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Disney's A Christmas Carol: A Fun New Spin on an Old Favorite

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:00 -0800

Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is, quite literally, a tale as old as time. Hollywood has already turned the novel into countless films, so how do you keep it fresh to entertain old and young audiences alike? You give them a pair of 3-D glasses.

I was a bit skeptical about Disney's newest remake of the flick, even with the super stylized animation and all-star cast behind the voices. But once you put on those glasses, you'll be oohing and aahing right along with the kids, making the film a fun ride. It doesn't tug on the heartstrings the way other versions can, but it's not devoid of emotion either. To see what I mean, just read more.

Robert Zemeckis brings the story we already know and love; old Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Jim Carrey) defines miserly and crotchety, spending his days counting his pennies and bitterly snapping at those around him. On one particularly Christmas Eve, he his haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley. Sporting chains and a ghastly demeanor, Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer the same miserable fate if he doesn't take heed of three spirits who will visit him over the course of the night.

The film stays very true to Dickens's short novel, borrowing much of the text straight from the book and incorporating some of the darker elements that I hadn't seen before in versions designed for kids. That said, I still feel like some of the scenes waver on the side of being too scary. Marley's introduction with the chains is frightening but funny, whereas the progression of the ghost of Christmas present to the ghost of Christmas future (complete with full decay from giant to skeleton) probably would have given me nightmares when I was younger.

The special effects are all you could want and more; the 3-D pulls you right in, carrying you along with Scrooge as he flies overhead in his nightgown (and later spits in your face). You're in the midst of Victorian England at Christmas time, from the snowstorms to the festive music. It's dazzling - until you hit the emotional stuff.

The tale is one with a great big heart, but the actors can only go so far using their voices alone. In the most sentimental scenes, I found myself just wishing I could see the big name actors (which includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Robin Wright Penn) gazing into each other's eyes pointedly. Instead, it feels a bit like watching two mannequins standing face to face. Still, you're never bored for long, and there's always another thrill waiting at every turn.

In the end, Disney accomplishes its goal, producing a film that looks amazing and will entertain kids and adults alike. It may not be the best version of the tale to date, but it will leave you feeling plenty merry on your way out of the theater.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Movie Preview: Colin Firth in A Single Man

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:39:22 -0700

When was the last time you were transfixed by a preview completely without dialogue? The trailer for the 1960s-set A Single Man instead relies on its visual strength, which it has in spades - not a complete surprise considering this is designer Tom Ford's directorial debut (and word is they have Mad Men's production design group).

Based on the Christopher Isherwood novel of the same name, A Single Man focuses on the unraveling of a man (Firth) after his partner dies. The trailer is filled with beauty and beauties in pain - watch for Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin and Lee Pace in the moody clip. I'm very curious about this movie, if only to see how fashion force Ford handles himself in this entirely different medium. His aesthetic is very sensual, which I hope translates to the screen. And I'd see nearly anything Coiln Firth is in.

To watch the trailer, just read more.

A Single Man opens November 30.

Movie Preview: Dorian Gray

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:30:51 -0700

After An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, director Oliver Parker has taken on a third Oscar Wilde work: an adaptation of Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The spooky story follows Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes), a handsome young man who becomes the subject of a painting. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth) who encourages Dorian to live a more hedonistic lifestyle, and soon Dorian wishes that he could remain youthful forever and that the painting of him would age instead. Strangely, Dorian's wish comes true and he delves deeper into a corrupt world - but each of his dark deeds is portrayed as a disfigurement or deterioration of the Dorian-in-the-painting, reminding Dorian that his soul is marred even if his physical appearance is not.

I remember reading the book years ago so I know that the source material in itself is very, very creepy, but seeing it played out on film seriously intensifies the creepiness. In looking for an eerie experience, I think I'd watch this movie over going to a Saw-themed haunted house any day.

Dorian Gray will receive its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival and will open in the UK on Sept. 9. To check out an international teaser trailer, read more.

Easy Virtue: Sparkling Cast Can't Help the Center Star

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:30:30 -0700

Easy Virtue, a film adaptation of Noel Coward's jazzy 1920s-set play, pits the old traditions of Europe's landowning gentry against the brash modernity that America had come to symbolize. The old guard is represented by a wealthy British family led by the brittle matriarch Mrs. Whittaker (Kristin Scott Thomas). When her son, John Whittaker (Ben Barnes), marries a sexy race car driver named Larita (Jessica Biel) several years his elder, the entire family is thrown into a tizzy.

Once Biel's character arrives at the Whittaker home she's meant to represent a vibrant and mesmerizing new way of doing things that is utterly offensive to this family so steeped in tradition. But alas, Ms. Biel doesn't quite have what it takes to hold down the center of a film like this and the whole endeavor suffers. To see why, read more.

The cast includes the kind of immensely talented actors who can take on the old-fashioned, quick and witty dialogue with one hand tied behind their backs. Biel tries to keep up and at times she succeeds, but most of the time she simply appears to be swimming upstream. As you might expect, Kristin Scott Thomas deliciously inhabits her icy character with ease and delivers each line as a stinging backhanded compliment. Colin Firth plays her long-suffering husband still hurting from memories of war, and delivers an incredibly funny yet soulful performance. Even Ben Barnes, who is handsome but stiff in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, displays pizzazz as the prodigal son returning home.

As the movie clicks along, though, more and more is asked of Biel as she navigates the cruel and ruthless landmines set out for her by her new mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, and she's not quite able to rise to the occasion. As the tone shifts in the final act from a comedy of manners to a darker drama, the talented ensemble cast does all it can to prop the movie up, but the center can't hold in the end.

Photos courtesy of Sony Picture Classics

Buzz News Roundup, 5/20

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:30:47 -0700

Working Title production company is developing a live musical version of their hit Bridget Jones's Diary films. - Variety
Focus Features has set George Clooney to play an assassin in A Very Private Gentleman, an adaptation of the Martin Booth novel. - ComingSoon
American Idol's Tuesday show was the lowest rated finale performance episode of the series. - TV Week
A contemporary, 3-D adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic story The Fall of the House of Usher is in the works. - The Hollywood Reporter
Scrubs could possibly be set somewhere other than Sacred Heart next season. - TV Guide
Green Day topped this week's album sales charts. - Billboard
George Orwell's Catalonia will get a big screen adaptation with Colin Firth and Kevin Spacey attached to star. - ComingSoon
The CW's Fall plans: hot singles, hot vampires, hot models. - TV.com
Oscar nominee Melissa Leo will play the mother to Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale's characters in The Fighter. - Variety

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What's Your Favorite ABBA Song?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:30:53 -0700

Friends, the time is here. That spectacle of a musical, Mamma Mia!, is going to hit theaters in a matter of days. While many will rush to see The Dark Knight, some will be lured to this shining, glorious ABBA extravaganza starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried and Colin Firth.

In celebration of this, you must now choose your favorite ABBA song of all time. Ready, set, debate!

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Then She Found Me: A Sweet Treat for Mother's Day

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:30:30 -0700

The first thing actress-turned-director Helen Hunt's film has going for it is a capable and enchanting cast that includes Hunt, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, and Bette Middler. I have a hard time calling Then She Found Me a romantic comedy because, unlike recent additions to the genre, no one in this cast plays a scene for an easy laugh. Instead, each actor approaches his or her character as a human being - as complicated and flawed as any of us. The humor comes, as in life, with truth. Specifically, Midler's character could easily become a farcical caricature but instead is played with such restraint that the result is both touching and funny.

The movie follows April (Hunt), a middle-aged elementary school teacher who is adopted, yet when faced with trouble getting pregnant, refuses adoption as an option. Yes, Hunt is quite thin in this film, but it didn't shock me so much as it seemed like the physical state of a woman who is exhausted by her frustrating situation, which is compounded by marriage problems and a death in the family.

The joy of the movie comes from the way in which Hunt's character begins to open her heart to a new love - and to her biological mother. A touching story about motherhood? What perfect timing! To see the other reasons I enjoyed this little film, read more.

I don't think I've ever seen adoption handled onscreen in quite this way before, specifically the way this story (based on the novel by Elinor Lipman) subtly explores the identity issues an adoptee may have later in life. April's struggle to come to terms with being an adopted child has started to seep into her daily life, and she tries to find clarity when it comes to her relationships. Matthew Broderick plays Ben, April's emotionally immature husband who decides he doesn't want to be married soon after they're wed. So, he moves in with his mom. Yeah, he's that guy. But despite his Peter Pan complex (and his less-than-crushworthy physique), April has a hard time moving on, even with the steadfast Frank (Firth playing a role that's familiar but no less adorable), who is ready and able to love her.

Just as April's love life couldn't be more complicated, her adopted mother dies and her charismatic, self-absorbed birth mother, Bernice Graves (Midler) decides she wants a relationship with her. Of course, Bernice doesn't bat an eye at the havoc she might wreak on her biological daughter's life by entering it. All of these forces combine to take April on an emotional journey that is interesting and often funny.

This film isn't perfect and some scenes feel just a touch overwrought, or the dialogue is a teeny bit stilted or "artsy" - a word that came to mind during exchanges like, "Is it you?" "It's me, is it you?" "It's me." But the performances are emotional and sometimes unsettling, the laughs are earned and best of all, the plot is anything but predictable. It all amounts to a terrific directorial debut by Hunt as well as a treat for those of us who like a good laugh and an honest tug at the old heartstrings. Take your mom if you can.

Photos courtesy of THINKFilm

Movie Preview: Then She Found Me

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:30:44 -0700

Prepare your "ahh"s and your "yay!"s because the trailer for Helen Hunt's directorial debut, Then She Found Me, is packed with adorable actors (Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick), charming moments, humor, and romance.

Helen Hunt is both director and star of this movie based on a bestselling novel by Elinor Lipman which centers around a woman who's biological mother (Midler) comes smashing into her life right as her romantic world seems to be unraveling. I'm so glad to see Hunt back to perfectly embodying the decent, intelligent woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. She described this project as a "very weird, funny story," and I can't wait to check it out.

The movie will open in limited release May 2. To take a gander at the trailer for yourself, read more.

Photo courtesy of THINKFilm

Movie Preview: Full-Length Trailer for Mamma Mia!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:30:00 -0700

Way back in December we got our first glimpse at Mamma Mia!, which stars Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried and Colin Firth, with a teaser. Now, there's a full-length trailer available with yet more of the bright colors and those super catchy ABBA songs. Really, it looks like one long dance party with an adorable Amanda Seyfried and a lovely, girlish Meryl Streep at the center of it all. I am stupidly excited to see this movie!

The story is simple: Sophie (Seyfried) is getting married and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. The problem is, her father could be any one of three different men. The movie opens July 18, and until then I'm going to watch this vibrant, upbeat trailer over and over again. To check it out for yourself, read more.

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First Look: Mamma Mia!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:49:42 -0800

Good news, musical fans! The teaser trailer for Mamma Mia, starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, is now online in all its cheery song-and-dance glory. The story focuses on Sophie's (Amanda Seyfried) search to find out which of three men is her father as she prepares to get married, all set to Abba music. The setting is the vibrantly colorful Greece and today's little teaser trailer is like a jolt of freshness and light. I have to admit, it put me in a fantastic mood. The movie opens July 18. To check out the preview, read more.

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