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Do Movies Affect You Differently Now That You're a Mom?

LilSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:00:00 PST

Hoping to catch a few more Oscar nominated flicks, I watched Changeling over the weekend. In the intense film, Angelina Jolie plays Christine Collins, a woman whose son goes missing and her subsequent struggle with the police department who replaces him with another boy. As a mom, the movie hit incredibly close to home. Though it was an incredibly moving story, I found myself closing my eyes and covering my ears during certain graphic scenes. Do you find some things harder to digest since having children?

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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

read more. 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."

Tokyo Gets Another Dose of Angelina's Smiles

PopSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:36:05 PST

Angelina Jolie looked radiant as she stepped out on stage to promote Changeling in Tokyo earlier today. She's been supporting Brad for his Benjamin Button premieres lately, but now it's her turn to work the crowds. Brad recently spoke about how the couple hasn't celebrated their multiple award nominations yet, saying "Man, we're too busy dealing with Kleenexes and diapers and getting everyone fed to really celebrate. We'll do that next year." With such a gorgeous family, it's totally understandable the Jolie-Pitts have a different set of priorities, but hopefully they can find some time to celebrate if they head back to the states in time for the Oscars luncheon early next week.

To see more photos of Angelina promoting her movie just read more.

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Splash News Online and Source

Angelina Smiles With Brad but Gets Sad About Her Mom

PopSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:28:44 PST

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt stepped out side-by-side in London today for a Changeling photo call. Angelina opened up a bit about her mother during the press conference, a subject that got her choked up (check out the video after the jump). She said, "She was really sweet and was never angry - she couldn't swear to save her life. But when it came to her kids, she was really fierce and so this is very much her, her story. She was the woman I related to, who had that elegance and strength through just knowing what was right." Angelina also said that there are more kids on the way and that she spent most of the past year "in pajamas and coloring." Things will probably only get busier for the Jolie-Pitts as Brad continues filming Inglorious Bastards and starts promoting The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but so far it looks like he and Angelina are doing a good job meeting up all over the world.

To see more of Angelina and Brad, and Angie during her press conference, just read more.

View 15 Photos ›

Source and Splash News Online

Fab Blab: Angelina Jolie Talks About Changeling Costumes

FabSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:00:22 PST

If you haven't seen Changeling yet, I highly recommend you check it out. The Eastwood directed gut-wrenching story features a mother named Christine, played by Angelina Jolie, who loses her son. Tragic and touching. But enough with the spoilers; check out what Angelina recently said about the cool '20s era costumes she wore for the film.

"The wardrobe choices are really the first steps toward Christine," Jolie says. "There is something about the style of clothes of the Twenties that is very sweet. They make you feel a little softer and just so delicate, hidden behind it all. It helped me very much."

To hear what the costume designer had to say about the clothes,

read more Changeling costume designer, Deborah Hopper states: "It's always a challenge to try to find vintage clothes. Especially with the earlier periods, because these fabrics simply don't last; they fall apart," she explains. "So we went everywhere around this country and then some. We did come up with enough clothes, but barely." It looks like all of her hard work paid off - the clothes look great! Source

Box Office: Madagascar Wins Lion's Share of the Bucks

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:30:09 PST

The animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was a big hit with audiences over the weekend, earning a whopping $63.5 million. In fact, it set some records and "narrowly scored the best opening of the year for a family toon, as well as the seventh best bow of all time." Madagascar 2 just barely surpassed Wall-E which brought in $63 million its opening weekend.

In the No. 2 spot came the Paul Rudd comedy Role Models that exceeded expectations with an estimated $19.3 million. High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Changeling, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno rounded out the top five followed by Soul Men, which opened at No. 6.

Picture courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Box Office: High School Musical 3 Is Still No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:30:41 PST

Those whippersnappers have once again snapped up the box office crown. Over the Halloween weekend, High School Musical 3 got top marks at the box office for the second weekend in a row, this time bringing in just over $15 million. According to Variety, this pushed "its worldwide total to an estimated $146.8 million after 10 days in release."

Kevin Smith's raunchy comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno debuted at No. 2, just barely beating out Saw V with each movie raking in something in the $10 million range. Opening nationwide over the weekend, Clint Eastwood's Changeling nabbed the fourth spot with an estimated $9.4 million. Per location, however, Changeling is the big winner, with an "average of $5,085, the best of any film in the top 10 chart." The Haunting of Molly Hartley rounded out the top five with approximately $6 million over its opening week.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Changeling: An Emotional Meat Grinder

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:30:10 PDT

Clint Eastwood sure isn't one to shy away from dark, gut-wrenching material for his directorial projects, and Changeling is no exception. I went into the screening bracing myself for sorrow and pain, but I didn't brace myself enough. Changeling contains all the heavy sentimentality of Million Dollar Baby and that punch-in-the-stomach anguish of injustice found in Mystic River. Add to this the terrible real-life tragedy involving innocent children and you've got a very difficult (though worthwhile) movie-watching experience.

In 1928, single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) returns home from her job at the telephone company to discover that her son Walter has gone missing. After a few months, the LAPD claim they've found her son and they bring a child, claiming to be Walter, to Christine. She insists he isn't her child but the shady police captain, J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), desperate for the LAPD to have a positive story in the news, bullies Christine into believing that she's just a woman who has been driven to hysterics by grief and worry. All of Christine's further attempts to convince the police department that her son is still at large are shot down until Jones finally hauls Christine away to a mental institution to shut her up. For more of the story and some of my thoughts on it all,

read more. Christine's only ally is Gustav Briegleb, a Presbyterian reverend who makes it his mission to expose the corruption of the LAPD. Ultimately, detective Lester Ybarra follows a lead that brings him to Wineville, California where the disturbed Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner) has been committing heinous crimes against children. Gordon's trial comes about at the same time that Christine and Gustav are bringing charges against the LAPD. All the while, Christine doggedly continues her search for Walter, spurred by her belief that he's still out in the world. There are so many aspects of this movie that claw at the heart. There's the missing child storyline, and the infuriating treatment of Christine Collins when she asks for a decent amount of help from the LAPD. Then there's the horrifying situation (made more horrifying by the fact that it's a true story) involving Gordon Northcott in Wineville. And there's the outrageous incarceration of Christine Collins (and any other woman who dares take the LAPD to task) in the mental institute. It's just a constant barrage of emotional beatings that had me squirming in my seat, more uncomfortable than I've been at a movie in a long, long time. By the end of it, I was exhausted. Eastwood has captured the time period remarkably well, down to the last careful detail, and any film that can evoke such fury, horror, and aching sympathy is certainly one for the ages. Angelina Jolie's performance is excellent and focused, and while it's strange to see her play someone so meek, I easily bought her as a gentle, average mother caught up in a situation more harrowing than your worst nightmare. An equally powerful performance, however, is Jason Butler Harner's as the mentally unstable Gordon. Of course we loathe this character, but Harner somehow brings a bewildering and terribly sad humanity to an otherwise monstrous person. Amy Ryan is also riveting - making her role both pitiable and strong - as another woman who has been wrongfully committed to the mental institute. These performances, along with Eastwood's direction make for a staggering film, even if it does leave your heart feeling shredded. Photos courtesy of Universal

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: Changeling

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:30:12 PDT

This latest drama from director Clint Eastwood looks powerfully emotional and possibly devastating. Set in the late-1920s, Angelina Jolie plays Christine Collins, a mother whose son has gone missing. A boy shows up claiming to be her son, but isn't, and Christine must then fight against corrupt police officers (who consider the case closed) in her frantic search for answers.

Of course, I'm going to watch Changeling in theaters and I'm curious to see what could be Oscar-worthy performances, but I'm not gonna lie: I'm bracing myself for my heart to be wrung out and left on the clothesline.

Will you head to the theater to see Changeling? Or do you prefer the privacy of your own home for movies like this? You could always wait until it comes on TV someday. Or maybe this isn't your cup of tea(rs) at all.

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Angelina Jolie Talks About Changeling, Brad and Their Brood

LilSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:00:31 PDT

Star and stunner Angelina Jolie sat down with Matt Lauer to talk about her latest film, Changeling, the true story of Christine Collins, a single mother whose son goes missing and her struggle with authorities after they replace him with another child. The actress initially had her qualms about taking the role, but wanted to tell the tale of the amazing mother. Angelina also talked about falling in love with Brad Pitt and adding to their brood of six.

Are you going to see the movie or does the subject matter hit too close to home?