BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means - new DVD releases just in time for the Thanksgiving break! I've already shared some fresh music picks, but here are three movies to add to your Netflix queue for the weekend.

Funny People

Adam Sandler plays a comedian who tries to turn his life around and befriend a past love (Leslie Mann) after being diagnosed with a blood disorder; Seth Rogen steps in as his idealistic assistant. Both men turn in solid performances in Funny People, and there are laughs, even though this is way more serious than director Judd Apatow's previous work. One of my complaints in the theater was that it was much too long, but that's the good thing about DVDs - you can always hit pause and go back later.

The single disc version includes a gag reel and a feature commentary with Apatow, Rogen, and Sandler. (Normally I don't watch with the commentary on, but in this case, I might just tune in for their wise cracks.) The special two-disc collector's version is loaded with extras, including a 13-year old Seth Rogen doing stand-up!

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Two more DVD releases to check out when you read more.

Four Christmases

I love Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, and while they don't necessarily have any sparks in Four Christmases, they still serve up a cute comedy. The pair star as a couple stuck visiting four sets of relatives around the holidays - his mom, her mom, his dad, her dad. And while it's not the funniest or most charming film that either actor has done, I still had a few laughs, especially thanks to the supporting cast of quirky characters (Jon Favreau and Kristin Chenoweth in particular). Even if it doesn't stack up against the classics in my holiday movie faceoff, it's worth trying if you're looking to get into the spirit of the season.

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Angels and Demons

Tom Hanks fans have Angels and Demons to look forward to. The actor is incredibly long-winded in the follow-up film to The DaVinci Code, but at least he's no longer sporting that ridiculous bouffant hairdo. This time, Robert Langdon tries to save the Vatican from an ancient group known as the Illuminati. Personally, I was bored by the first half when I saw the film in theaters, but the second part is actually fun - so if you catch it at home, you may want to fast forward a bit to get to the good stuff.

Special features include behind-the-scenes featurettes.

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Couples Retreat: Not Exactly a Relaxing Getaway

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:30:11 -0700

Everyone loves a vacation, right? Beautiful scenery, tropical drinks, fun in the sun. Add a few of your closest friends and you could have the trip of a lifetime - or a romantic getaway gone horribly awry.

To be fair, the four pairs in Couples Retreat don't realize what they're agreeing to when they head to Eden East, a swanky resort on a remote island. But once the relationship boot camp begins, the friendships quickly break down, and it's often more depressing than hilarious. To see what I mean, just read more.

The movie's couplings range in age, family size, and personality, with Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman at the epicenter. As Dave and Ronnie, they are perhaps the most "normal" of the bunch. Between Dave's demanding job making video games (hello, Guitar Hero product placement) and raising two young sons, Dave and Ronnie don't even realize their problems until they are forced into couples skill-building. Vaughn is his typical wise-cracking character, but a touch of sweetness makes his on-screen relationship with Akerman the most enjoyable to watch. You can actually believe that they love each other and aren't using the trip as a band-aid for a bullet hole.

Jason and Cynthia (played by Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell), on the other hand, are a lot harder to relate to as two type-A personalities with an undying love for organization and PowerPoint presentations. Jason and Cynthia present the idea of the group vacation to their friends as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage (promising that the therapy sessions are optional, of course). Bell is her typical adorable self, but Bateman is insufferable. His character is painfully meticulous and overbearing, making the audience feel just as suffocated as Cynthia does.

Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis) represent the worst of the worst: the couple that's been together so long that they don't even notice each other anymore. The high school sweethearts take the trip not as an opportunity to re-kindle the flame, but to chase skirts (or in this case, bikini bottoms) and muscular yoga instructors. Favreau gets a few laughs with his quest to get to Eden West, the "singles" side of the island, but age-wise, Davis doesn't quite fit in with Bell and Ackerman. It's also hard to laugh at characters that embody one of the biggest fears for young couples, and their ice-cold relationship is almost too realistic to scoff at.

Then there's Shane (Faizon Love), who's newly separated from the wife he still loves, but brings along his 20-year-old girlfriend for the ride instead. As Trudy, Kali Hawk steals a lot of the laughs as she yearns to drink and party all night long while her boyfriend would rather take a nap. One joke that never gets old: Trudy's insistence on calling Shane "Daddy" throughout the entire film.

With such a strong headline cast, it's disappointing that the supporting actors steal the show. I laughed the hardest at Dave and Ronnie's adorable boys (who get very little screen time) and at the motley crew of therapists and other wacky workers at the resort dedicated to making this the trip from hell.

At the end of it all, you'll get a few laughs along with some very beautiful imagery, but you might just want to put your money toward your own vacation instead.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Buzz Quiz: How Well Do You Know Vince Vaughn?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:30:00 -0700

Vince Vaughn is Hollywood's funny guy with the razor-sharp tongue - vertically gifted, member of the Frat Pack, and all-around movie quote generator. (Seriously, how many times have you heard the line, "You're so money and you don't even know it?") You may be able to recite all of the popular Vaughn-isms, but are you a true fanatic? In honor of Couples Retreat opening this week, take my quiz and find out.

Take the quiz

Movie Preview: Couples Retreat

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:02:27 -0700

This movie stars a whole slew of actors who are no strangers to comedy (Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and a bunch more), though the trailer for their upcoming movie Couples Retreat doesn't really elicit the big laughs. It does look pretty cute, though, so maybe it's more of a silly-funny thing than a ha-ha-funny thing.

The story follows four couples - some happy in their relationships and some on the brink of separating - who attend a couples retreat together in a beautiful tropical location. As they go about working on their relationships, funny stuff happens, I guess. I will say that it's very cool to see Jon Favreau back in a more central role (he also wrote the movie). I love it when he directs movies, but I love it just as much when he's being funny on the big screen. The comedy opens Oct. 9. To check out the new trailer, read more.

Four Christmases: A (Very) Light Dash of Holiday Fun

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:00:24 -0800

It's most likely that Four Christmases wouldn't be nearly so funny or endearing (though that may be slightly too strong a word for it) if it didn't take place around the holidays. Just watching these family members be mean to each other would probably be merely sad if it weren't juxtaposed with this holiday that is supposed to be at least partially about family togetherness. The premise of the film is gimmicky for sure (four Christmases in one day?), but what happens during those four Christmases is actually a lot of fun to watch.

I didn't expect much from this film and I was delightfully surprised. It's funnier than I thought it would be, and while Vaughn and Witherspoon are pretty much devoid of chemistry, there is an undeniable quirky charm to their pairing, though their best and funniest moments are when they're not in scenes together. The two play San Francisco couple Brad and Kate who go on exotic trips for Christmas each year in order to avoid their families. This year, however, they find out at the airport that all flights are canceled for the day. When a television news crew approaches them for a comment about the cancellations, the cat is let out of the bag: Brad and Kate are, in fact, in town for Christmas. Zaniness, of course, ensues, so read more.

Having seen the news reports, all four sets of Brad and Kate's divorced parents get in touch, hoping for some time with the elusive couple. Thus begins a hectic, harrowing day of physical abuse from Brad's brothers and emotional abuse from Kate's sister. Additionally, Brad has to play Taboo with his childhood buddy who is now dating his mother (Sissy Spacek, who, after Hot Rod, is getting quite good at the comedic older mom roles), and Kate revisits one of her most traumatic childhood moments. In the end, they learn a lot about each other and themselves and their families. You know the drill.

It's actually a good date movie in that I think both men and women will get a kick out of the silly hijinks and surprisingly funny wordplay, and the humor is relatively inoffensive. There are some slower moments but for the most part there aren't many points of forced emotion. In fact, one of the best things about the movie is that it's not "message-y." There's no tearful group hug and professions of the holidays being "all about our wacky, loving family!" There's very little schmaltz, and while the schmaltz is wonderful in many holiday movies, I found the lack of it here to be refreshing.

All in all, it's a forgettable film - I don't foresee any memorable Anchorman-like quotes making their way into our pop culture lexicon, for example - but while it lasts it's a pretty good jolt of holiday fun.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Buzz News Roundup, 10/29

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:30 -0700

Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Iron Man for the movie The Avengers. - Variety
Lauren Graham will play Adelaide in a Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. - Playbill
Natalie Portman is set to star in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. - ComingSoon
The Jonas Bros. will make their feature-film debut by starring in Walter the Farting Dog. - E! Online
NYPD Blue alum Sharon Lawrence will play Megan's mom on Privileged. - Entertainment Weekly
Fox Searchlight has picked up The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, a project based on Tom Wolfe's 1968 book, with Gus Van Sant directing. - The Hollywood Reporter
Vince Vaughn will star in a drama titled Sunny and 68. - Variety
And finally, German police are baffled by a speeding car with a Muppet as its passenger. Seriously, you gotta see this picture. - Nine MSN

Source and Iron Man photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Buzz News Roundup, 9/19

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:35:47 -0700

Aww, more Vaughn-Favreau goodness: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman and Faizon Love are set to star together in the comedy Couples Retreat. - ComingSoon
New albums are on the way from Wilco and from Weezer. - Billboard
Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones will play Stella's ex on How I Met Your Mother. - TV Guide
Guess who's the latest name rumored to be playing Dr. Watson to Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie's film: Jude Law. - Variety
Wade Allain Marcus will play "a hipster photographer" on Gossip Girl. - Hollywood Reporter
David Duchovny, Demi Moore and Amber Heard will play a perfect family in the drama The Joneses. - ComingSoon
Get your glasses ready: Chuck is planning a 3-D episode to air the day after the Super Bowl. - Chicago Tribune
Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes and Sam Worthington will star in the romantic drama Last Night. - Variety

Source

Movie Preview: Four Christmases

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:30:38 -0700

The little taste of Four Christmases in recent TV previews has only made me more curious to see a longer trailer, and now we've got it. As we know, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play Kate and Brad, who try to avoid their families around the holidays - but this year is different. Both of them have divorced parents, and they're forced to visit all four of their families for Christmas.

Sometimes I think Vince Vaughn is too snarky to be likable - especially in a movie like this - though Witherspoon is as cute and funny as ever. And the full-length trailer shows a few of the supporting actors, like Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Favreau, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek, all of whom seem well-cast.

I'll admit, I'm excited for the holiday films to hit theaters, so I'll surely see Four Christmases when it comes around Nov. 26, if for no other reason than because it's fun to get into the spirit of the season.

To see the full trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

Four Christmases Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Source

A First Look at Four Christmases

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:30:46 -0700

This first snippet from Four Christmases, the forthcoming holiday comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, has been popping up during various TV shows lately. I missed it during America's Next Top Model last week but finally caught it during the VMAs on Sunday, and now I'm curious to know what you think.

The movie centers on Kate and Brad, who usually find a way to avoid spending Christmas with their families - until this year, when they must visit all four of their divorced parents in a single day. Reese is typically cute in these sorts of movies, and nothing in this little clip makes me think Four Christmases will be any different. I think this movie's success will depend on the interplay between the Kate and Brad characters and their various family members, though, and there's not much of that here - so I'll be on the lookout for a longer trailer before this movie hits theaters Nov. 26.

For now, though, to watch the clip, just read more.

Source

Link Time! 11/27

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:29:50 -0800

This early image of the Joker from The Dark Knight on the cover of the not-yet-released January issue of Empire magazine has made its way to JoBlo, and consequently everywhere else.
Speaking of more movie pictures, check out many more stills from the fourth Indiana Jones movie (including Shia's worst hairdo ever) over on AintItCoolNews.
TV Squad compares the Jay Lenos of 1997 and 2007.
Want to watch Jack White fight a bull? Stereogum has the video for the White Stripes' "Conquest."
YumSugar already has her TiVo set for the Top Chef holiday special.
Popwatch says Vince Vaughn's "nut guard" is Swingers so he's protected from Fred Claus ruining his entire career.
TiFaux writes about the best and worst TV credit sequences.
Cinematical has found an excellent movie-related holiday gift guide. I think my fave is the t-shirt the Cinematical peeps chose to feature in their post.
The Telefile says it's really, really time for The Bachelor to hang it up.