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My Shout Out to Jon Favreau

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:31:04 -0700

Now that the dust has settled around the huge Iron Man opening last weekend, I wanted to take a moment to give the director of the movie a little shout out. As buzz around Iron Man started to build, I heard a lot of people remark at what an odd canon of work Favreau has created as a director (even more so when you stick in his acting jobs) and that trusting him with the reigns of a giant film with a big-budget comic book movie seemed strange at first.

But just like casting Robert Downey Jr. struck me as totally inspired, I think Marvel knew what they were doing when trusting their big movie venture with Favreau. While his body of work may appear to be a bit random (Zathura: A Space Adventure, Elf, Swingers, Made, guest appearance on Friends), upon closer inspection it's clear that one thing ties it all together: a healthy respect for good old-fashioned storytelling. He knows what goes into a spinning a great yarn, and part of that is casting incredibly engaging lead actors (Will Ferrell in Elf, RDJ in Iron Man, etc.).

To read more about why I'm glad this guy was given the chance to direct Iron Man, and why I'm excited to see what he does next, read more.

At this stage in the game, it's pretty hard to freshen up the regular story arc of a superhero movie, much less create a fun summer blockbuster that isn't totally reliant on CGI, and he managed both. This is why I think we can expect a lot more from Favreau the director in the future: his heart is in the craft of filmmaking and he has a strong sense of what folks wants to see. In a recent interview with the LA Times, he reflected on arguably the most successful week of his career by summarizing the way he views filmmaking these days:

Right now is an interesting time because technology is what you're using to tell stories. Really, George Lucas was the guy who made that leap from taking the primal elements of storytelling, the sort of mythic Joseph Campbell storytelling and Jungian archetypal deconstruction of storytelling, and using modern technology to amplify that and present it to a new generation. But I contend it's not the technology that draws people to it, it's the story. It's touching something in us that's much older and deeper.

Here's hoping Favreau sticks around for a long time as I think he and his movies will help to balance out the ratio of story-to-computer generated robots in Hollywood.

Are you as happy as I am for Favreau's success?

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Gossip Girl Threesome Predictions, Video of Robert Pattinson's Smoke Break, and a Breakdown of Our New Moon Interviews!

Molly — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:25:00 -0800

Robert Pattinson ducked out for a cigarette between interviews in LA over the weekend before heading to Paris with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Watch to hear what it was like to interview the whole cast this weekend and speaking of New Moon's werewolf - he got an adorable shout-out during Taylor Swift's SNL. Plus, John Mayer comes to Britney Spears's defense, and we give our predictions about tonight's controversial Gossip Girl threesome. Watch PopSugar Rush now!

Mad Men: This Week's 5 Maddest Moments

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:30:33 -0700

Far fewer feet were cut off in this week's episode of Mad Men, but there's still intense imagery. The way the episode kicks off, with a bloody Don, Peggy in bed, and Betty on a fainting couch, you know this installment, "Seven Twenty Three," is going to be explosive.

To talk about the episode and see my five maddest moments (spoilers ahead!), just read more.

The Flash Forwards: Peggy, Don, and Betty are all shown lying down somewhere in vastly different situations - clearly these are the three paramount plot lines for the episode. I have to say, I really liked the subtle drama of the flashes.
Old Yeller: What's with Don yelling at the women in his life? Peggy is the first victim of his wrath when she dares to ask for a spot on the Hilton account. Then he shouts at Betty at home for having an opinion about his contract. What crawled up his gray flannel suit?
Duck, Duck, Peggy: When I wondered how Duck Philips would turn up this season, I did not think it would be in bed with Peggy. Duck's seduction of Peggy really only seemed like it was to get her to Gray; I didn't see a sexual thing coming. I mean, his name is Duck. He's not exactly the smoldering Lothario that Don is. Listening to his dirty talk is weird - even though it's pretty clean, it still scandalized me. The two tense encounters Peggy has with the main men in her life - Pete and Don - seem to be what make her vulnerable enough to have a "go-round" (I know, what?!) with Duck, who's sort of the anti-Don (Très has even more questions about this one-night stand). P.S. I love that no one notices that Peggy comes to work the next day in the same outfit she wore the day before. Classic.
Burt Blackmails: Am I dense for just not caring that much about the Conrad Hilton account? It's kind of cool to see real-life people integrated into the storyline, but he only appears to be there to press the contract issue. Right when I was telling my TV, "We get it Don, you don't like to be tied down," little old Burt Cooper shows up in Don's office and makes a reference to his knowledge of Don's true identity. And by making a reference, I mean he blackmails Don into signing the three-year contract. Burt's play is the most interesting thing about the contract; I'm glad it's finally wrapped up.
Don and the Bad Scene: You know you're having a bad trip when your dead, abusive dad shows up, tells you hillbilly jokes, and insults you. From the flashes of Don bloody and face down in a motel room, you know Don's headed for trouble when he leaves the house. He really sticks his foot in it this time; somehow, taking two barbiturates washed down with whiskey while driving seems excessive, even for Don. Fine, Don: no one can control you. Getting punched in the back of the head and then robbed is what his flash built up to; is this some kind of a rock bottom, or is he still on the way down? (By the by, it's realistic by now, but the fact that there's no fallout with Betty when Don takes off, stays out all night, and comes back with a facial wound cracks me up.)

So do you think we're going to see more of this Don/Dick Jekyll and Hyde thing? I won't be surprised if we do; the first scene of this season recalled Don's beginnings as Dick. What else were you intrigued by? Betty's involvement with the politician? Miss Farrell's somewhat bizarre interaction with Don about hitting on her? To talk more about the show, join the Mad Men Group in the BuzzSugar community!

Photo courtesy of AMC