BuzzSugar

January Jones and Diane Kruger Looking For an Unknown White Male

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:30:07 -0700

January Jones is everywhere right now: This week's Mad Men was exceptionally stellar, her scandalous GQ issue is currently on stands - and the latest news this morning is that she will be appearing on the big screen soon, as well. (Much like some of the other Mad Men ladies.) Jones has been cast along with Diane Kruger in the thriller Unknown White Male. The film follows a man (Liam Neeson) who awakes from a coma to find that his identity has been stolen. Jones will be playing his wife who doesn't believe him, and Kruger stars as a cab driver who helps him seek out the truth.

Hmm, playing the spouse of a guy with identity issues? This shouldn't exactly be a stretch for Betty Draper's alter-ego.

I'm excited about this female pairing. I've always liked Diane Kruger (especially in Inglourious Basterds), and I'm curious to see if Jones can ride her current wave of success into full-fledged movie star status. (And Unknown White Male sounds like a more challenging part for her than say, American Wedding or Love Actually.)

What do you think of Jones and Kruger's new roles? Do you have a hard time picturing Jones as anyone but Betty?

Diane Kruger Is Part of the Boys Club in Basterds

Molly — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:30:00 -0700

Inglourious Basterds hits theaters today and has been greeted with some positive reviews - including right here on Buzz, check it out. The past few days I've been sharing interviews from the press junket earlier this month, starting with BJ Novak and Eli Roth. Now here's a bit from one of the few women among the boys club in the film, Diane Kruger. We've highlighted a few of the quotes on PopSugar already, but here's more on what it was like to work with all those guys, especially Quentin.

On working with the guys: It’s fun being one the boys. It’s also fun to have a character that’s rough and get’s down and dirty an not to be this precious little piece that sits in the corner and just sort of stands by the action.

On working with Quentin: I love Pulp Fiction, because I remember I must have been 13 or 14 when it came out and Pulp Fiction is so iconic. And I must say as a young girl when I watched Pam Greer as Jackie Brown I was like, that’s what I want to be, she is so cool. I’ve always thought that his movies empower women and I’ve always liked that about him.

On getting to play a German character: I've never actually played a German in a movie. It was liberating, well not liberating, but it was nice. If I ever have to play a German I want to play Bridget von Hammersmark and bring down the third Reich!

To read more of what Diane had to say just read more.

On what she wants to do next: I like it all. I’m not a huge fan of horror movies - they give me a heart attack. I can’t watch, even Scream, which is funny really I couldn't watch that. I would love to make a full-on comedy. In this movie I was allowed to be quite funny at times and have great lines and I’ve really been looking actively to do something that’s funnier.
On who she based her character on: It’s not one person particular, Quentin was inspired by many different actresses who weren’t necessarily German so he made me watch many different movies. I think it was more a style that was important to him, when you watch films from the '40s it was quite different. It was a little more formal, a little put on. And he really wanted that, when you first see Bridget on screen you have to really know she’s the movie star and when she speaks nobody else does. You also have to feel this sense of fierce, cold intelligence because if you don’t believe that she’s the brains of the operation and that she is actually going to be able to pull this off, then that whole plot falls flat.
On filming graphic scenes: Well the scalping I have to admit, I could not watch. The [most graphic scene] I’m involved in, I automatically have to think of the day we were shooting it. It was so chaotic, my leg got stuck on the actual table due to the movie blood because Quentin was like "Blood, blood, blood" and it dries and it's sugar-based, so I honestly couldn’t get off the table 20 minutes. It was a full-on wax, trust me. It was horrible, and then they have the dogs barking and I’m doing "Vut are you talkin’ about?" Brad going with his funny accent and his finger gets stuck in the wound and then rips the whole thing off 10 times in a row. It was such a funny day that I can’t look at it and go oh that’s awful.

Inglourious Basterds: Graphic, but Good

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Meet the Inglorious Bastards, er, the Inglourious Basterds: a quintessential Quentin Tarantino clan (see also Reservoir Dogs) helmed by an accent-affected Brad Pitt. Pitt, who plays a sort of Tennessean hillbilly, is the ringleader of the group of mostly Jewish-American soldiers whose aim is to kill - specifically by scalping - Nazis. It's as disgusting as it sounds, but the film is not all gory and the Basterds are only one in a series of interwoven stories. In fact, Brad Pitt and his band of men are each in fewer than half of the movie's chapters. Yes, there is violence but the biggest tone of the movie is artfully crafted tension that left me holding my breath, wondering where the action was going to come from next.

At its core, the film has the violent tendencies you'd expect from writer/director Tarantino. It's incredibly graphic and gory (it was actually comical to hear all of the moans coming from the critics at my screening), but it's peppered with moments of genuine humor (albeit of the dark variety) with just a small dash of romance. In this regard, Basterds is very much like his classic film Pulp Fiction, but topically, the two couldn't be more different.

To hear more about the plot of the film, with some minor spoilers, read more.

The movie begins with an incredible and very intense scene between a Nazi colonel (played by Christopher Waltz) and French countryman Perrier LaPadite (Denis Menochet). It sets up the tone of the film perfectly, while introducing one of the most chilling villains I've ever seen on the big screen, played superbly by Waltz. The vignette could stand alone as a short film, and doesn't quite blend in with the rest of the movie, but it will be what stays with you long after you've walked out of the theater. The rest of Basterds fast-forwards a few years, but we haven't seen the last of the first scene's survivors.

Elsewhere, Aldo Raine (Pitt) is prepping his troops to drop into Europe and kill as many Nazis as possible - he wants each solider to gather 100 scalps. Based on some of the more graphic scenes, the mission is a success. Most of their work takes place off-screen but their influence is clear when a bumbling Hitler and his high ranking official start trembling in their boots. As the Basterds' popularity rises, they're presented with an opportunity that ropes in famous actress and spy Bridget von Hammrsmark (Diane Kruger). The movie is building up to a climactic movie premiere, but unbeknownst to the Basterds, they're not the only ones plotting.

This, for me, is when the movie really starts getting good. Firstly, based on her relatively small résumé (National Treasure, Troy, Wicker Park), I was not expecting to be so blown away by Kruger. She's simply stunning in her role including carrying one of the longest and most intense scenes. Pitt also pulls off the necessary swagger and bravado that goes with his ringleader role. When these two get together the screen seems to warm to their combined presence. Both Pitt and Kruger also add to the element of humor in the film, which is clear throughout all 2.5 hours of it.

It's hard to talk much more about the plot without spoilers, but it's one of the most satisfying - and quite frankly, entertaining and thought-provoking - movies I've seen in some time. If you can stomach the violence, the film is worth its weight in gold (or blood).

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

We got a double whammy of Matt Damon movie previews: Invictus and Green Zone, and the busy guy is in talks for the next Coen brothers movie.
What shows have been canceled, picked up for full seasons, or renewed? I racked up the results on my Fall TV scorecard and a late-week update.
I chit-chatted with some of my favorite TV stars this week; read my interviews with FlashForward's Sonya Walger and Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt and Rashida Jones.
Many lovely ladies made movie casting news this week, including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Biel, Diane Kruger and January Jones.
Michael Jackson's tribute doc This Is It premiered Wednesday, so I caught a show and gave it my review - and stamp of approval.
Good news for Hollywood's funnymen: Ricky Gervais is set to host the Golden Globes, while Steve Carell scored a role in a gold comedy, and Adam Sandler is going to play both Jack and Jill in his next movie.
The Office characters one-upped their own show with the webisode music video for "Male Prima Donna" by Subtle Sexuality.
The Martin Scorcese biopic is full steam ahead, with Leo as the top choice for both you guys and Martin Scorsese.