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Buzz Gift Guide: A Bounty For Boys

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:30:41 -0800

Welcome back to my Buzz Gift Guide series for all the entertainment lovers in your life. On Monday I dug up some gifts for the little ones in your life and today I'm brainstorming ideas for the teenage dudes in your world who are pop culture sponges.

If I had a teenage brother I'd insist he own a complete set of Indiana Jones DVDs including (but more importantly, not limited to) this year's fourth addition to the franchise. In regard to other franchises, I've noticed that some teenage guys (and by "some" I mean my younger cousins) are always quoting Family Guy and The Simpsons and might have fun with these characters to stick up on their walls.

For the wannabe rock star in your life there's always Guitar Hero World Tour which expands the game from a lone guitar player to a full band that includes drums (it actually looks like a lot of fun!). You may know a young lad who enjoys that Shaun White snowboarding video game, so he might like listening to the pretty cool soundtrack from it, and finally, I'm sure many teens would be stoked to own Iron Man.

Indiana Jones - The Complete Adventure Collection ($59.99)	Stewie Thinks Fathead ($99.99)
Guitar Hero World Tour ($189.99)	Iron Man ($19.99)	Shaun White Snowboarding: The Official Game Soundtrack ($11.99)

Check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage and gift guides.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:30:32 -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. In addition to my selections below you can also bring home John Cusack's War Inc.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Yesterday I was curious how folks were feeling about the fourth Indiana Jones now that there's been some time since its theatrical release. For those of you who said you still loved it (and for those of you who never got around to seeing it), good news! The DVD is out today.

There are, as you might expect, a ton of extras on the DVD, including: "The Return of a Legend: A tribute to Indy, his creators and the evolution of The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," a 12-part in-depth look at the creation of the movie, and a featurette on the work that goes into preparing three pivotal action sequences.

Two more well-regarded movies up next, so read more.

Mongol
This foreign-language film out of Kazakhstan (yes, Borat's Kazakhstan) is the country's first movie ever to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The film dramatically portrays the life of Temudgin, the boy who grows up to be the warrior Genghis Khan. Epic in scale (shot mostly in Mongolia), the film won great reviews for its outstanding battle scenes and riveting performances. I am dying to see this, especially since it is likely the first of three movies documenting the life and times of this warrior. Special features include trailers and a featurette about the making of the movie.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
This movie is supposed to be amazing in terms of how real it feels, but also incredibly uncomfortable as it depicts two friends who enter the world of illegal abortions in the last days of communism in Romania. It's supposed to be extremely intense and difficult to watch at times, though apparently that's what makes it so great. I've been fascinated by this movie ever since it won the big award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and I think that sitting on my own couch with some happy DVDs on deck (like the latest season of 30 Rock) may be the only way I can deal with watching it.

Special features include an interview with writer/director/producer Cristian Mungiu.

In Retrospect, Did We Need a Fourth Indiana Jones Movie?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:35:52 -0700

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be released on DVD this week and I'm curious whether, with a little distance, you're feeling warmer or colder to it, or totally the same. There was a lot of excitement when it was first released over the Summer, but now that some time has passed, do you feel differently? Are you thankful for this addition to the franchise or do you think Spielberg and gang should have left well enough alone?

Photo courtesy of Paramount

Do You Think Shia Should Take More Non-Action Roles?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:30:48 -0700

As Eagle Eye approaches, I got to thinking that the only thing young Shia LaBeouf has been up to since hitting the big time has been action movies. The former Even Stevens cutie got a huge break in the Summer blockbuster Transformers, acted alongside film legends in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, moved on to Eagle Eye, and has been working on the second Transformers movie all Summer.

If there are things going "boom!" Shia's there. But maybe he should try another drama (like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) or something in which he's not sweating and running from enemies. What do you think? Do you like him in action flicks and should he stick with them?

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Box Office: Hulk Has Incredible Opening Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:00:53 -0700

It looks like fans can't get enough of Marvel superheroes on the big screen as the company scored another hit this summer with The Incredible Hulk. Despite average reviews and the fact that Ed Norton's conflict with the studio over the final cut of the film became widely known, The Incredible Hulk pulled in an estimated $54.5 million over the weekend.

Kung Fu Panda held strong in second place while M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening exceeded many expectations by landing in the third spot with about $30.5 million.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan was No. 4 followed by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at No. 5 and Sex and the City at No. 6.

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Box Office: Kung Fu Panda Chops the Competition

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:30:06 -0700

Po the panda and friends kicked some box office butt this weekend, winning the No. 1 spot handily with an estimated $60 million over the weekend. Kung Fu Panda is the second-best opening DreamWorks Animation has ever had behind Shrek the Third. In second place came the Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow comedy You Don't Mess with the Zohan, earning a healthy $40 million.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was bumped to the third spot and has grossed an estimated $253 million. The good news for the Sex and the City movie is that it has almost passed the $100 million mark domestically. The bad news is it experienced a steep decline that put it at No. 4. The super scary flick The Strangers dropped to No. 5.

According to Variety, box office watchers had expected way closer results between Kung Fu Panda and Zohan so a big congrats is in order to Jack Black and crew!

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Box Office: SATC Sticks a Stiletto in the Competition

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:45:14 -0700

As the saying goes: If you build it, they will come. Which was indeed the case this weekend for Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King's two and a half hour fête gifted to devoted fans who showed up in droves to support Sex and the City's move to the big screen.

The movie smashed every record for an R-rated comedy and proved that women can drive box office sales just like men. SATC earned an estimated $55.7 million prompting Warner president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman to quote in Variety:

This has become a cultural phenomenon. What this shows is that given the right project, you can create a frenzy for the female aud, just like we are used to with boys and men.

The film was "the strongest ever for a movie carried by a female lead," beating the record-holder Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Sarah Jessica Parker told the New York Times, "I am so excited about the possibilities for movies about women.”

Dropping to the No. 2 spot, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull still had a strong second weekend earning an additional $46 million. Even the third spot was a shock to many with the seriously spooky The Strangers taking in an estimated $20.7 million. That's really good if you compare it to the approximate $9 million the movie cost to produce. Iron Man dropped to the fourth spot followed by The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at No. 5.

Photos courtesy of New Line Cinema

Box Office: Indiana Whips the Competition

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Traditionally, Memorial Day weekend is very kind to Summer blockbusters, and this year was no exception for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. According to Variety, the return of the Steven Spielberg franchise was his biggest movie opening ever, hauling in an estimated $126 million over the four-day holiday.

While these results are a career high for Spielberg, the film itself did not break any box office records related to this holiday weekend or any other long weekend openings.

Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian dropped to second place followed by Iron Man. The fourth spot went to What Happens in Vegas, which continues to perform well, followed by Made of Honor at No. 5 and Baby Mama at No. 6.

John Cusack's War Inc. - also starring Hillary Duff - opened in limited release and did not make the top 10.

Photos courtesy of Paramount

Crack the Whip! It's Time for Indiana Jones Trivia!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:30:08 -0700

Happy Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Day! Tonight will find our handsome hero Indy lighting up the big screen once again, and in the spirit of this momentous event I've put together a quiz so you can brush up on some Indiana Jones trivia before heading out to the theaters.

These questions are pretty easy, but the whole point of Indiana Jones is to have fun, so I couldn't include anything too mentally taxing! So? Are you jonesing to begin?

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Take the quiz

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: A Great Summertime Kickoff

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:17:26 -0700

There's a lot to enjoy about this fourth installment of Indiana Jones. It's fun, silly, adventure-filled and completely entertaining in ways we don't always get from movies these days, with the greatest parts coming straight from the marvelous imagination of Steven Spielberg. Plus, it's a summertime blockbuster that doesn't totally rely on CGI which feels practically old-fashioned - and I mean that in the best way possible. The performances are strong and overall it's a sequel that doesn't embarrass itself or the whole franchise. It's refreshing and, honestly, it's a relief.

Sure, there are aspects I didn't like about it, but the experience of seeing this movie with a theater full of fans and happy moviegoers pretty much trumps any quibbles I have. The story finds our beloved Indy caught up with a group of Soviets (led by one fierce Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett) trying to find the secrets behind ancient crystal skulls which are said to have been shaped by some kind of higher power (or other-worldly power). They need Indy's mad archaeologist skillz (and wide base of experience) to do this and one way of luring him in is via Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), who they've taken captive. Marion gets in touch with Indy through her son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf). That's the basic gist of things but I wanted to leave plenty for you to discover at the theater, so for more of just my thoughts, read more.

As with last summer's Simpsons Movie, Indiana Jones is not just a highly anticipated movie, it's a highly anticipated movie event. There are plenty of people who will see it no matter what anyone says, and there are plenty of people, too, who are determined to like the movie no matter what. I understand this fanaticism, and though I don't personally feel it about this Indiana Jones movie, I had a great time watching it. At the same time, there are things I disliked, too. Most of all, there is some bizarre, random supernatural stuff at the end that struck me as out of place and totally hokey (and not in the fun way, in the annoying way).

But you know what? It's still a lot of fun. There is much pure, innocent joy to be found sitting in a jam-packed theater, clapping and whistling at the first glimpses of Indy's shadow and Marion Ravenwood's bright smile. There's a goofy pride that comes from laughing along with everyone else at the film's nods to previous films. It is an event, and in some ways it's the quintessential summertime movie event: a fantastically fun time for kids, and a sweetly nostalgic trip for adults.

Basically, you're probably going to go see it anyway, and I think you should.

Photos courtesy of Paramount