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Movie Preview: Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in Grown Ups

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:36 -0800

I've been watching over the past several months as the cast roster for Grown Ups continued to add more of Adam Sandler's previous SNL colleagues and close friends - Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn. It's like he decided to make a project where he could invite everyone he knows to jump on board and have fun. And the cast really does appear to be having a good time in the trailer - I'm just not 100 percent sure I'm right there with them.

The film follows Sandler and his childhood friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade) as they reunite one Fourth of July weekend to honor the death of their basketball coach. Sounds kinda like The Big Chill, but as to be expected with a Happy Madison film, it's ridiculously slapstick. I love all of these guys, but the bits in this teaser definitely aren't as roll-on-the-floor funny as I had hoped with such a star-studded cast. (Really, a breast-milk joke?!) But maybe I'm just judging it too quickly. The film opens in June, but take a peek at the video and tell me your thoughts when you read more.

Good Hair: A Funny, Informative Doc For Everyone

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:06:03 -0700

Chris Rock's first shot at a documentary was spurred on by a simple question his daughter asked: "Daddy, why don't I have good hair?" Good Hair is Rock's quest to find out what that is, and why we - men and women, black and white - care so much.

It's not a race relations angle as much as the trailer makes it seem, but rather an investigation into the phenomenon his two young daughters are growing up into: that straight European hair is what's desirable, beautiful, and worth lots of money and pain to get.

Check out Bella's review, and to hear what I liked about the film, just read more.

As a documentarian, Rock excels at putting his subjects at ease, and his experts run the gamut. There are African-American women (particularly actresses like Nia Long and Eve), who can report their feelings firsthand about their hair and the extra pressure from Hollywood they endure to conform. Ice T is hilarious whether he's talking about silicone or wearing curlers in his hair for mugshots. Rock even gets Maya Angelou and Al Sharpton to deliver some of the documentary's biggest laughs. Yes, that's the kind of doc this is - one in which a political figure can make the momentous occasion of lobbying for Martin Luther King Jr. Day into a knee-slapping anecdote.

Watching a doc with as many one-liners as a Judd Apatow flick, I left wondering why more comedians don't make documentaries. Then again, Rock shows that he's green as a nonfiction filmmaker when he initiates conversations only to abruptly drop them. There is a lot to be said for black women striving for straight hair in a cultural context, and Rock raises this issue, but doesn't make a strong point about it. Particularly frustrating is Rock's discovery that most of the human hair sold as weaves in the US comes from India; specifically, from worshipers in India who sacrifice their hair to God in a ritual called Tonsure. Rock shows the Tonsure ceremony and the hair removal, but stops short of questioning what I think is a gross offense.

That's not to say Rock doesn't have some major revelations; he exposes the harms of sodium hydrochloride, also known as chemical relaxer (street name: "creamy crack"). His tenaciousness at that issue makes me wish he'd delved further into the other important matters of the movie.

On the whole, though, this is a solid effort for a first documentary, and it's surprisingly weighty subject matter. When you might think that he's gone a bit too far from his own point of reference, he brings it back to why he's looking at "good hair" in the first place -for his daughters. From salons in Beverly Hills to barber shops in Compton, Rock makes you laugh while opening your eyes to a hairy social subject.

Photos courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Movie Preview: Chris Rock's Documentary, Good Hair

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:30:14 -0700

Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair already made me feel a little emotional back in January when I saw the video of him talking about his project just before it screened at Sundance. In that video, Rock explains that he always believed that if he told his daughter how beautiful she is and how much he loves her all the time, he could help her avoid developing self-esteem issues. But his daughter still told her dad that she didn't like her hair - she wanted "good hair." In his movie, Rock explores this topic - the hair industry in general and the idea of "good hair."

The new trailer for his film is great - entertaining and funny, but also thought-provoking. The movie will have a limited release starting Oct. 9. To check out the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Buzz News Roundup, 3/9

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:30:26 -0700

Chris Rock will join Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan for Neil LaBute's remake of the 2007 British film Death at a Funeral. - Zap2It
Amy Winehouse is pulling out of the lineup for this year's Coachella festival. - Billboard
Little People, Big World is getting a spinoff about a newly married couple. - Variety
Julia Roberts will produce the comedy Jesus Henry Christ, which follows Henry James Hermin, a boy conceived in a petri dish and raised by a loving, left-wing feminist. - ComingSoon
Molly Parker and Nate Corddry will play Sarah Michelle Gellar's siblings in the HBO pilot The Wonderful Maladies. - Zap2it
Ryan Phillippe and Malin Akerman will star in the indie drama The Bang Bang Club, set in apartheid-era South Africa. - ComingSoon
The 1990 movie Ghost will get the Sleepless in Seattle treatment and be turned into a stage musical aiming for a West End opening in 2010. - Variety
Jericho will continue its life as a comic book. - The Futon Critic

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What Would Be Your Comedy Dream Team?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:30:10 -0800

No, no - this lineup here is definitely not my comedy dream team. It is, however, the main cast of a new, untitled project written by Adam Sandler. Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider will join Sandler in a comedy which follows "five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on a Fourth of July weekend."

This is a fierce lineup and these guys' powers combined will probably result in a pretty funny movie. It reminds me of the news of Will Ferrell and Sasha Baron Cohen teaming up for their comedic take on the Sherlock Holmes story - a great pairing that shakes up the comedic teams a little bit (John C. Reilly is funny with Ferrell, but variety is nice, too). If you could line up a bunch of comedic actors for a film, who would you pick? If I limit it to five, I think I'd go with something like this: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Rock, Isla Fisher, Anna Faris and Donald Faison (I can't help it, he always makes me laugh on Scrubs!). Your turn: Who's on your dream team?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:30:47 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Henry Poole Is Here
What a difference a year makes! Last Winter I was reporting live from Sundance that I really enjoyed this little movie starring Luke Wilson. I know many people didn't get the chance to check it out in theaters, which makes it a great rental.

Wilson plays Henry Poole, a grouchy man who buys an ordinary house in Southern California. Soon after, his very friendly neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barazza) notices a stain on the outside of Henry's house that she thinks is the face of Jesus. She calls in a priest (George Lopez) and starts telling everyone in town about "the miracle" at Henry's house, much to Henry's annoyance. This movie features great performances and a quirky look at the old discussion of faith vs. reason.

Special features include audio commentary with director Mark Pellington and writer Albert Torres, a featurette titled "The Making of Henry Poole Is Here," and the Henry Poole Is Here music video directed by Mark Pellington and featuring the MySpace.com theme song contest winner Ron Irizarry.

Two more up next, so read more.

Max Payne
Mark Wahlberg had an October hit on his hands when this dark, slick-looking action flick hit the screens. If you missed this one in theaters now's your chance for a mindless adrenaline rush from the comfort of your couch.

Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) has been searching for his wife's murderers for three years when he meets the sexy Natasha (Olga Kurylenko) who leads him into a sinister world of drugs, which provides more clues toward solving the mystery. Before long, Natasha winds up dead with certain details linking her death to Max's wife's. Natasha's sister Mona (Mila Kunis) joins Max in his hunt for answers and revenge.

Special features include audio commentary by director John Moore, production designer Daniel Dorrance and visual effects supervisor Everett Burrell, and a featurette on adapting the graphic novel for film.

Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger
A Chris Rock comedy special is kind of like an eclipse to me: They don't happen all that often but when they do, I'm ready to watch and savor. I'm excited to add this one to my own queue and kick back and laugh my butt off.

Not having seen it yet, it's hard to describe what we can expect from this DVD, so I'll leave it to the product description: "Three-time Emmy Award-winning comic Chris Rock returns to HBO with his first stand-up comedy special in nearly five years, offering his unique, uncensored take on a variety of topics ranging from politics to celebrities, and never holding back while exposing the many absurdities of modern living. Compiled from footage captured during performances at South Africa's Carnival City Casino, New York's Apollo Theater, and Carling Apollo Hammersmith in London, this ninety-minute special marks Rock's eagerly-anticipated return to the stage after taking a break."

2009 Sundance Spotlight: The Greatest, Good Hair, and Mystery Team

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:25:44 -0800

While I won't be heading down to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival this year, I will be sorting through the humongous pile of festival entries to share with you some of the films I think look most promising. From quirky documentaries to talented young filmmaker debuts to a potential runaway hit, Sundance is filled with entertainment possibilities. Here are today's selections:

Good Hair
It's impossible not to feel a little emotional listening to Chris Rock describe how the idea for this documentary came about. In the video clip below, he says that despite how much he tells his daughter how beautiful she is every day, she still cried to him once, "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?" Troubled by this, Rock "committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl's head!" He himself claims this might be the best movie he's ever made. Intriguing? I'd say so.

To check out the comedian talking about his project, plus the lowdown on two other Sundance movies, read more.

The Greatest
Starring Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon (that's them, making out in the ocean!), The Greatest marks the debut of a young filmmaker and screenwriter, Shana Feste, and follows a family coping with the sudden death of their teenage son. Newcomer Carey Mulligan plays the girlfriend of the son who shows up to further complicate the grieving process for the parents. There's some buzz about both Brosnan's and Sarandon's performances as well as talk that this could be a "career-launching" role for Mulligan. Check her out in a scene with Susan Sarandon:

Mystery Team
Bookmark this trailer as "not suitable for work" due to language but make sure to check it out because it's pretty hilarious. Mystery Team stars a bunch of sketch comedy guys (who also wrote, directed, and produced the film) and follows a group of kid detectives that no one takes seriously. Some of the dialogue reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite but the rest of the movie seems like something all its own. Here's the preview:

Photos and The Greatest clip courtesy of Sundance

Buzz News Roundup, 11/10

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:33:10 -0800

We have a definite premiere date for the fifth season of Lost! The craziness begins again on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009. - Variety
Chris Rock is set to star and co-write a re-imagining of the 2007 British comedy Death at a Funeral. - Variety
Fox has ordered a full season of The Cleveland Show to premiere in Fall 2009. - Zap2it
Coldplay has been named the world's biggest band of 2008. - Reuters
Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba are joining the cast of The Killer Inside Me, an adaptation of a novel from noir author Jim Thompson. - The Hollywood Reporter
Quantum of Solace has reached a box office take of $160.3 million internationally in its first 10 days. - ComingSoon
Bret Ratner is in final negotiations to direct a 21st century update of Conan the Barbarian. - Reuters
Knight Rider is getting a major makeover. - The Hollywood Reporter
Influential DJ and Morning Becomes Eclectic host Nic Harcourt is stepping down from KCRW. - LA Times

Movie Preview: I Think I Love My Wife

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:54:47 -0800

I Think I Love My Wife, which held its Los Angeles premiere last night in Hollywood, is Chris Rock's newest baby: He directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the movie, as well as cast himself in the lead role. (Please, oh please, let it be better than Rock's last directing and starring vehicle, the woefully embarassing Head of State.)

Judging from the trailer, the movie looks to have some very funny parts, but this isn't the fall-down-laughing stuff of Rock's stand-up comedy days. In fact, it seems like Rock is trying his hand at a little dramatic acting along with doing his jokester thing. The story revolves around Richard Cooper, an investment banker with a lovely wife and two great kids. Yet, despite his idyllic-seeming life, Cooper finds himself thinking about women constantly. He never considers actually cheating until an old friend appears and turns his steady life upside down.

To check out the trailer, read more

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Twilight Leads the People's Choice Awards Nominations

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:43:12 -0800

The 36th annual People's Choice Awards nominees are here, and last year's Twilight is leading the charge! American Idol's Kris Allen was among the announcers this morning for the nominees, which also include lots of nods for The Proposal - but of course, everyone's favorite bloodsucking love story landed in many categories, including favorite on-screen movie team.

Why didn't they look to 2009's New Moon? Because last year's nominations debuted before the first movie in the Twilight saga.

To see the full list of nominees, just read more.

MOVIES

FAVORITE MOVIE
Twilight
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Star Trek
The Hangover
The Proposal

FAMILY MOVIE
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Up
Where the Wild Things Are

COMEDY MOVIE
17 Again
Bride Wars
He's Just Not That Into You
The Hangover
The Proposal

INDEPENDENT MOVIE
(500) Days of Summer
District 9
Inglourious Basterds
Paranormal Activity
Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail

FAVORITE MOVIE FRANCHISE
Twilight
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Star Trek
Transformers
X-Men

FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR
Brad Pitt
Hugh Jackman
Johnny Depp
Robert Pattinson
Ryan Reynolds

FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS
Anna Hathaway
Drew Barrymore
Jennifer Aniston
Kristen Stewart
Sandra Bullock

FAVORITE ACTION STAR
Christian Bale
Gerard Butler
Hugh Jackman
Shia LaBeouf
Vin Diesel

FAVORITE COMEDIC STAR
Adam Sandler
Ben Stiller
Jim Carrey
Ryan Reynolds
Vince Vaughn

FAVORITE BREAKOUT MOVIE ACTRESS:
Anna Kendrick
Emily Osment
Ginnifer Goodwin
Miley Cyrus
Zoe Saldana

FAVORITE BREAKOUT MOVIE ACTOR
Chris Pine
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Sam Worthington
Taylor Lautner
Zachary Quinto

FAVORITE ONSCREEN TEAM
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, The Proposal
Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, Twilight
Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, will.i.am, Dominic Monaghan and Daniel Henney, X-Men Origins: Wolverine

TELEVISION

FAVORITE TV DRAMA
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Grey's Anatomy
House
Lost
NCIS

FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Desperate Housewives
How I Met Your Mother
The Big Bang Theory
The Office
Two and a Half Men

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
Hugh Laurie
Kiefer Sutherland
Mark Harmon
Matthew Fox
Patrick Dempsey

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Anna Paquin
Blake Lively
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Katherine Heigl
Mariska Hargitay

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Alex Baldwin
Charlie Sheen
Jim Parsons
Neil Patrick Harris
Steve Carell

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Alyson Hannigan
America Ferrera
Amy Poehler
Eva Longoria Parker
Tina Fey

FAVORITE TV OBSESSION
Dexter
Gossip Girl
The Hills
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
True Blood

FAVORITE TV TALK SHOW
Chelsea Lately
Live with Regis & Kelly
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Tyra Banks Show

FAVORITE TV SCI-FI/FANTASY
Heroes
Lost
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries
True Blood

FAVORITE TV COMPETITION SHOW
American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance
Survivor: Samoa

FAVORITE ANIMAL SHOW
Animal Cops
DogTown
Dog Whisperer
It's Me or the Dog
Rescue Ink

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Eastwick
FlashForward
Melrose Place
Mercy
The Forgotten
The Good Wife
The Vampire Diaries,
Three Rivers
NCIS: Los Angeles
V

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
Accidentally on Purpose
Brothers
Community
Cougar Town
Glee
Hank
The Cleveland Show
The Middle
Modern Family

MUSIC

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST
Eminem
Jason Mraz
John Mayer
Keith Urban
Tim McGraw

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST
Beyonce
Britney Spears
Carrie Underwood
Pink
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE COUNTRY ARTIST
Brad Paisley
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE BREAKOUT MUSIC ARTIST
Adam Lambert
Demi Lovato
Kris Allen
Lady Gaga
Susan Boyle

FAVORITE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Eminem
Flo Rida
Jay-Z
Lil' Wayne
T.I.

FAVORITE ROCK BAND
Daughtry
Green Day
Kings of Leon
Muse
Paramore

FAVORITE MUSIC COLLABORATION
Cobra Starship & Leighton Meester, "Good Girls Go Bad"
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, "Lucky"
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West, "Run This Town"
T.I. & Rihanna, "Live Your Life"
The Lonely Island & T-Pain, "I'm on a Boat."

FAVORITE R&B ARTIST
Alicia Keys
Beyonce
Jennifer Hudson
Mariah Carey
Usher

FAVORITE POP ARTIST
Britney Spears
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
The Black Eyed Peas

FAVORITE WEB CELEB
Andy Samberg
Ashton Kutcher
Miley Cyrus
P. Diddy
Will Ferrell