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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

It's Tuesday, which means your Netflix queue is about to get a bit fresher and longer. I've gone through today's new DVD and Blu-ray releases and have some recommendations for what you should rent next.

The Proposal

This Summer's super successful rom-com, The Proposal, stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in a pretty predictable scheme (you know, girl proposes to boy to avoid deportation), but I enjoyed this surprisingly funny movie. I tend to like both Reynolds and Bullock in general, and their chemistry in this one is pretty irresistible. It was also an audience-pleaser, raking in enough money in ticket sales to make it one of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time.

44%

Check out two more new releases when you read more.

Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell, starring Justin Long and Alison Lohman, earned props in the horror genre for its clever premise and witty dialogue. Lohman stars as Christine, a bank teller whose life takes a turn for the terrifying when she is cursed by a gypsy. Long plays her boyfriend and sidekick who tries to help her regain control and banish the spirits.

I've heard this one is more fun than scary, and it marks Sam Raimi's return to the camp-horror genre (he's behind the Evil Dead franchise) and a respite from the Spiderman movies.

92%

Land of the Lost

In Land of the Lost, Will Ferrell stars as Rick Marshall, who finds himself stuck in a parallel universe littered with dinosaurs and ape men. With his sidekicks Holly and Will, the trio takes on the adventure of a lifetime and try to find their way back home.

The Summer blockbuster didn't do too well in theaters, making some wonder whether Ferrell fatigue had set in. However, the fun casting of Danny McBride and Anna Friel as Will and Holly could make this movie watchable.

DVD extras include deleted scenes, a Danny McBride featurette, and a Devil’s Canyon Gift Shop Commercial and Tour.

26%

The Proposal Has Surpassed the SATC Movie in Ticket Sales

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:45:54 -0700

While the Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy The Proposal has been off my radar for weeks now, the movie has been quietly continuing to rake in the dough. Over the last weekend, the comedy's domestic sales reached $155 million, "bypassing the total domestic tally for Sex and the City." On the list of highest grossing romantic comedies of all time in North America (adjusted for inflation), Pretty Woman comes in at No. 1, and The Proposal is No. 19, just above Sex and the City, which is No. 20.

This makes me happy, since I liked The Proposal much more than the Sex and the City movie, though it also surprises me a little. Does it surprise you? Have you seen both films? Which do you think is better?

Proposal photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures, SATC photo courtesy of New Line Cinema

Transformers Has a Massive Opening Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:30:22 -0700

Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned a five-day opening gross of $201.2 million, easily taking the top spot at the weekend's box office. The sequel nearly beat the best five-day opening of all time, The Dark Knight, which earned $203.8 million. Second place went to The Proposal, followed by The Hangover in the third spot.

Pixar's Up came in at No. 4 and became the year's highest grossing movie. Finally, My Sister's Keeper starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin had a modest debut, earned about $12 million and coming in at No. 5.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Box Office: The Proposal Sweeps Audiences Off Their Feet

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:30:35 -0700

The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, took the box office by storm over the weekend earning $34.1 million and securing the No. 1 spot. This was Bullock's best opening ever! Woo-hoo!

Both The Hangover and Up continued doing good business coming in second and third place respectively. Jack Black and Michael Cera's primitive buddy comedy, Year One, came in at No. 4 earning an estimated $20.2 million. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 rounded out the top five.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Buzz In: Which Elderly Actors Should Get More Roles?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:30:31 -0700

It has been a real treat to see Betty White out and about promoting her new movie The Proposal. She's a hilarious talk show guest and she's the best part of this viral marketing clip. She is also quite the scene stealer in the movie itself and gives one of the performances that helps to save the rom-com from mediocrity. In other words, please cast her in more movies! She's obviously a comedic gem.

Hollywood does not tend to love the elderly folks, even though that age bracket contains some of the most talented actors and actresses around. Jessica Walter (Gangy!) is another example of someone who should be much busier, in my opinion (and not on a show like 90210, thanks). I'd also be tickled pink to see the lovely and talented Marla Gibbs get more work.

What do you think? What other older actors would you like to see get more roles?

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

The Proposal: A Predictable Journey But Funny Along the Way

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:30:12 -0700

The story in The Proposal is relatively predictable at every turn, and the basic plotline is tired at best: two people who dislike each other are forced together and feelings blossom between them (to their surprise but not ours). Even just from the previews for this movie we know where the story is going from the very beginning, but before we reach the inevitable conclusion, The Proposal offers up some cute/funny/surprising things along the way.

The story follows ice-queen publishing executive Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) who is a demanding and sometimes cruel boss to her handsome, hard-working assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds). She's certainly no Miranda Priestly, but she knows that Andrew is determined to succeed at the company so when Margaret learns that she'll be deported back to Canada unless she takes some drastic measures, she uses a promotion to bribe Andrew to marry her. Nobody's quite buying this relationship, however - including the folks at the immigration office who will send Andrew to prison (and Margaret to Canada) if they find out the relationship is a sham. So, the fake lovebirds travel to Andrew's hometown in Alaska for his Gammy's (Betty White) birthday to make sure anyone who might be questioned will be able to verify that the two really are in love and getting married. All sorts of awkward and weird hijinks ensue, during which the two learn a little bit about each other and themselves. Yeah, read more.

The performances are what make this film good. Oscar Nuñez (Oscar from The Office) has a surprising role, woven delightfully into the narrative. He provides wonderful comedic relief during the more "dramatic" moments, and though he's used often, I almost wished we'd see even more of him. He was an inspired addition to an already fantastic and likable cast.

And, of course, Betty White steals a few scenes with her blithely sweet "but I'm just an old lady!" innocence - which of course masks a wicked sense of humor and mischievous streak. It's not a totally new device (the old woman who gets away with hilarious things because she's old and people underestimate her), but when Betty White does it she has such an endearing brightness you just want her to stay on screen forever. I wonder if I'll ever tire of Betty White's adorable bubbliness. I probably won't.

The first two-thirds of the movie, in which the snarky, thinly veiled disdain between our two protagonists (along with the fact that this is a professional relationship, so the usual rules of decorum that are ignored here make things even more awkward), are the most worthwhile. Or, worthwhile at all. These silly, jokey-joke moments are also the parts in which Reynolds and Bullock truly shine. They're both very comfortable with this material, and they excel at playing off one another as workplace acquaintances or even as buddies when their relationship begins to warm up. The sparky dynamic between them when they're trading barbs and trying to keep up appearances with gritted teeth is solidly entertaining. It's the real sexual chemistry that's lacking. As we come into the home stretch of the movie, all the tension, excitement, and fun of the previous hour or so comes to a screeching halt. Suddenly, words like "love" are being tossed about, as though they mean something in this situation. But while there's a clear fondness between the two characters by the end it's impossible to think of them as having deep feelings for one another.

All this doesn't negate the fact that there's some great stuff leading up to the ending. I just wish I'd had a fast-forward button for the last half-hour or so because it lags. And then we get to the credits, during which we're treated to some of the funniest parts of the whole movie. All in all, this will make the absolute best airplane movie: it's inoffensive, cute, and just entertaining enough to keep our attention.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

How Well Do You Know Sandra Bullock?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:00:48 -0700

Sandra Bullock seems to have it all: charisma, talent, and beauty. When her name is attached to a project I am automatically interested. Sure she's had some misses but that's par for the course when you've been around as long as she has. I thought I'd celebrate her long career and the release of her newest movie, The Proposal, with a quiz.

Source

Take the quiz

Caption It!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:15:10 -0700

Welcome to the Caption It game on BuzzSugar! Every Wednesday, I'll post a photo still from a TV show or movie here and challenge you to think of the most hilarious caption possible. I'll announce the finalists the following Tuesday, and you'll get to vote for the best caption!

First, let's wrap up last week's challenge. At the time I wrote this post, JohnW was winning the poll with this caption:

"This is the last time I order an escort from hotchicks.com."

Now on to this week's challenge from the new Sandra Bullock rom-com, The Proposal:

Leave your captions in the comment space below before 5 p.m. PDT on Monday, June 22, to be considered for a spot in the voting round. Have fun!

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Movie Preview: Sandra and Ryan in The Proposal

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:43:08 -0800

Just trust me on this: Ignore the dumb-looking poster for The Proposal and head straight to the new trailer. The romantic comedy stars Sandra Bullock as Margaret, the Canadian-born, hard-driving boss of Andrew (Ryan Reynolds - adorable!) who learns that she is about to be deported. Desperate to stay in the States, she forces Andrew to marry her.

I'm a huge fan of both Bullock and Reynolds, and for once this seems like a satisfying melding of talented actors and funny material. Also: Betty White! Love her.

The Proposal opens June 12. To check out the trailer, read more.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 1/16

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:31:56 -0800

The American Idol premiere was its lowest rated in four years, TV Week reports - but it still got more than 33 million viewers.
Variety has more details on Apple's new iTunes movie rental service.
Studios have canceled dozens of deals with producers as a result of the strike, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
While the Grammys and Oscars are in question, the NAACP Image Awards will go on as planned, the New York Times reports.
Forest Whitaker may star in Patriots, a post-Katrina sports drama directed by Tim Story, writes ComingSoon.
According to Billboard, Alicia Keys' album returns to its No. 1 spot on the charts, though the Juno soundtrack is up there, too, coming in as the No. 3 bestselling album in the country.
The Hollywood Reporter has news that Will Smith's son Jaden Smith will star in the sci-fi thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still.
According to ComingSoon, the director of 27 Dresses, Anne Fletcher, has signed on to direct Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy The Proposal.
The Decemberists' Colin Meloy will release a live solo album in April, Pitchfork reports.

Photo courtesy of Fox