BuzzSugar

Matthew McConaughey Has Girlfriends Past

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:31:24 -0700

It's like Cassanova meets Mr. Scrooge.
Mean Girls director Mark Waters is next working on a comedy titled The Ghost of Girlfriends Past, according to the MTV Movies Blog. Says Waters, "It's a take-off on 'A Christmas Carol,' about a guy who sleeps with lots of women and breaks their hearts...He basically has a magical comeuppance on Christmas, where he learns the error of his ways like Scrooge. It’s Scrooge, but with hot chicks."

And who's playing such a heartbreaker? This guy!
Yup, that's right - Matthew McConaughey will yet again play the sleazy, smarmy womanizer who learns his lesson in the end. I know he cleans up real good, but I wonder how grungy he could get before Hollywood stops calling on him to play these roles.

Source

"On the Lot" Recap: Six Short Comedies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:03:50 -0700

Sadly, my local Fox affiliate showed baseball last night instead of "On the Lot," so I didn't get to see Mark Waters judging after all. (And the home team didn't even win. Thanks a lot, Giants.) I've done my best to catch up with the clips available on the show's official site, but if I missed anything big, please tell me.

Here's what I gather about the early part of the show: 1) Adriana and Garry visited the directors' house to tell Jess that her horror film from a tree's perspective hadn't flown with America and she'd be going home, and 2) Adriana wore even less clothing than usual. As for the films:

Shalini started things off with Dr. In-Law, about a guy who takes his non-English-speaking father-in-law to a doctor's appointment and spitefully leads him to be examined in a particularly unpleasant way. You know, if I were to have made a list of contestants I thought could get through this competition without making a butt joke, Shalini would have been at the top of my list. But no.
Adam came next with Discovering the Wheels, about cavemen who suddenly have a car appear in the middle of their community and take it for a test drive, only to end up being zapped back and forth in time. I'm sorry, was that just one big car commercial? Plus, in the battle of "On the Lot" caveman references, I still prefer Sam's Replication Theory.

To see my thoughts on the other four, read more

I really thought Will was going to attempt a film with dialogue this time, but Nerve Endings was another essentially silent film, this one about a surgeon who realizes that by pressing down on different parts of a guy's brain during surgery, he can make the patient kick and dance. It was a little gross but still cute and well-made, with a strong directorial voice. On the other hand, though, it's also starting to feel like I've seen all of Will's tricks.
Hillary made Under the Gun, about a woman who decides to rob a sperm bank at gunpoint (sperm bank, get it?). I keep thinking I expect more from Hilary, but I don't really know why, since it's not like any of her other films have been so impressive. This was my favorite of hers so far, but it still was really over-the-top and didn't make me laugh aloud.
David brought us How to Have a Girl, about a couple that discovers that having sex in certain positions will determine the gender of their child. The gag is that the man wants a boy, and the woman wants a girl, so there's a lot of uncomfortable struggling and rolling around. I thought it was a mess - first too much build-up with too little explanation of what was going on, then too much poorly simulated sex. Eh.
Zach closed out the night with Die Hardly Working, about coworkers who start a make-believe war in their cubicles. I thought this was the best of the night, in large part because of his actors, who really sold their pantomimed gunfire. Still, Zach seems more like the one to beat every week.

So, whose films did you like? What did I miss? Did Garry say anything coherent?

Photo courtesy of Fox

TV Tonight: "On the Lot"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:30:00 -0700

I'm pretty well aware that by the end of the summer, I'll be the only person in America still watching Fox's tortured "On the Lot." Still, I'm kind of getting a kick out of the show - sometimes because the films are good; other times to marvel at how a great idea became a train wreck in execution and ratings - and so, in an effort to psych myself up for tonight's broadcast, I've come up with a few things that excite me about this next round of "On the Lot":

The filmmakers now actually have to make films on the proverbial lot, rather than going home (though Fox has never said anything about it, I wouldn't be surprised if the films we've been watching the past few weeks were the contestants' audition movies). One of my frustrations with the show has been its lack of focus on how these movies got made: Did the directors have a screenwriter? A budget? Provided equipment? Maybe now, we'll see how the filmmakers are actually putting their movies together.
Six films per night, rather than five. More entertainment; less Adrianna Costa.
Guest judge Mark Waters - whom Fox will probably tell you directed of Mean Girls, but whom I'll tell you also directed The House of Yes, a personal favorite.
The contestants giving comedy another shot this week. In retrospect, maybe the comedies weren't so bad the first time around ... right?
No more Marty! Sure, it's one arrogant jerk down and several more to go, but his attitude annoyed me to no end, and I'm glad I won't have to watch another watered-down trailer.

Photo courtesy of Fox

The Invention of Lying: Sweet, but Unsteady

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:45:37 -0700

In his Hollywood directorial debut, Ricky Gervais takes us to an alternate universe where honesty makes the world go round. It's not just that lie-telling is an impossibility; everyone can't help but speak their minds at all times, no matter how personal, embarrassing, or brutal their innermost thoughts may be. The premise of The Invention of Lying is rife for comedy, but the film is also a commentary on religion and has its sad moments as well.

The film tells the story of Mark Bellison, an average joe who just can't seem to get ahead in a world where his mediocrity is ridiculed day after day. His co-workers can't stand him and women reject him based on his looks alone. When he loses his job as a screenwriter, Mark is ready to give up - until he mysteriously becomes the world's first liar.

To see what else I thought of the film, just read more.

Ricky Gervais stars as Mark, living in a world that's mostly free of flair, frills, and aesthetics. Mark's house and office are plain and boring, complementing his every-day appearance. Those who stand out are the people who are naturally attractive, like the object of Mark's affections, Anna (Jennifer Garner) and his snarky co-worker Brad (Rob Lowe). Anna can't help but show her shallow side on her first date with Mark. She immediately rejects him on the basis that she doesn't want to have "fat, snub-nosed" children someday and must find a "better genetic match." Once Mark starts to stretch his newfound talent though, he decides he can have whatever he wants - and begins a quest to win Anna's affections.

Gervais surprised me with his performance because he finally takes a break from his typical British dry humor. As affable, down-on-his-luck Mark, Gervais proves that he doesn't need his signature sarcasm to be witty. The most important scene of the movie requires a lot of raw emotion from Gervais, and he absolutely nails it, showcasing a sweet side that we rarely see from the actor.

There are two major aspects of the movie that wore me down: the cameos and the product placement. I love a good celebrity appearance, but after Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ed Norton, and Jason Bateman pop in, it starts to feel like Gervais is trying to use his comical buddies to keep the storyline afloat when it starts to lose focus. Seeing a familiar face is always fun, but this isn't a Judd Apatow movie.

The product placement is funny and fitting at first; there's not much room for advertising in a world of stark truth. With only a reputation to rely on, Coke and Pepsi are left with the slogans "It's very famous" and "When they don't have Coke," respectively. The film goes way overboard from there though, and suddenly Mark is surrounded by Budweiser bottles at all times and at the film's climax he's standing in front of a group clutching a pair of cardboard Pizza Hut boxes.

The movie's biggest problem is that it tries to appeal to too many genres. It's packaged as a comedy, but Mark becomes a god-like character once the world gets wind of his lies. His peers literally take everything he says as gospel, and Mark becomes a blatant modern-day Moses (complete with long hair and beard). Just as the audience begins to wonder where it's all going, the movie quickly ditches the religious aspect and finishes up as a love story. The ending is satisfactory, but what's the point of satirizing religion when it doesn't hold much water for the overall message of the movie?

Like I said, the premise is rife for comedy and starts us down a path that's packed with laughs - I just wish Invention of Lying didn't wander off before finding its way back home.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.