Hereafter

What to Rent

What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

The Fighter Mark Wahlberg plays real-life boxer Micky Ward in this moving film, which landed seven Oscar nominations.

The Fighter

Mark Wahlberg plays real-life boxer Micky Ward in this moving film, which landed seven Oscar nominations. It charts the rise of Ward's boxing career, which had been held back by his influences in working-class Lowell, Mass., including his drug-addict brother Dicky (Christian Bale) and meddling manager mother (Melissa Leo). Inspiring, foul-mouthed, and entertaining, it was one of my favorite movies last year, owing to the incredible performances of the whole cast (in case you missed it, Bale and Leo took home Academy Awards for their roles). DVD extras include deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, and a commentary track from director David O. Russell.

90%

The Switch

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman are paired in this romantic comedy as Kassie and Wally, two platonic best friends. When single Kassie decides she wants to get pregnant via artificial insemination, a drunken Wally switches the sperm sample with his own. Fast forward a few years later, and Wally meets Kassie's son, Sebastian, and is quite sure they're related. The interaction between Wally and Sebastian makes this movie a sweet, funny rom-com, even if the premise is a little disturbing and the ending more than a little predictable. The DVD includes deleted scenes and an alternate ending as extras.

52%

One more release to check out after the break.

Movies

Box Office: Saw 3D Cuts Through the Competition

Scary movies reigned supreme at the Halloween box office.

Scary movies reigned supreme at the Halloween box office. Newcomer Saw 3D came in at No. 1 with 22.5 million, followed by last week's champ, Paranormal Activity 2 which continued to spook audiences and took in $16.5 million. Saw 3D 's win isn't a complete victory, however; the opening is only the fifth-best in the seven-film franchise, leaving some critics to question if the series has lost momentum.

For those moviegoers who weren't looking for a fright, Red proved to be a viable alternative. It came in third with $10.8 million, while Jackass 3D and Hereafter finished out the top five with $8.4 million and $6.3 million respectively.

Movies

Box Office: Paranormal Activity 2 Scares Off Jackass

Audiences are already getting in Halloween spirit!

Audiences are already getting in Halloween spirit! The spooky sequel Paranormal Activity 2 earned the top spot at the box office over the weekend with $41.5 million (perhaps that's not so surprising since the majority of you said you'd see it). It beat last weekend's champ Jackass 3D, which fell to the No. 2 slot with $21.6 million. What's even more impressive: Paranormal Activity 2 set a new record for the biggest three-day opening ever for a horror film.

Red fell one spot to take third place with $15 million, while Matt Damon's Hereafter received a boost as the film expanded into more theaters to earn $12 million for fourth place. Rounding out the top five was The Social Network, which took in $7.3 million.

Video

Watch, Pass, or Rent: Hereafter and Conviction

If it's as cold and rainy in your neck of the woods this weekend as it is in mine, then we'd highly recommend popping inside a theater to catch a movie.

If it's as cold and rainy in your neck of the woods this weekend as it is in mine, then we'd highly recommend popping inside a theater to catch a movie. As for what you should see, let us give you the rundown on which of the new releases — Hereafter and Conviction — are worth your money.

Movies

Hereafter: A Matter of Life and Death

There's a scene in Hereafter where death is described as "merely the beginning."

There's a scene in Hereafter where death is described as "merely the beginning." The statement barely scratches the surface of the spiritual afterlife, but Clint Eastwood's latest film takes us on three journeys to find a deeper meaning in death and how life goes on after others pass away.

Each story takes place in a different part of the world. In France, television journalist Marie (Cécile De France) is having trouble getting back to work after nearly drowning in a tsunami on a vacation with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, a young boy in London named Marcus finds his life in shambles when his identical twin brother is hit by a car and killed (both boys are played by twins Frankie and George McLaren). At the epicenter of the story is George (Matt Damon), a factory worker in San Francisco who just wants to have a normal life despite his ability to communicate with the dead. As Marie tries to make sense of a vision she saw shortly before she was revived, and Marcus struggles to go on with his life without his closest companion, both find themselves questioning the afterlife and seeking answers. At the same time, George is doing all he can to think about anything other than death.

Though we're taken down three different paths for most of the film, Eastwood keeps the story tidy, giving equal screen time to each scenario and arranging the segments cyclically. The transitions are welcome and feel natural, though one of my biggest gripes is that the paths converge too late in the game, and the film's climax is reached all too quickly.

To see what else this movie is all about, just read more

Movies

Career Evolution: Matt Damon

It's no secret that we're pretty big fans of Matt Damon here at Sugar HQ.
Matt Damon Career Evolution From Good Will Hunting to Hereafter 2010-10-21 17:15:36

It's no secret that we're pretty big fans of Matt Damon here at Sugar HQ. The actor has been in the business for decades (remember his Good Will Hunting Oscar acceptance speech?), yet he continues to churn out a solid mix of performances in dramas, action flicks, and comedies (even on the small screen on 30 Rock). There's nothing this guy can't do. So in light of his recent 40th birthday milestone and this weekend's release of Hereafter, let's take a look back at how far Damon's career has come!

Matt Damon

Matt Damon Follows a Late Night With an Early Morning Alongside Clint

Matt Damon stopped by The Early Show today to promote Hereafter with his director and longtime friend Clint Eastwood.

Matt Damon stopped by The Early Show today to promote Hereafter with his director and longtime friend Clint Eastwood. Matt was fresh from an appearance on Letterman last night, where he dished on the baby girl he and his wife are expecting any day now, and busted out his ever-popular Matthew McConaughey impression. Despite his busy schedule, Matt made time to celebrate his 40th birthday last weekend with the ladies in his life. He strolled in the Big Apple with his daughter Isabella on his big day, threw a bowling bash for loved ones, and later stepped out with Luciana for the premiere of his latest project.