BuzzSugar

Sunshine Cleaning: A Cloudy Comedy

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:30:45 -0700

Critics may draw comparisons between this year's Sunshine Cleaning and 2007 Best Picture nominee Little Miss Sunshine. Both were Sundance darlings, both star the wonderful Alan Arkin, and both have optimistic-sounding titles. And despite each film's light-bright disposition, both skew closer to comedy of the darker sort. This intriguing juxtaposition worked quite well for Little Miss Sunshine, and, to a slightly lesser extent, it works for Sunshine Cleaning, too.

The off-kilter premise is what first drew me to the movie when I previewed it for last year's Sundance Film Festival. I loved that the film focuses on the dirty and demeaning task of cleaning up crime scenes, yet didn't seem as gloomy as the description suggested. By the time I saw the trailer, it was clear: No CSI confusion here. Luckily the film delighted me as much as I had hoped, mostly because the two lead actresses, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, are so compelling to watch.

To hear a little bit more about the plot and what else I liked, read more

In the lead, Amy Adams is Rose Lorkowski, a former hot-shot high school cheerleader who has settled into a low-paying career of cleaning houses. Emily Blunt plays her sister Norah, who, as a failed waitress, is even more down on her luck than Rose. It seems that the strapped-for-cash sisters may have inherited a touch of fiscal bad luck from their father Joe (Alan Arkin) who is constantly searching for ways to get rich quick. And while Rose disapproves of her father's shenanigans, she, too, finds herself scheming to pay for her son's pricey private school.

Enter Sunshine Cleaning, a biohazard removal service that Rose starts with her sister when she discovers that the field is rather lucrative. What follows are oddly hilarious scenes of Rose and Norah learning the ropes of the business and navigating the truly messy world of crime scene clean-up. Picking up chunks of brain matter and bleaching out blood stains sounds like your typical horror fare, but in the hands of these two ladies, there is a sense of down-iness that comes from their "we're in this together" camaraderie.

Despite the more comical moments, there are touches of genuine grief, especially when we hear about the suicide of Rose and Norah's mother, and view some of the sisters' failed relationships (Steve Zahn and Mary Lynn Rajskub are lovely in their respective supporting roles). These parts add a melody to a movie that could otherwise be somewhat one-note.

Bottom Line: The film doesn't reach the fever-pitch fun that Little Miss has at the end, but it's still a worthwhile journey, especially if you're a fan of Blunt or Adams.

Photo courtesy of Big Beach Films

Sundance Spotlight: Sunshine Cleaning

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:30:00 -0800

I am so thrilled to go to Sundance this year, and I can't wait to see as many movies as possible while I'm out there! For the next few days I'll be highlighting some of the films I'm most curious to see. Today's spotlight: Sunshine Cleaning.

Wait a minute - is this the award-nominated Amy Adams and Emily Blunt? Why, yes, yes it is! Sunshine Cleaning stars these two talented ladies, along with Steve Zhan, Alan Arkin and Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe from 24). To see what the story's about, read more.

The plot description reads, "In order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school, a mom starts an unusual business - a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service - with her unreliable sister." Not sure which actress plays which sister, but Zahn plays a married police officer having an affair with Rose (Adams), and Rajskub plays a technician for a blood bank who is the object of Blunt's sexual obsession.

Wow, crime scenes, extramarital affairs, sexy blood bank technicians - and it's a comedy! Totally can't wait for this one.

Source

First Look: Day Seven of 24

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:34:07 -0700

Fox held a big event in Times Square this morning to unveil the trailer for the upcoming seventh season of 24. But if you couldn't be in New York to hobnob with Mary Lynn Rajskub at the party, no worries - I've got the trailer right here.

A couple of early thoughts on it: Given the show's now-legendary production problems putting this season together, it's amazing they have this many scenes done already. But there's a rather disappointing lack of Chloe - and not even a glimpse of Janeane Garofalo's character.

The trailer opens with Jack on trial, and it's good to see the show finally dealing with the fact that Jack's tortured a lot of people, but the rest of it pretty much seems like the standard 24 twists and turns. We do get a pretty extensive look at the return of Tony Almeida, who appears to be a bad guy this time around, and that looks like it will be one of the more intriguing aspects of the season.

To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, just read more

Photo courtesy of Fox

"24" Mulls Female President, Other Changes

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:30:00 -0700

After this disappointing season of "24" - and especially that drawn-out, unnecessarily frustrating finale - I knew the show would have to make some drastic changes to get viewers back. And it seems like the show's producers know it: Several tidbits of news have been flying around recently about big shifts in the show's structure and characters.

The biggest news is that the show is contemplating its first female president, which - in addition to mirroring part of this country's actual presidential race - would be a fantastic role for some underemployed female actress. I'd love to know which of them are readying their resumes at the mere mention of this possibility. (Geena Davis had that presidential thing down, but personally, I'd love to see Allison Janney leading the nation.)

Among the other changes:

The show will likely focus less on the goings-on at CTU and move to a new city, with New York, London, and Washington, D.C. reportedly on the short list.
Of all of the characters, only Jack and Chloe are locks to return at this point; everything else is up in the air.

If you've drifted away from "24," do you think these changes would draw you back in?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Buzz-Worthy Video: Comedian Christmas Carol

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:30:48 -0800

Is it too early for a holiday music video? Not when it's one starring a host of comedians like Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, Weird Al Yankovic, and Rob Huebel, plus many more. Even Mary Lynn Rajskub pops up for a verse or two!

The song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", was originally written in the '80s for a group of celeb musicians, but this one is very different, and very tongue-in-cheek. Just take the, um, "special appearance" by Thomas Lennon and Ed Helms.

For a holiday chuckle, watch the video when you read more.