Superhero Movie
Sugar Editorial Picks
Weekend Box Office: 21 Wins the Pot
Well, it looks like 21, the film about MIT students who take Vegas by storm, was a safe bet as it easily won the top spot at the box office. However, the overall weekend box office total was down 17 percent compared to last year, Variety reports. 21 earned an estimated $23 million, beating Horton Hears a Who and firmly establishing Jim Sturgess as a viable leading man.
Other Search Results
Hancock: A New Kind of Superhero Movie
I'm not totally sure who the intended audience is for Hancock. The superhero aspect is campy enough for kids (and sometimes way too campy for adults), but there's definitely language that doesn't seem suitable for youngsters. Perhaps the teenagers will most enjoy the movie, though as an adult I liked it well enough and I certainly applaud what the story attempts to accomplish: tell a superhuman's story with the emphasis on the "human" experience.
Classic Commercial: Batgirl Fights for Equal Pay
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.
Wolverine: Fun, If You Don't Mind That It Makes No Sense
I'm a big fan of the first couple of X-Men movies and of the comic in general. Maybe it's the ensemble cast full of cool mutant powers or the fact that the gang of superheroes includes lots of women, but I've always found this Marvel comic to be totally entertaining — not to mention great source material for movie adaptations.
Definitely one of the better parts of this franchise so far has been Hugh Jackman's take on the surly and brutishly funny Wolverine.
What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday
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.
The Reader
If you didn't catch this provocative movie about the Holocaust (and so much more), now is your chance to do so.
Buzz News Roundup, 3/27
- Woody Allen has added Nicole Kidman into the cast of his as-yet-untitled next project which already included Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins. — Reuters
- Queen Latifah will star in the romantic comedy Just Wright, described as "a modern-day Cinderella tale." — Variety
- Summit Entertainment has picked up feature-film rights to the book The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero, which insinuates that Harry Houdini acted as a spy for Britain.
What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday
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 now watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua as many times as you'd like.
Buzz Book Club: The Conclusion of Watchmen
Hello, Buzz Book Club readers. I hope you enjoyed the end of Watchmen! I think it's an especially good idea to read the book before you see the movie in this case, because a huge part of the fun will be seeing how close the film gets to the look and feel of the artwork.
Announcing the Winners: The People's Choice Awards
The Dark Knight's crazy box office success translated into a whole bundle of People's Choice Awards on Wednesday night. The film took home the trophies for Favorite Movie, Favorite Action Movie, and Favorite Cast, and Christian Bale also won Favorite Superhero and part of the Favorite On-Screen Matchup award (shared with the late Heath Ledger).
Carrie Underwood was another big winner of the night, taking home three awards — including the Favorite Star Under 35 trophy.
Buzz Book Club: Watchmen
Calling all fangirls and Buzz Book Club readers: One of the most highly anticipated movies of '09 is coming to a theater near you on March 6, so this month's book club selection is the critically acclaimed series of comic books, Watchmen.
The saga of bringing this comic book series to the screen has been most dramatic. Director Terry Gilliam, who was first attached to the project, deemed the complex, groundbreaking work "unfilmable."
Watch W/ Kristin
Lyons Den
