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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:30:51 -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 take home The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Tale of Despereaux, and Beverly Hills, 90210: Season 7.

Yes Man
I'm a little baffled as to why the DVD cover for Yes Man doesn't include Jim Carrey's costar, Zooey Deschanel. She's a major selling point for me! Anyway, this movie is actually pretty cute and a great choice if you're looking for some laid-back, feel-good entertainment at home.

The story follows divorced loan officer Carl (Carrey) who lives life turning down everything from invitations to parties to the loan requests he hears every day. One day Carl finds himself at a self-help-type meeting all about the power of saying "yes" to every opportunity and it completely turns his life around. While he's in the process of becoming a "yes man" he starts up a romance with the free-spirited Allison (Deschanel), and soon learns that there are some negatives to his new lifestyle.

Special features include "Downtime on the Set of Yes Man with Jim Carrey," and "Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man - The Outrageous Physical Stunts the Star Performs."

Two more up next so read more.

Doubt
If you're looking for some serious actors doing some serious work, look no further than Doubt. Adapted from a stage play, the movie follows Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), the principal of a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, who becomes suspicious of the parish priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) when he takes a particular shine to one boy. Things get more complicated when a young nun named Sister James (Amy Adams) is pulled into the conflict and doesn't know who to believe. The movie also includes an excellent performance from Viola Davis.

Each main member of the ensemble cast - Streep, Seymour Hoffman, Adams, and Davis - earned an Oscar nomination for his/her work in this movie.

Special features include "Doubt: From Stage to Screen," "Scoring Doubt," and commentary with writer/director John Patrick Shanley.

Bedtime Stories
Directed by Hairspray's Adam Shankman, Bedtime Stories is about a handyman who tells his niece and nephew imaginative stories that start to come true. Whatever the kids come up with each evening he has to survive in real life, including a gumball rainstorm and being set on fire.

It's so cute-looking and I really like the idea of a kids' movie starring Adam Sandler. Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, and Russell Brand also pop up in the film.

Bonus features include deleted scenes and outtakes.

Box Office: Audiences Still Lovin' Marley

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:30:42 -0800

After breaking Christmastime records last week, audiences once again put the adorably naughty pup in the top spot at the box office over the weekend. Marley & Me, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, earned an estimated $24 million "for a cume of $106.5 million in only 11 days."

In second place came Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories followed by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in third, Valkyrie in fourth and Yes Man in fifth.

Another unusually great weekend for the box office during the holiday season! What did you check out this first weekend of the new year?

Photos courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:45:34 -0800

Thanks for tossing out some great caption ideas for this image from the Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man:

There can only be one winner, though, so let's put it to a vote. Here are your finalists:

"And so Ron goes, 'A hufflepuff!' HA! Get it?"
Eyebrow Gone Wild!
"Finally, a man that doesn't hide the fact that he's a 'crack' head!!!"
After years of making a name for himself with his slapstick antics and rubber face, Jim Carrey's face finally splits open.
"After a few more stiff drinks, I'm going to get the rest of the KISS logo tattooed on my forehead!"

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Caption It!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:30:14 -0800

Welcome to the Caption It game on BuzzSugar! Every other Wednesday, I'll post a photo still from a TV show or movie here and challenge you to think of the most hilarious caption possible. I'll announce the finalists the following Tuesday, and you'll get to vote for the best caption; the winner will get a fabulous BuzzSugar t-shirt!

First, congratulations to kgiuffre who won last week's poll with her caption for a Gossip Girl photo:

"Does this sign say to the left or to right for casting call for the Twilight series sequel?"

Now onto this week's challenge! I'm using a photo from the new Jim Carrey-Zooey Deschanel movie, Yes Man:

Leave your captions in the comment space below before 5 p.m. PST on Monday, Dec. 29 to be considered for a spot in the voting round. Have fun! To see a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, just read more.

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Box Office: Audiences Say Yes. . . Man

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:30:21 -0800

It seems the dismal weather plaguing parts of the nation proved detrimental to box office earnings this weekend. Of the less-than-robust numbers, however, the Jim Carrey-Zooey Deschanel comedy Yes Man ended up taking the most in ticket sales with a little over $18 million. Will Smith's Seven Pounds did almost as well, though still worse than expected with $16 million.

Variety claims both movies "were expected to come in at least $5 million higher" and blames inclement weather for the quiet opening weekend:

Friday’s crippling storm in the Northeast dragged down grosses dramatically in a menacing start to the Christmas holiday. Weekend was down by as much as 44% over last year. In Boston, Friday’s B.O. dropped a whopping 81% from the previous Friday, while it fell 45% in Gotham.

Yeesh. After Seven Pounds, The Tale of Despereaux came in third place, followed by The Day the Earth Stood Still and Four Christmases respectively. In less bah-humbuggy news, the indie film market is doing quite well these days: The Mickey Rourke movie The Wrestler had an excellent weekend, as did Slumdog Millionaire.

This upcoming holiday weekend promises a whole slew of fresh blood at theaters: Marley & Me, Valkyrie, Bedtime Stories, The Spirit, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button all open in wide release on Christmas Day this Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Yes Man: Genuinely Feel-Good Fare

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:30:31 -0800

It may be a silly and simplistic movie, but Yes Man is also one of the few movies this year that left me grinning from ear to ear at the end. From the premise we know that it's about the power of positive thinking and being open to things and changing one's life for the better, etc. etc. And the crazy, great thing about this ridiculous film is that it’s actually pretty effective in making you think that you can (and should) do just that. It's funny, sure, and even more inspiring. And what’s wrong with that - especially these days?

Divorced loan officer Carl (Jim Carrey) is basically a "no man," turning down everything from invitations to parties to the loan requests he hears every day. At the suggestion of a friend, however, Carl finds himself at a self-help-type meeting all about the power of saying "yes" to every opportunity that comes around. So, Carl makes a pact with himself to say "yes" to everything. And while this leads to some bizarre (and sometimes dangerous) situations, it also frees him to try new things, which ultimately improves his attitude, his job life and his relationships. He even meets the irresistibly fun, charming and beautiful Allison (Zooey Deschanel). But it turns out there are negative things that can come from this extreme yea-saying, and Carl learns that the program has its limitations. Yup, that's about it for plot, so for more of my take on the whole thing, read more.

As you can see, there's not a whole lot going on here. As a movie it isn't noteworthy or extraordinary; everything about it is straightforward, from the ordinary characters to the uncomplicated storyline to the unremarkable filmmaking. But maybe that's part of the point: It's just a simple story with a simple message: Just. Say. Yes. And because it's so basic and uncomplicated, it's pretty damn easy to get swept up in the joyful, positive, forward motion of it all.

It's not even heartwarming or all that sentimental - it's just happy. Jim Carrey is the perfect choice for this role since he's funny both when he's playing the curmudgeon and as the guy who's "seen the light," so to speak. He commits fully to both sides of this character, and thankfully scales back the hokey just a bit so we’re not left watching Ace Ventura slobber all over cute-as-a-button Zooey Deschanel. I really like him in this movie and it makes me want to see more of this Jim Carrey who we've glimpsed before a few times, the version who's not only comfortable but good at playing a regular guy who learns stuff but is still just a regular guy in the end.

That's the thing, really: He's relatable. And because we can see ourselves in him, we also end up thinking that maybe our lives could also change if we said "yes" more often. We drink the Kool-Aid, so to speak. That positive thinking thing, it's powerful stuff. It works for this random dude, why wouldn’t it work for me, too?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Listen Up: Zooey Deschanel's "Yes Man"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:30:48 -0800

Any excuse to listen to Zooey Deschanel's sweet, dreamy voice sounds good to me, so I'm psyched to hear the soundtrack songs for Jim Carrey's (and Zooey's!) next comedy Yes Man that feature Deschanel and some seriously awesome synthesizing (incidentally, much of the rest of the soundtrack is by another great artist: Eels). The lyrics are a little ridiculous but the song is so much fun I don't really care. It actually makes me want to jog, and trust me - that is no small feat.

The soundtrack will be released tomorrow, Dec. 16. To take a listen to "Yes Man" and tell me what you think, read more.

Yes Man - Munchaussen By Proxy (Featuring Zooey Deschanel & Von Iva)

Source and source

Movie Preview: Jim Carrey in Yes Man

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:30:20 -0700

Jim Carrey has made some interesting movies in recent years, and by "interesting" I mean, "I'm not jumping out of my seat to see them" (Horton Hears a Who is the exception, of course). But lately he's been signing up for projects that seem like better, smarter choices for an actor of his talent, including Yes Man.

In the teaser trailer we are introduced to Carrey's character as a man who is a bit of a nay-sayer, constantly dismissing and rejecting the opportunities that come his way. But then he learns how to say "yes," and he is suddenly free to live life to its fullest, pulling the hilarious Zooey Deschanel along with him. This is basically the point at which Carrey is given license to go a little nuts and it's good to see.

Other things making this movie highly desirable include cast members Bradley Cooper and Danny Masterson.

You'll be able to see Yes Man in theaters Dec. 19 and to check out the teaser (which is super long, for a teaser!), read more.

Source

Zooey Deschanel Says Yes, Man

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:58:13 -0700

This could be awesome or a total disaster.
Movies billed as "Jim Carrey movies" are pretty iffy, in my opinion. They could be totally hilarious, like Dumb and Dumber, or we could have another Ace Ventura series on our hands. His next comedic project, Yes Man, however, just got a little more promising with the addition of Zooey Deschanel to the cast.

What's it about?
According to Hollywood Reporter, the movie is based on British author Danny Wallace's memoir and "follows a man (Carrey) who decides to change his life by saying yes to everything that comes his way, leading him on a series of unexpected comedic adventures that turn his life upside down. Deschanel plays the romantic female lead, a woman Carrey meets on his journeys."

Director: Peyton Reed
Reed's resume is kind of all over the place: He's directed Bring it On and The Break-Up, as well as a couple episodes of Mr. Show and The Weird Al Show. Still, kudos to him for casting Zooey who, though she seems like an odd choice for the love interest of a Jim Carrey role, I can't wait to see do her quirky-funny thing on the big screen again.

Source and source

Would You Watch a J.J. Abrams Medical Comedy?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:30:02 -0700

J.J. Abrams, the king of TV sci-fi, is looking for laughs. The man behind Lost and Fringe just signed on to executive produce a "comedic medical show" for FOX. Random!

I've always been a huge fan of Abrams, but I've never thought of him as a funny ha-ha kinda guy. Yes, his shows have had their goofy moments - Felicity's Richard used to always make me guffaw - but this is the same guy who creates smoke monsters. This is a total departure from his usual territory.

Not that I won't watch. Shows based around hospitals may be a dime a dozen these days, but with the old Scrubs that I loved on its way out, this could be a potential worthy replacement. Plus, everything that Abrams touches seems to turn into ratings gold.

What do you guys think of this news? Will you watch J.J. Abrams's new comedy when it comes out?