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Movie Preview: Amelia

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:30:37 -0700

From the time it was first announced last year, everything about Amelia, the Amelia Earhart biopic, has sounded good to me: the subject matter, Mira Nair as the director, Hilary Swank in the title role. Today, the first trailer for the film is out, and it's only increasing my excitement.

Like all of director Nair's previous work (The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding), Amelia looks gorgeous and incredibly well-styled, from the sweeping landscapes to the kicky aviator goggles and scarves. It's been reported that the movie will focus on Earhart's early career, and maybe that's still the case, but this trailer looks largely at Earhart's plans to fly solo around the world and the famous, fateful outcome of the flight.

Swank plays Earhart with an appealing mix of determination and sass - exactly how I always imagined the pilot would be. We'll get to see the whole movie on Oct. 23, but to check out the trailer right now, just read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 5/28

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:45:59 -0700

James Gandolfini is selling his Sopranos costumes to benefit a nonprofit organization that helps severely wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, the AP reports.
Speaking of charity, ABC, CBS and NBC will set aside an hour on September 5 to simulcast a fundraiser for cancer research, according to the AP.
ComingSoon has the news that Ewan McGregor will be joining Hilary Swank and Richard Gere in the Amelia Earhart biopic.
According to Billboard, the original members of Simple Minds will hit the recording studio next month for the first time in 27 years.
Zap2It reports that ABC's comedy pilot Roman's Empire (produced by Ashton Kutcher) found a lead: Kelsey Grammer.
Brandon Routh, Sophia Bush, Jesse Bradford and several others have been cast in the comedic movie Table for Three, writes Variety.
Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale over the weekend, Billboard reports.

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Buzz News Roundup, 4/23

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:30:45 -0700

Showtime's The Tudors has been renewed for a third season, USA Today reports.
Variety has news that Ang Lee's next directorial project will be Taking Woodstock, the autobiography of Elliot Tiber, a Catskills motel worker who played a pivotal role in making the Woodstock concert happen.
Naomi Campbell will guest-star on the season finale of Ugly Betty, the Associated Press reports.
Virginia Madsen has joined the cast of the Amelia Earhart biopic, which already included Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, writes ComingSoon.
Mariah Carey had her best album debut ever this week, easily landing at the top of the charts, Billboard reports.
TV Land will be airing a modeling competition focusing solely on women 35 and older; details are at The Futon Critic.
Tom Cruise's 13-year-old son Connor will have a minor, nonspeaking part as the younger version of Will Smith's character in the drama Seven Pounds, the AP reports.
Contestants from the VH1 game shows with "love" in the name (Flavor of Love, etc.) will compete in a new show called For Love or Money to win cash prizes, TV Guide reports.
Variety has the just-announced lineup for this year's Cannes Film Festival, which will include Clint Eastwood's 1920s thriller The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona . . . and Kung Fu Panda.

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Buzz News Roundup, 4/16

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:32:48 -0700

According to the AP, the upcoming X-Files movie has an official title! It's now called The X-Files: I Want to Believe, and will still open July 25.
Richard Gere is joining two movie projects, writes Variety. He'll costar alongside Hilary Swank in the Amelia Earhart biopic, and he'll star in the cop drama Brooklyn's Finest.
Iron & Wine, Flight of the Conchords, and Wolf Parade are among the bands scheduled for Sub Pop Records' 20th anniversary party this Summer, Billboard reports.
ComingSoon reports that Danielle Panabaker will play the female lead in the remake of Friday the 13th.
Get ready for more "green" storylines: NBC is bringing back Green is Universal for Earth Day, and The Futon Critic has the details. Meanwhile, the Hollywood Reporter writes that Fox has started an eco campaign of its own.
The writer responsible for adapting Bringing Down the House into 21 is at it again, writing the screenplay version of a lottery scam memoir, Money for Nothing, writes Hollywood Reporter.
Hollywood Reporter writes that Stan Lee will launch yet another superhero franchise, titled Legion of 5.
The New York Times has a very sweet piece on the classic Disney animator Ollie Johnston who died on Monday.
According to ComingSoon, Demi Moore has landed roles in two indie movies: Happy Tears, in which she'll star alongside Parker Posey, and Bunraku, starring Woody Harrelson.

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Hilary Swank to Play Amelia Earhart

BuzzSugar — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Good news in three parts: Amelia Earhart, Hilary Swank and Mira Nair
It's been rumored for a long time but now we finally have confirmation that an Amelia Earhart biopic will move forward, with Mira Nair named as director and Hilary Swank playing the famous courageous aviator.

The story itself.
Interestingly, the film will focus on the formative years in Earhart's career, rather than her mysterious disappearance. Variety writes, "George Putnam, a publisher and publicist, was engaged by society denizen Amy Guest to set up a daring nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. When Guest was talked out of trying to become the first woman to make the trip, she dispatched Putnam to find a female pilot, and to turn the flight into a media event."

I can't wait.
Amelia Earhart's life is completely fascinating to me, and while I know Swank has fallen out of favor in recent years, I think she's wise to return to meatier stuff than, say, P.S. I Love You. And Mira Nair is a beautiful director, from Monsoon Wedding to Vanity Fair to last year's gorgeous film The Namesake she has consistently produced visually stunning work.

Do you think the Nair-Swank duo will do Earhart's story justice?

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Amelia: Never Really Takes Flight

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:30:00 -0700

I love the way a biopic makes me feel - like I'm treated to a back-in-time look at an amazing life. They're epic, and that's why I'm willing to sit through the slow moments (and often for more than two hours) for the payoff. This is the experience I hoped for from Amelia, directed by Mira Nair and starring Hilary Swank as the pioneering aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

There's plenty of opportunity for grandness, even though Nair chose not to focus much on the circumstances of Earhart's disappearance during her flight around the world. Earhart had an extraordinary life, eschewing social conventions for her gender and never giving up her one true love: flying.

Unfortunately, Amelia misses the epic mark and lands instead somewhere in the mediocre, underusing its cast's talents and history's treasury. However, it's not an altogether unpleasant journey, so to see my thoughts on the film, just read more.

First, the film is beautiful - Mira Nair knows how to shoot a gorgeous scene (she was behind the richly-styled films Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake), and she really takes advantage of the oceans, the landscapes of jungles, beaches, and moors. Much of it is seen through Amelia's eyes as she's soaring over it, and occasionally you feel the same freedom in flying that she so desires.

Along with the scenery, the minor success the film does achieve is ascribed to Hilary Swank's acting. I was expecting the two-time Oscar winner to be fantastic, and she didn't let me down. From transforming her looks to match the androgynous icon's to altering her voice to a Katherine Hepburn-ish gravel, she captures the pre-feminist aviatrix in all her glory.

The problem is that intriguing parts of Earhart's life are introduced but merely glossed over. For instance, Earhart's marriage to publisher George Putnam (played by Richard Gere) is complicated by the fact that she carries on an affair with Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor). However, this affair is only briefly touched on (they meet, they kiss, it's suddenly over). For his part, Ewan McGregor is given little more than a cameo role, which is an unsatisfying tease for any fan of the actor.

While I'm on unsatisfying, if you've ever been fascinated by the mysterious circumstances of Earhart's death (she disappeared over the Pacific on a round-the-world-flight), you'll get no gratification here. Understandably, there's no speculation about what happened, but there's no closure either.

That seemed justified, because when this project was announced, it was reported that Nair wouldn't focus on the mystery, but Earhart's remarkable life instead. Unfortunately, there's not enough focus on that remarkable life to do the woman's memory justice.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Link Time! Soupy Sales Passes Away

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:30:25 -0700

Comedian Soupy Sales dies at 83 - Movieline
Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman's novel, is being turned into a movie - The A.V. Club
Sylvester Stallone is working on Rocky 7 - Worst Previews
Here's a schedule for upcoming Halloween episodes and specials - TV.com
Melrose Place's Colin Egglesfield reveals how he feels about losing his role on the show - Watch With Kristin
Justin Theroux is producing a comedy called Air Guitar - Coming Soon
Tracey Morgan has some really sweet words about Lorne Michaels (but don't worry, there's still swearing) - Vulture
Amelia director Mira Nair says Amelia Earhart was modern and would be considered an iconoclast now - TrèsSugar
HBO series In Treatment is getting a third season - HitFix
Joss Whedon talks about Dollhouse's absence from November sweeps - MTV Movies Blog