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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:30:33 -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 picks below, you can now watch Cadillac Records, Let the Right One In, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in the comfort of your own home.

Milk
If you still haven't seen Milk after all the months of accolades and awards, now's your chance to learn what all the fuss is about. In addition to being an incredibly moving story based on the real life of San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk, it's wonderfully acted and directed. It's everything a biopic ought to be, right down to beautifully recreating the events of such an extraordinary life.

The cast is full of talented, adorable actors, like Sean Penn (who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Milk), James Franco, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, and Emile Hirsch. I am anxious to watch it again, even though it's so heartbreaking.

Special features include deleted scenes, a featurette about remembering Harvey, and another titled "Hollywood comes to San Francisco."

So much more to recommend, so read more.

Rachel Getting Married
Even though this heavy portrayal of familial heartache and forgiveness is intense to watch, I highly recommend it. You may have noticed Anne Hathaway at a couple of awards shows this year - all due to this movie (not Bride Wars, just in case there's any confusion on that). Rosemarie Dewitt, also a phenomenal actress, is another reason to add this to your queue.

Special features include deleted scenes, filmmaker and cast commentaries, and "A Look Behind the Scenes of Rachel Getting Married."

Synecdoche, New York
You know him as the writer of such films as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and now Charlie Kaufman can add "Director" to his filmography with Synecdoche, NY. The movie stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Caden Cotard, a local theater director struggling to maintain his marriage with his more-famous wife, Adele (Catherine Keener). When she takes off for Germany with their daughter and Caden receives a grant, he decides to stage a giant-scale theater piece about life, setting it inside a towering replica of New York. It's a complicated, difficult, sometimes frustrating piece of cinema but I found the experience to be totally worthwhile.

Featurettes include "The Story of Caden Cotard: In Conversation With Philip Seymour Hoffman," "Infectious Diseases in Cattle: Blogger's Roundtable," and "NFTS/Script Masterclass with Charlie Kaufman."

Happy-Go-Lucky
I called this movie a sweet slice of life when I first saw it and I was thrilled when the talented Sally Hawkins won the Golden Globe for her performance in it. The movie is essentially plotless, focusing mostly on a woman whose outlook on life remains defiantly sunny despite the world's inevitable darkness and sorrow. It's so moving because despite it's bright and colorful surface, the film is also a meditation on sadness, longing, confusion, and hopefulness. You know, the stuff of life.

Special features include commentary by director Mike Leigh and the featurettes "Behind the wheel of Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Happy-in-character."

Oscar Nominee: Milk For Best Costume Design

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:30:21 -0800

As we gear up for the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees for Best Costume Design. It's a big year for this category as the films nominated represent vastly different historical periods. Be it 18th-century England or San Francisco in the '70s, these films include some gorgeous threads. I've already presented galleries for four out of the five nominees, so today the final movie is Milk.

People often think of San Francisco's "Summer of Love" as the city's major cultural movement, but Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk features the life of gay activist Harvey Milk during another turbulent time for this town: The 1970s. And nothing helps bring this vision to life more than the detailed costumes worn by each member of the fantastic ensemble cast. From Josh Brolin's traditional suiting to the flashy polyester getups worn by Diego Luna, the '70s never looked so good!

To check out the many photos of good-looking people in high-waisted jeans and such, just read more.

View 18 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of Focus Features

Box Office: Audiences Love Christmases

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:30:01 -0800

Reese and Vince proved a potent pair at the box office once again as Four Christmases came in at No. 1 for the second weekend in a row. The holiday comedy earned an estimated $18.2 million over the weekend, bringing its overall total since debuting to $70.8 million. Meanwhile, Twilight continues to plow full steam ahead, coming in at No. 2 and bringing its overall total to an impressive $138.6 million. The top five was rounded out by Bolt in third, Australia in fourth, and Quantum of Solace at No. 5.

There are a lot of "specialty" offerings at the moment, many of which are doing very well given how many theaters they're playing in. Cadillac Records had a decent debut at No. 9, and both Slumdog Millionaire and Milk continue to thrive thanks to great buzz.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Four Christmases Wins the Holiday Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:30:35 -0800

I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying Four Christmases starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, and maybe some of the early buzz from others who also liked it helped the holiday comedy win the Thanksgiving weekend box office this year with an estimated $46.7 million since opening Wednesday.

Meanwhile the highly anticipated Baz Luhrmann epic Australia opened at No. 5 after Quantum of Solace in fourth place, Twilight (which passed the $100 million mark this weekend) in third, and Bolt in second place. Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk also did very well for a limited release, coming in at No. 10 over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Milk: Deeply Moving, Difficult, and Worthwhile

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:30:58 -0800

"I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living." - Harvey Milk

The story of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk had a huge impact on me a few years ago when I first watched the Oscar-winning documentary about him, The Times of Harvey Milk. His is truly a stranger-than-fiction tale and is so full of inspiration, absurdity, and absolute heartache that it's somewhat surprising it has taken this long to create a feature-length dramatization of his life and death. I respect director Gus Van Sant's decision to memorialize and honor Harvey Milk with his movie Milk, and to my great relief, Van Sant and his exceptional ensemble cast have done Milk's story justice.

Milk picks up Harvey Milk's life when Milk (Sean Penn) meets one of the great loves of his life, Scott Smith (portrayed by James Franco) and decides to move from New York City to San Francisco. There, the two open a camera store in the heart of the Castro, a neighborhood with a rapidly growing gay population, and there Milk begins his life as a leader of the gay rights movement in the 1970s. After trying and failing twice, he is finally elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977, largely due to the support of the gay community. For the first time, it becomes apparent that the gay community could be a powerful one, and Milk often emphasizes this during his time in city hall. As the country's first openly gay man to be elected to public office, Milk brings the gay rights movement to the city's attention as much as possible, earning him admiration and support along with many enemies - including his ultimate enemy, fellow supervisor Dan White (Josh Brolin). For more about this and my thoughts on it all, read more.

Dan White is a good ol' Christian boy who feels threatened by and resentful of Harvey Milk's success. Josh Brolin, who is fast becoming one of the most fascinating actors in Hollywood, simply morphs into this insecure and fearful man who gradually becomes unhinged. His fate and that of Harvey Milk are tragically linked in history forever, and frankly, it's disturbing to see Dan White brought to life on screen, especially after seeing all the actual footage of him in the documentary.

The rest of the cast is equally remarkable: Franco makes for a loving, sympathetic Smith, and Emile Hirsch is captivating as Milk's young activist protégé Cleve Jones. Allison Pill is always an undeniably strong presence on screen and her depiction of Milk's sole female team member, Anne Kronenberg, is no different. Diego Luna plays one of Milk's lovers, Jack Lira, with equal parts bright beauty and troubling instability. Most of all, Penn's portrayal of this charismatic, resilient, and good-humored pioneer will surely earn him some well-deserved accolades and awards.

This project is remarkably ambitious. There are so many intersecting aspects of Milk's career, activism, and personal life, it's enough to make one's head spin. Add to this Van Sant's decision to incorporate actual footage from the '70s into his dramatized story, and you've got yourself a crazy, giant puzzle to put together. But the actual footage is crucial in this case, consistently reminding us that though this seems like fiction at times - especially now, to modern audiences - this is a true story.

Interestingly, one "character" (so to speak), the outspoken fundamentalist Christian singer Anita Bryant, is not played by any actress (though at first glance I thought for sure it was Marcia Gay Harden). Instead, her entire part in Milk's story is shown through real footage - which only makes her behavior that much more staggering. This directorial choice seamlessly blends the reality of Harvey Milk's actual life with the staging of his life by the director and cast. Overall, I can’t express enough how much I applaud and admire Van Sant’s accomplishment here. It's a complicated and deeply emotional story, and the entire production - Van Sant, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, the whole cast - carried a tremendous responsibility to get this thing right and the result is a dignified homage.

I highly recommend watching the documentary first, as there was an effervescence and a beautiful light to the real Harvey Milk that no actor, not even the great Sean Penn, can capture. Both the documentary and this new film may leave you speechless and/or weepy. But his is a worthwhile story to tell and if this grand-scale production with heavy-hitting actors and a talented director gets his story out there, all the better.

Photos courtesy of Focus Features

Movie Preview: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch in Milk

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:30:09 -0700

One of the movies I'm most looking forward to this Fall is Milk, which filmed in my fair city of San Francisco last Winter. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the movie follows the true story of Harvey Milk, the nation's first gay official of any major American city, who was assassinated shortly after his election to office. The story has already been covered by a moving documentary, and in Milk, Sean Penn steps into the title role.

Now, I've said before that I can be a bit of a crybaby, and this trailer got me all teary. Penn seems like a great fit as Milk, letting the right amounts of warmth and passion through. The overall look of the film also seems spot-on, capturing the '70s style without seeming costumey. And the cast - oh, the cast! Some of the most wonderful actors in Hollywood appear alongside Penn in this one, including Josh Brolin, James Franco, Diego Luna, and a totally transformed Emile Hirsch.

Milk premieres at the end of October in San Francisco and will be in wide release starting Dec. 5. To watch the trailer, get your tissues ready and read more.

Source

Link Time! 1/31

BuzzSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:31:07 -0800

Cinematical compares the two new Leatherheads posters: romance or sports?
Popwatch proudly talks about applauding along with the rest of the audience at the end of Rambo.
SFist has a photo of Sean Penn as Harvey Milk and other photos from the set.
TV Squad ranks TV judges - think Wapner and Judy, not Simon and Paula - through the ages.
Stereogum has a video of KT Tunstall covering The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian."
United Hollywood has a story of a fifth-grader launching a readathon to support the strike.
This Slate reviewer calls Meet the Spartans a "massive consumer fraud" for charging $10.50 for a movie that's barely one hour long.
TV Filter wonders if anyone else hated the Pop Up Video-style Lost rerun.
YouAintNoPicasso is hosting a large collection of Of Montreal covering everyone from Blondie to The Shins to Gnarls Barkley.
Bridezilla hilariously suggests some great ideas for having a sob-free Valentine's Day as a single gal, including more Romy and Michelle, less Meg Ryan.

Source and source

Buzz News Roundup, 12/5

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:33:06 -0800

The Hollywood Reporter has news that Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, and James Franco have joined Sean Penn for the Harvey Milk biopic, Milk.
The stage musical version of Mary Poppins will begin its U.S. tour in Chicago during the spring of 2009, writes Variety.
Michael Urie of Ugly Betty will host a Miss America special on TLC starting in January; details are at The Futon Critic.
E! Online has news about the tour John C. Reilly will do to promote his mock musical biopic Walk Hard.
Randy Jackson is auditioning hip-hop crews for an upcoming MTV show, TV Guide reports.
According to Variety, Edward Norton will star in the comedic thriller Leaves of Grass.
Dancing With the Stars professional champion Julianne Hough is launching a singing career, Billboard reports.
Old episodes of Pop-Up Video will start airing online via VH1 Classic, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

Source

Movie Preview: Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in Grown Ups

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:36 -0800

I've been watching over the past several months as the cast roster for Grown Ups continued to add more of Adam Sandler's previous SNL colleagues and close friends - Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn. It's like he decided to make a project where he could invite everyone he knows to jump on board and have fun. And the cast really does appear to be having a good time in the trailer - I'm just not 100 percent sure I'm right there with them.

The film follows Sandler and his childhood friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade) as they reunite one Fourth of July weekend to honor the death of their basketball coach. Sounds kinda like The Big Chill, but as to be expected with a Happy Madison film, it's ridiculously slapstick. I love all of these guys, but the bits in this teaser definitely aren't as roll-on-the-floor funny as I had hoped with such a star-studded cast. (Really, a breast-milk joke?!) But maybe I'm just judging it too quickly. The film opens in June, but take a peek at the video and tell me your thoughts when you read more.

Damon and Brolin May Get Gritty For the Coen Brothers

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:30:12 -0700

The freight train that is Matt Damon's career is still chugging away at full steam: while he's off filming The Adjustment Bureau, the actor is in talks for yet another upcoming project. Ethan and Joel Coen want Damon, along with Josh Brolin, to star in their upcoming remake of True Grit.

Jeff Bridges is already on board to play US marshal Rooster Cogburn, and Damon would play a lawyer who joins Cogburn and a 14-year-old girl to track down the killer of the girl's father. Josh Brolin would play the murderer, which doesn't seem like much of a stretch of imagination after his recent role in Milk.

Bridges and Brolin are obviously already pets of the Coen Brothers, and I could see Matt Damon fitting perfectly into their repertoire. I was a bit disappointed with A Serious Man, but I'm already looking forward to seeing the talented filmmaking siblings take on another drama with a star-studded cast.