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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.

Harrison and Shia Could Reunite For Indy 5

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:30:25 -0700

The details are still coming together, but we may not have seen the last of Harrison Ford in his Indiana Jones fedora just yet. At the Deauville Film Festival, Ford mentioned that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are working on yet another Indy sequel, saying, "The story for the new Indiana Jones is in the process of taking form. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and myself are agreed on what the fifth adventure will concern, and George is actively at work. If the script is good, I'll be very happy to put the costume on again."

Though Ford didn't exactly announce Shia's LaBeouf involvement, the young actor also recently mentioned that Spielberg was working on a sequel when he was promoting Transformers 2. While nothing is set in stone, it's hard to imagine that Ford would reject a script from Lucas and Spielberg after so many years of working together. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull scored big at the box office, but many of you thought the sequel was unnecessary. So now the real question is - are you on board with yet another Indy movie?

Transformers 2: Schlock and Awe

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:30:13 -0700

The truth is, no matter what I or anyone else says about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, audiences around the globe will flock to see it. I mean, duh - it's big, it's shiny, it goes boom, and it has boobs. It's just what the doctor ordered for audiences looking for some good old-fashioned Hollywood escapism just when it's getting too hot to use our brains. That's all fine and good, and to be honest, I don't blame audiences. Star Trek got this Summer off to an outstanding start, but many of the big-budget movies that followed have failed to deliver a similar thrill ride. We're thirsting for fun at the movies again!

So the question of reviewing Mr. Bay's film by normal movie standards becomes an interesting one. Is there a compelling, science-fiction plot to add some storytelling to the explosions? That would be a no. Are the characters filled out in such a way that you care about them? No, in fact, I find them incredibly annoying. Is it funny? Well, not even a robot humping Megan Fox's leg, or a lingering shot of John Turturro's crotch could get my audience full of tweens laughing much. But let's face it, there are plenty of inane, unfunny movies that are still fun to watch thanks to the special effects. And yet, despite all the hype, the action sequences in this particular movie are better described as "bludgeoning" than "awe-inspiring." So here we go, just read more.

First, the plot description: Autobots are good and Decepticons are bad. Decepticons want to destroy the sun or some such and the Autobots like the humans even though some humans are jerks to them. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox are back as Sam Witwicky and Mikaela, two lovesick kids struggling to keep their romance going long-distance as Sam attends an East Coast college.

Honestly, the college scenes are the best, most hilarious part of the movie. And I mean that half-sarcastically, half-sincerely. For one thing, he's in college for two whole days before he has to go to Egypt to save the world. In that amount of time, he manages to befriend an obnoxious and fast-talking (everyone talks so fast in this movie!) roommate, he gets entangled with every young boy's fantasy blond coed (to the dismay of Mikaela), and he has a total meltdown in his first class. Oh, and Sam's mom eats pot brownies and goes completely insane.

It's two and a half hours of merciless silliness that would be sort of "ha-ha, what is going on in this movie?!" funny if it weren't so loud and visually incoherent. I waited and waited for a slow, lingering shot of a fully formed Transformer glimmering and sparkling in the sun so we could gawk at its scale and coolness. I wanted so badly to see a Transformer come out with a newer, cooler weapon than we've ever seen before and use it in a creative and interesting way mid-battle.

Alas, Michael Bay has no time for that (he only gave himself two and a half hours), and in effect the robots are like trash heaps that roll and tumble across the screen at a rate that makes you want to pop an Advil. You know what Bay does feel the need to present in slow motion? You guessed it! Megan Fox's mega-tanned boobs, butt, and lips. I guess I wish he would have spent some time on Josh Duhamel's chest - at least that would have given me something fun to look at.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Movie Preview: New Transformers 2 Trailer

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:00:55 -0700

OK, folks, prepare yourself for another look at Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The first trailer was full of explosions, but this time around, we get a look at more of what you might call "the plot," with Sam heading off to college and starting to see creepy symbols in the middle of lectures.

That said, there are still explosions. There's Megan Fox being hot. There's Shia LaBeouf being intense - and understandably so, since big, scary robots seem to want something that's physically inside his brain. It's about what you'd expect from this franchise, I'd say. The movie hits theaters June 24, and to watch the new trailer, just read more.

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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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Buzz News Roundup, 12/3

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:30:17 -0800

Folk music legend Odetta has died at age 77. - AP
Shia LaBeouf will play the title role in the big screen version of John Grisham's upcoming legal thriller The Associate. - Variety
In addition to Reaper, the CW's midseason schedule includes 13: Fear Is Real. - Zap2it
Kanye West edged Guns N' Roses and Taylor Swift for the top spot on the Billboard charts. - Billboard
VH1 has picked up a matchmaking reality series from Drew Barrymore's production company. - Variety
It's possible that Kevin McKidd will star as Thor in Kenneth Branagh's film project. - ComingSoon
John Malkovich and Hugh Laurie will be the final two Saturday Night Live hosts of the year, Malkovich this weekend and Laurie on Dec. 13. - The Futon Critic

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Eagle Eye Soars at Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:30:36 -0700

Shia LaBeouf proves he's box office gold once again with the No. 1 movie this weekend, Eagle Eye, also starring Michelle Monaghan and directed by D.J. Caruso. The action-thriller performed well with an estimated $29.2 million, making it the fourth-best September debut ever. In second place with an estimated $13. 6 million came the Nicholas Sparks tearjerker Nights in Rodanthe.

Lakeview Terrace came in third place, and to my great surprise Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron (yes, you read that right), came in at No. 4. The Christian-themed flick narrowly beat Burn After Reading, which came in fifth. Who would have ever guessed that Mr. Cameron would join Mr. LaBeouf as two of the big stars of the weekend?

Spike Lee's World War II epic Miracle at St. Anna suffered from disappointing reviews (including my own) and paid for it at the box office, coming in at No. 9.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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

Do You Think Shia Should Take More Non-Action Roles?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:30:48 -0700

As Eagle Eye approaches, I got to thinking that the only thing young Shia LaBeouf has been up to since hitting the big time has been action movies. The former Even Stevens cutie got a huge break in the Summer blockbuster Transformers, acted alongside film legends in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, moved on to Eagle Eye, and has been working on the second Transformers movie all Summer.

If there are things going "boom!" Shia's there. But maybe he should try another drama (like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) or something in which he's not sweating and running from enemies. What do you think? Do you like him in action flicks and should he stick with them?

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What Was Truly the Best Movie Kiss of the Year?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:01:07 -0700

This Sunday June 1, the MTV Movie Awards will strike again and while they aren't the most prestigious awards around, they at least get creative with their nomination categories. My favorite: Best Kiss.

Here are the nominees:

Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, Enchanted
Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman, Step Up 2 the Streets
Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer, Disturbia
Ellen Page and Michael Cera, Juno
Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I would love it if Ellen Page and Michael Cera won and then reenacted their kiss during the acceptance speech. But I have a feeling The LaBeouf will take that win.

Anyway, is it just me or were there some way better kisses this year than these nominees? There's a great scene in Waitress where Kerri Russell's character imagines a gorgeous kiss with her doctor friend (Nathan Fillion, anyone?) for example. Or hello? The library kisses between Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in Atonement!

Do you agree with this list or are there others you would add? What were some of the great on-screen kisses of the year (and by "this year" I guess we're talking all or most of 2007 since Disturbia came out in April of that year)?

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