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Adrien Brody and Topher Grace to Take on Predators

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:30:23 -0700

While it's not a shock that Fox is rebooting yet another franchise with the upcoming Predators - the casting is kind of surprising: Oscar-winner Adrien Brody has signed on for the movie, and Topher Grace is in talks to star as well.

Robert Rodriguez's Predators is quite the departure for Brody, usually seen in moving dramas like his award-winning role in the The Pianist and quirky comedies like last year's The Brothers Bloom. Grace isn't a stranger to action adventure, though, since he starred as villain Venom in Spider-Man 3. I just have to laugh at the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the star of the original film - so far, it seems like Rodriguez doesn't have the same need for beefy actors in his own hunt for aliens.

Cadillac Records: Spot-On Performances Bring Legends to Life

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:30:33 -0800

There's plenty wrong with director Darnell Martin's biopic about Chicago's famous record label Chess Records, including the confusing title: Cadillac Records. What with the production quality that makes the film look like a sound stage, amateurish editing, and a script that bites off too many legends than it can chew, this movie's got issues.

But you know what? I forgive it these faults for two reasons: the performances are out-of-this-world good (Beyonce actually sets the screen on fire), and the awesome music is prominently on display with most of the actors doing most of the singing. The resulting experience is less a cerebral one (it is awfully formulaic) and more primal. The music moved me, and the performances are so powerful they got under my skin and stayed with me for days.

To see what else I so enjoyed about this ensemble cast (including what might be my favorite Mos Def performance ever), read more.

The musical biopic is as formulaic as a Hollywood genre gets these days, and Cadillac Records does nothing to break free of the now-predictable twists and turns. Improbable rise to fame after overcoming hardship? Check. Breakout moment where the artist really becomes a star? Check. Fame that comes with an emotional price to pay? Check. Drug and alcohol use and abuse? Oh, of course. And the men, they will not be faithful to their wives, and the wives, they will be so sad but will stoically love their tortured artists anyway. You can expect all these tiring cliches and more from this movie.

But the story of Chicago's Chess Records is not only compelling, it's important. Founded by Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), this itty-bitty record label made stars out of folks like Muddy Waters (who Jeffrey Wright plays with a fantastically down-and-dirty swagger). Bursting with talent, each new artist that Leonard takes on struggles with the demons you'd expect to plague anyone who reaches heights they've never imagined in a society that doesn't think they deserve it. The movie portrays a sad time in America's history indeed, when the powers that be even tried to keep the songs on the radio separate but equal. But the music will find a way, and so it did when the raucous, soulful blues pouring out of Chess found an audience.

As earnestly as this movie handles the music-sees-no-color theme (Cedric the Entertainer does some voiceover narration that doesn't help with the hokey factor), I was still deeply moved. This has less to do with the facts of the story and more to do with the raw emotion and pure joy radiating off each of these performers. Beyonce's Etta James is sassy, hardened, and bursting at the seams - physically and emotionally - with feelings of self-hate due to a lifetime of rejection. When she sings, you really do feel her pain and are never sure if she's going to break down midsong in a puddle of tears or punch someone. My other favorite is Mos Def, who plays Chuck Berry with aplomb. He runs off with the scene each and every time he's on the screen.

These were turbulent times, and the pacing of the movie reflects that. It sweats and jams along at a speed that rarely sags, with musical performances that either break out in gun shots, yelling, or a growl. A stronger center would have helped the narrative out a bit, and it seems that that's what they were trying to do with Brody's character. Chess has a nose for business and cares about his artists, but too often the personal and professional collide, resulting in the kind of paternalistic treatment from a white dude that these musicians have endured their whole lives. Unfortunately, this character isn't filled out enough here, which makes caring about him difficult and gives all these plot lines nothing to rotate around. As entertaining as they all are, a movie focused on one, maybe two, of these artists would have sufficed (as it is, it's like Ray times five). This isn't the movie these musical founders deserve, but these are the best performances anyone concerned with their legacies could ask for.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Movie Preview: Cadillac Records

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:45:45 -0800

Well, here it is, folks: A real look at Cadillac Records, the musical biopic people have been buzzing about lately - especially since we first caught a glimpse of Beyonce as Etta James. The movie focuses on several legendary greats, like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, and Leonard Chess, portrayed by the likes of Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, Mos Def and Adrien Brody.

The story chronicles the rise of Chess Records in 1950s Chicago when, as the voiceover explains, "Sex had a sound. Danger had a rhythm. And freedom had a music all its own." Cadillac Records opens Dec. 5. To check out the trailer, read more.

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Movie Preview: The Brothers Bloom

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:30:47 -0700

Had you ever heard of this movie before right now? Me neither! But it looks weird and funny and stars an odd-but-promising assortment of people, like Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz and Babel's Rinko Kikuchi. The plot follows a quirky group of people who plan a heist, but of course, things go haywire. I never would have thought to put Ruffalo and Brody together in a comedic film, but it really seems to work. Also, this same director, Rian Johnson, directed the strange little teen noir film Brick, which I liked.

Check out the trailer and tell me if I'm just a little tired and easily amused right now, or if you might also seek out The Brothers Bloom when it opens October 24. You can watch the trailer if you read more.

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Buzz News Roundup, 4/11

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:30:45 -0700

Despite rumors that Universal Pictures did not want Rose McGowan to play Barbarella in an upcoming remake, she insists she's got the role and has the contracts to prove it, ComingSoon reports.
Adrien Brody is set to star in a thriller called Giallo about a search for a woman abducted by a serial killer named Yellow, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Heroes creator Tim Kring has signed on to co-write a book trilogy, USA Today reports.
Mariah Carey's having a good week as her single "Touch My Body" has scored a second week at No. 1, Billboard reports.

Neil Patrick Harris doesn't think How I Met Your Mother needs any more guest stars, the Associated Press reports.
EW has new details about the Sex and the City movie soundtrack that will include Fergie and Jennifer Hudson.
In pilot casting news, Zap2it reports that Donal Logue has joined the cast of 1% on HBO, while TV Guide reports that Marcia Gay Harden has been cast in The Tower, a CBS journalism drama.

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The Darjeeling Limited: Another Study in Dysfunction

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:20:00 -0700

For years, director Wes Anderson has had his finger on the pulse of severely dysfunctional families. His latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, is no exception. The film tells the story of Francis, Peter and Jack Whitman, three brothers who haven't seen each other since their father's funeral a year ago. Francis (Owen Wilson), the compulsive planner of the group, convinces the other two to join him on a train trip across India, on a half-baked spiritual quest "to become brothers again, like we used to be."

It's a convenient excuse for Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) to escape their own frustrating lives: Peter is feeling increasingly estranged from his pregnant wife, while Jack has just broken up with a girlfriend. (For the record, there are several small nods to Hotel Chevalier, the short focusing on Schwartzman's character, but seeing the short isn't crucial to understanding the movie.) For his part, Francis has just crashed his motorcycle into a hillside, leaving him with a bruised, bandaged face (and viewers with an uncanny reminder of Wilson's own troubles).

The first half of Darjeeling is typical Wes Anderson fare: character quirks galore, amusing yet nonsensical plot points, gorgeous colors and camera work, and witty - if emotionally stunted - dialogue. The characters are kept at somewhat of a remove, more pill-popping, cough syrup-swilling collections of neuroses than actual, relatable human beings. The bickering over belts and poisonous snakes that takes up the first half of the film is amusing, if somewhat insubstanitial. But the movie quickly takes a somber turn, so read more

Something happens about halfway through - something big and tragic - and it changes the course of the brothers' trip. It's a shocking event, especially since we've been zooming along in this perfected, stylized, Wes Anderson world for so long. The weight of the event falls on Brody's shoulders, and that was a wise choice - both Schwartzman and Wilson do fine work, but Brody has a leg up on them acting-wise, and his reactions seem more rooted and real. The movie uses that moment as a catalyst to flash back to the death of the brothers' father; only in the aftermath of another tragedy can the Whitmans start figuring out what's kept them apart for so long.

I tend to like Anderson's work, even when it's overly precious; it's worth noting that his detractors will probably find more problems with the movie than I did. But I do have a couple of quibbles, both of which were big enough to hurt my overall impression of the movie. For one, there's an absolutely perfect ending that comes about 20 minutes before the real one; the ultimate conclusion is satisfying, but the material in between didn't feel as vital to the movie as it should have been. The much more egregious issue comes when that gorgeous Louis Vuitton luggage gets enlisted into one of the least-subtle "shedding baggage" metaphors I've ever seen. Anderson usually conveys so much with so little; I expected more subtlety from him. But while it's uneven, Darjeeling is still an oddly affecting movie, worthy of its spot in Anderson's canon.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Adrien Brody vs. Zachary Quinto: Who'd Be the Better Spock?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:37:45 -0700

Adrien Brody recently said in an interview that he was up for the role of Spock in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie, but ultimately he was passed up for Zachary Quinto (who plays Sylar on "Heroes").

Brody says he's disappointed to not be playing the role made classic by Leonard Nimoy. What do you think? Should he have been cast as Spock instead of Quinto?

Quinto photo source
Brody photo source

First Look: Darjeeling Limited

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:30:00 -0700

I was so thrilled yesterday when the trailer for the latest Wes Anderson project, Darjeeling Limited, hit the Internet. Starring the adorable Adrien Brody with his all-innocence-all-the-time-eyebrows, along with Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson, the movie looks more outright funny than some of Anderson's works (like The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou), but less obnoxious than, say, a typical Owen Wilson movie (You, Me and Dupree, I'm looking at you... all three of you).

From the trailer it looks like the three men are playing brothers who embark on an adventure together. When someone asks what made them want to do so, there's a vague reference to a spiritual journey. It's a pretty slow-moving trailer until the part involving a can of mace, which made me laugh out loud, but it has that distinctively weird-cool Wes Anderson vibe to it throughout.

My favorite line: "I wonder if the three of us could have been friends in real life. Not as brothers, but as people." Who hasn't wondered that at least once about one's siblings? I can't wait to see Darjeeling Limited when it opens September 28. To watch the trailer, read more

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Link Time! 2/15

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:31:55 -0800

Our prayers have been answered: Defamer says there will be a movie about Milli Vanilli.
Popwatch gets a cameo in OK Go!'s new video, which looks a Magic Eye painting.
TV with MeeVee scores an awesome interview with "Ugly Betty" executive producer Silvio Horta.
Best Week Ever kindly provides a clip of Clay Aiken on last night's Jimmy Kimmel, which seems like it would ruin your afternoon, but it won't.
Pop Candy gives us the lowdown on Anna Nicole's haunting final film with former WWE star Chyna.
I Guess I'm Floating posts the leaked-now-official Bonnaroo festival lineup.
According to The Movie Blog, Adrien Brody is being considered for the part of The Incredible Hulk, which just seems bizarre.
Get psyched for "The Office" over at Give Me My Remote.
Stereogum wonders if David Bowie would have made it in the "American Idol" era.
TV Squad tells us where to watch 15 new minutes of "The Shield."
Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Daily comforts us with a list of clumsy rock-star moments.
The TV Addict has a great idea to make the Q&A sessions from television's Paley Festival available on iTunes.

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Pattinson and Jackman and Weisz? Oh, My

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:30:04 -0700

Robert Pattinson, Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz starring together in a movie? That's hot.

The period drama is titled Unbound Captives and follows a woman (to be played by Weisz) "whose husband is killed and her two children kidnapped by a Comanche war party in 1859. She is rescued by a frontiersman, to be played by Jackman. Pattinson will play the son." First-time director Madeleine Stowe will be working with her own screenplay which she wrote, under the pseudonym O.C. Humphrey, with her husband. She'd originally planned on starring in the lead role herself, but ultimately decided to direct. She says she saw three actresses and just knew that Weisz would be good for the role. Interestingly, Robert Pattinson agreed to be in the film last Fall, "before everything broke with Twilight."

There's no question that Pattinson and Jackman are hot actors - in that they're attractive (Pattinson even has his own sexy faceoff game over on Pop) and rather popular right now. And I've always thought that Rachel Weisz is one of the most beautiful actresses of our time (just my humble opinion), so, just like I'm going to see The Brothers Bloom in which she stars with other cuties (Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody), I'll probably see this movie no matter what.

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