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Bring Marley Home on Blu-ray and DVD!

Sponsor — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:20:43 -0700

From the director of The Devil Wears Prada comes a hilarious and heartwarming comedy based on the No. 1 New York Times best seller Marley & Me.

Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson unleash huge laughs as John and Jenny Grogan, a young couple contemplating the decision to start a family. Then comes Marley, an adorable Labrador pup who flunks obedience school and quickly turns his new home into a disaster area. But with a heart as big as his appetite for trouble, Marley sees the Grogans through the ups and downs of life and love, and they ultimately realize that "the world's worst dog" truly brings out the best in them.

Bring home the "Bad Dog" Special Edition Blu-ray & DVD today!

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:30:03 -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 take home Will Smith's drama Seven Pounds.

Slumdog Millionaire
Now that I've seen the movie and read the book I'm excited to go back and watch the movie again! Can you tell I'm into this flick? When this year's Oscar winner for Best Picture hit theaters, it began an epic journey into the hearts and minds of moviegoers around the globe, and I have a feeling many people will end up owning it on DVD.

The story follows an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal (Dev Patel), who is accused of cheating as a contestant on India's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. To prove his innocence he reflects back on his amazing life in director Danny Boyle's intense and inspiring movie.

Special features include "Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle and the Making of Slumdog Millionaire," deleted scenes, and commentary by Danny Boyle and Dev Patel.

Two more up next so read more.

Marley & Me
Aw . . . puppy! Looks like the marketers of this movie know a good thing when they see it. I doubt many of you missed this movie while it was in theaters over the holidays, seeing as it did such good business at the box office. I found this movie, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, to be good-natured, earnest and cute.

It turns out to be pretty much exactly what you expect if you've seen the trailers and/or read the book on which the movie is based: A story about a crazy, uncontrollable dog who impacts a young couple's marriage in unexpected ways. It gets pretty emotional toward the end there, but otherwise it's too sweet to resist.

The special features look like a lot of fun and include 19 deleted scenes, commentary from director David Frankel, a "Finding Marley" featurette, an "On Set With Marley: Dog of All Trades" featurette, and an "Animal Adoption" featurette.

Ricky Gervais: Out of England: The Stand-Up Special
It doesn't get much better than Ricky Gervais doing stand-up. I could watch this courageous and hilarious man chat onstage for hours. Since I didn't catch it when it aired a couple of months ago, I'll leave it to Netflix for the show's description:

"Funnyman Ricky Gervais unleashes his formidable talent on Madison Square Garden - with political correctness taking a backseat - in his first special for HBO, home of his Emmy-winning series Extras. Gervais shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, including obesity, Nazis and nursery rhymes - even sacred cows such as physicist Stephen Hawking and Nelson Mandela are targets of the comic actor's stinging wit in this hilarious performance."

That sounds amazingly inappropriate, so count me in. Special features include a conversation with Ricky Gervais.

BuzzSugar's Must Haves For March

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:30:23 -0800

It's still cold outside, so thankfully there's plenty of at-home entertainment to be had in March. For starters, it's a great month for music with one album coming out by one of my favorite female vocalists and another by a band that I hope pumps out new music for years to come. There's also an Oscar-nominated movie arriving on DVD, along with a holiday holdover that will warm your heart during this final stretch of Winter. Ready to see my March picks? Just hit "Start."

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Box Office: Gran Torino Drives Off With the Money

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:00:20 -0800

Recently, Clint Eastwood's movies (whether he's behind the camera or in front of it) are often critical hits but that doesn't necessarily translate into immediate box office success - until now!

Eastwood's latest movie, Gran Torino, debuted this weekend in the top spot, earning a whopping $29 million! It seems fitting that a movie that is rumored to be Eastwood's swan song is also his "best nationwide opening of all time, both as an actor and director." If you're gonna go out, go out on top!

In second place came Bride Wars which defied expectations with $21.5 million after a brutal week of being panned by critics. The horror flick The Unborn followed behind the brides in the third spot. Marley and Me and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button rounded out the top five respectively.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Box Office: Audiences Still Lovin' Marley

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:30:42 -0800

After breaking Christmastime records last week, audiences once again put the adorably naughty pup in the top spot at the box office over the weekend. Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, earned an estimated $24 million "for a cume of $106.5 million in only 11 days."

In second place came Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories followed by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in third, Valkyrie in fourth and Yes Man in fifth.

Another unusually great weekend for the box office during the holiday season! What did you check out this first weekend of the new year?

Photos courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Box Office: Marley Chews Up the Competition

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:45:56 -0800

Oh, Marley, that insanely profitable little scamp! The cute dog movie had the best Christmas Day opening ever and grossed a total of $51.7 million over the four-day weekend. According to Variety, Marley & Me "played more to females, as well as to older moviegoers. Of Marley's aud, 64% were women, while 62% were over age 25." The grand success of Marley surprised some folks who thought the family flick Bedtime Stories would surely take the top spot at the box office.

In second place for the long weekend was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which just barely surpassed Bedtime Stories. Valkyrie won fourth place, followed by Yes Man at No. 5. The Spirit had a "soft debut" over the holiday weekend and came in at No. 9.

Did you see any of these movies over the weekend? What did you think?

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Marley & Me: Sweet, Just as Expected

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:30:17 -0800

In many ways, the movie Marley & Me is itself like a sweet little squirmy puppy. It's good natured and earnest, funny and cute. It turns out to be pretty much exactly what you expect if you've seen the trailers and/or read the book on which the movie is based: Literally a story about a crazy, uncontrollable dog whose life impacts a young couple's marriage in unexpected ways.

That said, the movie is often just as much about the protagonist, John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and his relationship with his wife Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston) as it is about the dog. And it's about the sacrifices we make for the ones we love - even for the ones we love who are furry and four-legged. Much of the time is spent following this husband and wife as they go through the growing pains of marriage: Finding a home (and then trying to find new homes in better neighborhoods), figuring out what they need professionally, having children, and making decisions about work goals vs. family, etc. etc. It's all very simple and normal, but there's a kind of comfort in that. For more of my thoughts on this, read more.

In terms of the narrative itself, there's nothing new here. Marriage is harder than we thought it would be! Kids are stressful! I wish I had a different job! It's all the same old normal things that most people go through. The main difference is that all the while there's this wacky dog who makes the humans' lives even more complicated - but also ultimately more rewarding.

There's something inherently good-humored about watching the crazy antics of a dog. With human drama and relationships there's all the judging that goes on and the complex emotions, but most people really enjoy animals on a basic level so there's a sort of purity to the enjoyment that comes from this movie. However, you can be sure that the dog is used at times to symbolize things for the humans ("Time to let you off your leash . . . hey, I'd like to feel that free, too . . ."). And plenty of scenes are entirely about the human characters. These performances are good but this isn't a movie you see for the performances (though Alan Arkin's portrayal of John's no-nonsense, vaguely paternal boss is consistently a breath of fresh air).

Overall, it's just nice to have something so purely good that a whole audience can agree on: That dog is cute and funny. There are plenty of provocative, divisive films in the world and then there's this one that only asks you to relax and have a good time. It's an easygoing movie about things that feel relatable and normal to us. There's no reinvention of the wheel, but what better movie to open around the holidays than one that is so familiar and comforting?

Photos courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Know What's Still Adorable? The Puppy in Marley & Me

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:00:29 -0700

The first glimpse of Marley & Me allowed us to watch a ridiculously cute puppy run on the beach. That actually seemed to satisfy many of us, but now we've got a real trailer for the movie, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, and we get to see the puppy do more things! Like chew on stuff and run into doors and spill dog food everywhere. From the trailer it appears that the whole story revolves around this couple chasing after Marley, "the world's worst dog."

That furry little scamp makes me laugh. Not much else about the trailer is very noteworthy, but the dogs playing Marley are worth the watch. Marley & Me opens Dec. 25. To check out the trailer, read more.

Source

Teaser for Marley & Me (Also Known As: Puppies Are Cute)

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:30:57 -0700

Puppy. Running along a beach. "Chariots of Fire." And. . . my morning is officially awesome. Does this video show anything substantial about the movie Marley & Me? No. But it's a pretty cute taste, anyway.

An adaptation of the book by John Grogan, Marley & Me stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson as the owners of a spirited dog named Marley who teach them "important life lessons." To check out the new teaser trailer for the film (opening Christmas Day), read more.

Buzz News Roundup, 3/3

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:33:10 -0800

Access Hollywood reports from the Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice singing benefit in LA. You can watch some shaky video footage over here.
Speaking of Grey's, Eric Dane will join Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in Marley and Me, writes ComingSoon.
ComingSoon reports that Tim Allen will make his directorial debut with the indie comedy Crazy on the Outside.
Anne Heche will replace Jennifer Jason Leigh in the "indie sex comedy" Spread, also starring Ashton Kutcher, writes Hollywood Reporter.
According to Variety, Al-Qaeda is calling for the execution of a Dutch filmmaker and a politician on account of their anti-Koran short film, Fitna.
Radiohead, Tom Petty, and Jack Johnson will headline the inaugural Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco in August, Billboard reports.
L.A. will host the first Brazilian Film Festival March 7-9 at the Landmark Theater, Variety reports.
CBS is no longer the No. 1 TV network, losing the most-viewed title to Fox, the LA Times reports.