New to On Demand & DVD Archives - Page 73 of 90

VOD Spotlight: “Sparkle,” with Whitney Houston’s final role

November 29, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

It would be difficult to say anything about the 2012 remake of the 1976 film Sparkle without mentioning the truth for which it’s probably best known and for which it will be remembered — as Whitney Houston’s final screen performance. The film tells the story of a girl, Sparkle (Jordin Sparks), one of a trio of tight-knit sisters growing up in 1960s Detroit who form a girl group in hopes of catching the wave of excitement about the Motown sound that’s sweeping the nation. Poised for success, their dreams are tempered by their strong, domineering mother who isn’t supportive of […]

Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman steals scenes in “The Dark Knight Rises”

November 28, 2012 Ryan Berenz 1

With beauty, brains and brawn, Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle stole The Dark Knight Rises scenes and snatched Bruce Wayne’s heart. “I didn’t think that he was going to go there.” Anne Hathaway was surprised an hour into her first meeting with The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan. She thought Nolan had a completely different role in mind for her in the climax to his Batman film trilogy. “I was just so convinced that it wasn’t going to be her,” Hathaway told MTV. “I kind of had another character in mind, that when he told me it was Catwoman, I […]

VOD Spotlight: “ParaNorman” a rollicking, ghostly adventure

November 27, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

Why can’t we all just get along? Well, for one reason, if we could, we wouldn’t have movies like ParaNorman to watch. It’s a story of a person labeled as “different” who makes a difference in his community. And as good and wholesome as that sounds, it’s also a movie full of ghosts, zombies, a number of other freaks and a witch’s 300-year-old curse — which means it’s full of fun. Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a young kid who, unfortunately for him, sees dead people wherever he goes, and has taken a pasting for it at home, at […]

VOD Spotlight: “A Christmas Story 2” continues Ralphie’s saga

November 20, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

It’s a little hard to imagine a sequel to A Christmas Story this long after the 1983 film’s original release. But A Christmas Story wasn’t an immediate success in its day, and it’s only been over the passage of time that the film has acquired the patina of a holiday classic. Bearing that in mind is likely what the filmmakers of A Christmas Story 2 would suggest before comparing the current release to its predecessor. Download a FREE Holiday TV programming calendar There was a sequel prior to this film — 1994’s It Runs in the Family (later retitled My Summer […]

I Want “Ted” – that cute little bear is so NOT kid friendly

November 18, 2012 Barb Oates 48

Seth MacFarlane was writer, director, producer and voice star of 2012’s hit comedy Ted. This somewhat endearing, completely raunchy, live-action/CG-animated film is about a grown man whose childhood teddy bear is a live, talking, walking bear. Mark Wahlberg plays John Bennett, a 30-year-old man, who still hangs with his best buddy Ted (that’s his teddy bear). Ted’s foul-mouth and reckless ways have been a long distraction to John, and an increasing annoyance of John’s only-so-patient girlfriend, Lori Collins (Mila Kunis). As John struggles to figure out a way to navigate adulthood, it will take the unexpected help of his boyhood […]

VOD Spotlight: “The Campaign” brings out the worst in its candidates

November 16, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

The election is over, but people are still reeling from this year’s contest. With a hard-fought campaign like the one we just had, it might be perfect timing for a film like The Campaign. Starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, The Campaign tells a story of a congressional race that should sound pretty familiar to anyone who’s survived a presidential campaign in the modern media age: The charismatic Cam Brady (Ferrell) and his supremely unlikely challenger Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) are locked in a dead heat, thanks to a gaffe on Brady’s part and a whole lot of money and influence […]

Complete collection of James Bond movies now available on Movies On Demand

November 8, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer 1

James Bond is back in action, as Daniel Craig steps into the suave shoes of Agent 007 once again in his latest adventure, Skyfall, which debuts in U.S. theaters tomorrow, Nov. 9. In advance of that release, and to celebrate 50 years of the James Bond movie legacy, Movies On Demand (MOD) on cable is showcasing the entire James Bond 007 collection from MGM. All 23 earlier Bond movie titles will be available for viewers to revisit, or watch for the first time. In addition, cable is presenting a selection of free extras, such as deleted scenes from Die Another […]

VOD Spotlight: “The Amazing Spider-Man” a different take on the legend

November 8, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

Some might have asked why the Spider-Man franchise needed a reboot, since it wasn’t all that long ago that the web slinger’s story last appeared on the big screen. But this being the 50th anniversary year for Spidey, what could herald the event bigger and better than a major film release like The Amazing Spider-Man? This time out, Andrew Garfield stars as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Emma Stone plays his love interest — who, in this film, is not the Mary Jane everyone has come to expect, but Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s first love, and his first real connection out in […]

VOD Spotlight: “Arthur Christmas” is on his way

November 6, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

It’s one of the great mysteries of all time, and one that has puzzled children for over a century: How does Santa Claus manage to deliver presents to the all of the children of the world in just one night? It’s a question very much at the root of director Sarah Smith’s film for Aardman, Arthur Christmas. The film tells the story of the dysfunctional Claus family and their high-tech operation concealed at the North Pole that carries out the annual Christmas mission. When an elfin error results in one child being missed on the run, the race is on […]

VOD Spotlight: “Magic Mike” a slice of Channing Tatum’s life

October 23, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

Sometimes casting a role in a film can be easy. In the case of Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike, Channing Tatum was a natural choice for the lead role — it was in part due to his experience as a stripper that the film was made in the first place. “I mentioned that I’d worked as a stripper for eight months when I was 18 and 19 years old,” Tatum recalls. “I’ve always thought about doing a story about that life because whenever the subject comes up, guys always want to know about it. ‘How’d you get into it? What was […]