BuzzSugar

Board Games Make Great Movies?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:30:00 -0700

Many of us can agree the game of Clue lends itself rather well to film - it is a character-driven murder mystery, after all. Yet now there's a rumor circulating that Monopoly may be made into a movie, which just confuses me. I was pretty bored by that game as a kid, so there would have to be a compelling plot line included for a movie based on a game about real estate.

It got me thinking about just how ridiculous this board game-turned-movie thing could become. What other board games could be brought to the big screen?

Well, I had a few ideas for Hollywood to mull over:

Chutes and Ladders
A harrowing tale of firefighters in peril.

Pictionary
A drama following a tortured artist who loses the power of speech. (Side note: The Pictionary variation with clay ensures a sequel.)

Girl Talk
Like Heathers meets The Craft: Witchy, cliquey teenage girls who can give each other pimples and moral dilemmas, etc.

Candyland
A sobering documentary tracking childhood obesity in the United States. Kiefer Sutherland narrates.

More genius ideas, so read more

Life
A thriller set in seemingly idyllic suburbia.

Battleship
A big-budget action-war movie. Tommy Lee Jones stars.

Sorry!
A story of bitter betrayal and revenge, in the style of Merchant-Ivory films.

Scrabble
A gentle tale of a geriatric friendship based on two characters' abnormally advanced vocabulary. Olympia Dukakis and James Cromwell play the leads.

Operation
A medical drama set in a world where one surgical slip-up has "grave" results.

The Results Are In: Recast Clue

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:28:57 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

It was a lot of fun checking out the recast lists you all submitted for Clue since it's a cast full of varied, interesting and funny people - this may be because it was based on a game that features so many colorful characters. Many of the actors you picked were spot-on, like Saaralynne and yiddidea's pick of Eddie Izzard as Wadsworth, which is pretty much perfect. I also loved redsnapper’s pick of Larry David as Mr. Green and Tiatia's decision to put Kiefer Sutherland in the role of Colonel Mustard. Brilliant!

Altogether, though, I was most excited about JessNess' recast list, so congratulations, JessNess!

To see who JessNess picked and a new cast photo, read more

JessNess' cast:
Wadsworth - Hugh Laurie
Mrs. White - Helen Mirren
Mrs. Peacock - Amy Poehler
Prof. Plum - Rowan Atkinson
Mr. Green - Rainn Wilson
Col. Mustard - Steve Carell
Miss Scarlet - Monica Bellucci

Recast Clue and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:25:32 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

There have been so many fantastic recast challenge ideas submitted by you (and keep 'em coming if you have more ideas!), and when I saw WhiplashGirlchild's suggestion for the 1985 movie Clue, I was thrilled, since I've been dying to recast this one.

Everyone has a motive and an arsenal of great lines in this whodunit, and the cast managed to give depth to a movie based on a board game. Madeline Kahn is outstanding as "mourning" widow Mrs. White, and Tim Curry oozes as the overly gracious butler. With such great archetypes - from sultry Miss Scarlet to the mousy Mr. Green - it would be fun to see this movie recast with modern actors. Who would you choose?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, June 19, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Characters to recast:
Wadsworth (Tim Curry)
Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn)
Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan)
Prof. Plum (Christopher Lloyd)
Mr. Green (Michael McKean)
Col. Mustard (Martin Mull)
Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Source

The Office, "Murder": Best Lines of the Night and Video!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Well, I do declare! This week's The Office was silly good fun. Distraught over rumors of bankruptcy, Michael suggests that the employees engage in a murder mystery game called Belles, Bourbon and Bullets to keep their spirits up. Pam's recent bad attitude seems to lift as she gets into character, and Andy uses the opportunity to ask Erin on a date. (I can't wait for when those two finally hook up!)

Ready to take a look at some of my favorite quips from the episode (and share your own in the comments)?

Jim: "With all due respect to everyone here, I think the most worthy opponent of you is you."
Dwight: "That is correct. Unless there happen to be measles present."
How awesomely ridiculous is the opening scene where Dwight tries to fight himself during his own karate instructional?! That right there is why Rainn Wilson gets nominated for Emmys.

For more funny lines, plus a video of the Clue-like antics, read more.

"Your feelings journal? You told me to put it in the time capsule."-Erin
Check out Erin delivering yet another great quote this week! I'm curious to see what the writers do with her character, especially now that they're setting up this will-they-or-won't-they thing with Andy that's slightly reminiscent of another Office couple.

"You can all have jobs at Schrute farms as human scarecrows. It doesn't pay much, and you can't unionize."-Dwight
Leave it to Dwight to concoct a plan when news of the company's money loss hits the Scranton branch.

"Operation got me through my vasectomy, i.e. my operation. I don't think I would've been able to endure my breakup with Holly had it not been for Toss Across."-Michael
Michael explains his use of board games as a coping mechanism to Jim, but my favorite part is when he plays "Lullaby" by Sean Mullins on his computer to wallow in his sadness. Anyone else remember that song? Love the '90s nostalgia!

Kevin: "Now do the Swedish Chef."
Andy: "I'm not familiar, what province is he from?"
Kevin: "He lives on Sesame Street, dumbass."
Andy does such a good job with his Savannah accent using his "molasses" technique that oddball Kevin asks him to talk like the Swedish Chef from Sesame Street. But I have to mention Creed -I was dying when he shows up to the office, hears about the "murder," and speeds off in his car! Also, kudos to the crime scene with Meredith and to Oscar for putting on the strangest accent I have ever heard. Check him out in this video:

"Today is the hardest I have worked in a long, long time."-Michael
Sad thing is, Michael's probably telling the truth.

So what's your assessment of the evening? It sounds like there are tough times ahead for everyone, since David Wallace says the company will be out of money by the end of the year. What do you think will happen? My hopes are that Michael and Dwight will cook up some solution that doesn't involve scarecrows. And what do you make of the Erin and Andy romance - do you want to see it happen?

Don't forget that you can discuss the episode in full over at The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community! Here are two words to get you started: Tube city.

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC

An Open Letter to Breaking Dawn's Screenwriter

Buzz Community — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:30:00 -0800

This post comes from the group The Books of Twilight from member Audreystar.

Dear Ms. Rosenberg,

First let me say that I thought you did an impeccable job at screenwriting Twilight from Stephenie Meyer's novel. From what I can see you did a great job on New Moon as well. I can only assume that Eclipse will be no different. You have proven yourself a competent and talented screenwriter. Hell, you write episodes of Dexter for goodness sake! Your ability is not in question.

I am here to discuss Breaking Dawn. This will be the ultimate test of your career. If you can manage to pull a workable movie out of that piece of literature you should (hands down) win the Academy Award in screenwriting. Everyone seems to be wondering who will be chosen to direct Breaking Dawn because they believe that is (ultimately) the person who will sink or swim in making a film work on the last book. I beg to differ. This all lies with you and that is quite a big burden to bear. The world is on your shoulders. The movie will make a ton of money so Summit can't be THAT concerned with the script. But I know you aren't a writer to please all the people who will watch anything with Robert Pattinson in it. You actually care about putting out quality work.

To read the rest of the letter (WARNING: Breaking Dawn spoilers ahead!), just .

So here are my questions. How are you honestly going to manage to write the birth scene and still maintain a PG-13 rating? How are you going to write for Renesmee and her not look like a freak of nature? Regarding Renesmee, the hardest challenge will be for the casting directors/CGI geniuses. They have a daunting and hard and impossible job. The honeymoon scene is what everyone will be flocking to the cinema to see (the rabid fans I mean) and I am sure Mrs. Prude Meyer will be ALL OVER the writing and filming of that. Look I know she didn't write the books for a mature audience and is trying to keep it morally sound. But this is the last movie and we have to have more than just a fade to black. But I know it won't happen because SM wouldn't even let the first kiss scene stay the way Catherine had it (i.e., steamy). I find it rather hypocritical that SM has an issue with a tasteful sex scene however has ZERO problem with blood and gore which Breaking Dawn the novel is filled to the brim with. You want to see Edward and Bella consummate their relationship. . . sorry, you aren't gonna get it. But if you are excited to see Edward rip Bella's belly open with his sharp vampire teeth, well you are in luck.

And don't even get me started on how you are going to work out the awful anti-climatic ending. This is going to be the last film in the series and as a talented screenwriter you know you can't end it that way. Sure, if this were an indie film you could get away with it. But, it isn't.

So in conclusion, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers while dealing with this huge predicament and the test of your career. You will deserve a Pulitzer if you can pull this off.

Best regards,
Audreystar

(Please note: I have no clue if she has even been signed as the screenwriter for the fourth film).

There's lots of fun stuff going on in our community - join it, check it out, share your stories and posts in the great groups and maybe we'll feature them here on BuzzSugar!

FlashForward Breakdown, "Gimme Some Truth"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:30:56 -0700

This week's episode of FlashForward was a bit blah for me. The plot made a teeny bit of headway, but now that we're four episodes deep, I was hoping things would pick up a bit this week. Instead, the FBI agents head to DC to score funding for the Mosaic investigation - using any methods necessary.

There's still plenty to discuss, so to get going just read more.

Flash backward: We do get a bit more insight into Stan Wedeck's life before LA. Apparently he lived in DC and was the right hand man to the guy who eventually becomes the president. When they meet again (in the Oval Office, no less), the president offers Stan a job as the Director of Homeland Security. Instead, Stan blackmails the president into providing the necessary funding for the Mosaic investigation.

Who's your daddy? A few weeks ago, that creepy Nazi Guyer implies that Janis is a lesbian, and it turns out to be true. Janis makes a connection with Maya, a chef she meets in karate class. Unfortunately their courtship is cut short when Maya "mosaics" Janis (it's even better than google stalking) and wants to know if the pregnancy means Janis swings both ways. Janis gets flustered and calls the whole thing off, but right now she's got bigger problems - at the end of the episode she gets shot just as Mark and Demetri do on the other side of the country. Now that my theory about Demetri being the baby daddy is out the window, what are your theories? It seems too easy to hope that she and Maya get back together and work something out, but I'm also afraid to consider a darker alternative, like rape.

Drowning in lies: Mark's alcoholism plays a big role in this week's episode. First, Olivia overhears Aaron advising that Mark attend a meeting, and later she reveals that Mark has a tendency to fall off the wagon when he's away from home. When Mark is put in the hot seat about his flashforward, he dances around the reason why his vision is a little fuzzy, and Senator Clemente uses his fumble as a reason why the Mosaic investigation doesn't deserve funding. Eventually Mark confesses to Stan that he's drunk in his flashforward, and someone tells Olivia like two minutes later. I'm glad Olivia finally knows and that it's out in the open a bit more, but who sold Mark down the river so quickly? And why? Was it someone who overheard the conversation or is one of Mark's fellow agents a rat?

Other major plot points:

The agents get another clue about the dead crows in Somalia when they discover a group of asphalt structures that were built just months before the 1990 blackout.

Now that the FBI agents are officially being targeted, how long can Demetri (and everyone else) avoid death?

What'd you think of this week's episode? Are you starting to waver in your love? Luckily, it seems like next week's episode may pick up, but for now, sound off in the comments!

FlashForward Breakdown, "137 Sekunden"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:00:46 -0700

This week's episode of FlashForward isn't exactly action-packed, but we do finally meet a few significant others - including Demetri's fiancee, Zoe - and get a bit more character insight and some clues about the blackout. Not to mention the introduction of one creepy former Nazi.

It wasn't my favorite of the first three episodes, but this show is still keeping me on the edge of my seat. Would ABC just pick up the full season already? To break it all down, just read more.

Did Mark and Janis get played?
The focal point of this week's episode is wrapped up in Guyer, a former Nazi who's imprisoned in Germany but sees his flashforward as a bargaining chip for freedom. When Mark hears that he makes an appearance in Guyer's vision, he and Janis soon square off about whether or not his "information" is worth setting a Nazi free. In the end, Guyer's biggest revelation is that the crows seem to have blacked out and died at the same time as the human race did. Janis and Mark are disappointed at first, until Mark realizes that this isn't the first time crows have "blacked out." Last week there was talk of pigeons, now crows. Could the mysterious blackouts be all wrapped up in birds?
Did Zoe really see Demetri in her flashforward?
Yay! This week we finally get to meet Demetri's fiancee, Zoe (Gabrielle Union). Am I the only one who is loving the couples on this show? Mark and Olivia are often very sweet together, but I'm also digging Demetri and Zoe's younger love. When Zoe describes her wedding day flashforward to Demetri, she seems totally confident that he is there - but does she actually see him, or just assume as much? While some of the other visions seem hard to believe given the six-month interim period (Olivia sleeps with a new man, boyfriend-less Janis is already pregnant) - this one takes the cake for me. If Demetri is really murdered, could his fiancee recover and find a new man to wed that quickly? I'm banking on the glimmer of hope that this means Demetri can overturn his fate.
Is Tracy alive or not?
Determined to get to the bottom of the veracity of his flashforward, Aaron pays a visit to his ex-wife, hoping to get her permission to exhume their daughter's body for DNA. We see that Aaron's not the only one who's been deeply impacted by his daughter's death, though Katie still refuses to sign the affidavit. Eventually, Aaron gets around it and has Demetri dig up the body - though the DNA is a match, meaning that Tracy really is dead. So, is Aaron lying or is it possible that his vision may not come true after all? I'm wondering if this could be a sign that some of the flashforwards come true and others don't? Though, I have a feeling that we'll still see Aaron heading to Afghanistan sometime soon.

Other points:

Nicole the babysitter is still MIA (perhaps spending some time in that other life of hers). I'm dying to know what she saw, so hopefully she comes back soon.

Um, isn't Dominic Monaghan supposed to be on the show? Let's add him to the list of people we want to see next week.

If all the crows die in the flashforward, what about the other animals? Is there going to be a tie-in to that kangaroo we saw hopping around?

Is Demetri going to report Jerome Murphy and his bong-hitting ways? I totally would!

So are you still lovin' FlashForward, or are you losing interest? Which of the visions are you most curious about?

90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:38:15 -0700

This week brought us another double whammy of 90210 and Melrose Place. I honestly didn't go into the evening with high expectations - between last week's sexting episode and sibling baddie Jen, I figured both shows would take a breather this time 'round. And they nearly did. However, even though there may not have any murders or nude photos, we still got a few I-can't-believe-they-did-that moments.

90210 won last week's faceoff - could Melrose take it this time? Help me determine which show was more racy (warning: spoilers!) when you read more.

90210 point: The Naomi-Annie war continues. Naomi denies that she ever saw Annie's topless photo prior to the public text message; Annie counteracts by roping in Liam and lying, telling Naomi that they did have sex after all. Annie also throws in her face how every guy she's been with likes her more. Ouch.
Melrose Place counterpoint: We get lots of flashbacks between Sydney and Michael, and just how much dirt she had on him, including her threatening to expose their affair and his involvement in her faux death. Hmm . . . was that enough reason to kill the woman?

90210 point: I thought new preppy Teddy was just a boring nice guy, but drama is a brewin'. Last night, he made nice with Navid on the yacht - and then two seconds later, he tried to hit on Adrianna.
MP counterpoint: Riley doesn't tell her parents or friends that she's engaged, and then after a good wine buzz, she kisses Auggie. Huh?! I guess I saw this coming - Jonah and Riley couldn't be cute and happy for more than four episodes - but I was still sort of surprised.

90210 point: Dixon's head is getting seriously big - what's with his hipster getups? - and he dates an older woman who has no clue about his age. (Wasn't she curious why all of his friends looked 17? Come on.) In an extreme move to keep up the lie, he "borrows" Navid's Lamborghini . . . and ends up in Napa.
MP counterpoint: Violet may be even more bat-crazy than we thought. This time, she breaks into Sydney's apartment, tries on her clothes, and steals one of her dresses to seduce Auggie. I believe the Greeks have a term for this.

90210 point: Looks like Kelly and Principal Wilson may be starting up a secret romance. She sends him a text at the end of the episode, which he hides from his wife, and he suggests getting lunch together.
MP counterpoint: Taryn Manning cameos as a pop star in a weird costume that looked like a robot-alien hybrid. Not necessarily scandalous, but still pretty friggin' weird.

All right, so this is a tough competition, but I'm going to have to call it a tie. Usually I would say that Dixon and Annie gave 90210 the upper hand this week, but Silver made a surprisingly mature move with Dixon's new gal pal, thereby bringing the shows to a neck-and-neck finish. I also have a total new appreciation for Silver now. Over on Melrose, I was thrilled to see the old character interaction in flashbacks (and a preview of Jane's return next week!), but wonder if that's just me, since I watched the old show. Were new viewers bored by that?

What do you think of last night's episodes? Anything in particular that made your jaw drop?

Photos courtesy of The CW