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Movie Preview: Adam

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:30:21 -0700

Ever since I heard about Adam, which premiered at Sundance this year, I've been dying to see a preview for it - and now it's finally here! This sweet-looking romance stars Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne (Damages) as two twentysomethings who live in the same apartment complex. They become interested in each other and might be on the path to love if not for one little thing: Adam (Dancy) suffers from Asperger's syndrome, which means he has trouble navigating dating and other social situations.

I was worried that this movie might be a little too sentimental, but the trailer is charming, with a few moments that made me laugh out loud nestled between the emotional scenes. The reviews out of Sundance were generally positive, with one critic describing it as "extremely touching and sweet."

The movie also stars Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, and Mark Linn-Baker and will hit theaters July 29. To watch the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Sundance

2009 Sundance Awards Roundup

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:36:51 -0800

The buzz about Sundance has been largely positive this year and it sounds like the entries were, on a whole, some of the best the festival has rounded up in a long time. On Saturday the festival's closing Awards Ceremony was held and the winners were announced. Some of last year's outstanding Sundance entries just made it onto the list of Oscar nominations, including Frozen River (which won the Grand Jury Prize last year) and Man on Wire (which won the top Sundance prize in the international documentary category). So this year's Sundance wins just might be next year's Oscar nominees, too.

Here's a rundown of some notable awards:

The big winner this year is Lee Daniels's Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, winning both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category.
The movie boasts several breakout performances including a young newcomer Gabby Sidibe and the comedian Mo'Nique who won the Special Jury Prize for Acting. This movie tackles some extremely heavy material - including incest and pregnancy by one's own father - but many reviewers say that as difficult as it is to watch it's worth the viewing. It still does not have a distributor.
We Live in Public won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize and "portrays the story of the Internet's revolutionary impact on human interaction as told through the eyes of maverick web pioneer, Josh Harris, and his transgressive art project that shocked New York." I've heard this described as sort of an underground, technological Jonestown. Creepy.

For more news about this year's Sundance awards, read more.

"I feel sick, I'm sweaty and I smell bad," is how Charlyne Yi accepted the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for her comedy Paper Heart which also stars her real-life boyfriend, Michael Cera.
The Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic category went to Sin Nombre, written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The movie about three teens traveling through Mexico on their way to the border is getting rave reviews, with one critic declaring that Fukunaga is "sure to become Hollywood's next great filmmaker."
The World Cinema Jury Prize in the Dramatic category went to The Maid (La Nana), directed by Sebastián Silva from Chile. The World Cinema Audience Award went to a movie I'm anxious to see, An Education written by Nick Hornby.

That's it for this year! I can't wait until these movies start hitting theaters near me.

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2009 Sundance Spotlight: An Education and Rudo y Cursi

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:30:35 -0800

An Education
Actress Carey Mulligan is getting a lot of attention at Sundance this year, as she's promoting not one but two films that both are receiving good buzz. I've already mentioned one of those films, The Greatest, but the other film seems truly destined for big things: An Education. The cast includes Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, and Emma Thompson and the screenplay comes from About a Boy scribe Nick Hornby. The movie, about a girl coming of age in 1960s London, has already been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics and critics are raving.

A gallery of photos from this hot flick and a rundown of another big Sundance film follow after the jump. Just read more.

View 5 Photos ›

Rudo y Cursi
The silver screen reunion du jour is Kate and Leo in Revolutionary Road but I'm personally giddy about the opportunity to see the stars of Y Tu Mamá También acting together again. Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are two of my favorite actors, and I find them totally irresistible together. They're starring in a movie about two brothers who leave their small Mexican village to become soccer superstars. It's getting mixed buzz, but most seem to think it's cute. One reviewer said that it "scores from every angle: comic, personal, and cross-cultural."

The following trailer is not subtitled but, no matter: It's a tale that unfolds visually even if you can't understand the words:

Photos courtesy of Sundance

2009 Sundance Spotlight: Motherhood and Grace

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:30:07 -0800

While I won't be heading down to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival this year, I will be sorting through the humongous pile of festival entries to share with you some of the films I think look most promising. From quirky documentaries to talented young filmmaker debuts to a potential runaway hit, Sundance is filled with entertainment possibilities.

Today's spotlight is kind of fun in that both of these selections have some provocative points of view regarding motherhood and make for a nice - if a little weird - themed post. Check them out:

Motherhood
"Mommy blogging" is a pretty popular thing to do, what with many new moms wanting to document each and every step of their parental journeys. This movie, starring Uma Thurman and Minnie Driver, looks like it takes a darkly humorous look at the life of one such mommy blogger. Motherhood follows Uma's character Eliza who "has to throw her daughter's sixth birthday party, battle for a parking space, chase her toddler son, navigate playground politics, repair a botched birthday cake, contemplate a fling with a sexy messenger half her age, juggle a career-changing opportunity, find time to have a breakdown, briefly run away from home, and realize what is truly valuable in her life - all in one day." Sounds kind of funny, actually

You can check out a clip of Motherhood in which Minnie Driver's character is pretty peeved at Uma's character for blogging about her here.

To see another one of my Sundance finds that has to do with a very, very different kind of motherhood, just read more.

Grace
Um. So. This movie looks really disturbing and that's a huge understatement. I'm not totally sure I'll ever be able to see this myself, but I feel compelled to share with you my awe that this is out there in the world. Grace is about a pregnant woman who is "determined to carry the stillborn baby to term, where she miraculously wills the delivered corpse into life. But it is not too long before the increasingly isolated mother realizes that something is not right with baby Grace, and she must make horrible sacrifices to keep her living." One reviewer who watched this at Sundance describes it in this way: "If you are the sort of person who might enjoy an effed-up gore fest about a woman who delivers an undead baby, you can rest assured that Grace lives up to its potential." It sounds nuts!

Here's the teaser trailer. Nothing insane happens per se, but there is a baby with blood on it and other stuff that makes for a generally disturbing video-watching experience. Proceed with caution.

Photos courtesy of Sundance

2009 Sundance Spotlight: The Missing Person, Paper Heart, Spread

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:30:51 -0800

The Missing Person
Michael Shannon is getting all kinds of attention for the creepy role he plays in Revolutionary Road, which is one of the reasons this movie is already earning some early buzz out of the festival. Also starring Amy Ryan, The Missing Person looks like a slow-boiling noir that follows "a private detective prone to sardonic wit, gin, and the endless repercussions of what happens when you mix the two." Intrigued?

You can check out the trailer for this one and see some more of my picks (which include Ashton Kutcher and cutie Michael Cera) if you read more.

Paper Heart
What would a film festival be without an adorable Michael Cera film? This time around he's paired with Charlyne Yi (who was one of my favorite things about Knocked Up), his friend (maybe girlfriend?) who came up with the idea for this movie. The movie is semi-autobiographical and follows Yi on her quest to find the kind of love that isn't "fairy-tale love or the Hollywood mythology."

While there isn't a preview clip available just yet, check out this YouTube video of Yi auditioning for Saturday Night Live to get a sense of her comedy style:

Spread
And what would a film festival be without Ashton Kutcher? Well, normal. That is to say, he's not exactly who I think of when I think Sundance. But he'll be there this year starring in Spread, which is described thusly: "Set in modern-day Los Angeles, Spread is a hard-biting story about a high-end lethario, Nikki (Ashton Kutcher), who has slept his way into a life of privilege. He shares his secrets with us as he hosts parties and beds scores of women, all while living it up at the Hollywood Hills home of a middle-aged female attorney, Samantha (Anne Heche)." I can definitely buy Kutcher as someone women would rather sex up than talk to. This thing can either go really well for him or really badly. Check out a clip from the movie below:

Source and photos and Spread clip courtesy of Sundance

Behind the Scenes at Sundance: The Photobooth

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:30:26 -0800

You know the Sundance Film Festival is really in full swing when the adorably candid photos of some of our favorite actors and actresses start flooding in. There's something refreshing about these portraits of the stars, as they are a far cry from the glitz and glam of the red carpet. These pics are goofy and natural and people often just wear jeans for them. My kind of photo collection!

In this batch, cuties like Zooey Deschanel (in that royal blue coat I would love to find) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt snuggle up (in town for their quirky rom-com, 500 Days of Summer) while Mexican heavyweights Gael Garcia Bernal (sigh, cute) and Guillermo del Toro pose to promote their movie about Mexico and soccer, Rudo y Cursi. Also, I cannot look at the picture below of Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi, who star together in Paper Heart, without cracking up.

To check out these fun pics up close for yourself, just read more.

View 19 Photos ›

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2009 Sundance Spotlight: Brooklyn's Finest, The Informers, 500 Days of Summer

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:30:39 -0800

Brooklyn's Finest
Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Brooklyn's Finest just became this year's first sale at Sundance. Apparently "Senator Distribution nabbed North American rights . . . on Saturday night, 24 hours after its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. . . Senator says it will release the film in the fourth quarter for awards consideration." According to Senator president Mark Urman, the company "went into aggressive pursuit right after Friday's screening." Wow! All of this spells good things for the cop drama which features a stellar cast (Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin). The plot is described as: "Three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths." The guy responsible for the screenplay has a unique and intriguing story himself (you can read about it here). No clips available just yet, but now that it's been purchased I'm sure we'll hear and see much more about this film in the future.

Two more great-looking movies, with talented folks like Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Mickey Rourke, if you read more.

The Informers
Well, the long-awaited movie adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's collection of short stories is upon us. The movie, starring a whole lot of people from the '80s and early '90s (most notably Mickey Rourke, continuing his amazing career comeback) is about LA in the '80s in all its beautiful, indulgent, moral-decaying glory. The Informers also includes Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Billy Bob Thornton, Chris Isaak, and the late Brad Renfro (his final role). I have mixed feelings about this movie, but then again, any trailer that includes a song by A Flock of Seagulls deserves a chance in my book.

FYI: The trailer for The Informers below is not suitable for work due to some topless ladies. Proceed with caution:

500 Days of Summer
Oh, man. Could these two be cuter together? I think not. I was so excited when this casting news first came out and I'm even more thrilled that the movie's premiering at Sundance (to not-bad reviews so far) and has a release date (July 24) and now has a super cute teaser trailer (see below!). At first glance, the movie's description sounds like a little tale of unrequited love (boy loves girl, girl doesn't believe in love) but here's the part that got me really curious: "energized by dance numbers, split screens, and two dynamic performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel." Dance numbers? Why not?! Check out the trailer below and for additional clips, click here.

Photos courtesy of Sundance

Weekend Reading: The History of Sundance

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:30:05 -0800

This year marks the 25th anniversary for the Sundance Film Festival, which is about as long as some of us have been alive. It's easy to take for granted the fact that this festival held in a snowy little Utah town wasn't always the influential mega-event it is today. Recently the LA Times had an interesting retrospective about the festival's origins and the way it revolutionized independent film.

Some interesting nuggets:

Steven Soderbergh's debut feature film is partly responsible for the festival's success. Director Bryan Singer reminisces, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape made guys like me go, 'If I can get into the Sundance Film Festival, I'll have a shot at a career.'"
Aw, Kevin Smith was working as a convenience store clerk when he brought his little movie Clerks to Sundance. He says of the heady experience, "It was basically me showing up in Utah and the Mormon God saying, 'I am going to grant you every wish you ever had, including some you never thought of.'"
Also, Smith tells the reporter that Clerks was made for $27,575.
Originally the festival was called The Utah/U.S. Film Festival but after Robert Redford's gang took over in 1989, some changes were made. "Organizers began to shift the festival's focus toward contemporary films that took storytelling risks."
The article asserts that "nobody embodies the go-for-broke moviemaking ingenuity now commonly associated with Sundance entries more than. . . Robert Rodriguez." Apparently Rodriquez (director of Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Sin City) raised money for one of his movies by "volunteering for experimental clinical drug testing." Hard core.

Photo courtesy of Sundance

2009 Sundance Spotlight: Adam, Humpday, I Love You Phillip Morris

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:30:28 -0800

While I won't be heading to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival this year, I will be sorting through the humongous pile of festival entries to share with you some of the films I think look most promising. From quirky documentaries (like Chris Rock's) to talented young filmmaker debuts to a potential runaway hit, Sundance is filled with entertainment possibilities. Here are today's selections:

Adam
Boy, do I love me some Hugh Dancy and I've been waiting for this actor to land a juicy, leading role. Well, my prayers have been answered with Adam, in which he stars as a fellow who's a little bit different. The movie explores the idea that "truly reaching another person means bravely stretching into discomfiting territory - and the shake-up can be liberating." Dancy's co-stars include Damages's Rose Byrne, as well as Frankie Faison, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, and Mark Linn-Baker. I can't wait to see this one!

For two others, including that jail movie with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, just read more.

Humpday
The director of this movie, Lynn Shelton, describes her feature-length film premiering at Sundance this year as "two dudes attempting to out-dude each other by attempting to do each other." This movie, which aims to "unearth the biggest ironies in the male ego," is rather timely as Brody Jenner and his crew currently show up once a week to unwittingly demonstrate those ironies in Bromance. Anyway. At its essence, this is the kind of project that independent film festivals are made for: It doesn't star anyone you've heard of and the director is someone who's dabbled in film and art for a while. It looks really quirky and funny - click here to check out a clip.

I Love You Phillip Morris
This movie stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as lovers and comes from two directors: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. It's a "tale of a spectacularly charismatic and resourceful con-man's journey from small-town cop to flamboyant white-collar criminal." I have high hopes for this offbeat flick from the same minds behind Bad Santa, and I think it's cool that Jim Carrey is stretching a bit as an actor. The movie's not in competition but will premiere at Sundance this year. Here's a clip:

Photos courtesy of Sundance

2009 Sundance Spotlight: The Greatest, Good Hair, and Mystery Team

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:25:44 -0800

Good Hair
It's impossible not to feel a little emotional listening to Chris Rock describe how the idea for this documentary came about. In the video clip below, he says that despite how much he tells his daughter how beautiful she is every day, she still cried to him once, "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?" Troubled by this, Rock "committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl's head!" He himself claims this might be the best movie he's ever made. Intriguing? I'd say so.

To check out the comedian talking about his project, plus the lowdown on two other Sundance movies, read more.

The Greatest
Starring Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon (that's them, making out in the ocean!), The Greatest marks the debut of a young filmmaker and screenwriter, Shana Feste, and follows a family coping with the sudden death of their teenage son. Newcomer Carey Mulligan plays the girlfriend of the son who shows up to further complicate the grieving process for the parents. There's some buzz about both Brosnan's and Sarandon's performances as well as talk that this could be a "career-launching" role for Mulligan. Check her out in a scene with Susan Sarandon:

Mystery Team
Bookmark this trailer as "not suitable for work" due to language but make sure to check it out because it's pretty hilarious. Mystery Team stars a bunch of sketch comedy guys (who also wrote, directed, and produced the film) and follows a group of kid detectives that no one takes seriously. Some of the dialogue reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite but the rest of the movie seems like something all its own. Here's the preview:

Photos and The Greatest clip courtesy of Sundance