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Movie Preview: The Hurt Locker

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:30:02 -0700

"If The Hurt Locker is not the best action movie of the summer, I'll blow up my car." - A.O. Scott, New York Times.

All of a sudden, I really want to see The Hurt Locker. For one thing, this movie is getting incredibly positive reviews, with most critics noting that this may be the first movie about the Iraq war that audiences will actually enjoy. For another, it sounds suspenseful and action-packed - like, blow-your-mind-and-your-eardrums style. And for a third, it's already gotten some recognition before it even hits theaters in the form of two Independent Spirit Awards nominations. Here's a description:

[The Hurt Locker is] an intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat.

The movie stars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie and also features Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break), The Hurt Locker opens in New York and LA today and will hit another group of cities July 10. This trailer's definitely worth a watch, and you can check it out when you read more.

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Movie Preview: The Road

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:00:13 -0700

It must be Highly Anticipated Trailer Day today or something: First we got a glimpse of Nine, and now we have the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road. The movie stars Viggo Mortensen as a man coping emotionally and physically in a post-apocalyptic world and trying to defend his family.

The book uses an apocalyptic scenario as a way to meditate on themes of humanity, and the effect is stirring. I don't know if it's the marketing campaign or if this is the route the entire movie is taking, but I'm surprised this trailer makes The Road look more like an action-packed thriller (explosions, gun fights, chase scenes, etc.) rather than a solemn journey into our worst nightmare. Either way, it looks extremely creepy.

Even though the movie won't be out until Oct. 16, one early review is calling it "the most important movie of the year." That's a big statement!

The Road also stars Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, and Guy Pearce. To watch the trailer, read more.

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Movie Preview: Winged Creatures

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:30:53 -0700

I watched the trailer for Winged Creatures before I knew the full cast list. I already knew that it included Forrest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson and was surprised to find a whole slew of other amazing actors involved, including Jackie Earle Haley, Guy Pearce, Kate Beckinsale, and Big Love's Jeanne Tripplehorn. In addition, there's Dakota Fanning as a real, live teenager - not a precocious little kid.

The plot reminds me a little bit of that ill-fated TV show The Nine (which probably should have just been a movie in the first place): "A group of strangers form a unique relationship with each other after surviving a random shooting at a Los Angeles diner."

The whole look and feel of the film is eerie, moving, and quite sad, not unlike the tone of Mystic River (but slightly less dark). There doesn't appear to be a release date yet for Winged Creatures, but I hope it comes out soon. To check out the trailer, read more.

Movie Night: The World of Dark Knight Director Christopher Nolan

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:30:46 -0700

Christopher Nolan is a director who initially made a huge splash with a little budget and not much celebrity star power. He's the director of The Dark Knight and the man responsible for resuscitating the Batman franchise. Not so long ago, he was an independent filmmaker, but after this weekend he'll probably be seen as one of the most influential creative forces in Hollywood. So who is the visionary behind the ~~mask~~ camera? Well, you could read this interesting New York Times profile, or you could let his work speak for itself by embarking on a Christopher Nolan Movie Night!

Memento
Try to remember back to 2000 - there was a lot of hype around a little movie about a guy suffering from short-term memory loss looking for the man who murdered his wife. Memento was a big deal and shot Nolan to the head of the class in the eyes of film critics and Hollywood bigwigs alike. Guy Pearce is mesmerizing as a man forced to tattoo himself to remember things, and the way the movie plays with time is chilling and mind-blowing.

Two more Nolan flicks to go so read more.

The Prestige
Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, David Bowie, magic, murder - what more do you need for an exciting movie? Nolan created a spooky atmosphere in which to set this tale of two illusionists competing against each other at the turn of the 20th century. The film earned Oscar nods for both art direction and cinematography. The gripping story follows both magicians (Bale and Jackman) as they try to outdo each other, taking their competition to deadly extremes.

Batman Begins
While it had only a third of the hype The Dark Knight has, Batman Begins wiped the superhero's slate clean of the tarnished image of the franchise (and memories of George Clooney's nippled batsuit) and brought the tale of the dark hero back to its roots. Its super darkly awesome roots, that is. If you haven't seen this first installment of Nolan's reboot, you definitely won't be lost at Dark Knight this weekend, but it's well worth watching and will get you super pumped.

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Movie Preview: Traitor

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:33:55 -0700

If the always-amazing Don Cheadle weren't in this new movie Traitor, I probably would have greeted its trailer with a big old "meh." But while the preview makes it look like another one of those run-of-the-mill espionage thrillers Hollywood churns out regularly, the talent involved suggests that I shouldn't necessarily be so quick to judge.

In addition to Cheadle, the movie co-stars the terrific (and handsome) Guy Pearce (of Memento and an odd movie that no one's promoting with Catherine Zeta-Jones), as well as Jeff Daniels. Another fun fact about this project: Steve Martin (yes, the funny one) co-wrote the movie and is an executive producer.

Basically the trailer shows official-looking CIA types acting stressed out, and there is a lot of secret-keeping and secret-sharing. The movie opens August 27 so to take a look for yourself and tell me what you think, read more.

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Movie Preview: Death Defying Acts

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:30:46 -0700

Hmm. . . a movie with two relatively big-ish actors (Catherine Zeta-Jones is perhaps more recognizable, but Guy Pearce is an exceptional actor, as you may recall from a little something called Memento) that has been completed for many months but gets practically no U.S. promotion whatsoever, even as its release date (July 11) fast approaches? It kinda makes you wonder about this Harry Houdini drama, Death Defying Acts.

Little Women director Gillian Armstrong leads the dramatic tale of escapism and romance. The story takes place in 1926 Britain where Houdini "enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic (Zeta-Jones). The psychic and her daughter (Saoirse Ronan) attempt to con Houdini during a highly publicized séance to contact his mother whose death has haunted him for many years. However, all does not go to plan."

The story has so much potential to be dark and intriguing, and I am always curious about what Guy Pearce is up to. Plus, there's a pre-Atonement (and thus pre-Oscar nom) Saoirse Ronan and she is a pretty great little actress.

The movie already had an Australian premiere and I will probably give it a shot when it comes to a theater near me. To check out the trailer, read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 7/11

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:31:40 -0700

Kevin Spacey is all set to reprise his role as Lex Luthor in the next Superman movie - though the film won't go into production until director Bryan Singer completes his movie based on the life of Harvey Milk, says Variety.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Guy Pearce and Don Cheadle will star together in an espionage thriller called Traitor.
"The Knights of Prosperity" will return to TV for its final four episodes in August, writes the Futon Critic.
Bruce Springsteen is planning to release another album with the E Street band, Fox News reports.
Claire Danes is set to play Eliza Doolittle in a stage production of Pygmalion, the play that inspired the musical My Fair Lady, Variety reports.
Peter Berg will adapt his cousin Buzz Bissinger's Barbaro story into a movie, Zap2it reports; a similar arrangement between Bissinger and Berg spawned the Friday Night Lights movie.
Breakout hip-hop star T.I. is dominating the music charts, according to Billboard.
The AP reports on a new James Bond novel titled Devil May Care, written by Sebastian Faulks and due to come out in 2008.
TV Guide tells us that Tuesday's premiere of "The Singing Bee" was the most-watched network program in six weeks, ever since the "House" season finale.

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First Snow: Quietly Chilling

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:00:01 -0700

"I chose this road. A man makes his destiny, right? Nothing makes the gods laugh harder." This voice-over begins First Snow, as a haggard Guy Pearce smokes a cigarette and drives through a light snowstorm.

The haunting scene gives the impression that something terrible is about to happen, yet the uneasiness abruptly shifts when there is a time jump to several months earlier: A much surer Pearce drives the same car in broad daylight, nothing scary about it. We won't see that first Pearce again until the end of the film, when the scene will be heavy with meaning.

Pearce is cocky salesman Jimmy Starks, a clever guy who is used to playing everyone in his life and coming out the winner. When his car breaks down in a deserted area, he visits a fortuneteller (J.K. Simmons) who becomes frightened by the future he sees. The psychic says he sees "no more tomorrows" for Jimmy, though he is safe until "the first snow." The suspense is only starting to build at that point, though, so

Annoyed, Jimmy dismisses the psychic's predictions until other aspects of the reading come true. A dangerous former friend (Shea Whigham) returns to town with a vendetta against Jimmy, causing him to become increasingly paranoid about his destiny. At that point, Jimmy and his sanity start a race against time - and the weather.

First Snow is probably too quiet and slow for most mainstream audiences, and was even too slow at times for my own patience. But by the end I appreciated the pacing and couldn't think of one extraneous scene. As far as psychological thrillers go, the story unfolds perfectly, with first-time director Mark Fergus employing plenty of sharp edits, an unsteady camera and extreme close-ups of Pearce's suspicious eyes. Despite its grungy modern setting, the film has the feel of a classic thriller, and could have easily been shot in black and white. While the movie in its entirety is well-done, the best part of the entire film is the last minute or so, which is as soft and cold as that first snowfall of winter.

Photos courtesy of Yari Film Group

Movie Preview: First Snow

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 16:08:22 -0700

In First Snow, Guy Pearce plays Jimmy Starks, a slick salesman who gets an ominous reading from a psychic that makes him paranoid. Thus, the smooth-talking guy who screwed over most of the people in his life becomes nervous and hunted, and he starts to question whether or not he's in charge of his own path.

Director Mark Fergus co-wrote the screenplay for Children of Men, but First Snow marks his directorial debut. This quiet suspense-thriller opens tomorrow, April 6, nationwide. You can check out the eerie-looking trailer and tell me what you think if you read more

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Movie Preview: Factory Girl

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 05:30:24 -0800

After weeks upon weeks of speculation and controversy - concerning both Bob Dylan's outrage over the film and Sienna Miller behaving like a child in general - Factory Girl is finally set to open nationwide this Friday, February 9. Sienna Miller plays Edie Sedgwick, muse to artist Andy Warhol (played by Guy Pearce) during the Factory's heyday in the 1960s.

I'm a little torn on this one; the costumes, the freewheeling '60s vibe, and Pearce's performance look really spot-on. But Miller rubs me the wrong way, and I'm uneasy about the inclusion of this "Bob Dylan-esque" character. Check out the trailer and tell me: Do you have any interest in Factory Girl?