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Song of the Day: Kings of Leon, "On Call"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:11:40 -0700

Kings of Leon hail from Tennessee, but the band probably wouldn't get very far on "Nashville Star." The family foursome (including three brothers and a cousin) makes guitar- and bass-heavy Southern rock that just sounds unwholesome. And that's precisely why I like it.

I was a big fan of the band's debut album, Youth & Young Manhood, and though I could never really get into 2005's Aha Shake Heartbreak, I'm heartened by what I've heard off of the band's new album, Because of the Times, which comes out today. In particular, I'm liking the gradual swagger of "Fans" and the space-age organ on "On Call," which you can listen to when you read more

Source

Bad Lieutenant: Good Cop Gone Nuts

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:30:49 -0800

Nicolas Cage has said, "There's a very fine line between Method actor and schizophrenic." In Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, he teeters that line maniacally, with an ever-increasing slur and crooked swagger. Cage plays Terence McDonagh, a detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating a drug-related murder and his personal threshold for cocaine and heroin.

The first news of Bad Lieutenant was puzzling: famously extreme director Werner Herzog re-imagining a 1992 cult movie, also called Bad Lieutenant, but shifting the action to New Orleans and casting Nic Cage in the Harvey Keitel role opposite his Ghost Rider costar Eva Mendes. Weird.

But in fact, Bad Lieutenant is Herzog's second surprisingly accessible movie in as many years, following 2007's Rescue Dawn. And Cage is brilliant in a role seemingly made for him, so read more.

The noirish, pulpy, desperate, and often hilarious film opens with a good deed: McDonagh dives into a Katrina-flooded jail cell to save a prisoner's life, in the process injuring his back and subsequently getting hooked on Vicodin and then far harder drugs.

As a degenerate cop in a washed-out city, Cage makes Denzel Washington's Training Day villain look like a Boy Scout. He slithers through the streets, confiscating drugs to snort with his prostitute girlfriend (Mendes), hooking up with a drug kingpin played by Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner, and fending off a rising tide of self-created trouble. "Being courteous is really getting in the way of my progress," he croaks before one of his more disturbing moral lapses.

In post-Katrina New Orleans, Herzog has found the perfect setting. He never lets the city look pretty or even charmingly decayed, and he populates it with iguanas and alligators and snakes and fish. At every turn, McDonagh is confronted by cold-blooded animals, as he careens between the call of duty and the cold-blooded instinct of his addiction. It's impossible to ignore the reptilian symbolism, and the effect is perfectly bizarre. Despite its darkest moments, Bad Lieutenant is a remarkably good trip.

Photos Courtesy First Look Studios

Buzz In: What Do You Think of Movies Based on Video Games?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:30:44 -0700

War play video game Call of Duty could join the ranks of Max Payne and Prince of Persia by going from gaming console to big screen: an adaptation of the game may be in the works (admittedly, all I know about Call of Duty is that it's the video game Jim, Karen, and Andy played in the Stamford branch on The Office).

Video games have been mined for years for movie potential, but only a few have proved successful. Sometimes the movies are entertaining, but other times the plot lines come second to special effects. I have mixed feelings; I think Tomb Raider is great but Super Mario Bros. majorly missed the mark. Where do you stand? Do you hold a particular video game movie close to your heart?

Buzz In: Which Animated Movie Is Most Oscar-Worthy?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:30:37 -0800

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a press release today, announcing that 20 films have been submitted for Best Animated Film consideration at this year's Oscars. This means there could be five movies competing at the awards show in March. (In the history of the category, there have typically been only three.) So who is up for the honor?

Some are obvious choices. Up, for example, comes as no surprise thanks to its huge accolades. I also think Coraline stands a chance, as well as Fantastic Mr. Fox (look for my review on Friday!). But Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel seems like a long shot - even though it hasn't hit theaters yet, so I'm just making an early prediction. (Sorry, Alvin.)

With 10 movies in the Best Picture category, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these films end up with more than one nomination. Check out the full list of animated film contenders, and tell me which you think is most deserving of an Oscar when you read more.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Astro Boy
Battle For Terra
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Disney's A Christmas Carol
The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mary and Max
The Missing Lynx
Monsters vs. Aliens
9
Planet 51
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
A Town Called Panic
Up

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

FlashForward Breakdown, "Believe"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:30:32 -0800

The most central characters of FlashForward take a backseat this week, letting Bryce and Aaron take the spotlight. It's a nice relief from Mark and Demetri's constant agonizing over their own fates (though we still get a dose of that, too).

We learn that Bryce has been keeping a big secret, and Aaron's reunion with his daughter isn't all he had expected it to be. Ready to get into it? Just read more.

I want to believe: We finally get some insight into why Bryce tried to kill himself: he has stage four cancer and has been keeping it a secret from everyone but his therapist. We also get to see his saving grace - in his flashforward, Bryce is laughing and smiling in a restaurant with a pretty Asian woman. Determined to make his fate come true, Bryce takes up Japanese (with Nicole's help) and even heads to Asia when he's supposed to be in Houston testing out a wonder drug. Here's what confuses me: in Bryce's vision, he sees himself saying "you're really here" and he knows it's months into the future. Why does he try to rush fate? I wasn't surprised at all when he and Keiko don't make the connection in Japan (though I did feel a bit disappointed for him). Side note: Nicole is totally falling for Bryce.

Across the pond: Bryce isn't the only one who is featured this week; we get some background info on the (literal) woman of his dreams. Keiko is a young, bright woman living with her parents and working for a robotics firm. Though her life looks perfect on paper, Keiko is bored at work and with her personal life, longing to play her guitar and find her soulmate. She gets a shiny new outlook on life when she sees Bryce in her vision, and we realize that their meeting doesn't take place in Japan after all, but in LA.

Family ties: Aaron is having a hard time adjusting to life with Tracy. Her continual drinking habit causes a fight between them; Aaron can't be around alcohol, and Tracy feels entitled to drink after all she's been through. Tracy storms out and Aaron blames himself for her addiction and her post-war transformation. Mark only makes matters worse when he accuses Aaron of telling Olivia that he was drinking in his flashforward, and Aaron tells Mark he shouldn't be his sponsor anymore. Losing his sponsor can't be good for Mark and his vision.

Other major plot points:

Demetri finally makes strides on figuring out who called him about his murder. The call is traced back to Hong Kong, and though Stan doesn't want Demetri heading overseas, Mark offers to go with him in secret.
The FBI agents discover that suspect zero wears a ring with an alpha symbol on it but aren't sure what to make of it.

Did you like this week's episode, or were you longing for more action? Will Nicole get in the way of Bryce and Keiko?

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "Holidaze"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

As evidenced in my holiday TV sneak peek, this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy puts the doctors on a fast track that starts on Thanksgiving eve and runs through New Year's Eve. As we all know by now, the Seattle Grace surgeons aren't always big on merriment, but the holidays are always the perfect time to bring out the truth in feelings and relationships.

Meredith bonds with the Chief while Mark learns that he has a teenage daughter. Bailey has a confrontation with her father and Teddy and Owen's sexual tension comes to a head. To read all about it, just read more.

As the episode opens, the Chief is trying to justify his drinking to Meredith - explaining that his alcoholism was "misdiagnosed" and that he was actually suffering from situational depression. (Um, right.) It's unclear whether Mere takes his word for it because she believes him or feels like she has to, but she accepts his mentorship. Later she bites off Thatcher's head when he suggests that the Chief shouldn't be drinking, and by NYE realizes that he does have a problem, but continues to keep it a secret. There is one good thing that comes from it: Derek and the Chief finally make amends after duking it out all season.
Bailey does her best to avoid acknowledging the holidays because she's afraid to tell her parents about her divorce. Instead, she gladly dives into work - until her father makes a surprise visit on Christmas Eve. After watching Miranda perform surgery, he delivers a way harsh speech about being ashamed of her decision to "break" her family and put work first. At Christmas dinner (with the whole Seattle Grace crew, no less), Miranda finally puts her foot down and tells her dad that she's not willing to settle for a bad relationship. Did anyone else want to slow clap, at this point? Because I did.
Mark gets a blast from the past when a buxom blonde appears at the hospital claiming to be his daughter. (I kind of love that her name is Sloan). Mark isn't exactly thrilled with feeling old, joking that "death has come to call." Lexie is also troubled by the news at first, and I couldn't blame her for slicing her finger when Mark drops the bomb that Sloan is moving in. Two months later, he hasn't made any progress, and it's clear that his daughter isn't exactly a cup of tea. Just when Mark finally gets the nerve to kick her out, Sloan reveals that she's pregnant with a baby of her own. Instead of contemplating his potential grandpa status (talk about feeling old), Mark's paternal instincts kick into gear with impeccable timing and he comforts her. Sidenote: I find it interesting that Mark handles the situation exactly how Quinn wished her parents had on Glee this week - stroking her hair, assuring her that everything would be okay.
Teddy is already coming between Cristina and Owen's relationship, even if just with pages. Still loving her new cardio god, Cristina is happy to be Teddy's bitch (as Alex calls her) and work as a team - until she catches Owen giving Teddy meaningful glances. Owen confronts Teddy and reveals that he had feelings with her when they were overseas together, and in turn Teddy confesses that she's always been in love with him. They are literally this close to kissing, but Owen says he loves Cristina and runs to her instead. Despite their passionate makeout sesh at the end of the episode, I still have an ominous feeling about Cristina's kiss with Avery (who is still giving her flack about her relationship with Owen).

What's your verdict on this week's episode? Are you sad to put Grey's aside for six weeks? Did it put you in the holiday spirit or did it all seem a bit premature? Don't forget to keep the conversation rolling in the Grey's Anatomy McAddicts group in the Buzz Community!

New Moon: Better Than Twilight

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:45:00 -0800

Let's be honest: for most of you, it doesn't matter what I - or any critics for that matter - have to say about New Moon, the incredibly anticipated sequel to last year's Twilight. The film started breaking box office records before it was even released, and audiences will flock to the theaters for weeks to come. On the plus side, a ticket to New Moon is a win even if you're not a Twihard - provided that you know what you're getting into.

New Moon is not incredibly acted, and it doesn't boast impressive dialogue or larger-than-life special effects. But it's not trying to be the Best Picture of the Year, so I can only critique it for what it is: a fantasy movie about a love triangle between a werewolf, a vampire, and a teenage girl. To see what I mean, just read more.

The movie picks up a few months after where Twilight left off. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is blissfully in love but she can't fight her insecurities about growing older than her perpetually seventeen vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). All Bella wants for her eighteenth birthday is for Edward to change her into a bloodsucker, but a close call with his brother drives Edward to break up with Bella and leave town instead.

The drama following Bella's abandonment is everything we remember from high school heartbreak, from Bella's night terrors to the glazed over look in her eye. The anguish and pain are easily seen on Stewart's face, and her innermost thoughts are revealed to the audience through letters to Edward's sister Alice that will never be sent. After months of moping, Bella finally starts to open up to Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a family friend. As Bella struggles to find hope in a life without Edward, her friendship is complicated by Jacob's romantic feelings for Bella and made worse when Jacob discovers that he's a werewolf (and an enemy to all vampires).

The surprise of the movie is Lautner's performance. We've seen and heard about those muscles countless times before, but he also packs enough charm and charisma into his Jacob that you truly see him as more than just Bella's unrelenting admirer / best friend. He presents himself as a viable suitor for Bella's heart, and it's hard not to root for him against Robert Pattinson's wooden (albeit handsome) Edward. Stewart and Pattinson have chemistry to spare in Twilight, but in New Moon, Bella's relationship with Jacob seems hopeful and comfortable while her scenes with Edward are mostly awkward and frankly not as much fun to watch.

The movie belongs to Stewart and Lautner, but their melodrama is balanced out by the characters who pad out the cast. Yes, we meet the wolf pack and the Volturi, but for the most part the Forks residents and beyond make for some much-needed comic relief. The downside is that while it's funnier than what you'd expect, not all of the laughs are intentional (a scene where Jacob's temper rivals that of The Incredible Hulk comes to mind).

It doesn't take more than a grain of salt to appreciate New Moon for what it is - a film that stays true to its origin and delivers the necessary elements to ensure that you'll be back when the next installment of the franchise comes our way.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Buzz-Worthy Video: New Jersey Real Housewives on Mercy!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:30:10 -0800

Medical drama Mercy isn't on the top of my TiVo lineup, but the show did well enough to score a full season, and it landed squarely on my radar when it was announced that the ladies of The Real Housewives of New Jersey (a highly guilty pleasure of mine) were going to guest on an episode.

So without further ado, here's a clip from tonight's episode, "Not That Kind of Girl." Theresa and Jacqueline play the meddling BFFs to a woman who's confronting Chloe about sleeping with her husband. The Jersey stereotypes that made the reality show a hit are here in full force - there's plenty of name-calling, spray tan references, and a little fun made of the housewives' non-working lives. It's pretty entertaining, even if you've seen neither show.

Check it out when you read more.

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC

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.