BuzzSugar

Movie Preview: The Boat That Rocked

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:30:27 -0800

Sometimes you come across a movie trailer that makes you chuckle or cry a little or gets your heart racing, but the trailer for The Boat That Rocked just plain makes me happy. With a ridiculously fun cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, and Nick Frost (among many others), and an equally fun premise (a group of "rogue" DJs standing up to the British government in the '60s? Yes, please) this comedy looks like it's right up my alley.

The Boat That Rocked opens in the UK in May; no US release info just yet. To watch the trailer, read more.

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Valkyrie: Shallow and Underwhelming

BuzzSugar — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:30:18 -0800

While there are a zillion World War II movies out there already, I kept an open mind going into the Tom Cruise star vehicle Valkyrie. Sure, this is a movie that has been dogged by bad press from start to finish (even due, in part, to the fact that Cruise is a Scientologist) but I can see that there is a fascinating movie to be made out of a German resistance movement involving Nazi officers in Adolf Hitler's inner circle.

High-ranking, aristocratic officers attempting to assassinate Hitler? There's so much to explore here! Were these men heroes? Or was it a desperate and calculated power grab when it was clear the Germans were losing the war? What did these men know about the mass murders of Jews that had taken place and when did they know it? Did any of them, including Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) who led one of the most daring plots to kill Hitler, have a genuine crisis of conscience? And if so, what does that kind of moral awakening look like?

In a war that is often depicted very starkly as good vs. evil, within the German rank and file there were shades of gray and this makes for interesting psychological thriller fodder for sure. So why did Cruise and director Bryan Singer forego that kind of film in favor of a totally reductive, shallow, glossy, big-budget flick that will leave you feeling underwhelmed and a little icky because you just spent over an hour rooting for Nazis? I really don't know, but let's talk about it. Just read more.

First of all, I'm a little baffled at how little characterization exists in this movie. We are asked to very simply and easily accept these men as heroes and root for them when they are Nazis, for Pete's sake. Just trying to kill Hitler and place yourself and your pals into power isn't quite enough to make us care. And at times it's hard to root for people you know are going to fail because - spoiler alert? - Hitler survives the assassination attempt and World War II continues on.

The whole experience is confusing to say the least. For example, in the opening scene we see Cruise on the ground in Africa fighting on behalf of Hitler's Germany when the "enemy" (that would be the Allied forces fighting to stop Hitler from totally destroying Europe) airplanes zoom in to launch an air strike and bodies go flying everywhere. Instinctively my sympathy went toward the soldiers on the ground, but then. . . aren't these Nazis? Who am I rooting for here? And why?

My fundamental issues with the filmmakers' approach aside, the real question is: Is it entertaining popcorn cinema? And in my opinion the answer is no, not really. It's not the laugh-riot some thought it might be (Cruise, Nazis, eye-patch, ya know) thanks in part to a solid cast that props the movie up, including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Eddie Izzard. It's not a very satisfying experience that fails to keep viewers on the edges of their seats, save the moment when Cruise's character attempts to plant a bomb quite literally under Hitler's feet. There's also a nicely executed political coup late in the movie that is captivating to watch - an example of the potential this movie had.

Finally, at the center of this wannabe-blockbuster is one of the most self-conscious performances of Cruise's career in which he takes all that burning intensity he so often brings to the silver screen and buries it away. I've read that part of Stauffenberg's heroism was his ability to recruit others to his cause based on sheer charisma and charm. Never would have guessed that from this portrayal.

Photos courtesy of MGM

Buzz News Roundup, 9/29

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:30:29 -0700

Kenneth Branagh is in talks to direct the live-action Thor movie. - Variety
Jesse McCartney and Ken Marino will guest-star in upcoming episodes of Greek. - Zap2it
It's official: Bruce Springsteen is the entertainment for this year's Super Bowl halftime show. - Billboard
Bravo will air reruns of Swingtown but has no plans to produce new episodes. - Hollywood Reporter
Um, wait, what? It looks like Russell Crowe will play both the Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood in Ridley Scott's movie Nottingham. - ComingSoon
HBO is developing a series called Americatown about the exodus of US citizens to another country after a period of financial decline. - TV Guide
A dispute over the release date of the Kate Winslet WWII-era romance movie The Reader has been settled: The film will open Dec. 12. - Variety
Pam's ex-boyfriend Roy is booking a return trip to The Office. - E! Online

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Link Time! 7/24

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:30:54 -0700

Gawker notes that the posters for the upcoming TV show True Blood and the Diablo Cody movie Jennifer's Body look eerily similar.
It's a big day for movie-musical news. In addition to The Rocky Horror Picture Show remake, Cinematical has news that a Hairspray sequel might also be in the works.
Stereogum has two videos from the very intense Amanda Palmer, who both intrigues me and scares me.
Want to see Neil Patrick Harris's Sesame Street guest spot? lilsugar hooks you up and wonders if Sesame Street is the new Oprah.
MTV News reports that My Chemical Romance will be recording a cover of a classic Bob Dylan song for the movie Watchmen.
Speaking of Watchmen, Popwatch wants to know: If you could only see one, which film would you choose between Terminator: Salvation, Watchman, and The Spirit? Team Terminator here.
Rotten Tomatoes has a list of the top 30 Shakespeare films. Not surprisingly, Kenneth Branagh stars in the No. 1 movie.

Link Time! 11/20

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:26:04 -0800

TV Filter is stunned at The Bachelor's actual surprise ending.
Kenneth Branagh tells MTV Movies Blog that he'd hoped his character in the Harry Potter series would have turned out to be Harry's dad.
Popwatch wonders who has the catchier commercials: iPod or Zune?
TV Squad wonders if there will really be a Green Acres remake.
Cinematical dissects the news that Jennifer Garner will join Ricky Gervais in the comedy This Side of the Truth.
Color me jealous: TiFaux saw 30 Rock's live show.
Over on Stereogum you can enter to win 2007's 50 best CDs
The TV Addict has an interview with Sarah Strange from Men in Trees.
You Ain't No Picasso has a hysterical playlist of songs for Pushing Daisies.
Give Me My Remote is livid over the Thursdays-at-9 time slot for The Apprentice.

First Look: Valkyrie Featurette

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:00:00 -0800

The full-length trailer for Valkyrie can't be very far off, since it was shown before my screening of Lions for Lambs this week, but for now we can get a glimpse at the making of the movie, complete with commentary by Kenneth Branagh (who has a role in the film) and writer/producer Christopher McQuarrie. While it seems a little cart-before-the-horse to me, the featurette is actually pretty interesting and successfully piques my interest in this film. So, mission accomplished, featurette.

Valkyrie is a thriller in which German generals scheme to assassinate Hitler at the height of WWII. Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men, Superman Returns) directs and Tom Cruise stars, along with Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard. To check out the featurette, read more

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