BuzzSugar

Diane Keaton Is HBO's New Feminist Icon

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:30:43 -0700

Diane Keaton is moving to television, starring in an HBO half-hour comedy project about a feminist icon trying to reignite the movement.

Written by Marti Noxon - who's been a writer and producer on shows ranging from Grey's Anatomy to Mad Men to Buffy - the show will spotlight Keaton's character attempting to get the feminist movement back on track "by starting a sexually explicit magazine for women." Noxon says she was inspired in part by her own life as the daughter of a lesbian radical feminist, where rebellion meant things like deciding to shave her legs.

She and her co-producer initially thought of basing a show around a young feminist working at a porn magazine, but "the moment they decided to make the central character an older, Gloria Steinem-type feminist icon, it all fell into place" and they thought of Keaton right away. As Noxon's co-producer said:

There are a lot of similarities between Diane and Gloria Steinem. They both grew up in the '50s, a period marked by women finding their relevance sexually, and Diane has been attracted to roles about women exploring their sexuality in films like Something's Gotta Give.

Instead of Something's Gotta Give, I keep thinking of Annie Hall - or, rather, Annie Hall herself, 30 years later. Is this the sort of thing she might do? I'm not sure, but I'll be curious to keep my eye on this one and find out. What about you?

Families Are Kooky! Previews for Smother and Easy Virtue

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:34:25 -0700

These two movies might take place in completely different countries and time periods, but the Monster-in-Law/Meet the Parents/isn't-family-wacky overtones are the same. If there's anything to take away from the trailers for Smother and Easy Virtue it's "beware the in-laws!"

We've been keeping an eye on Easy Virtue for a while now, seeing as it's Jessica Biel's (as a bright blonde?) first big leading lady role in a comedy - a British comedy that takes place in the 1920s, no less. The movie, based on Noel Coward's play, follows an American divorcee, Larita (Biel), who travels to England to meet her new in-laws, having spontaneously married a young Englishman (Ben Barnes). Unfortunately, Larita's new mother-in-law is not too fond of Americans, and regards Larita specifically as a woman of "easy virtue." No U.S. release date yet, but Easy Virtue opens in the UK Nov. 7.

Coming back to present day, the trailer for Smother makes me laugh. To find out why, read more.

In Smother, Dax Shepard (who reminds me of Zach Braff more than a little here) stars as average guy Noah Cooper, whose wife (Liv Tyler) is anxious to make some babies. When Noah's wacky mother (Diane Keaton, whose manic tendencies come in handy here) comes to live with them for a while, Noah begins to have second thoughts about becoming a father. The movie (which has a really adorable poster) apparently opens in limited release next Friday, Sept. 26.

Check out these mother-knows-best trailers below.

Easy Virtue

Easy Virtue Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Smother

'Smother' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

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Steve Martin and Diane Keaton May Reunite for Comedy

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:29:47 -0700

There are some cinematic couplings that are so full of cuteness that I get giddy at the thought of them reuniting. Steve Martin and Diane Keaton are one such couple, having totally endeared themselves to me in Father of the Bride (I just pretend that little sequel doesn't exist).

Now, these two may couple up again for One Big Happy, a comedy by Party of Five creators Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman. Variety reports that while there aren't many details just yet, they do know that it is a "family comedy about a couple and a family reconnecting amid various obstacles."

I'm so excited by this news, and I hope costarring with Steve will get Diane back on track and help us forget some of her recent projects (ahem, Mad Money).

Based on box office returns, it looks like a lot of people love to see hard-bodied costars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson onscreen together. And, of course, there's the big upcoming reunion of Kate and Leo in this year's Revolutionary Road. I think reuniting When Harry Met Sally's stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in a movie might be fun, too. What other movie duos would you love to see re-coupled?

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The Results Are In: Recast Annie Hall

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:30:14 -0800

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

Wow, this week's recast challenge for Annie Hall prompted tons of awesome entries. I wish I could choose 10 winners - it was nearly impossible to pick just one. I especially loved allenorton's idea of John Cusack as Alvy paired with Zooey Deschanel as Annie. I also got a huge kick out of sfmastiffmom's Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey combo. Some of my favorite Alvy ideas were bart simpson's Creed Bratton from The Office (it's just funny), katie_c's Tony Shahloub and alethe16's Paul Giamatti.

And finally, because it's Super Tuesday, I have to give a special shout-out to janneth for her Hilary-Obama combination (with the genders reversed). That pretty much made my day.

I finally had to make a decision, however, and I went with coolgurl24's recast list! To see who coolgurl24 picked and a new cast photo, read more.

These two are almost exactly the same ages that Woody Allen and Diane Keaton were when Annie Hall came out. Woody was 42, Diane was 31. Rainn Wilson is 42 and Amy Adams is 33.

coolgurl24's cast:
Annie - Amy Adams
Alvy - Rainn Wilson

Recast Annie Hall and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:29:12 -0800

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

For this recast challenge, the only requirement is to think of new actors for the main two characters: Annie (Diane Keaton) and Alvy (Woody Allen). However, if you wish to recast other characters from the film, you are welcome to do so! Who could play these two iconic, anxious people?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, February 5, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Characters to recast:
Alvy Singer (Woody Allen)
Annie Hall (Diane Keaton)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Movie Preview: Mad Money

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:33:51 -0700

Opening January 18, 2008 Mad Money finds three ladies forming an unlikely team to rob their employer. Apparently, it's based on a true story. It appears that there's the sassy lady played by Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton plays the clever older lady and Katie Holmes has the role of the quirky free spirit who dances her way, um, everywhere. Also, ~~Arthur Frobisher~~ Ted Danson is in the film. To check out the trailer for Mad Money which looks neither bad nor awesome, read more

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Movie Preview: Anna Faris and Jon Heder in Mama's Boy

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:31:37 -0700

I have to confess, I don't think Jon Heder is much of a comedic actor outside the role of Napoleon Dynamite. And don't get me wrong, that is a hilarious character. But I have little faith in his ability to branch out. Thankfully, his next project Mama's Boy finds him surrounded by some great actors which I think is what Heder needs to reach his comedic potential.

Heder plays 29-year-old Jeffrey who lives with his mother Jan (Diane Keaton) and depends on her for everything. When she gets a new boyfriend (Jeff Daniels, hilariously), a bit of a rivalry is sparked between the two men vying for Jan's attention. Luckily for Jan, Jeffrey might find some romance of his own in the form of cute barista Nora (Anna Faris). The film opens Thanksgiving, so to check out the pretty funny trailer, read more

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Recast Father of the Bride and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 09:34:02 -0700

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

In honor of wedding planning mania on the Sugar Network, this week's Recast challenge is the 1991 remake of the Spencer Tracey classic, Father of the Bride. This film used to leave me feeling misty-eyed, though I now admit it's a tad on the ridiculous side.

Still, Steve Martin is a fantastic dadly type as George, and Kimberly Williams ais the quintessential daddy's-little-girl. Then, of course, there's Diane Keaton doing her normal good-natured tsk-tsking and Martin Short playing the flamboyant wedding planner Franck (or "Fraaaahhhhhnck").

If you could recast this sentimental comedy, who would you pick for the main characters? Leave your entry in the comment section below by the end of the day TODAY, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, April 24, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Characters to recast:
George Banks (Steve Martin)
Nina Banks (Diane Keaton)
Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams)
Bryan MacKenzie (George Newbern)
Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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Because I Said So: Mama Said There'd Be Movies Like This

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 10:52:15 -0800

Let me preface this review by saying that I have, up until this moment, been a firm supporter of Diane Keaton. I’ve loved her from Annie Hall through Baby Boom, and I even stuck by her during the Something’s Gotta Give period. Yet her newest movie, Because I Said So, leaves me feeling a deep and confusing disappointment that's going to take a long time to get over.

This isn’t one of those bad-good films that's silly and campy in a heartwarming way. This is bad-bad all the way. Think squirming in embarrassment during moments of random 4-part singing without an ounce of irony. Multiply that feeling by a thousand and then decide if you want to see this movie. My advice is: don't.

Keaton plays Daphne Wilder, an overbearing, manic 60-year-old mother of three grown daughters, two of whom are married. The third child, Milly (Mandy Moore), despite being a responsible and happy person, is the one trouble spot in Daphne's life because she hasn't found her "life partner." So Daphne takes out an online ad to find a suitable mate for Milly. As a result, two different bachelors start courting Milly: a dreamboat musician (made "edgy" by his tattoos) and another guy who is laughably lame (rich, uptight, and cold). Amidst all this meddling, Daphne almost misses out on her own chance at love. Almost, but of course, not quite, so

The actresses in this film may have had fun making it, but the relationships ring empty, and the moments that are supposed to be truthful are reduced to high-pitched indecipherable squealing. Keaton is so shrieky and over-the-top that the only point I felt anything other than irritation toward Daphne is when she catches a flu, loses her voice, and has a quiet moment with Milly discussing orgasms. This relaxed moment happens to be Mandy Moore’s finest as well; otherwise her starry-eyed naivete is tiresome.

Lauren Graham is refreshing as Lorelai Gilmore - oops, I mean Milly's sister Maggie. Though slightly tamer than her Loralei character, she basically provides the same deadpan humor. Piper Perabo plays Milly's other sister, Mae, and she's barely in the movie. The "7th Heaven" dad (Stephen Collins) is actually endearing and sweet for the whole six lines he's allowed, while the other guys are 2-dimensional but very cute (especially the musician, played by Gabriel Macht).

There's also an appearance by Tony Hale, who was excellent as Buster Bluth in "Arrested Development," so it's a shame that he's involved in the most eye-rollingly bad writing in the entire film. Loralei/Maggie is a therapist who meets regularly with Stuart (Hale), who says he responded to a personal ad that a woman took out for her daughter. Maggie proceeds to belittle any woman who would stoop to that kind of low, not knowing she's bashing her own mother. When Stuart says the woman's reasoning for not having him date her daughter was "because I said so," Maggie realizes he's talking about her mother! Because clearly, no other mother in the course of history has ever used that catch phrase. Remember that confused disappointment I mentioned? This moment helped to solidify that.

I've already expressed my distaste for the term "chick flick," and this movie really exacerbates the issue. I am a chick, and I don’t identify with a single minute of the rubbish that is this movie. In fact, Because I Said So only serves to fulfill every tired cliché that women are typically lumped into - and worse, it treats female singlehood like a hereditary disease. With the help of modern science (the Internet), Daphne does everything in her power to disable the nasty gene that could leave Milly to doomed to the apparent misery of not having a husband.

It's a sad day for me and Diane Keaton. I'm going to watch Annie Hall this weekend and weep for the good ol' days. I suggest you do the same.

Movie Preview: Because I Said So

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:36:00 -0800

It's been a good couple of weeks for Mandy Moore. Her new indie flick, Dedication, was just bought by the Weinstein Company and First Look at Sundance, and soon you can see her in Because I Said So, which opens nationwide this Friday. Moore plays the daughter of a meddlesome mother (Diane Keaton), who relentlessly interferes in her daughter's romantic life when she should be concentrating on her own.

I so miss the Annie Hall days when Diane Keaton played lovably neurotic characters rather than the campy, over-the-top persona she seems to favor now. But I'm willing to give the movie a chance; the fact that the dad from "7th Heaven" plays Keaton's love interest alone is pretty hilarious. Check back on Friday for my review, and to watch the trailer, read more

Do you think you'll go see Because I Said So?