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What Is the Best Action Movie of 2009?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:30:17 -0800

2009 had an amazing Summer at the box office, and that was due in part to some amazing action flicks. Surprisingly, they weren't all blockbusters, and they weren't all about just blowing stuff up. What was your favorite action flick of the year?

Don't forget to vote on all of my Best of 2009 polls!

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!

68%

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.

25%

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.

36%

Box Office: Night at the Museum Beats Terminator!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:30:52 -0700

Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian blew Terminator Salvation out of the water over Memorial Day weekend, earning an estimated $70 million.

However, despite coming in second place, McG's effort to revive the popular sci-fi franchise is still a success, earning a solid $53.8 million. That's impressive considering Terminator's less-than-glowing reviews, as well as competition in the action-adventure genre from Star Trek, which came in third place.

Angels & Demons came in at No. 4 followed by Dance Flick which debuted at No. 5.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Angels and Demons Is No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:15:54 -0700

The film adaptation of Dan Brown's bestselling novel, Angels and Demons starring Tom Hanks, is a global sensation after earning an estimated $104.3 million at the international box office over the weekend.

Here in the US the holy thriller swiped the top spot from Star Trek, which still performed strongly, coming in at No. 2 with an estimated $43 million domestically. According to Variety, positive word-of-mouth thanks to stellar reviews is probably the reason Star Trek continues to be quite the box office powerhouse.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Obsessed rounded out the rest of the box office top five coming in third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Angels and Demons: Information Overload

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:30:29 -0700

Angels and Demons reunites Tom Hanks and Ron Howard for another Dan Brown adaptation. While Brown's book was a prequel to the author's best-selling The Da Vinci Code, this installment in the movie franchise is set up as a sequel.

The Da Vinci Code received awful reviews when it debuted, mostly due to its excruciatingly slow pace. It then went on to earn a gazillion dollars, proving there's an appetite for escapist movies involving Vatican conspiracy theories. But while the pacing is much improved in Angels and Demons, the mindless entertainment part is basically ruined thanks to an enormous amount of expository dialogue. Every time the action starts to click along, every time the mystery deepens, Hanks's professor character shows up with another long-winded history lesson that's completely pointless in terms of understanding the plot. In other words, it's a buzzkill.

To see why this would be a much better experience if the professor were muzzled, read more.

The story begins promisingly enough with some high-stakes circumstances. The beloved pope is dead! The preferiti - the four cardinals up for pope - have been kidnapped! The kidnapper is leaving clues full of strange symbols! This must be a job for a symbologist!

Enter Harvard scholar Robert Langdon (Hanks), whom we first see buff and tanned (and without that terrible bouffant he sported the last time) swimming laps. A man with a briefcase approaches. In the first of many "Thank you, Captain Obvious" moments, Langdon pops up for air and explains in great detail that a symbol on the briefcase must mean the man is from the Vatican. And then the man says, "Yes. I am from the Vatican." That's the sort of thing that happens all throughout this movie.

Regardless, the chase is on to save the cardinals from a mad man who Langdon believes is part of an ancient group of scientists/terrorists called the Illuminati. Adding to the suspense is a dangerous "God particle," stolen from an Italian biophysicist named Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), ticking away like a time bomb and threatening to blow the Holy City to smithereens.

Further complicating the story is a cast of Vatican power players filled out by three excellent actors: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Stellan Skarsgard, and Ewan McGregor. I wish these characters had their own movie in which they could maneuver around each other in the aftermath of the pope's mysterious death. But no, they have to call in that yappy professor, who takes forever to explain things the audience has already figured out.

While the first half of the movie is predictable and mind-numbing, the final act is so preposterous it's actually fun. The climactic scene is so silly and nonsensical you'll likely have fun talking about it for days (I know I have). The set design and costumes are actually quite beautiful, as is the cinematography, which gives many of the scenes a lovely, heavenly glow.

In the end the ingredients are all there for a stylish and fun (and most holy) suspense thriller. Too bad Howard and his team ruined it by talking too much.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:30:39 -0700

Tom Hanks's new movie, Angels and Demons, hits theaters today. Every time I see that guy on the big screen these days, I can't help but marvel at his career. The man has been making blockbusters for decades, and he's one of the most powerful, not to mention beloved, forces in Hollywood.

His career has involved acting both on big screens and small, and he's worked with so many talented actors and directors along the way. I get a kick out of Tom Hanks trivia and thought you might have fun testing your knowledge as well. Ready? Good luck!

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Take the quiz

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: Angels and Demons

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:15:26 -0700

Though Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons is a prequel to his bestseller The Da Vinci Code, the film adaptation was developed as a sequel. In the movie, which opens this Friday, Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon who "discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati" whose most despised enemy is the Catholic Church. Together with an Italian scientist named Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), Langdon "will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival."

Do you plan on seeking out this mysterious thriller in the theaters, on DVD, or when it happens to be on TV someday? Or maybe never?

One-sheet courtesy of Sony Pictures

Movie Preview: Angels and Demons

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:30:04 -0800

We got a taste of Ron Howard's followup to his 2006 film The DaVinci Code a few months ago, and a longer peek aired during the Super Bowl. Now, a full-length trailer for Angels and Demons, in all its dramatic mysteriousness, has hit the web. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, this time working to "solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican." Joining him in the film is Ayelet Zurer as Langdon's new female cohort and Ewan McGregor as the Camerlengo. Oh, Ewan. He looks so handsome, even in priestly garb.

Though Dan Brown's book is a prequel to The DaVinci Code, this film adaptation is a sequel. Angels and Demons opens May 15. To check out the full-length trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

First Look: Teaser For Angels and Demons

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:30:38 -0700

I'm not totally sure that The Da Vinci Code was so awesome that Dan Brown's other popular novel, Angels and Demons, needed to be adapted for film, but Hollywood didn't listen to me on this one and the movie moved forward. Now we have a little peek at what might be in store for us and from this very brief look, the film does appear to be pretty spooky and riveting.

Ron Howard directs and Tom Hanks is again playing Robert Langdon the Harvard symbologist who "works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican." The movie opens May 15.

Have you read this book? Did you like The Da Vinci Code?

To take a look at the teaser trailer and let me know what you think, read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 4/25

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:30:13 -0700

It's been rumored for more than a year, but now it's nearly official: NBC has plans to announce that Jimmy Fallon will take over for Conan O'Brien in 2009, Reuters reports.
Speaking of confirmed rumors, Guillermo del Toro will officially direct The Hobbit and its sequel, Zap2it reports.
Alyssa Milano and Nathan Fillion are in talks to star in pilots for ABC, writes the Hollywood Reporter. Milano's is a comedy about a dysfunctional family, and Fillion's is a drama about a mystery novelist who works with the NYPD.
ComingSoon has news that Ewan McGregor is in talks to join the Da Vinci Code prequel Angels and Demons.
Wesley Snipes has been sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion, the Associated Press reports.
The Lachey family now has two reality-TV hosts: Nick Lachey will host ABC's High School Musical series this Summer, Variety reports.
First Jordin Sparks left the Alicia Keys tour; now, Keys herself had to cancel some tour dates, though she should be back this weekend, E! reports.
JJ Abrams and his company will produce a comedy film called Hot for Teacher, whose plot is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, writes the Hollywood Reporter.

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