Netflix completes streaming deal with Relativity

Netflix is partnering with Relativity Media to offer its customers some of the studio's major theatrical releases for streaming during the "pay TV window." More details from the press release follow below:

Among the first wave of films covered under the Netflix-Relativity deal are upcoming flicks "The Fighter" (with Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg) "Skyline," "Season of the Witch" (Nicolas Cage) and "Movie 43."

Fifty Relativity films have become "Top 10" box office releases during the past two years. Current Relativity theatrical releases include "Robin Hood," "Get Him to the Greek" and "Grown Ups."

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Michael Bay gives brief 'Transformers 3' update

Michael Bay is busy working on "Transformers 3," even though he said a while ago that he would take a break from all the explosive robots. The sequel is on track for a 2011 release, and here's what's new:

On his site, Bay announced he is currently location scouting for the third installment in the popular action series. "Busy scouting - Chicago, Detroit, and Washington D.C. for Transformers last week," he wrote.

"Things are going well. The script is feeling very different from the other two," he wrote. As he announced already, the third film will apparenlty feature less robots and focus a bit more on character this time.

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'Inglourious Basterds' web reviews

Quentin Tarantino's amazing WWII drama "Inglourious Basterds" is killing its box office competition, but what do the Web's critics have to say about the film starring Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger and Christoph Waltz? Here's what:

• CinemaBlend's Josh Tyler: "'Inglourious Basterds' is a flawed premise turned into a flawed story full of characters so unique and vibrant, delivering dialogue so intense and captivating, that it’s worth putting up with what’s missing."

• Todd Gilchrist @ Cinematical: "Suffice it to say it's undeniable that the film could easily be trimmed by 20 minutes of so without losing its emotional core – and indeed, perhaps picking up a stronger dramatic momentum."

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And so the big 'Avatar' craziness begins!

It's Monday Aug. 17, 2009, the release of James Cameron's "Avatar" is still four months away, and yet, viewers eager to see the film are going nuts. Why? In case you haven't heard yet, 20th Century Fox will show an extended preview of the 3D spectacle on Aug. 21, and today was the day people could order their tickets.

Well... that was the idea. A special ticket page on AvatarMovie.com was supposed to go live at noon PDT today, but many users logging on only got a bold error message in return. This is not a lie, because I myself reloaded the page five times and always received the same message. But no ticket information...

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'Funny People' web reviews

"Funny People" marks Judd Apatow's third directorial effort, and it stars Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann and Jason Schwartzman. Here's what some of the Web's critics have to say about the drama-comedy:

• Katey Rich @ CinemaBlend: "The best we can hope for is that Funny People is a necessary middle ground between Apatow's adolescent experiment and the more adult stories he has yet to tell."

• RopeOfSilicon's Brad Brevet: "Apatow's ability to keep me curious as to where he was going to take things next was this film's saving grace in my case."

• LatinoReview's Ron Henriques: "Though the third act is problematic, 'Funny People' works when Sandler and Rogan are either interacting humorously or discussing gag material and the nature of comedy."

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'The Ugly Truth' web reviews

Gerard Butler and Kathering Heigl first hate, then warm up to each other in Robert Luketic's romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," about a TV producer struggling to keep control of a ruthless host. Here's what some of the Web's critics have to say about the film:

• Cinema Blend's Katey Rich: "As the story wraps up and everyone gathers round to watch Mike and Abby come together at last, it's disturbing to realize that no one in this movie has actually learned anything."

• Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson: "The answer is because The Ugly Truth actually knows next to nothing about dating advice, the behaviors of men and women, or much of anything else romantically human. It's a factory widget created in a boardroom."

• Joblo's Chris Bumbray: "It`s just a real shame that this is what passes for a rom-com these days."

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'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' web reviews

Harry and his gang are back in David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment in the popular series. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman star, and here is what the Web's critics have to say about the movie:

• CinemaBlend's Josh Tyler: "Instead of action it substitutes dramatic tension which builds throughout the course of the movie."

• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "Even though I wasn't bowled over, 'Half-Blood Prince' never felt like it was two-and-a-half hours long and I would have gladly sat through another five hours if parts one and two of 'Deathly Hallows' were ready right now…"

• Joblo's Jenna Bush: "You would think this would all start to get old after a while, but the truth is, it hasn't. And film number six is the best of the lot."

• LatinoReview's Ron Henriques: "Still, at the end of the day, it often feels like nothing more than a group of people waving magical twigs around."

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'I Love You, Beth Cooper' web reviews

Chris Columbus returns to the big screen with a raunchy comedy entitled "I Love You, Beth Cooper," starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust and Jack Carpenter. Story follows a hot chick showing a nerd the night of his life. Here is what some of the Web's critics have to say:

• CinemaBlend's Katey Rich: "Poor 'Beth Cooper', so unloved, so ditched on a weekend when it's sure to be crushed by 'Bruno,' so uninteresting even to the people who created it."

• RopeOfSilicon's Brad Brevet: "I haven't been this annoyed at a movie in a long time and the film is so full of flaws pegging something down specifically wasn't easy."

• Collider's Matt Goldberg: "'Beth Cooper' is not a disaster and if nothing else, Paul Rust’s lead performance made it worth my time."

• Kevin Carr at FilmSchoolRejects: "Hayden Panettiere is given a chance to headline a movie, but she’s woefully miscast."

• Joblo's Chris Cumbray: "All in all, I did not love 'BETH COOPER.' In fact; I downright loathed it at times."

'Brüno' web reviews

Vassup! Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen with "Brüno," about a gay Austrian fashionista who travels to Los Angeles to become the world's biggest star. Now, here's what some of the Web's critics have to say about the flick:

• Josh Tyler at CinemaBlend: "Though it’s missing all the relevance and subtly of 'Borat' some of the laughs are still there and so is much of the uncomfortable silence in which ordinary people are confronted with Cohen’s bizarre behavior."

• Joblo's JimmyO: "So yeah, 'Bruno' is outrageous, sick and offensive but pretty damn hilarious."

• Landon Palmer at FilmSchoolRejects: "Will 'Bruno' make you laugh throughout? Probably. Will moments of it shock and appall you? Most likely."

• Brian Orndorf at brianorndorf.com: "'Bruno' contains plenty of belly laughs, audible gasps, and provides a sly refresher on obscene civilian prejudice, drilling to the cancerous heart of intolerance one laugh at a time."

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'My Sister's Keeper' web reviews

Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva star in Nick Cassavetes' latest drama "My Sister's Keeper," based on the popular novel by Jodi Picoult. Here's what some of the Web's critics have to say about the flick:

• CinemaBlend's Katey Rich: "It feels unbelievably cynical to start giggling during a movie about a girl with cancer, but My Sister's Keeper is just as cynical, calibrating its every move to get us to cry so hard we recommend the movie to our friends."

• Peter Martin at Cinematical: "It's a disappointing step back for Cassavetes after the vim and vitality that infused his most recent effort, 'Alpha Dog.'"

• Kevin Carr at FilmSchoolRejects: "However, the emotional jabs just seemed a bit too calculated and deliberate to fool me."

• Brian Orndorf at BrianOrndorf.com: "It’s a tear-jerking Terminator, an unstoppable force that beats the screen with tragedies of all shapes and sizes, looking to wear down the viewer until they’re a puddle of tears and snotty tissue."

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