BuzzSugar

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 26 May 2007 10:03:19 PDT

Need a playlist for your Memorial Day BBQ this weekend? I made one for you!
Have you seen Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End already? If so, do you think we need more Pirates movies after this one? And by the way, that sexy Captain Jack Sparrow totally made my Top 10 Boys of Summer list.
Who would you cast in Diff'rent Strokes if you could cast the show today?
Check out my Cannes reviews roundups for A Mighty Heart, My Blueberry Nights and Sicko.
Weigh in on the week's finales of "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Heroes," and "Veronica Mars."
Speaking of finales, "American Idol" finally ended this week after a super long finale. The show was so long, in fact, that many people missed the climactic naming-of-the-next-American-Idol moment, so if you did, check out the video clip of the last six minutes. Do you think Jordin was the right winner?
In honor of Morissey's birthday this week, I posted Coldplay's version of The Smiths' "Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before." And in honor of Bob Dylan's birthday I posted some of my favorite Dylan tunes.

Cannes Reviews: Sicko

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 05:50:59 PDT

For the most part critics are heralding Michael Moore's latest documentary Sicko for providing an eye-opening look at the health insurance crisis in the U.S. Many are also uttering sighs of relief that Moore's political viewpoints are relatively subdued in the film, unlike his previous documentaries in which many found Moore's opinions shoved down their throats, ultimately undermining the messages of the films.

Curiously, even the Fox News website is giving Sicko a favorable review, though the critic is quick to note this is because Moore isn't "confronting" anyone. The most common complaint for Sicko is that in comparing American system to that of Cuba, Canada and England (among other countries), Moore paints an absurdly rosy picture of other systems in order to highlight just how horrifying things are here, but the rosiness isn't exactly accurate, either.

Check out some excerpts from various reviews of Sicko:

Variety:
“...An entertaining and affecting dissection of the American health care industry that documents how it benefits the few at the expense of the many. Pic's tone alternates between comedy and outrage, as it compares the U.S system of care to other countries.

Chief criticism of the film is that it paints too rosy a picture of the national health care of the countries he compares America to, including Canada, England, France - and Cuba.”

More views if you

Entertainment Weekly:
"There's a certain robust clarity of political activism in this latest salvo from media provocateur Michael Moore that marks a new maturity."

Cinematical:
"I know it's nit-picking, but I don't think I'm the only person who watches Moore's films and wishes they had more clarity and less hilarity - at the same time, I think that a large mass of the American public is so desperate for someone to speak truth to power that they'll settle for someone willing to say anything to it, no matter how specious or muddled.

It's that tone -- of selfless self-celebration, of public altruism, of snide sensitivity - that undercuts a lot of Moore's work, and it undermines Sicko. I don't expect a film to solve the American health care crisis, but even as a call to arms, Sicko's more muddled and muted and scattered than it should be. Moore may be challenging the system, but he still feels like the guy who brought a clown's squirting flower and a joy buzzer to a knife fight and then wonders out loud why he lost."

Fox News:
"Filmmaker Michael Moore's brilliant and uplifting new documentary, Sicko, deals with the failings of the U.S. healthcare system, both real and perceived. But this time around, the controversial documentarian seems to be letting the subject matter do the talking, and in the process shows a new maturity.

Unlike many of his previous films... Sicko works because in this one there are no confrontations. Moore smartly lets very articulate average Americans tell their personal horror stories at the hands of insurance companies. The film never talks down or baits the audience."

Huffington Post:
“Here's what Moore found. Care ‘doesn't depend on your premiums, it depends on your needs,’ the film reports. You don't have to check your health security at the door, or mortgage your future when at your most sick and vulnerable.
Moore's not even afraid of the inevitable complaints about ‘socialized’ medicine. ‘Back home in America we're socializing lots of things,’ Sicko finds, among them our fire and police service, Social Security checks, and even the library.”

Source

Cannes Reviews: A Mighty Heart

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 04:07:55 PDT

Admittedly, I was nervous to read the reviews for A Mighty Heart, a movie based on the horrific story of journalist Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002 and ultimately beheaded. The real-life story is heartbreaking, and I worried that a movie might trivialize rather than honor Daniel Pearl's story.

So far, the reviews have been positive with critics giving kudos for the respectful way in which the Pearls' story is told, though also mentioning that the movie presents moments of discomfort having to do with such ripped-from-the-headlines tales of torture and terrorism. Jolie is being lauded for her sensitive and accurate portrayal of Mariane Pearl, tasked as she was with the precarious challenge of playing a person who is still alive. So far, the only reviewers to write about A Mighty Heart have been from Variety and Hollywood Reporter - though over on Popwatch, the reviewer was too moved to write a review yet. UPDATE: New excerpt from the Guardian's review after the jump.

Variety:
“But this is ultimately - and very intimately - Mariane Pearl's story, and much of it rests on Jolie, who fits comfortably into the naturalistic mold that shapes the entire ensemble... this isn't the sort of commanding star turn in which the performer vanishes behind a well-known celebrity mask, but rather a subdued, carefully considered portrait of a woman caught between premature grief and persistent hope.

Jolie plays Mariane as sharp and prickly, but also highly principled and completely devoted to her husband. Wisely, Winterbottom opts to shoot her more high-pitched outbursts from a distance or in near-darkness, as if refusing to milk more histrionics than necessary."

More thoughts if you

Hollywood Reporter:
"The film alarmingly implies that torture works when one suspect reveals names under duress and watching the no-holds-barred approach of the Pakistani authorities on a raid, the [U.S. diplomatic security specialist Randall] Bennett declares, "I love this town!"

For the most part, however, the film reflects the dispassionate view espoused by Mariane Pearl, who sees that it is misery that breeds terrorism. Jolie plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba."

Guardian Unlimited:
"I can't help thinking a bolder type of movie might have made Daniel the centre of the action, and stayed with him, in real time as it were, until his horrifying execution - in the manner of Paul Greengrass's United 93. Michael Winterbottom evidently wanted something different: a human-interest study of Mariane, left alone to deal with the unthinkable horror of widowhood. Jolie gives an intelligent and restrained performance, but with her frizzy hairdo, dark-brown contact lenses and French accent, she is encumbered with surface detail and we never get inside her head or her heart.

Compared to In This World or The Road to Guantánamo, this story of Mariane Pearl is strangely underpowered, telling us at great length things that we know already. I wondered if the director's heart was entirely in it."

Cannes Reviews: My Blueberry Nights

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 May 2007 16:25:10 PDT

Since I'm not able to attend the Cannes Film Festival this year, I'm scouring the Web for reviews of movies that look the most interesting. First on my list: My Blueberry Nights, the first English-language film by director Wong Kar Wai which stars Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz.

Overwhelmingly, the critics' message is this: Wong Kar Wai is masterful at creating a visually evocative film, though the dialogue is lacking, thus making the performances feel empty and pointless. Some say the script's shortcomings are a result of language issues, but that in the end none of it matters because the film is so beautiful. Check out these excerpts from various reviews:

Hollywood Reporter:
"Nothing truly profound gets discovered... The director is chasing a mood here - a mood, an atmosphere and feelings... The glue here is Jones, who holds a wispy, wistful film together with a deeply felt, unself-conscious performance that strikes the right notes without ever falling into repetition or banality. She brings her singer's talent of knowing when to go for emotions and when to hold back to her acting. It's a remarkably assured work; one hopes she will further explore acting in other movies."

Variety:
"Jones proves agreeable but bland company in the role; she's attractive, but lacks mystery, emotional vitality and that something special behind the eyes... Visual beauty is a given in Wong's films, as is the use of pop songs and old standards, and nothing has changed on those counts here."

More viewpoints if you

IGN:
"Fans of his work will leave My Blueberry Nights happy that his first English language film is no outright disappointment, but they'll never class it amongst his best work."

Hollywood Elsewhere:
"...A horribly written, woefully banal self- discovery mood piece (the word "drama" really can't be applied)… I don't know which is worse - the whole waitressing-in-Memphis section of the film, or the endless soul-searching section with Law in the pastry shop. But put 'em together and wham, you're looking at your watch and going, 'Holy bejeezus, this is dreadful.'"

Cinematical:
"My Blueberry Nights is so beautifully shot, though, that you'd be excused for thinking that the quality of the performances is almost irrelevant; each scene is a symphony of color and light, each frame exquisitely shaped by the play of pigment and shade. New York is caught in blue, wintry tones; Memphis in deep, relaxed browns; Nevada's casinos come alive in jittery crimson... This is the sort of thing that you would rather see than hear, and My Blueberry Nights is full of these moments – lengthy stretches of film where we're having emotional and thematic meanings spelled out for us like we were slow children....Still, only the hard-hearted will pause to object to those moments; most of us will be swept away by Wong's visions and his depiction of love, loss and life."

Source

Robert Pattinson Looks Dashing For His Cosmopolis Premiere

Katie Henry — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:26:30 PDT

All eyes were on Robert Pattinson as he stepped out onto the red carpet at tonight's Cannes Film Festival premiere of his David Cronenberg-directed thriller, Cosmopolis. Rob kicked off his day at a casual photocall for the film, but for tonight's formal affair he suited up in a tuxedo. He was joined on the carpet by costars Sarah Gadon and Juliette Binoche, however, he was just a few feet away from his number one lady, Kristen Stewart, who posed for photos with Tom Sturridge. Rob showed his support for Kristen and Tom's feature, On the Road, at a screening earlier in the week and Kristen and Tom seemed happy to do the same for Rob. Early reviews of Cosmopolis have been tough on the storyline, however, Rob's fans will be able to make their own judgements when the film hits theaters later this year.

Cannes Minireview: The Sapphires

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

The Sapphires has turned out to be one of the sleeper hits to emerge from Cannes, thanks to The Weinstein Company, which has already acquired rights to the film. I caught a screening of the funny film from Down Under during the festival, so read on to find out what I thought.

Who's behind it? Director Wayne Blair was behind the lens of the picture, which is based on a play by Tony Briggs. Briggs's mother and her family actually inspired the story. Chris O'Dowd of Bridesmaids fame is the leading man. The movie's four leading ladies all have varying degrees of fame in Australia: Jessica Mauboy is a musical star after a turn on Australian Idol, and Deborah Mailman was the first Aboriginal actress to win the country's prestigious Australian Film Institute award for best actress. Relative newcomers Miranda Tapsell and Shari Sebbens round out the cast.
What's it about? It's a story about a group of Aboriginal women who overcome significant obstacles in Australia to pursue their dreams of singing in 1968. When the ladies run into Dave (O'Dowd) at a local singing contest, he agrees to be their manager and help them get a gig touring Vietnam to entertain US troops. There are subplots about racism and Australia's "lost generation" (until the 1970s, the government stole light-skinned Aboriginal children to be raised by whites elsewhere). Mainly, though, there is a lot of singing, dancing, and '60s-era costumes.

To read what I thought, just read more

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Kiss at Her Cannes Afterparty

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:28:04 PDT

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart kissed late night yesterday in Cannes. The couple were at Le Baron's Cannes outpost celebrating the premiere of her new movie On the Road. Robert checked out the screening as well, but walked the red carpet solo. A Balenciaga-clad Kristen nonetheless had plenty of male company. She posed for pictures alongside leading men Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund, as well as supporting actors like Rob's BFF Tom Sturridge. We caught the movie yesterday as well - make sure to check out our review of On the Road. The movie is making waves because of some surprise topless scenes from Kristen. She didn't seem too caught up in the attention last night, though, as she spent time alongside Rob. It will be Robert's turn to debut a film tomorrow, as his Cosmopolis will be screened at the Grand Palais.

Video: Our Cannes Review of On the Road - Plus Kristen Talks About Her Racy Topless Scene!

Lauren Bradshaw — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:56:18 PDT

Kristen Stewart's On the Road debuted at Cannes today, and everyone's talking about the new mature role that has the actress going topless in a racy scene. Our own PopSugar editors Molly Goodson and Allie Merriam have been spending the past week at the festival, and they caught an early screening of the film just this morning. Find out what they thought about the movie - and hear what Kristen herself had to say about the sexy scenes - in PopSugar Rush!

Cannes Minireview: No

Allie Merriam — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

Two hours with Gael García Bernal, anyone? The Mexican actor only made one film last year, the Spanish-language No with director Pablo Larraín. Larraín is a well known in his native Chile, which was been the subject of two of his films so far. No is the third in a planned trilogy about his homeland, and it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

Who's behind it? Director Pablo Larraín rounded up a group of actors he usually works with, including Antonia Zegers and Alfredo Castro, for the project. Bernal came in as his leading man to round out the cast. Sony Pictures Classics has picked up North American distribution rights for No.
What's it about? The picture is set in 1988, the year Chileans were able to vote in a referendum for or against continuing the 16-year dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Gael plays René Saavedra, an ad man who accepts the potentially dangerous job of spearheading the TV campaign for the people against Pinochet - those who will vote "no" in the election. He's tasked with finding a unique and novel way to get the message across. René also has some family issues and is focused on raising a young son after separating from his wife.

To find out what we thought of the movie, just read more

Sugar Shout Out: Who Will Land the Role of Christian Grey?

Katie Henry — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:55:27 PDT