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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:30:15 -0800

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 the selections below you can also take home Battlestar Galactica: Season Four and Righteous Kill.

Pineapple Express
You guys, Pineapple Express is not just a stoner movie, OK? James Franco was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work! This is award-worthy stuff! I kid, I kid. But it is funny to me that Franco is up for a serious award for playing a pot dealer who has lines like, "Pandora can't go back into the box - he only comes out."

This movie was a lot of fun to see in the theaters and as a DVD it will probably get the most play in dorm rooms, frat houses, and 20-something apartments across the nation. Seth Rogen and James Franco are a match made in stoner heaven, but be warned: The movie is actually pretty graphically violent (just a heads-up if that's a buzzkill for you).

Special features include an extended version of the film, commentary with the filmmakers and cast, and of course, the gag reel.

Three more up next so read more.

The Wackness
The Wackness first premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival and quickly charmed audiences. I myself was smitten when I later saw the movie at the Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby and, briefly, Mary-Kate Olsen, it's a quirky story of young love on the Upper East Side in 1994.

I highly recommend this movie (despite that one cringe-inducing moment). In fact, like Pineapple Express, The Wackness features a whole lot of pot smoking, so today's What to Netflix is practically a themed movie night!

Special features include a featurette entitled "Keeping it Real: A Day in the Life of Writer/Director Jonathan Levine," behind-the-scenes footage, and deleted scenes.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season One
Showtime's Secret Diary of a Call Girl, is sly and slick, pulling back the curtain on the world of sex-for-money in London and leaving you feeling like the ultimate insider. The show stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class hooker - and the alter ego of Hannah, an everyday gal who prefers jeans and books to corsets and stilettos. There's not as much sex in the show as you would initially assume but there is a lot of charm. If you missed the first season of this show when it was on the air, now's the time to catch up.

DVD extras include a featurette titled "Billie Piper - Coming to America."

The Tudors: Season Two
Hey, ye olde Tudors fans! Season two is now out on DVD, which is fun because I prefer to watch this show in one big clump rather than week-to-week. Jonathan Rhys Meyers returns as the young King of England who gets down to business divorcing the queen in order to make room for the ambitious Anne Boleyn. In this season the historical period known as the Reformation is ushered in, as King Henry looks to break from the Catholic church and faces resistance from his own court - not to mention Pope Paul III, played by the wonderfully chilling Peter O'Toole.

Special features include a featurette on the descendants of Henry, a premiere episode of This American Life: Season 2, and photo galleries.

Box Office: Lakeview Terrace Wins So-So Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Lakeview Terrace, a thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson, came in at No. 1 at the box office over the weekend and performed relatively well with an estimated $15.6 million. Second place went to the Coen brothers' comedy Burn After Reading which continues to also do well at the box office, earning an estimated $36.4 million over its first ten days.

Around the No. 3 spot on this weekend's box office report things start to look a little gloomy, starting with the Dane Cook-Kate Hudson comedy My Best Friend's Girl. The movie only earned about $8.3 million, perhaps a result of some harsh reviews (or maybe it was just the poster, as Cook whined, that drove audiences away).

The animated family film, Igor, came in fourth place followed by Righteous Kill in fifth. Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys and The Women rounded out the sixth and seventh place respectively, and a movie I enjoyed, Ghost Town, opened at No. 8.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Box Office: Burn After Reading Sets Box Office on Fire

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:15:20 -0700

The Coen Bros. helped give the box office a needed Autumn boost with their comedy Burn After Reading, which debuted at No. 1 with an estimated $19.4 million. It was a lucrative weekend overall, actually, with many of the week's new releases doing better than expected despite a "crowded marketplace for adult-skewing films."

In second place came Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys earning $18 million, followed by the Al Pacino-Robert De Niro reunion, Righteous Kill. And despite unflattering reviews, even The Women did alright over the weekend, coming in at No. 4 with an estimated $10 million followed by The House Bunny in fifth place.

Alan Ball's Towelhead also opened and "nabbed the best per- location average of the weekend." Finally, for those of you keeping track, The Dark Knight is up another $4 million, putting its total domestic gross so far at an estimated $517 million.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Righteous Kill: Mostly Just Killing Time

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:39:24 -0700

You know, it's nice to see Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro up on the big screen together. It's sort of sweet to see the two enjoy some banter back and forth, two grumpy older men who happen to be film legends. But is it worth sitting through the mediocre, thrill-less thriller that is Righteous Kill? I'm not so sure.

Much of the movie feels incredibly familiar, and my guess is it wouldn't have gotten any attention if it weren't for the promise of "DeNiro and Pacino reuniting on the big screen!!" The script - and, frankly, the performances - are lacking so much, these two huge legendary names in the credits can't save it. For more of my thoughts on this, read more.

DeNiro plays Turk and Pacino plays Rooster, two highly respected NYPD detectives put on the case of a serial killer who's been targeting acquitted criminals. Murderers, rapists, pimps - the scum of the earth types who were let off for whatever reason become the victims of this "righteous" killer. Thing is, Turk and Rooster know each of these victims, and Turk has been known to have a short fuse when it comes to the injustice of letting a dangerous perp go free. So, all eyes start turning toward him as a suspect in the serial killer case, and as he continues to hunt for the killer, some of his colleagues (played by John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg) try to find proof that Turk's the one behind it all. Another member of the NYPD homicide department, Karen Kleisner (Carla Gugino who is one of the highlights of the film), is sort of Turk's kinky paramour, but even she begins to suspect him.

I enjoyed watching DeNiro in this role because for his part, he genuinely seems to be thinking about the role and the words he's saying, etc. But there's something about Pacino's performance that gives me the sense he's not all there, and it's frustrating to watch. The phrase "phoning it in" comes to mind. I think Pacino has it in him to be spectacular, but in this case, it's like he doesn't care enough to put in much effort. As a crime drama/thriller, there is some mystery and tension, but it reaches this low level of suspense and never quite ups the ante. I was never fully gripped by the story, just sort of mildly curious to find out what the deal was. And then, during the dramatic ending, I started checking my watch to see how much time we had left and I could have sworn the two main actors were doing the same thing.

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700

If you missed Amy Poehler's impression of Project Runway's Christian on SNL I highly recommend kicking your weekend off with this clip.
ER has been around since 1994 and might be back for yet another season - and they're even courting older stars to return. The '90s are hot right now as the big news out of the CW is that they're looking at a spin-off of Beverly Hills 90210. Any characters from that hit show you'd like to see again?
Check out the trailers for two cool action thriller trailers out right now: The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton and Righteous Kill starring super acting duo Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. Norton also made news this week with talk about developing an Obama documentary.
There was a lot of scary movie remake news this week that struck me as mostly odd, involving more Michael Bay projects and tomatoes that kill.
What do you think of the new Breeders song? And did you hear? You'll be able to get the new REM album on Facebook!
Some things don't need a part two - I'm looking at you, Lost Boys 2. However, somethings should be recast (just for fun!). What actors do you think could fill the big shoes of the characters in Jerry Maguire?
Whether or not you thought letting Idol contestants sing the Beatles was blasphemous, America loved it, and next week the top 11 will be singing more from that songbook. Let's hope Kristy Lee Cook leaves the fiddles out this time.

Photo of Christian courtesy of Bravo

First Look: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino in Righteous Kill

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:30:00 -0700

Awesomely, a teaser trailer has arrived for the highly anticipated crime thriller Righteous Kill, which has brought together Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino for the first time since they starred together in Heat (1995). Both men look grizzled and tired, which works quite well for the weathered old cops they're portraying. The two are veteran NYC policemen trying to hunt down a serial killer who targets recently acquitted criminals. Though it's just a teaser trailer, it's still totally exciting to see these two powerhouses onscreen together. Righteous Kill is scheduled to open September 12. To check out the teaser, read more.

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Link Time! 1/15

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:31:10 -0800

The interview with author/screenwriter Shauna Cross over on FilmSchoolRejects reveals that Cross' book Derby Girl will be made into a movie that Drew Barrymore will direct and that will - reportedly! - star Ellen Page.
If you haven't had enough Magnetic Fields for one day, You Ain't No Picasso has some great covers of the group's songs. I particularly like the Shins' take on "Strange Powers."
This Popwatch Duel has Geoff Stults and Rebecca Field going head-to-head with their lists of the top five best movie love scenes.
Finally, says Vulture, someone has mashed up Daniel Day-Lewis' milkshake line from There Will Be Blood with Kelis' song "Milkshake."
With American Idol looming, TV Filter wonders: Which show with "American" in the title is actually the most American?
Cinematical is excited to find some movie stills from Righteous Kill, the project that is bringing together Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and 50 Cent.
The TV Addict has a chat with Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost.
geeksugar has the scoop on unlimited online Netflix viewing and the new iTunes movie rental service.

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Buzz News Roundup, 9/5

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:29:46 -0700

Billboard warns us that we won't be able to escape the Barry Manilow this fall and winter, especially as he gets ready to release his jazzy holiday album.
Variety has news about the Al Pacino-Robert DeNiro project Righteous Kill adding four more cast members, including John Leguizamo and Dan Futterman.
Three of NBC's new fall pilots are now available for rent at Blockbuster, says the Futon Critic.
Kelly Clarkson will, in fact, be resuming her tour, starting with a show at New York's Beacon Theater on October 14, the AP reports. Meanwhile, this year's "American Idol" tour isn't drawing crowds the way it was expected to, USA Today reports.
ComingSoon reports that Ashley Judd will star in the drama Helen as a mother suffering from depression.
"General Hospital" star Annie Wersching is joining the cast of "24," Zap2it reports.
According to Billboard, Aerosmith will be returning to the recording studio in November.
It's a "Roseanne" reunion for Sara Gilbert and her TV husband Johnny Galecki now that Gilbert has joined Galecki's CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory," states Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, Jerry O'Connell's real-life wife, Rebecca Romijn, will guest-star on his new show, "Carpoolers," says the Futon Critic.
Yet more Scarlett Johansson casting news, according to ComingSoon, this time she's in a diamond heist movie titled Brilliance.
Atlas Shrugged, starring Angelina Jolie, finally has a director: Vadim Perelman, reports Variety.

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50 Cent Joins DeNiro and Pacino in Indie Crime Thriller

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:28:41 -0700

Back in May we learned the exciting news that Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino will star together in a movie for the first time since they both appeared in Heat. Back then, they were only in two scenes together but now they'll be together for the entirety of the film, which is titled Righteous Kill. This news struck me as a little strange because the movie is an indie crime thriller with a budget of $60 million, considered measly by big-time Hollywood standards (especially when dealing with in-demand actors like DeNiro and Pacino).

Now for an update: Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is in final talks to join the two big guns in Righteous Kill. According to Billboard, "The acting veterans play detectives tracking a serial killer, while Jackson would play a drug dealer who helps them with their investigation." Well, now that 50 Cent has landed a part, I'm curious to see what Christina Aguilera ends up with.

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