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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:30:00 -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, Awake, a thriller staring Hayden Christensen and Jessica Alba is out on DVD as well.

Into the Wild
There has been no shortage of buzz around this heartbreaking and visually stunning film directed by Sean Penn and starring Emile Hirsh. While it didn't make it as far at the Oscars as many hoped it would, it did make it onto my March Must-Haves, and I know many people are just as excited as I am that this movie is finally out on DVD. Into the Wild is based on the best-selling true story by Jon Krakauer all about a young, upper-middle class man with the world at his feet who decides to part with his normal, steady life in search of adventure. He sets out on a journey across the country and eventually ends up alone in the wilderness of Alaska.

The breathtaking scenery and unforgettable characters, along with the thought-provoking tale of a young man's journey on the path less taken makes for an important and moving film. Special features include interesting information about the true-life inspirations for the movie.

For two more selections, read more.

Things We Lost in the Fire
Starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro, Things We Lost in the Fire is Susanne Bier's directorial follow-up to her Oscar-nominated After the Wedding. At first glance, this movie looked melodramatic and depressing but I gave it a shot (after all, who can resist Benicio?) and I'm so glad I did.

The story follows a widow (Berry) attempting to put her life back together after her husband tragically dies. Benicio plays the husband's childhood best friend, now a troubled recovering drug addict, who moves in with the grieving woman and her children. Together they deal with the loss and learn to accept each other, in memory of the man they all cherished. This isn't an escape movie, but it is touching and features some beautiful performances by Berry and Del Toro. Special features include audio commentary and extra scenes.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
First off, until now I've never been concerned that a DVD cover might have the same effect on my vision as looking straight into the sun. Those are some bright colors. Moving on. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium stars Dustin Hoffman as a 243-year-old toy store owner and Natalie Portman as the store's manager. When Mr. Magorium discovers he's not well, he turns to Portman's character to take over his magical world of toys. Lots of colors, slapstick comedy and whimsical fun make this a great choice for family viewing, especially with little ones in the house.

Box Office: 30 Days of Night Sucks Up All the Money

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:15:24 -0700

Not a lot of folks are going to the movie theaters lately, but those who are seem to be most interested in the super scary vampire flick 30 Days of Night, which came in at No. 1 at the box office with $16 million. What with all the highly dramatic dramas coming out, maybe it's understandable that people are drawn to the fun unreality rather than checking out movies that address the starkest aspects of human life.

Only one of the weekend's anticipated dramas even cracked the top five at the box office: Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone came in fifth place. At No. 2 was Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? while Disney's The Game Plan held steady at No. 3, and Michael Clayton followed up in fourth place. Rendition opened in ninth place to the tune of just over $4 million. The Halle Berry/Benicio Del Toro weepie Things We Lost in the Fire came in fifteenth place, while Reservation Road - only playing in a handful of theaters - came in at No. 39.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Things We Lost in the Fire: Lush, Moving, and Very Sad

BuzzSugar — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:38:13 -0700

Based on the melodramatic-seeming trailer that told most of the movie's story in its two-and-a-half minutes, I had fairly low expectations for Susanne Bier's directorial follow-up to her Oscar-nominated After the Wedding. But Things We Lost in the Fire far exceeded those expectations. Aided by some solid performances and wise directional decisions, the movie is less cheesy and more potent than the trailer suggests.

The story starts out dreary and sentimental, then kicks into high drama and deep sadness, then it's horrifying, and then back to very sad, where it ends. There is redemption, but little joy to this story. The narrative begins with the funeral of Steven Burke (David Duchovny), which I think is a questionable move because watching people mourn without giving the audience any reason yet to be sad along with the characters creates an empty, pointless feeling. But the characters go on to earn our sympathy, and through a series of flashbacks interspersed with present-day action we are absorbed into this world of Steven's grieving widow Audrey (Halle Berry), their two children, and Steven's best friend - the down-and-out recovering drug addict Jerry Sunborne (Benicio Del Toro). For more about the story and my take on it, read more

Though she spent years mistrusting and disliking him, Audrey invites the quiet Jerry to live with her and the children in the garage that was damaged in a fire and never entirely finished before Steven's death. Once he moves in, Jerry is simply given things - a job and furniture from family friend Howard (John Carroll Lynch), the love and affection of Steven's kids - because they all loved Steven, and because Jerry knew him in a way nobody else did.

What I appreciate most about this movie is the character of Audrey, which Berry portrays as graceful and conflicted. It is so refreshing to find a true-to-life, complex female movie character. She's a caring mother and a sympathetic person, but she also acts in incomprehensible ways, making impulsive decisions fueled by grief and lack of sleep that seem heartbreakingly rash but also deeply human. At one point she demands that Jerry move out of the garage, which leads to Jerry relapsing, a most upsetting part of the film.

Certainly, I have some quibbles with the film. Steven's character is a little too goody-two-shoes to be believable, even up to his heroic death - getting shot while trying to protect a woman from her abusive husband. I'm also sure that after Audrey tells us all about the things they lost in the garage fire, two scenes later we don't need an actual written-out list of things they lost in the fire, as it just seems irritatingly redundant.

Yet these things are overshadowed by the beautiful direction (complete with perfectly-chosen music, from soothing flute to a sorrowful Spanish guitar to the steely blues that Jerry often pumps through his headphones) and some near-perfect performances. Del Toro does well with these gorgeously flawed characters, and his depiction of Jerry's relapse brings tears to my eyes even now. This isn't a breezy, escapist film, but it is very moving and lovingly crafted.

Photos courtesy of Paramount

Fall Movie Preview: Heartstrings, Yanked

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:30:31 -0700

We may not be getting the crisp fall weather just yet, but we are getting previews for tons of movies opening in the fall. In preparation for this autumn and winter at the theaters, I've broken up the lengthy list of upcoming movies into many small themes for my Fall Movie Preview series. This way, you'll be in the know when the chillier months roll around, bringing a whole new crop of new films. Today I'm bringing you three movies that may just jerk at the tears and yank at the heartstrings.

The Kite Runner
The trailer for this movie is already enough to start me crying, especially since I've read the moving novel on which it's based. The story follows two childhood best friends: Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. Before Amir and his father flee to America, the boys' friendship is tested by a moment when Amir falls silent as Hassan is brutally beaten. Settled in California as an adult, this moment haunts Amir until he learns of Hassan's death at the hands of the Taliban, and returns to his homeland to search for Hassan's young son. It sounds bleak (and it kind of is), but there's a lot of beauty in this story as well. The Kite Runner opens November 2.

For two more emotional rollercoasters, read more

P.S. I Love You
P.S. I Love You is also based on a novel and stars Hilary Swank as Holly, a young widow who discovers that her husband wrote out messages for her just before he died. Some of the notes include unusual requests, and before long, Holly and her girlfriends (played by Lisa Kudrow and Gina Gershon, pictured) are going on a string of adventures that Holly's late husband planned for her. I think this premise actually sounds cute, and I like Hilary Swank so I'll be interested to see how it all comes together when P.S. I Love You opens December 21. And now I have that Beatles song in my head.

Things We Lost in the Fire
The trailer for Things We Lost in the Fire, starring Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro and a bunch of adorable children, seems to show the whole story of love, loss and redemption, but I'm still curious to see the film when it comes out October 27. Berry plays Audrey who loses her husband (Duchovny) to a senseless crime. Del Toro is her husband's best friend who is also a heroin addict. He moves in with Audrey and her kids, and then he most likely becomes an irreplaceable member of the family. Awww...

Kite Runner photo source
Other images source

First Look: Things We Lost in the Fire

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:30:00 -0700

After watching the trailer for Things We Lost in the Fire, starring Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro and David Duchovny, I felt like I'd seen the entire movie. Berry plays Audrey who loses her husband (Duchovny) to a senseless crime. Del Toro is her husband's best friend who is also a heroin addict. He moves in with Audrey and her kids, and we can all probably guess what happens after that. I'd been looking forward to seeing this trailer for Things We Lost in the Fire, which opens October 27, but now that I have it's kind of letdown. You can check it out and tell me what you think if you read more

Source

Mad Men, "The Grown Ups": This Week's 5 Maddest Moments

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:30:10 -0800

Did you hear it? That was the sound of the Mad Men implosion, as the death of JFK on November 22, 1963, rocked the country and the lives of the show's characters. This season has been building up to the events of this episode, which felt more intense, more important, than next week's finale can possibly be. If there's an episode that has defined the third season so thoroughly, it's this one, "The Grown Ups."

Ready to talk? See this week's five maddest moments when you read more.

Death of a President: The timeline of the show has made it clear that John F. Kennedy's assassination is coming, but like those who experienced it, there was no way to prepare for it emotionally. So where is everyone when JFK is shot? Peggy is having a "nooner" with Duck, Betty is at home, Pete and Harry are talking work, and Roger's daughter Margaret is having a fitting on the eve of her wedding.
One wedding and a funeral: The show must go on, Roger decides, and Margaret's wedding still happens on Saturday night, with far fewer guests in attendance. I understand why they didn't cancel it, but as Joan remarks, "Poor thing." Margaret overcomes her marriage jitters and fit over Jane's extravagant gift and presence in her life, only to agree to be married the day after the President's shooting. That's pretty rough.
Downgrade: Pete is demoted so thoroughly at Sterling Cooper that he leaves work and tells Trudie he's been fired at first. Like Betty, the fact that he's already going through something jarring when JFK is shot only escalates his personal situation, and he stays at home with Trudie instead of going to Margaret's wedding. Shaken as well, Trudie tells Pete to start gathering his clients in preparation to leave the company. Pete seems shattered, and again, I enjoyed Vincent Kartheiser's nuanced performance of one of the show's most complicated characters.
Where's the love: A wedding and a violent event prompt everyone to re-evaluate their romantic relationships; particularly Don and Betty (their kiss at the wedding proves to be only passionate from one side) and Joan and Roger. That Roger calls Joan, just happy that she's home, says so much about his feelings for her.
The Proposal: "What is going on?" Betty asks both Don and Henry, distraught about the country's events, but that's exactly how I felt when Henry tells her in her car that he'll marry her if she leaves Don. Last week, when she got advice against divorcing him, I thought there was no way they'd split up, but now that Betty has this viable option, I'm actually scared they may divorce. As screwed up as their marriage is, their being together is one of the show's fixtures. Their separation would be like Sterling Cooper going out of business. But Betty sees things as having "no point" now, and she tells Don that she no longer loves him. I don't know what to think! Is it a coincidence that she was wearing a pink twinset like Jackie the day JFK is shot? Hadn't she just "lost" her husband in last week's episode when she discovers that Don is really Dick Whitman? In any case, it's completely disconcerting to see Don, sitting in his bedroom at the end, broken by Betty's dramatic disclosure of her lack of feelings for him.

Everyone keeps saying variations on how everything will be fine, it will all be OK, but we know from experience with this show that nothing is going to be fine. Whatever is to come, I'm so impressed by this episode; in the future, this will be the episode that you remember when you think of this season.

What do you think will happen with Pete, Roger and Joan, the Drapers? Will Betty take Henry up on his offer? And to talk more about the show later, join the Mad Men group in the community.

Photo courtesy of AMC