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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:15:01 -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.

Two Lovers
This is the movie Joaquin Phoenix was supposed to be promoting on Letterman when he appeared to be losing it. His batty appearances at the time probably overshadowed the very good work he did in this aching drama about love and attraction. So, if you didn't catch this movie directed by James Gray, now it's out on DVD to take home.

Phoenix plays Leonard, a somewhat tortured soul living with his folks who falls for two women: kindhearted family friend Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) and the beautifully damaged Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow). Sandra makes her feelings clear, and Leonard could have a stable relationship with her. But Leonard is drawn to Michelle because she's disturbed, confused, and vulnerable - just like Leonard. The question becomes: which one should he be with?

Special features include commentary with director James Gray, behind the scenes footage, and deleted scenes.

84%

Two more up next, just read more.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season Two
Instead of paying for Showtime, I have some friends who just keep up with their favorite series on DVD. If you do this, too, it's time to check out the second season of Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

At this year's TCAs, the show's producer, Rebecca De Souza, talked about what audiences could expect from season two and said that the main story of the season is "Belle falling in love and can she manage to sustain a relationship? Can she juggle Belle and Hannah? Can Hannah get what she wants? Hannah wants a relationship. Or will Belle always take her away from that?"

Special features include "Billie On Belle," an interview with Billie Piper and Webisodes.

Entourage: Season Five
Entourage is one of those shows I love to watch on DVD because it's so fun to see these episodes back-to-back. Here's how Netflix describes the fifth season, now on DVD: "HBO's hit Hollywood-centered comedy is back for a fifth season, with movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) once again at the helm of his considerable posse, including his friends from back home, his brother, his representatives and a cadre of beautiful women. This time around, Vince must pick himself up off the pavement and square his shoulders against Hollywood as he struggles to save face in Tinseltown after his biggest failure yet."

Special features include revealing behind-the-scenes interviews with cast and crew and three audio commentaries with creator/executive producer Doug Ellin, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Adrian Grenier, and producer Ally Musika.

Two Lovers: A Bittersweet Snapshot of Modern Love

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:30:18 -0800

There's a kind of achy beauty to Two Lovers, a romantic drama about a man who's drawn to two very different women, as it explores the complexities of attraction. Is it better to be with someone who has similar flaws because she "gets" you and is just as messed up as you are? Or is it a recipe for disaster to put together two people who are messed up in similar ways? Why do we become obsessed? Is the kind of love that's intoxicating and devastating better or worse than a calm love full of respect and companionship?

The story belongs fully to Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix), as we see everything from his point of view. Nothing happens unless Leonard sees it (and we see it with him). It's an intimate thing, this perspective. Not only do we root for Leonard, we are living with his decisions alongside him, right from the very first scene - in which Leonard attempts suicide. He jumps into water but eventually surfaces and walks away, back to his parents' apartment in Brighton Beach where we learn that this isn't Leonard's first attempt, and that he is bipolar. The narrative swiftly moves forward as we're introduced to the two women who become the objects of Leonard's affection: Kindhearted family friend Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) and the beautifully damaged Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow). Sandra makes her feelings clear, and Leonard could have a stable relationship with her - along with great joy and support from both families. But Leonard is irresistibly drawn to Michelle, in all her flighty dysfunction, because she's disturbed, confused, and vulnerable - just like Leonard. So, which one should he be with? For some of my thoughts on this story, read more.

Basically, Leonard's just a guy who falls for a woman that he perceives to be just like him. She's insecure and self-obsessed - and Leonard loves that with her he's maybe not the most messed-up person in the room. He likes the idea of being two crazy peas in an unstable pod. But then there's Sandra, pretty and loyal and generous. Sandra even says out loud that she wants to take care of Leonard, but these don’t seem to be the right words for him to hear. With Sandra he can have a nice home and family, close to his parents and the family business - he'll be taken care of in every way. But with Michelle he would get to be impulsive and carefree and best of all he'd get to be near her, this unpredictable woman. The thing is, hers are the very qualities that could send him over the edge during a downturn.

The humble, cozy setting of Leonard's parents' apartment in the old Brighton Beach community gives a meaty, slice-of-life feel to it all. His parents are caring and protective but they also have their own lives and a nice circle of friends. They're happy, and they only want what's best for their son. Perhaps because of the feeling of community and tradition within this setting, Two Lovers feels very old-fashioned, like an age-old tale of love and confusion. It's really not a new story but something about it still feels so authentically modern-day. The end result is a dramatic snapshot that's timeless and yet distinctly belongs to our generation.

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Trailer For Two Lovers: Intriguing or Lame?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:00:21 -0800

Joaquin Phoenix may be retiring from acting, but his project Two Lovers still has yet to hit theaters. In it Phoenix plays a man who. . . has two lovers (played by Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw). I like these actors but from the trailer I just don't know if this movie will provide anything very new or interesting. Take a look and let me know what you think. Two Lovers opens Feb. 13 (Happy Valentine's Day! Ha!).