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Anna Faris Adds Chris Evans to Her List of Conquests

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:30:13 -0800

Anna Faris and Chris Evans have signed on for the comedy What's Your Number?. Based on the book 20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak, the story follows a young woman (Faris) who hits her "number" quota (read: the total men she's slept with), and thus, revisits her ex-boyfriends to make a relationship with one of them work. Evans is presumably stepping in to play Faris's lothario neighbor who helps her on her search, but I think we can all see where this is going - she realizes she doesn't want her old loves and falls for her womanizing (but adorable!) friend instead. But hey, that's just my hypothesis.

We first heard rumblings about this project over a year ago, and since Faris's forte is funny, semi-raunchy scenes, I'm glad to see it finally come to fruition. Granted, the idea of a "number quota" is a little dumb, but I can't wait to see what guys pop up as her past loves. Hello, awesomely awkward actor cameos.

Have you read 20 Times a Lady? What do you think about Anna Faris and Chris Evans as an onscreen couple?

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:30:00 -0800

Welcome back from your holiday hibernation! If you still feel like being a couch potato, settle in and prolong that vacation with these new movie releases. Or if you're in the mood for a marathon, catch up on your TV (and prep for the upcoming episodes) with Big Love: Season 3 or Chuck: Season 2, which also hit shelves today.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

After a strong showing at the box office and solid reviews, I'm curious to check out Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - even if it's not the most grown-up of movies. The film follows Flint (Bill Hader), an inventor whose creations get him into trouble. His latest is a contraption that changes water into food, and Flint accidentally launches it into the sky, causing hamburgers and the like to rain down. Seems like a cute, kooky pick if I want something light. Plus, Anna Faris voices one of the characters.

Special features include a Director's Commentary with Hader, but if you get the Blu-Ray/DVD combo, you can use the "Splat" button to simulate throwing food at the screen, which sounds fun if you're a kid (or not a kid).

85%

The Final Destination

It's the fourth installment in the horror franchise, so you know the premise by now: a teen sees a deadly vision and tries to protect those around him, but death still comes calling in a series of over-the-top gruesome setups. It may be campy, but The Final Destination did well in theaters, probably thanks to its new 3-D effects. The DVD version includes special 3-D glasses, so you can watch it in all its gory glory home. I doubt it'll capture the magnitude you get on the big screen, but it's kind of an entertaining novelty, none the less.

Special features include deleted scenes.

28%

Reynolds and Faris Are Ready to Share TMI

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:30:31 -0800

Confession time: I'm kind of a sucker for Ryan Reynolds, and Just Friends is one of my guilty pleasure movies. So imagine my excitement about this morning's news that Reynolds is teaming up with Anna Faris once again for the upcoming comedy TMI. They'll play a couple who learns that "while honesty is the best policy for a relationship, 'too much information' might not be the best thing."

It already sounds like a premise we've seen before in movies like Liar Liar and The Invention of Lying, but I have faith in Reynolds's chemistry with Faris and both actors' comedic timing. On the other hand, this could definitely end up as one of those over-the-top movies that grosses you out more than it makes you laugh (I'm already predicting a fair amount of overshare about bodily functions).

Are you all for this reunion, or should Ryan Reynolds keep sticking with more serious projects (or even just ones with better titles)?

Observe and Report: The (Very) Dark Side of Being a Mall Cop

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:30:51 -0700

With its ambling plot, oddball characters and sudden bursts of violence, Observe and Report is a weird little movie. I chuckled a lot and was shocked a few times, but I wouldn't necessarily say that it's an uproariously funny comedy. I'm not sure what it is, actually.

In the story, mall cop Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) considers himself tough and important but when incidents occur at his mall - like a flasher terrorizing women in the parking lot, or someone robbing a store - the police are called in and Ronnie's job suddenly seems inconsequential by comparison. He applies to become a police officer and in the meantime pursues Brandi (Anna Faris), the shallow, blond party girl who works at a cosmetics counter and who clearly has no interest in Ronnie. The thing about Ronnie, though, is that he doesn't quite see the reality of things, so when he finally realizes that he might not be police officer material and Brandi doesn't consider him her boyfriend, he kinda loses it. Can he ever earn the respect of everyone around him? I won't say what happens but I will share more thoughts if you read more.

It's not a particularly well-told story, as the narrative wanders from point to point and we watch our lead character merely go from delusional fantasy to blind rage and back again. Sure, his outrageous behavior is funny - particularly in the setting of a sleepy suburban mall - but it's still hard to care about him all that much. It feels a bit like we're rooting for him out of some kind of obligation.

Rogen does a fine job in this kind of role - the schlubbier-than-average guy with a humorously unrealistic view of himself and his place in the world. Rogen fans will most likely enjoy this performance and this movie that revolves entirely around him, but in his ever-lengthening résumé, I have a feeling Observe and Report will not stand out as one of his best. His costars - especially Anna Faris and Celia Weston - give their all to this film and they succeed in bringing blasts of (often inappropriate) fun.

As I left the screening I overheard a conversation about how "uncreative" the movie is, and while I wouldn't go that far, I would say that some parts seem lazy. Certain gags are dragged out for a long time, I think to make them funnier, but the result is something that just feels draggy. And other scenes are quite funny but so dark or bleak that I ended up just feeling sad. It's extremely vulgar and violent, and definitely not for everyone's taste, but if you do like this sort of thing then it's worth seeing this someday just to see all these funny people interact.

Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Observe and Report

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:30:09 -0800

First of all, major warning: After the jump is a red-band trailer, which means it's really NSFW (unless your workplace is cool with sex scenes, swearing and snorting coke in which case. . . your workplace is awesome). Anyway, this is what some folks on the Web are referring to as the (way) darker Paul Blart because Observe and Report, starring Seth Rogen and Anna Faris, is also about mall cops. But that's pretty much where the similarities end. In comparison to Blart, this movie looks more twisted, more insane, and far more violent than its box office-busting doppelganger.

But back to Anna Faris - she is hilarious in this trailer and is a major reason why I want to see the movie. Also, the funniest trailer line in recent memory (which is, again, super NSFW) for my money comes at 1:29.

Behold the trailer for Observe and Report after the jump. Just read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:36:22 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia is a lot of things: fun, sparkly, full of handsome middle-aged men, kind of a hilarious hot mess, etc. It's also now a Golden Globe nominee, which is not something I would have imagined possible for this movie but there you have it! Still, a lot of people will be excited to add this one to their Netflix queues (or to receive it as a gift) to sing along and dance to in the privacy of their own homes (I'm looking at you, Mom).

The special features are totally what you would expect to accompany this musical on DVD. They include - what else? - a sing-along that includes onscreen lyrics for 22 musical numbers, as well as a deleted musical number titled "The Name of the Game." There's also commentary from director Phyllida Lloyd, a featurette on the making of the movie, and some deleted scenes and outtakes.

Two more releases up next so read more.

The House Bunny
Anna Faris is one of the most endearing young comedic actresses these days which is why I was more or less on board for The House Bunny. The movie follows Playboy bunny Shelley (Faris) who has been kicked out of the Playboy mansion after her 27th birthday and finds herself moving in as house mother for the "misfit girls" at the Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority house. The girls need to recruit more ladies to their house and they turn to Shelley to help them improve their reputation. The whole thing is super formulaic and nothing to write home about but there are moments that made me giggle and Faris is really entertaining in this role.

Special features include deleted scenes, a featurette about the love interest in the film (played by Colin Hanks) and another one titled "From Song to Set: Katherine McPhee."

Generation Kill
If you didn't catch this HBO gem when it aired this year, I highly recommend making the time to do so now that it's out on DVD (in fact, it may be easier to watch back-to-back rather than waiting a whole week to see what happens next). The seven-episode miniseries from The Wire's David Simon and Ed Burns delivers everything you'd expect from a Simon/Burns project. Based on a book by journalist Evan Wright, the series is a gritty and realistic portrayal of the Iraq War. The cast is also awesome and includes Alexander Skarsgård (currently starring on True Blood), James Ransone, Stark Sands and Jon Huertas.

Special features include a featurette titled "Generation Kill: A Conversation With the 1st Recon Marines," and deleted dialogues.

Anna Faris Gets More Roles - Yay!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:30:08 -0800

I really love watching Anna Faris onscreen. I may not have liked House Bunny as a movie, but I was completely charmed by Faris and I would love to see her carry more films that perhaps showcase her talents even more. So - today there's good news for Faris and all of her devotees: She's got two more projects coming down the pipeline.

One is a romantic comedy adapted from Karyn Bosnak's novel 20 Times a Lady. The story follows "a woman who goes on a trek through her sexual past in an effort to find Mr. Right, exploring the idea of a person's sexual quota and whether those numbers matter."

The other is an untitled pitch from Faris herself, along with Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and is described as "a female buddy comedy following two estranged sisters who team up to land a husband." Paramount picked up the project and Happy Madison will also produce.

Who do you think should play her sister? And are you as psyched as I am to see Faris in more starring roles?

Source

The House Bunny: Generic Sorority Comedy

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:46:07 -0700

To be honest, I really wanted The House Bunny to be great. I didn't expect it to be, but I wished it would surprise me and turn out to be fun and hilarious. Amidst the constant comedic bombardment from the Ferrells, Stillers and Apatows of the world, I wanted there to be a totally kickass, stand-out female-led comedy. And while Anna Faris is endearingly goofy, the movie overall is just another manufactured cookie-cutter cutout of the same ol', same ol' (not unlike an actual Playboy bunny, come to think of it).

You can glean pretty much all the necessary information about the plot from the movie's trailer. Playboy bunny Shelley (Faris) learns that she's been kicked out of the Playboy mansion after her 27th birthday. She wanders around until she spots a row of houses that look like miniature Playboy mansions: frat and sorority houses. Shelley ultimately finds herself at the Zeta Alpha Zeta house, thus far led by the adorably nerdy Natalie. ZAZ is the place where the "misfit" sorority girls go (you know, ones who have piercings, or a back brace, or were raised on a farm). The girls need to get at least 30 new pledges in order to keep the ZAZ house, so Shelley appoints herself as the sorority's housemother and gets to work changing around the sorority's reputation. For more on how she goes about doing this, read more.

Changing around the girls' image consists of giving them all makeovers so they look more conventionally pretty, and schooling them in the ways of flirting. The basis for this logic is that pledges will see that these girls can get boys, and they'll want to join up with these girls. Shelley instructs the girls on how to teeter around in insanely high heels, wear extensions and use Waterbras. In a scene that made me question what decade we're in, Shelley advises Natalie against coming across as intelligent in front of boys because they "don't like girls who are too smart." Later, Natalie falls for the smart, studious Oliver (Colin Hanks) and she goes about trying to make herself into more of an intellectual in order to impress him. But because that's not who she really is, it doesn't work so well.

Many similarities could be drawn between Legally Blonde's Elle Woods and The House Bunny's Shelley (and unsurprisingly, these two movies were written by the same people). Both characters are sunny, blond, girlishly sweet and underestimated because of the way they look. But the comedy in Legally Blonde often comes from her proving to the doubters that she's actually quite clever. In House Bunny we're laughing at Shelley's mispronounced words and dazed confusion over everyday things. And though the silliness of her misunderstandings is funny, she also sometimes seems to border on brain damaged.

Toward the end there's some vague references to the idea that maybe - just maybe - Shelley doesn't actually know everything there is to know about getting boys and being popular, and that it's better to just be yourself. But the thing is, even after they all come to that conclusion, they're still the glossier versions of themselves, and I found myself longing for the "freak" girls from the beginning of the movie - the ones with some character and sense of individuality. Of course I'd like those girls to be confident and well-liked, too, I just wish that the only way to achieve that wasn't by making each of them look like Hilary Duff. The message still seems to be that you can be an individual - but only after you've reached a certain base level of acceptable prettiness. I'm not saying I'm surprised, but it's a shame that this opportunity was wasted. A more fun and more interesting storyline might have been to have the "misfit" sorority succeed without having to wear pounds of makeup, tiny dresses and push-up bras.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Do You Know Your Movie Makeovers?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:37:45 -0700

Ah, the movie makeover. A gimmick that offers filmmakers a way to convey. . . stuff. Sometimes the outward makeover of a character in a movie indicates inner growth. Other times it's just to get the guy. Once in a while the makeover doesn't actually improve the character's life and she learns the hard way that changing her clothes and plucking the ol' eyebrows doesn't guarantee happiness.

I added the movie makeover scene to my list of rom-com cliches that are growing old, but I'm not convinced that they'll ever really end (see: The House Bunny). So, since there are so many of these makeovers, I figured I'd make a whole quiz out of 'em. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Take the quiz

Link Time! 8/19

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:39:13 -0700

They're not going to allow TV critics to screen the 90210 spinoff in advance, and at least one critic thinks this makes perfect sense. - Popwatch
Bands based on Harry Potter and Twilight pave the road for future movie-inspired rockers. - MTV Movies Blog
A new Danish sitcom, The Terror Cell, follows the lives of terrorists conspiring in Denmark. Yeah, sitcom. - CitizenSugar
Anna Faris has a lot to say about being producer, creator, and star of House Bunny. - E!'s Lyons Den
Check out a newer, longer, juicier trailer for the next season of Heroes. - TV With MeeVee
Here are the top 10 TV faces to watch this Fall, according to one blogger. - TV Addict
There's a brand new track by TV on the Radio, available for your ears. - Stereogum
Daniel Radcliffe is going nude in a Harry Potter movie?! - Cinematical

Photos courtesy of The CW