BuzzSugar

Movie Preview: Miley Cyrus in The Last Song

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

Are you ready for your second Nicholas Sparks movie preview in as many months? (Last month's was the romance Dear John.) Here it is: The Last Song stars Miley Cyrus (cue The Soup's "It's Miley!" sound bite) as a girl who's dropped off at the home of her estranged father to spend the Summer. Obviously she doesn't want to be there, obviously she falls for a local boy, and obviously she and her father end up bonding.

You couldn't call me a Miley fan, but I do love Greg Kinnear, who plays her well-meaning father. From the trailer, the movie looks very sweet and very schlocky - which is exactly how Sparks usually does it. Interestingly, Sparks was commissioned to write both the screenplay and novel simultaneously, with Cyrus in mind. While I don't know that I'll be rushing to the theater for this one, it's probably something you'd find me secretly Netflixing later on; I'm kind of a sucker for the addictive cheesiness of a Sparks movie.

Check out the trailer for The Last Song when you read more.

The Last Song comes out on April 2, 2010.

More Nicholas Sparks Movies? Really?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:30:42 -0800

We all know that author Nicholas Sparks wrote The Notebook, which became a movie starring the sweet duo Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Before The Notebook Sparks's novel Message in a Bottle became a movie. Later came A Walk to Remember starring Mandy Moore, and this year his book Nights in Rodanthe arrived on the big screen towing Richard Gere and Diane Lane in its wake.

Now there are not one, but two more Sparks-induced movies in the works: Dear John and the recently announced adaptation of The Lucky One.

Sparks's writing is rather recognizable now for its combination of desperate romance and heartbreaking tragedy. Do you like these movies? Do you think they'll work if they have a good combination of actors (like Ryan and Rachel)? Or should we just stop with the Nicholas Sparks already?

Source and source

Eagle Eye Soars at Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:30:36 -0700

Shia LaBeouf proves he's box office gold once again with the No. 1 movie this weekend, Eagle Eye, also starring Michelle Monaghan and directed by D.J. Caruso. The action-thriller performed well with an estimated $29.2 million, making it the fourth-best September debut ever. In second place with an estimated $13. 6 million came the Nicholas Sparks tearjerker Nights in Rodanthe.

Lakeview Terrace came in third place, and to my great surprise Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron (yes, you read that right), came in at No. 4. The Christian-themed flick narrowly beat Burn After Reading, which came in fifth. Who would have ever guessed that Mr. Cameron would join Mr. LaBeouf as two of the big stars of the weekend?

Spike Lee's World War II epic Miracle at St. Anna suffered from disappointing reviews (including my own) and paid for it at the box office, coming in at No. 9.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Nights in Rodanthe: Something to Watch With Grandma

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:30:40 -0700

As you might've predicted, Nights in Rodanthe is a sentimental, non-threatening weepie that could have just as easily been made for TV and run on the Hallmark channel. The story is bland and yet sugar-saturated at the same time. It's tame, not too racy and it features unlayered characters. There’s redemption in the male character’s storyline and an awakening in the woman’s. It’s boring as all get-out sometimes, and tries its damndest to make you cry. So, in other words, it's your average Nicholas Sparks stuff.

Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) separated from her husband after he cheated on her with her best friend. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere) is a doctor whose workaholic tendencies drove away his wife and son (played by James Franco). After a patient dies on his operating table, Paul travels to Rodanthe to meet with the patient's husband. He stays at the inn that Adrienne is running while her friend is away. There's a big storm that brings the two of them together, bada bing bada boom, they both learn how to love again. What follows is a string of scenes meant to be either heartwarming or heartbreaking, depending on Diane Lane's incredibly expressive face. For more of my thoughts on all this, read more.

All in all, it's sappy, cheesy stuff that doesn’t demand much of the viewer. There's an unnerving amount of time for your mind to wander, due to not being truly invested in these people or their stories. The editing is almost comically jerky. And James Franco is in it for maybe four minutes, total.

At the same time, I understand that movies like this serve a purpose. The only reason I watched A Walk to Remember was because I was with some older relatives and it was something we could all watch. This movie is in a very similar vein as A Walk to Remember, so I’m guessing that if you liked that one, you’ll like Rodanthe.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Richard Gere and Diane Lane in Nights in Rodanthe

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:30:02 -0700

So, Nicholas Sparks has given us many things, one of them being The Notebook. I have to say, I'm convinced the film version of the book did as well as it did because of the talent involved (Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams) because when I think of the books of his I've read they all fall into the same category as the movie version of A Walk to Remember: cheesy, trite and overwrought. This next book-to-film adaptation of a Sparks work, Nights in Rodanthe stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane, both of whom I like a lot as actors. So maybe the movie will be great?

I'm hoping so, because the trailer - despite a strong supporting cast including Mae Whitman (her?) and James Franco - leaves so, so much to be desired. Not the least of its worries (but a pretty big one), the movie utilizes the tired old tactic of randomly giving the white protagonist a wise black best girlfriend whose sole purpose in life is to nurture and soothe the crazy/lovelorn/depressed white lady (this Black Best Friend syndrome has been written about quite a bit, including an L.A. Times slideshow of a few notable "BBFs"). Ugh.

The romantic drama comes out October 3. To see the trailer for yourself, read more.

Hallstrom, Tatum and Sparks Team Up for Dear John

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:01:24 -0700

I can confidently say that Lasse Hallstrom has become one of my most well-respected directors over time. I loved Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and last year's indie film The Hoax, and I have a lot of respect for The Cider House Rules and The Shipping News. So whenever there's news about a Hallstrom project, I sit up and pay attention.

Now Hallstrom is signed on to direct Channing Tatum in an adaptation of Nick Sparks' bestselling novel Dear John. According to Variety, the story follows "a soldier who, while home on leave, falls for a conservative college student." Tatum will play the soldier, though there's no word yet on who will play his leading lady.

I tend to think of Sparks' books as sentimental weepies and while I liked the movie version of The Notebook, frankly I barely got through A Walk to Remember. But who knows? Maybe Channing and whoever is cast as the "conservative college student" will become the next Ryan and Rachel!

Source and source

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

In case you haven't heard, a little movie called New Moon came out this week. I showed you where you can find them next, and I gave you my review of the movie, quizzed you on the book, as well as an exclusive interview with Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.
Robert Pattinson continues to make non-Twilight waves at the movies: the trailer for his drama Remember Me debuted, and news that Uma Thurman has been cast as his love interest in Bel Ami surfaced.
This week was a trailer treasure trove: there was Nicholas Sparks adaptation and Miley Cyrus vehicle The Last Song, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bridge's surefire Oscar bait Crazy Heart, and Edward Norton taking on a dual role in Leaves of Grass.
At least you'll save on tissues: Oprah announced that her talk show will go off the air in 2011.
I interviewed some of the funniest men in prime time: Eric Stonestreet gave me the scoop on Modern Family, while Joel McHale and Ken Jeong bantered about Community.
The reality TV winners were crowned! Irina ruled Project Runway, and Nicole is America's Next Top Model.
The holidays are here! I gave you a sneak peek of holiday episodes as well as more gift guide suggestions.
The BuzzSugar Community is the place to be to chat about everything pop culture, and as an extra incentive, you could see your community posts on the Buzz home page, like polkadot38's awesome Stefan Vs. Damon poll.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Movie Preview: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried in Dear John

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:22 -0700

You were all pretty split on your feelings about Channing Tatum, but we can all agree that the actor has made a name for himself as the muscle-bound sensitive guy. He gets even deeper into that archetype in Dear John, an adaption from the Nicholas Sparks novel where he plays the love interest of Amanda Seyfried.

The two fall for each other one Summer while Seyfried's character Savannah is home from college and Tatum's John is home on leave. When they have to leave each other and return to their respective obligations, they begin writing letters to keep in touch, hence the title.

Normally I would be holding my nose for this schlockfest, but I can't deny the talent of director Lasse Hallstrom, the charisma of the two leads, or the major soft spots I have for The Notebook and A Walk to Remember - movies made from Sparks books. And there's another bonus: Six Feet Under's Richard Jenkins as John's dad. To watch the trailer and decide if it's going to be a cheesy mess or a heart-tugger, just read more.