BuzzSugar

Showtime Hires Oliver Stone For Documentary Series

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:30:26 -0700

Never one to just rest on his laurels, director Oliver Stone is planning a 10-part documentary TV series for Showtime in which he'll explore events in US history that he feels were under-reported. Stone says of the show, titled Secret History, "Through this epic 10-hour series, which I feel is the deepest contribution I could ever make in film to my children and the next generation, I can only hope a change in our thinking will result."

The series will go more deeply into "human events" from America's past that helped to shape our country's history. Here's more:

Topics range from President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan to the origins and reasons for the Cold War with the Soviet Union, to the fierce struggle between war and peace in America's national security complex. Newly discovered facts and accounts from the Kennedy administration, the Vietnam War, and the great changes in America's role in the world since the fall of Communism in the 1980s will be presented.

Stone's drive to make movies seems to be inexhaustible. And as is often the case with him, it's likely that this project will prove controversial. Do you think you'll be curious to check out Stone's Showtime series?

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?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:30:01 -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. In addition to my selections below you can also add Soul Men, the creepy thriller Blindness, and the first volume of the fifth season of Melrose Place to your queue.

Frozen River
Frozen River won the Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic competition at Sundance last year, and now the movie's star Melissa Leo is up for an Academy Award. I've been curious to check out this performance that landed Leo in a category alongside Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie.

The movie is set near a border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York state and Quebec, and follows a single mother (Leo) who smuggles people across the border via the frozen St. Lawrence River.

Special features include commentary with writer and director Courtney Hunt and producer Heather Rae.

Two more up next so read more.

Miracle at St. Anna
The latest Spike Lee film to come to DVD begins in 1983 with a deadly shooting. A young reporter (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) interviews the shooter in his jail and learns about his experience as one of four black American soldiers trapped in a Tuscan village behind enemy lines in World War II.

In addition to Gordon-Levitt, the movie also stars Laz Alonso, Derek Luke, John Turturro, Omar Benson Miller and Michael Ealy and is based on a novel by James McBride.

W.
Josh Brolin is one actor who can do no wrong lately (er, acting-wise, anyway) and it's his considerable talent that I think saves the day in this odd, somewhat satirical look at our previous president. It's strange, it's controversial, it has daddy issues all over it - what else would you expect from Oliver Stone? You can check out my full review here.

Special features include audio commentary with Stone and a featurette titled "Dangerous Dynasty: The Bush Presidency."

Buzz News Roundup, 12/12

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:30:05 -0800

Iconic pinup model Bettie Page has died at age 85. - AFP
Summit Entertainment has moved the release date for its comedy The Brothers Bloom (starring Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, and Rachel Weisz) from Dec. 19 to May 15. - Zap2It
American Idol is canceling Idol Gives Back this year and might have 36 instead of 24 semifinalists. - MSNBC
It's confirmed: There's a "reimagining" of A Nightmare on Elm Street in the works. - ComingSoon
Comedy team Lonely Island (consisting of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer) has signed a record deal and will release its debut album, Incredibad, on Feb. 10. - Billboard
Don't worry: The Full House remake is completely dead. - E! Online
Oliver Stone is planning to make a documentary about Venezuela's controversial President Hugo Chavez. - Variety
Dawson's Creek's Grams (Mary Beth Pell) will guest-star with Joshua Jackson on Fringe. - TV Guide
Ben Stiller is set to replace Mark Ruffalo in the Noah Baumbach dramedy, Greenburg. - The Hollywood Reporter

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Wahlberg Feels No Payne at the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:30:34 -0700

Mark Wahlberg had a good weekend. His movie Max Payne was No. 1 at the box office, with an estimated $18 million. Plus, it looks like he made nice with Andy Samberg, after things got tense last week.

Second place turned out to be what Variety calls a "photo finish" between those dancing dogs and The Secret Life of Bees. Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua just barely eked out a second place finish its third weekend in theaters with an estimated $11.2 million with Bees close behind with about $11.1 million.

Oliver Stone's biopic W also did well, coming in at No. 4 with an estimated $10.6 million its first weekend out followed by Eagle Eye at No. 5.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Teaser Trailer For Oliver Stone's W

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:30:43 -0700

From the minute-and-a-half-long teaser trailer for Oliver Stone's movie about George W. Bush, W, it looks like the degree to which you will like or be intrigued by this movie depends on how curious you are about Dubya (played here by Josh Brolin) and his past. Not that it's a totally accurate portrayal, but it does appear to be a relatively straight, dramatic telling of his life, focusing in particular on his relationship with his father, George H. W. Bush.

I will say it's interesting to see the portrayals of well-known political figures like Rove, Rumsfeld, Laura Bush, Condoleeza, Barbara Bush, etc. The teaser includes a few shots of scenes from things we pretty much already know about Dubya's past like his partying and drunk driving, along with prickly interactions with his dad. Then it's mostly a montage of images of those other figures, played by actors like James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Dreyfuss and others.

W opens October 17. To check out the teaser, read more.

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W Gets a Poster and a College Roommate

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:48:10 -0700

Casting for Oliver Stone's movie W, based on the presidency of George W. Bush, just continues to roll along and so far it all seems a little. . . absurd (the idea of Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush just makes me chuckle, for example). Today there's a poster, which gives us some new hints at what we can expect. I'm now willing to predict that this will be total and utter farce, given that the poster is simply a roundup of some of the most. . . questionable statements George Bush has ever uttered.

As for the latest casting news, Jesse Bradford (a.k.a. that guy from Bring It On and Swimfan) has been added to the group as Thatcher, president of Bush's fraternity. Shooting is underway as I type in Shreveport, LA and the movie will be careening toward a theater near you this October.

So, what do you make of all this? Will this movie be brilliant? Could you see it as a drama, or do, too, you think it'll be farcical?

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Stone Finds His Cheney in Richard Dreyfuss

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:00:23 -0700

Come this Fall, the current administration will be movin' out of the spotlight just as Oliver Stone's movie about it is heading to theaters. As reported earlier this month, W. will be released October 17, 2008 so it's no wonder the casting news continues to break at a rapid pace. They've got George and Laura, and even found their British Prime minister and National Security Advisor-turned-Secretary of State but one of the most buzzed-about casting slots left to fill was that of Vice President Cheney. Now there's news that Richard Dreyfuss will likely fill those shoes.

The Hollywood Reporter notes similar public service roles Dreyfuss has taken on in his career thus far:

The 60-year-old Dreyfuss has never played a U.S. leader, but has had a few related roles. He starred as an opposition senator to Michael Douglas' commander in chief in 1995's The American President, as Alexander Haig in a television movie about Ronald Reagan and played the president of a banana republic in the 1980s comedy Moon Over Parador.

Usually Dreyfuss' name makes me think of Mr. Holland's Opus and What About Bob. Still, I think the acting veteran will have no problem pulling off this, ah, controversial White House guy. Rob Corddry is also signed on to play the president's former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and Toby Jones will step in as Karl Rove. I believe that just leaves Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld open. Got ideas?

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Thandie Is Condi and Gruffudd Is Blair in Stone's Bush Movie

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:30:45 -0700

Ordinarily, I wouldn't care quite so much about all the casting news for one movie, but Oliver Stone's project about George W. Bush is different. These are political figures that everyone is familiar with, and the project is about a president who's still currently in power. I have to admit, I'm intrigued. I wish I'd thought to do a recast challenge for this film, though so far I think the casting decisions have been interesting.

The most recent news has to do with National Security Advisor-turned-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British prime minister Tony Blair, who will be played by Thandie Newton and Ioan Gruffudd, respectively. Newton is the first non-American cast member in this project to portray a US political figure.

In regard to the script itself, Hollywood Reporter remarks:

As one of the few cabinet members to serve during both Bush terms, Rice's role in the Bush White House is seen as pivotal. According to those who've read the W script, Rice is said to be in a key first scene as well as a number of scenes connected to the Iraq War. Blair also appears in Iraq-related scenes.

Still yet to cast: Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and advisor Karl Rove. Any ideas about who should play these parts?

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:30:48 -0700

CBS learned a big lesson this week: Britney equals ratings gold. I learned you should never mess with the fanboys of Fanboys.
The Oliver Stone Bush biopic cast is quickly filling out. I wonder who's going to play Dick Cheney? Which reminds me, all that horse-loving talk aside, I'm starting to think Kristy Lee Cook is an evil genius.
This is one of those weeks where TV news makes a lot of sense and then none at all. I can understand why there is interest in shows about escorts after the Spitzer scandal. But a show that's just people falling? Really?
More good stuff came out of the Paley Festival in Los Angeles this week, including the goods on Gossip Girl, Damages and Dirty Sexy Money.
Well it's the end of the road for the March book club, thanks to everyone for reading along! I'm really excited about April's book, The Life Before Her Eyes. I hope you can hunt down a copy for yourself this weekend and join in. And don't worry, I can confidently state the new editions of these books will never be selected.
Axl Rose, if you're listening, please finish up that that album so America can toast you with Dr. Pepper!
Can you guess which rock songs these lyrics belong to? Also, can you guess what TV show I'm recasting based on these lyrics? "What would we do, baby, without us? Sha-la-la-laaaa. . ."

Photo courtesy of CBS