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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:31:08 -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 titles below, Good Luck Chuck and Mr. Woodcock are also now on DVD. So . . . there's that.

Extras: The Complete Series
This full series package is more of a "What to Amazon." Have you missed out on the Golden Globe-winning comedy series Extras? Well, here's your chance to check out the entire series - including the Christmas finale.

The show follows Andy (Ricky Gervais), a struggling actor whose aspirations greatly exceed his resume - and his talent. He and his buddy Maggie (Ashley Jensen) are just barely getting by as extras in big-name films, so the episodes always feature cameos by A-list stars willing to poke fun at Hollywood culture.

This complete series box set doesn't include any new special features that don't appear on the previously released DVDs of Seasons One and Two, but it is - so far - the only place to find the 84-minute series finale.

Another new release if you read more.

The Ten
This movie, by some of the former members of The State, is sometimes weird-funny and sometimes just weird-weird. Paul Rudd presents ten short stories, each having to do with a different one of the Ten Commandments. The supporting cast is great, from Adam Brody and Jessica Alba to Liev Schreiber and Gretchen Mol. It's not the most genius film, but if you ever wanted to see Winona Ryder get it on with a puppet, well, now you can.

Extra features include audio commentary, outtakes, interviews with the filmmakers (and Paul Rudd) and a making-of featurette.

The Ten: Absurd, But Not Absurdly Funny

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:30:00 -0700

I think Paul Rudd is cute and funny. I think the concept of making a movie using ten vaguely intersecting comedic skits is potentially great and funny. So why, then, is The Ten just not that funny?

The movie has Paul Rudd playing Jeff, a kind of surreal host on a sparsely furnished "stage," of sorts, introducing each of the film's stories based on the Ten Commandments. Between each segment we get an update on the travails of Jeff's love life (the end of his rocky marriage, followed by his relationship with the bouncy young Liz (Jessica Alba), etc.). The stories themselves are moderately interesting. For the commandment about stealing we do indeed find Winona Ryder playing a young woman who steals a ventriloquist dummy with whom she's fallen in love. The piece featuring Adam Brody (based on the commandment about worshiping false gods) is a pretty funny commentary on the phenomena of American celebrity. Ten stories starts to feel like an awful lot, however, and when the mildly amusing musical finale comes, it arrives in the form of silly relief. For more on my perplexed "eh" reaction to this movie, read more

Writer/director David Wain and a bunch of his buddies from "The State" (many of whom make up the cast of "Reno: 911" as well as the movie Wet Hot American Summer) came up with this movie and roped in some big-time names (Alba, Brody, Ryder) to join them for the ride. I've always liked and respected "The State" because they did comedy the way they wanted to do comedy: strangely, and full of darkness and absurdity. Their skits were often awkward to watch - sometimes so awkward they weren't funny - but it always struck me that they did things on their own terms, as opposed to, say, "Saturday Night Live" - which can be called a lot of things but "edgy" or "weird-funny" are not among those things.

Yet watching The Ten I started to wonder if "The State" served a purpose during a time in my life that has since passed. In fact, in a recent interview with David Wain, he says he wanted the movie to be exactly the kind of movie he liked to watch as a college kid and alas, I am no college kid.

The Ten seems like one long inside joke that I am not a part of. It's not that I didn't understand the humor, it's that I got why it should be funny and it just wasn't. And like I found with "The State" from time to time, the absurdity often overwhelms everything else so you're stuck there sitting in awkward or stupefied silence rather than laughing out loud hilariously. If this is okay with you, and if you are also a fan of "The State," "Reno" or Wet Hot American Summer, then you'll probably kinda enjoy the movie like I did. Otherwise, don't bother because I shalt not lie: it will probably be an exercise in frustration.

Which of This Weekend's New Movies Are You Most Interested to See?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:55:00 -0700

This upcoming weekend will be very exciting at movie theaters. Out of the following movies opening this Friday August 3, which are you most interested to see? Is it Hot Rod with the funny and charmingly tousled Andy Samberg? Or Becoming Jane starring Anne Hathaway? Perhaps it's El Cantante with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, or David Wain and Ken Marino's The Ten? Or maybe you'll go for younger fare with the Bratz movie, or Underdog? Of course, this could all be meaningless, seeing as The Bourne Ultimatum opens this weekend, too.

Movie Preview: The Ten

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:29:00 -0700

News about The Ten first caught my eye when it screened at Sundance back in January. After that I kind of forgot about it... until yesterday when the full trailer hit the web - and the trailer is awesome.

The broad cast seriously runs the gamut, from comedic people I'm a little in love with (Paul Rudd, Rob Corddry, Ken Marino and other members of "The State") to mainstream actors (Adam Brody, Jessica Alba, Winona Ryder). The result is bizarre, but also looks like it could be really funny. Opening August 3, The Ten tells ten stories, each with the theme of one of the Ten Commandments.

To see the trailer, read more

Behind the Scenes at Sundance: Portrait Gallery Part II

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:30:09 -0800

On Tuesday, I professed my love for the portrait studio at the Sundance Film Festival, where the casts of each film pose for a series of casual yet artful shots that are inexplicably fun to look at.

So fun, in fact, that I've put together another gallery of celebs at Sundance. This one feature Parker Posey, Justin Timberlake and Christina Ricca from Black Snake Moan, Chapter 27 star Jared Leto, Ira Glass of This American Life, and the guys from The Ten. (Is it just me or is Paul Rudd totally rocking that beard?) To see the portraits, read more

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Source

2007 Sundance Film Festival: Comedies

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 05:34:47 -0800

The Sundance Film Festival kicked off on Thursday in Park City, Utah. It's tough to underestimate the significance of Sundance, since the awards handed out and the subsequent buzz have helped to make many now-mainstream films successful, including Clerks, Memento, Murderball, and Hustle and Flow. I did some research to find out what films look the most promising and thought I'd share what look to be this year's stand-out projects. For today's installment, I'll focus on the must-see comedies.

Smiley Face
Starring The Office's John Krasinski (the beloved Jim Halpert), Anna Faris, and Adam Brody, Smiley Face looks like it will become popular with the same crowd that so warmly embraced Napoleon Dynamite. Faris plays an actress whose day goes in an interesting direction when she accidentally consumes her roommate's pot cupcakes.

Three more, so read more

Waitress
Keri Russell is at the heart of this Southern small-town film, playing diner waitress Jenna who bakes pies and then gives them endearing names. Unhappily married, she tries to come to terms with her new-found pregnancy when a new man comes to town, turning her little ol' life upside down.

The Ten
The cast of MTV's sketch show "The State" have been very productive since the show went off the air, churning out Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911! and "The Michael Showalter Showalter." This year several of the cast members are going to Sundance with The Ten, a film that intersects ten different stories, each having to do with one of the ten commandments. The cast list features some of my favorite actors: Rob Corddry, Paul Rudd, and Gretchen Mol, as well as big names like Jessica Alba, Adam Brody, and Winona Ryder, so there's someone for everyone in this film.

Broken English
The darling of the independent movie industry, Parker Posey gets to play yet another quirky lady in this romantic comedy. Written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, Broken English tells the story of thirty-something Nora (Posey), whose mother loves to remind her of all she doesn't have: a good job, and the "perfect marriage" enjoyed by Nora's best friend Audrey. Enter an intriguing, oddball Frenchman. A crazy-Posey/crazy-Frenchman love affair? Sounds like a sure bet to me.

The Office, "Shareholder Meeting": Best Lines of the Night

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

Looks like The Office is trying for a little economic relevance. While it sort of knocks you over the head this week - e.g. showing the Dow Jones sign - you can't blame the writers for making the story timely. Michael travels to New York for a shareholders meeting with Dwight, Andy, and Oscar in tow, but instead of being honored for his work at the branch, he steps into what's essentially a sounding board for grievances.

Lots of great quotes in this episode, so let's recap some of my favorites, shall we? (Don't worry, I've included Michael's big speech.)

"Recyclops will drown you in your over-watered lawns."-Dwight
Obviously the writers had to plug NBC's Green Week like the rest of the network, but The Office's is one of the most creative. I especially enjoyed Jim's side story about how Recyclops's fictional planet was attacked and he "vowed to destroy the planet he once loved." Oh, and his nemesis Polluticorn, which is actually a Power Rangers reference. They could've made the entire episode about Recyclops, and I would've been happy - if for nothing else, just to see Dwight rock that weird eye headband.

For more quips from the evening, including a deleted limo scene, read more.

Dwight: "Oh, I'm sorry were you raised in a household with no consequences?"
Woman in line: "It'll just be a second."
Dwight: "Oh, if onlys and justs were candies and nuts, then every day would be Erntedankfest."
Dwight lays into the woman in the microphone line when she wants to use the bathroom, but his special comeback phrase really made me laugh. I plan on reciting it myself at least once this week. (By the way, I googled "Erntedankfest" and it's Germany's Thanksgiving. Dwight taught me something!)

Pam: "Well, I can't really imagine you yelling at anyone."
Jim: "Oh, I yell, you've heard me yell."
Pam: "Oh, okay. I've heard you exclaim, like the time you said, Hey look, we parked over here."
Jim: "Well that was apple picking day. There's no need to yell that day. You know, I was just excited to find the car. Perfect end to a perfect day."
Aw, Jim. You try so hard to be tough. But you've got to admit that putting Ryan in the closet is genius. Not only does it teach the guy a lesson, but I'm considering it payback for all of those weird getups that Ryan's been wearing recently. (Remember the fedora?!)

"We're gonna come back with a plan for you, it's a 45-day plan, 45 days to get us back on track, 45 points. It's a 45-day, 45 point, one point per day, we get the 45 points. We are back in business. And you can take that to the bank. And limo lady, we are going completely carbon neutral! I love you New York!"-Michael
Best. Speech. Ever. God forbid anyone ever give Michael Scott a mic - serves them right. Oh, and speaking of limos, check out this funny deleted scene of the boys in their ride.

"I just want to say that I believe that there are options out there. A take-a-number option like they have in a deli. What about line varieties? Like an express line for quick comments of ten words or less that could move much more efficiently. What about ropes along the lines that you can hold on to?"-Dwight
I was always welcome a ridiculous Dwight rant, and this was one of his better ones.

Alright, so your turn! What'd you think of the episode? The whole situation has me questioning what's going to happen to Michael in next week's episode. The guy destroys the shareholders meeting, his CEO is annoyed, and then he runs off with the limo - are there going to be repercussions?

If you're a Dunder Mifflin fanatic, head on over to The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community!

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC

So You Think You Can Dance Rundown: The Top 12

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

Last night, two more dancers were out on So You Think You Can Dance - can you believe we're only one episode away from finding out who's in the top ten? I thought this week's dances were much more entertaining than last week's, so let's discuss the dances from Tuesday night and last night's eliminated contestants! Photos courtesy of Fox

View Slideshow ›

Forbes Reveals Its Top 10 Best Actresses For the Buck

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:30:55 -0700

We know that some actresses in Hollywood have hefty paychecks, but which A-listers bring in the most money for the studios? Forbes just revealed its top 10, and the list includes several unexpected choices.

At No. 1 is Naomi Watts. Are you surprised by the pick? Seems kind of odd - why not the biggest earner of all, Angelina Jolie? - but keep in mind that these are the women who make the best financial investment. (Read: Lower paychecks, higher-grossing movies like King Kong.)

I'm actually glad to see Watts in the lead. She's an underrated actress, and she somehow always manages to stay out of the Hollywood limelight, so it's nice to see her get some recognition.

Who else made the list? A few more of my favorites, so check out the full rundown, and then tell me if you agree with Forbes when you read more.

1. Naomi Watts
2. Jennifer Connelly
3. Rachel McAdams
4. Natalie Portman
5. Meryl Streep
6. Jennifer Aniston
7. Halle Berry
8. Cate Blanchett
9. Anne Hathaway
10. Hilary Swank

Buzz-Worthy Video of the Day: First look at ABC's V

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:30:00 -0700

Fall TV is underway, but there are a few lingering shows that have yet to premiere. On November 3, we'll get to check out the first episode of V, ABC's new remake of the alien invasion series. While we wait for next week, I've got a taste of the new show. In the first 8 minutes, we meet many of the characters we'll be seeing on a regular basis (including Elizabeth Mitchell), and watch as the world stares up at the sky in wonder as a UFO lurks overhead. Just don't get too excited - only the first four episodes will run before the show takes a hiatus until March.

Don't forget to weigh in on whether or not you'll be programming your DVR for this one. To see the video, just read more.