BuzzSugar

Which Movie Romance Is the Best of 2009?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:30:00 PST

You guys already weighed in on the couple with the hottest sexual tension on TV but now let's take it to the big leagues - love on film. Some couples were built to last while others fizzled, but there's no denying that 2009 brought a new batch of romances that made our hearts swell. Which is your favorite of 2009?

Don't forget to vote on all of my Best of 2009 polls!

Who Is the Best Comedic Actress of 2009?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:30:05 PST

Funny ladies of the big screen always make me happy; they can roll with the best of the boys and manage to be completely captivating doing it. This year's romantic comedies and girl-power anthems gave Hollywood's women plenty of chances to be silly, so let me know who you thought was the funniest this year. And don't stop voting there - check the rest of my Best of 2009 polls!

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:30:24 PDT

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. In addition to the movies below, there's also Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience and Madonna's directorial debut Filth and Wisdom. Check out this week's picks!

Away We Go

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as an expecting, road-tripping couple in this indie comedy drama directed by Sam Mendes. I loved the quirky humor that came from not only the leads, but a star-studded cast of supporting characters played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Alison Janney, and Catherine O'Hara. It may not be as laugh-out-loud as the two leads' usual work, but if you're looking for a sweetly funny flick you may like Away We Go. The DVD and Blu-ray have a making-of featurette, a commentary track, and a behind-the-scenes feature about how the filmmakers tried to make the production more environmentally friendly.

66%

See two more new releases when you

Management

Jennifer Aniston stars as an everyday gal in the comedy Management. Steve Zahn is the shy hotel manager who meets and falls in love with her immediately, and Woody Harrelson is the has-been boyfriend he's trying to woo her away from. It's not the straightforward romantic comedy you'd expect from Aniston, which I don't mind at all, and Zahn's so adorable he can make stalker-like behavior seem OK. On the DVD are a commentary track, a gag reel, and deleted scenes.

44%

Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens boasts the vocal stylings of Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy, a woman who's hit by a meteor and turns into a giant as a result. The 3D movie from Dreamworks is definitely kid-friendly fare, but I tend to enjoy modern animated movies like this, especially when they also have the voices of Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie, and Stephen Colbert. The DVD and Blu-ray discs have tons of special features, like music videos, deleted scenes, and the technology behind the movie.

72%

John Krasinski Gets a New Office

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:45 PDT

John Krasinski is making a habit of saying "Away We Go" lately - this time to a new 2,640-square-foot, three-bedroom, four-bath gated mid-century home in LA. His $1.9 million purchase sits high above Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont hotel on what real estate agents deem a "celebrity cul-de-sac." So, Krasinski should feel right at home among his VIP cronies.
I dig the home's architecture from the outside, but I'm not too keen on the contemporary updates indoors, the kitchen and bathroom in particular. I'm also liking the lush tropical plants on the patio, but there doesn't seem to be much space to entertain around the pool - I guess that's what you get for only about a third of an acre of land. I'll give this crib three stars, and that's assuming he'll toss the bachelor pad furniture. What do you think? See photos when you

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Found It! Candlesticks in Away We Go

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:00:44 PDT

While the conversation in Sam Mendes's new comedy-drama Away We Go looks lively, it's the stylish glass candlesticks on the sideboard of this dining room that caught my attention. I actually own a few of these, and they're a staple at one of my favorite home retailers. Want to know where they're from? Find out when you

They're the CB2 Lumiere Candleholders ($3.95-7.95, on sale). These candleholders are really versatile; they fit in with practically any style of décor. But, I have found that since they are made of chem-lab beaker glass, they are extremely light. They fall over easily if you leave a window open or if you have a wobbly table, and I've actually broken several. So, I recommend securing them to your table with a little adhesive.

Found It! Retro Side Table in Away We Go

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:00:54 PDT

The rusty blue side table beside Maya Rudolph's character in Away We Go looks like it has seen better days. But I do love its retro charm. It brings character to a little corner of a lush garden beside a comfortable bench. I'd love to have a fresher version though, perhaps in a more versatile color. Luckily, that wish is not far off. To see where you can buy one,

The Retro Metal Side Table ($64.95) from Sporty's Tool Shop has a similar shape with more tailored legs in white. With four legs, Crate and Barrel's Balcony Side Table ($49.95) is a more affordable buy.
Photo courtesy of Focus Features

John Gets the Film Festivities In Gear

PopSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:30:18 PDT

John Krasinski stepped out in Scotland earlier today, pulling a few typical Jim Halpert faces as he made his way across the street. John's in the UK for the Edinburgh Film Festival, where he and Sam Mendes kicked things off at the Away We Go premiere. Their movie is getting love back in the States, too - check out Buzz's review here.

Splash News Online and WireImage

More John so just

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Away We Go: Happy to Come Along

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:15:09 PDT

Away We Go starts with a sex scene. There's no nudity, it's not overtly graphic, but it's unexpected and a bit jarring. It's certainly not the overture I was predicting. But just as I was starting to get uncomfortable, the moment becomes quite humorous. The hilarity of the scene is grounded in the screenplay (which was written by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida), but brought to life by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Known for their respective work on The Office and Saturday Night Live, the duo's comedic chops may not come as a surprise, but here these two are playing it pretty straitlaced. It's this juxtaposition that makes the film so good - seeing funny people playing serious roles with serious situations that end up being funny.

It's a formula that's worked before. As I guessed from the trailer, the film is very similar in tone to Garden State and Juno. All three are quirky little gems with heavy subject matters and great soundtracks (seriously, check out Alexi Murdoch if you haven't already). If I had to fault the film with anything, it would be that it didn't feel particularly fresh, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

To learn more about the film, and its cool costars,

The story follows Burt and Verona (Krasinski and Rudolph) on their quest to find a place to call home. They're about to have a baby and because Burt's proximately close parents (played by Jeff Daniels and the always hilarious Catherine O'Hara) are moving to Belgium, the two find themselves looking for someplace to live. Verona's parents are dead, so they decide to visit friends and relatives in various parts of North America and Canada where they could potentially set down roots. What ensues is a road story that finds the couple in Phoenix, Tucson, Madison, Montreal, and Miami.

Along the way we meet a variety of characters who run the gamut from looney and hilarious (specifically Allison Janney and Maggie Gyllenhaal's characters) to more subtle and subdued. And this goes back to the overall tone of the film: serious sprinkled with a dash of silly. It works most of the time, but occasionally the antics of Janney, Gyllenhaal, or O'Hara seem a little too far-fetched for what is ultimately a dramatic film. But these missteps are mostly forgivable as the actresses are so hysterically funny.

Then again, maybe these women's characters aren't supposed to be realistic or relatable. Maybe we're supposed to identify solely with Burt and Verona as they navigate through their journey. I certainly did. I also identified with the film's key message - that home is truly where the heart is. It's a refreshing idea coming from the director of the great but depressing American Beauty and Revolutionary Road.

Bottom Line: If you're looking to escape the typical Summer fare, Away We Go is a solid option.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Buzz Interview: John, Maya, and Sam Take It Away

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:30:37 PDT

I was giddy when I first heard about Away We Go, director Sam Mendes's quirky little film starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski. The movie's sweet trailer only increased my interest, so imagine my excitement upon getting the opportunity to interview Sam, Maya, and John. I sat down with the Oscar-winning director, SNL alum, and The Office star (on whom I admittedly have a bit of a crush) in San Francisco to chat about the film, which is already open in limited release.

The movie follows Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) as they travel across America in search of the perfect place to raise their unborn child. We journey with them as they visit different friends and family, picking up a few laughs and a lot of life lessons along the way. The trio had plenty to say about why they fell in love with the script, breaking out of TV roles, and lots more. Here are some highlights:

On Burt and Verona's relationship in the movie:

John: The thing I responded to most about the relationship is how perfect it was. And by that I mean both characters are dealing with the same world, the same cynical world that I think that we're all living through today. Especially for a time like now, the fact that you've heard the whole "love will conquer all" thing before but now you see it put into play in a real way, and not in a Romeo and Juliet way . . . I think that when you don't have a job and you're about to have a kid, all these real problems need real people and they need real best friends and they need real relationships. And that’s what I think I responded to most, it’s the relationship that I think, for the most part, most people have always wanted. . . . And that's what I thought was so great about the script, is not only did they show that it’s not unattainable, but it’s a lot simpler than we think.

There's more where that came from, so just

Maya: I fell in love with Burt and Verona right away . . . I feel like they exist in this world because of each other. I loved how honest their relationship was in terms of how honest their love was that it wasn't trying to be some idea of romantic film love. That it was a real love that was bumpy, imperfect and weird, and it had stipulations about marriage and the baby was on its way and they weren't expecting it . . . I loved being a part of that, of the two of them on their own and then it branches out into them out in the world, and how you see them cope in the world, too.

On breaking free from their TV personas:

Maya: Well, luckily my television persona was a crazy person, so I don't know if anyone expected what was coming next. I’ve learned and I’ve seen this a lot with people who I’ve worked with on Saturday Night Live, that there really is an expectation of you to be that in everything that you do. And as wonderful as my relationship is with Saturday Night Live, as a human being and as an actor, there's even more inside my artillery and more inside me as a thinking, feeling human. It's really nice to be able to do other things, too. It’s never really turning my back on the world of comedy, or sketch comedy, or wigs for that matter, but just the opportunity to be able to do something else that’s closer to a real person like me, or a real girl, or a relationship.

John: I'd say that I'm in a rare position that The Office isn't really something you want to break out from. It's the best thing going. On top of that, I'm also really lucky to play a character on the show that I think is able to be funny sometimes but is probably the more realistic character of the bunch . . . I love comedy and I had never really gotten the opportunity to do something super dramatic but I had tried it a bit on the show, so it was really up to Sam to take a chance and say  "I want to go further with what I think you have to offer" and so I was really lucky to have that happen.

On the film's message:

John: In a more universal sense, it's really about that ability to find yourself, in a society that’s constantly trying to conform to whatever is going on now, or whatever's new, or whatever you parents did, or you need to make this amount of money to have a child. All those different things, even our characters are forced to think about where to live, but also bring in how are they gonna have a job, how are they gonna have all these other things that they do have to conform to, and how much of it will they conform to, and how much of it will be completely their own. Whether you bring in any political sense to it, it’s the same story at the end of the day, it’s "where do you belong?"

On how being a husband and father impacted the film:

Sam: One of the first things I thought about it when I first read it, that was kind of the magic about it, was that Dave [Eggers] and Vendela [Vida] had written it when they were pregnant with their first child. It had some of that magical period in it, where you’re on the precipice of a whole new life . . . I also recognized that there's a satirical line running through the whole movie about styles of parenting. And when you're a parent, you do watch other people’s parenting with different eyes . . . But you're also aware, as I think Burt and Verona are, that you are just as flawed as everyone else, you just have a different set of flaws. You're just a little less crazy than the really crazy ones. But there's no such thing as a perfect parent. You’re learning all the time, every day.

On making the transition from directing Revolutionary Road right into Away We Go:

Sam: It was actually really easy, because what I needed at the end of Revolutionary Road was a couple of laughs. It was a pleasure because, in a weird way, I’m not sure I would have been so certain I wanted to do Away We Go had I not just made Revolutionary Road. To state the obvious, they’re both movies about a couple that want to escape, but one of them can’t and that’s Revolutionary Road, and this one can . . . I'm not a bleak person by nature. I don’t believe that all men and women are destined to be apart and nothing can never work, and we're basically born to tragedy . . . So I felt the need to get out there and make a movie that was closer to the way I was thinking about the world I live in now, and this is it. I just happened to pick up that screenplay at the right time. And so for me it was just a pleasure from beginning to end.

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Kate Helps Sam, Maya, and John Send Off Away We Go

Molly — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT

The cast of Away We Go and some special loved ones hit the red carpet at a screening in NYC last night. Kate Winslet looked gorgeous in her LBD out to support her husband, director Sam Mendes. In the movie Maya Rudolph plays a pregnant woman, and her real-life baby bump is growing as she prepares for number two. John Krasinski looked cute smiling with his costars after spending the weekend visiting his family and showing off the film back in his hometown Boston.

To see more from the premiere including David Schwimmer, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, and others, just

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Images include: John Krasinski, Kate Winslet, Maya Rudolph, Sam Mendes, Allison Janney, David Schwimmer, Victor Garber, Joseph Cross, Jim Gaffigan, Melanie Lynskey, Chris Messina, Carmen Ejogo, Jeff Daniels

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