BuzzSugar

Public Enemies: Depp Shines Through a Shower of Bullets

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:30:31 -0700

The reason to see Public Enemies is the same as the reason to see any Johnny Depp movie: Johnny Depp. The story is engaging enough - there's plenty of sputtering machine gun shoot-outs and exciting escape plans and dashes of romance - but the actual enjoyment of watching this movie comes from Johnny Depp in a role he's naturally gifted at playing: the dark, mysterious rebel.

Depp plays John Dillinger, a bank robber who has gained a certain celebrity status with the public. His charm and calm cleverness have made him and his gang quite rich and have kept him from being permanently captured. Soon, however, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) focuses his attention on Dillinger, his "Public Enemy No. 1." Hoping to use Dillinger's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force, Hoover puts his dashing agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) on the case. The majority of the movie is a back-and-forth dance with Purvis pursuing Dillinger and Dillinger eluding Purvis's grasp. Consistently thwarted by the sly criminal, Purvis's desperation to catch Dillinger leads to some extreme measures. Violence, gunfire, and bloodshed ensue as Purvis and his team start to close in on their enemy. For more of my thoughts on the movie, read more.

It's mind-boggling to see how relatively easy it is for Dillinger and his gang to pull off these crimes. In our era of constant surveillance and advanced technology, these guys wouldn't get three feet without someone snapping a picture or video with a camera phone. The movie is set during a more trusting time period, and one that is - for better or worse - far behind us. At the same time, we may have more in common with that era than we think. As we experience a recession, we watch a story in which the protagonist robs banks in the midst of the Great Depression - should we be rooting for this guy? Depp makes us want to, that's for sure, but what with all the bloodshed, it's hard to always think that what Dillinger's doing is cool. Public Enemies actually makes us think about this stuff, and making us think is more than most of the big Summer movies can boast.

The movie also features good performances by an impressive cast, with Marion Cotillard standing out as Dillinger's lady love, Billie Frechette. She is perfectly paired with Depp, her bright eyes and lively charisma nicely complementing Depp's dark and intense steadiness. The two make a sexy duo and their scenes together are some of my favorite of the whole movie. They're both soulful actors, interested more in substance than style. Some scenes that don't include either of these actors are all shiny cars, slicked-back hair, and terrible accents, making me yearn for Depp or Cotillard to be back on screen.

The actual filmmaking, however, made me queasy. I know Michael Mann is an intense director but I hate the herky-jerky camerawork and the random close-ups on things in this movie. The other distracting element is the actors' makeup, their faces clay-like, their lips bright pink. It's hard to become immersed in this world when the streaks of blush constantly remind us that this is all make-believe. But aside from these things, the film overall is an intriguing thrill-ride with a little bit of heart and the sharp, intelligent Johnny Depp leading us through it.

Photos courtesy of Universal Studios

Amy Adams Joins Wahlberg and Bale in The Fighter

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:30:58 -0700

Now that the filmmakers have finally settled on the two male leads for The Fighter, a lady love has been cast. The endearing Amy Adams will join Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in the story about a famed Massachusetts boxer. Based on a true story, Wahlberg will play "Irish" Mickey Ward and Bale will play Ward's "trainer-brother" Dick Eklund, and the movie will follow "their early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Mass., through Eklund's battle with drugs and Ward's eventual world championship in London."

Amy Adams will take on the role of Charlene, "a tough, gritty bartender and former college high-jumper from Massachusetts who ends up dating Mickey." After playing so many cheerful, bright-eyed characters (ditzy Leslie Miller in Drop Dead Gorgeous, sweet Ashley in Junebug, optimistic Giselle in Enchanted, carefree Delysia in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - and even the innocent Sister James in Doubt), I'm curious to see what Adams' "tough, gritty" character is like. Before this, however, we'll get yet another Adams fix when she appears this August with Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia.

John Connor vs. Bruce Wayne: Which Blockbustin' Bale Is Better?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:30:28 -0700

Now that Christian Bale has lit up the big screen for another Summer blockbuster in Terminator Salvation, tell me: How do you like your Bale? As the gravel-voiced Bruce Wayne of the Batman movies? Or as the intense leader, John Connor, in a futuristic Terminator world?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Terminator Salvation: Why So Serious?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:30:27 -0700

I remember being awed by James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day when I first saw it in theaters. I was young, but I knew even then that this was the kind of blockbuster that only comes around once in a while. It had heart-stopping action sequences, and parts were genuinely terrifying. I was drawn in by a charismatic, wisecracking teenager named John Connor, who would grow up to become a powerful post-apocalyptic leader of the human race. And the best part was the funny and touching relationship young Connor developed with the Austrian-accented Terminator sent to save him from the future.

Now, here comes director McG, reviving the franchise with Terminator Salvation by taking us into the nightmarish future that previous movies only hinted at. The year is 2018, and Skynet, an evil computer robot dictator, has bombed up the earth. Only a small population of humans has survived. Large and in charge is none other than John Connor, all grown up and looking like Christian Bale. In fact, grown-up Connor sounds just like Bale's other famous Summer movie character, Batman. And like Bale's Batman, his Connor is very serious - because, you know, these are serious times. But this movie would have been a lot more entertaining if both McG and Bale had lightened up a bit. To see why, read more.

The movie actually opens in 2003, where we meet Marcus Wright (played by newcomer Sam Worthington), who is a murderer on death row. He donates his body to science, and before we know it he's emerging muddy from a pile of futuristic rubbish without a clue as to what's gone down. Wright might be human, he might not be, and that's the question that haunts him throughout the movie. Worthington is a godsend in the role, and he manages to infuse his brutish, indestructible character with some humanity.

Things get interesting when Wright bumps into a young teenager named Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) - who, we know from previous movies, will become John Connor's father. Some time in the future (even beyond 2018), Reese will travel back in time to impregnate Connor's mom, Sarah (Linda Hamilton, whose voice appears in the movie).

The timeline gets even more mind-blowing when Connor realizes that a teenager out there is his dad and Skynet is working on killing him. I kept thinking, "If Skynet kills Reese does Connor go poof right now?" A big disappointment, though, is that Reese isn't, like his son was once upon a time, more of a smartass. There is so much opportunity in this story to give Wright and Reese some fun dialogue, but alas, they don't say much to each other and spend most of the movie running from a wide variety of incredibly loud robots.

Overall, dialogue is the big thing missing from this movie. There are impressive action sequences galore, but no one really talks. And the talking that is there is earnest but somehow empty. McG and his team don't bother digging into - and having fun with - the lore that Cameron created, and it feels like a missed opportunity. Also, while everything is open to interpretation, I would have thought more effort would have been made to preserve the original tone. Edward Furlong established John Connor as a scrappy and unlikely hero with a wicked sense of humor. Christian Bale is humorless, dour, and void of human emotion. In other words, he's robotic - and the movie follows his course. In the end, it's hard to figure out which robot you want to win.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

How Well Do You Know Christian Bale?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:50:28 -0700

Christian Bale has been making movies for decades and he's only 35 years old! He successfully made the transition from child actor to respected thespian and has even become a bona fide blockbuster star. He found his way into my heart as a Newsie, and then even more so as a "swing kid," and by the time he played Laurie in Little Women I was a goner. I try to remember what a talented guy he is even in the midst of controversy. Now in honor of his leading role in Terminator Salvation, I thought I'd test your knowledge of the one and only Christian Bale.

Source

Take the quiz

Which Pairing For The Fighter Is the Best?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:30:53 -0700

Over two years ago, there was news that Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon would star together in The Fighter, a drama about "Boston fighter 'Irish' Mickey Ward [Wahlberg] and how he was helped to the world lightweight championship by half-brother Dicky Eklund" (Damon).

Then, about seven months later, Matt Damon dropped out of the project and Brad Pitt was in talks to take his place in the role of Dicky.

Now Pitt's out of the picture and Christian Bale is joining the cast as Dicky (and the movie will be directed by David O. Russell).

Bale and Wahlberg make a nice-looking duo - but then again, so did Pitt and Wahlberg, and Damon and Wahlberg. Which pairing do you think is the best of these three?

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Buzz News Roundup, 4/6

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:30:21 -0700

Johnny Depp will lend his voice to SpongeBob SquarePants for the episode "SpongeBob vs. the Big One," premiering Friday, April 17. - Zap2It
Carrie Underwood was named Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday. - TV.com
Two months before it's even in theaters, there's news of a sequel to The Hangover. - Variety
The CW will air two reality shows, Hitched or Ditched and Blond Charity Mafia, this Summer. - TV Week
Christian Bale is reportedly joining Mark Wahlberg in the thriller Prisoners. - ComingSoon
Peter Gallagher and Diane Farr are joining Kathleen Turner as guest stars in the next season of Californication. - The Futon Critic
The Lost finale twist has its code name: "The Fork in the Outlet." - TV Guide
Christina Ricci has signed on for Adam Sandler's porn comedy Born to Be a Star. - The Hollywood Reporter
A new Michael Crichton novel will be released posthumously this Fall, with another to follow next year. - AP

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Movie Preview: Public Enemies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:30:31 -0800

Stuff that we probably could have predicted about the trailer for Michael Mann's gangster movie, Public Enemies: This film will be intense, Johnny Depp is an awesome actor, and this cast overall is absolutely gorgeous (Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard? Yes, please). Michael Mann has proven that he works quite well with crime/action movies and Public Enemies is, of course, all crime and a lot of action. The trailer alone got my blood pumping.

As the story description goes, "the Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s." Depp plays Dillinger, Channing Tatum is Pretty Boy Floyd and Stephen Graham plays Baby Face Nelson. Bale plays top FBI agent Melvin Purvis while Cotillard is Dillinger's lady, Billie Frechette.

Public Enemies opens July 1. Though the story is dark, something about this trailer just makes me grin. You can check it out and tell me what you think if you read more.

Photo courtesy of Universal Studios

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:30:09 -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. In addition to my picks below, you can also bring home the complete series of The Wire (one of my must haves for the month) as well as Deadwood in its entirety.

The Dark Knight
Oh my gosh, I kind of can't believe this movie is finally out on DVD and available to watch whenever I feel like it. Having loved it on the big screen (especially for Heath Ledger's mesmerizing - and bittersweet - performance), I definitely want to own The Dark Knight for myself.

As you'd expect, the special features are, as the kids say, off the hook. Among other things, they include a look at how director Christopher Nolan and his team developed the new Bat-Suit and the Bat-pod, and a chat with composer Hans Zimmer on musically characterizing the Joker's reign of chaos.

Two more up next, so read more.

Horton Hears a Who
I almost forgot about what a box office success the adorable animated family flick Horton Hears a Who was at the start of the year. I really loved this movie, and I actually think it's a worthy adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss story. Part of what makes it so cute are the actors voicing the characters, including Jim Carrey as Horton the elephant, Steve Carell as the Mayor of Whoville, and Seth Rogen as Horton's dopey sidekick, Morton.

Special features include commentary by directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, an all-new Ice Age Short: Surviving Sid, deleted footage, and animation screen tests.

Lost: Season Four
OK you lollygaggers, the fifth season of Lost doesn't start until next year (a.k.a. January, I still love that joke) so you've got time to catch up on the series if you fell behind in '08. The fourth season of the hit series was, in my humble opinion, an improvement over the third.

Special features include one of the funniest featurette titles I've read in awhile, "The Right to Bear Arms - Check out the guns of Lost, and find out what it's like working with so much firepower." Additionally, there is one called "The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies," which is described as a "controversial underground documentary questioning the survivors of Oceanic 815."

The Dark Knight to Get Another Round in Theaters, January '09

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:31:31 -0700

Even though The Dark Knight has gone above and beyond the line of duty at the box office, earning an estimated $512 million domestically, Warner Bros. has announced it will get a re-release in January 2009. The Hollywood Reporter notes:

Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman acknowledged ongoing talks with IMAX execs over the prospect of restoring the Christian Bale starrer to some giant-screen venues in January. It's uncertain if Dark Knight also will reappear in conventional venues at that point.

January, eh? Also known as: Oscar season!

So, what do you think? Over-hyped and political? Or yay? The DVD will already be out in December, though I still haven't seen The Dark Knight in an IMAX theater as many times as I'd like, so this might be fun come the new year. Also, a re-release could certainly help the movie beat Titanic as the biggest earner ever.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.