BuzzSugar

New York, I Love You: A Jigsaw Puzzle That Doesn't Quite Fit

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

As a city with so much personality and penchant for possibility, it's no surprise that the follow-up to Paris, Je t'aime heads to New York. New York, I Love You is a tale of the connections and personal missteps that occur every single day in the city that never sleeps. It plays out like a movie version of a song mash-up: some story lines are linear and independent of the rest while other characters wander in and out of each other's lives. Throw an all-star cast in there, and you could possibly have a recipe for perfection.

Unfortunately, the ingredients don't blend together as well as I had hoped, and instead we're left with an engaging but bland look at a handful of trials and tribulations in relationships. To see what I mean, just read more.

Made up of a series of short films, New York, I Love You is an homage to the city as well as the residents who hold it near and dear to their hearts. The "anything can happen" theme is alive and well, as strangers become acquaintances and friends, putting so much emphasis on each and every interaction that we take part in on a regular basis.

You meet a few characters that represent New York well enough; Bradley Cooper is the guy who's constantly jumping into a cab the same time as someone else, Orlando Bloom is the struggling musician who turns to Central Park for inspiration, Hayden Christensen is the pick-pocket who's as sexy as he is dangerous. But sometimes it feels just a little too forced; like the film is primarily concerned with proving that New York is a melting pot. Rather than seeing a few love stories shine through stereotypes, I was more distracted by the fake accents.

As with Paris Je t'aime, some of the stories shine brighter than others. Natalie Portman directs a sweet piece about a relationship between a father and daughter; Olivia Thirlby and Anton Yelchin are refreshing as a younger pair who makes the prom a night to remember. The lighter films are breaths of fresh air amongst others that are trying too hard to be hip and stylized.

The ensemble cast certainly gives the movie a boost; even when it's not provoking the deepest of emotions, the film always had my attention. There are solid performances all-around, particularly from Chloris Leachman and Eli Wallach as an aging couple who are still bickering when they aren't helping each other cross the street. It is the most hopeful of the scenarios, and by far the sweetest and most touching.

The film provides plenty of the standard money shots of Manhattan: a typical day in Grand Central Station in fast forward, subway rides, hours of people watching in a coffee shop. The encounters feel authentic and realistic, but the failure lies in the inability to make us feel something on a deeper level. Sometimes you can relate to the characters, and sometimes you feel sorry for them, but it doesn't squeeze your heart nearly enough - and with a title like New York, I Love You, this a disappointment.

Box Office: Jumper Leaps Ahead

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:30:00 -0800

Despite mediocre reviews (including my own) audiences were still game for director Doug Liman's sci-fi movie Jumper which earned the top spot at the box office its first weekend out. Whether it was the combined star power of Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen or the craving for an action flick this Presidents Day weekend, audiences put Jumper ahead of the rest by a long shot, grossing nearly $33.8 million, according to Variety.

The other big surprise over the weekend was the No. 2 spot which belonged to neither the rom-com Definitely, Maybe nor family friendly The Spiderwick Chronicles but rather Disney's Step Up 2 the Streets. In fact, The Spiderwick Chronicles slid in at No. 3 and Definitely, Maybe came in fifth, behind Fool's Gold which has earned an estimated $42 million since hitting theaters last weekend. Juno, the only Oscar nominee in the top 10, came in behind Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins at No. 7.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Jumper: Teleport Yourself Far Away From This One

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:31:55 -0800

The sci-fi "thriller" Jumper can be described in one word: empty. Pretty much everything about this movie is devoid of any real energy, passion or substance. The performances are stale and lifeless, the plot is interesting in theory but fails in execution and the visuals aren't cool enough to keep us engaged. The plot is boringly similar to that of Heroes (which is itself like a clone of X-Men), and yet Heroes is so much more enjoyable. At least Heroes features intriguing characters who might band together for a higher purpose. Lacking both good characters and any kind of higher purpose, Jumper just lays there.

Here's the plot: David (Christensen) is a "Jumper," someone who can teleport himself. The Jumpers of the world are at odds with the Paladins, and one Paladin in particular, Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) is on a mission to rid the world of all Jumpers everywhere. In his pursuit, he has no problem killing all of the jumpers' loved ones. Hence, David's lady friend Millie (Rachel Bilson) is in danger, and David must protect her as well as elude Roland's grasp. That's it for the story, but for more of my thoughts on the film, read more.

In a seriously empty movie, the emptiest part is Hayden Christensen on whom I think we'd be hard-pressed to find a pulse. He must have been stoked to get this part that requires so little of him because this way he can be comatose onscreen and people are left to wonder if it's the actor or the material. I suspect it's a little bit of both, though Christensen definitely needs to be held accountable for his dismal performance. It angers me that he can't even be bothered to, say, add any kind of inflection to his voice. As though we're the ones wasting his time and not the other way around.

And in tired repetition of an old formula, the main female character is helpless and outrageously stupid and the lone black character is the face of evil. David's mother, played by Diane Lane, is also a hateful character. Christensen makes it impossible for us to care about David, so that leaves one interesting character: David's fellow Jumper Griffin, played with some degree of liveliness by Jamie Bell. When the audience is longing to find out more about this secondary character to the point of being annoyed with the protagonists for getting in the way of his story, there's a problem. Unless your eyes need some exercise in rolling, I think it's best you jump away from this movie.

For exclusive videos about Jumper - including a preview video - check out movies.ivillage.com.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Movie Preview: Awake

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 08:30:00 -0800

Strangely, it appears that Awake was originally in production years ago, and is now scheduled to open November 30 but hasn't really been on anyone's radar at all. It stars Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen and Terrence Howard, yet nobody's been talking about it - until now with the release of a full-length trailer.

The movie doesn't look like a total gem, and yet the trailer seriously freaked me out by tapping into a major fear. Christensen plays a man who experiences "anesthetic awareness." He goes under anesthesia for his operation but is still aware of everything around him. Terrence Howard plays his surgeon friend who operates on him, and Jessica Alba plays the confused wife. There looks to be an element of the supernatural to it all as well. To check out the trailer for Awake and tell me what you think, read more

Movie Preview: Jumper

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:28:04 -0700

Jumper is a sci-fi movie starring Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson and Rachel Bilson. Christensen plays a teenager who discovers that he has the power to teleport himself to various places. Using this power, he begins an extensive search for the man he believes killed his mother. None of this is very apparent from the new trailer for Jumper, however, which mainly shows off the teenager's teleporting skills, a little Star Wars-y reunion with Christensen and Jackson, and Rachel Bilson playing the cute girlfriend. Jumper hits theaters February 15, 2008. To watch the trailer, read more

Source

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?