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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:28:35 -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 following titles, you can also check out License to Wed on DVD today, as well as the sixth season of Scrubs and, if you're so inclined, the first season of October Road.

Spider-Man 3
The third Spider-Man movie may not win tons of awards, but for those of you whose collections are not complete without all the superhero movies, Spider-Man 3 is now available on DVD. Along with the Peter Parker's shenanigans, more drama with Harry/Goblin and romantic troubles involving Mary Jane and a new lovely lady, there's the addition of Sandman and Venom to shake things up.

The DVD offers your garden variety special features like bloopers, commentaries, photo galleries and a Snow Patrol music video. If you spring for the 2-disc special edition thing, though, there's a crazy number of featurettes on the second disc, almost all of which focus on the special effects utilized in the film. You know, "making movie magic!"-type stuff.

For two more new releases, read more

Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition (Complete Series)
Okay, so technically you cannot Netflix this. Yet. But you can buy it online! Until now, it was almost impossible to track down all the parts of Twin Peaks, the weird, wonderful series that captivated the nation in the early '90s. By the time the second season came out this spring, the first was already out of print, and the show's original pilot was even trickier to find. But now, everything is together in one set - and better still, it's absolutely loaded with special features. I'm most excited to see the reunion conversation between David Lynch and star Kyle MacLachlan, as well as four documentaries tracing the show's evolution and MacLachlan's Twin Peaks-themed Saturday Night Live sketch.

Talk to Me
Because I love Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor so dearly, I expected good things from this biopic - and I was not disappointed. In addition to the amazing performances and Kasi Lemmons' careful direction, the movie features some super groovy music that is worth the Netflix monthly charge alone. Cheadle plays the real-life Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who takes over the radio airwaves during a time of social and political unrest, bringing humor and inspiration to the citizens of Washington D.C. in the 1960s. Check out my full review of the movie here.

In a perfect world, Cheadle and Ejiofor would receive Oscars for their performances in this film, both of which are layered and deeply impressive. I found myself pondering this movie for months after I saw it.

What's Your Favorite Summer Movie So Far?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 04:30:00 -0700

This week Ocean's Thirteen comes out so we'll have even more options when it comes to summer movies. But so far, between the super-spiders, pirates, ogres and surprise pregnancies, which is your favorite summer movie so far?

If you haven't seen these movies, which are you most excited to see?

Pirates Break Spider's Record at Box Office

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 06:01:22 -0700

According to a press released issued by Walt Disney Studios, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End raked in over $401 million in box office sales worldwide over its first six days. This gross actually surpasses Spider-Man 3's six-day record of $382 million. The press release continues:

Commenting on the announcement, [president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing and Distribution Mark] Zoradi said, “We knew that audiences all over the world were excited to see Johnny Depp and the rest of the fantastic Pirates cast in this latest adventure, but this record-setting response at the global box office has been nothing short of incredible. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End now has the distinction of having the biggest opening in movie history, and we’re extremely proud of that achievement."

Sneaky Pirates! Opening the Thursday night before a long weekend ensures that the "first six days" consist of mostly weekend days, when people are itching to go see a fun summertime movie. Not only that, but Pirates also screened in more theaters than any other movie, ever (4,362 theaters to be exact). I'm not saying it's not impressive - it is! - but it certainly seems like there was a little bit of clever scheming going on, no?

Shrek Breaks His Own Box Office Records

BuzzSugar — Sun, 20 May 2007 23:30:35 -0700

While it's no "biggest opening weekend in box office history" like Spider-Man 3's was, Shrek did well for himself when Shrek the Third opened this weekend and raked in a whopping $122 million. This is the third-biggest opening in movie history, and the biggest opening for an animated film. It looks like kids still rule when it comes to box office hits, regardless of the so-so reviews the movie has received.

Spidey did well for himself as well, bringing in a cool $28.5 million, while horror flick 28 Weeks Later came in third place with just over $5 million. Disturbia continued to hold its own at 4th place while Georgia Rule followed behind, drawing in $3.49 million.

Shrek shouldn't get too comfy, however, since Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End opens this Memorial Day weekend, and it's likely to swab the deck with the giant green ogre. It's also likely to feature many more pirate-y puns like "swab the deck." Arrrrrre you ready for it?

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Spidey Stays on Top in its Second Weekend

BuzzSugar — Sun, 13 May 2007 23:20:48 -0700

What do Lindsay Lohan, Zach Braff and zombies have in common? None of them can touch Spider-Man 3. In its second weekend, the web-slinger stayed strong at the box office, bringing in an estimated $60 million more and easily taking the No. 1 spot.

Sure, $60 million is nothing compared to the $151 million Spider-Man 3 racked up in its first weekend, but none of the weekend's other movies came close. Horror flick 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to 2002's 28 Days Later, slid in at No. 2 with $10 million. Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda's Georgia Rule snagged just $5.8 million to finish third.

Disturbia finished fourth, while new release Delta Farce brought in $3.5 million and finished sixth. The weekend's other major new release, Zach Braff's The Ex, finished at No. 11 with a puny $1.3 million.

It's been a pretty easy ride for Spidey so far, but things will get tougher next weekend when he has to compete with a big green ogre as Shrek the Third premieres.

Spider-Man photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Spider-Man 3 Slings to a Record-Breaking Weekend

BuzzSugar — Sun, 06 May 2007 23:01:50 -0700

We knew Spider-Man 3 was going to have a big first weekend - but how big? Well, the movie brought in an estimated $148 million, making it the biggest opening weekend ever in North America, according to Variety. The numbers quickly ignited sequel talk, with a Sony executive gushing that there would be "a fourth and a fifth and a sixth and a seventh" Spidey flick.

Just how good was the web-slinger? Well, besides bumping Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest from the top of the all-time opening weekend leaderboard, it also had a bigger opening than either of the first two movies in the Spider-Man franchise. It also now holds the record for the biggest opening-weekend worldwide, netting a whopping $375 million. And, just for good measure, it also recorded the biggest Imax opening ever, topping 300.

With numbers like that, it seems almost irrelevant to talk about other movies. But just in case you were wondering, Disturbia continued to hold its own, finishing second by bringing in $5.7 million. Fracture came in third, followed by The Invisible and Next. Lucky You wasn't so lucky after all, straggling into sixth place with just $2.5 million.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Spider-Man 3: It Is What it Is - A Good Comic Book Movie

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 10:41:31 -0700

What can I say about Spider-Man 3? It's good. It's a comic book movie. I don't understand the vitriol aimed toward this movie from other critics unless, of course, the relentless marketing and hype leading up to the movie has caused anyone to believe this would be more than it is: another movie about Spider-Man. It certainly has its flaws - most notably there's a thoroughly bizarre sequence featuring the new "evil" Spider-Man, but more on that later. Overall, it's cool in the computer effects sort of way, but it's not a masterpiece. It's just fun and flashy and will more than satisfy Spider-Man fans.

The biggest flaw on which I must agree with all the other critics is that there is way too much stuff packed into this one story. There are several superheroes, each with his own set of issues to figure out, Peter Parker's struggle with his own ego and then his obsession with revenge, and the whole Peter-Mary Jane saga, which is weirdly drawn-out in a movie that has little to no room to spare. There's a lot more to it than this, though, so read more

The old sweet Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has become something of an egomaniac, loving his fame a little too much, while nothing is coming up Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) as her stage musical career stalls. To make matters worse, there's another woman in the picture now, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), a classmate of Peter's who seems to have a crush on both him and Spider-Man. Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), the guy who killed Peter's Uncle Ben is on the loose, a sad, misunderstood man who needs money to help his sick daughter and in a really neat scene he turns into the Sandman.

Gwen's boyfriend Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) is Peter's competition as a freelance photographer at the newspaper. After Peter humiliates him in front of their boss, Eddie becomes vengeful and then becomes Venom. Meanwhile, Harry/Goblin (James Franco) is haunted by his angry Green Goblin dad's ghost who instructs him to avenge him by killing Spider-Man. So, there are a lot of superhumans to keep Spidey busy, and of course, Mary Jane is the pawn used to lure him around.

Adding to all this, Peter gets taken over by the evil, parasitic black stuff which forms his black Spidey suit and causes Peter to become powerful and cruel. However - and here's the weirdest part - Peter acting "evil" consists mostly of ogling women while dancing down the street to disco music and saying things like, "I think you're going to really dig this joint, baby." What? He awkwardly tries to dance around at the jazz club where Mary Jane is singing, followed up by a little sexy dance with Gwen. I guess if Peter's supposed to become dashing and aggressive because of the black suit, that's fine, but aside from being virtually graceless the whole thing is strange because Tobey Maguire looks utterly uncomfortable. There are a lot of campy things in these films, and I can't deny that this part is entertaining - it's just so weird.

Strange homage to the '70s as a reflection of "evil Spidey" aside, the coolest parts of the movie are, unsurprisingly, the visual effects and the action sequences. The Sandman is particularly awe-inspiring to see on the big screen and the final scenes with all four superheroes are definitely cool. The movie is what it is: The "real plot" parts are mostly dull, and the computer animation is impressive. Expect a lot more and you will be disappointed. But as a Spider-Man movie, it more than does its job.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Classic Commercial: Batgirl Fights for Equal Pay

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 07:15:43 -0700

While everyone has been breathlessly awaiting the arrival of Spider-Man 3 this Friday, I came across an old commercial from 1974 for the Federal Equal Pay Law featuring Yvonne Craig as Batgirl.

In the 30-second spot, Batgirl comes across Batman and Robin all tied up, yet before she helps them, she speaks her mind about getting paid the same as Robin since they do the same labor. I think this ad is super cool, and unfortunately it's something I just don't think would air on TV today.

Best line: "Holy Act of Congress!"

Source

Album Stream: The Super-Indie Spider-Man 3 Soundtrack

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:14:49 -0700

Lately, I've been almost as excited about the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack as I am about the accompanying summer blockbuster. The movie, of course, comes out out on Friday, but the soundtrack hits stores tomorrow, and you can listen to the entire album online now at AOL Music.

It really is a pretty daring soundtrack for a big summer movie. The contributions from bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jet are edgy but also fit nicely into the superhero-movie mold. My favorite tracks are probably the Walkmen song, "Red River," and Black Mountain's "Stay Free" - both of which are pretty interesting departures from each band's sound. However, Snow Patrol's "Signal Fire" is a bit maudlin and movie-soundtracky for my taste. Anyway, give the CD a listen and let me know what you think.

Summer Movie Preview: The Big Deals

BuzzSugar — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:02:32 -0700

Finally, May is upon us, and to me this means one thing: summer movie season begins! The season kicks off right this Friday with the release of Spider-Man 3. In honor of this, I present Part I of my Summer Movie Preview series, featuring this summer's big budget dazzlers. This year many filmmakers are playing it safe with super expensive sequels, and I can't deny that these Big Deal movies provide some great mega-tainment. Check out how the studios spent the big bucks for the summer, and stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 coming later this week.

Spider-Man 3
If the endless onslaught of marketing schemes has been successful, Spider-Man 3 will draw in the masses - and hopefully the revenue since it may be the most expensive movie ever made. This third installment of the web-slinger's series promises even more computer-generated superhero stunts, romantic tangles and grapplings between good and evil. Things are looking pretty good for Peter Parker as he goes to college and plans a wedding proposal to his lady love, Mary Jane. But trouble soon finds him in the form of the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Harry Osborn/Goblin (James Franco), and Venom (Topher Grace). To make matters worse, Spidey is forced to deal with his own inner demons - ones that threaten to change his life for the worse.

Lots more if you read more

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
If you haven't seen the trailer for this movie, do so now. This fifth installment of Harry Potter's story brings new evildoers, including the villainous Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who turns Hogwarts into a kind of oppressed political state. Harry experiences some highs (a certain lady friend) and some lows (a great loss), all amidst the entertaining magic - and movie magic - we've come to expect of these Potter films. The sorcery continues July 13.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Having discovered that Johnny Depp dressed as a pirate and acting like a rock star is box office gold, Disney has taken the Pirates of the Caribbean idea and run with it... or should I say swabbed the deck with it? If you enjoy poor pirate puns like that then you are in for a treat come May 25 when the latest Pirates movie swaggers into a theater near you. The deliciously campy team is back in action: Captain Sparrow has been taken hostage and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Will (Orlando Bloom) must rescue him. Keith Richards shows up as Captain Teague - who may be Jack Sparrow's father - which should prove fun since Depp reportedly calls Richards the inspiration for his characterization of Jack Sparrow. Watch the awesome trailer if you darrrre, matey.

Ocean's Thirteen
Danny Ocean and his pals are back in the latest chapter of the casino heist series. Andy Garcia joins the cast as Ocean's thirteenth man, helping the crew take down the latest corrupt Vegas hot shot, played by Al Pacino. Apparently the cast and filmmakers took great care with this film, hoping to present it in apology for the second one, so I have sky-high hopes for this - especially since it will probably be the last of the series, at least with these actors. As George Clooney has quipped, "I think they're going to have to go to the next generation - because [pretty soon] we're going to have colostomy bags and wheelchairs." Check out the trailer and some enticing photos before catching Ocean's Thirteen in theaters June 8.

The Bourne Ultimatum
Matt Damon is back to playing Jason Bourne on August 3 in this third part of the Bourne series. As a relief from all the computer effects and super powers flying around this summer, The Bourne Ultimatum will provide some good old-fashioned action-thriller sweetness. The plot description goes like this: "Bourne races to discover the final mysteries of his past while a government agent tries to track him down after a shootout in Moscow." From the looks of the trailer we can expect more of the same: races against time, heart-pounding chases, and cute Matt Damon kicking butt.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Just in case you haven't quite gotten your fill of computer-generated treats this summer, gorge yourself on the latest Fantastic Four adventure. The Silver Surfer is entirely computer animated and his power is to transform matter so conquering him is going to take some ingenuity on the part of the Four - and some time. Like, maybe around 90 minutes or so. Surf's up June 15.

The Transformers
Opening July 4, this is the live-action version of the beloved '80s cartoon series (which was based on a line of Hasbro toys), and stars your dreamy Shia LaBeouf. I wasn't that into Transformers as a kid, but even I'm super stoked to see them in "real life." Check out the cool-looking trailer:

Spider-Man photo courtesy of Sony Pictures
Harry Potter photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
Pirates photo courtesy of Buena Vista Entertainment
Ocean's Thirteen: source
All others: source