BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

There's a silver lining to TV shows going into reruns, and it's more time to watch movies! Happily, today there are a few highly-anticipated flicks, and I've gone through them to tell you What to Netflix. In addition to the three movies mentioned below, you can also catch Robert Pattinson's pre-Twilight dramedy How to Be.

Star Trek

This year's updated version of Star Trek turned the franchise on its head. With hot young things Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the beloved roles of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the film completely changed the series' history so they could start over with a fresh new story.

It worked like gangbusters: the space-set action movie is clever, entertaining, and tons of fun. It manages to make a sex symbol out of a pointy-eared geek, whom I personally drooled over. The movie manages to pay respect to the original, so those fans are still happy, while pleasing folks who weren't fans of the first (like myself).

The DVD's got lots of extras, including deleted scenes, a special feature on casting and a gag reel.
95%

See two more movies releasing today when you read more.

Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary follow up to 2006's wildly successful Borat, Bruno is more of the same: cringe-worthy setups that make for laughs. This time, though, the envelope that was pushed in the former is torn to pieces in the latter. It's not for the faint of heart or easily offended, but if you like Baron Cohen's humor, you'll appreciate the awkward-beyond-words situations.

I was torn - I wanted to laugh as hard as I did at Borat, but most of the time I was just wincing.

DVD extras include alternate and deleted scenes, as well as enhanced commentary.

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My Sister's Keeper

Need a good cry? Rent the tearjerker My Sister's Keeper. The drama stars Cameron Diaz as a mother presiding over her Leukemia-stricken daughter Kate, and the child they had in order to provide a kidney donor for Kate, Anna - who's played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin. When Anna sues her own parents for the rights to decide what to do with her own body, Diaz and her husband Jason Patric try to figure out what's really going with her.

I was definitely moved by the film, but you'd have to be made of stone not to, considering the subject matter. If you read the book, take heed: the ending in the film isn't exactly the same.

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Transformers Has a Massive Opening Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:30:22 -0700

Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned a five-day opening gross of $201.2 million, easily taking the top spot at the weekend's box office. The sequel nearly beat the best five-day opening of all time, The Dark Knight, which earned $203.8 million. Second place went to The Proposal, followed by The Hangover in the third spot.

Pixar's Up came in at No. 4 and became the year's highest grossing movie. Finally, My Sister's Keeper starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin had a modest debut, earned about $12 million and coming in at No. 5.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

My Sister's Keeper: Climb Aboard the Weepy Express

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:30:17 -0700

In My Sister's Keeper, young Anna knows that she was genetically engineered and brought into this world in order to serve as a donor for her ailing sister, Kate. Well, My Sister's Keeper was engineered to make people cry - over and over and over again, for two hours. Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation, and by the end of this movie I wanted to file for emotional emancipation.

Anna (played sweetly by Abigail Breslin) was conceived after her parents, Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian (Jason Patric), learned that their young daughter Kate (the teenage version played by Sofia Vassilieva) had leukemia and their other child, Jesse (Evan Ellingson), was not a perfect match to be a donor for his sister. Throughout her life Anna has been required to give all sorts of things from her body to help keep Kate alive and now, at the age of 11, Anna finds a lawyer (Alec Baldwin) to sue her parents for medical emancipation. The lawsuit comes at a critical time: Kate's kidneys are failing, and without one of Anna's kidneys, Kate will die - soon. The story unfolds in a series of flashbacks that fill in some blanks about the family's journey up until this point. The flashbacks are interspersed with scenes of the present-day situation as Kate's condition worsens and Sara, a former lawyer, prepares to fight her youngest daughter in court. For more on this terribly sad movie, read more.

This drama is, of course, very moving. It centers around a kid with cancer! Of course there's inherent sadness just within that plot, and essentially, nothing more is really needed to make most people feel. But My Sister's Keeper takes this story and milks it for all its worth, stretching out heart-wrenching scene after heart-wrenching scene. I don't fault the movie for being sad, and I don't even think it's that poorly done, but it could have benefited greatly from some strong editing. Despite trying to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time (we hear perspectives from each character - including quite a bit from Kate herself), the movie drags on languorously in many parts, and I just wanted to yell at the screen that we get it. It's sad. We're crying. There's so much more to this story, please move on!

At first, it takes a little while to warm up to these people - particularly so with Diaz's Sara, not because her character is a tough cookie but because Diaz is so shrill at times it's hard to take her seriously. I wondered if this role was too heavy for her to handle; there's just something insubstantial about the way she portrays Sara. It doesn't ruin the movie, but I still wish they'd cast someone else in that role. Sofia Vassilieva's performance as Kate is well done and requires a delicate touch that Vassilieva capably displays - she's sympathetic as a cancer patient, of course, but she also convincingly plays another side of Kate: a giggly, sometimes insecure teenage girl who wants to date boys and look pretty.

I knew going into this that my emotions would be manipulated, and they really do pull out all the stops - including the use of a heartbreaking song every eight minutes or so (like Greg Laswell's slow, haunting version of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"). But even with all the music and all the horrors of cancer, by the end of the film, the sweet and complex bonds between these parents and these siblings are what deliver the gut-punch that forces the tears to start flowing.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Buzz In: What "Tearjerkers" Have Failed to Jerk Your Tears?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:30:17 -0700

Having read Jodi Picoult's novel My Sister's Keeper, I am going to see the movie this week fully prepared to leave with puffy eyes and a fistful of soggy tissues. But then again, what if I don't cry?

Have you ever anticipated crying at a "tearjerker" movie so much that you aren't moved at all? I had about six people tell me I would "bawl my eyes out" at A Walk to Remember, but that movie left me cold and most certainly dry-eyed. And a friend of mine told me that the first time she watched Beaches, it didn't affect her at all - perhaps because she'd had so many people assure her of her future weepy reaction to it.

Have you ever watched a supposed tearjerker and failed to see what all the fuss was about (literally)?

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Buzz Book Club: The Conclusion of My Sister's Keeper

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:30:14 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. I've been re-reading My Sister's Keeper this month so that I can discuss the book's interesting topics with you before the movie comes out. Are you ready to talk about this controversial ending?

First, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I've suggested chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, went up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Also, don't forget to keep an eye out next week for my June book club announcement!

To discuss last week's section of My Sister's Keeper, in which we read the section marked "Monday" through to the end, read more.

Last things first: What do you think of the twist at the end? Do you think Kate should have died and Anna lived? Or should Picoult have allowed both to live? I found myself feeling frustrated by this ending.
While I enjoyed the book overall, I was less interested in some characters than others, and wondered if we really needed to go through all their stories. Specifically, I probably could have done without Julia's whole story, and maybe Jesse's, too. Do you think the book was a little cluttered with all these characters?
Speaking of Jesse, do you think Picoult writes male characters well? Do Brian, Campbell and Jesse's perspectives seem authentic to you?
Were you surprised to learn that Judge was a service dog for Campbell's epilepsy? Did finding this out change your feelings toward Campbell at all?
Anna's revelations on the stand about Kate asking to die were painful to read - but they also struck me as realistic requests from a 16-year-old who'd been sick her whole life and even seen her first love die of a similar disease. Were you shocked by anything Anna said about Kate? Overall, do you wish we'd heard more from Kate in the book, or was the epilogue enough?
After finishing the book, what do you think about the casting? Can you see Cameron Diaz as Sara? And do you think Abigail Breslin will be a good Anna, or would you have preferred seeing what the Fanning sisters could do?

Buzz Book Club: My Sister's Keeper, Section Three

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:15:54 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. I'm re-reading My Sister's Keeper this month and am having a great time reading all of your thoughts on this provocative book. This was a brief section, but there's still much to chat about.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Start at the section marked "Monday" and read through to the end. We'll chat about this final section next Friday, May 29.

To discuss last week's section of My Sister's Keeper, in which we read through the section marked "The Weekend" (stopping before "Monday"), read more.

With all of Anna's waffling, I'm still unclear what she would actually do if she were given the chance to make her own medical decisions. Would she give Kate the kidney? Would she not? Does she actually want to stop being - literally - Kate's lifeblood, or does she just want the opportunity to have a say?
The scenes of Sara and Brian's married life before Kate's cancer always move me. I can't imagine how a child's illness must stress a relationship. Are you amazed that the two of them have been able to stay together? Do you think their focus on keeping Kate alive is what's saved them, or is there something more? Do you think people understand their relationship?
It's odd to me that nobody in this family seems to have gone to any support groups or made friends with other people going through their situation; I'm sure they must have encountered other families who have kids with cancer at some point. They've obviously become so close by going through this experience together - but how much is their relative isolation a part of their story?
It was tough to read the section where the family thinks they have to say goodbye to Kate - and quite emotional when she pulls through. At this point, I've been wondering why nobody has suggested just halting Kate's treatment and making her comfortable for the end of her life. Could it be because they've seen her come back from the brink before? Is it that much harder for everyone to let go?
On a lighter note, I've gotten a kick throughout the book of Campbell's many snarky explanations for his dog, Judge. Do you have a favorite? (I kind of like the one where he says Judge is trained in CPR.) And if you haven't read ahead, do you have theories about why Campbell does actually have the dog?

Buzz Book Club: My Sister's Keeper, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:30:49 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. I'm re-reading My Sister's Keeper this month, and I'm finding myself taking breaks between each character's section because it's pretty emotionally draining. You would think I'd be a little numb to it the second time around - but nope.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Read through the section marked "The Weekend" (stop before "Monday"). We'll chat about this section next Friday, May 22.

To discuss last week's section of My Sister's Keeper, in which we read through the section marked "Thursday" (stopping before "Friday"), read more.

This week, we get a little more insight into what makes Sara tick. It seems like she has a lot of guilt about not being able to provide for Kate the way Anna can. Do you find that reaction understandable, or is it a little strange?
Anna seems so conflicted in this section, and I just want to give her a hug! Sometimes she wants to press ahead with the lawsuit; sometimes she doesn't; sometimes she wants to break away from her mother while other times she goes running to Sara for comfort. Part of me wishes she could pick a position and stick with it, but the rest of me knows she's just 13, and that's a lot to ask of anyone. How are you feeling toward her at this point?
Last week, I was intrigued by Campbell and Julia's relationship, but this week I'm a little annoyed with their story. At this point I want to know what happened between them that was so big that Julia is driven to a tequila-drinking marathon all these years later. Do you think her reaction seems extreme? Or can you understand it? Do you want to know more?
I don't have a sister, and I've found myself wondering whether this book would be completely different if I did. Can any of you shed light on that?

Buzz Book Club: My Sister's Keeper, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:30:09 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers. I think I might have blocked out how intense My Sister's Keeper is because I'm finding the re-read to be just as emotional as the first time I stepped into this family's world. How are you doing with it? I can't wait to start talking about this provocative book with you.

First, a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next section: Read through the section marked "Thursday" (stop before "Friday"). We'll chat about this section a week from today, May 15.

To discuss last week's section of My Sister's Keeper, in which we read from the beginning of the novel to the end of the section marked "Wednesday" (stopping before the section marked "Thursday"), read more.

Do you like the way the story is told from different perspectives? Is there a particular perspective that's winning so far by getting you to sympathize or relate to it the most? Is there one that's falling short?
Between the two sisters, do you find yourself sympathizing with one more than the other?
I appreciate that Sara's section is told in flashbacks so we understand a little more about the history of the Fitzgeralds' situation, but I also wish we could see her feelings in the present day. Do you think that having her part in flashback leaves out a necessary part of the story? Or are you thankful to have the back story?
I was taken aback by Sara and Brian going on a talk show to discuss Anna's conception. Why do you think they decide to take their private story public?
In trying to save one child's life, is there a limit to what a parent should do? On a basic level, what do you think of the decision Sara and Brian make - to have a child specifically to help another one of their children?

Buzz Book Club: My Sister's Keeper

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:30:53 -0700

Hi, Buzz Book Club readers! I'm excited to announce this month's selection, which may be a touch predictable but is certainly timely. Drum roll please! . . . Oh, right, the picture's right there. May's selection is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Now that the movie is on the way, including a little bit of controversy regarding the ending, I want to take this time to discuss the book together so we're on the same page (so to speak) when the adaptation hits theaters in June. I read it a while back but definitely need to jog my memory and really want to talk about the controversial and provocative aspects of this story with all of you. Should be fun! And by "fun" I mean "thought-provoking" and "emotionally wrenching."

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I announce a new book each month. Every week I suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To read a description of the book and to see the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for My Sister's Keeper reads:
"The difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult. The author . . . turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results. Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out. . . . Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion."

The first assignment: Read from the beginning to the end of the section marked "Wednesday." (Stop before the section marked "Thursday.") We'll chat about this section next Friday, May 8.

Movie Preview: My Sister's Keeper

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:30:15 -0700

Well, after a bit of casting drama and some commotion over the fact that the film's ending will differ from the book's, we're finally getting a real glimpse of My Sister's Keeper. The story follows a family in which one teenage daughter is very ill while the other one, learning a difficult truth about her birth, tries to become emancipated from her parents. There is, of course, much more going on in this layered, heavy family drama, and from this new trailer it looks like the film captures the intensity of the story quite well.

Only thing is, I was never a supporter of Cameron Diaz playing the role of the mother and I have to say the trailer isn't changing this opinion. I'll try to go in with an open mind when the movie opens June 26, but at the moment I can't shake the thought that this was a dreadful miscast. To check out the trailer for yourself, read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.