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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:30:57 -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 also check out the dreamboat special that is Leatherheads and Simon Pegg's comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run.

Sex and the City: The Movie
Well, the big day has arrived: the Sex and the City movie is here for you to rent or own. Whether you missed this one in theaters (hard to imagine) or are excited to fast-forward to your favorite parts, the fab four has come full circle back to your small screen. I'm interested in revisiting this one, since the movie is super long and there is a lot to take in.

This is the kind of movie for which special features were made. Get a load of these: commentary by director Michael Patrick King; a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King; featurettes titled, "The Fabulous Fashion of Sex and the City," "Fergie in the Studio: Watch a Hit in the Making as the Singer Records Labels or Love for the Movie Soundtrack," and additional scenes.

So, are you bringing this one home this week?

Three more selections to go, so read more.

More TV-to-DVDs
The neverending flow of TV-to-DVD continues this week as more of our favorite shows return to the air with new episodes. Here are two of my favorites, out today.

Samantha Who?: Season One
My mom called after the Emmys to ask about that show Jean Smart is on and I told her Samantha Who?. Then we got into one of those "who's on first?" (ha!) conversations where she kept saying, "Who?" and I would say, "No, that's the name of the show." Anyway, I convinced her to give it a shot because it really is one of the sweetest, most entertaining little scripted comedies around right now. Special features include a blooper reel, deleted scenes, and commentary.
Brothers and Sisters: Season Two
This ABC drama is coming back this Sunday, so catch up on last season while you can! Special features include featurettes ("TV Dinners: Food From Season Two," "Open House: Designing The Brothers and Sisters Set"), and bloopers.

This American Life: Season One
I know a lot of people who, despite my encouragement, still haven't checked out the TV version of this popular Ira Glass NPR radio series, so I'm hoping this DVD release will get more eyeballs on it. The show is unlike most things on television right now, as it gives Americans of all shapes, sizes, colors, and geographical locations a chance to tell their stories.

I can't help but think how nice it feels to explore America this way in the midst of a heated campaign season that can sometimes make the country feel bitterly divided.

Weekend Box Office: 21 Wins the Pot

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:15:05 -0700

Well, it looks like 21, the film about MIT students who take Vegas by storm, was a safe bet as it easily won the top spot at the box office. However, the overall weekend box office total was down 17 percent compared to last year, Variety reports. 21 earned an estimated $23 million, beating Horton Hears a Who and firmly establishing Jim Sturgess as a viable leading man.

Compare these results to another new release this weekend: Stop-Loss, starring Ryan Phillippe, who is a household name. Another box office casualty in a long line of Iraq War-related film flops, Stop-Loss only earned $4.5 million, coming in at No. 8.

Which brings me to the other box office disappointment this weekend, Superhero Movie. Could it be that Round One of Harvey Weinstein vs. Fanboys' fanboys goes to the geeks (more on the feud here)? Protesters gathered on both coasts where Superhero was playing, though in LA it appears Weinstein was prepared with guards. One protester told the Hollywood Reporter:

Guards were everywhere. At one point, I counted nine, no joke. They hired a whole force and whenever someone showed up looking around for the protest, they were surrounded by guards and told to leave instantly or be arrested. I guess you can't really hold a protest on private property.

Ultimately the film came in the third spot with a measly $9.5 million. Is this a little bit hilarious to anyone else?

Finally, Run Fat Boy Run starring Simon Pegg came in 13th and only earned an estimated $2.3 million here in the US. The movie grossed $22.6 million in the UK last Fall.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Run, Fat Boy, Run: A Sadly Ordinary Underdog Story

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:30:23 -0700

Run, Fat Boy, Run comes from a background of comedy gold, three times over: the off-kilter quirkiness of writer Michael Ian Black, the sweet goofiness of director David Schwimmer, and the British everyman humor of cowriter and star Simon Pegg. Ideally, the film would have joined the three comedy styles seamlessly, creating a lovable, hysterical movie that could do no wrong.

Unfortunately, Run, Fat Boy, Run feels like three different movies as disparate as its influences: one set of gross-out jokes that would make the Farrelly Brothers proud, one sweet but schlocky romantic comedy, and one laugh-out-loud underdog story. It's as if the trio couldn't commit to just one sort of film, bouncing from saccharine father-son scenes to disgusting blister-popping to Pegg's trademark loser-y antics. The result is a film that isn't bad, just disappointingly ordinary.

Pegg stars as Dennis, a man who chickens out on his wedding day and runs away from his pregnant bride, Libby (Thandie Newton). Five years later, he wants to win her back - but Libby has started dating Whit (Hank Azaria), a slick American stockbroker who seems to be good at everything, including running marathons. Dennis decides that the way back to Libby is beating Whit at his own game and decides he, too, will run a race. Never mind that just running down the block leaves him winded; he's going to finish 26.2 miles and get the girl, to boot. Things follow a fairly expected path from there - though there are some laughs along the way - so read more.

It probably goes without saying that any film with that sort of premise will feature training montages, long stretches of failure, and finally a breakthrough that suggests success isn't entirely out of reach. That doesn't mean it's not enjoyable to watch; it's hard not to chuckle at Dennis training in his wholly inappropriate spandex briefs. It helps that his "coaches" are equally inept: One of the highlights of the movie is Dennis' relationship with his deadbeat best friend, Gordon (Dylan Moran), who needs Dennis to finish the race so his cardsharp buddies don't shake him down for everything he owns.

Less successful was Dennis' relationship with his other coach, his landlord Mr. Ghoshdashtidar (Harish Patel); the stereotypical racial humor adds little to the movie, and the speeches about being a better man try to give the movie heart but too often feel trite. The same could be said for Dennis' relationship with his son, Jake (Matthew Fenton), which goes to such predictable places that people in my screening were calling out Jake's lines before Fenton had a chance to say them. Azaria is hilarious playing Whit as a soulless jerk, but that's all his character is; there's not a lot of dimension there.

As an actor, Pegg does incredible things with his face; every disappointed sigh or pathetic "please take me back" look makes you want to wrap the guy up in a bear hug and assure him that he really is a good guy. In fact, the movie's clear goal is to make you root for Dennis, and it's set up to leave viewers little choice. Schwimmer could have done something to make the most predictable parts feel less tired, but that's where his inexperience as a director shows through; in a few scenes, the actors seem to react to punchlines before the words had actually been spoken. While I won't tell you what happens on race day, frankly, you can probably figure it out.

Just as it's impossible not to root for Dennis, it's impossible not to want Run, Fat Boy, Run to succeed. I just wish the movie had a lot less blister-popping, a little less cheesiness, and a bit more originality.

To see the trailer and more clips from Run, Fat Boy, Run check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of Picturehouse

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Working on American Road Trip Movie

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Oh, how I love these guys! Anyone who has seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz is probably familiar with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's hilarious, satiric ways, and fans of the duo will be happy to know that they're back at work on another comedy. This time the premise and location are both distinctly American. Pegg wouldn't reveal too much to MTV Movies Blog, but he did say this: "It's called Paul and it’s a road movie about two British geeks in America."

Also, as a twist on their usual relationship in their films, Pegg won't be playing the one ranking on Frost's character all the time. According to Pegg, "I'm the bitch in this one. This time Simon’s the bitch!"

I love these guys. I was so looking forward to seeing Pegg soon in Run, Fat Boy, Run alongside Hank Azaria, but apparently the film's release date has been moved from October to March. One website has a supposed quote from Pegg stating that the weekend in October when Fat Boy was supposed to open proved too risky with Steve Carell's Dan in Real Life also coming out. I'm so bummed by this news! I was looking forward to watching that fat boy run next month.

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First Look: Simon Pegg and Hank Azaria in Run, Fat Boy, Run

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:31:25 -0700

I love me some Simon Pegg, as I think pretty much everything he does is hilarious. And I know many of you - like me - adore Hank Azaria. So the U.K. preview for this fall's comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run should please a good number of Pegg and Azaria fans.

Curiously, the movie was written by Michael Ian Black and directed by David Schwimmer. Pegg plays Dennis, an out-of-shape dude who leaves his pregnant fiancee Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar. Five years later, he believes that she's the love of his life and decides to win her away from her new man (Azaria, who looks unbelievably good in this trailer) by running his first marathon. Let the training montages begin!

To watch the trailer before Run, Fat Boy, Run opens October 26, read more

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