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Sundance Review: Death in Love

BuzzSugar — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:00:22 -0800

Ugh. Where to begin with the list of atrocities the Sundance film Death in Love manages to accomplish? Preposterously wooden dialog? Check. Gratuitously violent sexuality? Check. Quick cuts to the grotesque torturing and dismembering of concentration camp detainees meant to "shock" the audience? Check. A collection of gratingly obnoxious characters, none of whom gives us any reason whatsoever to sympathize with them? Check, check, check.

This film may as well be titled Psychopathic Murderers, Mating. About a third of the way into the movie I was mentally pleading for it to have something - anything - redeeming about it. Then the sole redeeming factor entered the film, and that factor's name is Adam Brody. And sure, I like him well enough, but when Adam Brody is the one thing about a movie that doesn't entirely make you want to vomit, it's a bad sign. It's time to walk away.

The movie starts and ends with shrill, anguished screaming. Not just a few shrieks but the kind of prolonged screaming that makes you want to kill someone, just to make it stop. There's then a way-too-long montage set to music that alternates between images of various women having sex with a man and these same women's bodies being ripped apart or otherwise mangled in experiments. Awesome, right? Yeah, read more.

The plot is structured around the story of the Mother (Jacqueline Bisset), a woman who saves her own life by seducing the Nazi doctor performing experiments on concentration camp detainees. After becoming his pet, she generally turns into a bad person, eventually marries an American and moves to New York where she raises two boys and terrorizes them into having supremely messed up issues with women. The story then mainly follows one of the sons (played with a lot of whining by Josh Lucas) - his struggle to come to terms with being 40, his work problems, his relationship issues, his hatred toward his mother, and so on and on.

None of it matters, though. There's little point to this steaming pile of mess. It's bleak, it's violent, it's gratuitously disgusting, and for what? There's no real moral. We hate each and every one of these cruel, self-absorbed characters (with the possible exception of the other son, an emotionally stunted yet gifted pianist played by Lukas Haas), and when there's no reason to care about the characters in a movie, it feels a lot like a waste of time. The story's heart is coldly and apathetically cut out, and we're forced to watch and call it "art."

Bottom line: There is no need to ever see this movie.

Source

Live From Sundance, Part III

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:30:51 -0800

Yesterday I proved to myself that I really could spend an entire day watching movies and not get tired of it. In fact, it started to work like a drug - the more films I took in, the more I wanted to watch. So, maybe it's a good thing that I leave Park City today! Check out my third collection of thoughts on this year's Sundance Film Festival:

Watching four movies in a row on Tuesday, I really got to see the good (The Last Word), the bad (Sleepwalking) and the very, very ugly (Death in Love) - along with the kinda pretty good (The Deal). More to come on all of these soon, but just know that I haven't ever wanted to walk out of a movie so much as I wanted to leave Death in Love. On a brighter note, I got to see The Last Word starring Wes Bentley, Winona Ryder, and Ray Romano, which will likely prove one of the success stories from this year's festival.
Saw Charlize Theron at the premiere of Sleepwalking, and she is a beautiful giantess. She gave a few speeches about the film (which she produced and stars in) and she seemed so down-to-earth, I almost felt badly for disliking her movie so much.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Holidaze"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

As evidenced in my holiday TV sneak peek, this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy puts the doctors on a fast track that starts on Thanksgiving eve and runs through New Year's Eve. As we all know by now, the Seattle Grace surgeons aren't always big on merriment, but the holidays are always the perfect time to bring out the truth in feelings and relationships.

Meredith bonds with the Chief while Mark learns that he has a teenage daughter. Bailey has a confrontation with her father and Teddy and Owen's sexual tension comes to a head. To read all about it, just read more.

As the episode opens, the Chief is trying to justify his drinking to Meredith - explaining that his alcoholism was "misdiagnosed" and that he was actually suffering from situational depression. (Um, right.) It's unclear whether Mere takes his word for it because she believes him or feels like she has to, but she accepts his mentorship. Later she bites off Thatcher's head when he suggests that the Chief shouldn't be drinking, and by NYE realizes that he does have a problem, but continues to keep it a secret. There is one good thing that comes from it: Derek and the Chief finally make amends after duking it out all season.
Bailey does her best to avoid acknowledging the holidays because she's afraid to tell her parents about her divorce. Instead, she gladly dives into work - until her father makes a surprise visit on Christmas Eve. After watching Miranda perform surgery, he delivers a way harsh speech about being ashamed of her decision to "break" her family and put work first. At Christmas dinner (with the whole Seattle Grace crew, no less), Miranda finally puts her foot down and tells her dad that she's not willing to settle for a bad relationship. Did anyone else want to slow clap, at this point? Because I did.
Mark gets a blast from the past when a buxom blonde appears at the hospital claiming to be his daughter. (I kind of love that her name is Sloan). Mark isn't exactly thrilled with feeling old, joking that "death has come to call." Lexie is also troubled by the news at first, and I couldn't blame her for slicing her finger when Mark drops the bomb that Sloan is moving in. Two months later, he hasn't made any progress, and it's clear that his daughter isn't exactly a cup of tea. Just when Mark finally gets the nerve to kick her out, Sloan reveals that she's pregnant with a baby of her own. Instead of contemplating his potential grandpa status (talk about feeling old), Mark's paternal instincts kick into gear with impeccable timing and he comforts her. Sidenote: I find it interesting that Mark handles the situation exactly how Quinn wished her parents had on Glee this week - stroking her hair, assuring her that everything would be okay.
Teddy is already coming between Cristina and Owen's relationship, even if just with pages. Still loving her new cardio god, Cristina is happy to be Teddy's bitch (as Alex calls her) and work as a team - until she catches Owen giving Teddy meaningful glances. Owen confronts Teddy and reveals that he had feelings with her when they were overseas together, and in turn Teddy confesses that she's always been in love with him. They are literally this close to kissing, but Owen says he loves Cristina and runs to her instead. Despite their passionate makeout sesh at the end of the episode, I still have an ominous feeling about Cristina's kiss with Avery (who is still giving her flack about her relationship with Owen).

What's your verdict on this week's episode? Are you sad to put Grey's aside for six weeks? Did it put you in the holiday spirit or did it all seem a bit premature? Don't forget to keep the conversation rolling in the Grey's Anatomy McAddicts group in the Buzz Community!

What to TiVo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:50:59 -0800

ABC has Shrek the Third, and is new with 20/20
CBS is new with Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS
FOX has repeats of House and Bones
NBC is new with Law & Order and Dateline NBC
The CW is new with Smallville and has a repeat of America's Next Top Model
MTV has repeats of Southpark and Nitro Circus, and has Grindhouse Presents: Death Proof
TLC is new with Say Yes to the Dress and Happily Ever Faster
E! is new with The Soup
USA is new with Monk and White Collar
VH1 has repeats of For the Love of Ray Jay 2 and I Want to Work for Diddy 2
Late-night highlights include Kellan Lutz on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Viggo Mortensen on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Eva Mendes and Bon Jovi on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Death Cab for Cutie on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Neil Patrick Harris and David Gray on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

Talking New Moon With Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:15:50 -0800

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner may be dominating the promotional circuit right now, but they're not the only cast members with something to say about New Moon. I had the opportunity to chat with costars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, aka Emmett and Alice Cullen, during their recent stopover in SF. They chatted about their characters, the vampire craze, and what it's like to be a "Twilight celebrity." Here are highlights:

On why so many people are crazy for the Twilight Saga:
Ashley: I think this film in particular is highly relatable. There are a lot of situations that people can relate to. The love story - everyone can relate to being in love or being in lust. You add the vampire, and it adds that next level fantasy. Vampires are mysterious and sensual and dangerous and unattainable. And everyone wants what they can't have. I think on another level that this came together at the perfect time. All the elements just fit, the casting was spot on, and we're in a difficult time right now with our economy. That's why you never have a drop in ticket sales because everyone wants an escape, and this movie is very much an escape from reality.
Kellan: It's a good escape but also it deals with so many situations, on so many positive notes. Just looking at it from the vampire coven to the wolf pack. It just deals with everyday issues just on bigger levels, in a way. And you have Bella as the keystone in many situations. You can just all relate from different countries to issues within the United States. It's easily relatable.

To read a lot more about working with three different directors and why they feel so lucky, just read more.

On how their portrayals of the Cullens are similar or different from the books:
Kellan: We got the jobs because we brought something new to it. You can interpret the characters each their own, but I think it's what we did alongside. Just like Kristen said - she's playing Bella but she's putting her Kristen spin on it, just like all of us are. And I think that's what's making it unique. We're still following the cheat sheets that Stephenie created by making the books, and there's Wikipedia. We have a lot of information to go off of. But I hope it's what I did in my audition that set it apart from the other guys trying out.

Ashley: I think it's mannerisms too. People do fall in love with this book, but I think part of it is that they always want more. You can't write out every human mannerism. You can imagine it, but seeing the emotion in someone's eyes and seeing them be affected it - it was kind of easy to give something to it, because we were just being people. We kinda just got lucky.
On how much more of the Cullens we can expect in the remaining movies:
Kellan: Realistically, we stick pretty close to the books. Obviously us Cullens would love to be in the books a lot more, which would mean we'd be in the movies a lot more. Talking New Moon, the scenes that the Cullens - except for Ashley, playing Alice who gets to go to Italy and be a main lead in the movie - us Cullens, we have to stick really close to the books, and the scenes that we're in are really crucial to the story, as you know - the birthday scene, the voting scene. I don't know, it was kind of a tease. Chris Weitz is such an amazing director, and for us, for myself - I only worked about a week on that movie. And it didn't even seem like I really got a taste for what it was.

Ashley: In the third film, you'll see a lot more of the Cullens because it's all of us collaborating and then getting ready to fight this war that's coming up. In the second one, my character got a much larger role because Alice is the Cullen, other than Edward, that really embraces Bella and they end up becoming best friends. In the beginning, you see her throw this huge party for Bella, and then Alice is the one who does, in fact, come back for Bella when everyone else decides to skip town. Alice is responsible for dragging Bella over to Italy, and she and I the whole time are fighting to save my brother's life. And then of course we get held up by the Volturi and stuff like that. My character got to grow a lot, which is really cool. You get to actually see the relationship develop between Bella and Alice, where in the first one you didn't. The first one was very much about the romance and showing the audience why these two people are willing to die for each other.
On working with a different director on each film:
Ashley: Each director is going to be very different. They're artists as well, and I don't think any of them are quite the same. The books, when you read them, all have very, very, different tones. So I think it's highly appropriate that we switch directors each go. The first one is very much a romance and is a very scenic, beautiful film. And Catherine's really, really great at capturing that. She's very high energy and works well in chaos and stuff like that. And it was fantastic because we didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into, and so it was nice to have her to guide us when we were freaking out a little bit. She was just so high energy, and it was really contagious. We were sad to lose her and move on to the second film, but then we got Chris Weitz and he's the complete opposite! But great as well. He's so giving and caring and collaborative and created this atmosphere that was kind of a safe haven for us. And it was really nice because we didn't know, switching directors, if they were gonna embrace us or if they had a completely different vision than what we created in the first one. It was nice that he was right there on the same page with us. And the second one is a warmer film, even from the color scheme. The first one is very blue tones, and the second one is much richer and warmer and I think he did a great job at capturing that. And we just finished shooting with David Slade, and I think he's highly appropriate as well. He just finished shooting 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, and they're both very dark, edgy films. And Eclipse is very much that. It's all centered around the anticipation and us getting ready to fight this huge war. We just finished filming, we haven't gotten to see much of it, but I think it's gonna be fantastic. He is, technically, the most advanced director. The angles that he shot and how he knows that tweaking something can affect a whole scene and the lenses. He was really nice to work with.
On coping with the fan effect and being a "Twilight celebrity"
Kellan: That's what blows my mind, 'cause I feel like it's really unearned in a way. The fans are making our careers. Without them, we wouldn't be working and doing the saga. There's so many times that trilogy books become a movie and the first one bombs, and then that's it. And you're always hopeful that you get to do them all. Especially since we're all in love with our characters. I love Emmett Cullen to death, he's my favorite character I've ever played. It's just so cool to have made it this far, and I think we all hope that we get to finish this series and do Breaking Dawn. This is such a blessing, it's every actor's dream to be part of something like this. It's not terribly hard either. We don't shoot halfway around the world; we don't shoot for a year of our lives. I know a lot of us have homes, we have pets, we have family. And it's really nice to shoot on the West Coast, either Portland or Vancouver, and have the chance to fly down if we need to. But it's definitely amazing to be part of something like this. And I don't think any of us knew how crazy it would be and how exhilarating it would turn out to be. Going to the premiere, really just, wow. I don't even remember it because I was really just starstruck by how many fans and signs and cameras. It felt like I was just walking through a strobe light room. It's amazing.

Ashley: I still think we can't really wrap our heads around what's going on and what's happening. We're still in the midst of filming and kept very busy from one film until the next. It's only these brief moments where you sit back and are actually able to take a breath where you go "Whoa. Wow. This is crazy." I mean, the amount of tickets they've already sold for New Moon - I'm pretty sure I can't even get a ticket if I tried to see my film in Jacksonville and it's mind boggling. We're just very lucky. I went into this film thinking "Oh my gosh, I got a job" and the it turned into the biggest break of my life. I think we all feel very blessed to be a part of this.
On how it feels to be part of Twilight fan fiction:
Kellan: It's an escape, in a way. We do live in a trivial time period right now. There's so much depression that it's kinda cool to be a part of something where people use it to be an escape. In a way that's kinda what Stephenie did -she had a dream and just elaborated on it. It became a huge success and it's really encouraging that people are doing the same and just making up this journey.

Ashley: That's why people love it so much I think. You can take it and make what you want of it. Before the demographic was teenage girls, but now it's women of every age and guys are starting to get into it, too. It's because there is that element of fantasy. If you're 8 years old you look at it one way; if you're 80 years old you look at it another. I think it's fantastic that we can draw such a huge crowd. The other thing is - it blows my mind but people are making connections over this film and over this book. there are mothers and daughters and grandmas who can all sit and talk about the same story and all fantasize about it and I think that's a really cool thing. I think it's rare.

To see all of our Twilight and New Moon coverage, check out TwilightSugar!

Movie Preview: Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in Grown Ups

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:36 -0800

I've been watching over the past several months as the cast roster for Grown Ups continued to add more of Adam Sandler's previous SNL colleagues and close friends - Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn. It's like he decided to make a project where he could invite everyone he knows to jump on board and have fun. And the cast really does appear to be having a good time in the trailer - I'm just not 100 percent sure I'm right there with them.

The film follows Sandler and his childhood friends (Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade) as they reunite one Fourth of July weekend to honor the death of their basketball coach. Sounds kinda like The Big Chill, but as to be expected with a Happy Madison film, it's ridiculously slapstick. I love all of these guys, but the bits in this teaser definitely aren't as roll-on-the-floor funny as I had hoped with such a star-studded cast. (Really, a breast-milk joke?!) But maybe I'm just judging it too quickly. The film opens in June, but take a peek at the video and tell me your thoughts when you read more.

SYTYCD's Peter and Pauline Say Farewell Together

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:30:30 -0800

This week, Peter and Pauline said good-bye to the So You Think You Can Dance stage. The tapper and the jazz dancer who had also been partners took some time this morning to talk about their experiences on the show with a few reporters.

Peter:

On how great of a venue the show is for tap: I think it was time for tap to be on the show, and I definitely think that So You Think You Can Dance needs more of it. I'm just proud that the three of us - Bianca, Phillip, and myself - got to represent tap the way that it needed to be represented.
On whether he worries that future tappers may be discouraged to audition: If anything, I hope that I inspire tappers to audition for the show, because I know that when the show first started, tappers were very rare, because they didn't take [them]. So I hope I inspire tappers to audition for the show, because if I can make it, any other tapper can make it. All it takes is a little bit of belief in yourself.
On his future plans: The one thing I would love to do is start my own tap show. I feel as though there aren't any shows anymore that are primarily tap-based.

To hear Pauline's thoughts, just read more.

Pauline:

On whether she had a sense of dread during rehearsals, after calling the Quickstep "the kiss of death": I did, at first. When I drew quickstep, I already knew in my head instantly, "Oh no, this can be really bad." Coming in to the rehearsal, the choreographer started teaching us, and it wasn't bad at all. The whole movement - it was just really fun, and just really energetic. I didn't feel there was one dull moment in that rehearsal. But I did feel some sort of dread in it, some sort of, "Oh no, this is the quickstep, this is what everyone doesn't want to draw out of a hat."
On the Van Gogh dance: That was my favorite dance. It was so creative and the concept was so good; the way Wade explained it, me and Peter were very excited for it. The whole thing about coming back for Van Gogh because he supposedly erased us from his first draft - that was actually exciting, because we get to play a character that we really aren't. It was considered jazz, but I don't think it was jazz, because Wade's choreography and Wade's style - I don't see an actual name for it. I would call it Wade. He's so different, and his stuff is very unique. I pulled Wade, and not jazz.
On her future plans: I'm going to go back and teach at the studio I grew up at. I do want to tour, dancing and teaching, in other countries and around the US. But at the same time, on the show, I was working with wardrobe, and I've always had this fashion sense in me - I want to be a fashion designer or something in that area. Just as a side thing, aside from dance, so I can get in that industry and be creative with the costumes. But I will still be dancing no matter what.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Link Time! Omarosa Is Searching For a Husband

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:30:30 -0800

Omarosa is looking for love with a new reality TV show. But the biggest surprise? The Donald is helping her - Defamer

An Inglourious Basterds prequel is brewing - Marc Malkin

Uh-oh, Mad Men fans. For those romantics hoping for a Don and Betty reconciliation, chances sound grim - Daily Beast

Cobra Starship's new video is a "Hot Mess" - HitFix

Cute Reunion actor Sean Faris is joining The Vampire Diaries - Ausiello Files

Who's your favorite female author? - TresSugar

Holiday movie preview! - Moviefone

Death Cab For Cutie performs "Meet Me at the Equinox" at a Hot Topic store. Teen girls' minds explode. - Stereogum

Twitter phenom Sh*t My Dad Says is being made into a TV show - TV Squad

New York Magazine's 40 songs that define the Brooklyn sound right now - New York Magazine

Season One of Bored to Death: Yay or Nay?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

This week marked the finale of Bored to Death's debut season, and I'm wondering what you all thought of the show. It took me a few episodes to warm up to the comedy, but my love for Jason Schwartzman can't be stopped.

We already know that Bored to Death will be back for a second season, but what do you think of the first - yay or nay?

Zach Galifianakis - Love Him or Leave Him?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0800

What is up with the Zach Galifianakis fame train?! After this Summer's The Hangover, I keep hearing his name. He's already invaded Sunday nights on HBO's Bored to Death, and he has a slew of upcoming films, including a comedy with Robert Downey Jr. and a dramedy opposite Amy Adams. Now, he's reportedly picking up an animated film credit, too, lending his voice to Humpty Dumpty in the Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots.

Could Galifianakis be the next Will Ferrell? Seems like a worthy successor to me - then again, you already knew that I'm a fan of his. Tell me how you feel: love him or leave him?