BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 8/28

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:30:27 -0700

Kristin Chenoweth will be a guest judge on the next season of American Idol. - Zap2it
Mad Men's Christina Hendricks will join Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel in Life as We Know It. - Variety
Laura Linney will star in The C Word, a new comedy pilot for Showtime about a suburban wife battling cancer. - The Hollywood Reporter
Robin Williams will star in the romantic comedy Wedding Banned. - Reuters
Brandon Routh, most famous for his role in Superman Returns, will have a recurring role on the upcoming season of Chuck. - Entertainment Weekly
Daniel Craig will star in the psychological thriller Dream House. - Coming Soon
TNT has ordered a third season of Leverage. - Variety
Helen Mirren has signed on for a film adaption of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock. - Variety

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:30:05 -0700

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 selections below, you can also add Zack Snyder's animated Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter to your queue.

Quantum of Solace
It seems like just yesterday we were puzzling over the title of the newest Bond flick and now here it is, out on DVD. The man with the killer looks and dreamy eyes, Daniel Craig, reprises his role as superspy James Bond, who is still pretty peeved at having been betrayed by Vesper Lynd, the woman he loved in the previous film. He wishes to take revenge on the company that blackmailed Vesper, though, and in his search he and M (Judi Dench) uncover plans of a shady leader of an environmentalist company to take control of Bolivia's water supply.

Bond also meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who has her own vengeful plan in mind. There's a lot of international locales included as well as Craig locking and loading guns throughout some intense action sequences - what more do you need?

Special features include the music video for "Another Way to Die," a featurette titled "Bond on Location," and commentary from director Marc Forster.

Two more still to come, so read more.

Bolt
Aw, Bolt. That little computer-animated dog is so cute. Also, how hilarious does that hamster in a ball look? Every time I see that guy in commercials, I laugh. I actually never caught this one in the theaters, so I'm excited to check it out on DVD.

Here's how Netflix describes the movie: "Featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, this animated adventure (nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar and Golden Globe) centers on a dashing German shepherd named Bolt, a canine actor forced into making an action-filled cross-country trek when he's accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York. Believing that he and his fictional character are one and the same, Bolt gets a glimpse of what it takes to be a hero in the real world."

Special features include a new exclusive animated short film titled "Super Rhino," a special featurette called "In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus," their music video for "I Thought I Lost You," and a behind-the-scenes look at the movie from conception to completion, which I hope includes some of the cool storyboards I got to see at Comic-Con.

In Treatment: Season One
When I first saw the schedule for HBO's In Treatment, I felt overwhelmed. The show was airing new episodes every night of the week for nine weeks! That's quite the commitment. It was pretty easy even for someone (like me) who was and is digging the show to fall behind, so yay DVD - and just in time for the second season premiere on April 5!

If you're new to the show, now's your chance to check it out. It follows a therapist named Paul, played by Gabriel Byrne, through a week of clients - one on Mondays, one on Tuesdays, and so on. Paul's own therapy session comes on Fridays. It's an inventive and unusual concept that won Byrne a Golden Globe this year. This DVD set is features-free, but you'll be busy enough just with all the episodes, right?

Quantum of Solace: Just an Action Flick

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:34:39 -0800

Where Casino Royale was bright, shiny and breathtaking, Quantum of Solace is cold, steely, and flat. Don't get me wrong - the explosions, gun play, and dry quips are all present and accounted for. But where there might've been a compelling narrative there's just a string of action sequences and chase scenes, interrupted by the occasional heart-to- cold, mistrusting spy heart. It's not bad, it's just that it seems like there's no real pulse beating behind Bond's deadly calm veneer.

Daniel Craig reprises his role as superspy James Bond, who is still consumed by anger at having been betrayed by Vesper Lynd, the woman he loved. Still, he wishes to take revenge on the company that blackmailed Vesper and in his search, he and M (Judi Dench) uncover the plans of Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the shady leader of an environmentalist company, to take control of Bolivia's water supply from the equally shady General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio). In the midst of all this, Bond meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who has her own vengeful plan in mind for General Medrano. Camille and Bond then become partners in crime (literally) in their efforts to take down Dominic and Medrano. For some more of my take on all this, read more.

One of the things I like best about this movie is that the "Bond Girl" (Camille) isn't just there to sexily wield a gun and sleep with Bond. In fact, she has her own past and her own agenda - and it never includes sleeping with Bond. It’s rather refreshing, really, and hers is the story that intrigued me the most, by far. While it’s fun to see Bond kick some butt and continuously lock and load, it might have been fun to have had some more mystery in this story of our "international man of mystery," so to speak. There is, however, plenty of the "international": we leap and soar and zoom from country to country (each with its own font, a quirky touch), with little breathing room in between each location's requisite fight scene.

In general, it would have been cool to have had some more scheming and more outwitting the opposition, and maybe less of a blindly rage-filled Bond just blowing away everyone and everything in his path. While that might have been the intention - to show how much Vesper’s death has messed with our hero and left him colder and crueler - it’s not altogether satisfying to watch for two hours. It is still a treat to see Daniel Craig onscreen, and the intense action scenes are sure to please many moviegoers, but expecting more than that may leave one disappointed.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Will You Brave the Crowds This Weekend to See Bond?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:30:39 -0800

Ah, that face. The zooming Aston Martin. Those eyes. The tough-as-nails M. That body. The wailing brassy sounds in the iconic James Bond music. . . . So much to love about Daniel Craig. . .'s Bond movie.

Will you brave the crazy opening weekend crowds to see Quantum of Solace in the theater this weekend? Or can you wait until some of the excitement has died down to see it later? Or maybe this whole Bond thing just bores you to tears.

One-sheet courtesy of Sony Pictures

Another Movie Date Change! Quantum of Solace: Nov. 14

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:41:24 -0700

Following all these changes to the Fall movie releases is like a chess game because it has thrown the entire calender into a bit of a tizzy. First Twilight shifted its date based on the Harry Potter news, and now Quantum of Solace, the next installment of the James Bond franchise starring Daniel Craig, will follow suit.

Originally, Quantum of Solace was going to open Nov. 7 and is now being bumped to Nov. 14. Sony chair of worldwide marketing and distribution Jeff Blake states:

We believe Nov. 14 is a great date that allows us to play straight through Thanksgiving and right into Christmas. We believe this decision will give the public a wider opportunity to see the film over the holiday.

In this new slot the James Bond flick will now open the same weekend as Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia. Looks like despite the Harry Potter move to Summer of '09, this Fall is still shaping up to be pretty eventful.

So, let's see here, what does this mean for us? An additional week to ponder the meaning of Quantum of Solace, perhaps? Sure, why not.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Quantum of Solace Trailer Hits!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:30:45 -0700

"I think you're so blinded by inconsolable rage that you don't care who you hurt. When you can't tell your friends from your enemies, it's time to go." - M (Judi Dench)

The James Bond in this latest installment seems darker, wearier, and more grizzled than we've seen him. The brand-new trailer for Quantum of Solace, the next Bond movie due to hit theaters November 7, is totally intriguing. It's slow to rev up, with allusions to how rage-filled Bond is now, and only uses the signature horn-blasting 007 theme music toward the very end. There's something somber and very dark about the atmosphere of this movie, and while watching it I can't help but think of all the trouble this production has had.

I am insanely anxious to see the full movie and it's strangely relieving to see Daniel Craig's Bond back in action. I've missed him! Are you as psyched as I am for Quantum of Solace? To check out the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Spies and the BuzzSugar Who Loves Them

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:30:03 -0700

Spies are the coolest of the cool. The secret-holders and protectors. The smartest and often the most spry. It's no wonder many of us want to be them, or you know, make out with them. This weekend's spy comedy Get Smart reminded me that there are so many spies I love. To see my favorite spies from TV and movies, just hit "Start."

View Slideshow ›

New Quantum of Solace Behind-the-Scenes Clips!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:30:00 -0700

Those eyes. . . that compassionate face. . . sigh. . Oops - got a little distracted there. I'll leave the manjoyment to Pop and get back to the task at hand.

Where was I? Oh, right. Remember when there was some skepticism around Daniel Craig taking on the role as James Bond? Some argued he wasn't debonaire enough, or something. But he and the team behind Casino Royale proved the naysayers wrong and not only scored huge critical and box office success, but managed to redefine James Bond as the kind of action hero audiences are craving these days: a human being we can actually relate to (see also: Jason Bourne).

These behind-the-scenes clips not only reveal the vast production efforts (including many different shooting locations employed across the globe) going into the next installment, Quantum of Solace, but how cognizant the filmmakers are of what made Casino Royale so special. To me, this means the odds are good that this new movie (despite its mind-boggling title - seriously, quantum and solace . . . what?) will turn out as well as the last one.

Quantum of Solace hits U.S. theaters November 7 (October 31 in England). To watch dreamy Daniel and the rest of film crew discuss the making of the new Bond movie, read more.

Source

Bond 22 Gets a New Title: Quantum of Solace

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:25:22 -0800

Reporters were informed today of the new title of what was previously Bond 22, and it's quite the mouthful: Quantum of Solace. For some reason I can't say this title without impersonating Sean Connery. It just sounds better that way. Anyway, the title was chosen from a story in the collection For Your Eyes Only by Bond creator Ian Fleming.

According to producer Michael G. Wilson "We thought it was an intriguing title and referenced what happened to Bond and what is happening in the film." The story picks up where the last film with Daniel Craig's Bond left off, "with Bond contemplating revenge after his betrayal by his true love, Vesper Lynd."

However, co-producer Barbara Broccoli (hee hee) insists this isn't a revenge movie, stating "It's a lot more complicated than that. It has lots of action but it also deals with the inner turmoil Bond is feeling."

What do you think of this new title? Is it appropriately James Bond-ish?

Bauer-Griffin

Movie Preview: Defiance

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:28:21 -0800

Defiance has been completely off my radar, but now that I've seen the trailer with the ultra-dreamy Daniel Craig, and knowing it comes from Edward Zwick, director of Blood Diamond (not to mention Legends of the Fall), I can't wait to see the movie this autumn. The plot is this: "Three Jewish brothers (Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell) escape from Nazi-occupied Poland into the Belarussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters and endeavor to build a village in order to protect themselves and others in danger." The trailer is, as you might expect, highly dramatic, dark and thrilling in a scary kind of way. To check it out for yourself, read more.

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