BuzzSugar

Becoming Jane: Read a Book Instead

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:00:12 -0700

In Becoming Jane, the filmmakers purport that a possible love affair Jane Austen may or may not have had with roguish Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy) was the fodder for all of Austen's love-fueled novels. Weaving together fact and fiction (along with bits of Austen's well-known works), the movie is at best an adequate romantic drama of star-crossed lovers, presumably presenting the reasoning behind why Austen indulged her characters and gave them "all they desired." At worst, it's watching Anne Hathaway give a surprisingly and disappointingly charmless, humorless performance as one of the world's most beloved authors.

One of several children in a family of modest means, Austen grew up at a time when the wise, diligent thing for young ladies to do was to marry into a wealthy man's family, relieving her own family of the burden of one more mouth to feed. Becoming Jane puts forth the love affair Austen enjoyed with Tom McFroy as her one opportunity to marry for love, though other marriage proposals that don't interest young Jane also come her way. The story is basically about the "for love or money" conundrum, and it is visually interesting - the chilly, milk-white English atmosphere lending a kind of sad beauty to it all. Yet playing the central character, Anne Hathaway falls flat as Jane Austen, commanding little authority and making Austen seem like quite the bland character. To find out more about why, read more

Despite Austen's famed wit, there is nary a sparkle in Hathaway's eye, her performance so dull one wonders if anybody would care about this story in the least if her character's name were not Jane Austen. I found myself desperately wishing someone else had played the role - particularly someone who is actually British or could at least achieve the accent more successfully than Hathaway could, as her accent is irritatingly spotty. Emily Mortimer could have been a welcome replacement, for example.

The best part of the whole thing is James McAvoy playing Tom Lefroy: skinny, one might say twirpish, but with an intensely mesmerizing gaze. Boyish, but fearless, daring, and quite sexy. As the object of Austen's affections, he's challenging and exciting. However, again, the way Hathaway portrays Austen, it's difficult to see what would be attractive about her to Lefroy. I'd hoped the film would have charmed me as much as Austen's writing does, but to my dismay I found myself wishing I'd spent the two hours with one of her novels rather than watching Becoming Jane.

Which of This Weekend's New Movies Are You Most Interested to See?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:55:00 -0700

This upcoming weekend will be very exciting at movie theaters. Out of the following movies opening this Friday August 3, which are you most interested to see? Is it Hot Rod with the funny and charmingly tousled Andy Samberg? Or Becoming Jane starring Anne Hathaway? Perhaps it's El Cantante with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, or David Wain and Ken Marino's The Ten? Or maybe you'll go for younger fare with the Bratz movie, or Underdog? Of course, this could all be meaningless, seeing as The Bourne Ultimatum opens this weekend, too.

Movie Preview: Becoming Jane

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:33:58 -0700

In Becoming Jane, Anne Hathaway plays the great Jane Austen during a time in her life that may have influenced the romances in Austen's novels. It's speculated that Austen had some kind of romantic relationship with Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy (played by the adorable James McAvoy in the movie), though ultimately Lefroy married someone else and Austen remained single for the rest of her life. Becoming Jane brings together fact and fiction to imagine what this romance may have been like, while also making allusions to Austen's work. I'm anxious to find out how Hathaway does playing someone so famous and so beloved, so I'll surely be seeing this when it opens next Friday August 3. To watch the trailer, read more

Source

Which Summer Drama Are You Most Interested to See?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 06:10:39 -0700

Yesterday I gave you a rundown of some of this summer's dramatic movies as Part 2 of my Summer Movie Preview. These films promise a lot of romance, death, a little violence and some salsa music. Some look better than others, though, so check out my list and tell me: Which summer drama are you excited to see?

Stardust photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Cirque du Freak: An Unnecessary Addition to Vampire Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:09 -0700

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen - but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do - that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

Things go awry when Darren finds himself tangled up in the world behind the Cirque, particularly that of Larten Crepsley, a crotchety vampire who couldn't be bothered with a teenager. When Darren gets himself into a sticky situation, the only way he can bail himself out is by selling his soul to Crepsley, becoming his half-vampire assistant.

If you thought sorting out all the vampire lore in Twilight and True Blood was confusing, get ready for the most convoluted yet. In this story, a war is brewing between two breeds: the Vampanese represent the blood-suckers that are all for killing their prey, while the run-of-the mill vamps prefer to sedate, feed, and then letting their victims return to regular life. As a half-vampire who's reluctant to lose what little human qualities he has left, Darren obviously joins Larten Crepsley's team, while his best friend Steve joins the evil Vampanese.

As for the actual Cirque du Freak, the group of misfits and outcasts are more X-Men and less Carnivale. The crew includes unusual children who were abandoned by their parents (like "Snake Boy" and "Monkey Girl"), along with a few other vaudeville acts like the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski). Some are friendly, others are surly, but the cirque in itself is more campy than scary; little hideout is basically an island of misfit toys.

The film isn't boring, but it's not exactly packed with pizazz either. Director Paul Weitz was sure to stay on the safer side of the movie's PG-13 rating, rarely pushing the envelope on what could have been a much creepier film. John C. Reilly is always reliable for a good performance, and he has some great comedic timing as the voice of brutal honesty to Darren's naivete. Massoglia gives decent performance for a newbie, and even reminded me of a young Emile Hirsch at times. That said, the movie is also packed with confusing subplots and some truly corny dialogue that evoked collective groans from the audience.

If you're looking for a fun movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, this might do the trick. Just make sure you're in a tween state of mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

FlashForward Series Premiere Breakdown

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:30:55 -0700

So, did you guys catch FlashForward this week? Even though I had already seen the pilot (OK, I saw it twice), I still tuned in to refresh my memory. No surprises here - I caught a few nuances that I had missed the first time around, and I can already tell that this may be the kind of show that requires a second viewing. (This should be a familiar routine for all you Lost fans out there). Speaking of Lost, did anyone else notice the billboard for Oceanic airlines?

Even if you paid attention, it can be a bit confusing to keep track of who's who in new pilots, so I've broken it all down for you. Check it out and then let's discuss what you thought of the episode! To see what I thought, just read more.

Mark Benford: Played by Joseph Fiennes, Mark is an FBI agent, loving husband and father, and alcoholic. He's immediately obsessed with getting to the bottom of what caused the flashforwards after viewing his own. He sees himself agonizing over the case and drinking from a flask. Mark knows that if he falls off the wagon, his wife Olivia will leave him, so it's not surprising that he's determined to do whatever he can to prevent his vision from becoming a reality. Biggest question for Mark: can he stop his flashforward from happening?

Olivia Benford: Played by Lost's Sonya Walger, Olivia is Mark's wife. She's a doctor with a cheeky sense of humor (which includes sending her husband faux insults via text and post-it). Olivia's flashforward is one of the more upsetting of the bunch: she sees herself with a man named Lloyd Simcoe. Later in the episode we learn that Lloyd is the father of one of Olivia's patients who is admitted to the hospital after the blackout. Biggest question for Olivia: does Mark drive her away, or does she become an unfaithful wife?

Bryce Varley: One of Olivia's fellow doctors, Bryce is contemplating suicide when the blackout occurs. After seeing his vision, he has a brand new outlook on life and heads back to the hospital rejuvenated. He considers his vision to be a gift from God. Biggest question for Bryce: is simply believing in happiness the only push he needed?

Nicole Kirby: First of all, I can't believe it took me three viewings to realize that Nicole is none other than Jane Sterling on Mad Men! (Seeing those actors out of their '60s garb can be really jarring.) Anyway, we don't know much about Nicole yet, just that she's a babysitter who was caught lying down on the job (get it?! Heh). Unlike Bryce, Nicole thinks the flashforwards aren't a gift from God, but a punishment. Biggest question for Nicole: what has she done that warrants a punishment?

Aaron Stark: Aaron's an electrician by trade, but he's also got a very important job as Mark's AA sponsor and friend. After two years, he's still grieving for his daughter Tracy, who died in the war in Afghanistan. Mark's flashforward is one of the most hopeful: he sees a reunion with his daughter, who is actually alive and well. Biggest question for Aaron: could his daughter really be alive?

Demetri Noh: Played by John Cho, Demetri is Mark's FBI partner. He's still relatively new to the job and seems more preoccupied with what song he'll be dancing to at his upcoming wedding. Demetri's vision is perhaps the most mysterious of all: he sees nothing. Biggest question for Demetri: is he going to be dead in six months?

Other general questions: How did Lloyd Simcoe's son know Olivia's name? What is up with that kangaroo? Was the blackout caused by a natural disaster, or is someone behind it all? What role will Dominic Monaghan play in all this? Who was that guy at the end and why is he walking around in Detroit? We've only scratched the surface, and now I'm dying to hear how you all felt about the series premiere!