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Movie Preview: Nine

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:00:11 -0700

"Be Italian!!"

Wow! The first trailer for Nine, a movie-musical by the director who brought us Chicago, is a feast for the eyes and the ears. There are sexy women galore (Kidman! Cruz! Hudson! Cotillard! Sophia Loren!) in nothing but their skivvies dancing and doing the splits and generally looking like tortured artistic souls.

No one looks quite as tortured as Daniel Day-Lewis (replacing Javier Bardem) as famous film director Guido Contini, who's struggling to juggle his relationships with all the gorgeous women in his life, including his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent, and his mother. It's an amazing cast full of Oscar winners, and the music sounds great. And hey, Fergie's in it, too.

Nine will be released November 25. To take a look for yourself, read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 2/2

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:30:01 -0800

Daniel Day-Lewis, Benicio Del Toro, and Gael Garcia Bernal are reportedly circling Martin Scorsese's next drama Silence, based on the Shusaku Endo novel. - Variety
TNT has renewed Leverage for a second 15-episode season, which should air later this year. - TV.com
Kung Fu Panda swept the Intnl. Animated Film Society's Annie Awards this year, while Wall-E went home empty-handed. - Variety
Meanwhile, Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle won the top award from the Directors Guild of America this year. - AP
And speaking of Slumdog Millionaire, star Dev Patel is joining the cast of M. Night Shyamalan's live-action film The Last Airbender. - ComingSoon
Kristen Johnston is "99.9 percent" going to play Patsy in Fox's Absolutely Fabulous remake pilot, while Kathryn Hahn is on board as Edina. - Entertainment Weekly
Both Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson recorded their Super Bowl performances in advance. - New York Times
ABC Family has renewed Greek, cut Kyle XY, and picked up three new shows, including the series based on 10 Things I Hate About You. - TV Guide

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Link Time! 7/1

BuzzSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:31:04 -0700

Popwatch writer Annie Barrett has a hilarious note that her mother passed to her father on a plane, explaining how to adjust the volume on an iPod, which prompted Annie to ask: What's the most basic technological instruction you've had to explain to the tragically unhip?
Best Week Ever is holding a quirk-off between Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons.
LilSugar wants to know if you can handle any more Real Housewives.
Inspired by Amanda Seyfried's character's dilemma in Mamma Mia, FilmExperience wonders which of her three possible daddies would be your daddy: Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth or Stellan Skarsgård?
TV Squad names some of the best Six Feet Under corpses, including the one that makes me scared to ever put my head through the roof of a limo.
Cinematical ponders whether or not Robin has any place in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies.
Lucky TV with MeeVee has seen three hours of Generation Kill, and it sounds like everything I'd hope it would be.
One brave contributor to The TV Addict lays out some reasons for hating Lost.

The Cast of Nine Might Trade One Oscar Winner for Another

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:30:32 -0700

It's possible that any we slice it, the cast of the movie musical Nine will be getting a heavy-hitting, Oscar-winning actor for the role of Guido Contini. Originally the part was going to be played by sexy Javier Bardem, but he recently dropped out due to exhaustion.

Now Daniel Day-Lewis is eying the role of Guido who is described as "a famous film director who experiences personal and creative crisis while trying to balance all the women in his life."

Rob Marshall (director of Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha) is directing the film, an adaptation of the stage musical which was an adaptation of the Fellini film 8 1/2.

The incredible women rounding out the rest of the cast include Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench.

We can see Javier in the upcoming Woody Allen movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and I've been itching to see what Daniel Day-Lewis will do next. His movie projects always seem like carefully weighed decisions so we know it's got to be something special if he does end up putting his seal of approval on this one.

Of course, a spokesperson for the Weinstein Co. is saying to Variety that any casting rumors at this point are "pure conjecture" but still, how great would this be?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:30:00 -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 the titles below, you can also rent Reservation Road (not to be confused with Revolutionary Road), and Leonardo DiCaprio's global warming warning, The 11th Hour.

There Will Be Blood
This April is a great month for renting DVDs because a new stellar, Oscar-nominated film seems to come out every week. Today's release is the stirring Paul Thomas Anderson masterpiece, There Will Be Blood. The film is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! and follows the story of an ambitious oil man, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he becomes one of those famed self-made American magnates, a la William Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.

If you haven't heard by now that this film is both visually stunning and soul-stirring, and that Daniel Day-Lewis gives the Oscar-winning performance of the year, then you've had a very distracting year. I stuck this movie on my April must-haves list not only because of its classic story of greed vs. compassion, but also because Day-Lewis only seems to emerge to knock one out of the park every five years or so, which in Hollywood years can seem like a lifetime. You'll want to own this one to get you through to 2013 when he's had enough of shoe-making on the Italian Coast or something and decides to show the rest of those amateurs how it's done. Again.

For two more titles that couldn't be more different than each other, read more.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
2007 truly was the year of Judd Apatow, though admittedly this spoof on the musician biopic he co-wrote was probably his weakest submission. While it was hard to recommend paying theater prices for this film, it is a perfectly serviceable at-home rental.

Starring John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox, a rocker with secrets (shocker!), the film pokes fun at movies like Ray and Walk the Line and takes many prisoners, sparing neither Bob Dylan nor the Beatles (in a hilarious scene starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as the Fab Four). While it drags in some parts, Reilly is great in this role and the whole thing is more or less a good time.

Special features include deleted and extended scenes and featurettes titled, "The Music of Walk Hard", and "The Real Dewey Cox."

Lions for Lambs
First of all, the stars of this movie need to have a serious talk with the DVD cover-art people. How is it possible to airbrush Robert Redford so that he looks utterly unattractive? And that's one highly arched brow on Meryl Streep. Anyway, don't let the cover distract you from this serious meditation on the nature of current American politics.

While I realize many are turned off by movies about the current war in Iraq, I think this film, directed by Robert Redford, gives us a lot of food for thought. More talking than action, I thought this might have worked better as a play than a movie, but it's still a highly worthwhile watch. Most intriguing are the questions Redford brings up about young people who, he asserts, seem to feel disaffected amidst these turbulent times. All three performances are fine (Tom Cruise is particularly good as a smarmy congressman), but most importantly it gets you thinking and might spur on good debate.

Special features include audio commentary by Robert Redford and a making-of featurette.

Oscar Winners: Where Will We See Them Next?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:32:29 -0800

With the 2008 Oscars now just a memory, I'm looking ahead today to where we'll see this year's big winners working next. As a group, they have numerous projects in the works for screens both big and small - and, conveniently for us, several of them will be working together. To see where you'll see all the winners next , just hit "start."

View Slideshow ›

Saturday Night Live Drinks Your Milkshake

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:33:18 -0800

Ever since There Will Be Blood hit theaters last year, "I Drink Your Milkshake" references have been all the rage. But I have to give Saturday Night Live credit for the parody they served up on Saturday night that envisions the now-classic line as the basis for a Food Network show that finds Daniel Plainview criss-crossing the country in search of the perfect milkshake. (Might I suggest he try this recipe from Yum?)

Bill Hader does an eerily spot-on impression of the now-Oscar-winning Daniel Day-Lewis, and Fred Armisen makes an appearance as No Country for Old Men's Anton Chigurh, complete with deadly air tank and Javier Bardem pageboy. But you've got to watch to the very end for my favorite part: guest host Tina Fey poking fun at Juno's hipster dialogue. "My kudos to whoever shook this shake, magnum." To check it out, just read more.

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What Do You Think About the Best Actor?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:43:54 -0800

No surprise here: the incomparable Daniel Day-Lewis won the award for Best Actor. He was among a distinguished group of actors that included George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee Jones, and Viggo Mortensen. What do you think about this win?

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Best Picture Breakdown: There Will Be Blood

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:30:14 -0800

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. Today, I'm kicking off the series with a closer look at There Will Be Blood.

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is a stark and stunning look at greed, power, and success viewed through the lens of the oil boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The bulk of its acclaim has come for Daniel Day-Lewis's performance as tycoon Daniel Plainview, but the movie has many other things going for it, as its eight Oscar nominations - for diverse categories including cinematography and sound editing - show. To see how I think There Will Be Blood will fare in the Best Picture race, just read more.

Why It Might Win

Three words: Daniel Day-Lewis. His Daniel Plainview is a greed-driven maniac, neglecting all - social conventions, religion, even his own son - in the service of his quest for power, fortune, and oil, oil, oil. Delivering the year's biggest movie catchphrase ("I drink your milkshake") is just the icing on the cake.
It's well-rounded. As its Oscar nominations show, it's strong in a number of different filmmaking categories, from the visual (including Best Art Direction) to the auditory (Best Sound Editing). It's still a shame that Jonny Greenwood's score was disqualified, because his music added yet another compelling dimension to the film.
It's ambitious. Through its focus on Plainview (and its secondary story of Paul Dano's young prophet), it seeks to tell a bigger story about religion, greed, community, and fatherhood.

Why It Might Not Win

It could have used some editing. As I noted in my review, the movie is a series of interlocking conflicts that can, at times, detract from the central story. A few of the subplots just didn't feel necessary enough to justify the film's 158-minute running time.
Day-Lewis truly does make this movie. The Academy could be content with rewarding him with the Best Actor nod and giving the overall prize to another film.
It could be a victim of its own success. Its ambiguous ending could be frustrating for some viewers, and voters who heard the movie described as "the next Citizen Kane" could have expectations too high for this film to meet.

Chance of winning: Moderate to good

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

BAFTA Honors Atonement, La Vie en rose and Shia Labeouf

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:30:00 -0800

While we were busy handing out Grammys last night, the folks across the pond held their own star-studded award ceremony: the BAFTA Awards. In keeping with many of the awards ceremonies thus far, Atonement and No Country for Old Men were warmly recognized, though the picture with the most wins was La Vie en rose. Marion Cotillard was reportedly "visibly shocked" to receive the Leading Actress award.

Atonement took top honors with the Best Picture award, though the Coen Bros. nabbed the prize for Best Director. Diablo Cody took home the award for her Juno screenplay, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won for Adapted Screenplay. Many of the acting awards were to be expected (Javier Bardem, Daniel Day-Lewis), though Tilda Swinton's win against Cate Blanchett and Samantha Morton was a bit of a surprise.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, the Orange Rising Star Award - which is decided by the public - was given to Shia Labeouf. He was up against Sienna Miller, Ellen Page, Tom Riley and Tang Wei. Shia was not present to claim his award.

To see a full listing of this year's BAFTA recipients, including The Bourne Ultimatum and The Golden Compass, read more.

2008 BAFTA Winners:
BEST FILM:
Atonement

BEST BRITISH FILM:
This Is England

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD:
(For special achievement by a British director, writer or producer in their first feature film)
Matt Greenhalgh (Writer) - Control

DIRECTOR:
No Country For Old Men - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Juno - Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - Ronald Harwood

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
The Lives of Others

ANIMATED FILM:
Ratatouille

LEADING ACTOR:
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS:
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

MUSIC:
La Vie En Rose - Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
No Country for Old Men - Roger Deakins

EDITING:
The Bourne Ultimatum - Christopher Rouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Atonement - Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN:
La Vie En Rose - Marit Allen

SOUND:
The Bourne Ultimatum - Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/Dave Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS:
The Golden Compass – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Woods

MAKE UP & HAIR:
La Vie En Rose – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD:
Shia Labeouf

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