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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:30:11 -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 these three creepy thrillers that join the others on video store shelves today, Wild Hogs also comes out on DVD, as well as David Lynch's Inland Empire.

The Lookout
One of my favorite thrillers of the year so far, The Lookout has Jeff Daniels and Joseph Gordon-Levitt both turning in superb performances as the good-natured blind man Lewis (Daniels) and his mentee Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Chris suffers a severe head injury from a car accident that cut short his promising athletic future. Now working as a janitor at a bank and living with his blind friend, Chris falls in with the smooth talking Gary Spargo and his posse (including the sweet and sexy Luvlee played by Isla Fisher).

Gary lures Chris into his bank heist, preying on Chris' loneliness and desire to feel powerful again. At the last minute, though, Chris has second thoughts. Chilling and suspenseful throughout, The Lookout is a fantastically worthwhile thriller. For more of my take, check out my review.

For two more thrilling titles, read more

Fracture
Fracture pits the adorable and arresting Ryan Gosling against the ever-shifty Anthony Hopkins in a capable legal thriller. Gosling plays Willy Beachum, the up-and-coming assistant district attorney tasked with linking Ted Crawford (Hopkins) to the murder of Ted's wife. Hopkins shows nothing new with his performance, relying on his old Silence of the Lambs tricks to once again portray a clever yet disturbed criminal while Gosling does his very best to pick up the slack. It's a decent rental for a spooky night, however, especially if you need a Gosling fix.

Vacancy
Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson star in this horror/thriller that takes place at a creepy motel (hence the title). David (Wilson) and Amy Fox (Beckinsale) are forced to stay in the shady Pinewood Motel when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. In the cursed Room 4, they turn on the TV and watch some slasher films... until they realize the low-budget movies were all filmed in their very motel room. Vacancy doesn't break any new ground, but it provides a few good scares if you're in the mood.

Box Office: Disturbia Not Disturbed from Top Spot

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:11:07 -0700

The many of you who want to see Disturbia are not alone: The teenage thriller held steady at No. 1 at the box office, raking in $13.5 million. With the plethora of thrillers out now, three out of the top five movies this weekend were of the genre, with Fracture claiming the No. 2 spot and Vacancy coming in fourth.

Will Ferrell's Blades of Glory was at No. 3 while the family flick Meet the Robinsons held its own at fifth place. Hilarious British comedy Hot Fuzz straggled in at sixth. As one might have expected, not even Adam Brody's cute face could save In the Land of Women from its pitiful opening weekend, bringing in a paltry $4.9 million and landing in eighth place after Ice Cube's Are We Done Yet?

Disturbia has a chance of keeping its top slot this weekend since there aren't too many good-looking films coming out, but it should prepare to be slaughtered by a certain web-slinger come the weekend of May 4.

Photo courtesy of Dreamworks

Which Current Thriller Are You Most Interested to See?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:35:02 -0700

'Tis the season, apparently, for thrillers to pile into the theaters. This weekend, Fracture joins the cinemas where current thrillers Disturbia, Perfect Stranger and The Lookout (among several others) are already clamoring for thrill-seeking viewers. I know I've asked you to tell me all about your favorite thrillers of old, but what about the newest ones? Which of these heart-pounders are you most interested in seeing?