BuzzSugar

GelaSkins Brings Frank Miller to Your iPhones and Laptops

GeekSugar — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:47:01 PST

If you're a comics fan, you'll already know who Frank Miller is. But if the name isn't ringing any bells, let me introduce you. Frank Miller is a Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse graphic novelist, and the genius mind behind both Sin City and 300. His distinct noir esthetic inspired a new style of filmmaking, and such, he brings his unique taste to your laptops and iPhones with the

Imagine this dialogue with cats and squirrels, and you'll know why this 300 spoof is so hilarious: "Persian: A thousand nations of the Persian empire descend upon you. Our arrows will blot out the sun! Stelios: Then we will fight in the shade."

This Is Sparta, Muthaf*ckas!

GiggleSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:37:41 PDT

King Leonidas from 300 wants you to know that Sparta effin rocks! (And if you're wondering who that fierce baby is, just click here.)

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:44:22 PDT

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.

300
This movie won't be as captivating on DVD as it was on the big screen, but with the DVD, you'll get the inside scoop on one of 2007's most unusual films. An adaptation of Frank Miller's comic, 300 isn't going to win any screen-writing Oscars - we hope - for its portrayal of the lopsided Battle of Thermopylae. But it does break serious ground in terms of visual effects.

Be sure to check out some of the special features, like a commentary by director Zack Snyder, a gallery of production stills, and several featurettes including "The 300: Fact or Fiction?" in which "historians, authors, and filmmakers reveal how much of the film was based on fact."

Two more new DVDs if you

Hot Fuzz
I was fortunate enough to see Hot Fuzz in the theater and it is one hilarious movie. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's follow up to their zombie movie spoof Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz is a parody of classic buddy cop movies. Pegg plays a London police officer who is so good at his job that his colleagues resent him, so he's shipped off to the virtually crime-free village of Sandford and paired with a bumbling partner (Nick Frost). Not surprisingly, it turns out there might be more afoot in Sandford then expected. The movie also co-stars a roster of talented Brits, including Bill Nighy and Steve Coogan. The special features include a gag reel that I cannot wait to check out. You can watch the trailer for Hot Fuzz here.

Lonely Hearts
I posted the trailer for this movie back when it was coming out in theaters, and then I didn't hear much about it again, so now's the perfect time to check it out on DVD. Starring Salma Hayek, John Travolta, and Jared Leto, the highly stylized Lonely Hearts is based on the true story of two homicide detectives (played by Travolta and James Gandolfini) trying to track down the "Lonely Hearts Killers": a couple (played by Hayek and Leto) who lure their victims using personal ads. As an interesting tidbit, director Todd Robinson is actually the grandson of the real detective on the case.

300 Leads MTV Movie Awards Nominations

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:15:47 PDT

Last week we found out that Sarah Silverman will host the MTV Movie Awards, and now we know who will be vying for the coveted Golden Popcorn. 300 is leading the way with five nominations including Best Picture, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest with four and Blades of Glory, The Devil Wears Prada and Borat with three each.

Greatest potential for a catfight: the Best Performance category, which sees Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson going head-to-head for their Dreamgirls roles. Also, did I totally call Columbus Short's nomination for Best Breakout Star after Stomp the Yard, or what?

The awards will air live for the first time ever on June 3, and voting is open now online and via text message. The viewer-generated Best Movie Spoof entries can be viewed here, and to see who's in the running for the rest,

Best Movie
300
Blades of Glory
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Little Miss Sunshine
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Best Performance
Gerard Butler, 300
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Beyonce Knowles, Dreamgirls
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness

Breakthrough Performance
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Lena Headey, 300
Columbus Short, Stomp the Yard
Jaden Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Justin Timberlake, Alpha Dog

Best Comedic Performance
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Will Ferrell, Blades of Glory
Adam Sandler, Click
Ben Stiller, Night at the Museum

Best Kiss
Cameron Diaz & Jude Law, The Holiday
Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Columbus Short & Meagan Good, Stomp the Yard
Mark Wahlberg & Elizabeth Banks, Invincible
Marlon Wayans & Brittany Daniel, Little Man

Best Villain
Tobin Bell, Saw III
Jack Nicholson, The Departed
Bill Nighy, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Rodrigo Santoro, 300
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Fight
Jack Black & Hector Jimenez vs. Los Duendes, Nacho Libre
Gerard Butler vs. "The Uber Immortal," 300
Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Ken Davitian, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Will Ferrell vs. Jon Heder, Blades of Glory
Uma Thurman vs. Anna Faris, My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen yet
Evan Almighty
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Hairspray
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Rush Hour 3
Transformers

mtvU Best Filmmaker on Campus
Robert Dastoli (University of Central Florida), "Southwestern Orange County vs. The Flying Saucers"
Maria Gigante (Columbia College, Chicago), "Girls Room"
Josh Greenbaum (University of Southern California), "Border Patrol"
Alexander Poe (Columbia University), "Please Forget I Exist"
Andrew Shipsides (Savannah College of Art and Design), "Bottleneck"

Source

Mashup of "300" And... Kitties

GiggleSugar — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 09:43:58 PDT

The epic action film "300" tells the story of 300 Spartans who, in 480 B.C. go to war against an army of 250,000 Persians. Hey, but what about the cats, you ask. Well, here's the ridiculous answer...

TMNT Tops the Weekend Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:04:05 PDT

I knew there was a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie coming out, but I'd heard so little about TMNT that I was surprised to see it No. 1 at the weekend box office. Taking in an estimated total of $24.4 million, it knocked 300 to second place after its two-week reign. I guess this just goes to show that you can never underestimate the power of kids - or CGI turtles who are also mutant ninjas.

Both TMNT and 300 are Warner Bros. productions, so you can bet that studio is happy after this weekend. As for me, I was bummed to see that Shooter only came in third, debuting with $14.5 million in sales. I know many people were looking to this movie as a test of Mark Wahlberg's star power, and while third place isn't bad, it may not be what the actor needs to get more A-List roles.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

What Comes After 300

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:56:39 PDT

Though 300 wasn't exactly a great movie, it was unlike anything I've seen on the big screen, which is why I'm excited to see what director Zack Snyder and the rest of the 300 gang will do next. Not surprisingly - given the movie's massive box-office success - most everyone involved in 300 has some very cool projects coming down the pike. Here's a look at what's brewing.

A 300 Sequel? Maybe

When a movie makes this much money, it doesn't take long for people to say "sequel." But director Zack Snyder says that issue should be taken up with Frank Miller, the graphic novelist behind the 300 source material. In a very geeky interview conducted in the virtual world of Second Life, Miller said he is talking to Warner Bros. about the possibility:

"I do know exactly what the sequel would be," Miller responded with a chuckle. "But I'll say to you the same thing that I've said to the people at Warner [Bros.]: That's all anybody gets without paying."

Snyder, meanwhile, is working on another project for the studio; for the details,

Snyder Eyes Watchmen

For his next film, director Snyder is tackling a beloved 1986 graphic superhero novel called Watchmen written by Alan Moore. According to a recent MTV News story:

Snyder has never met Moore, the notoriously reclusive author who has famously soured on Hollywood and said he doesn't want a Watchmen movie ever made. Still, Snyder hopes to arrange a meeting soon so he can explain that the script he's calling "closer to 'Dr. Strangelove' than 'Fantastic Four' " will embrace exactly what studios have feared in the past.

It sounds pretty awesome, so I hope that one works out.

A Sin City Sequel? Certainly

Though Miller is pretty mum about what will happen with the 300 sequel, the next installment of Sin City is a sure thing. In the Second Life interview, Miller revealed that the movie will likely begin shooting in June. "I just saw Robert Rodriguez the night before last, and we've nearly got the script," Miller said. Star Rosario Dawson will also be making an encore.

Gerard Butler's Remake

Meanwhile, star Gerard Butler, who plays King Leonidas, will likely join the cast of another cult classic: a remake of John Carpenter's Escape From New York. Butler would play Snake Plissken, the role originated by the wonderfully campy Kurt Russell.

Source

300 - Rep Spartan Workout

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:15:00 PDT

The latest movie to crush blockbuster records is 300, the much anticipated epic on Spartan and Persian history. Forget breaking blockbuster records, what about those abs? Gerard Butler's six-pack is beyond impressive.

Being curious as to how he got so damn cut so damn fast, I searched high and low for his exercise routine and Men's Health is reporting that crushing skulls Spartan style would be easier than Gerard's killer workout from Mark Twight, a former world-class mountain climber.

To see if the "300-rep Spartan Workout" is for you,

...to hasten Butler's mind-body transformation, [Twight] created what he calls the "300-rep Spartan workout." (Trust us, 100 reps is plenty hard.) It goes like this: Without resting between exercises, Butler performs 25 pullups, 50 deadlifts with 135 pounds, 50 pushups, 50 jumps on a 24-inch box, 50 floor wipers, 50 single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettle bell and 25 more pullups. All this, in addition to utilizing other unconventional yet equally taxing training methods, such as tire flipping and gymnastics-style ring training. Sound like hell? It is.

Five weeks before the cameras were to roll, Butler took on extra sessions with a Venezuelan bodybuilder named Franco LiCastro in order to exaggerate the physique he was after. "I wanted to look really strong," says Butler. "I've seen so many actors play these kinds of roles, and you see all this equipment on either a big belly or skinny little arms."

The workout sounds a bit extreme because it is and you should only try such a routine under supervision of a fitness professional. Butler reported that the most challenging part of it all was to stay fit after the cameras were rolling. Want your man to look like a warrior (minus the blood stains and aggression issues)? Men's Health gives a few tips.

Should we expect to see warrior fitness classes similar to the "300-rep Spartan workout" popping up at gyms nationwide? You can bet on it.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Lots of People - Including Me - Saw 300 This Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:02:56 PDT

The wonderfully over-the-top epic adventure 300 conquered the box office for the second weekend in a row. According to Variety, even St. Patrick's Day and the NCAA tournament didn't stop the male-skewing movie from raking in $31.1 million this weekend for a combined total of $127.4 million.

Ten dollars of that $31.1 million came from me, and I have to say, 300 fully lived up to my expectations. Sure, the movie is lacking in substance, and the clunky script leaves a lot to be desired. But it also looks unlike anything I have ever seen committed to film, which is more than I can say for most movies, and I walked away thoroughly satisfied by the visually indulgent flick. For the rest of my take,

The movie well blends a historical-adventure tone with graphic-novel cheekiness. The dialog and narration are often delivered with epic-poetic weightiness, while the endless march of eye-candy looks ripped from the most high-brow of comic book panels. Though the scenes are crafted from digital animation and live action, the effect is more like a painting. So during the frequent moments when the dialog slips into anachronistic silliness, you can simply admire the canvas before you.

Unsurprisingly, the movie's biggest weakness is its script, with monologues that alternate between fittingly regal and completely laughable. Star Gerard Butler does the best he can with the material, throttling into total power-hungry hyperbole whenever appropriate.

But good dialog and even good acting isn't the point of 300. It is a movie about the Spartans, an ancient people literally bred for battle, as is the movie itself. And for a film that's pretty much two solid hours of fight scenes, it is captivating and even graceful at times, and unlike some other movies of its ilk, there isn't a single instant of dullness.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures