BuzzSugar

Seven Pounds: Slow and Frustrating

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:30:56 -0800

If you were confused by the trailer for Seven Pounds that's because the movie is mostly one long guessing game, meant to have a confusing, slow build-up to a twisty surprise ending. There seems to be such an emphasis on keeping the audience wondering what's going on, and I was frustrated not because I didn't understand the "why"s of the plot but because it's hard to care enough about these characters - even the lead played by Will Smith - to truly want to figure out what the heck's going on.

Mostly I just wished they would stop talking in gratingly general terms ("Remember that thing you took from me?" "Yes, and I remember the thing I gave you, too." "It's all about that pact we made a while ago! Remember the pact? And that other thing?"). This goes on for an absurdly long time and I just wanted to shout "Enough already! Tell us what the deal is so we can all go home!" This is not a good sign. I stuck with it until the end though, so for some of my thoughts on it all, read more.

The movie is basically a puzzling series of events leading up to a climactic end, so in order to not spoil everything, I'll sum up the plot like this: Will Smith plays an IRS agent who carries around tremendous guilt for an event that took place years ago. So, he sets out to find redemption for the terrible thing he feels responsible for by dramatically improving the lives of seven people. When he starts to develop a relationship with one of them, Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), he finds not just redemption but the glimmer of love and hope, even though he knows it can't last forever.

In theory and perhaps on paper, the concept for this film is intriguing, and I can imagine being drawn to it as an actor or filmmaker. But something goes awry on the way to the screen. These are capable actors, Smith is fine in this role and I found his relationship with Dawson's character to be surprisingly endearing at times. There are moments of sweetness and true drama, but they are few and far between and they nearly drown amid the majority of the scenes which plod along at a glacial pace. It all errs on the side of sappy and sometimes it's downright boring. Adding to all this, there's some cheesy metaphoric stuff going on (the woman he loves needs a new heart) that certainly doesn't help the overall melodrama.

With a script like this, in which there's a series of mysterious things happening that we're supposed to be eagerly piecing together, it helps if there's something to keep us interested or if there are tense scenes alternating with the slow and quiet ones. As it is, the narrative is like a reverse death, flatlining for an hour and a half before jolting alive briefly at the end. This ending is, I believe, supposed to be hopeful and sweet in its own way - certainly redemptive. I'm just not convinced that it makes up for the previous hour and a half or so of trudging somberly along toward it.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Movie Preview: Will Smith in Seven Pounds

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:30:16 -0700

It's cool that there's a new trailer out for Will Smith's upcoming heartwarming drama Seven Pounds, even if it doesn't offer much insight into what the movie is about. I turned to IMDB for a little help, so here's the plot description as found on the Seven Pounds page: "Ben (Will Smith) is an IRS agent who is depressed and guilt-ridden about mistakes from his past. He sets out to make amends by helping seven strangers. When he meets Emily (Rosario Dawson), a beautiful woman with a heart condition, he falls in love with her, thereby complicating his plans." Ahhh, got it now.

The film is brought to us by the director of The Pursuit of Happyness and it opens Dec. 19. To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

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Eagle Eye: Absurd . . . ly Fun

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:30:28 -0700

The story of Big Brother watching and controlling all of the helpless citizens in Eagle Eye might be more effective if it weren't quite so preposterous. That said, this movie intends to thrill and entertain, and it succeeds on all counts. It holds your attention with all the plot twists and the bombardment of explosions, the kind of explosions that make a certain audience cheer. Eagle Eye will probably not be an award-winner, but it's great for when you want to totally escape with a loud, ridiculous, big ol' Hollywood popcorn flick.

For starters, the two leads are seriously likable. I so enjoy watching Michelle Monaghan in pretty much anything (even crap like Made of Honor) because she seems so comfortable on screen. She's like someone we all might know. Not average, really, but familiar in a comforting way - smart, nurturing, sweet, tough. And Shia LaBeouf is utterly adorable in this film. It doesn't ask much of him, but he delivers nicely nonetheless. He plays Jerry Shaw, a slacker living in Chicago and having trouble making ends meet. The sudden death of his estranged twin brother Ethan sets off a series of baffling occurrences for Jerry, starting with a strange woman contacting him on the phone just as he's being set up to look like a terrorist. Oh, this is only the beginning, though, so read more.

It turns out the strange woman is forcing Jerry to do her bidding or else get caught by the authorities. As long as he does what she says, he's safe from the police who have plenty of (planted) evidence to lock Jerry away for good. Single mother Rachel Holloman has been similarly summoned by this woman, and she and Jerry are thrown together on a crazy, mysterious chase at the instruction of a disembodied voice which, unbelievably, is able to manipulate any form of technology (making signs flash instructions to Jerry, turning all the traffic lights to green so they can rush through them, etc.) in order to speed up their journey and confound the police and FBI who are hot on their trail.
The woman's voice leads the two straight into an actual terrorist plot, an act of revenge for an impulsive and wrongful bombing of innocent people by the US. What follows is a convoluted string of twists, turns, and (usually) death-defying stunts, and all for what? The answer is pretty silly, but I won't spoil it for you here.

People always say that there's no original story left in Hollywood and that it all depends on how filmmakers reassemble old ideas. Eagle Eye completely borrows from other movies and churns out clichéd moments left and right. And yet, that doesn't diminish the fact that it's still compelling to find out how this technology controls and manipulates these humans, and how the humans desperately try to win anyway.

There's an attempt at some kind of political statement with this movie, but it doesn't quite make it. And that's fine. At some point you understand that this is pure entertainment and nothing else. It's one of those times when you can resign yourself to the silliness of it all and be swept away in the zooming car chases and frantic search for answers, or not. It's not artful, by any means, but as far as action movies go, it's not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Rosario Dawson's Web Series, Gemini Division, Starts Today

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:32:12 -0700

In NBC's "first original online series," Gemini Division, Rosario Dawson stars as NYPD cop Anna who "gets entangled in a war between artificial SIMs life forms and the covert 'Gemini' group." Apparently the series will include 50 episodes (er, webisodes), with the first one coming online today.

I've seen the first episode, and the premise is interesting enough - especially since the series begins with the murder of someone close to Anna, which she then strives to figure out - but so far, the way the series is shot it looks so silly, it's distracting.

Anna provides a ton of exposition in the form of video messages, and her stories are illustrated by clips. Still, it's basically Anna having a one-sided conversation with the camera. It's really hard to be pulled in by her, too; I don't know if it's Dawson as an actress or the awkward material, but so far, this ain't grabbing me.

The series supposedly starts today on the Gemini Division website, but for now all that's available to the public seems to be the trailer, which you can check out if you read more.

Image courtesy of NBC

Rosario Dawson to Star in Online Series for NBC

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:34:17 -0700

From big screen to computer screen.
Rosario Dawson, action-movie star, is now taking on a project of a different sort. She'll be starring in an online sci-fi series called Gemini Division, which will air on NBC's website - and maybe, possibly also on TV.

What's Dawson's role?
She plays a New York cop who discovers that "simulated life forms" have assimilated with the public as part of a global conspiracy. The series will be paired with another online show, Woke Up Dead, described simply as a zombie comedy. Together, they'll air online in 50 three-minute installments, and NBC also has the rights to turn them into TV series if the network so desires. The two series are expected to start airing late this Summer.

This career move: brilliant or baffling?
This is NBC's second try at proving Internet TV is where it's at - the first being the less-than-successful Quarterlife. This time, though, only the first few episodes are expected to air on TV. The main goal is to get people to watch the show online. So, will you? And do you think that the presence of bigger stars like Dawson gives online TV more credibility?

And hey, if it doesn't work out . . .
Dawson has another sci-fi project in the works: a potential series for the Sci Fi channel based on a comic book she co-created.

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Buzz News Roundup, 3/19

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:29:33 -0700

TV Guide reports that Michelle Trachtenberg will head to Gossip Girl to play a nemesis from Serena's past.
The Sci-Fi Channel has signed Rosario Dawson to develop True Believer, the pilot for a proposed series based on a comic book she co-created, Variety reports.
Billboard reports that the Dave Matthews Band and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers will headline the first Mile High Music Festival in July in Commerce City, Colorado.
ComingSoon reports on the all-star cast - including Gerard Butler, America Ferrera and Jonah Hill, among others - set to provide voices for the 3-D animated movie How to Train Your Dragon.
Anton Yelchin will play Kyle Reese in the next Terminator movie, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Ellen DeGeneres will return for a second year as host of Idol Gives Back, Broadcasting & Cable reports.
Snoop Dogg's latest album had his lowest first-week sales total ever, finishing at No. 3 on the charts and being beaten by Miami rapper Rick Ross and a NOW compilation, Billboard reports.
The Hollywood Reporter has news on the cast set up so far for the gay wedding comedy For Better or for Worse, which includes Janeane Garofalo, Rebecca Gayheart and new mom Soleil Moon Frye.
3:10 to Yuma director James Mangold will helm a Cyclops movie, ComingSoon reports.

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Rosario Dawson's Descent and More

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:42:31 -0700

As it is with George Clooney, it seems I can't peruse entertainment websites or magazines these days without seeing something new about Rosario Dawson. Today I've rounded up the top three items - including the new teaser trailer for her movie Descent, which premiered earlier this year at Tribeca - circulating the film world about Ms. Dawson.

1. Dawson has been cast alongside Shia LaBeouf in Eagle Eye, the next thriller on Distrubia director DJ Caruso's list of projects. She mentioned to MTV that she had signed on for the movie, though she gave no specifics about her role. In a separate interview Caruso "would only say that 'she is going to play a character named Zoey.'"

2. Though Kevin Smith seems to think otherwise, Dawson will not, in fact, be starring in Smith's next "bawdy sex comedy" Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Dawson was rumored to be a part of the movie from the beginning, but apparently the production dates conflict with those of Eagle Eye. About Porno, she says, "It’s going to be a really interesting film. I don’t think I’m going to be a part of it. He wrote it for me, but I’m just signing on to do [Eagle Eye] and that’s going to be shooting from November to March."

3. In Descent, Dawson plays a bright and attractive college student who vows revenge on the man who rapes her. You can watch the new teaser trailer for Descent if you read more

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Lohan, Dawson, Tatum to Star in Granny Crime Film

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 23:36:32 -0700

This latest Lindsay Lohan casting news has us Sugar girls scratching our heads. According to an article in Variety, Sascha Baron Cohen's brother Ash is directing a movie called Poor Things which stars Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis. The movie is being called a "grandma gang comedy." Variety continues:

Trent Haaga's script was inspired by real news events and crime scandals surrounding recent arrests and convictions of elderly women for exploits that have included scams and cons involving drug sales, insurance fraud and murder.

This movie allegedly begins production today, Wednesday the 30th, though, as Pop points out, Lohan is headed back to rehab. So, Ash Baron Cohen is directing a granny gang comedy starring Lindsay Lohan who may be in rehab. I'm not too sure about this "news"... What do you think?

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The Best of ShoWest 2007

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:26:26 -0700

ShoWest, which wrapped up its annual event in Las Vegas yesterday, might just be the sexiest "trade show" around. The industry event is where film producers, movie theater owners, and, of course, Hollywood stars come together to celebrate the big moneymaking projects they have on tap.

This year, the big buzz swirled around Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, for which Jerry Bruckheimer unveiled the trailer and which could help make 2007 box-office returns even bigger than 2006.

Grindhouse was also impossible to ignore: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, who each directed one half of the double-feature horror flick due out April 6, were honored with ShoWest's Best Director award for 2007. To see the rest of the winners, read more

Grindhouse picked up several awards, including Supporting Actor of the Year for Freddy Rodriguez and Supporting Actress of the year for Rosario Dawson, who will also star in Sin City 2. Here's who else won big.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Directors of the Year
Don Cheadle, Male Star of the Year
Kirsten Dunst, Female Star of the Year
Rosario Dawson, Supporting Actress of the Year
Freddy Rodriguez, Supporting Actor of the Year
Emma Roberts, Female Star of Tomorrow
Shia LaBeouf, Male Star of Tomorrow
Jerry Weintraub, winner Producer of the Year
Raman Hui and Chris Miller, Animation Directors of the Year
Steve Carell, Comedy Star of the Year
Bruce Joel Rubin, Screenwriter of the Year

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