BuzzSugar

Buzz News Roundup, 12/31

BuzzSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:15:38 -0800

The Terminator will be added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. - Zap2It
Unless a deal is struck today, Time Warner Cable subscribers will lose Viacom channels (MTV, Comedy Central, etc.) just after midnight tonight. - Variety
Fox is looking to delay the release of Watchmen. - Reuters
Funny Games star Michael Pitt has been cast in Martin Scorsese's HBO pilot, Boardwalk Empire. - The Hollywood Reporter
Duffy topped the British album charts in 2008 with Rockferry. - Reuters
Meanwhile, Lil Wayne finished atop the US year-end charts. - Billboard
Brothers and Sisters may be going down one brother. - Entertainment Weekly

Silk: Pretty but Empty

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:39:10 -0700

Silk is like that good-looking celebrity you admire from afar for a while, and when you finally get the chance to sit down and talk to them, they turn out to be vapid and uninteresting. The strength of this movie lies in the visuals, as was the case with another of director François Girard's aesthetically appealing films, The Red Violin. Nature appears to be at its most lush and there are some gorgeous costumes. François Girard and his cinematographer Alain Dostie also seem to have a love for Asian cultures, creating stunning shots of the landscape and people alike. Yet beyond the visuals the movie has an empty feeling to it.

Michael Pitt sleepily plays Hervé, a young silk merchant who travels to a remote part of Japan for healthy eggs at the prompting of his ambitious boss Baldabiou (Alfred Molina, bringing his usual strength and warmth). While there, he encounters a beautiful concubine with whom he becomes obsessed. Even when he's not required to return to Japan and despite political strife rendering the journey dangerous, he goes anyway, inexplicably drawn to this woman with whom he can't even communicate. For more about Silk, read more

Keira Knightley plays Hervé's willowy and devoted wife Helene, and she does just fine with the role. In many ways, this is Helene's story more than her husband's, and while Knightley is pretty and tries her best, the material she's given is flimsy at best. Pitt gives her blessed little to work with as well, his efforts to be (I think) introspective and thoughtful coming across instead as sluggish and confused.

Silk is based on a lovely, sensual, Italian novel by Alessandro Baricco, and I can easily understand why one would want to visually interpret the lyrical beauty of the words. It's a sweet story but doesn't lend itself to a lot of intriguing action or dialogue - only a succession of beautiful frames. That's nice and all, but I left the movie wishing the filmmakers' efforts had gone toward making paintings or photographs rather than an ill-conceived movie.

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Movie Preview: Silk

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:25:48 -0700

Opening in limited release this Friday, Silk follows "a married silkworm merchant-turned-smuggler (Michael Pitt) in 19th century France traveling to Japan for his town's supply of silkworms after a disease wipes out their African supply. During his stay in Japan, he becomes obsessed with the concubine of a local baron." Keira Knightley and Alfred Molina also star, so I look forward to seeing Silk as soon as possible. To check out the gorgeous trailer, read more

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Link Time!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:00:06 -0700

Mia Michaels is leaving So You Think You Can Dance - Mia's Twitter
Lady Gaga reveals her upcoming tour dates - Billboard
Ridley Scott goes Red Riding for Sony - Hit Fix
Season four of Big Love will premiere on Jan. 10 - TV Squad
William H. Macy will star in an adaptation of the British drama Shameless for Showtime - The Futon Critic
Josh Duhamel will star in a new Disney flick called What's He Got? - Coming Soon
Taylor Swift is going to host SNL - should she address Kanye's comments? - PopSugar
Ever wonder what Carlisle Cullen looked like in the olden days? - MTV Movies Blog
Brad Pitt's Tree of Life won't be released until next year - Vulture
Take Yum's Top Chef quiz on last night's episode - YumSugar