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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:30:34 PST

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 now add High School Musical 3, Flash of Genius, Religulous, and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People to your queue.

Changeling
If you're trying to catch all the Oscar-nominated performances before the big night, now's your chance to see Angelina in her award-worthy role in Changeling. Here's the Netflix plot description in case you forgot: "Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is overjoyed when her young kidnapped son Walter is brought back home. But when Christine suspects that the Walter who was returned to her isn't her actual child, the police captain (Jeffrey Donovan) has her committed to an asylum. John Malkovich co-stars as the crusading reverend who comes to Christine's rescue in this gripping, 1920s-set drama helmed by ace director Clint Eastwood."

I'm glad to see they dispensed of that creepy movie poster for the DVD cover. Extras include featurettes titled "Partners in Crime: Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie" and "The Common Thread: Angelina Jolie Becomes Christine Collins."

Two more up next, so

Body of Lies
Ridley Scott fans will have a good time with this political thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. The two talented actors play CIA operatives trying to find a major terrorist leader by working with the Jordanian secret police. It's a timely, action-packed tale of espionage that might even make you think.

Special features include commentary by director Ridley Scott, screenwriter William Monahan and original novel author David Ignatius, and a featurette titled "Actionable Intelligence: Deconstructing Body of Lies."

Choke
I'm excited to see Sam Rockwell star in this adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's darkly comedic novel. Rockwell plays Victor Mancini, a guy who works at a Colonial-era theme park, frequents Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings to hit on women, and lies about being a choke victim to make money for his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston). He doesn't appear to be what we generally describe as a "winner" which makes it all the more intriguing to me.

Special features include audio commentary with director/writer/actor Clark Gregg and Rockwell, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and "A Conversation with Clark Gregg and Chuck Palahniuk."

Leo Has A Winning Week

PopSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:00:00 PST

Update: Leo's reps confirmed the quotes were not real and have since been removed.

Leonardo DiCaprio posed for another Body of Lies premiere, this time in London earlier today. The actor has been promoting the movie around Europe the past few days and now that the election is over Obama supporting Leo has even more to smile about.

To see more photos of Leo in London, just

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Leo Brings His Body and Lies to Rome

Molly — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:45:00 PST

Leonardo DiCaprio skipped Election Day in the United States in order to keep premiering Body of Lies overseas. This time, he and director Ridley Scott hit Rome, posing side by side before screening their film. While this one may have been a critical mixed bag his Revolutionary Road is already getting big buzz and not just because of his reunion with Kate Winslet. Oscar buzz is heating up and with award season around the corner we wouldn't mind having to see a lot more Leo on the red carpet soon.

To see more of Leo and Ridley just

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Images include: Carolina Crescentini, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ridley Scott

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Leo Premieres in Paris With Obama on the Brain

PopSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:30:59 PST

After posing for a photo call in Paris yesterday, Leonardo DiCaprio slipped into his suit for the big premiere of Body of Lies last night. Leo took the opportunity to promote more than just his latest film - he also threw out one last endorsement for Obama, saying, "I've my fingers crossed that he will win because I think he'll make some dramatic changes in our country that we're looking for, but the rest of the world is as well." Even in a foreign country, Leo will probably be glued to the computer and TV screens like the rest of us so hopefully he knows which states to keep an eye on.

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Leonardo DiCaprio Brings His Body of Lies to Paris

PopSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:58:24 PST

Leonardo DiCaprio looked preppy in his navy sweater and pinstriped pants posing with Ridley Scott at a photo call for Body of Lies in Paris earlier today. The movie was a bit of a disappointment at the box office in the States, but there's always a chance for international success. Instead he can focus on the great job he did participating in the star-studded PSAs urging people to vote in tomorrow's election. Plus, there's already Oscar buzz for his Revolutionary Road performance, and everyone is eager to see him reunite with Kate Winslet on the big screen.

To see more photos of Leo just

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Images include: Ridley Scott, Leonardo DiCaprio, Donald Line

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Box Office: It's a Chihuahua World and We're Just Living in It

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:30:48 PDT

If the photo below were a Caption It contest based on this weekend's box office results, my entry would go something like: "Well Leo, there's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to come out with it. We got beat by the little talking dogs. Beat bad."

That's right, Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua was No. 1 for the second weekend in a row followed by the horror flick Quarantine. Ridley Scott's Body of Lies, which came in third, was expected to do much better "based on its star power alone" but the combination of mediocre reviews and the fact that audiences continue to eschew Iraq War-related movies probably worked against a successful opening weekend. Eagle Eye and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist rounded out the top five respectively.

The new sports film The Express came in at No. 6 followed by Nights in Rodanthe, Appaloosa, The Duchess, and City of Ember at No. 10.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Body of Lies: Tense in Some Parts, Tedious in Others

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:30:41 PDT

Body of Lies has slipped on and off my radar over the past couple of months. It's hard to ignore because it's Ridley Scott working with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and yet the previews haven't looked all that original. But I went anyway, hoping to be entertained and thinking that if it turned out to be thought-provoking as well, all the better.

The thing is, this movie doesn't do more than it has to in terms of both entertainment and thought-provocation. There's a tedious quality to it that, despite some good action scenes and funny lines, is hard to shake. That said, I appreciate that Scott aims to give us a slightly different, more psychological view of life on the ground for American operatives in the Middle East. But to see why I'm a bit torn about this movie,

DiCaprio (sporting some icky facial hair and a strange accent) plays Roger Ferris, a CIA agent operating in the Middle East on the hunt for an elusive Bin Laden-type mastermind named Al-Saleem. He's only ever a cell phone call away from his boss, Ed Hoffman (Crowe), who runs the show from the comfort of his suburban home in the Washington DC area and some kind of mission control room where he can view Ferris's whereabouts via satellite. The whole thing has a Big Brother feel to it while demonstrating how easy it is for people (like the calculating Hoffman) to detach from the messy moral issues that take place on the ground.

Both characters come to embody the different aspects of a war of this nature: Crowe's paunchy Hoffman pragmatically give orders through a lazy Southern accent while stuffing his face with food. Meanwhile, DiCaprio's Ferris blends into the Arab world and earns their trust, only to pick shrapnel out of his skin when things go awry due to the impatience of his boss. It's kind of a funny thing watching Crowe peer over his glasses in comfy armchairs while DiCaprio rolls around from one explosion to the next the whole movie. In this world, catching terrorists is a mad scramble, with agents literally rummaging through the post-bombing rubble looking for evidence and information. There's nothing particularly organized or methodical about it until they partner with the most interesting character in the movie, Hani, the head of Jordanian intelligence.

The introduction of Hani, played beautifully by the handsome Mark Strong, is where things get good as he warns the Americans not to lie to him and to let him do his job. Of course, Hoffman decides they need results more quickly and he pressures young Ferris to embark on a risky scheme behind Hani's back. Unfortunately, this all happens during the last third of the movie, and up until this plot-thickening it's all rather pointless and predictable, not to mention boring.

Though torture is used and both lead characters give monologues about winning the war on terror, the movie's focus has less to do with any kind of political statement and more to do with use and abuse of relationships as mere means to an end (in this case capturing jihadists). It fails to bring to the table in a new and entertaining way what we already know about spies: no one is to be trusted, human life is disposable, and technology only complicates matters. As a result, Body of Lies has some bright spots of action and intrigue sprinkled throughout an otherwise forgettable entry into the political thriller genre.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Watch, Pass, TiVo, or Rent: Body of Lies

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:30:32 PDT

For this next installment of Watch, Pass, TiVo, or Rent (my version of Do, Dump, or Marry), I'm curious to know what your thoughts are on this Friday's new release from Ridley Scott: Body of Lies.

Starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, the story follows a CIA operative on the trail of a high-ranking terrorist in Jordan. Apparently, "the spy is aided by the head of Jordan's covert operations in an uneasy alliance that leads to cultural and moral clashes between the men." The actors are good and Ridley Scott has brought us such films as Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, and American Gangster.

So, what'll it be?

One-sheet image courtesy of Warner Bros.

Leonardo and Russell Premiere Their Bodies of Lies

Molly — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:45:00 PDT

Leonardo DiCaprio looked suave posing with his costar Russell Crowe at the Body of Lies premiere in NYC last night. With all the talk about Russell's weight gain for the role, he looked like he has slimmed down some though I'm not sure what to say about the ponytail. While the boys' political thriller hits theaters this Friday, Leo's been keeping politically active in his real life unveiling his star studded voting PSA with a surprise visit to Ellen on Friday. He said, "This is really one of the most important elections of our life time and we really need to tell everyone we know to get out there and vote." Seems like good timing for Leo that he gets to come out and promote his new movie while also getting to promote his passion projects.

To see more of Russell and Leo at the premiere just

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Movie Preview: Ridley Scott's Body of Lies

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:30:09 PDT

Does the Body of Lies trailer come with the scent of Oscar noms, or am I getting ahead of myself here? Nobody knows just yet, but with heavy-hitting stars like Leo and Russell Crowe and the dark intensity that director Ridley Scott brings to all his projects, we may be looking at a future critical darling here. Then again, I thought Scott's American Gangster would do way better at the Oscars than it did, so maybe I should just stop with the predictions for a while.

In Body of Lies, which is based on a novel by David Ignatius, "a former journalist injured in the Iraq war is hired by the CIA to track down an Al Qaeda leader in Jordan." The new trailer features things like furrowed brows and pounding music. I will be very curious to catch this when it opens in theaters October 10. To watch the preview and tell me what you think,