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Feast of Love: Sweet But Not Filling

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:36:14 PDT

There are certainly some lovable things about Feast of Love. I love Morgan Freeman. I love the peaceful Oregon setting. I love watching Greg Kinnear do what he does best - play the blithely unaware guy. The movie aims to be a romantic weepie, and there are a few tears and there is some romance. There are good performances and a few sweet, truthful scenes. But all the elements put together make for a narrative that mopes along with a couple lightning bolts of drama trying to jolt us out of our stupor. In the end, it's a pretty unfulfilling "feast."

The story mostly revolves around the lovelorn Bradley (Kinnear) and his terrible luck, Harry's (Freeman) grief over having lost his son, and a young couple dealing with new love, minor money troubles, and an ominous psychic reading. Bradley marries one woman (Selma Blair) only to have her realize she is a lesbian and run off with - who else? - the shortstop on a rival softball team. Then Bradley finds another woman (Radha Mitchell) who can't seem to pull herself away from a man she's had an affair with for a long time. There is no shortage of naked breasts or lovemaking scenes while either the night sky looks on or the pounding rain provides a soundtrack. There's more to this movie than just that, though, so

In the meantime, Harry mostly dispenses a lot of kindly advice and privately continues to grieve for his dead son while shutting out his compassionate wife (Jane Alexander, in a role similar to the one she plays on "Tell Me You Love Me"). For a while I was very concerned that there would be some dumb twist where Harry was actually a figment of everyones' imaginations, but thankfully the story never delves into those tricks. The nicest aspect of the story is the relationship between Chloe (one half of the young couple, played sweetly by Alexa Davalos) and Harry as he becomes a kind of surrogate father to her.

On paper, I'm sure the script seemed really beautiful. And combined with these great actors, how could they go wrong? I'm not sure how they did, but they did. The audience around me was palpably restless and at times even I found myself making a to-do list in my head and checking my watch. I would recommend seeing this film if you a) want to cry and just need an excuse, b) have a ton of patience, and/or c) are feeling sick and need something relatively tame to lull you to sleep. Otherwise, skip it and wait for these great actors to find better projects.

Photos courtesy of MGM

Have A Free Coffee on Thursday, Courtesy of Feast of Love

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:29:10 PDT

To promote the upcoming Morgan Freeman/Greg Kinnear movie Feast of Love, MGM is treating patrons of "local" coffee shops around North America to a free cup of coffee tomorrow, Thursday September 20.

MGM is sponsoring this "North American Coffee Day" (not "National" since the event includes Canadian shops) during which "customers will be treated to free coffee by stopping by one of 92 coffee shops in 59 cities in North America in order to celebrate love, life and coffee in the spirit of the film’s coffee house backdrop." On the movie's official website you can view a list of the participating coffee shops that will give out free coffee from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM local time on Thursday.

Judging from the trailer, I'm not convinced that this will be the year's greatest film, but I must say this promotional stunt warms my heart a little. I'll be taking a break for free coffee on Thursday afternoon.

Image from the the Feast of Love website

Movie Preview: Feast of Love

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:27:25 PDT

As I mentioned in my romantic roundup of fall movies, Feast of Love is a little romantic drama starring Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and Selma Blair. It takes place in Oregon and focuses on Bradley's (Kinnear) terrible luck with the ladies and how he learns all sorts of lessons on love from the various people in his life. Going out on a limb here, I assume Freeman's character doles out endless bits of sage advice. The movie opens September 28, so to check out the slightly cheesy trailer,

Source

Fall Movie Preview: Sweet Romance

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:00:00 PDT

We may not be getting the crisp fall weather just yet, but we are getting previews for tons of movies opening in the fall. In preparation for this autumn and winter at the theaters, I've broken up the lengthy list of upcoming movies into many small themes for my Fall Movie Preview series. This way, you'll be in the know when the chillier months roll around, bringing a whole new crop of new films. In today's preview, all you need is love - in all its funny and heartbreaking variations.

I Could Never Be Your Woman
I really hope this movie is great, but I have admittedly little faith in it. It stars the gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer and adorable Paul Rudd, but was supposed to come out around Valentine's Day (over six months ago!) and now it's slated to open November 9. Not a good sign. Pfeiffer plays a 40-year-old divorcee facing the challenges and insecurities associated with getting older and raising a pre-teen daughter (played by Saoirse Ronan, the actress recently cast to play Susie in The Lovely Bones). She meets Adam (Rudd), a 29-year-old spirited guy who apparently teaches her how to loosen up and be a kid again. It looks like it's maybe a step up from The Perfect Man. Maybe. Check out the fairly lame trailer and tell me what you think.

More romantic adventures scheduled for the fall if you

Feast of Love
This romantic drama, opening September 28, randomly takes place in Oregon. The impressive ensemble cast includes Morgan Freeman, Selma Blair and Greg Kinnear, among others. Various relationships are at the heart of this story, mostly focusing on Bradley (Kinnear) and his terrible luck with women. He learns valuable lessons about love from the other folks in his life. The trailer looks like a cheese pie with a dash of trite ("Do you think love is a trick, or do you think that it's the only meaning there is to this crazy dream?"), but it could end up being sweet, too.

Dan in Real Life
I just posted the very cute trailer for this movie, opening October 19, that has Steve Carell playing the charmingly overprotective widower raising three daughters. He's delighted when he meets a wonderful woman (played by Juliette Binoche, awesomely) - only to find out she's his brother's girlfriend. This is one I can't wait to catch on the big screen.

Lars and the Real Girl
A refreshingly quirky spin on the tired old romantic stories, Lars and the Real Girl finds Ryan Gosling playing Lars, a man who falls in love with a life-sized doll. Lars insists that everyone in his life act as though "Bianca" is a real person who he's dating. Yet in doing this, he may be missing out on a relationship with a human woman. Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson also star, happily. Check out the sweet-looking trailer here.

I Could Never Be Your Woman and Lars images source
Feast of Love and Dan images source

Share Your Food Photos on YumSugar

Susannah Chen — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:24:28 PDT

Have you cooked, eaten, or spotted something mouthwatering recently? If so, then don't let anything hold you back from sharing it with the rest of us: we want to feast with our eyes too. On a recent trip to Chicago, I hit up one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Big Star, for some south-of-the-border sustenance and wound up ordering their queso fundido, a platter of melted, pungent, cheesy goodness.

Are you ready to share? We've got a group called Savory Sights, where you can upload mouthwatering images of foods and drinks you've made, consumed, or simply salivated over. Start showing us your photos now. There are lots of ways to participate, so read on to learn more.

Your Weekend Fit Tip: Start With a Healthy Breakfast

Leta Shy — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:43:52 PDT

Many of you will be celebrating someone you love (or being celebrated yourself) this weekend for Mother's Day. And when it comes to family gatherings, chances are you'll be in for a big feast. But no matter if you're going out for an indulgent brunch, lunch, or dinner, you can start the day off right with a healthy breakfast.

Starting the day with a small bowl of yogurt with fruit before brunch or a green juice before a stack of pancakes for breakfast ensures that you'll be getting many of your nutrients for the day right away, which can help you feel less guilty about any more-indulgent dishes you spring for later on. And it can also help you know when to stop once you've sat down to eat; if you have just a cup of yogurt before brunch, for example, you'll be more apt to feel satisfied sooner so you don't overeat during your big meal.

This weekend, start the day off right. If you're in the mood for a green juice, try one of these green juice and smoothie recipes.

The Office, "Turf War": Best Lines of the Night

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:55:21 PDT

In this week's episode of The Office, Robert California is hung over and trying to put together the events of the evening - namely, that he closed the Syracuse branch of Dunder-Mifflin while blacked out. And of course, Andy is still being awkward and hanging out around the office, hoping that it's all just been a bad dream. I was happy to see Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur!) from True Blood make an appearance as the Syracuse branch manager who is upset that Scranton is stealing his clients.

We learn that Nellie has been having a hard time and actually has a heart; when Pam warms up to her, she's elated. Andy scores a big deal under the alias Big Red Paper Company to get his job back, but when Robert doesn't bite, he heads over to our old friend David Wallace, who seems interested. While I was happy to see Andy get his groove back, to be honest, the high point of the episode is the cold open, where Jim sets up a thigh curl contest between Gabe and Dwight. There are a few funny lines that held things together, so to see my favorites, just keep reading.

Avery Island, Part Deux: Boils, Bottles, Bloodies & Boudin

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:45:45 PDT

If you're itching for a culinary adventure, there's no need to leave your home! Escape to Avery Island for a crawfish feast with Food Orleans.

This was my lunch. I ate it all.

Avery Island is a gorgeous place; it's surrounded by a long lace of bayous, has plenty of wildlife roaming around freely (deer, bears, raccoons, alligators), and houses the beautiful Jungle Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. You can spend a full day there soaking up the splendor, especially if you pack in a trip to the Tabasco factory.

We had a lovely, long ride down the bayou to the McIlhenny family's trapper's camp, just so we could get in some air boat rides (FUN!) and a little of this:

My favorite lunch in the world! These fellas were HUGE.

I'm only partly responsible for this amount of crawfish carnage. Let's just say that my tablemate, Cecil, is one fast picker.

Earlier that day, we had a tasting of all seven flavors of Tabasco sauce, led by CEO and Chairman of the Board Paul McIlhenny. His chief flavor developer, Charlie Chang, who has worked for the McIlhennys for over 30 years, was also present at the tasting. It was fascinating listening to the two describe how certain flavors were inspired, or how they were refined to become what they are today. I have to say, my new favorite hot sauce is Tabasco Habanero. It's Jamaican inspired and has a lot of fruit flavor to it, plus it packs a slow, intense heat that hits you at the end. For the tasting, we had saltine crackers and softened butter to help us tolerate the high amounts of heat in some of the sauces. I discovered that a saltine cracker spread with butter and topped with a little Habanero sauce is extremely delicious--like eating a wicked little butter cookie. I'm in love.

For more on this tasty adventure, plus a Tabasco-inspired mixology lesson, keep reading!

Feel Like a Spring Chicken - and Feast on One, Too

Lauren Hendrickson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:51:54 PDT

A whole roast chicken is one the easiest weekend meals to prepare; it's pretty hands-off, requires minimal cleanup, and usually yields plenty of leftovers for the rest of the work week. During the Winter, I keep this recipe pretty simple with potatoes and onions but once Spring has sprung, I love to add carrots, radishes, bell pepper, and even asparagus.
To season the chicken, coat it in a mixture of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil. Place the squeezed lemon rinds inside the cavity of the chicken for even more zest. Of course, a whole chicken will take longer to cook than those delicate Spring veggies, so I always start the chicken with baby potatoes and onions. As the chicken roasts, I add the other vegetables depending on their thickness and cook time. Carrots and radishes can take the heat but sliced bell pepper and asparagus should go nearly at the end. Serve your succulent chicken and Spring vegetables with some crusty French bread and white wine for a perfect weekend meal. Feast on your Spring chicken once you get the recipe.

Video: Hot Guys Kissing in the Rain

Karli Bulnes — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:01:00 PDT

April showers are here, and what better way to make the best of it than by feasting our eyes on some hot guys kissing in the rain? From Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner to Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, and some surprises in between, check out the steamiest make-out sessions in the wet weather in this fun PopSugarTV special! Plus, if you're a fan of this video, don't miss Hot Guys Saying I Love You. So, which kiss is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!