BuzzSugar

Schwimmer Puts Trust in Catherine Keener and Clive Owen

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:30:21 -0700

Behold, another project from a Friends alum: David Schwimmer will direct the upcoming film Trust, a drama about two parents dealing with the aftermath when their daughter becomes the target of an online sexual predator. Clive Owen and Catherine Keener will play the parents; newcomer Liana Liberato will star as their daughter.

This will be Schwimmer's second time in the director's chair, though the subject matter is a far cry from Run Fatboy Run. The plot sounds both intense and timely, and I have full faith that Keener and Owen will bring the required solid performances - especially after seeing Clive shine in a fatherly role in The Boys Are Back.

Are you glad that Clive is continuing to pick up deeper projects, or would you prefer he go back to playing the dark and mysterious guy we met in movies like Sin City? Be sure to check out my exclusive interview with Clive, and if you love Friends, explore the group dedicated to the show in the Buzz Community!

We Chat With Clive Owen, Video of Xavier's Vampire Transformation, and Christina Hendricks Weds Her Funny Man

Molly — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:14:52 -0700

Clive Owen hit the red carpet at the Mill Valley Film Festival in California on Friday, and we were able to chat with the handsome actor about his own parenting strategies. Plus, watch video of Eclipse star Xavier Samuel filming the pivotal scenes where he transforms into a vampire. And do you recognize Christina Hendricks's husband? We're here to jog your memory a bit about one of our favorite appearances from his past. Watch PopSugar Rush now!

Exclusive Buzz Interview: Clive Owen Dishes About His Latest Movie!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

I had the good fortune of interviewing Clive Owen on the red carpet at the Mill Valley Film Festival last Friday, where he was being honored with the award for excellence in cinema. I know what you're thinking, so let me start by saying that yes, the man is just as good looking in person. (Swoon).

But you know, I'm a professional, so I put away my schoolgirl giddiness and got down to the nitty-gritty of his current film, The Boys Are Back. I reviewed the movie last week and told you what a huge departure it is for the actor, so I asked Clive to explain himself (and a few other things).

On why he wanted to do such a sweet and sensitive film: It was a beautifully written script, really lovely script, very touching, very moving. It was a subject I hadn't really explored before in films. You know, parenting is a very big part of my life - I have two girls - but I've always considered it separate from making movies. I make movies and then I go home and I'm a dad. It was a script that beautifully explored parenting.

To see what else Clive had to say about his parenting style and what's next, just read more.

On if his parenting style is the same as his character's: [The character has] a very radical way of parenting. It never gets that bad with me, but it's based on a real memoir. [Author] Simon Carr, I think at the time he felt that he needed a radical approach, because him and his young six-year-old boy had just lost his mother, and it was kind of a reaction to that. It was like a drastic bonding exercise in a way, and he still says today that however irresponsible some of the parenting might have looked, the kid had some of the most joyful times of his life during that period.
On the challenges of working with kids for a change: The young Nicholas who is only six is a huge part of the film, and he's really good in the film. When you're working with a kid at that age, you can't be too prepared, because they're so immediate and raw and natural, you've got to go with them really.
On what's up for him next: I'm not 100% sure. There are a few things floating around, but I haven't confirmed anything really!

Come on, Clive, nothing lined up yet?! Please come back to the big screen soon!

The Boys Are Back: A Quiet Film With a Few Heart-Tugs

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:30:26 -0700

Has Clive Owen - a man who's best known for playing con artists, spies, and other brooding alpha males - gone soft? It appears so, and he's surprisingly good at it. In The Boys Are Back Owen plays Joe Warr, a recently widowed sports reporter raising two boys in the Australian wilderness. And thanks to his understated performance, what could've been an overwrought tearjerker worthy of a made-for-cable movie turns into something quietly moving.

Based on the memoir The Boys Are Back in Town by Simon Carr, the film opens with Joe driving on the beach with his son Artie. Did I mention Artie is sitting on the hood of the car with Joe at the wheel?! Parental guidelines haven't been a priority in the Warr household ever since Joe's wife passed away from cancer. Now, he has to explain her death to Artie, while his older son Harry from his first marriage moves into the house. Left to their own devices, the two boys play soccer in the hallway, zip line across the yard, and even defrost a chicken in the bathtub.

Typical parenting? Not so much. For more on the film, read more.

These moments of chaos are fun to watch and add levity to the heavier subject matter, but the movie really shines in the conversations that Joe has with his sons as he helps them grieve - Artie for his mother; Harry for a childhood void of a father. Neither boy really knows how to mourn his loss, but then again, neither does Joe. Instead, he relies on the parental guidance of his deceased wife in the form of visions and voice-overs to help rebuild his family. (This felt very heavy-handed to me, but luckily it was really the only part of the film that crossed over into overly contrived.)

Does it seem out of place to have man's man Owen pillow fight with a 6-year-old and shed tears? A bit. But because he almost seems uncomfortable with the sentimentality, he ends up playing the role with the light touch needed for the part.

The young actors who play his sons are brilliant, even at times stealing the spotlight right out from underneath him. (Not an easy feat when you act - and look - like Owen.) Their performances feel very real despite their ages, and they give us some of the film's most tender moments.

I also must mention the fourth character of the film: the Australian landscape. Oscar-winning director Scott Hicks (Shine) beautifully captures the countryside from sweeping fields to oceanside beaches strewn with rocks, and when paired with music by Icelandic group Sigur Ros, every frame feels almost like a sleepy dream.

All in all, The Boys Are Back is a nicely done portrait of the relationships between fathers and sons. It's not out to be a huge blockbuster, but if you appreciate a good character study kind of film, it's a solid choice for a subdued Saturday afternoon.

Photos courtesy of Miramax Films

Movie Preview: Clive Owen in The Boys Are Back

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:30:19 -0700

Feel like having a bit of a cry? No? Well, you may want to move along then, move along. Nothing to see here. Just Clive Owen's gorgeous eyes spilling over with tears. The trailer for The Boys Are Back just squeezes your heart with its poignancy, and yet, with Owen's dry wit it doesn't veer too far into super saccharine territory. Based on a true story, Owen plays a sports writer whose ex-wife dies suddenly, leaving him to raise his two sons, one of whom hasn't lived with him in years.

The part of the trailer when a kid jumps into a bathtub made me wince a little, but other than that it's very sweet. The Boys Are Back opens in limited release here in the States on Sept. 25. To see the preview, read more.

Duplicity: Stylish Spy Caper That's a Touch Too Calculating

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:00:55 -0700

It's hard to go wrong with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in a movie together. The two starred in Closer as a couple in a toxic marriage. This time around they play two corporate spies who are intoxicated with each other. The sexy part comes from the way they look (Owen is tan, Roberts is back with that big ol' movie star smile) and the fact that the characters' day jobs make it hard for them to trust each other, despite the longing between them.

I was expecting Duplicity to be the kind of movie at which I could kick back and enjoy the chemistry between the two stars. You know, the kind of movie in which double-crossing is just a spy's way of flirting, and covert operation lingo is laced with innuendo. I'm sad to report that's not the movie I viewed at all. I'll tell you why if you read more.

I've been intrigued by the idea of Tony Gilroy (the man responsible for the 2007 drama Michael Clayton and writer of the suspenseful Bourne movies) delivering a fun and sexy spy romp starring two of the world's most gorgeous people. I knew to expect a grown-up movie that respects my intelligence, though I was skeptical about how much lightheartedness Gilroy could bring to the screen.

Turns out my skepticism was valid, as I found that the romantic and comedic elements take a backseat to a complex storyline about the corporate spy organizations within pharmaceutical companies. It's all made even more tiresome by a complicated timeline (there are a lot of flashbacks). Instead of asking you to invest in the sexy leads, Gilroy asks the audience to just hang in there through every twist and turn of nonsense in return for a big reveal that will piece it all together for us in the end. Well, by the time I saw the big reveal, I was just glad the movie was over rather than blown away by the cleverness.

On the plus side, the movie looks gorgeous and is delightfully sophisticated. The opening slow-motion sequence on a tarmac is funny and stylized in a way that reminded me of the Oceans 11 movies. Julia and Clive are delightful in Rome and there's a particular moment in which he kisses her neck that satisfied the kind of airy seductiveness I was looking for. There's also a great little sequence with the hilarious Carrie Preston (of True Blood) that is truly alive with comedic timing and wit. But unfortunately, the fun stuff is weighed down by the overly serious corporate saga unfolding. I think the drama is supposed to give us some food for thought on top of the fun, but it's actually just a drag, and it's utterly useless as a parable.

Then there's the matter of Julia Roberts. It's amazing to see this famous siren of the screen back in action. She's all curves with decolletage proudly on display. She's glamorously dressed in European weekend-wear and expensive-looking heels and trench coats. She's middle-aged and it's such a blessing to see a real woman sexily strut her stuff up there on the big screen. But Roberts' performance is distractingly uneven. One moment her eyes are alive with intelligence and wit and the next it looks as though no one is home. When she laughs it's electric, but then other times she just looks drained of energy. It's a strange "comeback" to be sure, but hey, maybe it's just a warm up.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

The International: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bank?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:00:05 -0800

The International, starring Clive Owen as an Interpol operative tracking the shady dealings of a large bank, has as much going for it as it does working against it. It's not a bad movie, sprinkled as it is with scenes that are visually extraordinary, not to mention insanely entertaining. But it's not a good movie either, thanks to half-baked characterization and dialogue that had my audience howling with laughter (which I'm sure was unintended).

To see what I think works in this action-thriller and what fails miserably, read more.

Oh, Clive! I hate to talk badly about his projects, but I'm afraid his brooding, unshaven brute with a thirst for justice is a character that even the most talented actor would have a hard time getting an audience to take seriously. His character is given just a little bit of flimsy back story that is supposed to shed some light on why this guy is so violent and totally obsessed with nailing this big bank that murders anyone who threatens to reveal its corrupt ways. But an even flimsier reason is given for why Naomi Watts's character, New York Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, hops on board this chase for clues across Europe. These two characters are intense but empty - like a vacuum at the center of this movie.

So when the mysterious bank dealings are revealed to the audience and the drama hits its crescendo, it falls dreadfully flat. Both Watts and Owen give long, heartfelt speeches full of trite observations about the state of the globe, debt, justice - even socialism, for Pete's sake - but their personal revelations mean nothing to us because we've never invested in these hollow people.

The plot is also a little convoluted and never quite hits a cohesive narrative stride. Thankfully, I wasn't too bothered by that because all the odd pieces of the story take place in wonderfully scenic locales. From the cliffs of Italy to a rooftop bazaar in Istanbul, the aerial shots are fun to behold. The real reason to see this movie is a lengthy gun fight scene that takes place in a re-created version of New York's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum. It's pretty awesome. In fact, I'm telling my friends to wait for this movie to come out on DVD and fast-forward to that scene.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Separated at Birth: Clive Owen Intrigue Movies

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:30:59 -0800

This weekend the Clive Owen movie The International will debut in theaters. Aside from some key differences, this movie looks a bit like another Clive Owen movie that will be out in March titled Duplicity. Both appear to deal with large international corporations and potentially involve espionage. Both also see Clive in many suits without ties, and both pair Clive with an A-list female costar. But which Clive movie is which? Should you see both? After the jump I have a pretty little chart that breaks down some of the differences between both upcoming Clive movies so you'll be able to make an educated decision. To see my "separated at birth" chart, just read more.

	The International	Duplicity
Costar	Naomi Watts	Julia Roberts
Release Date	Feb. 13	March 20
Vibe	Serious thriller with a lot of action sequences, plot may require brain power	Cheeky spy movie in which con job serves as reason for main characters to flirt
How Do You Prefer Your Clive?	Disheveled, unshaven, using guns, slightly emotionally withdrawn, intense	Clean cut, witty, puppy dog eyes, flirtatious
Corporation at the Center of the Plot	A large international bank	Two large corporations that make stuff
Potential for Clive Love Scene	Low. Most likely a kiss near the end.	Very high. The trailer reveals his shirtlessness.
You Should See if You:	Enjoy movies written and/or directed by Tony Gilroy like Michael Clayton	Are able to erase the memory of Clive and Julia's dysfunctional characters in Closer from your mind

The International one-sheet courtesy of Sony Pictures and Source

Movie Preview: The International

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:30:49 -0800

In the trailer for Clive Owen's new movie The International, there's lots of heart-pounding music and stressed out characters, and yet I failed to feel the excitement while viewing it. There's a lot going on and everyone's saying cryptic things about a bank, and I'm just not totally intrigued.

On the other hand: Yay, Clive Owen! He's so handsome and Naomi Watts is a great costar for him. Also, trailers can sometimes muck things up when trying to convey genuine suspense in think-y, talk-y, action-y movies like this so in the end, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

To check it out for yourself, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Buzz News Roundup, 12/24

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:00:10 -0800

Clive Owen is in talks to star in a movie titled Cartagena as an undercover agent amid Colombian drug cartels. - Hollywood Reporter
The Screen Actors Guild has delayed a vote that could call for a strike until at least Jan. 14. - The New York Times
Tina Fey has been voted the AP's entertainer of the year. - AP
America's Best Dance Crew will return to MTV on Jan. 15 for season three. - The Futon Critic
Citing "cultural sensitivities," Warner Bros. has decided not to release The Dark Knight in China. - Variety
Dexter co-star Lauren Velez has been cast for multiple episodes on Ugly Betty, but the details of her character might be spoilery. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kelly Clarkson's new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," will hit U.S. radio outlets Jan. 19. - Billboard
HBO has picked up a series based on the documentary Cocaine Cowboys, to be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. - Zap2it

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