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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:30:05 -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 also add Zack Snyder's animated Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter to your queue.

Quantum of Solace
It seems like just yesterday we were puzzling over the title of the newest Bond flick and now here it is, out on DVD. The man with the killer looks and dreamy eyes, Daniel Craig, reprises his role as superspy James Bond, who is still pretty peeved at having been betrayed by Vesper Lynd, the woman he loved in the previous film. He wishes to take revenge on the company that blackmailed Vesper, though, and in his search he and M (Judi Dench) uncover plans of a shady leader of an environmentalist company to take control of Bolivia's water supply.

Bond also meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who has her own vengeful plan in mind. There's a lot of international locales included as well as Craig locking and loading guns throughout some intense action sequences - what more do you need?

Special features include the music video for "Another Way to Die," a featurette titled "Bond on Location," and commentary from director Marc Forster.

Two more still to come, so read more.

Bolt
Aw, Bolt. That little computer-animated dog is so cute. Also, how hilarious does that hamster in a ball look? Every time I see that guy in commercials, I laugh. I actually never caught this one in the theaters, so I'm excited to check it out on DVD.

Here's how Netflix describes the movie: "Featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, this animated adventure (nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar and Golden Globe) centers on a dashing German shepherd named Bolt, a canine actor forced into making an action-filled cross-country trek when he's accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York. Believing that he and his fictional character are one and the same, Bolt gets a glimpse of what it takes to be a hero in the real world."

Special features include a new exclusive animated short film titled "Super Rhino," a special featurette called "In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus," their music video for "I Thought I Lost You," and a behind-the-scenes look at the movie from conception to completion, which I hope includes some of the cool storyboards I got to see at Comic-Con.

In Treatment: Season One
When I first saw the schedule for HBO's In Treatment, I felt overwhelmed. The show was airing new episodes every night of the week for nine weeks! That's quite the commitment. It was pretty easy even for someone (like me) who was and is digging the show to fall behind, so yay DVD - and just in time for the second season premiere on April 5!

If you're new to the show, now's your chance to check it out. It follows a therapist named Paul, played by Gabriel Byrne, through a week of clients - one on Mondays, one on Tuesdays, and so on. Paul's own therapy session comes on Fridays. It's an inventive and unusual concept that won Byrne a Golden Globe this year. This DVD set is features-free, but you'll be busy enough just with all the episodes, right?

Sugar Bits - Slumdog Millionaire Kids Are Given Apartments

PopSugarUK — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:16:09 -0800

Two of the child stars of Slumdog Millionaire are to get new apartments. The Mumbai housing authority stepped in following the huge publicity that the movie brought to India. - The Sun
Bolt is the number one movie in the UK for the second week in a row. The only new entry in the chart is Push, starring Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans, which went into the chart at number seven. - BBC
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green have ended their two year engagement. Apparently the decision was mutual. - People
Lily Allen, Franz Ferdinand and Manic Street Preachers have been added to the lineup for T In The Park 2009. - NME
Last night's Eastenders was the first episode to feature an entirely black cast of characters. - Guardian

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Celebrate the Oscars With an Animated Movie Night

LilSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:16:48 -0800

The Academy Awards air this Sunday past your lil one's bedtime, but that doesn't mean your family has to miss out on the fun! The Best Animated Feature Film nominees, Wall-E, Kung-Fu Panda and Bolt have all been released on DVD, so why not curl up on the couch with your family for a screening or two (or three!)? You may not have the time to replicate all of PartySugar's amazing Oscar Party suggestions and recipes, but consider infusing your celebratory cinema time with extra special effort.

Turn Decorating Into an Art Project: Print out small pictures from the three movies (just do a Google image search and pick your favorites), and set up an art station with your printouts, construction paper, ribbons, glitter, and crayons. After your children decorate the pictures, turn them into a festive banner.
Make Traditional Movie Snacks: PartySugar is serving up popcorn with truffle oil, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. If your tots have finicky taste buds, make a few bowls of popcorn and sprinkle in a handful of chocolate covered raisins. More truffle oil for the adults!
Theme Your Main Course: If you are watching Kung-Fu Panda order Chinese takeout or make stir-fry, if you are watching Bolt, which takes place in the US, cook up some burgers or comfort food, and if Wall-E is your game, make futuristic food using food coloring and creative shapes (time to whip out those cookie cutters!).
Make a Kiddie Ballot: You can cast your vote for the winners on BuzzSugar for a chance to win a year of movies, but online voting may be a bit advanced for your tots. Print out a simple homemade ballot for your children and let them pick their favorite of the three films before the award show.

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Sugar Bits - Gavin Henson Accused of "Abusive" Behaviour

PopSugarUK — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:45:07 -0800

Gavin Henson is to be questioned following allegations that he was "abusive" to fellow customers at a Cardiff pub following Wales's victory over England. - Guardian
Chris Martin has said he'd love it if Coldplay could sing with Take That tonight, as Coldplay will be performing a War Child charity gig with The Killers straight after the Brit Awards. Lionel Richie has also said he wants Coldplay to work on his next album. - The Sun
Natalie Imbruglia says she hadn't spoken to Kylie and Dannii Minogue about putting on a concert for the Australia bush fire fund, but is in talks to see how she can help, saying: "I think it's a great idea and we should all get together and see what we can do but as yet nothing is confirmed". - MSN
Disney's Bolt is number one at the British box office, taking £2.8million over the weekend. Slumdog Millionaire moved up to second position, with He's Just Not That Into You slipping to third. - Reuters
Elton John's film company is to make Pride and Predator , a sci-fi horror film with aliens wreaking havoc on a period drama. Elton will supervise the music and David Furnish will produce, saying: "It felt like a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre". - BBC
Paul O’Grady's Channel 4 chat show returns on Monday, but he has hinted that he may quit when his contract finishes at the end of the year, saying "I’m not sure what will happen after that". - The Sun

PopUK's New Release Roundup!

PopSugarUK — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:00:00 -0800

It's time to let you know all the new releases that I recommend this week! First up I have a couple of DVDs for you - Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla came out yesterday and I very much enjoyed this fun-filled crime caper. It has some amusing performances in it, especially from Gerard Butler and face to watch Tom Hardy.

I also recommend The House Bunny for some laugh out loud moments, and I have to admit I was very skeptical of it before I watched it. Anna Faris makes the Playboy bunny of the title likeable and amusing - it's a comedy in the same vein as Legally Blonde - though Colin Hanks is an uninspiring love interest for her. There's amusing support from the sorority girls she takes under her wing, including Kat Dennings, Emma Stone, American Idol's Katharine McPhee and Rumer Willis.

I'll be telling you all about The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button in my review on Friday, but films also worth checking out at the cinema this weekend include animated movie Bolt, a cavalcade of stars including Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore in He's Just Not That Into You, or if you fancy something a little more serious you could go and see Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt.

To check out all my music choices this week, just read more.

Album releases this week include Which Bitch by The View - you can click on the album name to preview all the tracks! Welsh songstress Jem has her album Down To Earth available to download this week, and if you're looking for something a little different or what to discover some new artists, then check out Rough Trade's Counter Culture 2008 which includes tracks from Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, as well as bands you might not have heard of. If you want some new singles to download, then Coldplay's "Life In Technicolour II" is released this week, as is Daniel Merriweather's "Change" and the awesome Of Montreal's uplifting "An Eluardian Instance".

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Oscars 2009: The Nominations!

PopSugarUK — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:14:19 -0800

The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards have just been announced in Hollywood, with The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button heading up the nominees with thirteen nominations!

Slumdog Millionaire matched Doubt with ten nominations each, Kate Winslet has been nominated for Best Actress, and on the anniversary of Heath Ledger's death, he's been awarded a posthumous nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

So without further ado, check out all the nominees!

Best Picture -
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

To see the rest of the nominations, just read more

Best Actor -
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress -
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Director -
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk

Best Supporting Actress -
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Best Foreign Language Film -
Revanch - Austria
The Class - France
The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany
Departures - Japan
Waltz With Bashir - Israel

Best Animated Feature Film -
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay -
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Screenplay -
Happy-Go-Lucky
Milk
Wall-E
In Bruges
Frozen River

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Box Office: The Day the Earth Earned a Lot of Money

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:30:45 -0800

The Day the Earth Stood Still may not have been a critical hit but it is now officially a box office success, earning $31 million over the weekend and topping Four Christmases, which slid into second place. Twilight, Bolt, and Australia followed in third, fourth, and fifth places respectively.

Meanwhile, Variety is reporting that smaller, independent films "delivered one of the best weekends ever for the specialty box office." Movies like Doubt, The Reader and Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino all enjoyed strong debuts, while movies like Milk and Frost/Nixon continue to draw good sized audiences in theaters.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Box Office: Audiences Love Christmases

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:30:01 -0800

Reese and Vince proved a potent pair at the box office once again as Four Christmases came in at No. 1 for the second weekend in a row. The holiday comedy earned an estimated $18.2 million over the weekend, bringing its overall total since debuting to $70.8 million. Meanwhile, Twilight continues to plow full steam ahead, coming in at No. 2 and bringing its overall total to an impressive $138.6 million. The top five was rounded out by Bolt in third, Australia in fourth, and Quantum of Solace at No. 5.

There are a lot of "specialty" offerings at the moment, many of which are doing very well given how many theaters they're playing in. Cadillac Records had a decent debut at No. 9, and both Slumdog Millionaire and Milk continue to thrive thanks to great buzz.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Four Christmases Wins the Holiday Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:30:35 -0800

I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying Four Christmases starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, and maybe some of the early buzz from others who also liked it helped the holiday comedy win the Thanksgiving weekend box office this year with an estimated $46.7 million since opening Wednesday.

Meanwhile the highly anticipated Baz Luhrmann epic Australia opened at No. 5 after Quantum of Solace in fourth place, Twilight (which passed the $100 million mark this weekend) in third, and Bolt in second place. Gus Van Sant's biopic Milk also did very well for a limited release, coming in at No. 10 over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Twilight Drains the Competition

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:30:47 -0800

Anticipating Twilight might just be this weekend's big box office winner, I asked you guys to ring in with some possible box office headline puns for the news this morning. Well, briggs313's suggestion in the post was awesome, so I went ahead and used it - thanks briggs313!

Twilight's debut on the big screen was a smash success, earning $70.6 million over the weekend and breaking several records. It has the honor of being the biggest debut ever "for a female director and also beats the $57 million debut of Sex and the City in May." The studio was so impressed with the buzz around the screen adaptation of the popular book that they went ahead and announced plans for the sequel, New Moon, on Saturday.

It seems Twilight sucked up all the young adult love, which may have contributed to the disappointing opening of Disney's Bolt over the weekend. The animated pup earned about $27 million and came in at No. 3, behind Quantum of Solace which had the No. 2 spot. The top five was rounded out by Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in fourth place followed by Role Models in fifth.

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment