BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

It's Tuesday, which means your Netflix queue is about to get a bit fresher and longer. I've gone through today's new DVD and Blu-ray releases and have some recommendations for what you should rent next.

The Proposal

This Summer's super successful rom-com, The Proposal, stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in a pretty predictable scheme (you know, girl proposes to boy to avoid deportation), but I enjoyed this surprisingly funny movie. I tend to like both Reynolds and Bullock in general, and their chemistry in this one is pretty irresistible. It was also an audience-pleaser, raking in enough money in ticket sales to make it one of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time.

44%

Check out two more new releases when you read more.

Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell, starring Justin Long and Alison Lohman, earned props in the horror genre for its clever premise and witty dialogue. Lohman stars as Christine, a bank teller whose life takes a turn for the terrifying when she is cursed by a gypsy. Long plays her boyfriend and sidekick who tries to help her regain control and banish the spirits.

I've heard this one is more fun than scary, and it marks Sam Raimi's return to the camp-horror genre (he's behind the Evil Dead franchise) and a respite from the Spiderman movies.

92%

Land of the Lost

In Land of the Lost, Will Ferrell stars as Rick Marshall, who finds himself stuck in a parallel universe littered with dinosaurs and ape men. With his sidekicks Holly and Will, the trio takes on the adventure of a lifetime and try to find their way back home.

The Summer blockbuster didn't do too well in theaters, making some wonder whether Ferrell fatigue had set in. However, the fun casting of Danny McBride and Anna Friel as Will and Holly could make this movie watchable.

DVD extras include deleted scenes, a Danny McBride featurette, and a Devil’s Canyon Gift Shop Commercial and Tour.

26%

Box Office: The Hangover Hangs On to the Top Spot

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:30:55 -0700

The Hangover had another fantastic weekend at the box office. The comedy came in at No. 1 with an estimated $33.4 million, and is now being called a bona fide box office phenomenon. Pixar's Up also did very well, coming in second place with an estimated $30.5 million over the weekend. According to Variety, "It's unusual for two films like Hangover and Up to simultaneously have such solid holds domestically."

Meanwhile, The Taking of Pelham 123 debuted at No. 3 and earned a solid $25 million, followed by Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost took the fifth spot while Eddie Murphy's newest comedy, Imagine That, had a fairly dismal debut at No. 6.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Up and The Hangover Have a Photo Finish at the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:30:16 -0700

Adults flocked to see The Hangover over the weekend, helping the comedy earn an estimated $43.3 million. However, it wasn't quite enough to bump Pixar's family-friendly movie, Up, out of the top spot with its estimated $44.2 million. Despite coming in second place, The Hangover's debut far exceeded expectations and is "the third best opening ever for an R-rated comedy."

Meanwhile, Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost is being called the first "bomb" of the Summer. The adventure flick, which received pretty bad reviews, came in at No. 3 with only $19.5 million over the weekend.

Nia Vardalos's romantic comedy My Life in Ruins also debuted this weekend, coming in at No. 9.

Up image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures and The Hangover photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Which Movie Will Win This Weekend's Box Office?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:00:16 -0700

Up, Pixar's box office hit, faces some competition this weekend. Family movies are often super successful, so Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost has a shot at winning the box office. Then again, there could be plenty of adults who've seen Up and now have a healthy appetite for some more adult entertainment, like The Hangover.

What do you think? Which movie will be No. 1 come Monday?

Source and Up image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

The Super Bowl Movie Spots: Transformers 2, Year One and More

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:45:35 -0800

It was like movie preview-palooza during the Super Bowl this year with spots airing for Transformers 2, Star Trek, G.I. Joe, Angels and Demons, Monsters vs. Aliens, Land of the Lost and Pixar's Up. Did you catch them all? Which one did you like the most?

I was more impressed with the preview for G.I. Joe than I thought I would be and the spots for Up and Monsters vs. Aliens are adorable. I think my favorite, though, is the one for the Judd Apatow-produced comedy Year One starring Jack Black, Michael Cera and Paul Rudd. There's a longer preview for it that came online over the weekend which you can check out after the jump.

Care to check out these TV spots again? Just read more.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Angels and Demons

Star Trek

G.I. Joe

Land of the Lost

Year One (2-minute preview)

Pixar's Up

Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D spot

Source, Angels and Demons photo courtesy of Sony Pictures, and Star Trek photo courtesy of Paramount

Buzz News Roundup, 10/10

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:33:04 -0700

Critics have been told that the thriller Pathology, starring Milo Ventimiglia, will now release in March instead of November.
ComingSoon reports that Eric Bana will play the villainous Nero in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie.
CNN reports that a new REM song will premiere tonight during "Anderson Cooper 360."
Jake Gyllenhaal will star in DreamWorks' Untitled Movie Project about a private moon expedition, Variety reports.
Bruce Springsteen's Magic ruled the charts this week, Billboard reports.
Will Ferrell will star in a remake of Land of the Lost scheduled to start production in March, writes Zap2It.
"Regis and Kelly" will be 3-D for Halloween, Ad Age reports.
Michael Cera is signed on to star in a film adaptation of the novel Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, according to ComingSoon.
The Futon Critic has the details on an upcoming "Family Guy" 100th episode retrospective.

Source

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell: An Unfunny Waste of Time

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:30:13 -0700

You're supposed to think that the jokes in I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell are so shocking, so offensive, that you laugh because you forget being PC for a moment. And if you don't laugh, you're the kind of square that Tucker Max, the lead character, takes aim at.

The real story is that the movie is offensive, but not because it's just so edgy. It's offensively unfunny - that is, the movie's jokes are not so offensive that they're not funny, they're such bombs you're shocked someone got paid for this. To see why I thought this movie was so terrible, just read more.

The Tucker Max of the movie (played by Matt Czuchry) is based on the real-life Tucker Max, who wrote the memoir the film is based on, which was based on his blog. I read the blog a bit and found it mildly amusing - so what changed in the film version? Nothing, really, I just think the larger scale of a movie can't validate the boringly immature Max. There's a plot, here, sort of: Tucker wants to give his best friend an epic bachelor party and whisks him out of town, where hijinks ensue (sound familiar? More on that later).

Tucker is supposed to be totally boorish and offensive, but his crudeness and raunchy jokes are not shocking; they're just lame. He talks about killing a fat girl and brags about having sex with a deaf girl. Yeah. Laughing at the inappropriate is not the new territory this movie acts like it is; five minutes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia provides more laughs than this movie does in its 105 minutes.

The one emotion I had watching I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell that wasn't disgust or boredom was sympathy. I felt bad for the poor actors, especially Gilmore Girls' Matt Czuchry, whom I've rooted for - I hoped he would land a great role that would invigorate his career. This is not that role. (All is not lost: he's in this Fall's The Good Wife.)

Even the adorable Czuchry can't make Max charming, nor can cute Jesse Bradford make Max's best friend Drew anything but abhorrent. It's painful watching him force out such pathetic one-liners. By the time Max and Drew are supposed to be redeemed, you don't believe any of it (but it does signal the end of the movie, so that's a relief). And I have to mention: there's the grossest fecal scene I've ever seen in a movie (it puts the poop monster in Dogma to shame).

Pouring salt in the movie's unfunny wounds is timing - The Hangover was released earlier this summer with a similar storyline, and it was a huge hit. But to call it a poor man's The Hangover is too generous; The Hangover was funny.

What movies are you seeing this weekend? Review them in our Movie Review Group!

Do You Think Robin and Barney Will Make It as a Real Couple?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:30:28 -0700

The season premiere of How I Met Your Mother, "Definitions," made good on its promise (gleaned from my sneak peek) to show Robin and Barney as an actual couple. Alas, long-awaited relationships are rarely smooth sailing in sitcom land, and in this episode, Robin and Barney haven't yet established what they are, though the last scene was optimistic about their status. (Were you lost? Brush up with my season four quiz.)

Usually having a couple get together and be happy can be boring for TV shows, but it has worked for Jim and Pam on The Office. Meanwhile, on Gossip Girl, the writers felt the need as early as the premiere to spice things up for Chuck and Blair so people won't get bored watching them.

Do you think HIMYM's writers will give us what we want and let Robin and Barney be happy together? And even if you like them together, is a happy relationship what you want to see?

Photo courtesy of CBS