BuzzSugar

Sundance Review: Henry Poole Is Here

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:30:17 -0700

Note: I posted this review soon after I saw this movie at Sundance, and today it's out in theaters, so I thought I'd share my thoughts again. It has some flaws, but overall I really like this movie.

Henry Poole Is Here was one of the first non-documentary feature films to be snatched up by a studio at this year's Sundance, and I can easily see why. It's a sweet, feel-good movie featuring great performances and a quirky look at the old discussion of faith vs. reason. It's not for everyone, veering as it does into some schmaltzy territory, but the subject matter lends itself to some cheesiness and I can't quite see how that could have been avoided. The hipster soundtrack helps to make things more edgy, as does the artful direction by Mark Pellington.

Luke Wilson plays Henry Poole, a grouchy man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Before long, his very friendly neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She calls in a priest (George Lopez) and starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. Henry tries his best to get rid of the stain, wanting nothing more than to be left alone in his dreary house. But the more he angrily resists the "miracle" on his house, the more proof presents itself that the stain truly does have some kind of power. For more of my thoughts about Henry Poole, read more.

I can name two major reasons to see this movie: Adriana Barraza and Morgan Lily. Barraza, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance in Babel, is a compelling person to watch in general, and in this film she lends a truthful humanity to what might have been the silliest character in the story. Morgan Lily is a rising star; her big, sweet eyes and ease on camera indicate excellent things for her future. She will give those Fanning kids a run for their money. This photo in particular just slays me.

For his part, Wilson is surprisingly good in the title role. Henry Poole is difficult to like, yet Wilson elicits our sympathy. When we find out the painful reasons behind Poole's curmudgeonly demeanor, Wilson still manages to keep things grounded; we are compassionate toward Poole but we aren't allowed to pity him.

The music chosen for the film is its own character, though sometimes it almost plays too big a part. Still, it's like the filmmakers took a spin through my music collection and made some great choices: The Eels, Cake, Badly Drawn Boy, and many more. In truth, I probably wouldn't have liked the movie quite so much if it weren't for the carefully selected tunes.

Bottom line: Henry Poole Is Here is beautifully directed, features great performances and uses music in a lovely way. At times it's overly cheesy but if you're generally a fan of indie film, this is a must-see.

Source

Movie Preview: Henry Poole Is Here

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:30:24 -0700

A few months ago I was thrilled to hear that Henry Poole Is Here got picked up by a studio at Sundance because it was hands-down one of my favorite movies there. Luke Wilson is totally engaging as Henry Poole, a curmudgeonly man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Soon his neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. He tries his best to get rid of the stain, but the more he angrily resists the "miracle" on his house, the more proof presents itself that the stain truly does have some kind of power.

It gets a little overwrought and message-y at times, but overall the movie is sweetly funny and ultimately touching. Henry Poole opens in theaters August 15. To check out the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Overture Films

Best Picture Breakdown: Babel

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:26:31 -0800

All week, I've been breaking down each Best Picture nominee for the 2007 Oscars, which air this Sunday night. Yesterday we looked at The Departed, and today brings the fifth and final nominee, Babel.

The sprawling Babel isn't a critical darling; in fact, when the movie first came out, the reviews were decidedly mixed. But when the awards, nominations and spots on "best of" lists started rolling in, Babel became a serious Oscar contender. Now, with a Golden Globe in its pocket, Babel looks like the frontrunner for the award. For a look at its chances of taking home the Best Picture statue, read more

Why It Might Win

Babel is an ambitious film that tackles big themes - the interconnectedness of people, the way a single act can change the course of events around the world, the discomfort of being out of one's element. The Academy likes to reward important movies (Crash, for example), and Babel would fit right in.
Everyone in the ensemble delivers a strong performance. Babel flits between its four interconnected stories, and it would be easy to give up on any of them if not for the powerful acting. The film's pair of Best Supporting Actress nominees, Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, make their respective plot lines compelling; Barraza, in particular, has some absolutely devastating scenes. But all of the actors - from the young Moroccan boys to superstars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett - carry off their roles perfectly. There truly is no lead performance here; everyone supports each other.
Everything comes together. I don't just mean the stories, though Guillermo Arriaga's screenplay does unite them in the end (by however tenuous a thread). The film's stark cinematography and crisp editing contribute to the movie's overwhelming feeling of loneliness. It has to be tough to maintain a consistent tone when your film involves five languages and four drastically different settings, but Babel pulls it off.

Why It Might Not Win

It's a love it or hate it movie. Reviewers either pegged it as the best film of the year or said it wasn't worth the ticket price. Some people will be thoroughly engrossed by Babel's stories; others will think it's too heavy-handed, too confusing or too contrived.
It might be too complex for its own good. Some of the stories are stronger than others, and for a message movie, it's tough to know exactly what director Alejandro González Iñárritu is trying to say. Everyone seems to have a different concept of what the movie is about, and that could hurt Babel in the end.
It might be too dark. Babel is a seriously heavy movie, filled with tragedy after tragedy, and the ending - while less bleak than it could be - hardly qualifies as uplifting. If Little Miss Sunshine gets knocked back for being too feel-good, it seems possible that Babel could take a hit for not being feel-good enough.

Chances of Winning: Good

Hamlet 2, American Teen Among First Big Deals at Sundance

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:30:37 -0800

Buying started slow at Sundance this year, but things started picking up on Tuesday. Check out a rundown of some recent acquisitions:

Hamlet 2, which stars Steve Coogan as a high school drama teacher, sold to Focus Features for $10 million - making it one of the biggest deals ever in the history of Sundance and putting it in the same league as Little Miss Sunshine. I didn't get to see this one, though the screenings for it at Sundance have been packed.
Another one of the first non-documentary feature films to be picked up was Henry Poole Is Here, which sold for about $4 million on Monday night. I couldn't be happier about this one; it's an uplifting story with some fine performances - particularly by Luke Wilson and Adriana Barraza. It even includes one of my new favorite movie lines.

The documentary American Teen was another hot property, selling to Paramount Vantage for $1 million. I was actually at a morning screening for this when the news of this acquisition broke, which was very exciting. The documentary was made by filmmaker Nanette Burstein and follows four teens at an Indiana high school throughout their senior year. During the Q&A after the screening, Burstein said she chose a school in the Midwest because she felt there was "an innocence and a timelessness" to that area. Stay tuned for more of my thoughts on this film!
The black comedy Choke, based on Chuck Palahniuk's novel, sold for about $5 million.

P.S. - I took that picture myself!

Live From Sundance, Part II

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:30:45 -0800

I've already shared some initial thoughts about my Sundance experience so far, and Monday was another day of indie film, chilled hands, and long ticket lines. I had the good fortune to catch the Luke Wilson drama Henry Poole Is Here, along with the premiere of Morgan Spurlock's documentary Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? which was followed by a pretty fascinating Q&A session. I'm determined to see more great stuff today; for now, more thoughts:

Best movie line I've heard in a long time comes from Henry Poole Is Here, in a scene featuring Henry (Luke Wilson) walking with his neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barraza). Esperanza gives him some advice and Henry says, "You sound like a fortune cookie." Esperanza chuckles and replies, "Cookies can't talk." Cookies can't talk! It's so true.
Speaking of Luke Wilson, he was at the premiere screening of the movie, and he is rather dreamy, to say the least. He sat next to George Lopez, who is also in the film. They make quite the pair.
Sticking around for the Q&A session with Morgan Spurlock was a good idea, as it managed to improve my perception of his film. The movie made it seem like he decided to go off on this high-risk quest to find Osama Bin Laden because his wife got pregnant and he wanted to make a safer world for his unborn child, which just seemed outrageously foolish to me. Turns out he was already in preproduction when they found out about the baby and his wife Alex just barely let him continue with it. When an audience member asked what his next death-defying project would be, he responded, "Fatherhood," which I think is sweet.

Jennifer Hudson Joining All-Star Cast of Winged Creatures?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:30:29 -0700

I was fine with Jennifer Hudson winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar - until I saw Adriana Barraza in Babel. I'm willing, however, to give the former "Idol" singer more chances to prove herself as an actress.

Today, Variety is reporting that Hudson might star in Winged Creatures, playing the daughter of fellow 2007 Oscar winner Forest Whitaker. Apparently, Hudson is busy recording her debut album (set for a Fall release on Arista) but still wants to join the cast, which sounds totally awesome. According to the Variety story:

The Rowan Woods-directed adaptation of the Roy Freirich novel about survivors of a brutal murder in a restaurant also stars Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning, Jackie Earle Haley, Embeth Davidtz, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Josh Hutcherson.

I'm not familiar with Aussie director Woods, but I love a good ensemble movie, and this plot, following the witnesses as they cope with the crime and its aftermath, sounds intriguing.

Source

Announcing the 2007 Oscar Nominees!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:05:49 -0800

Salma Hakek woke up bright and early this morning to announce the nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards. There were some pleasant surprises (I didn't really think Dreamgirls was Best Picture worthy) and some total shockers compared with my predictions. To see how I did, use this key:

* BuzzSugar Shoo-In
** BuzzSugar Wild Card Pick

Wow, I'm actually really glad to see some surprises in there! No nomination for Leo for The Departed (he was nominated for Blood Diamond), but his co-star Mark Wahlberg got a much-deserved nod. Tune in later today for more analysis, and until then, check out the nominees and tell me what you think!

BEST PICTURE

Babel *
The Departed *
The Queen **
Little Miss Sunshine **
Letters from Iwo Jima

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima *
Martin Scorcese, The Departed *
Aljenador Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel *
Stephen Frears, The Queen **
Paul Greengrass, United 93 **

To see the rest, read more

BEST ACTOR

Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland *
Peter O'Toole, Venus **
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson **
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness *

BEST ACTRESS

Helen Mirren, The Queen *
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal *
Kate Winslet, Little Children *
Penelope Cruz, Volver **
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada **

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls *
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond *
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed **
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine **

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal *
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls *
Adriana Barraza, Babel *
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine **
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel **

BEST ANIMNATED FEATURE

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

ART DIRECTION

Dreamgirls
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
The Prestige
The Good Shepherd

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Black Dahlia
Children of Men
The Ilusionist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Prestige

COSTUME DESIGN

Curse of the Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
The Queen

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Deliver Us from Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

The Blood of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing a Dream
Two Hands

FILM EDITING

Babel
Blood Diamond
Children of Men
The Departed
United 93

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

After the Wedding (Denmark)
Days of Glory (Indigènes) (Algeria)
The Lives of Others (Germany)
Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico)
Water (Canada)

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Apocalypto
Click
Pan’s Labyrinth

ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC

Babel
The Good German
Notes on a Scandal
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth
Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge

“Listen” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler
Lyric by Anne Preven

“Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Siedah Garrett

“Our Town” from Cars
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

“Patience” from Dreamgirls
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Willie Reale

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)
“Lifted” (Buena Vista)
“The Little Matchgirl” (Buena Vista)
“Maestro” (Szimplafilm)
“No Time for Nuts” (20th Century Fox)

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

“Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)”
“Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)”
“Helmer & Son”
“The Saviour”
“West Bank Story”

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters from Iwo Jima
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns

ADAPATED SCREENPLAY

Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Babel
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine *
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen

BuzzSugar Predictions: The 2006 Oscar Nominees

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 05:14:36 -0800

The nominees for the 79th Annual Academy Awards are finally coming out on Tuesday, and it seems no other year in recent Oscar memory has had so much buzz building before the big night. While some categories - namely Best Actress, aka Helen Mirren - seem mostly locked up, there are plenty of places where the Oscar voters might really surprise us in 2007. Here's who I think - and hope - will get nods in the major categories.

BEST PICTURE

Shoo-Ins:
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls

Wild Cards
The Queen
Children of Men
Little Miss Sunshine

BEST DIRECTOR

Shoo-Ins:
Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers or Letters from Iwo Jima
Martin Scorcese, The Departed
Aljenador Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel

Wild Cards
Bill Condon, Dreamgirls
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Paul Greengrass, United 93

To see the rest, read more

BEST ACTOR

Shoo-Ins:
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness

Wild Cards
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat
Peter O'Toole, Venus
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson

BEST ACTRESS

Shoo-Ins:
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Kate Winslet, Little Children

Wild Cards
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Annette Bening, Running With Scissors

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Shoo-Ins:
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Jack Nicholson, The Departed

Wild Cards
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed
Brad Pitt, Babel
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Shoo-Ins:
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Adriana Barraza, Babel

Wild Cards
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada

OTHER NOMINATIONS I'D LOVE TO SEE

Best Sound Design: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay: Children of Men
Best Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Best Song: "The Book I Write" by Spoon for Stranger Than Fiction
Best Cinematography: The Good German
Best Visual Effects: Casino Royale

Golden Globes: Babel Wins Best Picture Drama

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:06:00 -0800

One minute, director Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel was a somewhat difficult and low-profile artsy film getting merely good reviews. But after its Best Picture Drama win at last night's Golden Globe Awards, it seems Babel may be the prime frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars. (For more on the movie, check out my Babel review.)

Once I saw that the Globes directing award was going to the much-deserved Martin Scorcese, I figured Babel would score the Best Picture win, and I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens at the Oscars. If last year's puzzling win for Crash taught us anything, it's that actors love to reward their peers, and there's no better way to do that than by honoring an ensemble movie that's built on the strength of its performances - particularly by Cate Blanchett and little-knowns Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi.

What do you guys think: Will Babel win Best Picture at the Oscars? To see a gallery of stunning stills from the film, read more

View 11 Photos ›

SAG Award Nominees Announced!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 09:29:24 -0800

The Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced today, and as always, I loved seeing more leading indicators for the Oscars and the fun "best performance by a cast" nominees. I'm glad to see Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin up for "Little Miss Sunshine," but can we please stop nominating Megan Mullally for "Will & Grace" now?

The 13th Annual awards will air live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 28. Until then, here's a list of who is up for what.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

To see the rest, read more

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Adriana Barraza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Thomas Haden Church, "Broken Trail"
Robert Duvall, "Broken Trail"
Jeremy Irons, "Elizabeth I"
William H. Macy, "Nightmares and Dreamscapes"
Matthew Perry, "The Ron Clark Story"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Annette Bening, "Mrs. Harris"
Shirley Jones, "Hidden Places"
Cloris Leachman, "Mrs. Harris"
Helen Mirren, "Elizabeth I"
Greta Scacchi, "Broken Trail"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"
Kiefer Sutherland, "24"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, "Medium"
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Jason Lee, "My Name Is Earl"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

"24"
"Boston Legal"
"Deadwood"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

"Desperate Housewives"
"Entourage"
"The Office"
"Ugly Betty"
"Weeds"