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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:30:47 -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.

Henry Poole Is Here
What a difference a year makes! Last Winter I was reporting live from Sundance that I really enjoyed this little movie starring Luke Wilson. I know many people didn't get the chance to check it out in theaters, which makes it a great rental.

Wilson plays Henry Poole, a grouchy man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Soon after, his very friendly neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She calls in a priest (George Lopez) and starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. This movie features great performances and a quirky look at the old discussion of faith vs. reason.

Special features include audio commentary with director Mark Pellington and writer Albert Torres, a featurette titled "The Making of Henry Poole Is Here," and the Henry Poole Is Here music video directed by Mark Pellington and featuring the MySpace.com theme song contest winner Ron Irizarry.

Two more up next, so read more.

Max Payne
Mark Wahlberg had an October hit on his hands when this dark, slick-looking action flick hit the screens. If you missed this one in theaters now's your chance for a mindless adrenaline rush from the comfort of your couch.

Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) has been searching for his wife's murderers for three years when he meets the sexy Natasha (Olga Kurylenko) who leads him into a sinister world of drugs, which provides more clues toward solving the mystery. Before long, Natasha winds up dead with certain details linking her death to Max's wife's. Natasha's sister Mona (Mila Kunis) joins Max in his hunt for answers and revenge.

Special features include audio commentary by director John Moore, production designer Daniel Dorrance and visual effects supervisor Everett Burrell, and a featurette on adapting the graphic novel for film.

Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger
A Chris Rock comedy special is kind of like an eclipse to me: They don't happen all that often but when they do, I'm ready to watch and savor. I'm excited to add this one to my own queue and kick back and laugh my butt off.

Not having seen it yet, it's hard to describe what we can expect from this DVD, so I'll leave it to the product description: "Three-time Emmy Award-winning comic Chris Rock returns to HBO with his first stand-up comedy special in nearly five years, offering his unique, uncensored take on a variety of topics ranging from politics to celebrities, and never holding back while exposing the many absurdities of modern living. Compiled from footage captured during performances at South Africa's Carnival City Casino, New York's Apollo Theater, and Carling Apollo Hammersmith in London, this ninety-minute special marks Rock's eagerly-anticipated return to the stage after taking a break."

Sundance Review: Henry Poole Is Here

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:30:17 -0700

Note: I posted this review soon after I saw this movie at Sundance, and today it's out in theaters, so I thought I'd share my thoughts again. It has some flaws, but overall I really like this movie.

Henry Poole Is Here was one of the first non-documentary feature films to be snatched up by a studio at this year's Sundance, and I can easily see why. It's a sweet, feel-good movie featuring great performances and a quirky look at the old discussion of faith vs. reason. It's not for everyone, veering as it does into some schmaltzy territory, but the subject matter lends itself to some cheesiness and I can't quite see how that could have been avoided. The hipster soundtrack helps to make things more edgy, as does the artful direction by Mark Pellington.

Luke Wilson plays Henry Poole, a grouchy man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Before long, his very friendly neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She calls in a priest (George Lopez) and starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. Henry tries his best to get rid of the stain, wanting nothing more than to be left alone in his dreary house. But the more he angrily resists the "miracle" on his house, the more proof presents itself that the stain truly does have some kind of power. For more of my thoughts about Henry Poole, read more.

I can name two major reasons to see this movie: Adriana Barraza and Morgan Lily. Barraza, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance in Babel, is a compelling person to watch in general, and in this film she lends a truthful humanity to what might have been the silliest character in the story. Morgan Lily is a rising star; her big, sweet eyes and ease on camera indicate excellent things for her future. She will give those Fanning kids a run for their money. This photo in particular just slays me.

For his part, Wilson is surprisingly good in the title role. Henry Poole is difficult to like, yet Wilson elicits our sympathy. When we find out the painful reasons behind Poole's curmudgeonly demeanor, Wilson still manages to keep things grounded; we are compassionate toward Poole but we aren't allowed to pity him.

The music chosen for the film is its own character, though sometimes it almost plays too big a part. Still, it's like the filmmakers took a spin through my music collection and made some great choices: The Eels, Cake, Badly Drawn Boy, and many more. In truth, I probably wouldn't have liked the movie quite so much if it weren't for the carefully selected tunes.

Bottom line: Henry Poole Is Here is beautifully directed, features great performances and uses music in a lovely way. At times it's overly cheesy but if you're generally a fan of indie film, this is a must-see.

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BuzzSugar's Must Haves for August

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:30:27 -0700

August is the month when Summer comes to a close and entertainment-land gets a case of the doldrums. It's typically slow for music releases, and Hollywood doesn't necessarily put out the year's best films this month either. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few good gems out there that you'll want to get your hands on this month. To see what I uncovered, hit "Start."

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Movie Preview: Henry Poole Is Here

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:30:24 -0700

A few months ago I was thrilled to hear that Henry Poole Is Here got picked up by a studio at Sundance because it was hands-down one of my favorite movies there. Luke Wilson is totally engaging as Henry Poole, a curmudgeonly man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Soon his neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. He tries his best to get rid of the stain, but the more he angrily resists the "miracle" on his house, the more proof presents itself that the stain truly does have some kind of power.

It gets a little overwrought and message-y at times, but overall the movie is sweetly funny and ultimately touching. Henry Poole opens in theaters August 15. To check out the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Overture Films

Hamlet 2, American Teen Among First Big Deals at Sundance

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:30:37 -0800

Buying started slow at Sundance this year, but things started picking up on Tuesday. Check out a rundown of some recent acquisitions:

Hamlet 2, which stars Steve Coogan as a high school drama teacher, sold to Focus Features for $10 million - making it one of the biggest deals ever in the history of Sundance and putting it in the same league as Little Miss Sunshine. I didn't get to see this one, though the screenings for it at Sundance have been packed.
Another one of the first non-documentary feature films to be picked up was Henry Poole Is Here, which sold for about $4 million on Monday night. I couldn't be happier about this one; it's an uplifting story with some fine performances - particularly by Luke Wilson and Adriana Barraza. It even includes one of my new favorite movie lines.

The documentary American Teen was another hot property, selling to Paramount Vantage for $1 million. I was actually at a morning screening for this when the news of this acquisition broke, which was very exciting. The documentary was made by filmmaker Nanette Burstein and follows four teens at an Indiana high school throughout their senior year. During the Q&A after the screening, Burstein said she chose a school in the Midwest because she felt there was "an innocence and a timelessness" to that area. Stay tuned for more of my thoughts on this film!
The black comedy Choke, based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel, sold for about $5 million.

P.S. - I took that picture myself!

Live From Sundance, Part II

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:30:45 -0800

I've already shared some initial thoughts about my Sundance experience so far, and Monday was another day of indie film, chilled hands, and long ticket lines. I had the good fortune to catch the Luke Wilson drama Henry Poole Is Here, along with the premiere of Morgan Spurlock's documentary Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? which was followed by a pretty fascinating Q&A session. I'm determined to see more great stuff today; for now, more thoughts:

Best movie line I've heard in a long time comes from Henry Poole Is Here, in a scene featuring Henry (Luke Wilson) walking with his neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barraza). Esperanza gives him some advice and Henry says, "You sound like a fortune cookie." Esperanza chuckles and replies, "Cookies can't talk." Cookies can't talk! It's so true.
Speaking of Luke Wilson, he was at the premiere screening of the movie, and he is rather dreamy, to say the least. He sat next to George Lopez, who is also in the film. They make quite the pair.
Sticking around for the Q&A session with Morgan Spurlock was a good idea, as it managed to improve my perception of his film. The movie made it seem like he decided to go off on this high-risk quest to find Osama Bin Laden because his wife got pregnant and he wanted to make a safer world for his unborn child, which just seemed outrageously foolish to me. Turns out he was already in preproduction when they found out about the baby and his wife Alex just barely let him continue with it. When an audience member asked what his next death-defying project would be, he responded, "Fatherhood," which I think is sweet.