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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: 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

Buzz In: What's Your Biggest Movie-going Disaster?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:30:31 -0700

In Utah recently, a movie theater full of parents and kids expecting to watch Disney's family-appropriate High School Musical 3 were instead treated to the beginning of the R-rated flick Sex Drive. Apparently, the opening few minutes of the movie include nudity so parents didn't even have a chance to shield their youngsters. Understandably, folks were horrified:

"I could not carry my little children out before they were exposed to extremely vulgar and sexually explicit material," one parent complained in an e-mail to the Desert News.

That's a pretty big (though kinda amusing) movie-going disaster, I'd say. My disaster stories aren't quite so traumatic, though still entertaining. On the opening weekend of the new Star Wars movie a few years ago (you know, with mega-fans dressed up as characters) the film totally burnt out at a climactic moment toward the end. The audience completely freaked out - l turned around in time to spot a Sith angrily trying to climb into the projection booth. I also once went to a showing of Sin City only to have Million Dollar Baby come onscreen.

What are your movie-going disasters?

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Box Office: High School Musical Dances to No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:00:23 -0700

We knew High School Musical was a huge television hit but now it's a bona fide silver screen success. The third installment of the perky Disney musical bonanza scored the top spot at the box office over the weekend, earning an estimated $42 million.

Meanwhile, Saw V did excellent business over the weekend as well, earning an estimated $30.5 million in the No. 2 spot. Variety notes that both titles were record breakers:

The top two films each entered record territory. Disney’s High School is by far the biggest musical bow ever, besting Mamma Mia! Lionsgate’s Saw franchise is within $2 million of eclipsing Friday the 13th to become the top-grossing horror series ever.

Max Payne and Beverly Hills Chihuahua came in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, with the top five being rounded out by the Ed Norton cop thriller Pride & Glory.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Have You Ever Seen a High School Musical Movie?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:45:56 -0700

High School Musical 3 hit theaters over the weekend, much to the delight of preteens and Zac Efron fans everywhere.

A lot of you said you didn't really understand the hype around this big-screen release, but given the movie's vast popularity, I'm still not really convinced. So, it's OK, you can admit it: Have you ever watched one of the High School Musical movies?

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

HSM 3 Heads to Big Screen; Senior Year Is Tough, Step-Ball-Change

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:31:18 -0800

According to a Disney press release, the High School Musical kids are heading to the big screen for their senior year. High School Musical 3: Senior Year will hit theaters Oct. 24 and reunite teeny bopper faves Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman.

Walt Disney Studios Production president Oren Aviv stated, "This latest musical adventure delivers lots of great new entertainment on an even grander scale. Kenny Ortega brings his enormous talents to this project and Peter Barsocchini has come up with a wonderfully inventive script that delivers plenty of delights and surprises."

Surprises! What kinds of surprises? "[The movie] finds high school seniors Troy and Gabriella facing the prospect of being separated from one another as they head off in different directions to college. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about their future." If there's anything to be learned from the HSM movies it's that there's nothing in life - or high school! - so difficult it can't be resolved with a reflective musical.

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