in order to help prevent it.

Swagger accepts, only to discover that the whole scheme has been orchestrated to frame him for the assassination attempt that soon goes down. And that's just the first 25 minutes, so

Most of the movie has Swagger on the run from the Feds, frantically trying to unravel the conspiracy. As viewers, we are only slightly more well-informed then he is, as we follow the clues hatched by a seemingly hapless FBI agent (Michael Peña), who is rightfully suspicious about the whole case. Amid some serious sensory overload - relentless explosions, hyper-real color, and mind-blowing revelations - we follow Swagger's trail from the Kentucky home of his spotter's widow (Kate Mara) to the remote corners of Montana.

Like most action movies, this one is pretty ridiculous, but the conspiracy-comes-true plot and earnest performances make it incredibly gripping. Wahlberg's strong performance is as dutiful as his character's motivation, but it's so subdued that, sadly, Shooter isn't likely to establish Wahlberg as a leading man.

More notable are several of the supporting turns: Mara ("Nip/Tuck," We Are Marshall) pulls off a wonderful Southern accent, managing a performance far more subtle than the low-cut tops she dons in every scene. Also, Levon Helm (yes, the drummer/vocalist for The Band) has a scene-stealing cameo as a reclusive gun expert, while Ned Beatty shines as an obnoxious red-state senator.

Shooter is full of the usual action-movie tropes, but it's also scattered with enough surprises - sinister character twists, liberal agenda items, and oh-no-they-didn't shootouts - that it still manages to be delightfully unpredictable.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Movie Preview: Shooter

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:23:17 -0800

Earlier this week I brought you the awesome news that Mark Wahlberg may star in a movie based on the GI Joe cartoon series. First, however, he has to promote a little film called Shooter, which had its Hollywood premiere last night.

Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura - who will also produce GI Joe, by the way - Shooter is an action/thriller that follows an ex-military sniper with a ridiculously manly name: Bob Lee Swagger. Swagger's living in exile when he learns of a plot to assasinate the president and reluctantly returns to service. He's framed for the attempt, however, and has to elude the authorities while seeking revenge on the people who double-crossed him.

Check out the trailer for Shooter, which opens March 23. My favorite part about the trailer is the fact that Swagger taught his dog how to bring him beer. To watch, read more

FlashForward Breakdown, "Playing Cards With Coyote"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:30:30 -0800

After Al's tragic suicide on last week's episode of FlashForward, this week shows how the idea of "changing the game" has affected all the characters. Mark and Olivia start to find new hope for their relationship, Lloyd teaches Simon a lesson, and Aaron learns more about where his daughter has been for the past two years.

Ready to get into all the details? Just read more.

"The future can be changed": Al's death makes headline news when Celia gets her letter in the mail, instilling hope in Mark and Demetri - for a bit. Mark whisks Olivia off on a romantic getaway and things seem to be much happier between the two. But once they're back to regular life, they both get a reality check: Mark gifts her the lingerie she's wearing in her flash forward, and Aaron's reunion with Tracy makes Mark go back to believing that the visions may be set in stone.

The stars are aligned: Mark thinks he has a big lead when some footage shows up of a man he recognizes from his vision - a woman named Ingrid reports a crime and her phone images reveal a man with a tattoo of three stars on his arm. Thinking it's the same pern who breaks into his office in the future, Mark immediately dedicates himself to finding the guy. Using Ingrid as bait, Mark manages to take kill him, and rushes home to Olivia to tell her that they're going to have a second chance because he changed the game. But then - surprise! There's a whole crew of dudes with that tattoo. Um, seriously Mark? This never occurred to you? It's not like the guy has an unmistakable tattoo of Edward Cullen on his arm.

That was a crazy game of poker: Feeling guilty about that whole deadly experiment thing, Lloyd sends out an email to a few colleagues saying "We have to take responsibility." Of course, Simon isn't pleased about Lloyd's plans to go public and wants to settle their argument over a game of Texas hold 'em. There's plenty of trash talking from Simon, who thinks that he and Lloyd are gods for the impact they've had on the planet. He tosses around ideas of fate (was anyone else thinking about Lost's Charlie and his fate finger tape?) and just when Simon thinks he's sitting pretty, Lloyd turns the tables with a sleight of hand. (Some U2 lyrics come to mind here). Somehow I still don't think Simon is going to make it easy for Lloyd to publicize what they've done.

Reunited and it feels so good? Tracy is back at home with Aaron, but she's not exactly the same girl that went off to war. She's lost her leg in combat and suffering from PTSD, which she's reluctant to discuss with her dad at first. Feeling confident from his flash forward, Aaron encourages Tracy to open up about what happened overseas. She finally reveals that her near-death experience was an ambush from Jericho, a group of military contractors that she ratted out after seeing something she shouldn't. Tracy is paranoid after living a life on the run for two years (and is not at all pleased when Aaron talks to Mark about her situation). Though keeping track of all the different characters and their separate story lines is getting confusing, I'm liking this new development in Aaron's story.

Other plot points:

Janice tries to quit but Stan won't let her. As she continues to contemplate Al's death and her vision, she starts looking into sperm donation - does this mean those are tears of joy in her flash forward?

Ingrid says that she remembers one of the shooters saying "QED," which is also brought up during Simon and Lloyd's poker game.

Ingrid and her bird collection can be added to the list that already includes the crows and the bird crashing into Fiona's window.

So, is that Simon strangling Nicole in her vision? Creepy. I'm wondering if she finds out his secret and tries to intervene.

How'd you feel about this week's episode? Any new theories on what's going to happen over the next few months? Let's get the conversation going!