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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:30:57 -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 also rent The Ruins starring Jena Malone and the sixth season of Monk.

Stop-Loss
Stop-Loss joins an ever-growing list of Iraq war movies that bit the dust at the box office. This has little to do with the quality of the films and probably more to do with folks not looking for difficult subject matter when they head to the movie theater. But while director Kimberly Peirce's follow up to Boys Don't Cry isn't flawless, it is well worth your time.

Starring Ryan Philippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish and a scene-stealing Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the movie centers around a group of friends and family members in Texas struggling with their loved ones in the military who return from serving in Iraq only to be called back.

Special features include 11 deleted scenes, commentary by director Kimberly Peirce and co-writer Mark Richard, and a featurette titled, "A Day in Boot Camp."

One more fun choice so read more.

Psych: Season 2
The men of Psych are quirky and cute together, so it's no wonder that the USA show has built up a following over the years. Now, just in time for the third season premiere, you can find the second season on DVD.

If you're new to Psych, here's a summary of the show's premise: "Psych is a quick-witted comedy/drama starring James Roday as young police consultant Shawn Spencer who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute that Santa Barbara PD detectives think he’s psychic. Psych also stars Dulé Hill as Shawn's best friend and reluctant sidekick, Gus, and Corbin Bernsen as his disapproving father, Henry, who ironically was the one who honed his son's 'observation' skills as a child."

Season two included a ton of great guest stars including: Tim Curry, Gina Gershon (as a funny reality show judge), Lou Diamond Phillips, John Amos, Ernie Hudson, Phylicia Rashad, Thelma Hopkins, and Kevin Sorbo. Special features include deleted scenes, audio commentaries, Podcast commentary, and the all-important gag reel.

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:30:00 -0700

There were a lot of great suggestions for this week's creepy Caption It challenge, taken from The Ruins.

Since we do have to select just one winner, I've whittled down my favorites to the following finalists:

This is not a scene from the film. This photo was taken in the press tent at the film’s premiere where the two costars attempted to hide from Gary Busey as he walked the red carpet.
Why do I always get so paranoid when we smoke pot!?
See, and if I hold my hand like this, it looks like a bunny rabbit!
I wonder what happened to that nice man with the ax who we saw on the trail...
Laura: "Jena, would you say our careers are close to being 'in ruins?' Haha . . . yeah."
Jena: "Laura, can you not joke right now? I'm, like, really scared. And sweaty. And also scared. And Susan Sarandon is totally not returning my phone calls right now."

Now it's your turn to vote: Which caption should win?

Photo courtesy of Paramount

Box Office: 21 Wins Again as Leatherheads Fumbles

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:30:55 -0700

For the second weekend in a row, Jim Sturgess and gang were No. 1 at the box office - though the overall March slump continued. 21 was down a bit from the weekend before but held on to the top spot with a weekend take of $15 million.

As for the No. 2 spot, Variety is calling it a "virtual tie" between George Clooney's Leatherheads (with an estimated $13.5 million) and the Jodie Foster-Abigail Breslin family flick Nim's Island, which brought in $13.3 million.

Horton Hears a Who came in fourth place followed by the big horror film opening of the weekend, The Ruins, which took in $7.8 million. The Rolling Stones documentary by Martin Scorsese, Shine a Light, opened in limited release and brought in $1.5 million.

What did you see at the theaters this weekend? Did you give George and Renee a chance despite so-so reviews?

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Caption It!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:30:00 -0700

Welcome to the Caption It game on BuzzSugar! Every other Wednesday, I'll post a funny TV or movie photo 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; the winner will get a fabulous BuzzSugar T-shirt!

Last week's Caption It was a perfect springtime picture full of pastel umbrellas from ABC's Eli Stone. I'm not surprised that the winning caption was, "You can stand under my umbrella... ella... ella.. oh, nevermind," from laneylaney. Congrats laneylaney!

This week's challenge is a scene from the upcoming horror film The Ruins:

Leave your captions in the comment space below before 5 p.m. PST on Monday, April 7 to be considered for a spot in the voting round. Have fun! To see a photo of the BuzzSugar T-shirt, just read more.

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Photo courtesy of Paramount

Love It or Leave It: The Ruins Preview

BuzzSugar — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:00:00 -0800

On the one hand, The Ruins stars the adorable Jenna Malone, and is based on a well-liked novel by Scott Smith that has been praised by Stephen King. On the other hand, it kind of smacks of cheesy horror flicks like Turistas. What do you think? Will you be watching The Ruins when it opens April 4?

Gear Up For New Moon With All of Our Cool Content!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:36 -0800

New Moon's big release is tomorrow, and if you're not one of the many checking out a midnight screening, then you still have some time to kill before heading to the theater. While you're waiting, why not check out all of my posts about the film - it's the perfect way to get excited for the big day!

Before They Were New Moon stars	Are Spoilers Ruining New Moon?	New Moon's Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
Buzz interview with Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz	Who will have the biggest post-Twilight career?	Check out photos of the new cast members!
Test your New Moon trivia	Highlights from the New Moon soundtrack	What's next for the New Moon stars

House Rundown, "Teamwork"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

Prepare for a changing of the guard: This week's House marks a major shift for the medical team. House is back in charge after reclaiming his license, and the shakeups start. Cameron is out - but we already knew that was coming. In her place, a couple familiar faces return to the fold, which will hopefully distract House from last week's Lucas letdown. Throw in a porn star with a mysterious health issue, and you have a packed episode.

Ready for the breakdown? If you don't mind spoilers, read more.

The episode starts off with a special delivery - House's medical license. The guy was already pulling the strings despite his suspension, so the transition is easy. Still, I'm a little surprised that Foreman goes along with the takeover without making a peep.
After Chase finally came clean to Cameron last week about Dibala, she suggests that they leave the team to work on their marriage. They announce their departure to House - who, of course, spends the rest of the episode manipulating them to stay on board. Do you think he was right to meddle? Or should he have stayed out of it?
Really, writers? A porn star? I know they're trying to sex up the show, but it felt like a cheap ploy to me - not to mention a stretch when they draw parallels between Chase's Dibala dilemma and the porn star's own morality. Were you interested in his medical case? I wasn't that intrigued, but luckily there's plenty of personal drama among the doctors to keep my attention.
Thirteen returns - but not without some coaxing from House. After she tells him no repeatedly, he lures her in with the mysterious porn star case. The excitement of the challenge is enough to get her in House's office again for good. But what do you think will happen with her and Foreman? He implies that he's over her, but I don't buy it.
Guess who else is back? Taub! The doc swaps his plastic surgery practice to rejoin House's crew after some major prodding from House. (Of course his wife isn't happy with the decision, but no surprise there.) Are you glad to see Taub again?
Okay, so I was pulling for House and Cuddy, but the scene with Cuddy and Lucas at her place might have changed my mind - you've got to admit they looked cute on the couch together. Are you pulling for Cuddy and Lucas, or Cuddy and House?
House thinks that Cameron is quick to forgive Chase, because she actually blames House for the murder of Dibala. And she does. So with that, she says sayonara to her job and delivers a speech to House about how he's ruined Chase. She rips into him about how he doesn't care for the "sanctity of a human life" anymore, but she says it with pity - even kissing him on the cheek at the end. Next thing you know, she's packing her bags and leaving Chase, too. It felt sort of rushed, but I thought her monologue was completely riveting to watch. What did you think about her departure?

Plenty to talk about in this week's episode, so sound off in the comments! I'm especially curious to hear your thoughts on Cuddy and Lucas, Thirteen and Taub's return, and Cameron's goodbye. And don't forget you can always head over to the House! group in community to talk about the show there, too.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Vampire Diaries "History Repeating": The Good, The Bad and The Bloody

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

Dear The Vampire Diaries, I see your master plan now: it's to bring it every week now. Please continue to do so. Moving on, this week we learned more about Bonnie and her family ties, revealed Damon's master plan, and met the new mysterious, history teacher.

But that's not even half of the amazing things that went down, so to see the good, the bad, and the bloody from this week's episode, just read more.

The Good

Bonnie's talisman/necklace is bringing her nightmares and visions of her ancestor Emily, who we learn was definitely Katherine's handmaiden back in the day. Her appearances are so creepy, but I was kind of digging that the scares were coming from a non-vampire source.
Damon and Stefan's interactions this week are brilliant. The role reversal, where Stefan takes on Damon's persona and Damon mocks Stefan in kind, are priceless. There even seems to be some genuinely affectionate times between the brothers, but was it just Damon's vulnerability/lack of strength due to avoiding human blood?
New characters for this show have tended to be pretty intriguing, and new teacher Alaric Saltzman is no exception. The dreamy Alaric, played by Legally Blonde's Matt Davis, has a shady past (dead wife who was almost certainly murdered) and every sign points to him being a vampire: the sun-protecting ring, the lingering exchange of Jenna not inviting him in. It's almost too obvious. If he is a vamp and not some other supernatural being, then what role does he play? I'm sure he must know the Salvatores.
Gratification! In one episode, we get two mysteries solved: why Damon came back to Mystic Falls and what's up with Emily and her necklace. The master plan - and Damon's reason for return - is Katherine. Specifically, to rouse her from the spell that left her trapped but unharmed (well, relatively unharmed, considering she was already dead) underneath the church 100 plus years ago. It's news to Stefan that Katherine didn't perish in the fire, but that's not the only revelation about her; the boys trade barbs about their last encounters with their shared first love, and they both end up wounded. I think Stefan is lying when he insists that Katherine compelled the brothers into loving her and that it wasn't real; why else would he have come out of hiding to pursue Elena?
One seed-planting I appreciated: The Gilbert family history. You know Jeremy's on the verge of discovering something big. I have my theories.

The Bad

Right about now I feel the need to introduce something I'd like to call Twilight Corner. It'll be where I bring up any glaring similarities The Vampire Diaries has to that other vampire story. This week, it's Stefan leaving Elena, telling her it's for the best. I smirked early on, when Stefan tells Elena that he's backing off from school, that it's the right thing to do; but I pretty much spit my water out at the end of the episode when Stefan tells Elena he's leaving to protect her while they're in the woods. Shades of New Moon! Generally, the show has distinguished itself from Twilight but that's waaay too close for comfort.

The Bloody

Damon swears off drinking human blood in a demonstration of goodwill to Stefan after killing Lexie last week. My my. Damon, showing repentance? What is this crazy fake world coming to? However, he doesn't maintain his new diet for long: he takes a big bite out of a possessed Bonnie after she, as Emily, destroys the amulet and Katherine over the Fells Church ruins.
OK, let's talk past bloody: We got more of the story of the history of Mystic Falls, including what sounds like an epic, ongoing battle between vampires and humans. It was no accident that Katherine was in that church, having been rounded up by the townspeople to be killed. And she wasn't alone; Emily sealed up the whole church, full of other vampires, who potentially could have been freed upon the town this week. Stefan accuses Damon of not wanting to free Katherine out of love, but revenge, rather; he nearly introduces an army of angry, ancient vampires on the ancestors of the people who exterminated them. Personally I think it was a little bit of both for Damon - love and revenge. He almost has his soul mate and a group of allies back in his life.
I'm counting Damon's broken heart as a casualty this week, as cheesy as that sounds. I just can't ignore how wrecked his face looks at the end of the episode. We went from seeing how inhumane Damon is just last week, to being confronted by an emotional man who faces a final loss of love. Ian Somerhalder, you're rocking it.

What did you think of "History Repeating"? Are you disappointed at all that Katherine didn't rise from the grave tonight, along with a crew of her nearest and bloodthirstiest? Do you even believe she's totally gone? And what about Jenna's situation - are both Logan and Alaric out to suck her blood? For more chatting beyond this week, join the Hooked on Vampire Diaries group in the Buzz Community!

Photos courtesy of The CW

House Rundown, "Known Unknowns"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Finally, after a two-week break and a World Series, House is back! And lucky for us, the writers packed in several juicy plot points to make up for the hiatus. This week's case involves a young teenybopper with an ego and compulsive lying streak to boot. Sounds intriguing, but personally, I was more wrapped up in all of the personal drama going on with House and a certain fellow female doctor.

Ready to cover the highlights? There's a major twist with a big reveal, so prepare for some spoilers when you read more.

Right off the bat, the sexual tension between Cuddy and House is turned on full volume, what with Cuddy's low-cut shirt and House's leering looks. I found it to be a bit over the top, but I still have to give Cuddy props for this awesome comeback after House references her breasts as "Patty" and "Selma": "I feel bad I haven't named your testicles." Touche, Cuddy. Although, I sort of feel like she wears those revealing clothes for House, don't you?
I knew this episode had to be good when I heard it involved a Wilson and House road trip and an '80s party, but House in an 1880's costume walking among guys in Devo hats is brilliant. And then, when things can't get any better, he dances with a Flashdance Cuddy to "Time After Time" and finally admits to her that he's always had feelings for her. What a fantastic scene! That is, until she walks out.
Another high point of the evening for me: When House drugs a pants-less Wilson to keep him from giving a potentially career-ruining speech on euthanasia. Now, that's a solid friend. Were you shocked over Wilson's confession of delivering euthanasia himself? We always think that House is the one with all the secrets, but I guess Wilson isn't 100 percent on the up and up either.
I definitely laughed when Wilson uses the term "friend-zoned" while talking about Cuddy. House is surprisingly open about his feelings for her instead of his usual denial, which I think is nice to see - do you agree? Or is House becoming too soft?
Surprise! Were you taken aback by Lucas? (Lucas is the private investigator that Cuddy hired last season.) When House goes to Cuddy's room to prove to her that she can "count" on him (as she puts it), Lucas is there playing with her baby daughter. I think House and I both had the same look when that happened - huh??!
Didn't this episode's diagnosis seem even more roundabout than usual? The doctors came across completely clueless - not to mention they did extra damage by giving the patient supplements. Perhaps it's just because House wasn't on the premises to pull the strings.
Lucas's mention of House's sex hallucination with Cuddy = painfully awkward. But I don't think Cuddy is over House. Did you look at her face?!
We can all breathe a sigh of relief, because Chase finally breaks down and tells Cameron the truth about the murder of Dibala. She's obviously stunned, but we didn't get her response before the episode ends. We already know that she's leaving the show, but what do you think will happen between them next week?

Please, please weigh in on the Cuddy and House saga! Do you think those two are ever going to get together? Or is Lucas's arrival going to muck things up for good? Tell me your thoughts in the comments, or click on over to the House! group in community.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Desperate Housewives Rundown, "Careful the Things You Say"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:30:07 -0800

It's another typical week on Wisteria Lane in the latest episode of Desperate Housewives. It's not the most scandalous episode thus far, but there are still plenty of lies, secrets, betrayals -and it all ends up with Susan behind bars.

To discuss what else went down with the ladies, just read more.

Susan: After Angie's warning, Susan is now dedicated to making sure Katherine is investigated for Julie's attack. Unfortunately the cops seem less interested with Susan than with their sandwiches and pickles, but a female officer named Debbie offers to take the case. Of course, nothing is ever that simple with Susan, and it turns out that she made Denise's life hell back in high school by giving her the nickname of "Moose." Naturally, Moose still wants revenge and she gets it - by throwing Susan behind bars for shooting Katherine.

Lynette: Lynette's pregnancy is put on the back burner this week, and instead she finds herself deeper in the midst of Julie and Nick's drama. She tries to tell Nick to back of Susan's daughter, but when Nick threatens Lynette, she decides it's time to go to the police - against Julie's will. I was glad that she didn't let Nick scare her into silence with Tom, but I still think Susan won't be pleased when she discovers that Lynette has kept another secret from her.

Gaby: Gaby's life as a tutor quickly comes to an end. When Juanita refuses to learn from her mom, their new housekeeper Ivana steps in to help. Gaby is thrilled with her new life that doesn't involve teaching or scrubbing floors, though it's pretty amazing when Gaby has to do a few chores to get Ivana out of a bind. In the end she explains to Carlos that tutoring is ruining her relationship with Juanita, and Carlos lets her off the hook. Meanwhile, where are Celia and Ana? Suddenly behaving like perfect little angels?

Bree: Bree is put into an awkward situation when a dinner date with the Bolens turns out to be an audition for Angie to take Katherine's spot with Bree's catering company. Clearly put off with Angie's demeanor, Bree blows her off - until a client comes in wanting some old-fashioned Italian food. Bree tries to manipulate Angie into giving up the recipes, but Angie finds Bree out. The ladies learn they have more in common than they thought, and Bree agrees to give Angie a job. I'm enjoying this new partnership, especially since Bree is so uncomfortable around Angie. Meanwhile, Orson continues to try to unravel Bree's lie about the brooch, but doesn't make much progress.

Angie: I have to say that I kinda fell in love with Angie this week. Though she's clearly the hardass of Wisteria Lane, she seems genuinely sweet trying to impress Bree with her cooking skills and offering Lynette a glass of wine. She even takes Nick back after admitting that she knew about his affair with Julie all along - though not without a swift punch in the face first. She may have a checkered past, but Angie seems to be able to take care of herself just fine.

Did you like this week's episode? Are you starting to root for Angie or do you still think she can't be trusted?