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

read more 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

read more 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

read more 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

Cannes Mini Review: Restless

Molly Goodson — Sun, 15 May 2011 03:05:00 PDT

Gus Van Sant's new movie Restless debuted this week at the Cannes Film Festival and while it may not elicit the same visceral reaction from critics as We Need To Talk About Kevin, the sweet indie movie is a treat of its own. The film follows the relationship of Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper), a death-obsessed teen with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze fighter as his best friend, and Annabel "Annie" Cotton (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman with brain cancer and three months to live. They meet at a funeral he's crashing, which is a hobby of his, and the two quickly fall for each other, quirks and all. She's a naturalist obsessed with water birds, he plays battleship with his ghost friend. The film is set in Portland, and at points veers a bit far into the "twee" category. One montage includes scenes of Annie and Enoch playing badminton and riding fixed gear bikes in old timey clothes and they have a running bit about a xylophone, for example.

It's also a veritable celebrity kids party between Henry Hopper, son of Dennis, and costar Schuyler Fisk, daughter of Sissy Spacek, as well as producer Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron. Fisk will always have a place in my heart from the movie Orange County, but she's grown up a lot since then and is touching as Annabel's protective older sister. Also, Hollywood may have a new cute indie heartthrob in the form of Hopper; Restless is the first starring role for the 20-year-old actor, and I could barely take my eyes off his moody looks and perfectly tousled blond hair. Bottom line: it's not a perfect movie by any stretch, but the dialogue is good, Wasikowska and Hooper give wonderful performances, and thankfully the inevitable ending doesn't become an emotionally overwrought mess.

Cannes Mini Review: We Need to Talk About Kevin

Molly Goodson — Thu, 12 May 2011 08:26:44 PDT

The 2011 Cannes Film Festival is off to an exciting start and We Need to Talk About Kevin, from director Lynne Ramsay, is one of the first movies creating major buzz. We Need to Talk About Kevin tells the story of a troubled mother-son relationship that comes to a head with a gruesome school massacre at the hands of the boy, Kevin. I read and was a fan of Lionel Shriver's book when it came out in 2004, but the twists and turns still had me on the edge of my seat even knowing what was coming. We Need to Talk About Kevin is not easy to watch and I left the theater feeling incredibly unsettled, but the amazing performances from Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, and the series of boys who play Kevin are worth every anxious second.

The film jumps between before the incident, as we watch Kevin grow up and Eva (Swinton) struggle with her relationship with him, and after, where we see the world having turned against Eva, because of the crimes her son committed. Reilly once again proves his dramatic chops playing Kevin's dad Franklin, but it's Swinton's quiet suffering that really carries the movie. She is stunning as a mother who's not sure how to love her first born, or if she even does at all. Kevin, played mostly by Jasper Newell and Ezra Miller, leaves the viewer wondering if there is such a thing as a truly bad kid or whether there is humanity in everyone. There are moments when Lynne Ramsay's style overpower the story, such as the blood-red imagery that flows throughout, and those unfamiliar with the novel may have a hard time following the nonlinear storytelling. Bottom line: We Need to Talk About Kevin is difficult, devastating, and nightmarish at times, but it's ultimately worth it.

We Need to Talk About Kevin doesn't currently have a US release date, but I imagine it will after the Cannes buzz.

Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly Bring Something Big to Talk About to Cannes

Molly Goodson — Thu, 12 May 2011 07:54:34 PDT

Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, and their director, Lynne Ramsay, debuted We Need to Talk About Kevin at Cannes this morning. It's the first very buzzed about movie of the festival, with it's unsettling and difficult look at the relationship between a mother, played by Tilda, and her son named Kevin who commits a massacre at his high school - read my We Need to Talk About Kevin review on Buzz. The film is based on a 2004 novel of the same name, and is earning almost universally rave reviews out of the gate. It's a relief to see a smile out of Ezra, who you may recognize from Californication, since in We Need to Talk About Kevin there is no relief from his hard-to-watch-but-impressive portrayal of the troubled teen. Tilda is already earning talk that she's a shoo-in for best actress at the Cannes awards, which are handed out at the end of next week. The festival excitement is just heating up and the Cannes opening ceremony pictures have us very excited for what's to come. We're reporting from all the action in France, so don't miss a thing!

Carey Mulligan Breaks From Broadway For a Floral Day Out

Lauren Turner — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:07:00 PDT

Carey Mulligan wore a simple dress and sunglasses for a walk around NYC's East Village yesterday. The actress is staying in the Big Apple while she performs in the off-Broadway production of Through a Glass Darkly. She's been getting rave reviews for her work in the leading role since Tuesday's opening night, which Carey celebrated with costars Ben Rosenfield and Jason Butler Harner at a private party that evening. They'll be busy with their show until July, and then Carey will switch gears to promote her big-screen project Drive. The movie hits theaters in September and has her starring opposite Ryan Gosling, who premiered their work at the Cannes Film Festival last month.

Ryan Gosling Bares His Chest and Unique Fashion Sense at Cannes Drive Photo Call

Molly Goodson — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:39:04 PDT

Ryan Gosling picked what could double as a pajama top for this morning's Drive photo call at Cannes. His film is helping to close out the festival and debuted to largely positive reviews already. He's without his leading ladies in the movie, Carey Mulligan and Christina Hendricks, who are both back in the states. Always the fashion plate, Ryan paired his navy top with white pants and snappy wingtip shoes. The actor kicked off his time in Cannes alongside Leonardo DiCaprio at Wednesday's Cinema For Peace dinner, and Ryan will be back on the red carpet for this evening's premiere. He looks good no matter what he's wearing, but Ryan Gosling's shirtless physique is part of what landed him in our list of the hottest Blockbuster Boys of Summer.

Brad Pitt to Kids: "Mom and Dad Are Going Off to Kiss." - Cute or Awkward?

PopSugar — Sat, 28 May 2011 13:25:07 PDT

Brad Pitt gave an intimate interview to USA Weekend in which he revealed details about his family life at home with Angelina Jolie and their six kids. His new movie The Tree of Life is out this weekend and has been getting largely positive reviews after winning the highest honors at the Cannes Film Festival last week. The film deals with some heavy questions, and Brad talked about his kids, finding private time with Angelina, and marriage. Here are highlights:

On finding time with Angelina: "There are no secrets at our house. We tell the kids, 'Mom and Dad are going off to kiss.' They go, 'Eww, gross!' But we demand it."

On marriage: "The kids ask about marriage. It's meaning more and more to them. So it's something we've got to look at."

On the chaos of six kids: "Angie and I do everything we can to carve out some semblance of normalcy for them, to re-create the kinds of moments that were special for us. It's not unusual for the kids to be covered in paint. We have mud fights. It's chaos from morning until the lights go out, and sometimes after that."

Check out Buzz's The Tree of Life review and tell us what you think about Brad's quotes - cute or awkward?