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The Actors Behind Jack Ryan: Past, Present, Future

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:30:26 -0700

Just yesterday I was talking about how Chris Pine is blowing up after the big success of Star Trek, and his name is already making headlines again this morning. Pine will likely be the next actor to take on the role of Jack Ryan in the next film adaption of the popular Tom Clancy novels. A few actors have taken on the role in the past, and other names have been attached to the project before, so let's take a look at the evolution of Jack Ryan - with a few of my own suggestions for who could take on the role.

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Chris Pine in Talks to Learn the Art of Making Money

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:30:51 -0700

Chris Pine can thank Star Trek for a beamed-up career: the new Captain Kirk is in talks to star in The Art of Making Money.

The film is based on the true story of Art Williams, who went from petty thievery to master counterfeiter. Pine would play Williams, and there's also a possibility that DJ Caruso (who helmed Eagle Eye and Disturbia) will direct.

I'm glad Pine is blazing a trail for the other breakout stars of the Summer (like his Star Trek cohorts). He's also currently filming a movie with the apt title Unstoppable.

7 Hot Young Men With Hot Upcoming Projects

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:30:48 -0700

Move over Brad, Will, and George - there are some hot young actors racking up stellar movie roles and looking good doing it. Not only is this group of guys easy on the eyes, but they all seem serious about cultivating long and prosperous film careers. Some of these fellas have been kicking around Tinseltown for a while and some only recently broke out onto the scene in a major way. They're all names that are in demand and the following is a list of some of their interesting upcoming projects.

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Star Trek: Move Over Kirk, Spock Is Hot

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:30:01 -0700

To be honest, I'm not a huge Star Trek fan. Obviously as a member of the human race who was raised in the United States, I've been exposed to the original television show and many of its different iterations. I've even seen some of the movies including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (responsible for my lifelong fear of earwigs) and the movie I commonly refer to as "the one with the whales," aka Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

So, getting me to be excited for anything Star Trek related is a bit of an uphill battle. Given that, it's a pretty amazing thing director J.J. Abrams and his team have accomplished with this reboot. The movie successfully turns back the clock on a franchise four decades old and brings it back to life with an adrenaline shock to the system that will leave you breathless. And in pure Abrams fashion, the story and characterization do not suffer. The result is popcorn cinema at its best. Despite not being a Trekkie (or Trekker, or whatever you call megafans these days), I can't stop thinking about this movie. To see why, read more.

The question I had going into this movie was: How does one reimagine Star Trek for today's audience without completely alienating hardcore fans? The answer, it turns out, was to simply start over. In a clever twist, the opening sequence sets into motion events that alter the space/time continuum. Yes - and this will come as no surprise to Lost fans - Abrams uses time travel that bends around certain facts. Rather than disregard Trek lore, the filmmakers simply figured out an acceptable way to start fresh with the characters.

Because of these time-bending events, James T. Kirk, the future captain of the USS Enterprise, grows up fatherless in Iowa. He's brilliant but extremely self-destructive. Meanwhile, on Vulcan, a young Spock is teased and discriminated against for having a human mother (Winona Ryder). We know the two young men are destined to meet but when they finally do it's different than what you might imagine. When Kirk (played by Chris Pine with a wink and nod to the original performance) meets Spock (Zachary Quinto) at the Starfleet Academy they do not get along. Kirk is all swagger and machismo. Spock is, of course, logical but Quinto plays him with a smug know-it-all edge that hints at the human emotions beneath the surface.

However, when the movie's villain Nero (Eric Bana) declares war on Vulcan and then Earth, it's all-hands-on-deck time and the two must work together. A bunch of green, yet familiar, cadets - Dr. "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and eventually Scotty (Simon Pegg) - suddenly find themselves in charge of a brand-new ship. There are moments when seeing these good-looking youngsters in such a well-known uniform feels a little bit like the Trek version of Muppet Babies. But that feeling is fleeting and for the most part the performances are heartfelt and quite funny.

In the midst of chaos and war, Kirk and Spock become friends - but not before Spock violently pins Kirk's cocky butt to the floor. In Abrams's universe, Spock aims for logic but often succumbs to his emotions, messy though they may be. Pine charges through the film with all the charisma needed in a golden-haired leading man, but in a lot of ways this is Quinto's movie and he actually turns Spock into something of a sex symbol. Some fans might find these changes to the characters' personalities sacrilegious, but I just appreciate the fact that their friendship provides the movie with an emotional center.

In the end, the experience is completely satisfying. There are in-jokes galore that even a Trek philistine like myself found thrilling and there are action sequences that had me on the edge of my seat. It's thoughtful, it looks great, and it's completely absorbing. In terms of epic action-adventures, it doesn't get much better than this.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

BuzzSugar at WonderCon: Star Trek and Terminator Preach to the Choir

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:30:10 -0800

It was an insane - not to mention insanely fun - weekend at WonderCon here in San Francisco. I already reported back on the exciting Watchmen panel, and now I'm giving the lowdown on the panels I attended for Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. The directors of both movies showed up to explain to a crowd of devotees how they think they've done right by fans with these reboots. To read what J.J. Abrams and McG had to say about reviving beloved franchises with care, read more.

Warning!: The following might be considered spoilery.

Star Trek:

Well, Heroes may not be pleasing all the fans lately, but Zachary Quinto (who plays Spock in the movie) remains a hot commodity to this crowd - the lady screams were loud and long when he appeared onstage. Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zoe Saldana (Lt. Nyota Uhura) also showed up alongside J.J. Abrams for the panel.
Anton Yelchin has big parts in both Star Trek and Terminator but didn't take the stage for Star Trek.
Everyone talked with deep reverence for the Trek canon, though their levels of fandom vary (Abrams admitted he never really watched the show but was still excited about this movie).

It sounded like Quinto got a lot of time with Leonard Nimoy, and Pine said of following in William Shatner's footsteps, "Mr. Shatner's incredibly funny . . . it's that twinkle in his eye that's like, you know, anything can happen. Something I couldn't try to re-create for the life of me."
We saw a brand new world premiere trailer that is similar to the last one, but includes new goose-bump-inducing scenes like a young Kirk sitting down in the captain's seat on the Enterprise bridge for the first time.
J.J. Abrams threw the crowd some Cloverfield sequel news crumbs, too, saying, "We have an idea for something that's pretty cool . . . the idea is pretty sweet!"

Terminator Salvation

Director McG entered the stage and was pumped about his movie. He kicked things off with the premiere of a whole new trailer that fans will see before Watchmen and that is totally different than anything we've seen so far. This one focuses more on story and less on robots, as we learn that humans are being collected and harvested by Skynet.
One of the funniest moments of the panel was when McG responded to the moderator's request to address the now infamous Christian Bale on-set meltdown with, "What don't you f*cking understand?"
Talent included Yelchin (who plays Kyle Reese, Connor's dad), Bryce Dallas Howard (Kate Connor), Common and Moon Bloodgood. They all seemed genuinely impressed and speechless after seeing this new trailer along with the crowd for the first time.
Another cute moment came from Common who answered a question about how he got involved with this movie: "I wanted to do a movie with Christian Bale."
We saw a few more unfinished clips and it's a lot of action, a lot of robots, etc. Pretty heart-pounding, though not at all unexpected.
I thought it was funny how everyone on the panel constantly gushed about the first two Terminator films - the elephant in the room being the third movie, directed by Jonathan Mostow. Everyone sort of agreed to be polite about it but it was clear they consider it a blemish on the franchise.
Finally, McG danced around it a bit, but he made it seem like the odds were pretty decent that the T-800 will make an appearance, which is the model Arnold Schwarzenegger played in the series. Will the Governator make an appearance? I'm betting yes.

Check Out the Full-Length Star Trek Trailer

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:30:00 -0800

"The wait is over." I wonder if J.J. Abrams was feeling cheeky when he made those the final words in this first full-length trailer for Star Trek, which premiered over the weekend before screenings of Quantum of Solace. The last thing we saw was a teaser all the way back in January, and it's been radio silence since then.

So, here we are: our first look at a young James Tiberius Kirk and the others in this quick, action-packed promo. By action-packed, I mean that a lot of things blow up, and there's some punching and some sex (but not in the same scene). And Zachary Quinto looks just as awesome as Spock as I'd hoped he would. Other than that, I leave it to you: What do you think of this trailer? Does it boost your expectations for the movie, or does it fall short? To check it out, just read more.

Link Time! 9/11

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:42 -0700

Please don't panic about Dollhouse yet. - TV with MeeVee
Kevin Smith has seen JJ Abrams's Star Trek movie (even though we haven't even seen a full-length trailer!) and is blown away with Chris Pine's performance as Kirk. - MTV Movies Blog
If not Stephen Colbert, what other pop culture icon would you send into space to represent us? - Popwatch
Elvis Costello's new variety show looks to be pretty bizarre. - Vulture
The full studio version of Kanye's "Love Lockdown": Love it or leave it? - PopSugar
Travel back in time with this homage to Meg Ryan's earlier - perhaps better - roles. - FilmExperience
Top Design: Whose bomb shelter was best? - CasaSugar
I'm intrigued by this review from the Toronto Film Festival of the movie Me and Orson Welles, starring Zac Efron and Claire Danes, mostly because I had no idea that movie was completed already. - Cinematical
See the difference between HD and standard iTunes downloads. - TV Squad

Photo courtesy of Fox

Bottle Shock: Intriguing Story Muddled by a Fruity Aftertaste

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:00:11 -0700

I live near Napa Valley and I enjoy wine a great deal, so when I first heard about a new little movie called Bottle Shock all about the historical legitimization of California wine, I was intrigued. I may have taken for granted the fact that Napa hasn't always been a world-renowned winemaking region, and that at one point it was viewed as nothing more than a bunch of back-water country hicks noodling around with grapes. Which is why I was disappointed to not love this sincere attempt to bring this story to life on the screen. I had such high hopes, but in the end the movie spends too much time on other stuff and not enough on the part that's the most interesting.

Invariably, this tale of Napa's beginnings will be compared to another indie film about California wine, Sideways, and though the subject matter may be similar, it's not an accurate pairing. Where Sideways uses wine country as a setting in which to explore the lives of four intriguing characters, Bottle Shock is a saccharine mix of slapstick comedy, melodrama, and sweeping shots of California's golden hills. This director practically fetishizes the beauty of the state's coast, and at times the movie feels more like a tourist ad than anything else. I wish the filmmakers had relied on the interesting true story for a dramatic arc rather than tossing in several tedious subplots, including an emotionally weightless father-son drama and a mind-numbing love triangle. To see why, read more.

In 1976 a British wine shop owner named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) and his American neighbor Maurine (played wonderfully by Dennis Farina) come up with the idea of a blind tasting that would pit France's best winemakers against the renegades in America, intending to prove that great wine could only be made in France. Surrier travels to California and makes his way from one roadside tasting to another, carefully noting which regions are best. At the same time, Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his free-spirited, slacker son Bo (Chris Pine) are attempting to create a perfect chardonnay at their winery, Chateau Montelena. Bo sees Surrier's arrival as a chance to prove to his dad that he can make something happen for the winery. Meanwhile one of the Barrett's employees, Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodríguez), is making his own wine on the side and frequently butts heads with Jim.

Oh, and then a blond bombshell "intern" shows up at the Chateau and proceeds to befriend and bed both young men amidst winery duties, which include wearing sexy outfits and hosing off a barrel while the water runs down her body, not unlike a Playboy fantasy, while the dirty old men of the winery gawk.

There's a lot of time spent on these characters but it all falls flat because tonally their stories don't jive with what's going on over in Alan Rickman's movie. While they run around an Anthropology catalogue, delivering dramatic monologues about feeling wine in your blood, Alan's tasting Kentucky Friend Chicken for the first time and it's hysterical. Eventually we get to the climax of the film - the industry-changing wine tasting in France - but by that time I was pretty much over it and couldn't care less about the fate of these people.

The sad thing about this movie is that it's well-intentioned and wants to do justice to the stories of these real-life people. The saving grace, predictably, is Alan Rickman and there isn't a single scene he's in that doesn't sparkle with wry humor and simple elegance. But alas, his scenes are too few, and when they end we're swept away via endless aerial shots of vineyards to the dopey plotlines of the other characters.

Source

Movie Preview: Bottle Shock

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:30:13 -0700

Did you like Sideways, a quirky indie movie about wine (and relationships)? Then you might dig Bottle Shock, another indie movie about wine, this time with an emphasis on the history of American winemaking. It may sound like a snoozefest to some of you, but the trailer makes it look incredibly interesting. The film premiered at this year's Sundance and I was sorry to miss the screenings while I was there.

The movie focuses on the mid-1970s when French wine makers were starting to sit up and pay attention to what was going on in California vineyards. Alan Rickman stars as a wine snob from across the pond who comes over to find out what these California "hicks" are up to with their so-called wine. The supporting cast includes Bill Pullman, Dennis Farina, Chris Pine, Eliza Dushku and Freddy Rodriguez, among others. It looks funny and interesting, and opens in limited release August 8. To check out the trailer, read more.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 10/17

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:32:38 -0700

Fox has announced that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles will be paired with 24 in January, while Prison Break will take a break till April. The network has also renewed Kitchen Nightmares and asked for fewer episodes of New Amsterdam. All the details are at The Futon Critic.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Clint Eastwood's cast of Changeling has expanded beyond Angelina Jolie to include John Malkovich and Jeffrey Donovan.
Warner Bros. Japan will produce a movie called Sushi King! Goes to New York, based on a popular TV show set in the world of sushi, Variety reports.
Cat Power will cover songs by Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and James Brown on her next album, writes Billboard.
ComingSoon has news that Burlesque, a movie musical with 12 song-and-dance numbers, has been picked up by Screen Gems. The script was written by Juno writer Diablo Cody.
The View co-host Sherri Shepherd is developing a semi-autobiographical sitcom for The CW, Variety reports.
Meanwhile, Damon Wayans is working on a new comedy for ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety reports that Clay Aiken will star in the Monty Python musical Spamalot on Broadway.
JJ Abrams has apparently cast Chris Pine in the role of Captain Kirk for his Star Trek movie, writes ComingSoon.

Photo courtesy of Fox