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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:30:18 -0700

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 the dramas I recommend below, also look out for a couple TV shows on DVD, specifically Brothers and Sisters: Season 3 and Desperate Housewives: Season 5.

State of Play
I was impressed by this tense thriller, which stars Russell Crowe as a seasoned reporter and Ben Affleck as his congressman friend who gets himself in trouble. There's also Rachel McAdams as Crowe's green protégé, who I'm always happy to see on-screen.
Two hours around journalism and politics can sound kind of dry, but this movie's fast-moving plot keeps it engaging and entertaining. Special features on the DVD include deleted scenes and a making-of featurette.

84%

See two other movies out on DVD today when you read more

Sugar
Algenis Perez Soto hits hard as the titular character, Miguel "Sugar" Santos, in this story of a minor league baseball player from the Dominican Republic who is shipped to the States to play ball. This isn't a fun time at the ballpark, it's a weighty drama from the same people who brought you Ryan Gosling's Half Nelson. I was riveted by the performances and the filmmakers' portrayal of the unsympathetic International baseball factory.
Special features include deleted scenes, and several featurettes, including one about the casting process.

93%

Earth
Disney's visually stunning Earth comes to us from the producers of the earlier and equally wonderful Planet Earth series.
This is one that will make you happy you have that Blu-ray player - the gorgeous photography looks amazing on an HD TV and player. Plus, the narration by James Earl Jones is guaranteed to give you goose bumps.

85%

Sugar Bits - Catherine Zeta-Jones to Play Susan Boyle?

PopSugarUK — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:09:08 -0700

Catherine Zeta-Jones has allegedly asked about the film rights to the Susan Boyle's life story and appearance on Britain's Got Talent, as she reportedly wants to play the part of Susan herself. It is also being reported that director James Cameron, of Titanic fame, has expressed an interest in a film project too. - Daily Mail
Mel Gibson attended the LA premiere of X -Men Origins: Wolverine with Russian girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva yesterday. - Times
Boyzone's UK and Ireland tour is in doubt after Keith Duffy collapsed following the London marathon and underwent an emergency double hernia operation. - Mirror
Kerry Katona spoke about how she deals with mental illness and the media in a speech she gave to the Oxford Union debating society. Kerry arrived with an MTV film crew, and while 250 people had been expected to be present, only 100 people attended. - PA
David and Victoria Beckham have cancelled plans to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a big party in Hollywood, opting for a low-key private celebration instead. Victoria is reportedly resentful that David puts his career before their relationship. - Daily Star
State of Play has gone straight in at number one on the UK and Ireland film chart. The crime thriller starring Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe made £1.5million in its first weekend, pushing Monsters vs Aliens into second spot. - BBC

Source and MrPaparazzi.com

Helen And Russell Star at the State of Play Premiere

PopSugarUK — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:13:07 -0700

Last night London was the place to be for the world premiere of new movie State Of Play based on the British TV series. Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe are two of the stars in the new adaptation, and they were joined by some celebrity guests for the world premiere of the film. Check out all the pictures!

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Box Office: Zac Is the Man of the Hour

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:30:05 -0700

Looks like young Mr. Efron is proving to be a bankable actor, as his movie, 17 Again, debuted at No. 1 this weekend, earning an estimated $24.1 million.

Meanwhile, Russell Crowe's political thriller, State of Play, came in second place with an estimated $14.1 million. Monsters vs. Aliens came in at No. 3, and it looks like there's only so much tween-love to go around, which might explain Hannah Montana: The Movie slipping from the No. 1 spot last week to No. 4 this week. Fast and Furious rounded out the top five.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

State of Play: Surprisingly Gripping Journalism Thriller

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:30:35 -0700

In the movies and on TV, investigations always look so exciting and fun - piecing together the facts, swapping clues, untangling the web strand by strand, etc. In a story centered around journalism, this mystery-solving stuff is what makes it fun to watch, especially if there's also a good dose of realism but not so much that it becomes mired in realistic details and we get bored. State of Play very nicely balances these things: It's a sensational murder mystery-thriller but with a scruffy, grumpy journalist lead character and a supporting cast of equally "normal" people. There's enough fiction and embellishment to be escapism, and enough reality to make it believable.

Russell Crowe plays grizzled journalist Cal McAffrey who is something of a legendary dinosaur at the struggling Washington Globe newspaper. His longtime friend, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), comes under scrutiny when a woman from his research team dies tragically and the public learns that Collins was having an affair with her. As the police conduct their own investigation, Cal himself tries to get to the bottom of the woman's mysterious death - partially to get a juicy story and partially to help clear his friend's name in the scandalous situation. The young, eager blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) insists on teaming up with Cal on his search as she tries to prove herself as a writer at the Globe. Together they work to uncover the truth, but every new revelation brings with it a twisty new discovery and soon the two journalists find themselves enmeshed in a nasty mixture of political conspiracies and tangled personal relationships. That's all I'll say about the plot, but for more of my thoughts on it all, read more.

Trust and deceit are at the heart of this story, as is the blurred line between formal police investigation (to solve a case) and investigative reporting (to get a scoop). Cal and Stephen's friendship is tested repeatedly as Cal’s desire to get as many details for his story as possible gets in the way of his compassion for a buddy. Past hurts also creep back to haunt them and further confuse Cal's motives for getting to the bottom of things. Yet, thankfully, there's no needless lingering on individual characters' personal lives. What we know of these people is almost completely restricted to how they're involved in the messy web of secrets, and the extraneous stuff is pushed aside in favor of the meat of the story. Even the relationship that forms between Cal and Della is handled with a light, delicate touch. Will this remain a mentor-mentee kind of thing, or is there more there? We don't really need to know because watching the trust and mutual respect blossom between them over the course of the movie is gratifying enough.

Admittedly, I had low expectations for this movie and certain things (like Affleck’s entire performance) never managed to exceed those expectations, but regardless, I think it's a success in that it achieves exactly what films in this genre should achieve. It sweeps us up in an intriguing puzzle and maintains our attention for two full hours, while also posing some interesting questions (what is the role of journalism today - especially in relation to politics? Is journalism dying?). It's not the kind of movie that will make you feel a lot of things, but I went in looking for escape and I got it. It may essentially be a story about journalism, but it still manages to be incredibly engrossing.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: State of Play

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:30:59 -0700

Based on the BBC miniseries by the same name, this Friday's State of Play is a crime thriller in which "a team of investigative reporters works alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress." Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren star, and Tony Gilroy (writer of the Bourne trilogy and writer/director of Michael Clayton) co-wrote the screenplay.

Do you think you'll check this out in the theater or wait for it to be on DVD? Or will you wait until it's on TV for free or maybe skip it altogether?

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Will You See or Skip These April Movies?

PopSugarUK — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:30:00 -0700

Comedy, action, drama and animation all hit our UK cinema screens this month. I'd love to know which films you're excited about, and which you'll avoid, so take my slideshow poll and tell me if you plan to see or skip each film.

Source

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Movie Preview: State of Play

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:30:37 -0800

Based on the BBC series of the same title, the film State of Play stars Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams. Crowe and McAdams are reporters who get wrapped up in the case of a congressman's (Affleck) murdered mistress.

From the trailer, it looks like a compelling crime thriller, though I'm not sure how it'll stack up against the acclaimed original series. The fact that it's directed by The Last King of Scotland's Kevin Macdonald is promising, however. State of Play opens April 17. To check out the trailer, read more.

Ben Affleck Is a Distinguished Gentleman

PopSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:57:43 -0700

Ben Affleck was looking perfectly cast as a congressman while filming State of Play this weekend in Washington DC. Post Oscar celebrations and Jimmy Kimmel videos, Ben remained clean cut and shaven to keep in character for the film. We hate to sound like nagging parents but considering BFF Matt just announced he is expecting, we can't help but wonder when Violet is going to be getting herself a sibling playmate?

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Splash News Online

Edward Norton Leaves State of Play, Ben Affleck May Join

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:30:24 -0800

Well, my original excitement over a Fight Club reunion with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt starring in State of Play has been dashed. First Pitt dropped out of the project and was replaced by Russell Crowe. Now Norton has decided to leave as well, with Ben Affleck in negotiations to replace him.

Though while Pitt's departure had to do with issues he had with the script, Norton's problems had to do with a conflicting schedule, as Norton committed to starring in the indie comedy Leaves of Grass. Variety continues:

Now it will be Affleck who plays a fast-rising politician who is caught up in a murder conspiracy. Crowe will play a journalist who leads a newspaper’s investigation into the killing. He’s conflicted in that he once ran the pol’s campaigns, and he is now romancing his estranged wife. Still in the cast are Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman.

All this shifting around does not inspire a lot of confidence in this project. Then again, maybe Crowe and Affleck will be a fantastic duo in this situation. I just hope this cast stays put!

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