BuzzSugar

Movie Preview: Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:30:24 -0700

You either like him or you hate him, so chances are, if you're actually reading this post, you probably like him at least enough to be curious about his latest documentary. Having made films about General Motors, gun control, and the healthcare industry (to name a few), director Michael Moore is at it again, this time taking a look at the economy. His documentary Capitalism: A Love Story examines "the global financial crisis and the U.S. economy during the transition between the incoming Obama Administration and the outgoing Bush Administration." Moore himself says the movie's "got it all - lust, passion, romance, and 14,000 jobs being eliminated every day."

The movie opens Oct. 2. To watch the trailer, read more.

Michael Moore May Start Directing Feature Films

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:30:51 -0700

After his next documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, hits theaters, rabble-rousing filmmaker Michael Moore may lay low for a while - in the documentary world, that is. Moore recently told the Detroit News that he hopes to take a break from documentary filmmaking and try his hand at writing and directing feature films. He said, "While I've been making [Capitalism] I've been thinking that maybe this will be my last documentary. Or maybe for a while. I have been working on two screenplays over the last couple of years. One's a comedy, one's a mystery, and I really want to do this."

Some Moore fans are none too pleased with the idea, though. As Ruth Daniels, vice president for marketing for Detroit-area Emagine theaters put it, "It would leave us with a big loss if he stopped making documentary films. His documentaries do make quite a bit of money and he's paved the way for documentary movies to become mainstream. It will leave a void."

Still, Moore at least already knows how to put together an entertaining film, and it's plausible that his skills will translate to the world of feature film. About his documentaries he noted, "Humor is OK in a documentary. Before me, I was told it had to be castor oil. No, you're making a movie; you're making a piece of entertainment. You're asking someone to leave the house on a Friday night to go to a movie."

Could you see this working? Will the folks who dislike Moore just dismiss any effort on his part, right off the bat?

Buzz News Roundup, 5/22

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:00:52 -0700

Ben Stiller's getting this year's Generation Award at the MTV Movie Awards. - The Futon Critic
Apparently there's still hope for Shonda Rhimes's TV newscaster pilot. - New York Times
Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb have joined Kevin James in romantic comedy The Zookeeper. - ComingSoon
Danish director Ole Bornedal will direct the film adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel The Husband. - Variety
Jay Leno says there's "underdog appeal" to his new role at 10 p.m. on NBC. - TV.com
Michael Moore's new documentary feature about the global economic meltdown will be released domestically on Oct. 2, 2009. - ComingSoon
VH1 has The Great Debate and Tool Academy 2 on its Summer slate, while MTV has Paris Hilton's My New BFF, America's Best Dance Crew, and The Real World. - The Futon Critic
Jay-Z has officially left the Def Jam record label - Billboard

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 9/5

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:30:56 -0700

Leisha Hailey's Alice will headline the L Word spinoff. - Variety
Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are adaptation now has an October 2009 release date. - ComingSoon
Denzel Washington will star in the post-apocalyptic drama Book of Eli. - Zap2it
Mitchell Hurwitz and Jason Biggs have teamed up for a CBS comedy. - Hollywood Reporter
Kanye West might have another album out before the end of the year. - Billboard
Austin Nichols of John From Cincinnati has booked a job on One Tree Hill. - TV Guide
Gail O'Grady is the newest troublemaker on Wisteria Lane. - Entertainment Weekly
Michael Moore will make his new documentary available online for free. - AP

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Buzz News Roundup, 5/14

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:32:07 -0700

Point Break is getting a sequel, writes Zap2It, though it's unclear whether Keanu or Swayze will reprise their roles. Also, OMG look at Swayze's hair.
According to the AP, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is thinking of doing an Apprentice-like reality TV show for "young would-be lawmakers."
The "politically charged" Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young documentary will get a theatrical release in July, Billboard reports.
According to Pitchfork, Arcade Fire is scoring The Box, the next movie from Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly, which stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden.
TV Guide has the scoop on the new 90210's daddy casting issues.
According to ComingSoon, Steve Martin will team up with Diane Keaton for yet another project, this time a comedy written by Martin himself.
Hollywood Reporter has the news that Michael Rappaport will be joining Prison Break.
ComingSoon reports that the Transformers sequel will probably be in 3-D.
According to Zap2It, Michael Moore is planning a sequel to his documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Source

Movie Preview: Sicko

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:33:01 -0700

Along with the animated rat chefs and dying ladies with stories to tell this Friday, there is Michael Moore and his latest documentary, Sicko, in wide release. The film explores health insurance in the U.S. and how it compares to that of other countries.

Back at Cannes the film got a ton of attention - and a surprising amount of praise. Assuming that critics and audiences alike had tapped out on Michael Moore, it piqued my curiosity when I saw the reviews roll in calling Sicko an indication of a steadier, wiser and more mature Moore. If you haven't seen the intriguing trailer yet, you can check it out if you read more

Cannes Reviews: Sicko

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 05:50:59 -0700

For the most part critics are heralding Michael Moore's latest documentary Sicko for providing an eye-opening look at the health insurance crisis in the U.S. Many are also uttering sighs of relief that Moore's political viewpoints are relatively subdued in the film, unlike his previous documentaries in which many found Moore's opinions shoved down their throats, ultimately undermining the messages of the films.

Curiously, even the Fox News website is giving Sicko a favorable review, though the critic is quick to note this is because Moore isn't "confronting" anyone. The most common complaint for Sicko is that in comparing American system to that of Cuba, Canada and England (among other countries), Moore paints an absurdly rosy picture of other systems in order to highlight just how horrifying things are here, but the rosiness isn't exactly accurate, either.

Check out some excerpts from various reviews of Sicko:

Variety:
“...An entertaining and affecting dissection of the American health care industry that documents how it benefits the few at the expense of the many. Pic's tone alternates between comedy and outrage, as it compares the U.S system of care to other countries.

Chief criticism of the film is that it paints too rosy a picture of the national health care of the countries he compares America to, including Canada, England, France - and Cuba.”

Cannes You Dig It?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:10:46 -0700

We can dig it! The lineup has been released for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, which begins May 16 and where Brad and Angelina will grace everyone with their presence. That's not totally random, since they both have movies in the festival, though neither of their films are competing for the top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Twenty other films are in competition for the Palme d'Or, however, including:

Wong Kar Wai's first English-language film My Blueberry Nights (pictured), which kicks off the festival and weirdly stars Norah Jones alongside Jude Law and Natalie Portman. According to IMDB, the story follows a young woman (Jones) during a "soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love."
We Own the Night, a Russian mafia drama starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Eva Mendes.
Quentin Tarantino's half of Grindhouse, Death Proof.
David Fincher's well-done thriller Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo.

The Coen brothers' latest crime drama No Country for Old Men, starring Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.

To see the great films that aren't competing for the top prize, read more

Not in the competition:

The film chronicling Mariane Pearl's tragic saga, A Mighty Heart, which stars Angelina Jolie and was produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B.
Ocean's Thirteen, which will play at the festival before releasing stateside on June 8. The film already looks amazing.
Cannes winner Michael Moore's new documentary about the U.S. health-care system, Sicko.
Ken Burns' 14-hour long World War II documentary The War, which has come under fire recently for failing to pay homage to the contributions of Hispanic Americans.

Source and Source

What to Tivo: Friday

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:50:29 -0700

ABC has repeats of FlashForward, Modern Family, and The Middle, and is new with 20/20
CBS is new with Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and Numb3rs
FOX is new with Brothers, 'Til Death, and Dollhouse
NBC is new with Law & Order and Dateline NBC
The CW is new with Smallville and has a repeat of America's Next Top Model
USA is new with Monk and Psych
TLC has repeats of Say Yes to the Dress and is new with Wedded to Perfection
E! is new with The Soup
MTV has The Matrix Reloaded and Scary Movie
Late-night highlights include Jon Hamm on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Terry Bradshaw on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; Lady Antebellum on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Michael Moore, Malin Akerman, and The Backstreet Boys on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Gerard Butler and Phoenix on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Martin Short on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

Zombieland Eats the Competition Alive at the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:30:55 -0700

Well, it looks like Très isn't the only one who loves a good horror comedy - Zombieland took the top spot at the box office this weekend with $25 million in ticket sales. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs slid to No. 2 with $16.7 million, followed by the Toy Story 1 &2 3-D double feature with $12.5 million.

The Invention of Lying made its box office debut in fourth place with $7.35 million, and Surrogates rounded out the top five with $7.4 million. Drew Barrymore's Whip It couldn't hack it in its opening weekend and finished in seventh with $4.8 million, right behind Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures