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Summer Netflix Challenge: Frances McDormand in Laurel Canyon

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:30:00 PDT

Hi there! Editor L. here again, and I'm ready to discuss the next entry in my Frances McDormand movie marathon. Last time, I shared my thoughts on Friends With Money, but after seeing the excellent The Kids Are All Right, I moved director Lisa Cholodenko's Laurel Canyon to the top of my list.

McDormand plays Jane, the strung out and stoned music producer mother to Sam (Christian Bale). After Sam gets a job near LA, he and his girlfriend Alex (Kate Beckinsale) pack their bags to stay in his mom's house while she's away for work. But unfortunately for Sam, Jane hasn't left; she's still holed up in the house slaving away on a band's latest album. To hear about the rest,

Between her hippie attitude and new rocker boyfriend (Alessandro Nivola), Jane is a constant embarrassment to her son, but Alex is intrigued by Jane's alternative lifestyle - which only causes conflict between mother and son and boyfriend and girlfriend. Even though many of Jane's actions are completely deplorable (one act of motherly betrayal is a particular jaw-dropper), McDormand approaches the role with such a free-spirited ardor that you can't help but like Jane, despite her flaws. The supporting actors also turn in satisfying performances, but this story itself just didn't grab me. The plot feels sluggish, building toward a finale that kind of gets dropped. See it for McDormand who has complexity in spades, but if you're worried that a great performance alone won't do it for you, bypass this one.

Want to review and chat about your own Summer rentals? Join my Netflix challenge group, pick your theme or actor, and get watching! You may see your own posts right here on BuzzSugar.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Buy a House For Harlow

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:00:52 PDT

Young parents with a second on the way Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have decided to settle their growing family down in a 5,380-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 5.5-bath home in Laurel Canyon, CA, purchasing the property for under $2 million. The "Aspen Lodge meets Tropical Paradise" pad is an anomaly of sorts, compared to the modern celebrity homes of their young Hollywood peers. The property was purchased from NFL and XFL linebacker Mike Croel, whose décor choices were uninspired to say the least. It would be interesting to see how budding designer Richie accessorizes her new home. But beyond furnishings, the home has a lot of assets in its bare bones, including soaring ceilings, a huge sky dome, an expansive eat-in kitchen, a full guest house, and a lagoon pool. To see more photos,

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What's Buzzworthy? Comfort Movies

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:30:00 PST

Watching challenging films is a worthy goal, but sometimes, I just want to relax with a movie I've seen a zillion times before. My comfort movies may not be the best or smartest movies in my collection, but they're perfect for curling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and mentally reciting the lines I've heard a million times before.

So for this week's Buzzworthy challenge, I'm asking you to bookmark your favorite comfort movies, the most trustworthy films in your collection. I'm starting you off with Beautiful Girls, a movie I've seen more times than I could count on my fingers and toes put together. All through college, I toted around a VHS tape with a recording of it from my parents' TV; then, I upgraded - slightly - to a beat-up official version I bought from eBay. I finally got the movie on DVD a couple of years back, and I still pull it out every time I just want to watch something familiar. For good measure, I've tossed in a couple of my other standbys, Laurel Canyon and Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Just use BuzzSugar's cool bookmarking tool to find your favorite comfort movies from around the Web, tag them with the phrase comfort movies, and let me know why you love keeping them around. I'll post some readers' favorites here next week.

You can also now make a list of your picks. Here are mine:

Movie Night: Mother's Day Special

BuzzSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 11:55:26 PDT

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday May 13, spend a movie night with these great, interesting moms.

Pieces of April
Katie Holmes is surprisingly cool and down-to-earth as April, a young woman who's hosting her family's Thanksgiving dinner at her New York apartment. April dreads and resists the event, having been estranged from her mother for years. Yet now her mother is terminally ill, and this Thanksgiving may be her last. April has help from her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke) in preparing the meal, but everything still manages to go awry and April finds support in unexpected places. Though the subject matter is heavy, the story is actually humorous and redemptive. The ever-great Patricia Clarkson plays April's ailing mother as pitiable, human and very funny.

Two more if you

Thirteen
This may not seem like standard Mother's Day fare - it's certainly no Steel Magnolias, say. But the bond between the teenage daughter and her mother by the end is so achingly beautiful you'll feel a surge of gratitude towards your own mother (or mother figure) for having helped you through those extremely difficult years. Holly Hunter plays the harried mother of a thirteen-year-old "good girl" Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) whose life spirals out of control when she befriends the popular, reckless Evie. Evie introduces Tracy to a variety of risky behaviors, from tongue piercings to drugs to casual sex. It's a startling look at the dangers teenagers often have to confront and the challenges these pose for modern-day parents.

Laurel Canyon
In Lisa Cholodenko's indie sleeper from 2002, Frances McDormand plays the archetypal irresponsible mom, who embarrasses her own kid but seems impossibly cool to his friends. Jane (McDormand) is a successful record producer with a hip pad in Laurel Canyon and a string of hot young boyfriends. But her hard-partying ways don't sit well with her very responsible son Sam (Christian Bale), who has just finished his residency and gotten engaged to a proper young lady named Alex (Kate Beckinsale). When Sam brings Alex home to mom, his fiancee is seduced by Jane's exciting lifestyle, and Sam's relationship with his mom takes on a new dimension.

Pieces of April photos source
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