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Movie Preview: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried in Dear John

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:22 -0700

You were all pretty split on your feelings about Channing Tatum, but we can all agree that the actor has made a name for himself as the muscle-bound sensitive guy. He gets even deeper into that archetype in Dear John, an adaption from the Nicholas Sparks novel where he plays the love interest of Amanda Seyfried.

The two fall for each other one Summer while Seyfried's character Savannah is home from college and Tatum's John is home on leave. When they have to leave each other and return to their respective obligations, they begin writing letters to keep in touch, hence the title.

Normally I would be holding my nose for this schlockfest, but I can't deny the talent of director Lasse Hallstrom, the charisma of the two leads, or the major soft spots I have for The Notebook and A Walk to Remember - movies made from Sparks books. And there's another bonus: Six Feet Under's Richard Jenkins as John's dad. To watch the trailer and decide if it's going to be a cheesy mess or a heart-tugger, just read more.

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

Cute Movie Couple Alert: Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:15:12 -0700

How cute is this? Amanda Seyfried and Gael Garcia Bernal are teaming up to play a couple in the Italy-set romantic movie Letters to Juliet. They're joined in the cast by Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. The story is based on a book "about the letters written by the lovelorn to star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet." Here's more:

Story follows a couple (Seyfried, Garcia) who take a trip to Italy and receive a note meant for Juliet written by a woman (Redgrave) searching for a young man who romanced her during a long-ago vacation in Italy. The young woman scours Tuscany to find the older woman's long-lost love (Nero).

The production company behind the project is none other than Summit, home of the Twilight movie franchise, so we know those folks are no strangers to the whole star-crossed lovers thing. What do you think about yet another story loosely based on Romeo and Juliet? Do you think Amanda Seyfried and Gael Garcia Bernal make a sweet couple?

Source and Source

Buzz News Roundup, 3/25

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:49 -0700

Freida Pinto has joined the cast of Miral, written by The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's Julian Schnabel. - Variety
George Lopez will have a late-night talk show on TBS starting in the Fall. - AP
Speaking of late-night, Chelsea Handler has signed a deal to stay at E! through 2012. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kelly Clarkson is still topping the Billboard chart this week, and the Twilight soundtrack is back up to No. 3. - Billboard
Jon Hamm has joined the cast of Howl, the Allen Ginsberg biopic starring James Franco. - Variety
A crossover episode between Bones and Family Guy - yes, really - will air May 7. - TV Guide
Conflicts with Big Love have forced Amanda Seyfried to drop out of Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch. - Entertainment Weekly
Jennifer Hudson will perform after tonight's American Idol taping, with the performance to be broadcast at a later date.

- TV.com

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Buzz News Roundup, 3/4

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:30:27 -0800

Director Zack Snyder has tapped Amanda Seyfried to lead the all-female cast of his movie Sucker Punch. - Zap2It
It's the neverending musical: High School Musical 4 will come to the Disney Channel in 2010. - Billboard
Woody Allen's latest film, Whatever Works, starring Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood will kick off this year's Tribeca Film Festival in April. - Variety
The finale of the ABC version of Life on Mars will air April 1. - The Futon Critic
Megan Fox is lining up more projects: She'll star opposite Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in Jonah Hex, and she's attached to star and develop Fathom, Fox Atomic's comic book-based underwater adventure. - The Hollywood Reporter
Alice Braga, Mickey Rourke and Vincent Cassel are set to star in 11 Minutes, an adaptation of the Paulo Coehlo novel. - ComingSoon
Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis will team up for Kevin Smith's next directorial venture, A Couple of Cops. - Zap2It
The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men are on the verge of being renewed for several more seasons. - Variety
Alfred Molina will play the villain in Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. - ComingSoon

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Amanda Seyfried Is A Woman of No Importance

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:00:54 -0800

This adaptation of Oscar Wilde's comedy A Woman of No Importance has been in the works for a while now, with Lindsay Lohan reportedly having the main role initially but then backing out of the project a year ago. Next up there were rumors that Sienna Miller was taking the lead role, and at the time of this posting, her name is still on the project's IMDB page. But today various news sources are reporting that Amanda Seyfried will in fact play the main character.

Annette Bening and Sean Bean will also star in the film in which "Seyfried will play an American who finds herself falling in love with the womanizing Lord Illingworth (Bean) in the English countryside until his mother (Bening) throws a wrench in his plans."

Surely Oscar Wilde deserves a better actress than Lindsay Lohan, but between Sienna Miller and Amanda Seyfried, do you think Seyfried is the better choice? I personally prefer Seyfried, and she won't have to fake an American accent, which is nice. I just think they should get on with production already!

Source and source

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:30:47 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! Amanda Seyfried (currently starring in Mamma Mia!) initially auditioned for the lead female role on a TV series that started airing in 2004. What series did she audition for?

The Dark Knight Smashes Box Office Records

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:15:23 -0700

Many thought that breaking Spider-Man 3's record for the biggest opening weekend ever would be difficult, even for The Dark Knight. But the much-hyped and critically adored sequel to Batman Begins shattered many records over the weekend - including Spidey's.

Earning an estimated $155.4 million, Bruce Wayne and gang smashed box office records for the biggest single-day gross in history and the biggest opening weekend for an IMAX release.

According to Variety, Mamma Mia! also broke records by "narrowly beating Hairspray to become the top opener for a musical," earning $27.5 million over the weekend.

That is a lot of money that people spent at the movies this weekend. What did you see? And how many times?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Mamma Mia!: Hard to Imagine a Better Party

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:30:53 -0700

If there were a family get-together with all the slick, recent Broadway-to-film productions, like Hairspray and Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia! would be the drunk older aunt whose clothing doesn't really match and who says all the wrong things but you love her and her kooky, off-kilter self anyway. The movie is, like that aunt, all over the place: Only a third of the cast can actually sing, the plot is thin, and the characters are - with the exception of a few moments - as one-dimensional as it gets. Oh, and there are hardly three minutes between one ABBA cover and the next.

In place of the large-scale choreographed dance productions of other musicals, Mamma Mia! chooses to go heavy on stuff like arms waving in the air, frolicking through streets, and bed bouncing. It has all the girlish exuberance of a slumber party, the sweaty debauchery of a bachelorette party, and the spectacle of a big fat Greek wedding. The movie - and all the actors in it - so unabashedly embrace a spirit of innocence and joy that it's hard to imagine a more perfect form of escapism.

To see why, despite filming in a stunning sun-drenched location, the cast is the real reason this summer movie shimmers, read more.

Mamma Mia! is a party from start to finish. It takes place within a short period of time on a small Greek island where 20-year-old Sophie (played by one of the cast members who can really sing, Amanda Seyfried) is about to get married, though her hippie mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), is concerned she might be too young. The only thing Sophie's missing to complete her perfect day is that she wants her father to give her away - but she's not sure who her father is. After busting into Donna's diary, Sophie discovers that there are three men who could be her dad, and without telling anyone she invites all three to the wedding. And they all show up. . . for some reason. Meanwhile, Donna's randy old girlfriends have also descended onto the island for the wedding and are there by her side when the three men from her past suddenly appear.

Now, I understand that for some of you, this silly plot plus nonstop ABBA sounds about as fun as pouring gasoline in your eyes and if that's the case, this movie isn't for you. I don't think the filmmakers are trying to convert anyone here. No, this movie was made for the initiated. For those folks who wish real life were peppered with spontaneous bursts of song and dance, and whose idea of a good time might include getting sauced with Christine Baranski and Meryl Streep.

And basically that might be what's at the heart of this movie: wanting to hang out and have a goofy good time with these beloved actors. So when Collin Firth is suddenly in a ridiculous, gaudy outfit, singing a cheeseball ABBA song it made me buckle over in laughter, the same way it would if I saw my own dad or uncle doing it. They know it's kind of a joke, but they seem happy to be the punchline, and it's so endearing to see all these great performances come out of actors who have tossed out their vanity in the name of fun.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures