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Buzz News Roundup, 8/21

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:30:33 -0700

The release date of Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island has been pushed back to Feb. 19, 2010. - Coming Soon
Catherine Hardwicke will direct The Girl With the Red Riding Hood, produced by Leonardo DicCaprio's company Appian Way. - Variety
Check out the details on Weezer's seventh album, Raditude. - Billboard
Heather Locklear is in talks to reprise her role on Melrose Place. - People
Josh Zetumer will write the fourth Bourne movie, which is expected in 2011. - Coming Soon
Project Runway brought in huge ratings for Lifetime. - The Hollywood Reporter
Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson will star in The Sunset Limited. - Variety
Warehouse 13 and Drop Dead Diva have been picked up for second seasons. - Zap2it
Legendary Pictures is planning a feature film about Jimi Hendrix. - Variety

Hardwicke and Hirsch Reteam For Supernatural Hamlet Thriller

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:45:04 -0700

To sparkle, or not to sparkle. That just may be the question when Catherine Hardwicke takes on some of William Shakespeare's most well-known material and makes it into a "modern-day supernatural thriller." The Twilight director is apparently teaming back up with Emile Hirsch (the two worked together on Lords of Dogtown) for this adaptation of Hamlet, which was initially Hirsch's idea. Here's more:

Hardwicke and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) are working feverishly to transport the drama to a small East Coast liberal arts college where Hamlet's father is the president. The story will begin with Hamlet (Hirsch) returning home for his father's funeral, only to learn that his uncle, who has taken over his father's post, is responsible for his father's murder.

At first, Hardwicke thought the idea was "scary and crazy," but now she's armed with some ideas on how to go about this project. I appreciate what Hardwicke did with Thirteen, it's just the "supernatural" part of this news that seems a little dicey after Twilight. What do you think?

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Buzz News Roundup, 3/18

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:30:44 -0700

Ellen DeGeneres has signed on to play Mother Nature in an untitled comedy written by Sex and the City writer-executive producer Jenny Bicks. - The Hollywood Reporter
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the rights for Nowhere Boy, the story of John Lennon's tumultuous childhood. - Billboard
The Simpsons celebrated St. Patrick's Day by premiering an Irish-themed episode in Ireland and the UK on Tuesday; it airs in the US on Sunday. - TV Guide
Two music videos which represent actor Heath Ledger's last directorial work before his death in January 2008 will be released this year. - Billboard
Paramount has bought film rights to an upcoming Wired article about a band of Italian diamond thieves and J.J. Abrams is producing through his Bad Robot production company. - ComingSoon
Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted tops this week's Billboard charts. - New York Times
Maybe that will make Kelly more valuable when American Idol launches its line of trading cards in April. - AP
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is in talks to direct a film adaptation of another young-adult fantasy series, Maximum Ride. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kanye West will voice a character in Fox's Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show. - TV.com

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Twilight Fans: Are You Glad Catherine Hardwicke Is Not Directing New Moon?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:31:07 -0800

Some fans of the Twilight book were disappointed in the movie version, and some moviegoers who never read the book were less than impressed with the film. One reason for disliking the movie: Catherine Hardwicke's direction.

Today Summit Entertainment and Hardwicke jointly announced that Hardwicke will not be directing New Moon, the next installment of the Twilight series. The production company has not decided on a new director as of yet (any suggestions?).

What do you think of this news? Does this come as a relief?

Do you think a new director will help to make the second film better, or do you think the first Twilight movie is just fine?

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Twilight: A Star-Crossed Lovers Tale That Lacks Bite

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:30:03 -0800

Love for the sake of love is a story as old as the hills, but I couldn't help wondering if it might be a bit misplaced in our modern times as I watched the screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's popular young adult novel Twilight. In this story's world, if you're the first girl the gorgeous, brooding guy across the cafeteria is suddenly interested in, you've accomplished something worth celebrating. You should not ask why, and you should return his desire for you with a devotion so intense you're even willing to risk death. It's all very dramatic and smacks of an old-fashioned tale of romance and danger. But rather than seeming antiquated, this kind of earnest, obsessive love story manages to be more or less universal enough for today's savvy audiences.

Director Catherine Hardwicke (who knows from movies about teens, having directed Thirteen) smartly casts her leads with talented young actors (Kristen Stewart as the mortal teenager Bella Swan and Rob Pattinson effortlessly playing the self-loathing vampire, Edward Cullen) and centers her film on the slow, boiling passion that builds between them. However, Hardwicke is woefully negligent when it comes to special effects and seems hindered here by a tiny budget. In Meyer's books, the intensity of Edward and Bella's love for each other is matched by the amount of danger that one or both are in due to the vampire stuff. In this movie, the love soars while the supernatural intrigue never gets off the ground, and action sequences land with a hard, laughable thud, making for a somewhat schizophrenic viewing experience. To see what I mean, read more.

After her mother remarries Bella leaves sunny Arizona for a soggy, tiny, town in the Northwest. Bella's a sullen, shy girl, but that doesn't put off the local teens at her new high school who bounce around her like excitable puppies. The boys want to date her, the girls befriend her - it's an easy transition overall. On her first day, Bella notices the Cullen brood enter the building in slow motion while her new friend Jessica explains that they are a mysterious family who only ever hang out with each other. Bella can't help but be transfixed by the show stopper of the bunch: Edward (Judging by the frantic, high-pitched screaming of the youngsters in my screening you may want to bring your earplugs for this scene with Pattinson's entrance). Ultimately, Bella catches on to Edward's secrets, which only make her want to get closer to him. He relents, admitting that the scent of her blood is "like heroin" to him. After revealing the whole truth about his family, he tries to make clear to her that they're loathsome creatures doing the best they can to be good (not kill people), and hunt animals instead.

I'm thankful they dispensed with the book's incessant worship of Edward's physical appearance (no need for that anyway, as Rob radiates a heartthrob-y charisma). I just wish there was a bit more explanation as to why Bella is willing to cross over into the dangerous and uncharted territory of canoodling with the undead. Despite all that, I like the movie's Bella better than the book's Bella. Stewart infuses the young woman with an inner strength and gravitas that makes her more of a likable tomboy rather than a helpless teen with low self-esteem. Even quite seriously hindered by funny pasty make-up, Pattinson makes his Edward far less bossy and overbearing than the book's, and has more of a "misunderstood bad boy" vibe going.

For the uninitiated, there's a lot that goes unexplained. For example, one of Edward's "brothers," Jasper, looks like he's perpetually enduring an enema which caused laughter from the audience each time he was on screen because we all knew he has a harder time than most resisting eating people. If you haven't read the book, you'll just laugh at this ridiculously stiff, stunned-looking actor. But there are moments in the movie, like when Bella and Edward are lying in a field together, where the visuals are so lovely and the look of it so lush, it's impossible not to get a little swept away in the transcendence of young love, whether you've read the book or not.

But for every little moment in the movie that gives it some universal charm, there's something hilariously, well, bad that happens. Like a cheesy flashback. Or crazy bad special effects. Or laugh-out-loud pasty makeup. Still, it's clear the filmmakers did what they could with the source material being what it is and the budget they had. The truth of the matter is it's a fun - sometimes funny, sometimes stirring - ride and at the end of the day, I was entertained. It may baffle some but fans most likely won't be disappointed.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Another Look at Twilight: Are You Even More Excited? Or Deflated?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:30:48 -0700

In my heart of hearts, I want this movie to be good. While I haven't read the books (yet!), I like vampire-y love stories as much as the next girl. And from what I've learned about the books and the author, the whole thing is pretty intriguing.

So this second look at the Twilight movie confuses me a little bit. As someone who's looking at it without the background of having read the books, the whole thing still has a made-for-TV quality about it. It isn't stirring or taunting, and the supposedly evil one is so not scary. So what's the deal? Why aren't they luring us newbies in with mystery, dread, a sense of longing, and that heady feeling of teenage lust? This trailer should make our romantic bubbles boil while scaring the bejeezus out of us.

Is this what you were expecting? Or are you a bit underwhelmed? The good news is, we have quite some time to be enticed by probably countless more trailers and clips before the movie opens December 12.

To see this new one for yourself and let me know what you think, read more.

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First Look: Twilight

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:30:40 -0700

Based on the popular young adult book series by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight is one highly anticipated film, especially on the part of MTV which has been reporting on the film's production a lot. Catherine Hardwicke, director of Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown, seems to be familiar with stories of teenage life, though vampire kids might be new territory for her. IMDB describes the plot thusly: "A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire."

Though the new teaser trailer looks a little like something you'd see on the CW Thursday night lineup, I have to say I'm loving the color palette of it - all the chilly, mistiness of the forest shots, and the mysterious cloudy-gray overall tone.

Any fans of the Twilight books out there? What do you think about this project? Does the teaser make you want to see the film? We've got a while to wait, as Twilight doesn't hit theaters until December 12. To check out the teaser, read more.

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Twilight Will Descend on a Theater Near You

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:28:56 -0800

From the Buzzworthy young adult novel challenge, I know many of you are huge fans of the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series, so this news might interest you. The first of the series will be adapted for film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (writer/director of Thirteen), and will star Kristen Stewart (Into the Wild, In the Land of Women) in the lead role. Variety continues:

The film... centers on a 17-year-old girl who moves to a small town to live with her father and becomes drawn to a mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. Their unorthodox romance puts her in danger when his nemesis comes to town.

It's nice that they're going with a relative unknown for the lead role in this dark tale, and after seeing Into the Wild, I think Stewart appears to have the depth to play such an intriguing character. What do you think? Is this a good book-to-movie idea, or do you not want the novel possibly tarnished by a film adaptation?

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