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Movie Preview: The Class

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:00 -0800

Those of you who have seen Slumdog Millionaire recently may have caught a preview for the French film that received the Palm D'or at last year's Cannes Film Festival: The Class.

The movie is based on an autobiographical novel by François Bégaudeau (who actually stars as the character based on himself, François Marin) and follows his experience as a literature teacher in an inner city middle school in Paris. Story aside, the movie looks gorgeous and is getting rave reviews from film critics across the board. I especially like this review, which describes the movie as "an unsentimental slice-of-life story, shot on digital film with a cast of unglamorous unknowns."

I can't wait to see this when it opens Feb. 6. To watch the trailer, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Sony Picture Classics

Movie Preview: Synecdoche, New York

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:30:08 -0700

Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York, has been generating positive buzz ever since it premiered at Cannes this year. Time Magazine calls it "A miracle movie," while Variety claims it is "a wildly ambitious and gravely serious contemplation of life. The picture exerts power and artistic mystery." If this new trailer is any indication, I am starting to see what all the fuss is about.

Philip Seymour Hoffman leads a hugely talented cast (including Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis and many more) in this story in which "[a] theater director (Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play."

Synecdoche, New York will start with a limited release on Oct. 24. To check out the trailer, read more.

trailer de Synecdoche new york
Uploaded by masalladeorion

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

First Look: Angelina Jolie in Changeling

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:30:19 -0700

Clint Eastwood's period drama, Changeling (or The Exchange, depending on who you ask) premiered at Cannes and succeeded in impressing the critics, some of whom claim that Angelina Jolie may be looking at an Oscar nomination for her starring role. There's still no trailer for the film which is supposed to open in limited release October 24, but we do have a clip to check out.

The movie is set in the late-1920s and is based on true events. 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 and shady reporters in her frantic search for answers. In addition, she fights the unfair restrictions and expectations placed on women during this era.

According to US Magazine, Jolie based her characterization of Christine on her own mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died of cancer in January 2007.

The clip shows the heartbreaking moment when Christine meets the young boy who is not her son. To watch, read more.

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The 2008 Cannes Palm D'Or Award Goes to...

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:41:08 -0700

The 2008 Cannes Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday and with it came the prestigious awards ceremony. The top honor, the Palm D'Or, was given to Laurent Cantent's The Class. The film hails from France, a country who hasn't received the Palm D'Or for more than 20 years. The Class is a documentary-style drama that Variety calls "a fully sustained immersion in the academics, attitudes and frequent altercations of a group of junior high school students." The French trailer seems rather subdued, but I have a feeling that it's probably as powerful as Larry Clark's Kids.

Taking second place, the Grand Prix, was Matteo Garrone's Gomorra. IMDB describes the Italian film, as "a contempo Neapolitan mob drama based on an expose of Italy's criminal underbelly." Even though I couldn't understand a word of the trailer, it gave me the chills. It looks similar in tone to 2002's Best Foreign Picture nominee, City of God.

Special awards were also given out to Catherine Deneuve for her performance in A Christmas Tale and Clint Eastwood for his direction of Changeling.

To see the foreign-language trailers for The Class and Gomorra, read more.

The Class

Gomorra

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Cannes Clips: Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:37:59 -0700

Did you like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? How you answer this question will probably indicate whether or not you'll be interested in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York. The movie is premiering at Cannes and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Jason Leigh, among a ton of others.

IMDB describes the movie's plot like this: "A theater director (Hoffman) struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play." If it's similar to the movies Kaufman has written in the past, Synecdoche, New York will be darkly bizarre and incredibly self-aware (and self-referential). The clips from the movie already indicate this for the most part, and will probably make more sense within the full context of the movie. To check out the clips from Synecdoche, New York, read more.

Clip No. 1

Clip No. 2

Clip No. 3

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Spike Lee vs. the Coen Bros: Valid Point or Unfair Characterization?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:30:15 -0700

The folks covering Cannes over at Cinematical highlighted some statements made by director Spike Lee about certain directors. I was specifically struck by the comment he made about Joel and Ethan Coen (who just won a batch of Oscars for No Country for Old Men):

I always treat life and death with respect, but most people don't. . . Look, I love the Coen brothers; we all studied at NYU. But they treat life like a joke. Ha ha ha. A joke. It's like, "Look how they killed that guy! Look how blood squirts out the side of his head!" I see things different than that.

While it may not be the fairest charge leveled against the Coen Brothers, I do think a discussion about the role of violence in filmmaking (and other forms of entertainment) is one that needs to take place and Lee has a point when he implies that no one is willing to ask the hard questions.

Do you agree with what Spike Lee is saying or do you think it's an unfair bin to toss the Coens into?

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King Lear Movie Gets Keira, Gwyneth and Sir Anthony

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:38:01 -0700

Get ready for another Shakespearean film adaptation
Recent news coming out of the Cannes Film Festival (courtesy of the UK's Telegraph): there will be a new big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, this time starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Keira Knightley and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Daddy's Little Girls
Sir Anthony will naturally assume the role of King Lear, while Keira will portray his daughter Cordelia. According to the article, "Gwyneth Paltrow is tipped to take the role of Regan, Lear's treacherous middle daughter. His eldest daughter, Goneril, is yet to be cast." Could this be another Oscar-earning project for Gwyneth? According to the Academy she does well with Shakespeare stuff.

Competition already?
As the Telegraph points out, there have been tons of adaptations of Lear, and this newest film will be "judged against a Channel 4 adaptation, to be screened this Christmas, based on the recent and highly acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production starring Sir Ian McKellen as Lear and Romola Garai as Cordelia. The play made the headlines due to McKellen's nude scene, which will be retained for the television version." So the Channel 4 version has nudity, but does it have the "epic battle sequences" that this latest adaptation promises? Nudity and battles aside, I'm curious to see this version of Shakespeare's play.

Source and source

Link Time! 5/15

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:33:58 -0700

OMG, Cinematical has video of a real-life Wall-E, spotted in L.A.! It may just be the cutest thing you've ever seen.
The L.A. Times' Show Tracker blog warns us that this season's Lost finale looks like a major tearjerker.
Pop Candy points us to an early review of M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming movie The Happening which explains that the movie is terrifying. . .ly awful.
TV Squad has news from the TNT and TBS upfronts, and it looks like a lot more original content.
MTV Movies Blog has exclusive information on the possibility of a live-action Beavis and Butt-head movie and wonders: who should be cast as the Beav and the Butt?
Many thanks to Stereogum for turning us onto the super catchy new Wolf Parade release, "Language City."
Give Me My Remote has hilarious video of Dwight Schrute officially accepting John McCain's vice presidential nomination, through his spokesperson, Rainn Wilson.
Popwatch hobnobbed with the beautiful TV stars attending the EW's upfronts party, including Heroes' Zachary Quinto who said (as a joke?!) that the Star Trek movie in which he plays Spock will "probably skip a theatrical release and 'go straight to DVD.'" Yikes.

Buzz News Roundup, 4/23

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:30:45 -0700

Showtime's The Tudors has been renewed for a third season, USA Today reports.
Variety has news that Ang Lee's next directorial project will be Taking Woodstock, the autobiography of Elliot Tiber, a Catskills motel worker who played a pivotal role in making the Woodstock concert happen.
Naomi Campbell will guest-star on the season finale of Ugly Betty, the Associated Press reports.
Virginia Madsen has joined the cast of the Amelia Earhart biopic, which already included Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, writes ComingSoon.
Mariah Carey had her best album debut ever this week, easily landing at the top of the charts, Billboard reports.
TV Land will be airing a modeling competition focusing solely on women 35 and older; details are at The Futon Critic.
Tom Cruise's 13-year-old son Connor will have a minor, nonspeaking part as the younger version of Will Smith's character in the drama Seven Pounds, the AP reports.
Contestants from the VH1 game shows with "love" in the name (Flavor of Love, etc.) will compete in a new show called For Love or Money to win cash prizes, TV Guide reports.
Variety has the just-announced lineup for this year's Cannes Film Festival, which will include Clint Eastwood's 1920s thriller The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona . . . and Kung Fu Panda.

Photo courtesy of Showtime