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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:30:13 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 now also find the first season of the 90210 reboot and the indie film starring Zooey Deschanel, Gigantic, on DVD.

I Love You, Man
Paul Rudd proves he can be more than just a funny sidekick in his leading role in I Love You, Man. Paul plays Peter, a sensitive guy who genuinely enjoys spending all of his time with his girlfriend. Upon realizing that his wedding party is lacking a best man, Peter sets off on a search for true guy love. He soon finds both fun and trouble in his new friendship with Sydney (Jason Segel).

I really loved exploring the sweeter side of the bromance genre with this movie and I can't wait to see it again. Extra DVD features include a gag reel, Jason Segel discussing whether or not to shave before a man-date, and a mash-up of the movie's bear-hug scenes. Aww.

82%

Two more new DVD selections this week, so

read more. The Class An Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film, The Class gives us a year in the life of François Marin, a teacher at an inner city high school in Paris. The teachers struggle to find a balance between inspiring their students and showing them how to help themselves. As commonly seen in the teacher-student genre, Marin's trials and tribulations with his teenagers are littered with just as much failure as victory. It may sound like something you've already seen before, but I found that the raw emotion in the storytelling really makes this French film worthwhile. 97%

17 Again Feeling nostalgic for your high school years? Me neither, but it's always fun to watch cute teenagers bumble through adolescence - in this case, for the second time around. In 17 Again, Matthew Perry plays Mike O'Donnell, a 37-year-old longing for the good old high school years when his adulthood doesn't turn out the way he expected (spoiler alert: his wish comes true). Enter Zac Efron as the hot, teenage version of Mike who tries to get through to his (actual teenage) kids and put his family back together. Things are a little weird when Mike's daughter gets, um, uncomfortably close to the young version of her dear old dad, but it's fun to see Zac in a high school scenario that doesn't involve jazz hands. 57%

The Class: This Is Not Your Mama's Classroom Drama

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:30:35 PST

The Class was the winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and is now an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film. And yet, in learning about it at first I wondered how it would differ from the usual inspirational teacher film. It may be French but could it offer anything we haven't seen before from this type of movie? Well, never judge a teacher movie by its cover because this gritty, hyper-realistic story about a year in the life of a young teacher packs an emotional punch that completely took me by surprise.

There's a lot of chatter surrounding this year's Oscar nominees in terms of their star power, technical achievements and general glossiness. Indeed, many of the films touted as the year's best have a museum-like quality to them, as though the audience has been invited to look upon a beautifully rendered world through a cinematic plexiglass. It's lovely, to be sure, but has left me cold at times. That's why The Class stands out as something altogether different. To see what I think sets this movie apart from the pack,

read more. Above all else, The Class is concerned with getting its audience invested in the muck of day-to-day human emotion. The film stars Francois Begaudeau (whose book about his experiences as a teacher is the basis for this movie) and is set in an urban, multi-ethnic neighborhood of Paris. Director Laurent Cantet cast mostly nonprofessional actors in the roles of the students and filmed for over a year via a workshopping process. The result of this intense, improvisational focus on the craft is a fictional film that reads like a documentary. I've never felt so viscerally the frustrations that come along with being a teacher - working day in and day out with other peoples' children from a variety of backgrounds is a more daunting task than I think most people acknowledge. As the movie progresses through the year, Francois is not only faced with keeping his young students focused on their education in the classroom, but he must also attempt to draw boundaries and demand their respect. For some of this he turns to his colleagues, and I found it fascinating to watch Francois and the other teachers debate things like the effectiveness of disciplinary actions. And while the film is completely grounded in the real world, it has a surprising transcendent quality to it. What makes this movie soar beyond the overly-sentimental conventions of its genre is how effectively it conveys the frustration of some days when it's hard to even give a damn. There's a powerful scene in which a teacher has a total meltdown in the lounge cursing the children in front of all his colleagues. The other teachers observe him with knowing eyes and they don't judge him. Despite not being a teacher, I felt like I got it too: Sometimes this unforgiving world we live in makes it really hard to care too much. So it's that much more awe-inspiring when we find a teacher who does. Photo courtesy of Sony Picture Classics

Movie Preview: The Class

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:00 PST

Those of you who have seen Slumdog Millionaire recently may have caught a preview for the French film that received the Palm D'or at last year's Cannes Film Festival: The Class.

The movie is based on an autobiographical novel by François Bégaudeau (who actually stars as the character based on himself, François Marin) and follows his experience as a literature teacher in an inner city middle school in Paris. Story aside, the movie looks gorgeous and is getting rave reviews from film critics across the board. I especially like this review, which describes the movie as "an unsentimental slice-of-life story, shot on digital film with a cast of unglamorous unknowns."

I can't wait to see this when it opens Feb. 6. To watch the trailer, just

read more. Photo courtesy of Sony Picture Classics

The 2008 Cannes Palm D'Or Award Goes to...

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:41:08 PDT

The 2008 Cannes Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday and with it came the prestigious awards ceremony. The top honor, the Palm D'Or, was given to Laurent Cantent's The Class. The film hails from France, a country who hasn't received the Palm D'Or for more than 20 years. The Class is a documentary-style drama that Variety calls "a fully sustained immersion in the academics, attitudes and frequent altercations of a group of junior high school students." The French trailer seems rather subdued, but I have a feeling that it's probably as powerful as Larry Clark's Kids.

Taking second place, the Grand Prix, was Matteo Garrone's Gomorra. IMDB describes the Italian film, as "a contempo Neapolitan mob drama based on an expose of Italy's criminal underbelly." Even though I couldn't understand a word of the trailer, it gave me the chills. It looks similar in tone to 2002's Best Foreign Picture nominee, City of God.

Special awards were also given out to Catherine Deneuve for her performance in A Christmas Tale and Clint Eastwood for his direction of Changeling.

To see the foreign-language trailers for The Class and Gomorra,

read more. The Class Gomorra Source

Behind the Scenes with "The Class"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 09:13:56 PST

This week, the CBS sitcom "The Class" is letting fans behind the scenes in a very cool way. They're filming their table read and run-through - usually reserved only for the cast and crew - and putting them online for all to see.

The table read, which is when the cast and writers go through the script for the first time, was filmed on Monday, and the run-through will be Webcast live today starting at 4 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Pacific. You can get to both videos through the show's official site.

As far as I know, this is the first time a TV show has tried this, and there are a few bugs - a big one being that the video software CBS is using doesn't work on Macs. But I love the idea and would like to see some other shows try it, so

read more How fun would it be to see how an episode of, say, "The Office" changes from the time the script is written to the moment the show makes it on the air? A lot of shows are too protective of their secrets to ever try this - "Grey's Anatomy" comes to mind - but I'd love to see another show be bold enough to let its audience behind the curtain a little early. Photo courtesy of CBS.

Fall TV Preview: The Class and How I Met Your Mother

PopSugar — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:41:07 PDT

It seems like with every season there is a new Friends ripoff. The Class, premiering on CBS tonight at 8/7c, is one of those. The premise is that idealistic pediatrician, Ethan (played by John Ritter's son, Jason), plans a surprise party for his fiance to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day they first met in third grade. The surprise is that Ethan actually gathers all of the members of their third grade class together for the party. His fiance is less than thrilled and bolts while the misfit crowd of former classmates remains to rekindle their long lost friendships. The class includes every stereotype imaginable. Luckily for CBS, How I Met Your Mother is on right after.

The weak premise and the unlovable characters of The Class mean that we probably won't be tuning in, but we will for sure be tuning in to last year's newcomer and far superior Friends-esque show, How I Met Your Mother. The new season starts up right after The Class on CBS at 8:30/7:30c. We can't wait to find out if Marshall and Lily get back together and continue their wedding plans and if Ted and Robin can finally make it work this time. And of course, then there is Barney. Got to love Barney!

11 DIY Valentine's Day Cards Perfect For the Classroom Party

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:03:16 PST

Planning to do your lil one's Valentine's Day cards this weekend? Before heading to the store, consider simply firing up your printer! With a few clicks of the mouse and a little crafting glue, you and your tot can create beautifully handmade cards that will stand out from the crowd come Tuesday. Best of all, most of our fabulous finds don't require candy additions - moving mom and tot straight to the head of the class for following the teachers' directions.

Prince Harry Visits With Vets and Preps For a Return to Afghanistan

Allie Merriam — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:41:25 PST

Prince Harry visited with fellow servicemen and women this morning while at the Royal Air Force's Honington base. Dressed in fatigues, Harry checked out equipment, like rifles and night vision systems, and said hello to veterans. The Prince has seen combat action himself, and is poised for a second tour of duty. Prince Harry will return to the front line in Afghanistan later this year with the Army Air Corps. He'll serve as an Apache helicopter pilot, having been trained to fly the choppers during a program in the United States last year. He must first, though, complete a predeployment training course. Harry has received high marks in his work so far, earning the distinction of "best copilot gunner" in his class. Harry's brother, Prince William, is now also serving his country. He's one week into a month-and-a-half-long stay in the Falkland Islands, where he's manning search and rescue helicopters.

Fat-Proof Your Life

Health — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:06:06 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Maridel Reyes

It's true that there are certain times in your life when extra poundage seems to appear out of nowhere . . . and settle on you. In fact, experts have honed in on the exact moments when you're most vulnerable to weight gain.

"Life transitions, having a baby, and going through menopause cause many women to pile on pounds," says Susan Albers, PsyD, author of But I Deserve This Chocolate!: The 50 Most Common Diet-Derailing Excuses and How to Outwit Them. "But with planning and prep, you can stay thin."

We asked top experts for their strategies to help you ward off weight creep - and even shed pounds - at these tricky stages. Solutions ahead.

Getting married

Heavier ever after? It can be the flip side of wedded bliss: "Six out of 10 of my clients come back heavier after the honeymoon," says celebrity fitness and wellness guru David Kirsch.

Health.com: 25 Diet-Busting Foods You Should Never Eat

Young newlyweds pack on an extra six to nine pounds in the five years after getting hitched compared to singletons, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And most of that gain happens in the first year of marriage.

"Couples start to mirror each other's eating habits," explains Albers. "You might be matching him calorie for calorie without realizing it."

Learn how to keep the pounds down postmarriage and in the mommy years, after the break.

A Doctor Dishes: Which "Superfoods" Are Worth the Cost?

LearnVest — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

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

Most people you speak to these days are trying to stretch every dollar as far as possible - even the ones they spend buying apples and oranges.

Food prices are expected to increase yet again this year, and food manufacturers are making portions smaller without reducing prices. Not surprisingly, a recent Rasmussen poll found that 93 percent of adults report paying more for groceries now than they did a year ago.

So how can we supercharge our grocery dollars and get them to do overtime for us?

Yes, some foods are obviously a better nutritional deal than others (think apples vs. potato chips), but there’s another class of foods that blows the rest of the field away in terms of nutrients and health-protecting qualities: superfoods.

Superfoods can help prevent diabetes and heart disease, repair damage to your body’s cells, and more. But before you go piling them into your cart, know that some superfoods are better nutritional bargains than others. As a doctor and a mom, I’ve sleuthed out which ones are worth the extra cost in terms of their long-term health benefits. Below is the scoop on which ones may help you age better, ward off cancer, and more.

What to Know Before Buying Superfoods

Before we dive into what to buy, there are a few important things to remember about consuming these foods:

Eating foods fresh and in their natural state, especially fruits and vegetables (rather than in pill or powder supplement form), usually allows us to absorb the greatest amount of their nutrients. The way a superfood is processed or cooked can significantly lower its antioxidant content.
If the superfood can’t be eaten fresh, look for easy and appetizing recipes containing it. No matter how “super” a superfood may be, if you don’t know how to cook it, you’ll probably let it go to waste.

Are Superfoods "Good Buys" If I’m Shopping on a Budget?

Read on to find out.