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2007 Sundance Film Festival: Comedies

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 05:34:47 -0800

The Sundance Film Festival kicked off on Thursday in Park City, Utah. It's tough to underestimate the significance of Sundance, since the awards handed out and the subsequent buzz have helped to make many now-mainstream films successful, including Clerks, Memento, Murderball, and Hustle and Flow. I did some research to find out what films look the most promising and thought I'd share what look to be this year's stand-out projects. For today's installment, I'll focus on the must-see comedies.

Smiley Face
Starring The Office's John Krasinski (the beloved Jim Halpert), Anna Faris, and Adam Brody, Smiley Face looks like it will become popular with the same crowd that so warmly embraced Napoleon Dynamite. Faris plays an actress whose day goes in an interesting direction when she accidentally consumes her roommate's pot cupcakes.

Three more, so read more

Waitress
Keri Russell is at the heart of this Southern small-town film, playing diner waitress Jenna who bakes pies and then gives them endearing names. Unhappily married, she tries to come to terms with her new-found pregnancy when a new man comes to town, turning her little ol' life upside down.

The Ten
The cast of MTV's sketch show "The State" have been very productive since the show went off the air, churning out Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911! and "The Michael Showalter Showalter." This year several of the cast members are going to Sundance with The Ten, a film that intersects ten different stories, each having to do with one of the ten commandments. The cast list features some of my favorite actors: Rob Corddry, Paul Rudd, and Gretchen Mol, as well as big names like Jessica Alba, Adam Brody, and Winona Ryder, so there's someone for everyone in this film.

Broken English
The darling of the independent movie industry, Parker Posey gets to play yet another quirky lady in this romantic comedy. Written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, Broken English tells the story of thirty-something Nora (Posey), whose mother loves to remind her of all she doesn't have: a good job, and the "perfect marriage" enjoyed by Nora's best friend Audrey. Enter an intriguing, oddball Frenchman. A crazy-Posey/crazy-Frenchman love affair? Sounds like a sure bet to me.

Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt Talk Parks and Recreation

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:38:35 -0700

Since the beginning of the Fall season, Parks and Recreation has gone from shaky midseason replacement to a solid half-hour of comedy, thanks in part to a talented and hilarious cast. Two of my favorite actors from the show, Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt, who play Leslie's best friend Ann and Ann's ex-boyfriend Andy, respectively, chatted with some reporters this week about Parks and what's in store for their characters.

Rashida on the possibility of Ann and Andy getting back together: You know, I don't think it's an impossibility. I think there's still love in Ann's heart for Andy. I think so much would have to change for him to be OK with her. But I don't think it's an impossibility.
Chris on whether Andy will get a job or home: Yeah, the writers have found a nice way for Andy to get out of the pit and get a job and start sort of working his way up into independence.

To read more on why Chris and Rashida think the second season has been better, Ann and Andy's ex relationship, and those nude scenes, just read more.

Rashida on whether she likes Ann and Andy better together or apart: I think there's a lot of comedy both ways. I mean, I like this particular paradigm; I think it's really funny, because I just think Chris gets to shine a lot here and do something with something that could potentially seem really kind of cartoony and big which is like him, you know - showing up places and pretending to be casual about seeing me and all that. But he manages to make it kind of realistic and really sweet. So I like this dynamic for now.
Chris on whether Andy will start dating: I think that Andy's undying devotion toward Ann is one of the only things that sort of redeems him, so I hope not. I hope that he just keeps pining after Ann for 10 seasons to come. That would be the best for me.
Rashida on what Chris wears when he's naked on the show: They have those really unappealing little dance belts that were uncomfortable for Chris Pratt.
Chris on the nude scenes: Yeah, let's just say there was a dance belt included and it was uncomfortable. They kind of just are these little things that cover up your junk, but it was almost as if I was wearing nothing at all. Yeah.
Rashida on the show clicking more in the second season: It just takes time. I think for the actors, for the writers, for the audience, you just need some time to settle into what the characters actually are, and what's funny about their dynamics. And I'm super grateful that people gave us a shot to get there but I definitely think it takes about 10 episodes to even know what anything is, you know? I mean, you watch some early Seinfeld, you watch some early Sex and the City, it's nothing like the show turned out to be; the things that people loved about that show did not exist at the beginning of that show, you know.
Chris on the same: I've noticed that, as a fan of the show, I've seen it get better and better, and working on it I've noticed the scripts coming down the pipes have gotten better, but it kind of goes back to what Rashida said: it takes time for everybody. And I think it's just a matter of finding the sensibilities to all the characters and starting with Amy, you know; I think a lot of people compared Steve Carell to Ricky Gervais from The Office when they first started the American version of The Office. But he has a different style of comedy, and maybe they were writing for Steve the way they did for Ricky Gervais. And maybe in the beginning, they were writing for Amy the way that they wrote for Steve Carell, but her comedic sensibility is a little different. Maybe it's not that funny to watch her be uncomfortable the way it is with Steve Carell, but it's so goddamned endearing when she smiles. And you see her and when she's enjoying herself, so is the audience. And you see her doing that a lot more now; kind of just becoming comfortable in who she is, and like the episode with the beauty pageant, she's standing up for women's rights. You're seeing more dimensions of her. And maybe it's always been who they've envisioned her to be, or maybe they're figuring it out, but I sure like Leslie a lot more in the second season. I just enjoy watching her more and I think that's starting to happen with all the characters.

Don't forget to tune in to watch Ann and Andy on tonight's special Halloween episode; something tells me that some of what Rashida and Chris talked about will start developing sooner rather than later!

New York, I Love You: A Jigsaw Puzzle That Doesn't Quite Fit

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

As a city with so much personality and penchant for possibility, it's no surprise that the follow-up to Paris, Je t'aime heads to New York. New York, I Love You is a tale of the connections and personal missteps that occur every single day in the city that never sleeps. It plays out like a movie version of a song mash-up: some story lines are linear and independent of the rest while other characters wander in and out of each other's lives. Throw an all-star cast in there, and you could possibly have a recipe for perfection.

Unfortunately, the ingredients don't blend together as well as I had hoped, and instead we're left with an engaging but bland look at a handful of trials and tribulations in relationships. To see what I mean, just read more.

Made up of a series of short films, New York, I Love You is an homage to the city as well as the residents who hold it near and dear to their hearts. The "anything can happen" theme is alive and well, as strangers become acquaintances and friends, putting so much emphasis on each and every interaction that we take part in on a regular basis.

You meet a few characters that represent New York well enough; Bradley Cooper is the guy who's constantly jumping into a cab the same time as someone else, Orlando Bloom is the struggling musician who turns to Central Park for inspiration, Hayden Christensen is the pick-pocket who's as sexy as he is dangerous. But sometimes it feels just a little too forced; like the film is primarily concerned with proving that New York is a melting pot. Rather than seeing a few love stories shine through stereotypes, I was more distracted by the fake accents.

As with Paris Je t'aime, some of the stories shine brighter than others. Natalie Portman directs a sweet piece about a relationship between a father and daughter; Olivia Thirlby and Anton Yelchin are refreshing as a younger pair who makes the prom a night to remember. The lighter films are breaths of fresh air amongst others that are trying too hard to be hip and stylized.

The ensemble cast certainly gives the movie a boost; even when it's not provoking the deepest of emotions, the film always had my attention. There are solid performances all-around, particularly from Chloris Leachman and Eli Wallach as an aging couple who are still bickering when they aren't helping each other cross the street. It is the most hopeful of the scenarios, and by far the sweetest and most touching.

The film provides plenty of the standard money shots of Manhattan: a typical day in Grand Central Station in fast forward, subway rides, hours of people watching in a coffee shop. The encounters feel authentic and realistic, but the failure lies in the inability to make us feel something on a deeper level. Sometimes you can relate to the characters, and sometimes you feel sorry for them, but it doesn't squeeze your heart nearly enough - and with a title like New York, I Love You, this a disappointment.

What to TiVo: Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:50:18 -0700

ABC is new with Shark Tank, Dancing With the Stars, and The Forgotten
CBS is new with NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Good Wife
Fox is new with Hell's Kitchen and So You Think You Can Dance
NBC is new with Biggest Loser
The CW is new with 90210 and Melrose Place
MTV is new with The Hills and The City
A&E is new with Parking Wars
Bravo is new with Flipping Out
FX is new with Sons of Anarchy
Late-night highlights include Paul Shaffer and Eliza Dushku on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Kristen Bell on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Lewis Black on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC