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Movie Preview: Meg Ryan in Serious Moonlight

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:30:05 -0700

Jenna Elfman's character on Accidentally on Purpose recently made a crack that she knows the stages of womanhood by Meg Ryan movies, and it immediately made me miss seeing the actress in romantic comedies. The trailer for Serious Moonlight may look like a twisted rom-com, but hey, there's mention of love and definitely comedy, so I'm interested.

From the late Adrienne Shelley (who wrote Waitress) and directed by Curb Your Enthusiasm's Cheryl Hines, Serious Moonlight portrays Ryan as a woman who kinda loses it when she learns of her husband's affair with a younger woman (played by Timothy Hutton and Kristen Bell, respectively). I'm hoping this isn't just a crazy woman on display, and that the female filmmakers give it some grounding - I would so love to welcome Meg Ryan back into the funny actress fold. Also, look out for Justin Long in a small part as a petty criminal.

To see the trailer, just read more.

2009 Tribeca Film Festival Spotlight: Serious Moonlight

BuzzSugar — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:30:35 -0700

I've been perusing the long list of interesting-looking movies scheduled for this year's Tribeca Film Festival, which starts this week. Some of them, like Serious Moonlight, are starting to earn some buzz, and I'm anxious to find out what festivalgoers think once they've screened.

This movie looks interesting but no matter what happens, I'll always have bittersweet associations with it. Serious Moonlight will mark Cheryl Hines's directorial debut, and she worked with a screenplay written by the late Adrienne Shelly who was tragically murdered just before her movie Waitress opened in theaters. So while I'm obviously looking forward to more material from the wonderful Shelly, it's also another reminder of her untimely death.

But back to why this movie looks so good. First, the cast: Kristen Bell, Meg Ryan, Justin Long, and Timothy Hutton? Yes, please! Then there's the movie's description:

After she arrives at her country home for a romantic weekend getaway, things don't go exactly as planned for high-powered Manhattan lawyer Louise (Meg Ryan): Her husband of 13 years, Ian (Timothy Hutton), tells her he's leaving her for a younger woman (Kristen Bell). Soon Ian finds himself held captive by an oddly cool Louise, who explains that she won't release him until he commits to working on their marriage.

I love the idea of a movie about a woman kidnapping her cheating husband. What say you? Interested in learning more about this one?

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Sleepless in Seattle to Become Broadway Musical

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:30:54 -0800

"Horses, horses, horses, horses. . . ."

I hope one of the songs in the Sleepless in Seattle Broadway musical begins like that, patterned after Meg Ryan's little moment singing along to the holiday tune in her car. According to Variety, the script for Sleepless in Seattle - The Musical is about half finished, and about 18 songs have been written. The article notes, "Sticking to plot of the Sleepless pic, the new tuner follows a cross-country romance arranged by a young boy for his widowed father. Storyline will remain set in the early 1990s."

I'm glad to hear that, since I think part of the movie's greatness is that it's so quintessentially '90s - back before Internet dating made it not so unusual at all to find love 3,000 miles away (actually, before the Internet made it much easier to find people in general) and before acronyms (like Jessica's MFEO = Made For Each Other) were commonly used as text message communication. I'm not going to lie, I'll probably see this production, just to find out how on earth they do it.

What do you think? And what are some suggestions for musical numbers to include in the stage musical? Would you want to see it?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:45:38 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Burn After Reading
The Coen brothers do criminals well and in this film they got an impressive group of actors to play "accidental" criminals in a very funny way. Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand play Chad and Linda, two gym employees who find a CD in the locker room that contains data belonging to a former CIA analyst. Assuming that someone will pay big bucks for the return of the sensitive info, they attempt to blackmail the analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich). But old Ozzy is far more concerned about his recent unemployment and impending divorce from his wife (Tilda Swinton), who's having an affair with a pinhead womanizer played by George Clooney.

The whole thing ends up feeling like kids playing a spy game but the laughs are smart and result is solid entertainment.

DVD featurettes include: "DC Insiders Run Amock - An all-star cast creates the world of Washington, DC," and "Welcome Back, George" described as a comedy piece featuring Mr. Clooney as he returns for his third collaboration with Ethan and Joel.

Two more up next so read more.

Hamlet 2
Note: For some reason, this title was released on Dec. 21. Go figure. Anyway, it's still pretty newly on DVD!

This little comedy was all the rage at last year's Sundance Film Festival and then kind of fizzled its way through the theaters without too much notice from audiences. But I think it's the kind of flick destined to have a cult following, so now that it's on DVD it can spread through college dorm rooms and 20-somethings' apartments.

The movie stars Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener and Amy Poehler, and follows a teacher who is trying to save the drama department by writing a sequel to Hamlet. One of the co-writers is Pam Brady, who has written lots of funny stuff like the South Park movie, Team America, and Hot Rod.

Special features include deleted scenes and a sing-along.

The Women
This remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic stars Meg Ryan as Mary Haines, whose fabulous life comes to a screeching halt when she finds out (thanks to her gossipy manicurist, played by Debi Mazar) that her husband is having an affair with the Saks perfume "spritzer girl" (Eva Mendes). Things only get more complicated when her tight group of girlfriends (played by Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Debra Messing) try to help her put the pieces back together.

Special features include additional scenes, a visit with the cast and crew, and a look at the evolution of the story from 1936 stage success to classic 1939 movie to this contemporary update.

Link Time! 9/23

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:30:43 -0700

J.K. Rowling Reveals all in a new book, Harry, A History. - MTV Movies Blog
How ER plans to woo George Clooney back, no matter how many times he says it's not happening. - TV Squad
Ten things you need to know about The Wrestler before its December premiere. - Vulture
John Sayles is apparently working on an HBO miniseries about Louis Armstrong with Quincy Jones. - Cinematical
Office fans, get ready to meet the Halperts. - Give Me My Remote
Do you want a Meg Ryan comeback? - PopSugar
A chat with the man behind Girl Talk. - Pop Candy
The Whitney Port spinoff of The Hills is officially a go. - FabSugar
Pop culture obsessions come to life! A chance subway ride with some of the Gossip Girl kids leaves one writer breathless. - Popwatch

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The Women: Not Fizzy, Just Empty

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:34:00 -0700

Philosophically, the very existence of The Women is something that makes me cheer. As its title suggests, it's a movie full of only women - and many of them "women of a certain age," at that. Director and screenwriter Diane English spent years trying to steer her remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic to the screen, and I respect and admire her determination. A powerful remake of The Women could have sent yet another signal that moviegoers want to see women on screen in all their beautiful, imperfect, daffy, lovable, clueless, fantastic glory.

On screen, though, The Women disappoints to an almost depressing degree. It's not an outright disaster; there are good moments from nearly everyone in the gigantic cast. But it's not screwball enough to honor its '30s movie heritage, not clever enough to make for a fun night out at the theater. And its own message on women is utterly conflicted, threatening to undermine the potential positive impact of bringing an all-female movie to the big screen.

Meg Ryan stars as Mary Haines, whose life comes complete with adorable daughter, fabulous luncheons, and blooming garden she planted herself. If there are cracks in that shiny veneer, she'd hardly notice; as a friend, Alex (Jada Pinkett Smith), points out, she's too busy filling them in. So it knocks her flat when she finds out - thanks to her gossipy manicurist (Debi Mazar) - that her husband is having an affair with the Saks perfume "spritzer girl" (Eva Mendes). That betrayal would be bad enough, but before long, there's another one, courtesy of her best friend Sylvie (Annette Bening), who sells out Mary to save her own floundering career. The Women does fine with that broad sketch of a plot. It's in the details that the movie loses its footing, so read more.

Some of the movie's issues lie in the direction, which isn't confident enough to pull off some of the more screwball elements. English also doesn't seem to know how to use Bette Midler, who has a brief cameo that is delightful to watch but doesn't contribute much to the story, and Debra Messing and Smith are hardly in the movie. The whole look of the film is flat - understandable given its relatively small budget, but far from engaging for a viewer.

What The Women gets right is Mary's devastation at Sylvie's betrayal; losing her husband wouldn't have been so bad if the whole mess hadn't taken her friend along with it. The few scenes with the friends together are a treat, especially when they're plotting their confrontation of (and revenge against) the spritzer girl. Mendes basically just has to act hot and stupid, and she does that well. And Candice Bergen is amusing as Mary's mother, who dispenses advice that seems to be from another era.

Or is it? The Women seems confused about its own thoughts on women's roles. And while I can live with the ultimate outcome of Mary's journey to find herself (though I thought it was far too easy and predictable), what I can't condone is the movie's treatment of Mary's daughter Molly, who is basically a living representation of Why Women Hate Themselves. In her first scene, she tells Mary she's on a diet because she's fat; Mary laughs it off . Over the course of the movie, she starts smoking to keep from eating, burns tampons because she hates being a girl, and laments that she doesn't understand why magazine editors like Sylvie send such mixed signals to women. Sylvie's ultimate response when confronted with all of Molly's baggage? "I'm a hypocrite. Life is complicated."

That's all?

Sadly, that empty, cop-out response is far too apt a metaphor for The Women as a whole.

Photos courtesy of Picturehouse

Link Time! 9/11

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:42 -0700

Please don't panic about Dollhouse yet. - TV with MeeVee
Kevin Smith has seen JJ Abrams's Star Trek movie (even though we haven't even seen a full-length trailer!) and is blown away with Chris Pine's performance as Kirk. - MTV Movies Blog
If not Stephen Colbert, what other pop culture icon would you send into space to represent us? - Popwatch
Elvis Costello's new variety show looks to be pretty bizarre. - Vulture
The full studio version of Kanye's "Love Lockdown": Love it or leave it? - PopSugar
Travel back in time with this homage to Meg Ryan's earlier - perhaps better - roles. - FilmExperience
Top Design: Whose bomb shelter was best? - CasaSugar
I'm intrigued by this review from the Toronto Film Festival of the movie Me and Orson Welles, starring Zac Efron and Claire Danes, mostly because I had no idea that movie was completed already. - Cinematical
See the difference between HD and standard iTunes downloads. - TV Squad

Photo courtesy of Fox

Movie Night: Far-Off Destinations

BuzzSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:30:04 -0700

I've been really inspired by traveling this week - both because of my own itch to go on an adventure and because I have a handful of friends who are either planning their honeymoon or enjoying it right now. As part of my travel urge, I got to thinking about movies that captured a culture and a country so well that they've made me add a new entry to my list of places I have vowed to visit. Come away with me on a mini-jaunt around the globe via this movie night!

Out of Africa
This Oscar-winning classic directed by the late Sydney Pollack starred Meryl Streep and an extremely dreamy Robert Redford, but the biggest star of the film is East Africa. The movie is loosely based on Karen Blixen's 1937 autobiography about her real-life journey to Kenya. The character based on Blixen enters a loveless marriage but then meets Redford's character, a local-game hunter, and an epic romance ensues. The movie was filmed on location and is breathtakingly beautiful. If this doesn't make you consider Africa as a travel destination, I don't know what will.

Two more glorious locations, so read more.

French Kiss
Most people probably don't need their arms twisted to stick France on their travel list, but when a movie comes along that captures that certain je ne sais quoi of the French countryside, vineyards, and coast, it makes not being there feel nearly intolerable. French Kiss is one of those movies, and it stars Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline as unlikely partners in a trek across France. She's on a mission to get her cheating fiance back, and he's a petty criminal who helps her as a means to reach his own goal of buying back a vineyard he lost. Their chemistry is charming, but the way the film captures the spirit and nonchalance of the place is what makes it a lovely vicarious trip abroad.

Sex and Lucia
To call this movie racy is probably an understatement. The word "sex" is in the title for good reason, because there's a lot of it in this mystical Spanish film - and it's pretty explicitly discussed and enacted. You've been warned. That said, nearly five years after I first saw this, what sticks with me are the unbelievably gorgeous shots of nature: the azure skies and ocean set against the snow-white sands of Spain's Balearic Islands. After this movie, this semi-remote location has remained high on my list of places to get myself to.

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Movie Preview: The Women Starring. . . Lots of Women

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:30:48 -0700

I was interested in this remake of the 1939 film The Women when there was initial casting news about it (Debra Messing, Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes, Candace Bergen, etc. etc.), but after the incredible success of the Sex and the City movie, I'm even more excited about the opportunities for movies directed at a female audience. If nothing else the SATC movie might have indicated to filmmakers and studios that (hello!) it's possible to actually have a female-centric film do well at the box office. In other words: women can be valuable audience members, too, you know.

Anyway, from the new trailer it looks like there's The Woman (Meg Ryan) and all her girlfriends discover that there's The Other Woman (Eva Mendes) but the women don't know how to tell her about this other woman. True to the original, there don't appear to be any men in the movie. This new trailer isn't phenomenal, but it still looks like a reasonably funny movie about female friendship (and rivalry).

The Women opens September 12. To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

Recast Sleepless in Seattle and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:34:01 -0700

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I hope you're in a romantic mood because this week I've set my sights on a great romcom: Sleepless in Seattle. The movie was, as you probably remember, a big hit featuring box office stars Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (who managed to have a lot of chemistry despite spending about five minutes on screen together). I have a special place in my heart for this movie and for the film's writer/director Nora Ephron.

If you could recast this film today, who would you pick for the two romantic leads? Remember, Tom Hanks' widowed character Sam Baldwin is old enough to have a school-aged son and Meg Ryan's Annie Reed is an accomplished journalist engaged to be married. Who would be Annie's quick-witted BFF Becky, originally played by Rosie O'Donnell? And then there are the two little ones: What little boy could you see as Sam's son Jonah and his acronym-slinging pal Jessica, played by Gabby Hoffmann? If you'd like to recast Annie's nerdy fiance Walter (Bill Pullman), as well as Sam's best friends Greg (Victor Garber) and Suzy (Rita Wilson), go for it.

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, May 13, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more.

Characters to recast
Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks)
Annie Reed (Meg Ryan)
Becky (Rosie O'Donnell)
Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger)
Jessica (Gabby Hoffmann)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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