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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:30:18 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 the dramas I recommend below, also look out for a couple TV shows on DVD, specifically Brothers and Sisters: Season 3 and Desperate Housewives: Season 5.

State of Play
I was impressed by this tense thriller, which stars Russell Crowe as a seasoned reporter and Ben Affleck as his congressman friend who gets himself in trouble. There's also Rachel McAdams as Crowe's green protégé, who I'm always happy to see on-screen.
Two hours around journalism and politics can sound kind of dry, but this movie's fast-moving plot keeps it engaging and entertaining. Special features on the DVD include deleted scenes and a making-of featurette.

84%

See two other movies out on DVD today when you

read more Sugar Algenis Perez Soto hits hard as the titular character, Miguel "Sugar" Santos, in this story of a minor league baseball player from the Dominican Republic who is shipped to the States to play ball. This isn't a fun time at the ballpark, it's a weighty drama from the same people who brought you Ryan Gosling's Half Nelson. I was riveted by the performances and the filmmakers' portrayal of the unsympathetic International baseball factory. Special features include deleted scenes, and several featurettes, including one about the casting process. 93%
Earth Disney's visually stunning Earth comes to us from the producers of the earlier and equally wonderful Planet Earth series. This is one that will make you happy you have that Blu-ray player - the gorgeous photography looks amazing on an HD TV and player. Plus, the narration by James Earl Jones is guaranteed to give you goose bumps. 85%

Box Office: Zac Is the Man of the Hour

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:30:05 PDT

Looks like young Mr. Efron is proving to be a bankable actor, as his movie, 17 Again, debuted at No. 1 this weekend, earning an estimated $24.1 million.

Meanwhile, Russell Crowe's political thriller, State of Play, came in second place with an estimated $14.1 million. Monsters vs. Aliens came in at No. 3, and it looks like there's only so much tween-love to go around, which might explain Hannah Montana: The Movie slipping from the No. 1 spot last week to No. 4 this week. Fast and Furious rounded out the top five.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

State of Play: Surprisingly Gripping Journalism Thriller

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:30:35 PDT

In the movies and on TV, investigations always look so exciting and fun - piecing together the facts, swapping clues, untangling the web strand by strand, etc. In a story centered around journalism, this mystery-solving stuff is what makes it fun to watch, especially if there's also a good dose of realism but not so much that it becomes mired in realistic details and we get bored. State of Play very nicely balances these things: It's a sensational murder mystery-thriller but with a scruffy, grumpy journalist lead character and a supporting cast of equally "normal" people. There's enough fiction and embellishment to be escapism, and enough reality to make it believable.

Russell Crowe plays grizzled journalist Cal McAffrey who is something of a legendary dinosaur at the struggling Washington Globe newspaper. His longtime friend, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), comes under scrutiny when a woman from his research team dies tragically and the public learns that Collins was having an affair with her. As the police conduct their own investigation, Cal himself tries to get to the bottom of the woman's mysterious death - partially to get a juicy story and partially to help clear his friend's name in the scandalous situation. The young, eager blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) insists on teaming up with Cal on his search as she tries to prove herself as a writer at the Globe. Together they work to uncover the truth, but every new revelation brings with it a twisty new discovery and soon the two journalists find themselves enmeshed in a nasty mixture of political conspiracies and tangled personal relationships. That's all I'll say about the plot, but for more of my thoughts on it all,

read more. Trust and deceit are at the heart of this story, as is the blurred line between formal police investigation (to solve a case) and investigative reporting (to get a scoop). Cal and Stephen's friendship is tested repeatedly as Cal’s desire to get as many details for his story as possible gets in the way of his compassion for a buddy. Past hurts also creep back to haunt them and further confuse Cal's motives for getting to the bottom of things. Yet, thankfully, there's no needless lingering on individual characters' personal lives. What we know of these people is almost completely restricted to how they're involved in the messy web of secrets, and the extraneous stuff is pushed aside in favor of the meat of the story. Even the relationship that forms between Cal and Della is handled with a light, delicate touch. Will this remain a mentor-mentee kind of thing, or is there more there? We don't really need to know because watching the trust and mutual respect blossom between them over the course of the movie is gratifying enough. Admittedly, I had low expectations for this movie and certain things (like Affleck’s entire performance) never managed to exceed those expectations, but regardless, I think it's a success in that it achieves exactly what films in this genre should achieve. It sweeps us up in an intriguing puzzle and maintains our attention for two full hours, while also posing some interesting questions (what is the role of journalism today - especially in relation to politics? Is journalism dying?). It's not the kind of movie that will make you feel a lot of things, but I went in looking for escape and I got it. It may essentially be a story about journalism, but it still manages to be incredibly engrossing.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: State of Play

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:30:59 PDT

Based on the BBC miniseries by the same name, this Friday's State of Play is a crime thriller in which "a team of investigative reporters works alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress." Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren star, and Tony Gilroy (writer of the Bourne trilogy and writer/director of Michael Clayton) co-wrote the screenplay.

Do you think you'll check this out in the theater or wait for it to be on DVD? Or will you wait until it's on TV for free or maybe skip it altogether?

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Movie Preview: State of Play

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:30:37 PST

Based on the BBC series of the same title, the film State of Play stars Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams. Crowe and McAdams are reporters who get wrapped up in the case of a congressman's (Affleck) murdered mistress.

From the trailer, it looks like a compelling crime thriller, though I'm not sure how it'll stack up against the acclaimed original series. The fact that it's directed by The Last King of Scotland's Kevin Macdonald is promising, however. State of Play opens April 17. To check out the trailer,

Ben Affleck Is a Distinguished Gentleman

PopSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:57:43 PDT

Ben Affleck was looking perfectly cast as a congressman while filming State of Play this weekend in Washington DC. Post Oscar celebrations and Jimmy Kimmel videos, Ben remained clean cut and shaven to keep in character for the film. We hate to sound like nagging parents but considering BFF Matt just announced he is expecting, we can't help but wonder when Violet is going to be getting herself a sibling playmate?

View 5 Photos ›

Splash News Online

Edward Norton Leaves State of Play, Ben Affleck May Join

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:30:24 PST

Well, my original excitement over a Fight Club reunion with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt starring in State of Play has been dashed. First Pitt dropped out of the project and was replaced by Russell Crowe. Now Norton has decided to leave as well, with Ben Affleck in negotiations to replace him.

Though while Pitt's departure had to do with issues he had with the script, Norton's problems had to do with a conflicting schedule, as Norton committed to starring in the indie comedy Leaves of Grass. Variety continues:

Now it will be Affleck who plays a fast-rising politician who is caught up in a murder conspiracy. Crowe will play a journalist who leads a newspaper’s investigation into the killing. He’s conflicted in that he once ran the pol’s campaigns, and he is now romancing his estranged wife. Still in the cast are Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman.

All this shifting around does not inspire a lot of confidence in this project. Then again, maybe Crowe and Affleck will be a fantastic duo in this situation. I just hope this cast stays put!

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Russell Crowe Replaces Brad Pitt in State of Play

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:35:50 PST

So much for a Fight Club reunion: Citing concerns about the script, Brad Pitt has decided not to star alongside Edward Norton in the star-studded political thriller State of Play. Despite discussions with studio heads and director Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland), Pitt's issues with the script could not be resolved and he pulled out altogether, causing those involved to wonder if the project could go forward. Russell Crowe, now in final negotiations to replace Pitt, has apparently "saved" the studio from shutting down the project.

The cast also includes Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright-Penn, and Jason Bateman, though Norton and Crowe will play the two main characters. In the story, based on the British miniseries, Crowe will now play the "political consultant-turned-journalist who heads a newspaper's murder investigation involving a fast-rising politician (Norton)."

Sad! I was so looking forward to seeing Norton and Pitt on screen together again, and I'm not sure if Norton and Crowe will have the same kind of chemistry. What do you think about this casting switcheroo?

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The Cast of State of Play Got Even More Amazing

BuzzSugar — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:30:00 PDT

Just last week I told you that Edward Norton and Brad Pitt were reuniting for another film, this one based on the British miniseries State of Play. Well, the cast just got even bigger, with more good-looking, supremely talented people. In addition to Norton and Pitt, Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren and Robin Wright Penn will join the cast. Variety has more:

McAdams will play a reporter in the middle of a career-making story, as her newspaper investigates the death of the mistress of a fast-rising congressman. Mirren will play the steely newspaper editor. (Bill Nighy played the editor in the mini.) Wright Penn will play the estranged wife of the congressman. She becomes romantically involved with the pol's former campaign manager (Pitt), who leads the newspaper's investigative team. Norton plays the congressman and Bateman plays the other lead reporter.

That's some hefty casting news. This project had me at "Pitt and Norton" but now I'm even more excited for State of Play. What do you think? For those of you familiar with the miniseries, how do you think this film will measure up?

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Buzz News Roundup, 9/24

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:32:38 PDT

The New York Times has the obituary for the famous French mime Marcel Marceau who died Saturday at age 84.
Jason Bateman will join Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the movie State of Play, ComingSoon reports.
Tomorrow Chaka Khan will release her first album in ten years, Billboard reports.
The Hollywood Reporter writes about a study that shows the number of gay characters on primetime TV has dropped for the third year in a row.
Justin Timberlake led the MTV Europe Music Awards nominations, People reports.
Hollywood Reporter has news that Ben Kingsley will play William Shakespeare in Will, a movie about the playwright's deathbed meeting with his lawyer to discuss his last will and testament.
Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern and Denis Leary headline the all-star cast for "Recount," HBO's movie about the 2000 presidential election, Variety reports.
Variety reports that "Sex and the City" writer Cindy Chupack will co-write a romantic comedy series for NBC.
Zap2It has news that Alice Ghostly (Esmeralda on "Bewitched"!) has died at age 81.

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