BuzzSugar

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:30:51 -0700

Something I never thought I'd write: David Archuleta and Bob Dylan's dueling Christmas albums! - Vulture
The dreamy Adam Brody takes a pop culture personality quiz. - PopWatch
Rebecca Hall has been cast as the lead in Richard Linklater's latest flick, Liars A-E. - Coming Soon
Here's some help deciphering Diablo Cody's brand of slang. - Cinematical
Eclipse director David Slade wants his Twilight installment to be gorier and more guy-friendly. - MTV Movies Blog
Check out the first 18 minutes of Flash Forward - TV.com
The return of VH1 Divas prompts a dissection of the term "diva." - TrèsSugar
Not a joke title: TLC's upcoming reality show is called "My Monkey Baby." - Best Week Ever
Rich Sommer dishes on how he gets that Harry Crane hair for Mad Men. - Pop Candy
Good news! The Real Housewives of New York City are all definitely coming back for a third season. - TV Squad

Jennifer's Body: Half-Baked High School Horror

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:35:22 -0700

The first thing you should know about Jennifer's Body is that this movie is not terrifying. Yes, there's a bit of gore and a few cringe-worthy moments (like when Jennifer smiles through a mouthful of blood), but the scariest parts are given away in the trailer. It's more of a high school comedy than a slasher flick, and you can see the transitions from funny to freaky coming a mile away.

The second thing you should know is that this movie is not Juno. Though the two films penned by Diablo Cody fall into different genres, I was still hoping for some of the same magic from her award-winning little movie. Instead, certain elements - like the invented teenage slang - didn't bother me in Juno but really annoyed me in Jennifer's Body.

The movie's not all bad though, so to read more of my thoughts, just read more.

Cody sets the scene in Devil's Kettle, a small town that rarely sees a scandal worthy of its name. As Jennifer, Megan Fox is that girl we all knew in high school - gorgeous, but not unrealistic. Bitchy, but not made of stone. Like Mean Girls' Regina George, every girl wants to be friends with Jennifer, though her nerdy BFF Needy (Amanda Seyfried) gets most of her attention. Jennifer and her cropped hoodies are the object of desire of most of the guys at school, and even Needy is kinda obsessed with her in a sexual way.

When a night out goes horribly wrong, Needy loses track of Jennifer and when they reunite, nothing is the same. Needy quickly learns that Jennifer has been possessed, but her boyfriend and the rest of the community are too distracted by a local tragedy to hear Needy's story. She's constantly struggling to make sense of Jennifer's newly evil ways, though at the same time she's still mesmerized by Jennifer's charms just like everyone else.

Though Cody gets certain aspects of high school down cold, there are other parts that drove me crazy. The movie has some very funny moments, and I found myself laughing along with the audience a lot more than I had expected. The bad news is that a lot of the humor just feels so forced. We get it: Megan Fox is hot and it's funny to exploit her sex appeal. Does that mean it should be shoved down our throats? Some things are better left unsaid.

The central focus of the movie is Megan/Jennifer and her body (speaking of nonsubtleties) and her relationship with Needy. Amanda Seyfried is fun to watch once again, providing layers and depth to a character surrounded by shallow plot lines. As the only person who is onto Jennifer's secret, we watch as Needy goes from average teenage girl to terrified best friend, torn between honoring her friendship and saving her town from evil.

Surprisingly, the best characters in the movie are the guys. I've unabashedly had a crush on Adam Brody since his Seth Cohen days and loved seeing him back on the big screen. Brody plays the stereotypical, guy-liner wearing lead singer of a band, but with an evil streak. Despite some truly disturbing antics, he and his band have some of the funniest moments in the film. I also really liked Johnny Simmons as Needy's boyfriend Chase, and Kyle Gallner as one of the students who has his eye on Jennifer. After seeing so many movies centered around misogynistic high school boys, it's refreshing to see the roles reversed for a change as Jennifer is the one preying on the unsuspecting, innocent guys.

The bottom line: this isn't the worst move you'll ever see, but don't expect greatness. If you're interested enough to shell out $13 bucks for a ticket, you probably won't be disappointed - but I don't think you'll regret waiting for the DVD either.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Red Band Trailer For Jennifer's Body Hits the Web

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:47:55 -0700

Diablo Cody's next movie project after her award-winning Juno is Jennifer's Body, a "horror-comedy" starring Megan Fox as a hot demon girl with a thirst for murdering boys. The trailer will appear before screenings of Bruno this weekend, but the filmmakers were reportedly not too psyched about the theatrical trailer and have put a red-band trailer online for all to ogle.

In some ways, it's cool that this is a female-led horror movie, but then again, I have to wonder how much of a female audience this will attract. It's a horror movie centered around a young hot chick - and basically centered around the fact that she's hot (so she can more easily prey upon unsuspecting smitten boys). It is cute to see Adam Brody and Amanda Seyfried, but I am starting to feel a bit of Megan Fox fatigue these days. And aside from a line or two here or there, I don't see too much comedy in this "horror-comedy" but maybe the movie will offer up more gems when it opens Sept. 18. Click here to watch the age-restricted red-band trailer, and let me know what you think.

Source: IMDB

Buzz News Roundup, 5/29

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:30:08 -0700

The British Academy of Film and Television/Los Angeles will honor Emily Blunt as British artist of the year on Nov. 5. - Variety
Big Brother will be watching again starting July 9. - TV.com
Chevy Chase is joining the cast of the time-travel comedy Hot Tub Time Machine. - ComingSoon
How to watch the Britain's Got Talent finale if you're not in the UK. - AP
Naval captain Richard Phillips' life rights have been acquired by Columbia Pictures. - Variety
TLC has ordered a new reality show about lavish weddings. - The Hollywood Reporter
Seann William Scott and Adam Brody are joining Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in Kevin Smith's buddy action comedy A Couple of Dicks. - ComingSoon
Kristin Chenoweth will star in a Christmas movie for Lifetime. - Broadcasting and Cable

Source

Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons Join Jennifer's Body

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:33:49 -0700

Former O.C. nerd-hunk Adam Brody and Juno's dad J.K. Simmons have joined the cast of Diablo Cody's horror-comedy Jennifer's Body. They round out a cast that already included Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. The Hollywood Reporter has more:

Cody's script centers on Jennifer (Fox), a cheerleader possessed by a demon who starts feeding off the boys in a Minnesota farming town. Her bookish best friend (Seyfried) must take drastic measures to protect the town.

Brody will play Nikolai, a hot lead singer of an up-and-coming rock band with a penchant for evil. Simmons will play Mr. Wroblewski, a high school science teacher.

Nice - I hope this means we get to watch Brody rock out onstage. I bet he'd be good at that. I'm so curious to see how Cody's follow-up project to Juno shapes up.

Source and source

Sundance Review: Death in Love

BuzzSugar — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:00:22 -0800

Ugh. Where to begin with the list of atrocities the Sundance film Death in Love manages to accomplish? Preposterously wooden dialog? Check. Gratuitously violent sexuality? Check. Quick cuts to the grotesque torturing and dismembering of concentration camp detainees meant to "shock" the audience? Check. A collection of gratingly obnoxious characters, none of whom gives us any reason whatsoever to sympathize with them? Check, check, check.

This film may as well be titled Psychopathic Murderers, Mating. About a third of the way into the movie I was mentally pleading for it to have something - anything - redeeming about it. Then the sole redeeming factor entered the film, and that factor's name is Adam Brody. And sure, I like him well enough, but when Adam Brody is the one thing about a movie that doesn't entirely make you want to vomit, it's a bad sign. It's time to walk away.

The movie starts and ends with shrill, anguished screaming. Not just a few shrieks but the kind of prolonged screaming that makes you want to kill someone, just to make it stop. There's then a way-too-long montage set to music that alternates between images of various women having sex with a man and these same women's bodies being ripped apart or otherwise mangled in experiments. Awesome, right? Yeah, read more.

The plot is structured around the story of the Mother (Jacqueline Bisset), a woman who saves her own life by seducing the Nazi doctor performing experiments on concentration camp detainees. After becoming his pet, she generally turns into a bad person, eventually marries an American and moves to New York where she raises two boys and terrorizes them into having supremely messed up issues with women. The story then mainly follows one of the sons (played with a lot of whining by Josh Lucas) - his struggle to come to terms with being 40, his work problems, his relationship issues, his hatred toward his mother, and so on and on.

None of it matters, though. There's little point to this steaming pile of mess. It's bleak, it's violent, it's gratuitously disgusting, and for what? There's no real moral. We hate each and every one of these cruel, self-absorbed characters (with the possible exception of the other son, an emotionally stunted yet gifted pianist played by Lukas Haas), and when there's no reason to care about the characters in a movie, it feels a lot like a waste of time. The story's heart is coldly and apathetically cut out, and we're forced to watch and call it "art."

Bottom line: There is no need to ever see this movie.

Source

Who's Auditioning for the Justice League Movie?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:25:44 -0700

These guys!
Yup, Adam Brody, a.k.a. little indie Seth Cohen of The O.C. is trying out for a role in the Justice League movie. He's up against a slew of other young actors, as well as rapper Common who, in my humble opinion, would make a gorgeous addition to the cast.

What are the roles that need to be filled?
Director George Miller is looking for people to play Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter.

Who else is auditioning?
A good chunk of the Friday Night Lights cast (Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Scott Porter) is in the running, along with Joseph Cross (Running With Scissors), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Grindhouse), Michael Angarano (Sky High), Teresa Palmer (December Boys) and Max Thieriot (Jumper). The hopefuls are all on the young side because Miller is reportedly "looking for actors to grow into their roles over the course of several movies." So, which young actors do you think should play these superhero parts?

Source and source

Buzz News Roundup, 9/12

BuzzSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:33:48 -0700

Rolling Stone reports that the White Stripes have canceled their fall tour on account of Meg's "acute anxiety."
According to the BBC, Ang Lee has cut out 30 minutes of his sexy espionage thriller Lust, Caution for audiences in China.
Variety reports that if you have On Demand service, you can watch all of NBC's pilots for free right now.
Former "Saturday Night Live" star Chris Parnell has joined the cast of the ABC comedy "Miss/Guided," Zap2it reports.
Variety reports that Run, Fat Boy, Run is the No. 1 movie in the U.K.
Led Zepplin is reforming for one night only, at a tribute show for the late Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, Billboard reports.
"The Closer" broke its own cable ratings record for its season finale on Monday, writes the Hollywood Reporter, drawing 9.2 million viewers.
Things weren't as rosy for "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," both of which had disappointingly low ratings for their premieres, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Paul Morrison will direct Little Ashes, a movie about the young life and loves of Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel and poet Federico Garcia Lorca, says Variety.
Hollywood Reporter has news that Naomi Campbell will star in a film adaptation of the novel Bad Love.
Don Cheadle will star in a live-action film version of the 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs, Variety reports.
Meanwhile, ComingSoon reports that Adam Brody and Josh Lucas have been cast in the drama Death in Love.

Source

The Ten: Absurd, But Not Absurdly Funny

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:30:00 -0700

I think Paul Rudd is cute and funny. I think the concept of making a movie using ten vaguely intersecting comedic skits is potentially great and funny. So why, then, is The Ten just not that funny?

The movie has Paul Rudd playing Jeff, a kind of surreal host on a sparsely furnished "stage," of sorts, introducing each of the film's stories based on the Ten Commandments. Between each segment we get an update on the travails of Jeff's love life (the end of his rocky marriage, followed by his relationship with the bouncy young Liz (Jessica Alba), etc.). The stories themselves are moderately interesting. For the commandment about stealing we do indeed find Winona Ryder playing a young woman who steals a ventriloquist dummy with whom she's fallen in love. The piece featuring Adam Brody (based on the commandment about worshiping false gods) is a pretty funny commentary on the phenomena of American celebrity. Ten stories starts to feel like an awful lot, however, and when the mildly amusing musical finale comes, it arrives in the form of silly relief. For more on my perplexed "eh" reaction to this movie, read more

Writer/director David Wain and a bunch of his buddies from "The State" (many of whom make up the cast of "Reno: 911" as well as the movie Wet Hot American Summer) came up with this movie and roped in some big-time names (Alba, Brody, Ryder) to join them for the ride. I've always liked and respected "The State" because they did comedy the way they wanted to do comedy: strangely, and full of darkness and absurdity. Their skits were often awkward to watch - sometimes so awkward they weren't funny - but it always struck me that they did things on their own terms, as opposed to, say, "Saturday Night Live" - which can be called a lot of things but "edgy" or "weird-funny" are not among those things.

Yet watching The Ten I started to wonder if "The State" served a purpose during a time in my life that has since passed. In fact, in a recent interview with David Wain, he says he wanted the movie to be exactly the kind of movie he liked to watch as a college kid and alas, I am no college kid.

The Ten seems like one long inside joke that I am not a part of. It's not that I didn't understand the humor, it's that I got why it should be funny and it just wasn't. And like I found with "The State" from time to time, the absurdity often overwhelms everything else so you're stuck there sitting in awkward or stupefied silence rather than laughing out loud hilariously. If this is okay with you, and if you are also a fan of "The State," "Reno" or Wet Hot American Summer, then you'll probably kinda enjoy the movie like I did. Otherwise, don't bother because I shalt not lie: it will probably be an exercise in frustration.

The Results Are In: Recast Back to the Future

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:14:09 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

This week's recast challenge was a fond favorite for many of you, so I was delighted to see how thoughtful the recast lists were! Some of my favorite ideas include casting Frankie Muniz or Michael Cera as Marty McFly, as both actors have that youthful earnestness.

I also enjoyed many of the suggestions submitted for the character of Doc Brown, such as Steve Buscemi, and emei47's idea of Robert Downey Jr. Finally, selecting who should play the villainous Biff Tannen seemed to be a fun challenge for some of you, and I especially liked BunGirl's pick of Owen Wilson. BunGirl also posted her own cast photo, which I thought was awesome.
However, my favorite recast list this week comes from CocoChic! She wondered if we were casting these characters as teenagers or as adults. Because the actors in the original cast were in their 20s, I went with Coco's younger cast submission. To see who CocoChic picked along some new cast pictures, read more

CocoChic's cast:
Marty McFly - Shia LaBeouf
Doc - Johnny Depp
Lorraine McFly - Rachel McAdams
George McFly - Adam Brody
Biff Tannen - Chris Carmack

The new George, Lorraine and Marty:

The new Biff:

And the new Doc Brown: