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Link Time - Ben Affleck Goes '70s on the Argo Set

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:30:28 PDT

See some photos of Ben Affleck shooting Argo in '70s garb - Moviefone
Hear Dave Grohl's reasoning for saying no to Glee - Aol TV
Find out about John Malkovich's new zombie project - The Hollywood Reporter
Watch a sexy, birthday-themed teaser for the premiere of The Vampire Diaries - Zap2It
Watch a sneak peek of Desperate Housewives's new season - BuddyTV
Here are some tips for staying in shape while watching TV - FitSugar
Watch a montage of all of Larry David's social rules from Curb Your Enthusiasm - Vulture

Shia Breaks For a Global Press Tour to Talk About His Girlfriend, Spielberg's Advice, and Tom Cruise

Allie Merriam — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:12:00 PDT

The Transformers: Dark of the Moon cast was busy over the weekend, with Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, in silver Naeem Khan, kicking off a string of premieres and photo calls at a Berlin event on Saturday. The whole gang was together in Germany, with Shia and Rosie joining Michael Bay, Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson at the city's Cinestar theater. They split up afterward, though, with a Burberry-clad Rosie and Michael heading to London to walk a blue carpet yesterday, Patrick saying hi to French fans, and Tyrese tackling Madrid. They'll be together in NYC in just a few days, so Shia, Rosie, and Michael can do more interviews. It's the third press tour for some of the guys, and Shia recently touched on the evolution of his friendship with Michael. Shia LaBeouf's girlfriend Karolyn Pho was another topic of conversation in an interview with The LA Times, and he shared some advice he's received from mentor Steven Spielberg. Shia said:

On Michel Bay: "[He's] sort of my big brother . . . We're both very game, very passionate people. Sometimes it's not actor-director. Sometimes it's two dudes yelling over explosions. Sometimes it doesn't sound like the friendliest conversation. But we love each other."
On his girlfriend Karolyn's influence: "Pâté? A cheese plate? That's a very 25-year-old deal. I can get down with some fig jelly and some cheese on a cracker . . . She's having me try different things. I was scared of fish, 'cause of my upbringing, being Jewish. Gefilte can ruin your entire seafood life."
On advice from Steven Spielberg: "The way Steven described it to me was, 'When Tom Cruise walks outside his house, he doesn't pick his nose. From the minute he leaves his door to the minute he comes back home, he doesn't pick his nose.' Now that's a certain way to live your life that I have no ambitions toward."

George Clooney Happily Shares a Coffee With John Malkovich

PopSugar — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:00:00 PDT

George Clooney continued shooting his new Nespresso commercial in Milan yesterday, and John Malkovich was there to join the fun. John headed to Italy after a stint in Chicago, where he filmed Transformers 3 with hard-working Shia LaBeouf and Patrick Dempsey. George spent his afternoon smiling for the camera while his girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis, took care of business elsewhere. Things seem to be going great in their relationship, and Elisabetta even recently opened up about their relationship and how it makes other ladies jealous.

To see more photos of George and John on the set of their commercial, just

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RED Trailer: Mirren, Willis, Malkovich, Freeman Play Assassin

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:00:26 PDT

Seeing Helen Mirren wield heavy artillery while she talks blithely about baking is one of the best things you'll see all day. She, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich star in RED as retired CIA agents who can't fight the urge to keep kicking butt and taking names.

It's not just Mirren that's funny either; Malkovich plays hilariously paranoid in his postcareer life, while Freeman makes the most of ~~leering~~ living in a retirement home. With Mary Louise-Parker and Richard Dreyfuss also showing their bright, shiny faces, RED has managed to totally capture my attention and look pretty dang fun.

To watch the action-packed trailer, just

Jonah Hex: A Hatchet Job

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:15:52 PDT

Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is one tough mother. A bounty killer, he saunters through small Western towns, dragging the dead behind him (whatever body parts his horse can't carry, he cuts up into pieces). His reputation precedes him wherever he goes, and whenever he leaves, buildings explode into a fiery blaze. But Hex is no villain - or at least, the movie doesn't want you to think so; he's just your gritty anti-hero searching for vengeance.

While it may not have web-slinging or spandex, Jonah Hex is actually based on a DC Comic. As the story goes, Hex is a Confederate soldier in the Civil War who killed the brother of his arch enemy Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). Because of his actions, an angry Turnbull comes after Hex, kills his wife and son, and then brands a giant hole into his face. As a result, Hex talks out of the side of his mouth, but Hex isn't the only who has a gaping hole to attend to - the movie itself has several. To hear what I mean, just

Because Hex nearly died after his incident with Turnbull, he can now talk to the dead (strange, I know, but go with me). Hex uses his new gift as a GPS; he wakes people from their grave and asks them to tell him where Turnbull is, so he can get revenge and murder his enemy. Luckily, the US government wants Turnbull's head, too. When a war weapon goes missing, they enlist Hex to track down Turnbull before he uses the machine to wipe out the entire country.

Every anti-hero needs a love interest, so Megan Fox appears as a prostitute who hooks up with Hex, but she's just a secondary thought. Will Arnett also cameos as one of the government lackeys, but his role feels like a misfire; you can't decide if he's supposed to be funny or serious. However, casting is the least of this movie's concerns.

Clocking in at under an hour and a half, the film should feel short and neat, but instead, it's like the victim of one of Hex's killing sprees: chopped up and messy. The camera shots often zoom in too tight on the character's faces, the lighting seems strangely inconsistent in a few instances, and despite the movie's best efforts to explain the plot, the story feels pieced together. Violence is also a major issue, and Jonah Hex never misses out on an opportunity to throw an ax at someone's chest (with heavy rock blaring, naturally). Perhaps it is all best summed up by a fellow reviewer sitting next to me in the theater, who yelled out a huffy "Christ!" during one particular scene.

The movie's one saving grace is Brolin, who has Hex's sneer down to a science. He manages to make Hex interesting, even when the movie itself is not.

If you'd like to review a movie you've seen recently, check out the Movie Reviews Group in community. I may even feature your critique on the site!

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Secretariat Trailer: Horses Tug at the Heartstrings

BuzzSugar — Sun, 02 May 2010 10:30:00 PDT

Disney loves nothing more than bringing audiences to tears, and it's all too obvious in the new trailer for Secretariat. Diane Lane stars as Penny Chenery, a 1970s housewife who breaks gender barriers when she leads her horse Secretariat to the Triple Crown - a feat that no one had matched in 25 years. For a bit of comic relief, John Malkovich plays the horse's eccentric trainer with a penchant for golf and flamboyant dress.

This preview is already priming us for goose bumps, touting, "Based on the impossible true story!" "From the producers of Miracle, Invincible, and The Rookie!" And of course you have the inspirational voice-over. If that's not enough to get your emotions heightened, the sight of a young colt standing for the first time should do the trick.

Okay, I'm being a little cheeky, but truth is, I will probably get sucked into this movie just like every other sap. It doesn't come out until October 8, but get a peek now when you

Jonah Hex Trailer Packs Some Serious Heat

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 PDT

In this just-released trailer for this summer's modern western Jonah Hex, Josh Brolin stars as the bounty hunter antihero, and he's seeking revenge for the giant scars on his face. John Malkovich stars as Jonah's nemesis Turnbull, and Megan Fox does her best corset-wearing, sweaty-sexy act as the love interest - but the real star seems to be the ammunition. Indeed, rifles abound and nearly everything explodes in this preview. It's not really my thing, but watch for yourself when you

Link Time! Ken Jeong Is Coming to Transformers 3

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:30:07 PDT

Michael Bay reports that Ken Jeong, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand are in for Transformers 3 - Cinematical
True Blood preview clip! Who's attacking Eric? - Ausiello Files
Skins is coming to the big screen - The Playlist
TV's best cartoons for adults - TV.com
Hear MGMT's entire new album - Pitchfork
Fire on the Harry Potter set - E! Online
Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly join the cast of Salvation Boulevard - Moviefone
How Geek would wire The Millionaire Matchmaker - GeekSugar
Christian Slater signs on for a new Fox pilot - The Wrap
NBC puts the kibosh on Conan O'Brien appearing in Idol Gives Back. Have a heart, NBC! - Inside TV
Why does Zoe have such a big part in the Lost finale?! And why is the actress giving away so much? - Us Magazine

Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:40:23 PDT

The Great Buck Howard: A Funny Tale of Fading Greatness

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:30:13 PDT

The Great Buck Howard is a cute little movie that managed to further endear Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Emily Blunt to me. It's probably not going to change lives, but it more than suffices as a good distraction. Plus, it's a new and interesting portrayal of that 20-something distress of not knowing the answer to questions like "What do I do with my life? How do I figure out what's next?" Perhaps because I’m not much older than Colin Hanks’s character in the film, I appreciate stories that explore this particular struggle.

It's a common conundrum in this day and age: Average kid Troy (Colin Hanks) graduates college and goes to law school for a while before realizing he doesn't actually want to be a lawyer - so, now what? There's blessed little time devoted to the whole clichéd argument about changing careers (i.e. "Becoming a lawyer wasn't my dream, Dad - it was yours!") and swift movement onto the meatiest part of the narrative: Troy's in-the-meantime job as personal assistant to a famous "mentalist" (not magician, mind you), the Great Buck Howard (John Malkovich). Troy accompanies Buck to all his shows, where Buck mostly plays to small crowds of older folks. Buck's delusions of grandeur make us cringe as it becomes clear that he's not exactly in the big leagues as a performer, and yet with Troy (and everyone else, for that matter) he behaves like a diva. Troy takes the abuse without complaint and he seems to feel pity toward the aging performer. When he meets a pretty publicist named Valerie (Emily Blunt), Troy starts to think more seriously about what's coming next in his life. To see what comes next in my train of thoughts,

With his signature intensity and precision of speech, John Malkovich easily slips into the role of Buck Howard - and what fun for Malkovich to play such a wonderfully larger-than-life character. While certain parts of the story might drag, Malkovich's Buck Howard consistently draws us back in with his outrageously dramatic, egotistical, and unpredictable personality. Malkovich also nicely balances making Buck Howard obnoxious without allowing us to ever hate him.

The story moves into some ordinary territory with the washed-up performer treating his poor, young assistant badly. But Troy, with his even temperament, doesn't seem to mind too much, and the truth is that Buck Howard is a fading trace of an already faded star. Not only is he drifting into obscurity as a performer, but his art itself is not particularly popular nowadays. It also becomes painfully clear that Buck doesn't have anyone in the world that he can rely on. We'd pity this aggravating, lonely man, but we can't because he doesn't seem particularly daunted by his own diminishing fame. Why would he be? He's the Great Buck Howard. In his eyes, he's the greatest.

Furthermore, he still has his fans and he even has the respect of his assistant - largely because Buck has an especially puzzling and impressive trick and Troy can't figure out how Buck pulls it off. In many ways the movie is a coming-of-age story for Troy and as he transitions from his younger self to an adult, he still has this childlike desire to believe in magical things, and not being able to figure out Buck's trick delights and satisfies this part of him. He wants to still believe in the omniscience of someone magical, and the sweetest part about this whole story is that Buck lets him.

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures