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A Good Year For Elizabeth Banks

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:00:39 -0800

Among all the great entertainment in 2008, a few people clearly stood out, including the beautiful and funny Elizabeth Banks. Why was this year good for Elizabeth Banks? Because she was everywhere.

The woman was in six - count 'em, six! - movies that were released this year. Some were ridiculous and silly (Meet Dave with Eddie Murphy, Meet Bill with Aaron Eckhart, Role Models with Paul Rudd) while one was ridiculous and raunchy (Zack and Miri Make a Porno alongside Seth Rogen). She got to be in the sweet movie Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds, and she did a serious Laura Bush impersonation, with Josh Brolin as her George, in Oliver Stone's W. And in just a few weeks we'll see her play a freaky stepmother in the scary movie The Uninvited.

She's got range and beauty and crazy comedic skills, and I wish every year could bring us this much Elizabeth Banks.

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:30:50 -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 bring home the blockbuster hit 10,000 B.C. and kid-friendly The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Definitely, Maybe
It's not a perfect movie, but I found myself totally happy with the charming Definitely, Maybe, despite a few faults. The main characters are nicely thought-out and far easier to identify with than characters in other romcoms this year like, say, Fool's Gold. Plus, Abigail Breslin is always an adorable treat.

The film follows Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds), a recent divorcee attempting to explain the complications of love to his smart little girl (Breslin). The movie takes on a How I Met Your Mother plot structure, going back in time to the three major loves of of Will's life: Emily (Elizabeth Banks), April (Isla Fisher) and Summer (Rachel Weisz). He doesn't reveal to Breslin's character or the audience who the mother is and it's unclear who he'll end up with. Overall, it's a fun twist on the old romcom formula. If it didn't seem worthy of movie theater prices, you'll definitely (maybe?) feel good about watching this at home.

Special features include commentary with director Adam Brooks and Ryan Reynolds and deleted scenes.

Two more animated movies so read more.

Persepolis
There was a lot of good stuff out in theaters when Persepolis came to theaters and I'm so glad I was able to make the time to see this touching film based on the popular autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. The movie is visually something you never really see in popular animation, mostly drawn in black and white with big, bold, basic shapes. Rather than aiming for realism, the beauty of the animation lies in its simplicity.

The film is voiced in French with subtitles, and follows a young Marjane in 1978 Iran. Set against the backdrop of political upheaval, Persepolis tells Marjane's coming-of-age story, including her eventual separation from her beloved family. Full of warmth, humor, and a unique perspective on growing up in the non-West, it's no wonder the film earned an Oscar nomination.

Special features include an English language version of the film featuring the voices of Chiara Mastroianni, Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands and Iggy Pop, and the 2007 Cannes Film Festival press conference Q&A with cast and crew.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Another feature-length Futurama movie hits DVD stands and once again the fans go wild! In this one, the story picks up where Bender's Big Score left off. Netflix has a good plot summary: "The crew at Planet Express must work overtime to seal a portal between their universe and an alternate universe ruled by the gargantuan alien Yivo (David Cross), whose Earth-conquering plans include making Fry the pope of the alternate realm."

Special guest voices include Brittany Murphy and Stephen Hawking, and special features include: Futurama The Lost Adventure: A long-lost, full-length adventure produced for the Futurama Video Game, and a "Meet Yivo!" featurette with David Cross.

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:00:41 -0800

Hurray! The Indiana Jones trailer has arrived and now I can't get the music out of my head. Looks like a lot of you are excited for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as well - the girls look so grown-up!
In other "Hurray!" news, the strike finally ended this week and everyone is moving on - including the studios, which have renewed some shows and are figuring out what the primetime schedule is going to look like. I know most of you are ready to head back to the couch, so I put together a guide to help you sort through the post-strike calendar.
If you haven't filled out my Oscar ballot yet, get cracking! The show is just around the corner. I've been running down nominees in a bunch of categories including live-action shorts, documentaries, and art direction so you can stay on top of your Oscar knowledge.
It's a big weekend for movies, and while I know a lot of folks are looking forward to Jumper, I warned you may be disappointed. I would highly recommend Definitely, Maybe and if you can't make it to theaters, there are stellar DVD choices out this week. Of course, there's always catching up on reading for the Buzz Book Club.
Hopefully this week's episode wasn't the last of Friday Night Lights we'll ever see. I know there are plenty of fans out there that would do anything to keep this show on the air.
I swapped ideas with you all for Valentine's Day songs for bitter love and new love this week. We also got a peek at some new music from Panic at the Disco, and the 25th Anniversary Thriller album hit stores featuring remixes and collaborations with lots of popular young artists.
American Idol's top 24 have been selected now that Hollywood Week has concluded. Pop and I duked it out with our snap judgments on who we think you'll be seeing in the top 12.

Photo courtesy of Paramount

Definitely, Maybe: Definitely Adorable

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Sometimes I get to thinking that the whole romantic comedy genre could use a good shake-up to get out of the hole that movies like Fool’s Gold keep digging the genre into. Rom-coms with smart, secure yet interesting female characters would be one way to do this. Stories with a likable male protagonist who’s neither misogynistic nor a total weenie would be another good way. Definitely, Maybe actually manages to achieve both these things, and it’s truly a relief to see.

Somehow, the movie hits a sweet balance between completely adorable and realistic. There are a few cheesy moments and some genuinely funny parts, but the real reason the movie succeeds is due to the well-drawn, well-developed characters, each of whom I found myself liking and rooting for. Ryan Reynolds charmingly plays Will, whose young daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) is struggling to come to terms with her parents’ divorce. She begs her father to tell her the story of his relationship with his mother: why they fell in love, etc. Reluctant, Will decides instead to tell her the stories of three women from his past, and Maya can guess which one ended up being her mother.

This sets up a fun storytelling structure: alternating between Will’s sweet, funny tales of romance - though some of them are so true-to-life it makes me cringe - we come back to little Maya and her spunky commentary. Sure, sometimes she’s sort of annoying, but it’s also cute and refreshing to get her take on things. She contemplates which of these three different women could be her mother: the kind, gentle Emily (Elizabeth Banks), the sassy and fun-loving April (Isla Fischer) or the fiercely independent and intellectual Summer (Rachel Weisz). There's more to the movie than just this, though, so read more.

There are lots of good things about this movie. The performances are engaging and pretty much everyone in this movie is completely adorable. The relationship between father and daughter is incredibly endearing - as are the threads of sweet father-daughter relationships throughout the film - and the music is well-placed. In particular, the opening title sequence is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time: Will leaves work to pick up Maya at school and chooses a song on his iPod to enjoy during the walk. As we amble down the streets of Manhattan to the tune of "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone we watch the kaleidescope of New York life drift by a relaxed Will. My main complaint is that the movie feels long and drags in parts, though I also admit that it might be hard to get the full story with a shorter film.

Perhaps those terribly cheesy and poorly written rom-coms like Fool's Gold have lowered my standards for this genre, but I enjoyed the film immensely. It’s not the best movie you'll ever see, but as a heartwarming romance, it easily and satisfyingly hits its mark. Here's hoping other rom-coms take some cues from Definitely, Maybe.

To see the trailer and clips from Definitely, Maybe, along with cast interviews, check out movies.ivillage.com.

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Box Office: Hudson and McConaughey Strike Gold

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:15:00 -0800

The chemistry between Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey proved lucrative once again as their comedy, Fool's Gold, won the top spot at the box office over the weekend, earning $22 million. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, starring Martin Lawrence and Cedric the Entertainer, came in No. 2 grossing $17 million, followed by Disney's super tween 3-D concert experience Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour in the third spot.

Fans of Hudson and McConaughey seem like they're most in the mood for this duo around Valentine's Day as their previous rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days opened the same weekend in 2003 with similar box office results, Variety reports.

Oscar nominee Juno remained in the top 10 coming in fifth this week just behind Jessica Alba's thriller, The Eye. Katherine Heigl's 27 Dresses continued to draw fans coming in sixth place and There Will Be Blood came in at No. 10.

If you're still in the mood for love next weekend, there will be even more to choose from when Ryan Reynolds and super cutie Abigail Breslin hit the screen in Definitely, Maybe.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Definitely, Maybe

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:50:46 -0800

Putting aside the fact that Ryan Reynolds seems too boyishly young to be Abigail Breslin's father, Definitely, Maybe looks extremely adorable. Breslin plays Maya, a little girl who wants to learn about her parents' love story. Reynolds, as her nearly divorced father Will, wants to avoid the topic altogether but appeases his daughter by telling her stories of his relationships with three women, and Maya must figure out which one is the story of his romance with her mother.

From the trailer, the movie looks lighthearted and sweet and features some of the cutest actors out there (Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fischer, Abigail Breslin). Definitely, Maybe opens February 14, 2008 so to watch the preview and see what you think, read more

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