BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:30:29 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 titles below you can also rent the complete fifth season of Reno 911 as well as the Raven-Symoné comedy (and that's being generous) College Road Trip.

The Bank Job
I wouldn't be surprised if you missed The Bank Job while it was in theaters because it may have been written off as yet another bank heist flick. Now that it's out on DVD I think it deserves your rental/Netflix queue consideration.

Like I said before, it's an entertaining movie that is supposedly based on a true story. It centers around a group of crooks led by Terry Leather (Jason Statham ), who catches wind of a vulnerable vault of safe-deposit boxes. Little does Terry know, however, that the heist will end up having much farther-reaching implications involving several parties with a keen interest in this particular vault. It's not rocket science, sure, but it is a whole lot of fun and smartly directed. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself.

Special features include commentary with director Roger Donaldson, actress Saffron Burrows and composer J. Peter Robinson, and an "Inside The Bank Job" featurette.

Two more fun picks, so

read more. Meet Bill Even though I didn't hear much buzz surrounding Meet Bill originally, I still hoped to see it. But time flies when you're watching everything else, and here it is, already out on DVD. It's possible that we didn't hear much about it for good reason, though I still want to give it a shot because I really like Aaron Eckhart, not to mention Elizabeth Banks. Netflix sums up the plot as such: "Beleaguered bank employee Bill (Aaron Eckhart) has his hands full with his wife's (Elizabeth Banks) infidelity with a local television reporter (Timothy Olyphant), his oblivious father-in-law (Holmes Osborne) who runs the bank, and his own frustrated attempts to change careers in this screwball comedy. But when he's persuaded to mentor a teenager known as the Kid (Logan Lerman), things just might turn around for Bill." Penelope Me? I wasn't in love with Penelope but that isn't to say it doesn't have its charms and depending on the mood your in, could be just the anecdote to all these summertime superhero blockbusters. The move stars James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon, and Christina Ricci and tells the fanciful story of a girl cursed with a pig nose. In order to break the curse she must find "one of her own" (i.e. a "blue blood") to love her just as she is and marry her. What follows is a fanciful story that is visually lovely and sometimes touching. Special features include "The Making of Modern-Day tale" as well as a Twilight sneak peek.

The Bank Job: One Helluva Heist

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:30:00 PDT

Heist movies are formulaic by definition, but when filmmakers follow the formula well, it makes for a highly satisfying flick. As proof, I present The Bank Job, which is the kind of movie you go see just because you're in the mood for a movie but walk away from highly entertained. It's not star-studded, nor a showcase for fine acting, but it possesses the two essential elements of a good heist movie: a well-written script and smart directing.

Directed by Roger Donaldson (The Recruit, Cocktail), The Bank Job centers on a pack of amateur crooks led by Terry Leather (Jason Statham ), who gets a tip from an old flame named Martine Love (Saffron Burroughs) about a vulnerable vault of safe-deposit boxes. The fact that the two main characters are named Leather and Love suggests is an early sign that this movie doesn't take itself too seriously. But the comedic caper takes some dark turns and pulls off both vibes very well, so

read more. The thieves - "villains," in movie's parlance - don't know that the robbery has been orchestrated by the British secret service, who want to lift some highly secretive photos from the vault without being associated with the theft. Loosely inspired by a real-life 1971 bank heist in London, the caper ends up having much farther-reaching implications, including a royal-family scandal and corrupt cops who want revenge. I won't reveal too much more of the plot: That is, after all, the main draw, and the action, while clever and never dull, isn't difficult to follow. What sets The Bank Job apart is its retro style. The color palette pays homage to '70s cinema, and it's refreshingly free of the high-tech hijinks that clutter up so many modern heist movies (The Italian Job and Ocean's 13 being prime offenders). And unlike some action movies that begin to drag on once the main event is over, The Bank Job's denouement is just as riveting as the bank job itself - albeit much darker and more violent, so consider yourself warned. But if you're not the squeamish type, this film is a fun and fast-paced way to pass the slow Spring movie season. Photos courtesy of Lionsgate

Do, Dump, or Marry?

DearSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:00:00 PDT

Are you familiar with Jason Statham? He's the star of the new movie The Bank Job but he also starred in a few of my favorite heist films - Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Sure, he's bald and he falls on the shorter end of the height spectrum, but come on ladies, he's a total babe!! You all know by now that I'm a sucker for a man with an accent, and even though he's a bit of a playboy, he's still very much doable in my book. So what's your take on Jason Statham? Would you do, dump or marry him?

Source

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "The Spanish Teacher"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:05 PST

Glee goes Latin this week when guest star Ricky Martin stops by to shake it and teach Mr. Schue a thing about Spanish (which, despite being a Spanish teacher, he does not know). A couple more people find out about Finn and Rachel's engagement, though Mercedes and Sam are still far more unclear about their relationship. Sue also announces a highly frightening desire to be a mother while clawing at the chance to be a tenured teacher.

There are some fun numbers this week, but they couldn't distract from the fact that this episode is all over the place. A couple of the subplots are just plain ridiculous, but it's not totally without its highlights, so let's go over them after the jump.

6 Ways Couples Can Tell They're Financially Ready to Live Together

Business Insider — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:15:47 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

Moving in together as a couple is more than deciding who gets the "good side" of the bed and finding the best spot to stash the PlayStation.

Not only will you be sharing household bills and probably setting up a joint bank account, but you'll also get up close and personal with your partner's money demons for the first time.

"A husband or wife, even a boyfriend or a girlfriend, is not a financial plan," says Dr. Taffy Wagner, CEO of Money Talk Matters. "We've seen enough drama on Court TV shows."

As a certified personal finance educator and author of Bride and Groom Money Talk FAQ, Wagner's an expert on all things relationships and finances.

Before you start building a bigger closet, make sure you're both ready to merge your finances by checking for these six signs:

1. You can talk money without arguing. Per Wagner: "When you can openly discuss finances without arguing and blaming the other person when there is a financial issue," you're on the right track. "The people in this situation would also be able to discuss a financial issue and reach a viable solution that is best for the overall relationship."

Read on for more.

Uh Oh! Watch Out For These 12 IRS Audit Red Flags

Kiplinger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:06:09 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

The IRS audits only slightly more than 1% of all individual tax returns annually. The agency doesn't have enough personnel and resources to examine each and every tax return filed during a year. So the odds are pretty low that your return will be picked for review. And, of course, the only reason filers should worry about an audit is if they are fudging on their taxes.

However, the chances of being audited or otherwise hearing from the IRS increase depending upon various factors, including your income level, whether you omitted income, the types of deductions or losses you claimed, the business in which you're engaged and whether you own foreign assets. Math errors may draw IRS inquiry, but they'll rarely lead to a full-blown exam. Although there's no sure way to avoid an IRS audit, you should be aware of red flags that could increase your chances of drawing unwanted attention from the IRS.

1. Making too much money

Although the overall individual audit rate is about 1.11%, the odds increase dramatically for higher-income filers. IRS statistics show that people with incomes of $200,000 or higher had an audit rate of 3.93%, or one out of slightly more than every 25 returns. Report $1 million or more of income? There's a one-in-eight chance your return will be audited. The audit rate drops significantly for filers making less than $200,000: Only 1.02% of such returns were audited during 2011, and the vast majority of these exams were conducted by mail. We're not saying you should try to make less money - everyone wants to be a millionaire. Just understand that the more income shown on your return, the more likely it is that you'll be hearing from the IRS.

Read on for more red flags.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish: 8 Quotes From Steve Jobs

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:04:53 PST

Virgin America announced earlier today that it would be naming one of its planes after Steve Jobs as a way to pay tribute to Apple's legendary CEO. The plane won't bear Steves name itself, but one of his most famous quotes: "Stay hungry, stay foolish."

Steve Job's Stanford commencement address, from which the quote was derived, has over 13 million views on YouTube and is filled with life lessons and notable quotes to remember. Here, eight you should keep in your memory banks.

7 Tips to Wake Up Fast and Other Savvy Hits of the Week!

Emily Co — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:15:05 PST

Wakey, wakey! Seven tips to wake up and get out of bed fast
Inexpensive Winter dates that won't break the bank
A miniguide to office lunch etiquette
Twelve items to make a long flight bearable
Really awesome work-from-home jobs
Things you do to save that actually end up costing you more
A super simple but effective way to save: the $5 savings jar
Nine fashionable lunch bags to bring to work
How to avoid awkwardness when the bill arrives

Turn Your Inbox Into a To-Do List in 5 Easy Steps

SavvySugar — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:36:23 PST

Start the new year off right by getting organized - beginning with your inbox. From daily deals to digital receipts to holiday sale announcements, emails are especially frequent this time of year. Clear the clutter and manage your tasks by following these five simple steps.

Create categories. It's important to categorize your messages so that you can find them quickly. Start by establishing general folders like personal, work, finance, travel, and shopping. Then decide how you can divide each of those labels into smaller subcategories. For instance, your personal folder may include photos and letters, while your shopping folder contains coupons and receipts. Determine the types of messages that you receive most often and add more as you see fit.
Color-code. For one thing, colored labels will make your inbox look better. Plus, keeping things color-coordinated allows you to carry the label system throughout your office. Buy folders, sticky notes, and highlighters in each shade so that, for example, blue always means banking. In Gmail, colors can be added to each label by letting your mouse hover just to the right of the label name.

Read on for the rest of the steps.