BuzzSugar

Link Time! 2/27

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:37:09 PST

TV Cocktail fills us in on the new "Grey's Anatomy" magazine. Yes, really.
PopWatch examines the many, many things wrong with the British reality show Killing Brigitte Nielsen.
Film Experience’s "Panscakes" (Pan’s Labyrinth-themed pancakes!) get a 10 on the awesome-o-meter.
Also awesome: Best Week Ever posts a tribute to Dwight Schrute in song.
Yes, Tyra Banks touched Katharine McPhee's breasts, and this Rolling Stone Rock & Roll Daily video is more awkward than you think.
Idolator makes me wonder why anyone would want to interview "American Idol" contestant Sundance Head's dad.
Since I’m not reviewing the film, watch The Movie Blog’s video critique of The Number 23.
TVgasm has the scoop on a new MTV series that, I've gotta say, sounds a lot like "Instant Star."
In biopic news, expect a Darwin movie in the future, along with films about Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, and Napoleon, Cinematical reports.
Before tonight's "Veronica Mars," the TV Addict asks for your bets on who killed Dean O'Dell.
Pop Candy leads us to a fun list of great movie monologues.
TV Squad catches us up on this week's episode of "24."

What Movie Deserves the Oscar for Best Art Direction?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:48:02 PST

All this week, I've been featuring the Oscar nominees for Best Art Direction, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Good Shepherd, Dreamgirls, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Prestige. Now that you've seen the galleries, what movie do you think deserves to win?

Oscar Nominee: Pan's Labyrinth for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:32:15 PST

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. In this final week, I'll be looking at the nominees for best art direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Today's featured movie is Pan's Labyrinth, which, like The Prestige, also scored a nomination for cinematography. Both cinematic crafts were essential in creating the movie's dual world of eerie fantasy and disturbing, battle-strewn reality. To see a gallery of stills from Pan's Labyrinth,

View 14 Photos ›

Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

Oscar Nominee: Pan's Labyrinth for Cinematography

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 07:56:14 PST

The Oscar nominations are out, and I'm busy seeing movies and filling out my Oscar ballot before the winners are announced on Feb. 25. I want you guys to be prepared, so every week up until the Oscars I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories, starting this week with cinematography.

Today's featured nominee for Achievement in Cinematography is Pan's Labyrinth, the dark fantasy directed by Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro. As Del Toro's cinematographer, Guillermo Navarro was charged with creating two distinct environments: the steely, hopeless reality of post-war Spain and the lush but sinister fantasy world that Ofelia ventures into. To see a gallery of stills,

View 14 Photos ›

Source, Source, Source, Source, and Source

Buzz News Roundup, 1/19

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:25:08 PST

Al Pacino is set to play artist Salvador Dali, says Hollywood Reporter.
For his next album, Kanye West is collaborating with Chris Martin and John Brion, according to Billboard.
The second night of "American Idol" got more viewers than all of the other networks combined, reports Media Life.
The CW is readying a new "Top Model," plus a Pussycat Dolls reality show, says Zap2It.
Also, The CW is putting free episodes online of "Beauty and the Geek," "Supernatural," "Veronica Mars," "One Tree Hill," and other shows, the Futon Critic reports.
According to Variety, "Lost" will start producing stand-alone Webisodes this summer.
Pitchfork has news on U.S. tours from Lily Allen and The Pipettes.
Variety says Pan’s Labyrinth is doing well with Latino audiences and film critics but wonders if this will translate to widespread commercial success.
Bjork is tapping Timbaland and Antony of Antony and the Johnsons for her next album, says NME.

Oscar Buzz: the LA Film Critics Awards

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 07:52:00 PST

The Golden Globe Awards will be handed out tonight, and that's not the only place to find pre-Oscar buzz. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave out its 2006 awards, which are also considered early Oscar indicators. The critically acclaimed Letters from Iwo Jima was voted Best Picture of the Year, with The Queen as runner up. For directing, Clint Eastwood was runner up to Paul Greengrass of United 93, and Helen Mirren took home the prize for Best Actress.

To see the rest of the winners and pics of Sacha Baron Cohen, the Little Miss Sunshine team, Forest Whitaker, and more,

View 20 Photos ›

BEST ACTRESS: Helen Mirren, The Queen Runner-up: Penelope Cruz, Volver ACTOR: Tie – Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat & Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland SCREENPLAY: The Queen by Peter Morgan Runner-up: Little Miss Sunshine by Michael Arndt SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Luminita Gheorghiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu Runner-up: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls SUPPORTING ACTOR: Michael Sheen, The Queen Runner-up: Sergi López, Pan’s Labyrinth FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Lives of Others directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Runner-up: Volver directed by Pedro Almodóvar DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM: An Inconvenient Truth directed by Davis Guggenheim Runner-up: Darwin’s Nightmare directed by Hubert Sauper PRODUCTION DESIGN: Eugenio Caballero, Pan’s Labyrinth Runner-up: Jim Clay, Veronica Falzon & Geoffrey Kirkland, Children of Men ANIMATION: Happy Feet (George Miller) Runner-up: Cars (John Lasseter, Joe Ranft) MUSIC: Alexandre Desplat, The Painted Veil and The Queen Runner-up: Thomas Newman, The Good German and Little Children CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men Runner-up: Tom Stern, Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima NEW GENERATION: Michael Arndt (screenwriter), Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (co-directors) – Little Miss Sunshine CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Robert Mulligan (previously announced) INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL: Old Joy directed by Kelly Reichardt & In Between Days directed by So Yong Kim Source

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Light on Scares

Rose Curiel — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:05:00 PDT

In Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a young girl named Sally (Bailee Madison) moves cross-country to Blackwood Manor, a Gothic estate her architect father (Guy Pearce), and his interior decorator girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are renovating. Soon after arriving, Sally begins to hear eerie voices coming from tiny creatures in the mansion's basement, and what follows is a pretty formulaic approach to a horror film - there's a house with a dark history, an all-too-knowledgeable groundskeeper, and a child whose fears are written off by the adults around her. The story feels all too familiar, and you can pretty much guess what's going to happen every step of the way.

The film is a remake of a 1970s made-for-TV movie that producer and cowriter Guillermo del Toro cites as the scariest movie he ever saw as a child. It's hard not to expect a unique take on a haunted horror film, given the fact that del Toro created such a vivid imaginary world in Pan's Labyrinth. Instead we get a lot of clichés, and one of the only deviations from standard horror movie fare - an intricate mythology surrounding the creatures - emerges as more confusing than scary. To find out more about why del Toro's monster's failed to make my skin crawl, just

read more. The tiny beasts who torment Sally are most terrifying during the first half of the film, when we only catch brief glimpses of their claws and beady eyes, experiencing them through their raspy whispers. Their ability to inspire fear, however, diminishes when they make their first appearance onscreen and we see that instead of the terrifying boogeymen we've been envisioning are scruffy rat-like creatures that have been brought to life with CGI effects. More convincing than the little critters is Madison, who taps into Sally's loneliness and fear with such ease, it's hard to believe she was only nine when the film was shot. We feel Sally's pain and isolation as she cries over her parents' divorce, weeps during a phone call to her mother, and wanders the estate's grounds by herself. Madison steals the spotlight from Pearce, who is largely forgettable in his role as a father who cares more about his career than his daughter. Holmes's character Kim, on the other hand, has a little more emotional depth, as we see her struggle to connect with the distant girl who has recently entered her life, and then goes on to become Sally's ally in dealing with the haunting. If you're a fan of classic horror films that make you scream at characters as they make one bad choice after another, then you will probably enjoy Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Those who are expecting a more terrifying tale that will stick with them for days might be disappointed, as this definitely isn't the type of film that's going to make you want to sleep with the lights on once you get home.

Photo courtesy of Miramax