BuzzSugar

Damon and Douglas to Play Lovers in Liberace Movie

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:15:46 -0700

Bet you never thought you'd see Matt Damon and Michael Douglas coupled up on-screen, but get ready. Steven Soderbergh has confirmed that Douglas will play Liberace in his upcoming film about the life and death of the popular 1950s performer. Damon is taking on the role of Scott Thorsen, Liberace's assistant and boyfriend who eventually revealed Liberace's sexuality to the public.

At the Deauville Film Festival, Soderbergh said, "We've already done some costume and wardrobe tests on Michael, and they're very, very, very good. I swear to you, Michael amazed me. He crushed it . . . Matt accepted the challenge. But I have to say I'd already convinced him to gain 30 pounds for The Informant."

I saw The Informant last week (more on that later), and it was really refreshing to see Matt playing an atypical character from what we're used to seeing - I'm looking forward to watching him spread his wings again. Then again, I might be more dazzled by Michael Douglas covered in sequins.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: Formulaic and Forgettable

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:30:25 -0700

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past might as well be titled Wedding Planner's Failure to Lose a Guy in Fools Gold of Girlfriends Past, because it's nothing we haven't seen before from Matthew McConaughey.

The actor is a global star with actual talent and loads of charm (he's fun in Dazed and Confused and dreamily charismatic in A Time to Kill). Yet, for some reason, he has spent the past decade or so skating by in major-studio films that all pretty much resemble each other. Typically, the only thing that varies from one reductive and formulaic McConaughey rom-com to another is his leading lady. Every so often, another actress steps in for stalwart Kate Hudson to portray the generic straight woman to his man-child cad.

It's been disappointing to see a guy who possesses the very elusive "it" factor squander it, but now he's actually getting on my nerves. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past indicates that whatever it was that made his smarmy characters a little lovable is now completely tapped out. To see what I mean, read more.

McConaughey seems so icky and lecherous in this movie that you forget how good looking he is. Even his Texas accent, once so adorable to me, can't save him . . . because his character is supposed to be from the East Coast! That's just lazy. But maybe this will be a wake-up call that the time has come for McConaughey to shake it up a bit and do something unexpected (that doesn't involve surfers). Or not.

Anyway, the movie's concept has some potential: I kind of like the idea of using supernatural intervention, a la Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, to reform a toxic bachelor. In fact, with a different script, this could have resulted in a witty romp, especially if it had a charming, Clooney-esque type at its center. Instead, we meet Connor Mead, a high-flying fashion photographer who in the span of about 15 minutes breaks up with three women simultaneously via video chat and sexually humiliates a character played by Christina Milian, who naturally digs that kind of thing and proceeds to hop onto his lap in her underwear. Romantic, huh?

The only evidence that Connor has a heart is his affection and commitment to his brother, whose wedding he attends despite his distaste for marriage. Once there, he wreaks havoc in a most unfunny way and is downright mean teasing his ex-girlfriend - I mean, one true love - Jenny, played by Jennifer Garner (who looks both adorable and embarrassed to be in this movie). Eventually, Connor gets a visit from the best part of this movie: his sexist and dead Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). Yes, Uncle Wayne has come to warn Connor that being a d-bag and not finding love results in an empty funeral. Douglas is a treat to have on screen and could teach McConaughey some things about how to play a slimy misogynist with verve.

Garner's Jenny is good with the psychoanalyzing one-liners, and the actress has good timing. Jenny's supposed to be the kind of sharp, down-to-earth, quick-witted woman who's happy to call Connor and Uncle Wayne on their crap. In another, much-better movie, it would feel good watching this lady level the spray-tanned himbos of the world with cutting rhetoric. However, this time around, I kept thinking, "Lady, don't waste your brain power on this jerk." By the end, when their inevitable kiss comes, all I could think was, "Lady, don't waste your kisses and heart and future and life on this jerk!"

McConaughey succeeds at making his character deplorable but fails at infusing his performance with anything redeeming or sympathetic. If he doesn't change, he undermines the movie's entire premise - predictable as it may be - which asks: can this d-bag change and get the girl? And that echoes another question: can McConaughey ever recapture what once made him so special? Sadly, I think the answer to both at this point is: who cares?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Shia LaBeouf Could Join Stone, Douglas For Wall Street 2

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:45:18 -0700

Get ready for more tales of greed and corruption on the big screen: Michael Douglas and director Oliver Stone have officially signed on for a sequel to Wall Street, and Shia LaBeouf is also in talks for a part.

Wall Street 2 will again focus on the life of Gordon Gekko (Douglas), who's just emerging from prison into a financial landscape far different from the high-flying one he left behind. LaBeouf is circling the role of a young trader. Variety says "the recent economic meltdown spurred by rampant greed and corruption will fit prominently into the plot."

I'm impressed that this sequel has already wrapped up so much of the high-level talent from the original film, and there's probably no denying that the current economic meltdown could be a compelling story. Douglas himself just said, "Everybody's talking about the economy and people are scrutinizing it. Whenever I mention Wall Street 2, everybody goes, 'Yeah. Interesting. I'd see that.'" So: Would you?

Source and Source

Movie Preview: McConaughey, Garner in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:30:13 -0800

I wonder how many times we'll have to see a womanizing d-bag figure out what love is really about before the whole storyline is retired. In Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, obviously a spoof (or something) on A Christmas Carol, Matthew McConaughey plays a seemingly heinous human being who has been with what appears to be a thousand women. A ghost played by Emma Stone talks to him about his past girlfriends and, along with two other ghosts, ultimately points him in the direction of the one he let get away (or, more accurately, the one he could not run away from quickly enough), played by Jennifer Garner. Lemme guess: She takes back the d-bag even though she still knows he's a d-bag. But as a kid he said he'd keep her picture forever, so it all makes sense.

Except that it doesn't. Michael Douglas also stars as a phantom trying to help this dude find love. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past opens May 1. To please share in my experience of watching this trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Buzz News Roundup, 9/17

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:46:32 -0700

TNT has renewed Saving Grace and Raising the Bar, while HBO has OK'd a second season of True Blood. - Zap2it
Nicole Kidman may become an action star, now that she's in talks to be in the "character-driven, treasure-hunting" action-adventure The Eighth Wonder. - Hollywood Reporter
Fred Wolf (director of The House Bunny) will write and direct the dude road trip movie Divorced Guys, which will star David Spade. - ComingSoon
Metallica's new album is topping the Billboard 200 list, making it the band's fifth No. 1 album. - Billboard
Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito and Jenna Fischer are in talks to join the movie Solitary Man, which follows "a car magnate with a runaway libido." - Variety
Kirsten Dunst will produce and star in an adaptation of the book A Jealous Ghost. - ComingSoon
Here's who won Big Brother 10. - AP
Stephen Colbert will debut "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!" on Comedy Central on Nov. 23. - Billboard

Source

Tax Season Movie Night: Money, Money, Money

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:30:27 -0700

Tax season is upon us and I know how stressful it can be to dig up receipts, fill out the forms and file the ol' taxes. Although my friend Savvy wouldn't be too happy to hear this, I have a bad habit of procrastinating and will find any reason to avoid doing my taxes. This year I have a new strategy: hold a money movie night with the following films and then do my taxes - no more excuses! It's a good plan because there are a lot of good lessons to learn from these movies, you know? OK, that's a lame rationalization, but hey, these movies are fun and might even convince you to stay away from white-collar crimes.

Trading Places
Just thinking about Trading Places makes me laugh, which is the perfect way to kick off a tax season movie night. Eddie Murphy stars alongside fellow funny man Dan Aykroyd in this film that poses the question: Does money make the man?

Louis Winthorpe III (Aykroyd) is a Harvard educated broker who has it all. Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy) is a street hustler angling for a dollar. When these two men switch places in society, all hilarity breaks loose. It's a wacky premise, but Murphy is hysterical and it's a funny peek at the ways in which money changes people.

Two more money movies, so read more.

Wall Street
In high school, my economics teacher taught us all about the stock market and making lots of money. And then he made us watch this movie starring Michael Douglas (who won an Oscar for his performance) and Charlie Sheen to warn us of the dangers of excess. Looking back, this was a smart move as Wall Street is the ultimate cautionary tale. At the center we see the evil, morally depraved Gordon Gekko (Douglas), who embodies the worst of the opulent 1980s. Sheen plays the young and naive newcomer who first believes he can make it big as a mover and shaker on Wall Street, but under the tutelage of the greedy Gekko finds himself tangled in an insider trading scheme and has to fight for his soul. Again, white-collar crime is bad. Thanks, Teach!

Indecent Proposal
Indecent Proposal, starring Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Robert Redford, is a provocative twist on an age-old question: How far are you willing to go for money? Moore and Harrelson are a happy couple who find themselves in a serious financial crisis and head to Vegas (naturally!). There, a rich, handsome stranger (Redford) offers them $1 million for a night of you-know-what with Moore. What follows is scandalous, shocking and painful. In the end though, it's a good lesson in how just a little bit of moral compromise in the name of greed can eat you alive.

Source and Source

Buzz News Roundup, 12/19

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:28:14 -0800

Ewan McGregor will play Jim Carrey's love interest in the "dark comedy" I Love You, Phillip Morris, reports Variety.
E! Online has news that Josh Groban's holiday album sales have broken a record originally set by Elvis Presley.
MTV and Jerry Bruckheimer are teaming up to make video games, Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Zap2It reports that Brad Pitt may replace Heath Ledger in the drama Tree of Life.
TV Guide writes that USA has canceled The 4400 and Dead Zone.
The Smashing Pumpkins will release an acoustic EP in 2008, NME reports.
Mischa Barton has signed on for the indie thriller Homecoming, writes Variety.
Showtime has bought Secret Diary of a Call Girl, a British series based on a sex worker's anonymous journal, Mediaweek reports.
From the department of weirdness: Michael Douglas is now doing the voiceover for the NBC Nightly News, TV Guide reports.

Source and source

Read and Watch: Wonder Boys

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:40:39 -0800

Some books are ruined by their movie adaptations, and other times, the stories actually work better on film. Then, there are the rare cases where the book and the movie are great for different reasons.

One example: Wonder Boys, the Michael Chabon novel made into a movie in 2000. The film captures the book's wit very well; the script even lifts some of the book's best dialogue. But director Curtis Hanson also makes great choices about what details to leave out.

One of the movie's major triumphs is its. Michael Douglas is perfect as Grady Tripp, an English professor/novelist battling writer's block while wearing his estranged wife's bathrobe. With the exception of Katie Holmes (who's just not quite right as student Hannah Green), almost everyone else gives a pitch-perfect performance. Tobey Maguire is Tripp's brooding but promising student; Robert Downey Jr. is the flamboyant book agent; and Frances McDormand is wonderfully subdued as Tripp's lover and the university chancellor. But while the movie is both quirky and touching, the book is enjoyable even if you've already seen the film, so read more

If you've seen Wonder Boys the movie, the book will be familiar in many ways. But you'll also be surprised at how much father the book takes the story and how much further it delves into the story's relationships. Though the book's supporting characters are just as rich and colorful as they are movie, the novel-much more so than the movie-is primarily Tripp's story. Through his darkly comedic narration, we get to know more about his background, his demons, and his unraveling. Then, there is Chabon's writing, which is at once very accessible, laugh-out-loud funny, and striking in its edgy beauty. Whether you read the book first or see the movie, I highly recommend enjoying Wonder Boys both ways.

Stars on the Set This Week!

PopSugar — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:30:46 -0700

The stars were busy on sets across the country and around the world this week. Jennifer Aniston went back to work on The Baster in LA while Michael Douglas joined Shia LaBeouf for Wall Street 2 in New York City. Across the globe The American continued filming in Italy and Ewan McGregor was on set in Scotland - check out all the stars on set this week!

View Slideshow ›

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:30:19 -0700

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. Check out this week's picks!

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
I admittedly wasn't a fan of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past when it came out in theaters, but it may be worth considering if you're in the mood for a romantic comedy that doesn't make you think too much. The premise: When playboy Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) attends his brother's wedding, he runs into his first love Jenny (Jennifer Garner), setting off a Christmas Carol-like chain of events, complete with ghosts. Yes, the plot's contrived and Connor is incredibly smarmy, but I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, especially Emma Stone as an 80's ghost with a bad perm and Michael Douglas as Connor's Lothario uncle.

27%

Two more up next, so read more.

Observe and Report
Observe and Report follows a self-important, semi-delusional mall security cop (Seth Rogen) who flips out when he realizes he may not become a police officer - or win over the makeup counter girl of his dreams (Anna Faris). When I first reviewed it, I was surprised by how dark the film turned out to be for a Rogen and Faris comedy. Still, it does have a few laugh-worthy moments, and Rogen fans will probably want to add this to their must-see list.

51%

Lymelife
Set in the 1970s, Lymelife is an ensemble drama that follows two families in a Long Island neighborhood dealing with a Lyme disease scare. It boasts a decent ensemble cast, including Cynthia Nixon, Alec Baldwin, and Timothy Hutton, but Rory Culkin (yes, Macaulay's brother) is the heart of the film as a 15-year-old struggling in the midst of messed-up chaos. (Emma Roberts also turns in a memorable performance as his crush.) The reviews were mixed when the film released in theaters, but if twisted suburbia is your thing (i.e., American Beauty or The Ice Storm), then Lymelife is worth checking out. Bonus material includes an alternate ending.

54%