BuzzSugar

Movie Preview: Despicable Me, Starring Lots of Famous Voices

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:30:56 -0800

The same guys who brought us the Ice Age franchise are back to create another potential hit with the 3-D CGI Despicable Me. Seems like every animated movie nowadays wrangles A-list names, but the Despicable roster is even starrier than most. Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Mindy Kaling, Jack McBrayer - it's like a laundry list of my favorite comedy people. And while I sort of wish we could see them all acting together in the flesh instead of just lending their voices, their involvement really has me hyped.

The story follows the world's No. 2 villain Gru (Carell) on his plot to steal the moon - a plan that gets thwarted by three little orphan girls who challenge his evil ways when they want him to be their dad. The trailer doesn't reveal much, but I'm sure we'll get more footage as we near the June release date. In the meantime, check out the cute preview when you read more.

Whip It: A Rollicking Good Time

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:30:56 -0700

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, roller derby comedy Whip It, is not unlike the actress's persona: cute, fun, and with a whole lot going on.

Ellen Page stars as quiet 17-year-old Bliss Cavendar, whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants to make her the queen of small-town Texas beauty pageants. Bliss meekly goes along with the idea, her voice too small to tell her mom she hates the contests. But one chance visit to nearby big city Austin and everything changes. Bliss admires some intimidating derby girls, and after sneaking off to a match, decides to try out. What follows is a fast-paced, highly entertaining girl-power anthem.

To read more about what I did and didn't like about the movie, just read more.

The movie is perfectly cast; Page plays a shy teen easily, never giving up her sweetness even after she adopts the moniker "Babe Ruthless" and gets repeatedly knocked into the rink sidelines. The team who welcomes her, the Hurl Scouts, is a motley crew: Eve and Zoe Bell don't become much more than background players, Barrymore is an ebullient if minor supporter ("Smashley Simpson"), but team captain Kristen Wiig is one of the hearts of the movie. With a part bigger than the trailer implies, Wiig (I never get tired of the derby names: "Maggie Mayhem") emerges as a mother figure when Bliss's relationship with her own mom is strained. It's nice to see her playing straight for once, and besides Page, Wiig is really the only multi-faceted derby girl.

That's not to say that the derby girls aren't anything special. Beautiful, tough, and impossibly cool, maybe you wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley, but you'd definitely want to be invited to their party. Juliette Lewis looks every part the queen bee - aggressive and sexy, she'll push you in a locker before you know what hit you. And naturally, there's a love interest, musician Landon Pigg - but he's kind of an afterthought, which I liked. By not giving in to the cliche that a girl gets everything she wants when she finds her passion, it strengthens the movie's pervasive girl power idea.

The movie isn't just about derby; it's a coming-of-age tale too, and Bliss didn't come from a shaky foundation. Alia Shawkat (yay, Maeby!) plays the hilarious and supportive BFF who doesn't exist just to cheer Bliss on from the sidelines. She's got her own thing, and is too confident to be left behind when Bliss gets wrapped up in her new life - a refreshing departure from the typical best friend character. And Harden isn't merely a strict parent caricature; she may want something completely different for her daughter, but her caring nature shines through.

It's not all success on skates, though. Sometimes the portrayal of the derby world gets to be an overzealous glorification. Sure, it's an amazing outlet for a lot of people and one of the few contact sports that really belongs to women, but the movie pushes the sexualization of the players a little too far. It's already sexy that the women play such a powerful sport, so it's not really necessary to do close-ups of the actresses' bare flesh to show the bruises.

There are a few things you could criticize about Barrymore's direction; for instance, Shauna Cross's screenplay is really quite funny, but some of the actors' lines fall flat. Also, the roller derby scenes have such potential to be exciting, and they could have been even more epic. Then again, this is Barrymore's first outing as a director, and it's still what you would expect from her: a fun-loving, freewheeling confection of a movie with a killer soundtrack.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Movie Preview: Drew and Ellen in Whip It

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:00:35 -0700

"So what are you, like, alternative now or something?"
"Alternative to what?"

Those images from last week were just a little taste of the Drew Barrymore-directed roller derby comedy Whip It - now there's a full trailer for the movie which gives us Ellen Page in a character that isn't nearly so smart-mouthed or brash as her previous roles. In fact, she's downright meek (and she wears glasses which, in my opinion, are incredibly cute on her)! Page plays Bliss, a quiet misfit who discovers that she's pretty good at roller derby, an "unladylike" activity that serves two purposes: it makes her happy and it annoys her controlling mother (Marcia Gay Harden - yay!). A bunch of other people also star, including Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig (yay, again!).

Also, kudos to the trailer creators for using Weezer's "Pork and Beans." Awesome. Whip It opens Oct. 9. To see the trailer, read more.

This image premiered in USA Today

First Look: Schwartzman, Galifianakis in HBO's Bored to Death

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:30:37 -0700

A weekly dose of Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis on my TV? Yes, please! HBO has released a teaser for its newest half-hour comedy series Bored to Death, which will premiere in September. Zach Galifianakis was recently added to the show, which is pretty brilliant casting given the success of The Hangover. The comedy star power doesn't end with those two - as you'll see in the trailer the series also features Ted Danson, Parker Posey, and Kristen Wiig. So great!

Schwartzman plays Jonathan, a struggling writer living in Brooklyn who drinks a lot. For no apparent reason he decides to become a private detective. Galifianakis plays his friend who writes comic books. The whole thing looks pretty funny and full of promise. To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

Very Funny Cast Signs Up For Mottola's Paul

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:30:33 -0700

So much about this movie news is exciting. First, we've got a great, funny director in Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland). Secondly, there's a script written by the excellent and hilarious British duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Spaced). And now, there's a great group of comedic actors rounding out the cast: Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Jane Lynch (I love that she keeps getting more projects these days!). Here's more on the project, titled Paul:

Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script, will play two science-fiction fanatics on a road trip whose conspiracy dreams come true when they trek to Area 51 and encounter the title character, an escaped alien. Rogen will provide the voice of the alien.

It's not my ultimate comedic dream team, but I see nothing wrong at all with this group of funny people. I can't wait for Paul to invade theaters. Oh man, that's terrible. That's it. I'm done!

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Movie Preview: Affleck, Bateman in Extract

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:30:50 -0700

Jason Bateman. Ben Affleck. Director Mike Judge (Office Space). If you like any one of these things, you may want to take a look at the new teaser trailer for Extract, another comedy from Mike Judge that follows an average guy in an average job who's dissatisfied with both his work and his home life. Bateman plays the central character, Joel, the owner of a flower-extract factory whose marital problems with his wife (Kristen Wiig) bum him out - but he perks right up when a pretty new temp (Mila Kunis) joins the company. Affleck (sporting a beard and some long, scraggly hair) plays Joel's lawyer friend.

Extract opens Sept. 4. Check out the trailer after the jump and tell me: Does this look funny to you? Or a bit of the same old, same old? To watch, read more.

Watch, Pass, TiVo or Rent: Adventureland

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:15:11 -0700

It seems like ads for this little teen comedy have been everywhere I turn these days, and I can't figure out what to think of it. The trailer I saw in the theaters made me laugh out loud, but the previews on TV lately have made it seem a little dumb and cheesy. What do you think?

Adventureland follows James (Jesse Eisenberg) during his first Summer after college graduation as he works at the amusement park Adventureland. There he meets the cute Em (Kristen Stewart) and deals with some quirky bosses and co-workers (including the folks who run the park, played by the hilarious Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig).

Is this an in-theater movie for you, or a rental? Maybe you'll just wait until it's randomly on TV someday, or skip it altogether?

Image courtesy of Miramax

Link Time! 1/22

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:30:31 -0800

Wait, Jon Hamm auditioned for the role of Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock? - Vulture
Kristen Stewart talks about New Moon with Ben Lyons while details on the Twilight DVD are revealed (special features include deleted scenes and a seven-part documentary). - Lyons Den and MTV Movies Blog
Fun quiz: Guess what this book is really called! - GiggleSugar
Overanalyzing the presidential playlist. - Popwatch
Which is more awesome: Kristen Wiig guesting on Flight of the Conchords or Michel Gondry directing an episode? - The Watcher
This Coldplay video for "Life in Technicolor II" is highly amusing, in the way only kids watching a puppet-show rock concert can be. - Stereogum
Some Ugly Betty-inspired pink and orange decorating finds. - CasaSugar
An interesting interview with John Krasinski about his Sundance movie, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men. - Cinematical

Photos courtesy of AMC and NBC

Link Time! 12/18

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:30:38 -0800

Kristen Wiig reflects on 2008. - Pop Candy
Today's the day to answer at least one phone call with: "Buddy the Elf. What's your favorite color?" - Popwatch
Don Cheadle opens up about Iron Man 2. - Cinematical
Wow, this campaign to get Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" on the UK charts is fascinating. - Stereogum
Taylor Lautner shares his enthusiasm for continuing his role as Jacob Black in New Moon. - MTV Movies Blog
10 TV stars worth following on Twitter (are you following me yet?) - TV Squad
Check out the various stages of Nico Reilly's cell phone evolution. - geeksugar
Dissecting what's working with Dexter . . . and what's not. - The TV Addict

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Movie Preview: Adventureland

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:30:23 -0800

From the director of Superbad comes another offbeat teen comedy, Adventureland. Kristen Stewart (who must be pretty stoked today at the insane success of her latest movie Twilight) stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg, both playing employees at the amusement park Adventureland. The story mainly follows Eisenberg's character and as far as I can tell, it's a comedy about the relationships that form at this kid's funny little first job out of college. Bill Hader seems like he might be a bit of a scene-stealer as the guy who runs Adventureland with his lady, played by Kristen Wiig.

Adventureland opens March 27, 2009. To watch the trailer, read more.

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