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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:30:00 -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.

Reign Over Me
With the exception of a few minor quibbles, I really liked this movie that finds an unlikely duo in Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler, and an even unlikelier dramatic performance from Sandler. Cheadle plays a dentist who sees his old college friend Charlie (Sandler) looking lost and bereft on the street one day. Having lost his entire family in one of the planes on 9/11, Charlie has become a recluse, spending his days renovating his kitchen and playing video games. Alan (Cheadle) decides to help his old friend, though he soon finds that Charlie's issues may go deeper than he can handle. For more on why I liked this movie so much, check out my review.

Two more new releases if you read more

"Degrassi High" - The Complete Series
OK, so you can't technically rent this set on Netflix (yet), but it is finally available for purchase in the United States today. The 28 episodes of "Degrassi High" wrap up the stories of Spike, Wheels, Snake and the rest of the "Degrassi Junior High" gang so many of us came to know and love during the '80s. The set also includes the controversial "School's Out" movie, which featured a surprising number of edgy plotlines (abortion, sex, foul language, drunken driving/manslaughter) in just 90 short minutes. The "Degrassi: The Next Generation" kids might be younger and hipper, but there's still nothing quite like watching this original crew.

Evan Almighty
This movie won't win any awards, and Steve Carell plays basically a slightly savvier version of his Michael Scott character on "The Office," but if you need a rental that is more or less appropriate for the whole family, this one's not the worst choice on the shelf. The film basically asks the question, "What would happen if the story of Noah's Ark happened to a modern-day family?" Carell plays the contemporary Noah - this time called Evan - chosen to build an ark and gather the animals two-by-two, etc. while his wife and colleagues look on in bafflement. There are some very funny moments and the animals are super cute. For a more complete rundown, read my review.

Ratatouille Heats Up the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:30:00 -0700

How many puns can we make about Ratatouille, the animated movie about a rat chef, taking the top slot at the box office this weekend? Ratatouille deep fries Die Hard at the box office? Ratatouille slices and dices the competition? Ratatouille gently folds in the ingredients for success?

Bringing in a sizzling (wow, this is fun) $47 million its opening weekend, Ratatouille easily came in first place, beating out Live Free or Die Hard, which raked in $33 million. Evan Almighty was No. 3, though had a much weaker showing than its opening weekend with just $15 million, which doesn't spell good things for the comedy that cost a mighty penny.

1408 continues to do exceptionally well for a summer thriller, taking fourth place. Michael Moore's documentary Sicko came in ninth with $4.5 million - the second-highest opening ever for a documentary (second only to Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11). Sad disappointment Evening groggily limped behind Sicko in tenth place.

Unfortunately, the reign of the little Pixar rodents will most likely be short lived. Transformers opens this Tuesday, just in time to rope in the July 4th vacationers looking for a cool theater and gigantic robot cars. Well, License to Wed also opens this week, but something tells me that movie won't provide too much competition for the Transformers. And that something is Robin Williams.

Image courtesy of Disney/Buena Vista Entertainment

"Evan" is Almighty at the Weekend Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:30:00 -0700

Not only can Steve Carell get animals to board an ark - he can also entice people to go to the movies. Carell's Evan Almighty took the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, bumping The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer from its temporary throne. But Evan didn't exactly attract a moviegoing flood of Biblical proportions. Considering that it was said to cost at least $175 million to make, chances are the movie's estimated $32.1 million take wasn't exactly the miracle its producers were hoping for.

Possibly the biggest surprise of the weekend was the John Cusack thriller 1408, which edged out Silver Surfer to take the No. 2 spot with just over $20 million. Variety notes that more than half of its ticket-buyers were women - maybe because it's a creepy but not gruesome horror film, maybe because John Cusack is just kind of awesome.

A Mighty Heart, on the other hand, took in just $4 million to finish in the No. 10 spot. Was the weighty biopic just too heavy for a breezy summer weekend?

Other notable results: Ocean's Thirteen nabbed the No. 4 spot with $11.3 million, while Knocked Up finished in fifth with more than $10 million, bringing its total for the summer to almost $109 million - which, incidentally, is about how much Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin raked in overall. Those Pirates brought in another $7 million to finish at No. 6. Surf's Up, Shrek the Third and Nancy Drew rounded out the top 10.

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Which Movie Will Be No. 1 at the Box Office This Weekend?

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:30:00 -0700

While there are several new releases coming out this weekend (Evan Almighty, A Mighty Heart, 1408, and others), it's hard to say if any of them will definitely knock The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer off of its box office throne. What do you think?

Evan Almighty: A Random Act of Something, Anyway

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

In my opinion, Evan Almighty gets a "K" for "kinda." It's kinda funny, kinda cute, kinda cool to look at. The premise is comical: What issues would a modern-day Noah face when he's called upon to build an ark? And the cast is exceptional: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Wanda Sykes, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, John Michael Higgins - the list continues, and each of them does a fine job. The execution of the funny premise with the funny people, however, feels clunky and weird.

The story is this: Evan Baxter is a new Congressman on Capitol Hill who drives a Hummer, thinks animals are dirty and brushes aside environmental issues. Once settled in DC, however, he's approached by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark because there is a flood coming. Evan resists at first but God keeps at him, basically forcing him out of his job and into building the ark. Evan's wife and three sons are skeptical at first, but eventually come around to support him. The animals gather at Evan's house in pairs and the flood comes. But lo, there's more to behold, so read more
There are cultural references that adults will enjoy, and the animals and physical humor will delight kids. Yet, it feels like something is missing all around. There isn't quite enough adult humor for it to be satisfying for grown-ups, but I think if I were a kid I'd be bored by the many slow-moving Capitol Hill scenes having to do with government legislation.

It's a pity this may be the most expensive comedy ever made because though the animals are adorable (I have "Monkeys are awesome!!!" written in my notes) and the CGI flood was impressive (though I couldn't stop thinking about the last time we watched up-close as a huge flood destroyed houses, which was during Hurricane Katrina), I'm not convinced the outcome was quite worth all the trouble.

There is also this element of, well, preachiness that surprised and confused me. For example, God says to Evan "You learn to change the world one act of random kindness at a time." But this is after God has begun forcing (seriously, forcing) Evan into building the ark - and the ark-building itself is certainly not random. Furthermore, we never see Baxter doing acts of random kindness. Ever. But if you can overlook a holey (ha ha) script, if you love these cast members and if you need a summer movie that most of the family will kinda enjoy, Evan Almighty is for you.

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Do You Want to See Evan Almighty?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Judging by the trailer for this Friday's Evan Almighty, the movie itself doesn't look like a polished work of art, though Steve Carell appears to be doing his usual funny thing. In fact, his character seems rather similar to the one he plays on "The Office." Thus, I'm going to giving Evan Almighty a shot. Do you think you will, too?

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Steve Carell Visits "The Daily Show"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:41:08 -0700

Sure, he's a big movie star now, but Steve Carell isn't above making a return visit to the show that made him a household name: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Carell stopped by the show on Monday to promote his new movie, Evan Almighty, which opens on Friday.

Of course, "The Daily Show" wasn't going to let Carell off easy. Right before his interview, Jon Stewart introduced correspondent Rob Riggle's new movie review feature ... which he used to pan Evan Almighty. Not to be outdone, Carell arrived on set for his interview accompanied by a gussied-up assistant who carried an umbrella over his head and held his drink for him so he could sip from a straw. And even Stephen Colbert got a few digs in, remembering how he used to hate Carell with an almost unbearable wrath. To watch three clips from the show, read more

Jon Stewart photo courtesy of Comedy Central
Steve Carell photo Source

Movie Preview: Evan Almighty

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:33:37 -0700

I'm not too sure about Evan Almighty as a great movie, but it definitely looks like a great vehicle for Steve Carell. You've probably seen the shorter previews on TV for the family film about a modern-day Noah who is called upon by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark. The whole thing is pretty absurd, but that doesn't stop Carell from doing his usual hilarious thing. I'm actually surprised by how many times I laughed at this trailer. You can see for yourself if you read more

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All Steve Carell, All The Time

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:29:42 -0700

You know I love Steve Carell, whether he's getting his chest waxed or wearing a woman's suit. If you're a fan, too, you might want to head over to Steve Almighty, a special section on NBC's DotComedy site where a new Steve clip will be posted every day through June 22, the release date for Carell's new movie, Evan Almighty.

So far, the site includes deleted scenes from The 40-Year-Old Virgin, clips from "The Office" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," Carell's acceptance speech from the Golden Globes, and several interviews. (There's nothing yet from "The Daily Show" or "Little Miss Sunshine," but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

I'm still generally wary of Evan Almighty, but I have to admit, any promotion that gets me a vintage "Ambiguously Gay Duo" clip is just fine by me.

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Buzz News Roundup, 3/28

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:01:16 -0700

The AP reports that the daughter of the late Steve Irwin will host her own nature show called "Bindi: The Jungle Girl."
Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear will co-star in the big-screen comedy Ghost Town, Zap2It reports.
According to Variety, Forest Whitaker may join Keanu Reeves in a cop drama called The Night Watchman.
Pitchfork reveals that the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack will feature the Flaming Lips, the Killers, and the Walkmen.
The trailer for Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carell, will premiere sometime during Thursday's marathon of "The Office", says the Futon Critic.
This Saturday's Kids Choice Awards will be hosted by Justin Timberlake, writes NME.
Reuters says Jason Alexander is taking another shot at TV, while Variety reports that Rob Lowe has nabbed a permanent spot on "Brothers & Sisters."
"Notes from the Underbelly" will get the post-"Grey's" slot starting April 11, pushing back the return of "Men in Trees," TV Guide reports.

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