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Ben Affleck Has Both Jennifer and Blake by His Side For National Board of Review Gala

Molly Goodson — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:15:00 PST

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner didn't let the threat of a big snowstorm get in the way of their flight or red carpet plans as they stepped out for the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Gala in NYC last night. She took a break from mom duty to don a bight pink Rouland Mouret dress out to support her husband, whose film The Town picked up Best Ensemble Cast and was named one of the top 10 movies of the year. He was both the director and leading man in that project, and his cast member Blake Lively wore purple Marchesa to join him for their winning evening. Blake arrived back on the East Coast earlier in the day after joining Ben at their costar Jeremy Renner's birthday party. Ben was also coming off being honored as chairman at the star-studded Palm Springs Film Festival. Michelle Williams attended her third event in as many days, and she was once again joined by the guys of The Social Network. Mark Wahlberg, Jon Hamm, and Christian Bale helped round out the group, many of who will be catching planes to the West Coast for this weekend's award season happenings. On Friday there's the Critics Choice Awards, where we'll be broadcasting the celebrity arrivals live, and on Sunday it's time for the Golden Globes, so don't forget to fill out our ballot for a chance to win $1,000!

Amy Adams and Rashida Jones Are Mad For Muppets

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:30:32 PDT

No one can resist the fun-loving Muppets! In today's casting news, Amy Adams and Rashida Jones have both signed on for human roles in the upcoming movie with the puppet creatures. They'll join Jason Segel who cowrote the script with Nick Stoller and will star as the lead.

The film reportedly follows the Muppet gang as they band together to put on a show to rescue a movie studio. Adams will play Segel's girlfriend who aids in the crusade, while Jones will step in as an ABC executive; Chris Cooper has also signed on as the villain. While I realize the movie will probably be marketed to kids, I'm already giddy over the project (who didn't love The Muppet Show or The Muppets Take Manhattan?!). So I'm wondering, will the Swedish chef cater the fundraiser? Will Janice play guitar? Come on, I need more details!

Helen Mirren Smites Russell Brand in The Tempest Trailer

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:30:00 PDT

In the classic Shakespeare play The Tempest, a magician and rightful duke named Prospero is banished to a distant island by his jealous brother, who seeks the crown. Julie Taymor gives her film adaptation a girl power makeover, turning Prospero into Prospera and making her leading lady (Helen Mirren) the wife of a duke. When her conniving brother-in-law, Antonio (Chris Cooper), accuses Propsera of killing her husband with witchcraft, she's sent away on a ship with her 4-year-old daughter. She conjures a storm to lure Antonio to the island she and her daughter have been inhabiting.

It sounds like typical Shakespeare tragedy (murder! treason! banishment!) but The Tempest is actually a comedy, and the trailer's got some funny moments (thanks to Russell Brand and Alfred Molina). If you're expecting to see Brand branching out from his typical fare, then you may be disappointed, but he's oddly fitting here as a jester. As expected for a film about a sorcerer, there's also special effects to spare here - not to mention a stellar cast. Check it out after the jump.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Take Boston Together at Fenway Premiere of The Town!

Molly — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 07:00:00 PDT

Even historic Fenway Park got red carpet ready for the Boston premiere of Ben Affleck's second directorial project, The Town, on the Red Sox home field last night. Ben had the support of his cast, along with his friend, and fellow Beantown native, Matt Damon. While the stars of the film were dressed up, Matt and pregnant Luciana looked ready for a ballgame in jeans. Blake Lively's boyfriend Penn Badgley joined her for the journey up from NY after Regis and Kelly yesterday morning. Jon Hamm also had his partner Jennifer Westfeldt on his arm, while Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Hall were solo. Ben's wife Jennifer Garner is home in LA with their daughters, though she stopped by TIFF with him last weekend. Ben recently spoke about what it means to make Boston films, saying, "Boston is a place that - and I was the same way, living there - that likes to see itself reflected, likes its own, likes to see a reflection of its values. New York doesn’t so much care about a New York movie. . . But Boston knows. Boston knows if you’re from there. . . It means something to them."

To see more of Ben, Matt, Jon, Blake, and others, just

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Images include: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Westfeldt, Blake Lively, Penn Badgley

The Company Men Trailer: Even Ben Affleck Gets the Blues

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:15:32 PDT

The movies from this year's Sundance Film Festival are slowly rolling out into wide release, and Ben Affleck's The Company Men is on its way as well. The aptly-timed drama follows the three corporate businessmen (Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones) as their lives are affected by the recession and downsizing at their firm. The trailer is all about Affleck: we see that he gets fired, struggles to find work, cries to his wife, takes a job as a carpenter.

I know it seems like the whole film is being given away here, but there's definitely a lot more going on than what we see in the preview. I really liked the film when I saw it at the festival, though much like the trailer, it tries a little too hard. Still, it's a film that we can all relate to, so check out the preview when you

Remember Me: More Likely to Fade Away

Becky Kirsch — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:45:08 PST

Robert Pattinson fans, rest assured: you won't be disappointed with the heartthrob's first post-Twilight flick, Remember Me. Pattinson is the epicenter of the film as Tyler Hawkins, a troubled-but-charming college student with a few anger management problems. His character is a loose cannon and his New York accent is all over the place, but Pattinson is just so watchable that his loyal followers will hardly notice the flaws in the plot that surrounds him. It's everyone who's not in the Twilight bubble that I'm more concerned about.

Pattinson's angsty Tyler has plenty of reasons to brood: he's still reeling with the day-to-day aftermath of his brother's suicide, constantly questioning his own worth and mortality as his 22nd birthday draws near. He's also struggling to come to terms with a mother that he can't connect with and a high-powered lawyer father (Pierce Brosnan) who doesn't seem to understand that parenthood is about more than monetary support. Tyler channels his frustrations into smoking, drinking, and random acts of violence, and eventually lands in jail after assaulting a police sergeant (Chris Cooper).

Tyler's seemingly aimless path turns in a new direction when he hits on the sergeant's daughter, Ally (Emilie de Ravin). Under the urging of his obnoxious roommate Aidan, Tyler schemes to seduce Ally and never call her again to get back at her father. Naturally, Tyler gets a lot more than he bargained for, and - surprise! - falls for Ally instead.

To see whether Ally and Tyler have more chemistry than Edward and Bella, just

The awkward courtship song-and-dance between Ally and Tyler is both entertaining and realistic. Just like Tyler, Ally has a lot of personality - she's independent and stubborn, but fragile at the same time. Unafraid to call Tyler on his issues but still supporting his rebellious decisions, they bond over family problems and personal quirks (and you know, some college puking). As their flirtation picks up steam and heads toward a real relationship, their chemistry is palpable and believable, but is quickly buried under Tyler's family issues.

Director Allen Coulter puts their romance on the back burner to shift back to Tyler's broken relationship with his father and nurturing one with his little sister, Caroline (Ruby Jerins). Tyler's connection with his precocious sister is what will pull on your heartstrings the most. As her tainted role model, he tries to give her the love and attention that their parents don't, while she lectures him on getting his life together. It's a sweetly authentic no-holds-barred relationship that even outshines Tyler's romance with Ally.

While the Hawkins family dynamic plays a huge part in the point the film is trying to make, it compromises the leg Remember Me tries to stand on as a love story. If the romance is underdeveloped, then the audience won't root for the couple as hard, which is exactly the position I found myself in.

As Tyler's story meanders into different territories, the film as a whole seems more emotionally manipulative than emotionally engaging. Instead of trying so hard to deliver a profound and poetic message about life and the consequences of death, I would have rather seen a focus on the simple yet satisfying love story. As a result, I left the theater feeling just as empty as Tyler does.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Sundance Snapshot: The Company Men

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:30:08 PST

One of the films I was most interested in checking out at Sundance was The Company Men. The timely tale, which focuses on three high-paid corporate executives slapped with downsizing at their company, boasts a stellar cast and is already drawing comparisons to Up in the Air. But does it have the potential to enjoy the same success?

Who's behind it? Like I said, there are some heavy hitters here: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, and Rosemarie DeWitt star in the film, with writer and first time director John Wells at the helm.
What's it about? Affleck, Jones, and Cooper play three colleagues who excel at their jobs and have plenty to show for it - big houses, fancy cars, privileged families living in the suburbs of Boston. Their cushy lifestyles are quickly brought into jeopardy, however, when massive layoffs begin at their company; the men are forced to re-examine themselves, their careers, and their family lives as they face unemployment and potentially losing everything they've been working for all their lives.

To find out what I thought of the movie, just

What did I think? The film gives an engaging, accurate portrayal of unemployment in the current economy. The juxtaposition of the three lives, families (and even their homes) ties the story together nicely, and all of the actors give very solid performances. However, there's just something that feels insincere about watching high-paid actors pretending to really understand what it feels like to lose everything. Perhaps the movie is a little too timely, since we all still know plenty of people who continue to struggle every day. That said, I still think the film is primed and ready to go for major release - but the real question is whether or not audiences are feeling up to another film about the depressing realities of the economic downturn.

Be sure to check out all of my Sundance movie reviews!

Movie Preview: Robert Pattinson in Remember Me

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:41:10 PST

A little Robert Pattinson overload never hurt anyone, but here's a break from all of his vampire stuff - the official trailer for Remember Me! Yesterday we took a peek at the first stills from the film, but here we get a much better taste for Pattinson's chemistry with Emilie de Ravin in the upcoming drama/romance. Pattinson plays Tyler, a broody but romantic college student who falls for the daughter of a cop (de Ravin). Pierce Brosnan also stars as Tyler's dad, while Chris Cooper plays the police officer who has an issue with Tyler's bad boy antics.

I was a bit skeptical about Pattinson's next film, but I have to admit that the movie looks intriguing despite a few cliches and a bit of cheesiness. It's nice to see Pattinson playing it straight in a more grownup role than the perpetual teenage vampire, and he and de Ravin have a fair amount of sweetness. It's enough to keep his fan base happy, that's for sure.

To see the trailer for yourself and tell me what you think, just

Rob Takes a Coffee Break While Emilie Kisses A New Costar

PopSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:24:06 PDT

It was just another day on the set of Remember Me for Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin, though this time they had a new costar to work with. They've already had their fair share of hot kissing scenes, but Emilie was caught locking lips with Chris Cooper as well. Rob's character may be a bit hurt, but off-screen the actor wouldn't have a problem finding a girl to cozy up to, especially since many of you think he should date a girl outside the acting world.

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Married Life: Original, Well-Acted But Low-Impact

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:30:07 PDT

There are a lot of things I like about Married Life, a character-driven dramedy starring some seriously heavy-hitting actors. It's incredibly dark, but ends on a sweet and uplifting note. The actors are phenomenal. The costumes and 1940s atmosphere easily sweep us away to a different time period when a night on the town was dancing, nightcaps and movie tickets purchased with a coin or two. Yet despite all the good points, there's a flimsiness to the movie that makes for a mostly forgettable experience.

The storytelling format of the film is a satisfying one: Richard Langley (Pierce Brosnan) narrates as though giving his confessional tell-all, with all the ruefulness of present-day wisdom as he casts his thoughtful glance backwards. He begins by telling us about his good friend Harry Allen (Chris Cooper), a stable, predictable man in a comfortable marriage with Pat (Patricia Clarkson). Soon, however, Harry quietly reveals to Richard that he wants to divorce Pat and marry his mistress, Kay (Rachel McAdams). Harry finds it important that Richard like Kay and he encourages Richard to spend time with Kay when he cannot, as a slightly paternal way of ensuring that Kay is cared for in his absence. This is problematic, however, when Richard falls in love with Kay as well. This triangle soon turns into more of a web, though, so

Being a sensitive guy who genuinely cares for his wife, Harry decides he would rather his wife die than have to live a miserable existence as a divorcee. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Harry plots his wife's murder, believing it will provide him with the peacefulness he needs to marry Kay. At the same time, Richard determinedly works on wooing Kay, and whittling down her loyalty to Harry. This sets up a frightening race against time: What if Kay decides she'd rather be with Richard - after Harry kills his wife? It sounds extraordinarily dark - and it is - but there's something very funny about this film the keeps it from becoming mired in real-life horror.

The movie's strengths lie in the high-quality performances by a talented cast. Yet, in many ways it feels like a stage play that's been videotaped, and I'm hard-pressed to figure out why, in fact, it was made into a movie instead of a play (besides the idea that more people will be able to see it if it's a film, but then again it has such a limited release, this may not prove true). The actors are superb, particularly Chris Cooper as the everyman having a moral meltdown, and Rachel McAdams, whose soft-spoken gentleness and natural beauty make it impossible to take your eyes off her. In many ways the film has all the trappings of a modern-day classic, and yet it falls flat. I was interested in the story as I watched it and then soon forgot all about it.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics