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Behind the Scenes at Sundance: Portrait Gallery

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 06:00:58 -0800

One of my favorite things about the Sundance Film Festival is the portrait studio. Between schmoozing and talking up their movies, the casts of each film pose for a series of casual yet artful shots that are inexplicably fun to look at. Maybe there's just something about seeing people like Sienna Miller and Steve Buscemi, who star together in Interview, mugging like they're old friends.

I've collected my favorite pics so far from the festival films, including Smiley Face starring Anna Faris, Mandy Moore's Dedication, The Nines starring Elle Fanning and Ryan Reynolds, Year of the Dog with Molly Shannon and Peter Sarsgaard, John Cusack in Grace is Gone, Waitress with Keri Russell, and the awesome young cast of The Good Life (pictured above). To see the rest of the portraits, read more

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Link Time! Tim Burton Named President of Cannes

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:30:47 -0800

Tim Burton will serve as president of this year's Cannes Film Festival - People
"Weird Al" Yankovic planning a feature film - Cinematical
Orlando Bloom won't be returning for Pirates 4 - MTV Movies Blog
Martha Stewart is leaving daytime network syndication for a cable deal - TV Squad
How I Met Your Mother renewed for a sixth season - Ausiello Files
Is one of these guys American Idol's new Simon? - Vulture
Today's movie rumor: Universal is eyeing a Dracula movie with Avatar's Sam Worthington - Latino Review
Clint Eastwood is voted America's favorite movie star - E! Online
Phoenix cover Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" - Pitchfork
Rawr! Memorable movie monsters - Rotten Tomatoes
Announcing the 2010 NME Award nominees! - PopSugar UK

Buzz In: What's the Best Music Festival You've Been To?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:30:55 -0800

The Coachella Music and Arts Festival just announced their 2010 lineup. Jay-Z, Muse, and Gorillaz are serving as headliners, but the list of supporting acts is just as noteworthy with everyone from LCD Soundsystem to The Dead Weather to Phoenix. The big event isn't until April 16-18, but I'm already trying to figure out if I can swing it.

I've been going to the Treasure Island Music Festival for the past three years, and it's only continued to get bigger and better over time. But Jay-Z? I would love to see him at Coachella. My personal favorite festival experience was when I caught him at All Points West last year. It rained for most of the day, so the entire crowd danced in the mud to Vampire Weekend and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. By the time Jay took the stage to close out the night, people went nuts. I was caked in dirt when it was all over - gross, but a blast.

How about you? What's been your favorite music festival?

And for the full 2010 Coachella lineup (it's a good one!), read more.

FRIDAY APRIL 16: Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Public Image Limited, The Specials, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Benny Benassi, Fever Ray, Grace Jones, She & Him, Erol Alkan, The Avett Brothers, Calle 13, The Whitest Boy Alive, The Cribs, La Roux, Yeasayer, Lucero, DJ Lance Rock, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Proxy, Ra Ra Riot, Deer Tick, Wolfgang Gartner, Aeroplane, Iglu & Hartly, Sleigh Bells, P.O.S., Baroness, Hockey, Little Dragon, White Rabbits, Wale, Kate Miller-Heidke, As Tall as Lions, Jets Overhead, Alana Grace, Pablo Hassan.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17: Muse, Faith No More, Tiësto, MGMT, David Guetta, The Dead Weather, Hot Chip, Devo, Coheed and Cambria, Kaskade, 2Many DJ’s, Major Lazer, Dirty Projectors, Gossip, Z-Trip, The xx, John Waters, Les Claypool, The Raveonettes, Mew, Sia, Camera Obscura, Tokyo Police Club, Porcupine Tree, Old Crow Medicine Show, Aterciopalados, Bassnectar, Frightened Rabbit, Dirty South, Flying Lotus, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pretty Lights, Shooter Jennings, RX Bandits, The Almighty Defenders, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, Craze & Klever, Zoe, The Temper Trap, Portugal. The Man, Band of Skulls, Girls, Beach House, Steel Train, Frank Turner.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18: Gorillaz, Pavement, Thom Yorke(?), Phoenix, Orbital, Spoon, Sly and the Family Stone, De La Soul, Julian Casablancas, Plastikman, Gary Numan, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sunny Day Real Estate, Yo La Tengo, MUTEMATH, Deerhunter, Infected Mushroom, Club 75, Matt & Kim, The Big Pink, Gil Scott-Heron, King Khan and the Shrines, Florence and the Machine, Yann Tiersen, Little Boots, Miike Snow, Talvin Singh, Ceu, B.o.B., Babasonicos, Owen Pallett, The Glitch Mob, Mayer Hawthorne, Local Natives, Rusko, The Middle East, Hadouken!, The Soft Pack, Kevin Devine, Paparazzi, Delphic, One EskimO.

Highlights From the 2009 Treasure Island Music Festival

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:05 -0700

As expected, this year's Treasure Island Music Festival was a well-rounded weekend of awesome live music, dancing, and pretty views of San Francisco. The gorgeous and warm weather on Saturday fit the bill for the lineup that had a heavier concentration of electronic music and DJs (like MGMT and Girl Talk), while on Sunday I bundled up and chilled out to The Decemberists and Grizzly Bear. All in all it was an awesome weekend that ended with a bang as The Flaming Lips closed down the party. Check out some photos of my favorite acts from the weekend.

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Weekend Tunes: A Treasure Island Music Festival Playlist

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:30:09 -0700

For the third year in a row, I'm off to the Treasure Island Music Festival! Now that I'm a seasoned veteran, I can't wait to settle in for two days and listen to some tunes. The other day I highlighted Thao With the Get Down Stay Down, but there lots of other acts I'm psyched about. From MGMT and Girl Talk tonight to The Decemberists and The Flaming Lists shutting things down tomorrow, I'm predicting the perfect balance between fun beats I can dance to and slower jams that I can quietly enjoy. For those of you who can't make it out to the Bay Area, I've put together a playlist of some of my favorite songs from the weekend's artists.

Oh, and be sure to check out the Music Review Group in the Buzz Community! To check out the playlist just read more.

Sundance Snapshot: Buried

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:00:00 -0800

As I waited patiently in line to see Buried at Sundance last night, I learned that the film is the festival's first movie to be bought for major release! I'd already heard a ton of buzz about the film, but my curiosity peaked when I heard the exciting news. So did it live up to the hype? Let's review.

Who's behind it? The film's directed by Rodrigo Cortés, with Ryan Reynolds as the one and only actor in the film.
What's it about? Paul Conroy (Reynolds) wakes up to find himself trapped in a wooden coffin, buried alive after being taken hostage in Iraq. With only a lighter as a guide and a cell phone as a connection to the outside world, Conroy has roughly 90 minutes to assess his situation and attempt to contact someone, anyone, that can help him escape.

Did I develop claustrophobia or what? To find out, just read more.

What did I think? I went in equipped with enough background information to know that the film would make me feel squeamish at the very least, but what I loved about it is that it's just so well made. Reynolds took a risk with the role, and his gripping performance will easily establish him as more than just a rom-com actor. While the camera work and angles absolutely make you feel a little boxed in, the cinematography never gets stale, and you're constantly seeing Reynolds in a different way.

As for the script, my biggest concern was how the story would wrap up (either with Conroy being rescued or suffocating) without being cliched or expected. However, the final scene of the movie is still shocking and surprising. Buried is all at once frustrating, tear-jerking, and emotionally manipulative, but as one of the most intense movies I've ever seen, it's absolutely worth your 90 minutes.

I've got another full day of films ahead, so be sure to check out all of my Sundance coverage as the festival continues!

Sundance Snapshot: Cyrus

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:30:00 -0800

The Sundance Film Festival comes to a close this weekend, but I've still got a few more movie goodies to keep you all informed. If you haven't already, check out my Sundance Snapshots covering movies from the likes of Josh Radnor to Ben Affleck to Ryan Gosling. For now, let's move on with the Duplass Brothers' Cyrus.

Who's behind it? The film is written and directed by the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, who are no strangers to Sundance at this point. John C. Reilly, Catherine Keener, Marisa Tomei, and Jonah Hill make up the cast.
What's it about? Reilly stars as John, a regular Joe (and self-proclaimed "Shrek") who's been a bit lost since his wife (Keener) left him seven years ago. He's skeptical about finding love again until he meets Molly (Tomei) at a party and forms an instant connection with her. Everything is going smoothly between the two until John meets Molly's 21-year-old son, Cyrus (Hill). Feeling very protective of his single mother, it isn't long before Cyrus starts sabotaging Molly's relationship with John. Check out the trailer right here.

To see how I feel about the film, just read more.

What did I think? With a cast like this one, it's impossible not to find solid performances - Reilly and Hill in particular play out their contention with perfect comedic timing. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, both classic and unconventional: John has a classic drunken dance party scene, but Cyrus's somewhat inappropriate relationship with Molly also provokes plenty of laughs. The biggest surprise is that the movie actually has a beating heart at its epicenter; despite Hill's run-ins with Reilly or his slightly Oedipal feelings towards his mother, his actions only teeter on the brink of being creepy. The delicate balance between strange and funny keep the movie on track, and it all comes together as a well-made little movie.

Sundance Snapshot: Sympathy For Delicious

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:30:51 -0800

I'm still having a blast here at the Sundance Film Festival. The days have been chock full of screenings and celebrity sightings (Ryan Reynolds, Kate Mara, and Josh Radnor, to name a few), and I've been giving you recaps of the films I've been lucky enough to check out. Now that I've shared my thoughts on Get Low, here's my take on Sympathy For Delicious.

Who's behind it? Mark Ruffalo makes his directorial debut and stars in the film, with Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, Juliette Lewis and Christopher Thornton rounding out the cast.
What's it about? Thornton stars as Dean, a once-respected DJ (named "Delicious D") who has lost his way since becoming paralyzed. Angry at the world and living out of his car, Dean's life takes a dramatic turn when he realizes his mysterious ability to heal people of various ailments. His gift is at first exploited by a priest looking to raise money for the church, but Dean quickly learns that he can pocket the cash himself if he takes matters into his own hands.

So, is it any good? To find out, just read more.

What did I think? I had high hopes for the film when I first heard about it, but there's not much to love about this one. The story line is contrived, and often boring. It's meant to be a tale of faith, peace, and self-understanding, but the themes are too heavy-handed and lacking in emotional depth. Many of the players are one-dimensional caricatures, particularly Orlando Bloom as the incredibly cliched singer in a rock band. Thornton gives a convincing performance as cynical, frustrated, Dean, but without any background on what Dean was like before his circumstances changed, it's hard to connect to him or even care about what happens to the character.

Here's hoping that Ruffalo will try, try again - because his first attempt behind the camera doesn't quite succeed.

10 Sundance Movies I'm Excited About

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:30:10 -0800

In just a few days I'll be bundling up to take on the elements and as many movies as I can handle when I head to the Sundance Film Festival. There are far too many to fit into such a short period of time, but here's a sneak peek at the films that are at the very top of my list - and be sure to stay tuned for all of my live updates throughout the festival!

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Would You Want to Attend a Film Festival?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:30:33 -0800

It used to be that Cannes or Sundance were the main film festivals you always heard about (I'm going to the latter later this month, so check back for my coverage of that). But nowadays, the market is expanding. Even music showcase South by Southwest has been getting in on the act in recent years by adding movies to its lineup.

Just today SXSW began announcing some of this year's flicks, and the opening night debut is none other than fanboy favorite Kick-Ass. Also on the list? A documentary by James Franco titled Saturday Night about the making of an episode of Saturday Night Live (hmm . . . yet another curious gig for the actor). Bottom line, these aren't just films with unknowns, which makes me think even more folks will flock to check them out.

What about you? If you're a movie addict, then chances are you'd jump at the chance to watch new films for days on end. Or maybe that sounds like overload, and you'd rather just wait for the best of the bunch to hit regular theaters (or maybe a fest is just too pricey!). So I'm curious - are you interested in going to film festivals?