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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:30:34 -0800

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 now add High School Musical 3, Flash of Genius, Religulous, and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People to your queue.

Changeling
If you're trying to catch all the Oscar-nominated performances before the big night, now's your chance to see Angelina in her award-worthy role in Changeling. Here's the Netflix plot description in case you forgot: "Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is overjoyed when her young kidnapped son Walter is brought back home. But when Christine suspects that the Walter who was returned to her isn't her actual child, the police captain (Jeffrey Donovan) has her committed to an asylum. John Malkovich co-stars as the crusading reverend who comes to Christine's rescue in this gripping, 1920s-set drama helmed by ace director Clint Eastwood."

I'm glad to see they dispensed of that creepy movie poster for the DVD cover. Extras include featurettes titled "Partners in Crime: Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie" and "The Common Thread: Angelina Jolie Becomes Christine Collins."

Two more up next, so read more.

Body of Lies
Ridley Scott fans will have a good time with this political thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. The two talented actors play CIA operatives trying to find a major terrorist leader by working with the Jordanian secret police. It's a timely, action-packed tale of espionage that might even make you think.

Special features include commentary by director Ridley Scott, screenwriter William Monahan and original novel author David Ignatius, and a featurette titled "Actionable Intelligence: Deconstructing Body of Lies."

Choke
I'm excited to see Sam Rockwell star in this adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's darkly comedic novel. Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, a guy who works at a Colonial-era theme park, frequents Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings to hit on women, and lies about being a choke victim to make money for his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston). He doesn't appear to be what we generally describe as a "winner" which makes it all the more intriguing to me.

Special features include audio commentary with director/writer/actor Clark Gregg and Rockwell, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and "A Conversation with Clark Gregg and Chuck Palahniuk."

Box Office: Madagascar Wins Lion's Share of the Bucks

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:30:09 -0800

The animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was a big hit with audiences over the weekend, earning a whopping $63.5 million. In fact, it set some records and "narrowly scored the best opening of the year for a family toon, as well as the seventh best bow of all time." Madagascar 2 just barely surpassed Wall-E which brought in $63 million its opening weekend.

In the No. 2 spot came the Paul Rudd comedy Role Models that exceeded expectations with an estimated $19.3 million. High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Changeling, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno rounded out the top five followed by Soul Men, which opened at No. 6.

Picture courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Box Office: High School Musical 3 Is Still No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:30:41 -0800

Those whippersnappers have once again snapped up the box office crown. Over the Halloween weekend, High School Musical 3 got top marks at the box office for the second weekend in a row, this time bringing in just over $15 million. According to Variety, this pushed "its worldwide total to an estimated $146.8 million after 10 days in release."

Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno debuted at No. 2, just barely beating out Saw V with each movie raking in something in the $10 million range. Opening nationwide over the weekend, Clint Eastwood's Changeling nabbed the fourth spot with an estimated $9.4 million. Per location, however, Changeling is the big winner, with an "average of $5,085, the best of any film in the top 10 chart." The Haunting of Molly Hartley rounded out the top five with approximately $6 million over its opening week.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Changeling: An Emotional Meat Grinder

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:30:10 -0700

Clint Eastwood sure isn't one to shy away from dark, gut-wrenching material for his directorial projects, and Changeling is no exception. I went into the screening bracing myself for sorrow and pain, but I didn't brace myself enough. Changeling contains all the heavy sentimentality of Million Dollar Baby and that punch-in-the-stomach anguish of injustice found in Mystic River. Add to this the terrible real-life tragedy involving innocent children and you've got a very difficult (though worthwhile) movie-watching experience.

In 1928, single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) returns home from her job at the telephone company to discover that her son Walter has gone missing. After a few months, the LAPD claim they've found her son and they bring a child, claiming to be Walter, to Christine. She insists he isn't her child but the shady police captain, J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), desperate for the LAPD to have a positive story in the news, bullies Christine into believing that she's just a woman who has been driven to hysterics by grief and worry. All of Christine's further attempts to convince the police department that her son is still at large are shot down until Jones finally hauls Christine away to a mental institution to shut her up. For more of the story and some of my thoughts on it all, read more.

Christine's only ally is Gustav Briegleb, a Presbyterian reverend who makes it his mission to expose the corruption of the LAPD. Ultimately, detective Lester Ybarra follows a lead that brings him to Wineville, California where the disturbed Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner) has been committing heinous crimes against children. Gordon's trial comes about at the same time that Christine and Gustav are bringing charges against the LAPD. All the while, Christine doggedly continues her search for Walter, spurred by her belief that he's still out in the world.

There are so many aspects of this movie that claw at the heart. There's the missing child storyline, and the infuriating treatment of Christine Collins when she asks for a decent amount of help from the LAPD. Then there's the horrifying situation (made more horrifying by the fact that it's a true story) involving Gordon Northcott in Wineville. And there's the outrageous incarceration of Christine Collins (and any other woman who dares take the LAPD to task) in the mental institute. It's just a constant barrage of emotional beatings that had me squirming in my seat, more uncomfortable than I've been at a movie in a long, long time. By the end of it, I was exhausted.

Eastwood has captured the time period remarkably well, down to the last careful detail, and any film that can evoke such fury, horror, and aching sympathy is certainly one for the ages. Angelina Jolie's performance is excellent and focused, and while it's strange to see her play someone so meek, I easily bought her as a gentle, average mother caught up in a situation more harrowing than your worst nightmare. An equally powerful performance, however, is Jason Butler Harner's as the mentally unstable Gordon. Of course we loathe this character, but Harner somehow brings a bewildering and terribly sad humanity to an otherwise monstrous person. Amy Ryan is also riveting - making her role both pitiable and strong - as another woman who has been wrongfully committed to the mental institute. These performances, along with Eastwood's direction make for a staggering film, even if it does leave your heart feeling shredded.

Photos courtesy of Universal

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: Changeling

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:30:12 -0700

This latest drama from director Clint Eastwood looks powerfully emotional and possibly devastating. Set in the late-1920s, Angelina Jolie plays Christine Collins, a mother whose son has gone missing. A boy shows up claiming to be her son, but isn't, and Christine must then fight against corrupt police officers (who consider the case closed) in her frantic search for answers.

Of course, I'm going to watch Changeling in theaters and I'm curious to see what could be Oscar-worthy performances, but I'm not gonna lie: I'm bracing myself for my heart to be wrung out and left on the clothesline.

Will you head to the theater to see Changeling? Or do you prefer the privacy of your own home for movies like this? You could always wait until it comes on TV someday. Or maybe this isn't your cup of tea(rs) at all.

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Movie Preview: Angelina Jolie in Changeling

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:33:29 -0700

As is the case with many of this Fall's most anticipated films, Clint Eastwood's Changeling looks to be heavy, dark and emotionally draining. Luckily, Eastwood got Angelina Jolie, no stranger to this type of material, to play the heart-wrenchingly sympathetic protagonist. The movie screened at Cannes and many who have seen it agree that it will have no problem nabbing Oscar nominations. From the trailer, I can certainly see why.

In the film, set in the late-1920s, Jolie plays Christine Collins, a mother whose son has gone missing. A boy shows up claiming to be her son, but isn't, and Christine must then fight against corrupt police officers (who consider the case closed) in her frantic search for answers. Last month we got a first look at a clip from the film, which was tense and difficult enough, but this new trailer includes more details of the harrowing story. It also prominently features John Malkovich's character, which has piqued my curiosity about this film even more.

The historical drama hits theaters in wide release October 31. To watch the trailer, read more.

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First Look: Angelina Jolie in Changeling

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:30:19 -0700

Clint Eastwood's period drama, Changeling (or The Exchange, depending on who you ask) premiered at Cannes and succeeded in impressing the critics, some of whom claim that Angelina Jolie may be looking at an Oscar nomination for her starring role. There's still no trailer for the film which is supposed to open in limited release October 24, but we do have a clip to check out.

The movie is set in the late-1920s and is based on true events. Jolie plays Christine Collins, a mother whose son has gone missing. A boy shows up claiming to be her son, but isn't, and Christine must then fight against corrupt police officers and shady reporters in her frantic search for answers. In addition, she fights the unfair restrictions and expectations placed on women during this era.

According to US Magazine, Jolie based her characterization of Christine on her own mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of cancer in January 2007.

The clip shows the heartbreaking moment when Christine meets the young boy who is not her son. To watch, read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 6/11

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:31:13 -0700

Variety has the news that Paulo Coelho (author of The Alchemist) is asking for video submissions - via MySpace - of readers' interpretations of his novel The Witch of Portobello. Coelho then plans to "weave submissions into a 52-minute TV movie."
Bravo has chefs on the brain: It's spinning off a series called Top Chef Juniors about teens in the kitchen and will also develop a show about the "world's sexiest chef," TV Week reports.
Earlier this week, a stuntman filming John Woo's new movie was killed in what's being called "a bizarre fire," writes Reuters.
Disturbed topped this week's music charts, but Lil' Wayne is already on pace to be next week's No. 1 with what could be the year's biggest album, Billboard reports.
ComingSoon has the news that Clint Eastwood's upcoming movie Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie, has a new release date of October 24.
HBO has partnered with FunnyorDie and will help the site develop 10 half-hour TV shows for the network, Variety reports.
Nicole Sullivan will star in a half-hour comedy for Lifetime called Rita Rocks, which will be Lifetime's first original comedy in a decade, Broadcasting & Cable reports.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Robin Williams may join the cast of the political biopic The Prince of Providence, which already stars Dermot Mulroney and Oliver Platt.
Francis Capra of Veronica Mars is headed to Heroes, TV Guide reports, while Jamie Kennedy will be the new guy on Ghost Whisperer.

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

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:41:08 -0700

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

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Buzz News Roundup, 10/17

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:32:38 -0700

Fox has announced that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles will be paired with 24 in January, while Prison Break will take a break till April. The network has also renewed Kitchen Nightmares and asked for fewer episodes of New Amsterdam. All the details are at The Futon Critic.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Clint Eastwood's cast of Changeling has expanded beyond Angelina Jolie to include John Malkovich and Jeffrey Donovan.
Warner Bros. Japan will produce a movie called Sushi King! Goes to New York, based on a popular TV show set in the world of sushi, Variety reports.
Cat Power will cover songs by Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and James Brown on her next album, writes Billboard.
ComingSoon has news that Burlesque, a movie musical with 12 song-and-dance numbers, has been picked up by Screen Gems. The script was written by Juno writer Diablo Cody.
The View co-host Sherri Shepherd is developing a semi-autobiographical sitcom for The CW, Variety reports.
Meanwhile, Damon Wayans is working on a new comedy for ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety reports that Clay Aiken will star in the Monty Python musical Spamalot on Broadway.
JJ Abrams has apparently cast Chris Pine in the role of Captain Kirk for his Star Trek movie, writes ComingSoon.

Photo courtesy of Fox