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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I: A Magically Delicious Appetizer

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:18:09 PST

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I marks the beginning of the end: the final chapters in the big screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling's phenomenal book series. Rabid fans have been waiting for this with bated breath, ready to soak up the final hours with characters they've been bonding with for years. Seeing the final book brought to life will be enough to bring devotees back to the theater for multiple viewings, but the good news is that Deathly Hallows Part I is emotionally gripping, intensely horrifying, and utterly engrossing. In other words, it's a great movie in its own right.

Gone are the games of Quidditch and eventful rides on the Hogwarts express. After Dumbledore's death, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his army of dark wizards (the Death Eaters) have regained control. They've gone beyond the magical world and have started to terrorize the "Muggles" (non-wizard folk) as well. Determined to wipe out anyone who isn't a pureblood wizard, the Death Eaters have taken to cruel and ruthless methods that are reminiscent of the Holocaust. At their helm, Voldemort will not rest until he's finally destroyed the only wizard who still stands in his path to ruling the world: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe).

Harry isn't safe anywhere, so he sets off into hiding with his best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). His only chance at survival (and saving the wizarding world), is to destroy Voldemort, but it's not as easy as a simple spell. He must find and destroy the seven pieces of Voldemort's soul before the final showdown with the dark wizard himself, which proves to be an emotionally taxing adventure that's both exhilarating and terrifying. For more on why you should see it, just keep reading.

Link Time! 10/28

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:30:51 PDT

Can you match the famous hair with the TV star? - The TV Addict
Apparently, Alan Rickman is already mentally prepared to play the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. - Popwatch
Joss Whedon says Dollhouse is going great; too bad he sounds miserable. - Vulture
The stars of Zack and Miri Make a Porno have a funny/strange conversation with Ben Lyons. - E! Online's Lyons Den
Hey, it's new promos for Nip/Tuck. - TV Squad
Sean Connery says he's definitely retired from acting on the big screen. - MTV Movies Blog
Congrats to the bloggers and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia writers who just sold a pilot to Fox! - Give Me My Remote
What are some movies that shouldn't have scared you. . . but did? - Cinematical

Buzz Interview: Talking Wine With the Cast of Bottle Shock

BuzzSugar — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:00:14 PDT

I had the good fortune to attend the red carpet premiere of Bottle Shock at the Napa Valley winery where the movie's true story takes place (I know, it's a tough job but someone has to do it). Before they screened the movie, which is about the emergence of Napa as a legitimate winemaking region, I got the chance to chat with some of the movie's stars.

First up, the venerable Alan Rickman with whom I'm slightly obsessed. Surely you know who he is, but have you ever perused the man's IMDB page? It's stunning. He has worked with everyone in everything from the Harry Potter movies to Kevin Smith's Dogma. When I met Alan, I found him to be. . . kind of sassy actually. But in a British way.

I also chatted with Bill Pullman who plays a grumpy guy in Bottle Shock. It's some great acting on his part because he is warm and generous in person, and was as excited as anyone else to be in gorgeous Napa Valley.

To see what I discussed with these two veteran actors of the silver screen,

Buzz: When you were introduced to your character, did you think of him as a wine snob?
Alan Rickman: You can't judge any characters that you play - so to say the word "snob" is to judge him. I simply think he believes he knows what it is he's talking about.

Buzz: When your character arrives in Napa the winemakers are pretty skeptical of him. Do you think he was expecting that?
Alan Rickman: Well, you know the English go where no man dares tread, creating empires and such. . . hack their way into other peoples' lives whether they want them there or not.

Buzz: Did you know much about wine before working on this movie? Did they put you in a wine boot camp or anything?
Alan Rickman: No, but I think I've been in a wine boot camp for the last 25 years.

Buzz: Your character wants so badly to make good wine so that he doesn't have to go back to his nine-to-five job in the city. It kind of reminded me of someone wanting to make it as an actor - did you relate to him in that way?
Bill Pullman: I remember when I was in New York starting out, I got my first paying gig at a regional theater and came back and had to work at a bank. I handed coasters to people that started new accounts. I remember feeling like, "Oh man, I don’t know if I can come back to this." The management determined I had potential! That was just the first week I felt like that, though. I realized there’s another role, so I can hand out these coasters. But yeah when Jim puts on the suit and tie, sucking up to people, it's painful isn't it? It's different, you know, when you're alone out in the field, you don’t have that pettiness.

Buzz: Do you prefer the country yourself?
Bill Pullman: My brother and I have a ranch in Montana. I’m there quite a bit. I was there this past week with the lightning all around, I was alone trying to fix a sprinkler head and I was covered in water, and the lightning was all around and I thought, "I could go this way! It would be good to go this way!" It’s beautiful, it’s wet. . .you know?

Buzz: You don't seem at all as cranky as your character Jim!
Bill Pullman: Two of my kids will see the movie; I, too, have this idea that I have to carry everything to make it happen. I can’t really rely on weak people around me, so I'm not going to be touchy-feely for you - I sometimes have had that as a dad. I can’t wait to have them see this movie because they’ll say, "That is scary! You owned up to that, Dad!"

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Bottle Shock: Intriguing Story Muddled by a Fruity Aftertaste

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:00:11 PDT

I live near Napa Valley and I enjoy wine a great deal, so when I first heard about a new little movie called Bottle Shock all about the historical legitimization of California wine, I was intrigued. I may have taken for granted the fact that Napa hasn't always been a world-renowned winemaking region, and that at one point it was viewed as nothing more than a bunch of back-water country hicks noodling around with grapes. Which is why I was disappointed to not love this sincere attempt to bring this story to life on the screen. I had such high hopes, but in the end the movie spends too much time on other stuff and not enough on the part that's the most interesting.

Invariably, this tale of Napa's beginnings will be compared to another indie film about California wine, Sideways, and though the subject matter may be similar, it's not an accurate pairing. Where Sideways uses wine country as a setting in which to explore the lives of four intriguing characters, Bottle Shock is a saccharine mix of slapstick comedy, melodrama, and sweeping shots of California's golden hills. This director practically fetishizes the beauty of the state's coast, and at times the movie feels more like a tourist ad than anything else. I wish the filmmakers had relied on the interesting true story for a dramatic arc rather than tossing in several tedious subplots, including an emotionally weightless father-son drama and a mind-numbing love triangle. To see why,

In 1976 a British wine shop owner named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) and his American neighbor Maurine (played wonderfully by Dennis Farina) come up with the idea of a blind tasting that would pit France's best winemakers against the renegades in America, intending to prove that great wine could only be made in France. Surrier travels to California and makes his way from one roadside tasting to another, carefully noting which regions are best. At the same time, Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his free-spirited, slacker son Bo (Chris Pine) are attempting to create a perfect chardonnay at their winery, Chateau Montelena. Bo sees Surrier's arrival as a chance to prove to his dad that he can make something happen for the winery. Meanwhile one of the Barrett's employees, Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodríguez), is making his own wine on the side and frequently butts heads with Jim.

Oh, and then a blond bombshell "intern" shows up at the Chateau and proceeds to befriend and bed both young men amidst winery duties, which include wearing sexy outfits and hosing off a barrel while the water runs down her body, not unlike a Playboy fantasy, while the dirty old men of the winery gawk.

There's a lot of time spent on these characters but it all falls flat because tonally their stories don't jive with what's going on over in Alan Rickman's movie. While they run around an Anthropology catalogue, delivering dramatic monologues about feeling wine in your blood, Alan's tasting Kentucky Friend Chicken for the first time and it's hysterical. Eventually we get to the climax of the film - the industry-changing wine tasting in France - but by that time I was pretty much over it and couldn't care less about the fate of these people.

The sad thing about this movie is that it's well-intentioned and wants to do justice to the stories of these real-life people. The saving grace, predictably, is Alan Rickman and there isn't a single scene he's in that doesn't sparkle with wry humor and simple elegance. But alas, his scenes are too few, and when they end we're swept away via endless aerial shots of vineyards to the dopey plotlines of the other characters.

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Movie Preview: Bottle Shock

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:30:13 PDT

Did you like Sideways, a quirky indie movie about wine (and relationships)? Then you might dig Bottle Shock, another indie movie about wine, this time with an emphasis on the history of American winemaking. It may sound like a snoozefest to some of you, but the trailer makes it look incredibly interesting. The film premiered at this year's Sundance and I was sorry to miss the screenings while I was there.

The movie focuses on the mid-1970s when French wine makers were starting to sit up and pay attention to what was going on in California vineyards. Alan Rickman stars as a wine snob from across the pond who comes over to find out what these California "hicks" are up to with their so-called wine. The supporting cast includes Bill Pullman, Dennis Farina, Chris Pine, Eliza Dushku and Freddy Rodriguez, among others. It looks funny and interesting, and opens in limited release August 8. To check out the trailer,

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Sweeney Todd Sheds Blood on the UK

PopSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:30:20 PST

Johnny was showing off some more of that smooth chest for the Sweeney Todd premiere, but something about his suit seems supersized. Luckily, new mama Helena Bonham Carter was there to take some of the attention off Johnny with her bright red dress. Johnny may be your choice for Favorite Male Star, but he credits his success to his director, saying, "Tim is what makes it special, I love to work with him." We think Johnny is pretty special all by himself but love that he has so much admiration and appreciation for his BFF.

Lots more pics, including Alan Rickman and everyone you see above, so just

View 21 Photos ›

Images included: Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jayne Wisener, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Amanda Lamb, Ed Sanders, Laura Michelle Kelly.

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Sweeney Todd: Sumptuous and Tragic

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:29:19 PST

As I was leaving the screening of Sweeney Todd, my mind was swirling with those silly, cliche comments often seen accompanying ads for critically acclaimed movies: "Sweeney Todd is . . . a visual masterpiece!" "Another Burton beauty!" "A tale of blood and woe - woah!" I'll spare you the rest. The bottom line is that I was impressed. And nauseated. But mostly impressed.

The Stephen Sondheim musical and Tim Burton are a match made in heaven. Burton's dark, sinister-looking scenery and the bloody, musical horrorfest of a story gel together seamlessly to create something so lushly gory - but heartfelt - you may need to dry heave a little bit.

The story follows Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a young man wrongfully imprisoned because the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) was obsessed with Barker's wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and wanted her for himself. Years later when Barker returns to London, he renames himself Sweeney Todd and opens up a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pie shop, hoping to exact revenge on the judge by luring him in for a shave and then slitting his throat. For his part, Judge Turpin has been keeping Todd's daughter Joanna as his ward. Yet when a young friend of Todd's falls in love with Joanna by spotting her at her window, he determines to break her free from the Judge's grasp. Meanwhile, Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd figure out a gruesome way to boost her meat pie sales. Those are basic plot points, but there's much more to say about Sweeney Todd, so

Burton does some gorgeous tricks with light, color and reflection. Cracked mirrors and the reflections glinting off of Sweeney Todd's shaving blades are heavily used to distort or duplicate images, and to not-so-subtly symbolize Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd's fractured identity and his tortured soul. Burton's London is swathed in shadows and muted by a dark gray sky. His color palette consists of shades of gray with tinges of gold, blue and raspberry. The jarring exception, of course, is the brilliantly red blood that gushes freely, sometimes spurting onto the camera lens itself, causing the audience to instinctively jump back. The one time he interrupts this dismal color scheme is when depicting Mrs. Lovett's wistful dream of marrying "Mr. T" and spending the rest of her days "by the sea." The quintessentially Burtonesque costumes and candy-bright colors in this sequence are outrageous and delightful enough to garner giggles of surprise.

Johnny Depp is magnificent, as always, and the rest of the actors are wonderfully cast. Alan Rickman is genuinely disturbing as the perverted old judge. His right-hand man played by Timothy Spall is convincingly sick and twisted. Sacha Baron Cohen is funny as the competing barber Signor Adolfo Pirelli, which is to be expected, but the surprise is that his performance is also quite chilling. My favorite aspect of this film, however, is the classic Depp-Bonham Carter combination. They're simply the most perfect duo, as always - each strange and broken-down in their own way, yet both powerful in their own way, too.

This movie has been hyped to the gills, and it's hard to live up to such high expectations. Having said all this great stuff about the movie, the fact remains that it is still a musical, and people who think musicals are silly will most assuredly still think this movie is silly - Johnny Depp or no Johnny Depp. The movie is also not for the squeamish, as there is more blood - and, well, ground up human meat - than a B-grade slasher flick. I have an average-strength stomach and I felt the gag reflex kick in more than once. If you like this sort of thing, however, it's all worth it. Go see Sweeney Todd. Just eat a light meal beforehand.

To see the trailer and more clips from Sweeney Todd check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Tim Burton's Star-Studded Sweeney Todd

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:31:03 PST

Reuters reported today that Alan Rickman is signing on for Tim Burton's latest project, Sweeney Todd, an adaptation of the morbid Sondheim musical of the same name. Rickman is the latest addition to the already stellar cast, which also includes Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Burton's apparently favorite actor ever, Johnny Depp.

The story centers around Benjamin Barker (Depp), who is wrongly imprisoned by the vulgar Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Barker returns as a London barber named Sweeney Todd and plots revenge. Sacha Baron Cohen will play Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Sweeney Todd's rival barber, while Carter has been tapped as Sweeney Todd's partner, Mrs. Lovett.

The cast is so fantastic that I hope the film is equally good! I have a long time to wait, however: The movie isn't due to come out until December.

"I Like Much Older Guys"

Tres Community — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I am 26 and since I can remember I've always had a thing for older guys. My first big celebrity crush was Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient and Jeremy Irons in The Mission - which is pretty weird but those actors/movies are pretty awesome and I'm sure many women have felt the same. Difference was, I was 9. When I was in early primary school and everyone was obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio, I was doodling Alan Rickman's name on the back of my lever arch file.

I have dated guys that are my age and I have enjoyed their personalities and had (somewhat) successful relationships and although I was attracted to them, I never felt myself get gooey on the inside - if that makes sense. I just find older guys physically appealing. I get really turned on by grey hair and male pattern baldness. And dare I even say the slight paunch that men get when they are older. I have not found a man in his 20s or 30s attractive in a few years now. This is pretty weird, because I am definitely a young looking 26 year old (still get carded) and I am quite fit, dress for my age, often get approached by guys my age etc. I would not say I am craving the security and stability that comes with being older or dating someone who is older, although those are things most people who would like a relationship would logically desire . . . including me.

By the way, this is definitely not "Daddy Issues." My parents have a long, healthy, happy marriage and I come from a very close knit loving family. In fact, my Dad who is 55 is a fitness junkie like me and often passes for 44-45ish.

It's also definitely not financial. I am pretty successful and independent (have lived by myself and paid my own way since 18), and do not want someone to take care of me or buy me things in order to feel appreciated. Nor do I feel at this stage that I want to be nurtured and treated in a juvenile manner. I feel this is a sort of sexual awakening.

I am currently dating a man who is 41. We started dating about 3 years ago and I originally lied to him and said I was a young-looking 30 year old for our first three dates so he would take me seriously - we met through online dating. Although I love him dearly and think he is very attractive, I still find men that are much older than him more appealing. Like around 60 would be ideal for me.

I've tried talking to my best and closest girl friends about this, and they usually just say . . . "ewww that's gross!" and laugh it off as a joke. But I'm being serious. I am considering leaving my current relationship because these feelings are causing me to feel a bit distracted. I think I should try pursue this. I am worried about what my family and friends will think.

Everyone knows I have always liked older men, but I'm afraid that dating anyone older might cause my parents to have . . . um . . . heart attacks.

Do I need help? Is this a weird fetish, considering I am thinking purely with my loins? AM I CRAZY?!

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

The Oscar Nominations: Snap Judgments

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:24:33 PST

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and now that we've had time to digest the news, we have a few reactions to share. From the positive and excited to the slightly disappointed, check out our thoughts on the 2012 Academy Award nominations, and be sure to share yours too.

It's rare for a comedy to be able to compete with all of the heavy dramas of award season, especially an R-rated comedy, but Bridesmaids impressed us by not just nabbing a supporting actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy, but for best original screenplay for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Nice work, ladies!
We were happy to see acting nominations for Nick Nolte in Warrior and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Both men have been left off a lot of lists (like the Golden Globes), but we're so glad that they pulled in Oscar nominations since these were two performances we felt strongly about.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo may have been passed over in most major categories, but its lead actress, Rooney Mara, was still recognized. The Academy seems to love its ingénues, and we're glad they chose Rooney for her brave breakout role.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has suffered from some bad reviews, but not from the Academy: it scored a best picture nomination and a nod for supporting actor Max von Sydow. We liked him in the role, but it's still a surprise to see the movie come up so strongly.
The Tree of Life was a similar surprise, since the Summer release had polarized reviewers and audiences and didn't seem to have much award season steam. But the movie still managed to join the race with nods for best picture and best director for Terrence Malick.

To read some more of my Oscar snap judgments, just keep reading.