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New Full Trailer For Dr. Parnassus Is Nuts

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:45:09 -0700

About midway through watching the new international trailer for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, I realized I was holding my breath. It's such an unusual-looking film, I don't know which words to use to describe it except to say that it left me feeling excited and a little uneasy. The story is about an immortal doctor (played by Christopher Plummer) with a magical mirror who must give up his daughter (Lily Cole) to the devil (Tom Waits) on her 16th birthday. Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all play a masked supporting character named Tony.

The movie will be released in the UK on Oct. 16. There's so much eerie, whimsical beauty in this movie, you should check it out for yourself

The Heath Ledger-Directed Video For Modest Mouse's "King Rat"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:30:42 -0700

The text at the end of this video reads: "This began with our friend, a great defender of life, and was completed in his spirit." And though the video for Modest Mouse's "King Rat" seems cutesy at first, it soon becomes clear why the words "defender of life" are included in this note about the video's director, the late Heath Ledger.

The animated video starts out seemingly sweet and innocent, with whales enjoying themselves on a boat, the colors all slate-gray and blue, with a happy little sun and trumpets blaring from the clouds. But, oh my, does it become gruesome. In a violent turning of tables, the whales hunt the humans and skin them, make them into food and profit nicely from it.

Apparently, in early 2007, Ledger told Modest Mouse of his idea for a music video that would "marry his love of bold and original music with his impassioned stance against the illegal commercial whale hunts taking place of the coast of Australia each year. Always one to operate from his heart and take a stand for what he cared deeply about, Heath's intention was to raise awareness on modern whaling practices through a potent visual piece without having to say a word." Proceeds from iTunes video downloads will go to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for one month.

To check out the intriguing and disconcerting video for "King Rat," read more.

First Look: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:30:38 -0700

As director Terry Gilliam says in this teaser video, his fantastical movie The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is "full of magic and wonder, the stuff of dreams." Now having caught a few clips from the movie at Comic-Con (and you can check them out after the jump), I think that's even putting it mildly. This is a lush, dark, whimsical and chilling film that I think we'll feel more than just watch.

Most people know this movie as "Heath Ledger's Last Appearance," and after his death, three high-profile actors (Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell) stepped in to complete his role. As for the actual plot, it follows an immortal doctor (played by Christopher Plummer) with a traveling theatrical group and a magical mirror who must give up his daughter (Lily Cole) to the devil (Tom Waits) on her sixteenth birthday. Ledger/Depp/Law/Farrell play a masked supporting character named Tony (after Tony Blair).

In San Diego, Gilliam explained some more about the movie and Ledger's involvement:

I don't think it's ever happened before that a main actor dies, and three A-list actors come in and take over his part. It tells you how much they cared about him. It was unbelievably brave and foolish. There was no time to prepare. We had Johnny for one day, three and a half hours. He just came in and did it. I'd shown them some clips of some of the stuff that Heath had done. I didn't know that it was going to work, but it did.

There's so much luck involved with this movie. . . . Each one of the choices that were forced upon us improved the film. I've been saying Heath co-directed it - he forced me to do all these things differently, to make a better film than I was making.

The movie opens in the UK Oct. 16. The clips are cool to watch, so to check them out, read more.

Buzz News Roundup, 3/18

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:30:44 -0700

Ellen DeGeneres has signed on to play Mother Nature in an untitled comedy written by Sex and the City writer-executive producer Jenny Bicks. - The Hollywood Reporter
The Weinstein Co. has acquired the rights for Nowhere Boy, the story of John Lennon's tumultuous childhood. - Billboard
The Simpsons celebrated St. Patrick's Day by premiering an Irish-themed episode in Ireland and the UK on Tuesday; it airs in the US on Sunday. - TV Guide
Two music videos which represent actor Heath Ledger's last directorial work before his death in January 2008 will be released this year. - Billboard
Paramount has bought film rights to an upcoming Wired article about a band of Italian diamond thieves and J.J. Abrams is producing through his Bad Robot production company. - ComingSoon
Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted tops this week's Billboard charts. - New York Times
Maybe that will make Kelly more valuable when American Idol launches its line of trading cards in April. - AP
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is in talks to direct a film adaptation of another young-adult fantasy series, Maximum Ride. - The Hollywood Reporter
Kanye West will voice a character in Fox's Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show. - TV.com

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From the Press Room: The Ledgers Talk About Heath's Win

BuzzSugar — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:08:48 -0800

There was a bittersweet moment in the press room just now as Heath Ledger's mother, father, and sister spoke about his work, his win, and his life - including his little girl Matilda. Here are some other bits and pieces from the brief Q&A:

Heath's sister, Kate: "When he came home from Christmas a year ago, he'd been sending me shots and bits and pieces from [The Dark Knight] . . . I said, 'This is it for you, you're going to get a nomination.' And he just looked at me and smiled. So, he knew."

Kate, on what will happen with the Oscar statuette: "Well, obviously it belongs to Matilda, so whatever has to happen in the meantime, we don't know, we haven't discussed it . . . Obviously, it'll end up with Matilda."

Heath's mother, on hearing Heath's name announced: "We were overwhelmed because nothing is a sure thing . . . We were really relieved and excited and really overwhelmed and it was fantastic, we're very excited."

Heath's mother on what Heath might have thought of all this: "I think he would have been quietly pleased because he was . . . very proud of what he did. I think he would have been very quietly pleased that it's getting recognized by his peers in the industry."

Heath's father, on raising an Oscar-winner: "Kate was the actor originally, but I guess Heath was ever the clown . . . The one thing that stuck out in our minds is that he was extremely talented in a lot of areas . . . it always worried me as a parent - 'Heath you have to find something you're good at and stick to it.'"

Heath's mother, on his final performance in director Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: "We've seen a little bit of footage. He only completed about a third of the film, and then we've had some incredible actors . . . step in to complete it. I think it's going to be amazing. Terry's amazing and Heath always had such interest and enthusiasm in what Terry was doing."

Do You Agree With the Globe Winner For Best Supporting Actor?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:04:24 -0800

You most likely saw this coming, but it's nice to see it happen for real. Heath Ledger posthumously won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Joker in The Dark Knight. His fellow nominees in this category included Tom Cruise, Robert Downey, Jr., Ralph Fiennes and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

What do you think of this win?

Let me know which wins you loved and which you loathed by voting in all of my polls!

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The Votes Are In: Best Dramatic Movie Actor and Actress of 2008

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:30:09 -0800

It was a good year for actors to showcase their dramatic acting chops, though in these Best of 2008 polls, there were two clear winners who each won by quite a few votes. Your picks for the year's best dramatic actress and actor are. . .

Best Dramatic Actress of 2008
Kate Winslet, The Reader and Revolutionary Road

Winslet is favored above all other actresses in this category, and I can certainly see why. As is the case in every role Winslet takes, her focused and riveting work in both of these movies is truly something to behold.

In second place is Angelina Jolie for her heart-wrenching performance in Changeling followed by Anne Hathaway for her role in Rachel Getting Married.

You could probably have guessed who would win this year's poll for best dramatic actor, but to see it in writing, read more.

Best Dramatic Actor of 2008
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Ledger wins this poll by a landslide for his mesmerizing performance as the Joker to Christian Bale's Batman in The Dark Knight. I look forward, with bittersweetness, to seeing Ledger's final performance in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, hopefully next year.

At the moment, Robert Pattinson and Sean Penn are practically neck-and-neck for the No. 2 spot, with Pattinson winning by just a few votes.

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:30:09 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my picks below, you can also bring home the complete series of The Wire (one of my must haves for the month) as well as Deadwood in its entirety.

The Dark Knight
Oh my gosh, I kind of can't believe this movie is finally out on DVD and available to watch whenever I feel like it. Having loved it on the big screen (especially for Heath Ledger's mesmerizing - and bittersweet - performance), I definitely want to own The Dark Knight for myself.

As you'd expect, the special features are, as the kids say, off the hook. Among other things, they include a look at how director Christopher Nolan and his team developed the new Bat-Suit and the Bat-pod, and a chat with composer Hans Zimmer on musically characterizing the Joker's reign of chaos.

Two more up next, so read more.

Horton Hears a Who
I almost forgot about what a box office success the adorable animated family flick Horton Hears a Who was at the start of the year. I really loved this movie, and I actually think it's a worthy adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss story. Part of what makes it so cute are the actors voicing the characters, including Jim Carrey as Horton the elephant, Steve Carell as the Mayor of Whoville, and Seth Rogen as Horton's dopey sidekick, Morton.

Special features include commentary by directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, an all-new Ice Age Short: Surviving Sid, deleted footage, and animation screen tests.

Lost: Season Four
OK you lollygaggers, the fifth season of Lost doesn't start until next year (a.k.a. January, I still love that joke) so you've got time to catch up on the series if you fell behind in '08. The fourth season of the hit series was, in my humble opinion, an improvement over the third.

Special features include one of the funniest featurette titles I've read in awhile, "The Right to Bear Arms - Check out the guns of Lost, and find out what it's like working with so much firepower." Additionally, there is one called "The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy of Lies," which is described as a "controversial underground documentary questioning the survivors of Oceanic 815."

Buzz News Roundup, 12/8

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:30:30 -0800

Heath Ledger was posthumously given the Australian Film Institute's international award for best actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. - AP
Reflecting on Boston Legal, which will air its final episode tonight. - USA Today
The award-winning comic book series Fables is being developed into a TV pilot for ABC. - Zap2it
Leona Lewis went straight to the top of the British pop singles charts, taking the number-one slot with her latest single "Run." - Reuters
Bravo has renewed four of its "docu-series," including The Rachel Zoe Project and Flipping Out. - The Futon Critic
Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers have joined the guest list for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. - TV Guide
Lauren Holly and Luke Perry will star in the apocalyptic thriller The Storm, which will be directed by Uwe Boll. - Reuters

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

The Dark Knight to Get Another Round in Theaters, January '09

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:31:31 -0700

Even though The Dark Knight has gone above and beyond the line of duty at the box office, earning an estimated $512 million domestically, Warner Bros. has announced it will get a re-release in January 2009. The Hollywood Reporter notes:

Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman acknowledged ongoing talks with IMAX execs over the prospect of restoring the Christian Bale starrer to some giant-screen venues in January. It's uncertain if Dark Knight also will reappear in conventional venues at that point.

January, eh? Also known as: Oscar season!

So, what do you think? Over-hyped and political? Or yay? The DVD will already be out in December, though I still haven't seen The Dark Knight in an IMAX theater as many times as I'd like, so this might be fun come the new year. Also, a re-release could certainly help the movie beat Titanic as the biggest earner ever.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.