Wendy and Lucy

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 check out Incendiary, Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht: Season 4, and the second season of Lipstick Jungle on DVD.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in this curious tale of a child born as an old man, based loosely on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Using groundbreaking (and really cool) special effects, David Fincher directs this epic that follows the life of one man who grows up (and young) as an outsider.

I fell for the improbable romance between Benjamin (Pitt) and his normally-aging love, Daisy (Blanchett). Plus, when you stick both photogenic stars in gorgeous period costumes it becomes a feast for the eyes.

Special features include interviews with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, audio commentary featuring David Fincher, footage revealing the techniques behind the visual effects and makeup, and a step-by-step examination of the motion-capture process used to age Brad Pitt.

72 %

Two more up next, so read more

As a simple story about a young woman having a hard time of it, Wendy and Lucy is a bit irritating at times. But after viewing this quiet little movie directed and co-written by indie darling Kelly Reichardt, I sat with it and mulled it over for a few weeks. Only then did I realize how effective it is at capturing the bitter realities and melancholy that exists for those who live at or below the poverty lines and on the edges of our society.

It's certainly a downer — but a superbly rendered downer that may ultimately be seen as a cinematic snapshot of the times we're living in. Reichardt and her star, the impressive Michelle Williams, succeed at capturing a certain downtrodden vibe that's in the air nowadays and for that I can forgive it for being, well, boring. To see where I think it soars and where it stumbles, just read more

Michelle Williams wore a LBD to the 2008 American Film Institute premiere of Wendy and Lucy in Hollywood on Saturday. Michelle also premiered the film in NYC in September and her costar Lucy, the dog, already won an award at Cannes earlier this year. Michelle has been hard at work promoting her many movies before she gets ready to take a year off. Looks like Spike Jonze skipped out on joining Michelle at her red carpet event this time around but as things continue to get more serious with the couple it's wonderful to see the actress glowing and happy in her success.

To see more photos of Michelle at the premiere just read more

Michelle Williams looked lovely at the premiere of Wendy and Lucy at the Ziegfeld Theater in NYC on Saturday night. We've enjoyed seeing her all Summer in Brooklyn with Matilda and her new relationship with Spike Jonze, but she's still honoring Heath's memory as the first donor to his scholarship fund. Elsewhere, Heath's father says that the family has decided to gift Heath's entire estate to Matilda since his Will was written before her birth and left everything to his parents and sisters. Sounds like his family did the right thing making sure Matilda is taken care of as she grows up.

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Four paws up to the super cute canine, Lucy, this year's lucky Palm Dog winner at Cannes! This mixed-breed pooch is part hunting dog and part retriever and was lucky enough to star alongside Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy. From what I can tell, the pup plays a major role in the film that follows their journey to Alaska, where Wendy hopes for a Summer of lucrative work at the fish cannery . . . until her car breaks down in Oregon, that is. Learn who accepted this award on her behalf when you read more