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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:30:26 -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, you can now rent or own the Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler weepie, P.S. I Love You.

I'm Not There
I'm Not There was a highly buzzed-about film last year with a lot of the attention focusing on director Todd Haynes' unique conceptualization of Bob Dylan's (or, "a musician like Bob Dylan") life through the years. The talent associated with this film was staggering but the untimely death of one of the stars, Heath Ledger, added even more poignancy to Haynes' ambitious endeavor.

In the movie, six different actors emulate Bob Dylan using different names and appearing in different eras. I wasn't the biggest fan of the film, but other folks were enamored with this movie, more willing than I to ignore the annoying parts and focus on the great performances by Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett (who won the Independent Spirit award for her role), and Christian Bale. This is a good addition to your queue if you have been curious about this film but would enjoy the luxury of a fast-forward button.

Special features include commentary by director/co-writer Tod Haynes, red carpet footage, and deleted scenes.

Two more titles if you read more.

Teeth
GiggleSugar watched this oddly funny and scary movie about a teenage girl who, as IMDB puts it, "discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence" or as Giggle put it, "her vagina has teeth." Giggle found it to be much more than the vulgar horror flick one might expect from this premise, where you simply watch a "vajayjay rip men to shreds" (sorry, Giggle has so many amazing lines in her review I can't stop quoting her). Instead, Teeth is a genre bending, wickedly scripted good time - but definitely not for the faint of heart.

Special features include commentary by writer/director Mitchell Lichenstein, behind-the-scenes footage, and deleted scenes.

First Sunday
David E. Talbert is sort of a creative jack-of-all-trades: playwright, novelist, and - in the case of this movie starring Ice Cube and Tracy Morgan - writer/director. The film follows two amateur crooks as their plan to rob a church goes terribly wrong and they find themselves with a full-blown hostage situation. I've read that it's a bit cluttered but definitely a fun little farce, so I figured I'd wait for the DVD with this one.

Special features include a gag reel, outtakes, David E. Talbert's camera wrap speech, and a "Hood Robbin' With the First Sunday Cast and Crew" featurette.

Teeth: Carrie Meets Jaws in a Feminist Revenge Fantasy

GiggleSugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:30:00 -0800

GiggleSugar caught this scary/funny movie recently and awesomely offered to write up a review. Thanks, Giggle!

Dawn (the gorgeous and talented Jess Weixler, recalling a young Reese Witherspoon) is a naïve high school virgin who wears unicorn T-shirts, gives motivational speeches on behalf of her teen abstinence organization "The Promise," and whose body hides a secret that is revealed (or, more accurately, confirmed) only after she goes to the gynecologist: her vagina has teeth. One after another, molesters, rapists and just plain creeps find that Dawn has a nasty surprise waiting for them if they mess with her.

Director Mitchell Lichtenstein (son of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein) makes the most of this crazy premise in his horror movie Teeth, which could have merely reversed male-on-female violence, inviting the audience to revel in watching Dawn’s vajayjay rip men to shreds. Although there is quite a bit of that, Lichtenstein also uses the horror movie genre and the vagina dentata myth to explore the roots of male misogyny (fear of the female body coupled with desire for it), and the ways that our culture reinforces it. Teeth is a smart, hilarious, and “ewww”-inducing gorefest that will have you thinking about men, women, and the state of our sexual culture long after the audience’s hooting and hollering has stopped ringing in your ears. To see what I mean, read more

Teeth contrasts Dawn’s purity with the besmirched environment around her. Toxic smoke spews from nuclear reactors behind her family’s house and may be the cause of Dawn’s “mutation." Her stepbrother Brad (John Hensley) is a surly goth punk who lusts after his beautiful stepsister. And when Dawn walks to her high school and angel music plays in the background, she’s assaulted by a phalanx of teens making fun of her vow of chastity. “Let’s pop her cherry,” one of them taunts.

Although sex is an ever-present external threat to Dawn, it’s a tribute to Teeth's sensitivity and intelligence that it’s also depicted as an internal threat that Dawn eventually makes peace with. Teeth, in other words, is no pro-abstinence film. Dawn’s sexual awakening in the form of her desire for Tobey (Hale Appleman), a fellow abstinence buddy, troubles her. Yet, after her body reacts involuntarily to various male molestations the way a toothed vagina would be expected to react (not very kindly), she begins to own this power, having the ability to chomp or not to chomp depending on how comfortable she is with the sexual situation she’s in. In one scene, she looks boldly at herself in the mirror with a new appreciation of the body she once feared.

With a clever script, great actors, and more severed penises than a man or woman would ever want to see, Teeth turns the horror genre on its head. You’ll never again watch a vulnerable woman in a horror flick without anticipating a "chomp" sound followed by a man’s blood-curdling shriek-and you'll be a better person for it!

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Jennifer Hudson Makes a Big Move Back to the Big Screen

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:30:38 -0800

I was a bit worried about what would become of Jennifer Hudson's film career when she followed up her tour de force performance in Dreamgirls with a role in Sex and the City, but it looks like the singer/actress is ready to sink her teeth into another juicy role. Hudson is set to play Winnie Mandela, Nelson's former wife, in the upcoming drama Winnie. The film is based on the Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography Winnie Mandela: A Life and will be directed by Darrell J. Roodt.

We'll get a peek into Nelson Mandela's life in next month's release of Invictus, but I might be even more curious to learn about Winnie. After taking a hiatus to work on her music, I'm interested to see if Jennifer can carry such a big role - sounds to me like she may already have another Oscar on the brain.

Are you psyched to see Jennifer return to the big screen, or do you prefer her as a singer?

An Open Letter to Breaking Dawn's Screenwriter

Buzz Community — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

This post comes from the group The Books of Twilight from member Audreystar.

Dear Ms. Rosenberg,

First let me say that I thought you did an impeccable job at screenwriting Twilight from Stephenie Meyer's novel. From what I can see you did a great job on New Moon as well. I can only assume that Eclipse will be no different. You have proven yourself a competent and talented screenwriter. Hell, you write episodes of Dexter for goodness sake! Your ability is not in question.

I am here to discuss Breaking Dawn. This will be the ultimate test of your career. If you can manage to pull a workable movie out of that piece of literature you should (hands down) win the Academy Award in screenwriting. Everyone seems to be wondering who will be chosen to direct Breaking Dawn because they believe that is (ultimately) the person who will sink or swim in making a film work on the last book. I beg to differ. This all lies with you and that is quite a big burden to bear. The world is on your shoulders. The movie will make a ton of money so Summit can't be THAT concerned with the script. But I know you aren't a writer to please all the people who will watch anything with Robert Pattinson in it. You actually care about putting out quality work.

To read the rest of the letter (WARNING: Breaking Dawn spoilers ahead!), just .

So here are my questions. How are you honestly going to manage to write the birth scene and still maintain a PG-13 rating? How are you going to write for Renesmee and her not look like a freak of nature? Regarding Renesmee, the hardest challenge will be for the casting directors/CGI geniuses. They have a daunting and hard and impossible job. The honeymoon scene is what everyone will be flocking to the cinema to see (the rabid fans I mean) and I am sure Mrs. Prude Meyer will be ALL OVER the writing and filming of that. Look I know she didn't write the books for a mature audience and is trying to keep it morally sound. But this is the last movie and we have to have more than just a fade to black. But I know it won't happen because SM wouldn't even let the first kiss scene stay the way Catherine had it (i.e., steamy). I find it rather hypocritical that SM has an issue with a tasteful sex scene however has ZERO problem with blood and gore which Breaking Dawn the novel is filled to the brim with. You want to see Edward and Bella consummate their relationship. . . sorry, you aren't gonna get it. But if you are excited to see Edward rip Bella's belly open with his sharp vampire teeth, well you are in luck.

And don't even get me started on how you are going to work out the awful anti-climatic ending. This is going to be the last film in the series and as a talented screenwriter you know you can't end it that way. Sure, if this were an indie film you could get away with it. But, it isn't.

So in conclusion, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers while dealing with this huge predicament and the test of your career. You will deserve a Pulitzer if you can pull this off.

Best regards,
Audreystar

(Please note: I have no clue if she has even been signed as the screenwriter for the fourth film).

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Buzz Interview With the Cast of Precious, Part 2: Lee Daniels

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:30:17 -0700

Last week I shared with you my interview with Precious actress Paula Patton, but now it's time to hear from the director himself, Lee Daniels. I asked the Sundance-award winner - the film took home the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize - how it feels to hear Oscar buzz, and what it's like when Oprah is on your speed dial. Plus, he opened up to me about how the movie helped him overcome from his own dark past. Ready for his incredibly candid responses?

On all the hype surrounding Mo'Nique's performance: I'm not the least bit surprised. It's magic onset. People are talking about this buzz, but she and I laugh it off, because we got a movie made, and there were no arrests! Seriously, the cops came, but they didn't shut us down. They said, 'OK, we'll give you five minutes.' There were no arrests, and no one got in any trouble, so for us, the win was finishing the film.

To hear more from Daniels, read more.

On how he felt when Oprah and Tyler Perry jumped on as producers: Tyler calls and says, "Hey, it's Tyler." Huh?! Oprah calls, "Heeeey." It's crazy! It gave me hope that people would see the film.
On the Oscar buzz: Why do people say that? What happens if you don't?! Then your feelings are so hurt. You teeter on wanting so desperately for it, but dare not dreaming for it, because your feelings are so crushed if it doesn't happen.

On why he wanted to make Precious: To heal. Some horrific things have happened to me [in my past], not only at home, but outside of my home life, [like] being openly gay. Being gay is nothing like it was when i was a kid - back in my day, you were literally stoned, a dislocated arm, teeth knocked out. So I try to see the light often. It's hard, because we all have hard lives, and some of us have it harder. What I like to find is people who have had lives just a little harder than mine [like Precious] so I can feel that mine wasn't as bad as it was.
On what he learned from making the film: I look at [the film] as a process. This was not a beautiful journey, because I learned so much about myself. I had been holding on to so much anger from the past, and it was making me an ugly person. It was making me judge people like Precious, because of who I was. How sad was that to find out at 50, that I would've lived such a better life if I had just let go of the hostility. [But once I let go] it felt beeautiful! Liberating!

I was so moved to hear Daniels talk about his own healing through the film - hopefully, it will have the same effect on others when it arrives in theaters next week.

Before the release, I'll be running my interview with Gabourey Sidibe, the newcomer that's making headlines for her Precious performance. Be sure to check back for that later - you're going to love her.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Source

Gerard Butler - Love Him or Leave Him?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Gerard Butler has had a rough couple of weeks - critics panned his film Law Abiding Citizen and his appearance on Saturday Night Live didn't win rave reviews either. On top of everything else, there are rumors about him and Jessica Simpson getting cozy floating around. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though: he just announced in an interview that he'd be joining Shakespeare's Coriolanus with Ralph Fiennes for his next film.

It's nice to see Butler take on a project with some serious acting teeth. While he's always easy on the eyes in romantic comedies like P.S. I Love You or The Ugly Truth, I've never really liked the films themselves. (The possible exception being The Phantom of the Opera, since you know I love movie musicals!)

Maybe you disagree with me though? Law Abiding Citizen did take No. 2 at the box office, and I know that several of you liked the movie despite my review. So what do you think of Gerard Butler - love him or leave him?

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Tainted Obligation"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:30:58 -0700

The title of this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy says it all. Meredith finds herself between a rock and a hard place when her dad enters Seattle Grace in need of a liver transplant, and she's the only viable donor. Meanwhile, the Chief is still trying to navigate the merger, and Izzie continues to struggle with the transition from patient back to doctor.

Check out the Grey's Anatomy Junkies for more discussion, but for now, just read more.

So, married life isn't exactly typical for Alex and Izzie between brushing their teeth in the kitchen sink and the bears greeting them in the morning. The turning point for Alex comes in one of the episode's funnier scenes: he finds a tick in his ear over lunch. Though Izzie defends trailer life at first, I'm glad she finally comes around by the end of the episode - those two have enough problems as it is.
Thatcher makes a grand entrance into Seattle Grace, immediately puking blood all over Meredith's sneakers. At first Mere is back to her typically gloomy self, half hoping her father will die and continuing to hold her lifelong grudge. I felt for Meredith, but after Lexie's heartfelt begging and pleading, I was happy that Mere finally grows up and casts her selfishness aside. Three seasons ago Meredith would never have dreamed of putting Lexie first, and I was proud of her for giving up part of her liver - her offer to get to know her dad was an even bigger milestone.
Doctor Sloan has a lighter case on his hands, though it's still a family matter. He handles an aging man who desperately wants a penile implant. Appalled, his adult children try everything they can to talk him out of it, but their father wants nothing more than to be with his new love in his life. I loved that some of Lexie's pain transferred over to Mark, as he gets all emotional about the sanctity of life and death. And of course his homage to Lexie: "And there's nothing wrong with dating a younger woman. It keeps you young and that's my professional opinion!"
Cristina spends most of the episode puttering about and trying to do anything she can to scrub in on a surgery. When Owen refuses to play favorites, she tries batting her eyes at any surgeon willing to give her a look. In the end she finally gets to help out - though she's less than thrilled to be part of Sloan's "penis pump" surgery. As her confidence continues to break down, Cristina eventually explodes at the Chief. Personally, I'm enjoying the more vulnerable side of Cristina.
Izzie is back to work, but she understandably can't separate her life as a doctor from her past as a patient. She quickly develops a rapport with another cancer patient and his girlfriend and insists on trying a risky surgery to try to save him. When she loses the patient, it becomes clear to Owen that she's not ready yet - and unfortunately, we already know that this ends in her getting fired (looks like next week). I'm not sure what fate lies for Izzie just yet, but I'm glad the writers are handling her recovery responsibly, rather than having her bounce back from melanoma as if it never happened.

Overall, I'm finding this season of Grey's a bit lackluster, but what about you? Were you surprised that Meredith gave in to Lexie and Thatcher? Are you looking forward to the new influx of doctors next week?