BuzzSugar

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -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, 30 Days of Night is available if you have the need to get the bejesus scared out of you, and you can finally catch the emotional Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale on DVD.

The Darjeeling Limited
In the latest addition to director Wes Anderson's growing collection of movies that feature dysfunctional families, The Darjeeling Limited gives us Anderson's typically quirky characters, his stylized look and of course some witty, awkward dialogue. The movie stars Adrien Brody alongside Anderson regulars Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman as brothers who plan a road trip across India.

The first part of the film contains all the goofy and neurotic trademarks of this director's films, though the story takes an unexpected dark turn in the middle. While there are certainly problems with this movie, fans of Wes Anderson won't be disappointed. The DVD's special features include the film's prequel Hotel Chevalier which stars Natalie Portman.

Two more movies you might enjoy are out this week, so read more

Death at a Funeral
I've been waiting for Death at a Funeral to come out on DVD as it was one of my Must-Haves this month and I never got to catch it in the theaters. The movie received a lot of great reviews from critics and audience members alike, and the tag line perfectly sums up what I've heard about it: "From director Frank Oz comes the story of a family that puts the F U in funeral."

I'm a big fan of those find-humor-in-the-bleakest-of-situations stories so I'm really excited to see this one. Special features include a gag reel as well as commentaries by the film's writer, Dean Craig, and director Frank Oz.

Beowulf
The epic English poem comes to life (albeit with some liberties taken) as a 3-D animated film thanks to director Robert Zemeckis. Voiced by big-time talent including Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich, the movie tells the story of a Scandinavian warrior's journey to find and kill some terrifying monsters. In Beowulf, Zemeckis again employs the motion-capture process used in The Polar Express, which proves very impressive during the battle scenes.

Today this title is also released in an unrated director's cut version which takes the chains off the film's scenes that include violence and nakedness. Special features include a treat for folks interested in animation with plenty of making-of featurettes, an extensive look behind the scenes, and an odd bit with Zemeckis discussing how much he hated the original poem.

Sugar Bits - Saw IV Takes Top Spot at Box Office

PopSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:29:59 -0700

Saw IV took the top place at the box office this weekend, followed by Dan in Real Life and 30 Days of Night. Guess that means Saw V is unavoidable - BuzzSugar
Oprah tearfully apologized to the parents of students in her South African girls school after allegations of abuse against teachers and administrators. Hopefully the school will recover from this scandal and continue to bring education to the girls who need it. - South Africa News 24
Natalie Portman had a hard time getting a table at a top NYC restaurant even when she flashed her cute smile and asked them "Are you sure?" Apparently they couldn't totally resist and made some room for her and her boyfriend at the lounge. - Page Six
Michelle Williams is apparently thinking of leaving Brooklyn for Manhattan, as Heath Ledger has already done, because her townhouse is too big for her and Matilda alone. A fresh start is probably what's best for both of them. - Page Six
Another woman has spoken out about David Copperfield's "creepy" attempt to hit on her during one of his performances. Now would probably be a good time to perfect his disappearing act. - TMZ

Source

Box Office: Saw IV Takes No. 1 Spot

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:30:00 -0700

I would make some kind of "Saw IV slaughtered the competition!" pun here but I'm just not in the mood after hearing that this fourth installment of the Saw series took the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend. The horror flick drew in an impressive $32 million, significantly more than the No. 2 movie, Dan in Real Life. Surely the proximity to Halloween helped get people in the theaters for Saw, but I'm still a little surprised by this. Most surprisingly, however, is that more women than men were in the audiences for Saw. Interesting, to say the least.

At No. 3 was 30 Days of Night, while The Game Plan continued to score big time at No. 4. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? took fifth place, bumping Michael Clayton out of the top five.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

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

30 Days of Night: Is Your Bejesus Packed and Ready to Go?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Pop was right to suspect me of chickening out of seeing 30 Days of Night - I very nearly did. Normally I enjoy the opportunity to see a horror flick, even if it might give me the creeps for days afterward. However, the trailer for this movie terrified me enough, and I could only imagine what the movie itself would entail. But I bucked up, dragged a friend, and only spent maybe three-quarters of the time curled into a tight, unyielding ball. I'm glad I went, but I was totally right: this movie scared the bejesus out of me.

30 Days of Night brings us to Barrow: a sleepy, isolated town in the northern most part of Alaska on the last day of sunlight before being taken over by darkness for 30 days in the winter. Sheriff Eban Oleman (Mr. Manjoyment himself, Josh Hartnett) really shall we say, "sunk his teeth" into this role. Get it? Okay, to move on, read more

Director David Slade sure knows how to pile on the tension in this movie, as he did with his indie thriller Hard Candy. You know something is going to jump out at you but you just can't tell exactly when. Layer on the creepy soundtrack, crazy camera angles with all those shadows, amazing vampire makeup (along with a whole vampire language and utterly terrifying noises), and you have the prefect recipe for a scared-so-badly-I-almost-peed-my-pants movie.

In many ways, this is your typical vampire genre movie. You know how it goes: quiet, tense moments quickly followed by loud action sequences and a hint of love story thrown in to keep you from vomiting long enough to get you to the next blood-soaked moment. But what sets it apart are the circumstances. Vampires in Alaska in the winter! No waiting it out for 12 measly hours - this time they're trapped there for a month. If that doesn't "suck" I don't know what does (sorry, had to sneak in one more of those).

Eban (Hartnett) and Stella (Melissa George) are believably heroic, trying to keep the remaining survivors alive for the 30 days. Nothing is ever so over-the-top to that you'll chuckle with disbelief and lose interest. The movie also succeeds in showing us that blood-sucking vampires are part human too, not just raging crazies. They're smart and have definitely (definitely) planned ahead this time around.

All in all, the movie taught me a few lessons:

Don't move to Alaska.
See this film in the daylight hours.
Preferably with someone that won't laugh at you too hard if you do in fact, wet yourself.

Photos courtesy of Sony

Josh Is the Man of the (30 Days of) Night

PopSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:32:02 -0700

Josh Hartnett was back to his icky facial hair ways at the premiere of his new movie 30 Days of Night in LA last night. The black carpet was appropriately colored considering the movie looks absolutely horrifying, but we guess it comes with the spirit of the Halloween season. Sadly Josh didn't bring his new lady of the hour, Rihanna, to the premiere, but maybe that was a smart move considering his old flame Helena Christensen was in the house. Be sure to check Buzz next week to see her take on the movie - that is, of course, if she doesn't chicken out.

More pics including Bai Ling, Lucy Lawless and lots more so just read more

View 20 Photos ›

Images include Ben Foster, Josh Hartnett, Helena Christensen, Bai Ling, Lucy Lawless, Melissa George, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Amber Sainsbury, Abbey-May Wakefield, Danny Huston.

Source

Fall Movie Preview: Oh, the Horror

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Well it's September, folks, and the summertime movie season is officially over. Now we have a whole new crop of films to check out in the coming chillier months, so in preparation for that, I'm giving you little glimpses of this fall and winter's must-see movies with my Fall Movie Preview series. Today I'm bringing you three titles from the bloody, fright-filled horror genre.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
In this film version of the stage musical, Johnny Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a barber who is wrongfully imprisoned and seeks revenge on the judge (played by Alan Rickman) who sentenced him. Tim Burton directs (naturally) while Sacha Baron Cohen and the ever-commanding Helena Bonham Carter also star. Sweeney Todd's story begins with these ominous words: "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd./His skin was pale and his eye was odd./He shaved the faces of gentlemen/Who never thereafter were heard of again." The movie, of which some parts were rumored to be cut because they were too gruesome, opens this Christmas.

For two more horrifying titles, read more

30 Days of Night
Josh Hartnett stars as the Sheriff of a small Alaskan town that naturally spends 30 days a year in darkness. As the last bit of sunlight fades, the town is overtaken by a gang of bloodthirsty vampires (I wonder if vampires are ever not bloodthirsty?). Hartnett and his Deputy wife are the town's last hope. Ben Foster stars as well, doing that creepy thing he does so well. 30 Days of Night opens October 19, just in time for Halloween, so in the meantime check out the scary-looking trailer.

Saw IV
And the Saw movies keep on coming. In this fourth installment, the plot description is this: "Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grizzly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences. " If you're into these movies, check out Saw IV when it opens October 26.

Source

The First Microsoft Retail Store Finally Opens

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:44:52 -0700

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced their plan to open a retail store, and yesterday was the day! The Scottsdale, AZ store drew an initial crowd of around 500 people who waited in line for the opening, including some die-hard fans who spent the night. Just before opening, employees handed out gift bags to the first customers in line, including a $25 gift certificate and tickets to an Ashley Tisdale concert at the store later in the day. The store opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m.

The new store is outfitted with Microsoft's high-tech Surface Tables to help customers find what they're looking for. Giant screens decorate the walls in "gaming zones" where customers can test out their favorite video games, including Rock Band and Halo. The store sells several brands of Windows-compatible laptop in addition to Microsoft software (including the just-released Windows 7 operating system), and Xbox consoles and games.

The next store is scheduled to open on Oct. 29 in Southern California.

To see more store photos, just read more.

View 7 Photos ›

Buzz Battle: Are Spoilers Ruining New Moon?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:30:53 -0700

With exactly one month to go until the much-anticipated (to say the very least) premiere of New Moon, the folks at Summit are still getting the Twi-hards' tongues wagging with a new clip aired last night and this latest batch of stills from the movie. But has too much of the movie been revealed - both for those who never read the book and for those who did but still want to be surprised by the visual interpretation?

In today's Buzz Battle, editors S and B square off about whether or not the spoilers are already ruining the yet-to-be released movie.

Editor B: For my opening remarks, I will admit that I'm enjoying all the new footage. I'm always on the hunt for a hot new RPattz photo for my desktop background, and as someone who didn't know much about the Twilight saga this time last year, I've become a full-fledged fan. But like any TV or movie spoilers, the fun of the anticipation is never worth it if expectations are too high. I don't want to walk out of the theater saying, "Man, that was a boring and anticlimactic 2 hours, but the 12 months of hype leading up to it sure was exciting."

To see Editor S's retort and additional arguments, plus more photos just read more.

Editor S: I read the book New Moon over a year ago, so nothing can be spoiled for me. In fact, I'm kind of inspired to re-read the book since I don't remember everything I'm seeing in these new photos. My point is that the audience of New Moon will largely be made up of readers who are looking for a loyal scene-by-scene mirror of the book, so the clips are exciting reminders of what happened in those pages. And if you haven't read the book? A) It's not a spoiler if it's in the book, and B) There are still 30 days to read up.
Editor B: Back at Comic-Con, I felt like it was a very special privilege to see the shirtless Edward scene in all its glory, and I totally didn't expect that part to make it to the movie's preview. But there it was: the climax of the book played out in the trailer. I understand that the folks at Summit are catering to pre-ordained fans of the series, but couldn't they have kept the most intense scene of the movie a secret for the select few who don't know exactly what's going to happen? Part of the fun of the books is not knowing how or why Edward and Bella are reunited.
Editor S: In this age of the Internet and blogging, there's no way to avoid anything that gets leaked. That said, for those who haven't read the books, it's a brilliant ploy to show Robert Pattinson shirtless. I'll say it again: Robert. Pattinson. Shirtless.
Editor B closing argument: While I don't deny that the spoilers are helping to generate excitement and buzz, I fear that I'm being set up for disappointment. I just hope that New Moon has some quality entertainment to fill the scenes we've already seen - because otherwise we're all just victims of a publicity stunt.
Editor S closing argument: The book version of New Moon is 563 pages. That's a lot of ground to cover, and we have plenty left to still see. Worst case scenario? Everything's out there in the open right now. You know you'll still be sitting next to me opening night, Editor B, your skittles and popcorn in hand, a big fat smile on your face.

So whose side are you on? Are you loving the footage or has too much been revealed? To talk about the film even more, head over to the Twilight Movies group in the Buzz Community.

View 11 Photos ›

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:50:00 -0700

ABC is new with Flash Forward, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice
CBS is new with Survivor: Samoa, CSI, and The Mentalist
FOX is new with Bones and Fringe
NBC is new with Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock
The CW is new with Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
MTV is new with Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, Bully Beatdown, Nitro Circus, and Pranked
Bravo is new with Real Housewives of Atlanta
E! is new with E! Investigates: Last Days of Michael Jackson
FX is new with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Lifetime is new with Project Runway
Late-night highlights include Built to Spill on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Matt Lauer on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; John C. Reilly on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Taye Diggs and Kristin Cavallari on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Forest Whitaker and A Fine Frenzy on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; Gerard Butler and Ivanka Trump on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC; Keane on Last Call With Carson Daly on NBC