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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:30:31 -0800

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 picks below, you can also add Priceless starring Audrey Tautou and Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson to your queue.

Wall-E
Squee! Pixar's Wall-E is out on DVD! The more I think about this movie, the more I'm impressed with what the creators managed to pull off. First of all, they managed to make a desolate, post-apocalyptic Earth seem like the ideal setting for a love story that will give anyone with a pulse the warm fuzzies. They also managed to give a robot that can't really speak the most adorable, expressive puppy-dog eyes this world has ever known. It's quite the feat, and if you weren't able to catch this gem in the theater, you might want to bring it home ASAP.

Even if you did see this on the big screen, the DVD has plenty of special features that have me pretty excited as well. They include: several all-new animated shorts, deleted scenes, a ride through space with Wall-E, and a feature on the history of Pixar.

Two more coming up, so read more.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
This second installment of the Traveling Pants franchise made me a convert. There was just something about the sequel that captivated me, and I'm excited to re-watch it in the comfort of my own home. Maybe it's because I could better relate to the girls now that they're out of high school and thrust into a more adult world that offers up new complications. Or it could be the bounty of handsome men cast as love interests to the ladies. Either way, it's quality entertainment.

Specials include a featurette titled "Go Jump Off a Cliff: How the Exhilarating Final Sequence - Not Originally in the Script - was Inspired by Fan Reaction to the First Movie," additional scenes, and a gag reel.

Tropic Thunder
Gather up your least politically correct friends and settle in for some belly laughs (as well as awkward and uncomfortable moments) with this DVD. Tropic Thunder, directed by Ben Stiller, follows a bunch of actors (nearly every Hollywood stereotype is represented here) who head out to make a Vietnam War movie that quickly gets out of control. For the most part, the satire is funny, though there are head-scratching moments to be sure.

I have a feeling the behind-the-scenes features might be as funny as - if not funnier than - the actual movie. They include a featurette titled "Blowing S#%t Up," deleted and extended scenes, and an alternate ending.

Dark Knight Wins Box Office for the Fourth Week in a Row!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:30:32 -0700

Interestingly, neither a BFF movie nor a stoner action-comedy could dethrone The Dark Knight in its fourth weekend. Having already surpassed the $400 million mark in domestic ticket sales, the superhero movie pulled in another $26 million over the weekend.

According to Variety, the movie has now taken the place of Shrek 2 to "become the third highest domestic grosser of all time with a cume of $441.5 million. It’s expected to beat Star Wars in the next week before finally settling at No. 2."

Pineapple Express came in second place with $22.4 million (however, it has earned a total of $40.4 million since it opened last Wednesday), followed by The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in third, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 in fourth, and Step Brothers in fifth place.

What do you think? Will The Dark Knight score five weeks in a row at No. 1?

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

13 Memorable BFF Movies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:30:58 -0700

The female friendship movie is a totally different animal than the romantic comedy, and yet they often get lumped together under one big "chick flick" banner. Recent Summers have been heavy on the bromances (see Superbad, Knocked Up, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, etc.) so I thought it would be fun to take a moment to remember some of the best (girl-mances? lady-mances?) girlfriend movies in honor of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 opening this week. To see my selections hit "Start".

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Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2: Maybe Even Better Than the First

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:33:53 -0700

At one point in the second installment of the stories surrounding girls who have pants and will travel, an exasperated Carmen (America Ferrera) says something like, "Can we just please focus on the pants?!" And yet, that's the thing I find most refreshing about this sequel: there's not really a focus on the pants. The fact that Carmen has to remind her friends to think about the pants is a good sign in this case; the focus should be on these girls and their friendships, not two tubes of faded, magic denim. And as the girls have grown older and more mature, in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 they're centering on the important stuff: their relationships, their goals, finding themselves and supporting each other.

Like the first movie, this one consists of four separate storylines that occasionally intersect. When we are reintroduced to the four friends, they're all in college: Tibby's (Amber Tamblyn) making movies at NYU, Carmen is at Yale and does backstage work at Yale's School of Drama, and Lena (Alexis Bledel) is painting (and cavorting with the insanely hot model Leo, played by Jesse Williams) at Rhode Island School of Design. Bridget (Blake Lively) doesn't yet know her major, but she decides to try her hand at archeology for the time being. After spending the year at their respective schools, Carmen, in particular, is anxious to have some good sisterhood time together over the Summer - only to find out the other three won't be in town at all. So, Carmen decides to do her own thing and goes to work backstage at a theater in Vermont.

For more of my take on the movie, read more.

Each of the girls struggles with various issues: romantic insecurities, feeling left out of or misunderstood by their families, exploring new career paths, learning that they're good at stuff they never knew they could do, etc. The main challenge facing the sisterhood now is that the four are scattered and seem to be growing apart - until they come together on a common mission having to do with Lena's boy troubles. Everything wraps up well, but not in a ridiculously far-fetched fairy-tale way.

Ferrera and Tamblyn completely carry the film, acting-wise, each possessing a strong presence onscreen, clear motivations and fantastic comedic timing. Lively is very pretty and easily pulls off the switching back and forth between Sad Face and perky all-American girl. Bledel is. . . also pretty. Her range is so limited, however, that many of her scenes are simply devoid of anything interesting. Then again, with her storyline we often have either the gorgeous Greek setting or Jesse Williams to stare at.

Of course the movie is heartwarming and sweet, but there's a surprising lack of schmaltz to it, and each of the four stories is solidly written and satisfying to watch. It's not particularly predictable nor is it too tidy. Most refreshing, I think, is the fact that these girls have ambitions and self-reflective moments that extend beyond just catching a guy (in fact, one of the stories doesn't even include a guy at all, which is an awesome change of pace). The storylines make sense for the characters, and the success or failure of their lives is not completely hinging on a guy, unlike many other female-centric movies. In keeping with what I liked about the first movie, the girls are not portrayed as weak, idiotic, or totally lost without a man. There are some real, heavyweight issues going on here, along with some good one-liners and funny deadpanning on Tamblyn's part. This is one sequel that completely works - possibly even better than the original. But even if you don't find that to be true, you're still in for a fun, compelling and totally girl-positive flick.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

What to Download: New Music on iTunes

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:32:57 -0700

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

When geeks are right: I chose that intro phrase because that's what one of the coolest songs from The Faint's new album, Fasciinatiion, is all about. If you've never listened to this new-wave band before, this album might be a strange introduction (I'd recommend checking out their earlier album Blank-Wave Arcade instead). That said, I'm really fascinated (get it?!) by this new album and have already added the first track, "Get Seduced," to my iPod.

The music of the pants: If you're like me, you might want to add the soundtrack of the new Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie to the soundtrack of your life. I've seen the movie and enjoyed it (more on that later) and am having a good time reliving some of the scenes via these tracks, which include a pretty Aqualung song, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper, a fun head-banger from the Noisettes and a totally romantic ballad from Mutemath.

One more new release to check out so read more.

A new contemporary songstress: Amazon tells me that people who love new artist Mandi Perkins also love Jewel and Alanis Morrisette. I might add Natalie Merchant and Tracy Chapman to that list. Perkins has a considerable following on MySpace and has been featured on MTV shows like - you guessed it! - The Hills. That makes sense, because her heavy, emotional lyrics and sweeping melodies on songs like "Why Pretend" would be helpful filler for when LC and Audrina can't seem to find the right words and instead just make eyes at one another.

Buzz In: Has a Movie Ever Inspired You to Travel?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:30:10 -0700

The other day I found myself saying, "You know where I really want to visit? Greece." Why? Because of that lovable hot mess Mamma Mia! and the upcoming Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Both are set (or, partially set, in Pants's case) on beautiful Greek islands with many sumptuous shots of white sands and sparkling azure oceans. It's like the ultimate product placement: I want to go where that movie is. Now.

Now Baz Luhrmann is fully embracing this idea of movie-as-travel-ad, and will help create a tourism ad campaign to go along with the release of his film Australia.

I've already shared a few movies that have inspired me to travel, so now it's your turn. Which movies have made you antsy to get out and see the world?

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Movie Preview: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:30:45 -0800

Who's ready for more of those magical pants? The trailer for the second installment of the movie franchise based on Ann Brashares's best-selling novel is now online. It's interesting to see the four stars of the film back together now that they are each so accomplished on their own. Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), and Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) return to the screen to play the four BFFs who, despite their different body types, miraculously fit into the same pair of pants in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

While the first film touchingly followed each of the girls' adventures during one emotionally turbulent Summer, this time around the ladies are graduated and more grown-up - but are still wearing the pants and are as close as ever. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is set to open Aug. 8, so to check out the trailer read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Invasion"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:23:13 -0700

Seattle Grace has been invaded, and this time it's with new doctors in addition to fresh patients and injuries. It doesn't take very long for the surgeons to butt heads with the Mercy West newbies - in fact, Izzie is ready to throw down after one of the doctors takes George's locker in the locker room. Eventually, Izzie is the only one who warms up to the Mercy Westers, only to get burned first by a new friend and then by the chief.

Ready to talk about all of the drama with the new kids on the block? Just read more.

The docs are on the defensive from the minute they are "invaded" by Mercy West. New guy Jackson (aka hot guy from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2) immediately gets on Owen's good side by suggesting a new method of appointing patients. Throughout the episode, Jackson proves to be most likable of the new doctors, which makes Cristina hate him even more.
For the second week in a row, Cristina has beef with Owen because he doesn't play favorites. Her self-assurance continues to plummet, and by the end of the episode she has a breakdown in Meredith's hospital room about how much she misses heart surgeries. It was interesting that she mentions Burke after all these seasons of silence (though at this point it feels like he's been gone forever), and I loved that she jumps right into Mere's bed even though they are both in a "dark and twisty" place.
Callie's father returns, though it's not exactly the joyful reunion she's been hoping for. He brings a priest along for the trip, prompting Callie to protest that you can't "pray away the gay." Later they square off again, citing religious quotes, but ultimately he begins to accept his daughter for who she is. This is a major breakthrough for Callie's relationship with Arizona, as she's the one who gets through to Callie's dad, even admitting that she loves Callie. Aww.
Lexie tries to be welcoming to the new doc she's working with, though it doesn't take long for her to see that the newbie is one-upping her photographic memory. Prompted by the patient she's working with (who happens to be a thief), Lexie turns the tables and uses the newbie's diary to get the upper hand. In true Lexie fashion, she feels bad in the end and apologizes. Am I the only one who thinks the new doctor is kind of like Lexie 2.0? Their dynamic reminded me of when Lexie first started and tries really hard to make nice with Mere, but gets the cold shoulder in return. Maybe Lexie and Meredith are growing more alike as they get to know each other.
The most dramatic moments of the night are wrapped up in Izzie. Though wary at first, Izzie quickly bonds with and embraces her new friend Charles - until she overhears him referring to her as his "own surgical bitch." (Ouch). It obviously gets to her, and Izzie lets her emotions get in the way of her work, nearly killing a patient waiting for a transplant. It's clear that the other doctors aren't willing to give her a free pass because she's a cancer survivor; Bailey hands her a heavy reprimand and ultimately the Chief lets her go.
Alex continues to try to defend Izzie to the chief, though this week his pleas are starting to sound desperate. He gets so fiercely competitive with newbie Reid that a patient's family member is forced to step in. At the end of his stressful day, he gets the biggest bomb of all - Izzie breaks the news that she's leaving him a note. We all knew the firing was coming, but I didn't think her relationship with Alex would end so quickly. He has a rare emotional moment breaking the news to Mere and Cristina, and even they don't know how to comfort the usually cocky Karev. (Gotta love the moment of comic relief when Meredith is trying to prompt Cristina to give him a hug).

Now that Izzie's gone, what do you think will happen when she gets back? Is it really over for her and Karev? Did you like seeing the fresh meat at Seattle Grace or were you just as irritated as the doctors?

For more on everything Grey's, check out the Grey's Anatomy Junkies group in the BuzzSugar Community!