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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:30:44 -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 my selections below, you can also add Speed Racer, Made of Honor and a little independent film starring Kate Beckinsale called Snow Angels to your lists.

TV-to-DVD Debuts
Today's a big day for several television series that are now available for the first time on DVD. Whether you love these shows and want to cherish them forever or just need a refresher before the next seasons start up again, here's a guide to what's out this week.

Pushing Daisies: Season One
Special features include the cast and creative team members chatting about the show secrets.
Dirty Sexy Money: Season One
Special features include bloopers, deleted scenes, and creator commentary on the inspiration for the Darling family.

Private Practice: Season One
Special features include a featurette titled, "Practice makes perfect - Journey with Kate through her acting career to see how she landed one of TV's most sought-after roles," behind-the-scenes footage, extended episodes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
Chuck: Season One
The DVD includes special featurettes like, "Chuck's World: Character development and original casting sessions," "Chuck vs. the Chuckles: Gag reel," and "Chuck on Chuck: Series stars join creators for some point/counterpoint."

Two more movies out on DVD, so read more!

Deception
This thriller boasts an exciting cast, and in my opinion the performances make this a great choice for some at-home entertainment. Of course, this is at-home adult entertainment as the plot of Deception centers on a secret high-class sex club for New York's elite. Ewan McGregor plays Jonathan McQuarry, the quiet and reclusive accountant lured into this world, Michelle Williams is the beautiful member of the club he falls in love with, and Hugh Jackson slithers into the skin of a mysterious evildoer.

Special features include commentary with director Marcel Langenegger, a featurette on the making of the film and something titled "Club Sexy." Your guess is as good as mine on that one.

Young @ Heart
Oh man, elderly folks singing rock songs - is there anything more soul touching? It made me cry, but they were tears of joy, the result of something wonderfully life-affirming pulling at the old heart strings. Young @ Heart is a documentary that follows a group of older folks who learn "young people's" tunes, like those by the Ramones, David Bowie, and Gloria Gaynor. The result? An adorable, funny, inspiring, hopeful little movie about growing old in America.

Special features include 10 deleted scenes and a featurette titled "Young @ Heart Goes to Hollywood."

Young@Heart: Will Make You Weep-Laugh for Hours

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:32:34 -0700

Going into the screening for Young@Heart, I knew I was doomed. I have a soft spot for stories about elderly folks, so I knew it would make me cry. Coldplay songs also make me cry ("Fix You"? Come on!). And oddly enough, standing ovations and enthusiastic applause sometimes make me cry. The Young@Heart documentary has all of this - and more. It had my number from the start, and I went through many tissues. But I also smiled a lot, and felt the joy that radiates off these inspiring people, leaping through the screen and into the hearts of the audience. Young at heart, indeed.

The movie opens on an auditorium full of people wildly cheering, standing, beaming (Buzz's Weepy Face, Take One). Soon we discover that they're at a kind of rock concert, and we hear the first wail of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash. But it's not a group of stringy haired punk kids onstage - it's a collection of earnest, wrinkled faces and heads with gray-white hair. It's the Young@Heart senior citizen choir of Northampton, Massachusetts. And that's just the first few minutes, so read more.

Under the tough-love leadership of choir director Bob Cilman, this group of older folks gets together a couple times a week to learn songs that - as we find out in the one-on-one interviews with the members - aren't necessarily enjoyable music to these people. But for the most part, the choir members like learning new things and get a kick out of performing these "young peoples'" tunes. Throughout the film we're treated to renditions of songs by the Ramones, David Bowie, Gloria Gaynor and - to the dismay of my tear ducts - Coldplay.

In between songs (and music videos!) we grow attached to certain members through personal interviews, as they all work toward learning a whole new lineup for a big upcoming concert. The new songs present their own challenges and some of the members begin to suffer greatly from health problems, but they doggedly attend rehearsals and study the words of the songs because Young@Heart is that much fun. And because audiences are counting on them.

Honestly, this stuff writes itself. The subject matter naturally taps into some of our most basic fears: that growing old means winding down and maybe being forgotten, neglected or unheard. Here, as a powerful contradiction, old folks are given voices - actually, big screamy punk rock voices - and far from tuning them out, people pay money to hear them. It's a most hopeful and exciting take on the issue of growing old in America.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Movie Preview: Young @ Heart

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:31:20 -0700

I missed this documentary at Sundance this year, so I'm thrilled that it's coming out this Friday in limited release. The trailer alone for Young @ Heart brings tears to my eyes - but not sad tears. The film follows the Young@Heart Chorus of Northampton, Massachusetts which consists of about two dozen senior citizens who sing covers of rock, punk and R&B classics with the help of their choir director Bob Cilman. They perform for everyone from inmates at a nearby prison to sold-out crowds at the local concert hall.

I'll post my review of the movie later this week, but just the trailer is totally inspiring so read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

There's a silver lining to TV shows going into reruns, and it's more time to watch movies! Happily, today there are a few highly-anticipated flicks, and I've gone through them to tell you What to Netflix. In addition to the three movies mentioned below, you can also catch Robert Pattinson's pre-Twilight dramedy How to Be.

Star Trek

This year's updated version of Star Trek turned the franchise on its head. With hot young things Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the beloved roles of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the film completely changed the series' history so they could start over with a fresh new story.

It worked like gangbusters: the space-set action movie is clever, entertaining, and tons of fun. It manages to make a sex symbol out of a pointy-eared geek, whom I personally drooled over. The movie manages to pay respect to the original, so those fans are still happy, while pleasing folks who weren't fans of the first (like myself).

The DVD's got lots of extras, including deleted scenes, a special feature on casting and a gag reel.
95%

See two more movies releasing today when you read more.

Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary follow up to 2006's wildly successful Borat, Bruno is more of the same: cringe-worthy setups that make for laughs. This time, though, the envelope that was pushed in the former is torn to pieces in the latter. It's not for the faint of heart or easily offended, but if you like Baron Cohen's humor, you'll appreciate the awkward-beyond-words situations.

I was torn - I wanted to laugh as hard as I did at Borat, but most of the time I was just wincing.

DVD extras include alternate and deleted scenes, as well as enhanced commentary.

67%

My Sister's Keeper

Need a good cry? Rent the tearjerker My Sister's Keeper. The drama stars Cameron Diaz as a mother presiding over her Leukemia-stricken daughter Kate, and the child they had in order to provide a kidney donor for Kate, Anna - who's played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin. When Anna sues her own parents for the rights to decide what to do with her own body, Diaz and her husband Jason Patric try to figure out what's really going with her.

I was definitely moved by the film, but you'd have to be made of stone not to, considering the subject matter. If you read the book, take heed: the ending in the film isn't exactly the same.

47%

Disney's A Christmas Carol: A Fun New Spin on an Old Favorite

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 -0800

Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is, quite literally, a tale as old as time. Hollywood has already turned the novel into countless films, so how do you keep it fresh to entertain old and young audiences alike? You give them a pair of 3-D glasses.

I was a bit skeptical about Disney's newest remake of the flick, even with the super stylized animation and all-star cast behind the voices. But once you put on those glasses, you'll be oohing and aahing right along with the kids, making the film a fun ride. It doesn't tug on the heartstrings the way other versions can, but it's not devoid of emotion either. To see what I mean, just read more.

Robert Zemeckis brings the story we already know and love; old Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) defines miserly and crotchety, spending his days counting his pennies and bitterly snapping at those around him. On one particularly Christmas Eve, he his haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. Sporting chains and a ghastly demeanor, Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer the same miserable fate if he doesn't take heed of three spirits who will visit him over the course of the night.

The film stays very true to Dickens's short novel, borrowing much of the text straight from the book and incorporating some of the darker elements that I hadn't seen before in versions designed for kids. That said, I still feel like some of the scenes waver on the side of being too scary. Marley's introduction with the chains is frightening but funny, whereas the progression of the ghost of Christmas present to the ghost of Christmas future (complete with full decay from giant to skeleton) probably would have given me nightmares when I was younger.

The special effects are all you could want and more; the 3-D pulls you right in, carrying you along with Scrooge as he flies overhead in his nightgown (and later spits in your face). You're in the midst of Victorian England at Christmas time, from the snowstorms to the festive music. It's dazzling - until you hit the emotional stuff.

The tale is one with a great big heart, but the actors can only go so far using their voices alone. In the most sentimental scenes, I found myself just wishing I could see the big name actors (which includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Robin Wright Penn) gazing into each other's eyes pointedly. Instead, it feels a bit like watching two mannequins standing face to face. Still, you're never bored for long, and there's always another thrill waiting at every turn.

In the end, Disney accomplishes its goal, producing a film that looks amazing and will entertain kids and adults alike. It may not be the best version of the tale to date, but it will leave you feeling plenty merry on your way out of the theater.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Where the Wild Things Are: A Passionate Ode to Childhood

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:30:00 -0700

There's been a bit of a controversy over how to market Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, Where The Wild Things Are. Is it for kids? Adults? Adult hipsters?

The answer is anyone who wants to feel what it's like to be a child, and not in the fun-loving, no-responsibilities way. As adults, we tend to forget the insecurity and fears we had as kids, which the film's young character Max is in the throes of. There's just enough exposition before the fantasy begins: Max has a single mom (Catherine Keener) and an older sister who has recently outgrown him. His first few acts at home show his innocence and the savage emotions under the surface. He knows it as being "wild."

Where the Wild Things Are isn't a heavy-handed allegory, or an edgy children's movie; it's a loyal tribute to the way kids think and feel. To see what else I thought of the film, just read more.

Max reaches the world of the wild things after throwing a particularly heinous fit, prompting his mother to yell, "You're out of control!" After running away, Max finds himself on a boat that finally brings him to a strange land. This is where the wild things are. The creatures Jonze has created are aesthetic wonders: creepy, hostile, and huggable at once. These aren't Jim Henson's Muppets, but real characters, led by Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini). The rest of the group is comprised of Lauren Ambrose as aloof KW, Catherine O'Hara as prickly Judith, Paul Dano as timid Alexander, Chris Cooper as Douglas, and Forest Whitaker as Ira.

Each creature has a fully realized personality, with flaws and varying temperaments; their faces are so emotive and their dialogue so human that their scenes with Max are as real as those with his mother. This group is not easily classified as friend or foe - they're dysfunctional in their relationships and don't always treat each other well. One of the most successful elements of the movie is the dialogue of the wild things, which is rooted in Max's head.

In many ways, screenwriter Dave Eggers's job was tougher than Spike Jonze's, because it's imperative to remember the way children think. Max's interactions with Carol and his new clan are made up of the kind of things a kid would hear from his parents and peers and then internalize. In fact, in the wild world, Max declares himself king to bring order, and he summons up speeches from the authority figures that he's pulling away from in his real life. Naturally, he's too young to recognize how his subverted position is significant.

Max's relationship with Carol is most telling. As the de facto leader of the group who can't handle sadness, loneliness, or jealousy, he acts out as a mirror of Max while still being his own character. The richness of Carol and the creature cast stays with you; when Max has to say goodbye to his friends, your heart breaks.

Jonze impressed me with his non-conformity; in another movie, Max would have demonstrated the grand lessons he learned from his time on the island, but in this one, he doesn't have to learn anything. He just gets to feel and experience and appreciate his emotionally fragmented new friends. It's devastating as a viewer, especially if you can put yourself back in that childlike place when your feelings were so raw and simple.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Portman, Gyllenhaal and Maguire in Brothers

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:30:21 -0700

Based on Susanne Bier's 2004 film and directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father), Brothers tells the story of a young man (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who "comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan." The older brother is played by Tobey Maguire and the wife is played by Natalie Portman, and from the looks of the trailer, the wife ends up getting very close with her brother-in-law, which causes some tension when her husband returns home from war.

For whatever reason, I have a hard time buying Portman as a mother of two but otherwise the movie looks intense and heart-wrenching. Brothers opens Dec. 4 and you can check out the trailer for it if you read more.