PopSugar

What to Rent: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:45:18 PDT

Need to settle in with some new movies at home? A couple of highly-anticipated (and Oscar-nominated) flicks emerge on DVD and Blu-ray today. In addition to the titles below, Brothers and Mad Men Season 3 are also available today.

The Blind Side

Feast your eyes on Sandra Bullock's Oscar-winning role in The Blind Side now if you missed the movie in theaters. The heartwarming true story is about a poverty-stricken young man who's taken in by a wealthy family, led by Bullock's Lee Ann Tuohy. The subject matter seems like it could be cheesy, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's restrained, sweet, and will make you feel good. The DVD extras include deleted scenes, while the Blu-ray has an interview with the real Michael Oher and additional featurettes.

69%

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson's animated feature is a pure delight - not necessarily meant for kids, but grown-ups with a wicked sense of humor will appreciate it. George Clooney voices the main character, the titular fox, while Meryl Streep is his wife. The other standout voice is Jason Schwartzman as their son, who gives his role depth and comedy. Fantastic Mr. Fox was one of my favorite movies of 2009 - don't miss it. The extras include clips on how the movie was made.

93%

To see one more new release, just

The Men Who Stare at Goats

George Clooney stars as Lyn Cassady, a self-proclaimed "Jedi Warrior" who uses his talent for mind tricks to help the US Army find anyone, anywhere in Iraq. The story is kooky fun in parts, but I felt like it had a serious case of ADD that ultimately does the film a disservice. Still, I'd rent it to catch Oscar winner Jeff Bridges do yet another of his Dude-type roles as Cassady's hippie commander. Plus, the extras include interviews with the men of the original battalion on which the story is based - interesting!

53%

2012 Ends the World at Number One

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:30:00 PST

The apocalypse makes for top of the box office: doomsday drama 2012 was the number one movie this weekend, pulling in $65 million in its first outing at theaters. If that sounds like an insane amount of money to you, you're right - it's the seventh highest-grossing November opening ever.

Last week's number one, Jim Carrey's A Christmas Carol was pushed into the second spot with $22.3 million, followed by The Men Who Stare at Goats with $6.2 million.

The little move that could, Precious, came in fourth with $6 million, which is more than a 200 percent increase. It's not too surprising, since the much-buzzed-about movie opened up in more cities nationwide, but still a feat considering it has yet to reach wide release. Finally, the Michael Jackson doc This Is It fell to No. 5, earning $5.1 million.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Box Office: Audiences Get in the Spirit With A Christmas Carol

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:30:00 PST

Disney received an early present this year: The revamped version of the classic tale A Christmas Carol took the top spot at the box office in its opening weekend with $31 million. While that figure is on the low end of studio estimates for the film, insiders hope that it will continue to gain more movie-goers as we near the holidays. Following behind at No. 2 was last weekend's box office champ, Michael Jackson's This Is It, with $14 million.

Rounding out the rest of the top five were two more new releases - The Men Who Stare at Goats came in third with $13.3 million, and Milla Jovovich's The Fourth Kind took fourth place with $12.5 million. Fan favorite Paranormal Activity slipped to No. 5 with $8.6 million.

The small success story of the weekend was Precious, which raked in $1.8 million despite only opening in 18 theaters. Expect to see it climb up the box office chart next week as it expands into more cities.

Watch, Pass or Rent Movie Reviews: Precious, A Christmas Carol, The Box and The Men Who Stare at Goats!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:00:24 PST

We have an exciting new weekend video feature - our PopSugar Rush Watch, Pass or Rent Movie Reviews! This week we're giving you the bottom line on Precious, The Box, A Christmas Carol and The Men Who Stare at Goats. Check it out now and let us know what you think in the comments!

Dev, Freida, and Emily Red Carpet; Weekend Movie Reviews of Precious, Xmas Carol, the Box, and Goats!

Molly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:30:00 PST

It's the weekend, which means it's time for our PopSugar Rush Watch, Pass, or Rent Movie Reviews! We're looking at Precious, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Precious, and The Box. Plus, we were on the red carpet at last night's BAFTA awards, so check out Emily Blunt, Dev Patel, and Freida Pinto! There's Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and more. Watch the PopSugar Rush Weekend Edition now!

Dev, Freida, and Emily, Weekend Movie Reviews of Precious, Carol, The Box, and Men Who Stare at Goats!

Molly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:34:28 PST

It's the weekend which mean it's time for our PopSugar Rush Watch, Pass, or Rent Movie Reviews! We're looking at Precious, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Precious, and The Box. Plus, we were on the red carpet at last night's BAFTA awards, so check out Emily Blunt, Dev Patel, and Freida Pinto! There's Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and more. Watch the PopSugar Rush Weekend Edition now!

Rihanna Details the Attack, Freida & Dev's Red Carpet Rendezvous, & Miley Talks SATC

PopSugarTV — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:33:05 PST

Rihanna shares painful details from the night Chris Brown physically attacked her, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel go hand-in-hand down the British Academy Film and Television Awards red carpet, and Miley Cyrus comments on Kim Cattrall's fabulous figure!

What Movie Will You Check Out at the Theaters This Weekend?

PopSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:38:38 PST

It's a big weekend at the box office, with many new films hitting the big screen. The highly anticipated drama Precious will compete alongside Cameron Diaz's thriller The Box, while Jim Carrey's version of A Christmas Carol brings some holiday fun. Finally, George Clooney's The Men Who Stare at Goats offers a few laughs. So, tell us - which movie will you check out?

The Men Who Stare at Goats: Glaringly Unfocused

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:30:00 PST

I went into The Men Who Stare at Goats with high expectations. How could a film possibly disappoint when you have the acting trifecta of George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges? But unfortunately, while the pros work hard to generate laughs - and they do deliver at times - the film on the whole is all over the place.

Goats is based on the non-fiction book by Jon Ronson. That's right - non-fiction. The film opens with the line, "More of this is true than you would believe," which is a nice reminder, because the plot is intentionally convoluted. At first, this far-fetched quality makes the story feel fun and quirky, but as time goes on, it gets mucked up in its own self-aware confusion and starts to feel stale. To see what I mean,

McGregor stars as the movie's hero, Bob Wilton, a small-town journalist whose wife has just left him for his editor. So Bob decides to do what most men do when they're heartbroken - he goes to war. Or at least he tries to, but he only gets as far as a hotel pool bar in Kuwait. That's where he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a former "Jedi warrior" with the U.S. Army - or simply put: soldiers with superpowers. (Yes, note the coincidence: McGregor and Jedis.)

Lyn begins to tell Bob about the former founder of his unit, Bill Djanjo (Jeff Bridges), a vet who goes to find himself after Vietnam in the drug and orgy, peace and love '70s. Armed with a new, zen persona, Bill returns to the Army to share his more peaceful point of view and take charge of a new special force that uses mind control over traditional weapons. That's when Lyn comes in. As a new recruit, Lyn is exceptionally psychic, and he quickly gets a reputation for being able to find anyone, including terrorists, strictly using his mind.

So Bob and Lyn begin on a journey into Iraq. Where they're headed, Lyn's not exactly sure. He just assumes he'll find it, thanks to his extra sixth sense. As for the audience, we're sort of in the same boat - along for the ride without any real direction.

The movie tries to comment on the inhumanity (and stupidity) of war, but has a difficult time making its point alongside the slapstick elements. The actors are great with comedic timing and deliver one-liners to entertain the audience in many moments, but that was ultimately the only aspect that held my interest. (That and Jeff Bridges's sweet hippie braided hair.) What had the potential to be a funny, original story or a satire instead starts to feel boring. The characters wander aimlessly, the flashbacks float in and out, and without a clear focus, you stop caring. And that's not an easy feat where Clooney's usually concerned.

Watch, Pass, or Rent: Box, Goats, Precious, & Christmas

PopSugarTV — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:01:00 PST

In PopSugar Rush's Watch, Pass, or Rent, hear why our editors say to pass on Cameron Diaz's The Box, rent George Clooney's The Men Who Stare at Goats, and watch Precious and A Christmas Carol.