BuzzSugar

Box Office: Madagascar Wins Lion's Share of the Bucks

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:30:09 -0800

The animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was a big hit with audiences over the weekend, earning a whopping $63.5 million. In fact, it set some records and "narrowly scored the best opening of the year for a family toon, as well as the seventh best bow of all time." Madagascar 2 just barely surpassed Wall-E which brought in $63 million its opening weekend.

In the No. 2 spot came the Paul Rudd comedy Role Models that exceeded expectations with an estimated $19.3 million. High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Changeling, and Zack and Miri Make a Porno rounded out the top five followed by Soul Men, which opened at No. 6.

Picture courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Watch, Pass, TiVo, or Rent: Soul Men

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:30:32 -0800

This Friday's Soul Men features both the late Bernie Mac and the late Isaac Hayes, lending a bittersweetness to this comedy. What's more, the story follows two estranged musical legends (played by Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson) who pair up again for a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader.

Do you think you'll head out to theaters for this one, catch it later on TV or DVD, or pass altogether?

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Movie Preview: Soul Men

BuzzSugar — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:00:59 -0700

After seeing a few clips of Soul Men a little while ago, I was intrigued by this comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac (it also includes one of Isaac Hayes's final performances), which is why I was happy to recently find an actual trailer.

Everyone knows that Jackson is perfectly suited for roles in dark comedies, but to see him as one half of a straight-up buddy movie is kind of unexpected and fun. He looks quite comfortable playing the straight man here. Of course, there are pangs of grief that come with watching this trailer, but it's also joyful to see Bernie Mac on the screen in a warm, bumbling, and funny role. He's the kind of comedian who makes me laugh just with his gestures and the inflection in his voice.

Needless to say, I will definitely be in line with bells on for this one when it hits theaters November 7. To take a look for yourself, read more.

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First Look: Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes, Samuel L. Jackson in Soul Men

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:30:46 -0700

I knew this movie was being made, but I wasn't paying a ton of attention to it, since there was nothing to check out yet. But now that I've seen a few clips of Soul Men, I honestly can't wait to see it. Sadly, these are now some of the final performances for both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, but the good news is that this movie looks great, and yes, soulful. It makes me happy for the two entertainers, may they rest in peace.

Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson star as Floyd and Louis, "two estranged soul-singing legends [who] agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader." Isaac Hayes appears as himself. In one brief clip, Hayes goes to wish Floyd and Louis luck backstage, and Jackson says, "Thanks, we're gonna need it," and then the clip ends right there. Of the three people in that scene, two died in the same weekend. It's a little spooky.

The video will just redirect you to MTV's site anyway, so click here to see all four clips of Soul Men.

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Buzz News Roundup, 2/13

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:32:50 -0800

Tina Fey will host the first post-strike episode of Saturday Night Live

The New York Times

John Legend and Isaac Hayes have joined the cast of the comedy Soul Men, which includes Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac, writes Billboard.
ComingSoon has news that Wes Craven's first horror project since 1994 will be 25/8, based on the 1972 George Romero film.
Benjamin Bratt will star in a new series for A&E about an interventionist, while Timothy Hutton will portray a modern-day Robin Hood in the TNT series Leverage; details on both are at The Futon Critic.
Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Jason Leigh will star together in the indie sex comedy titled Spread, reports Variety.
Aretha Franklin is not pleased with Beyonce after Beyonce's Grammy intro referred to Tina Turner, not Franklin, as "the queen," the Associated Press reports.
Zap2It writes that Joel Surnow, co-creator of 24, is leaving the show to pursue other projects.
According to Billboard, this summer's tour will be the last for The Police.
Fox is remaking a Japanese TV show in which people must fit into shapes like human Tetris pieces, according to Variety.

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Cirque du Freak: An Unnecessary Addition to Vampire Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:09 -0700

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen - but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do - that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

Things go awry when Darren finds himself tangled up in the world behind the Cirque, particularly that of Larten Crepsley, a crotchety vampire who couldn't be bothered with a teenager. When Darren gets himself into a sticky situation, the only way he can bail himself out is by selling his soul to Crepsley, becoming his half-vampire assistant.

If you thought sorting out all the vampire lore in Twilight and True Blood was confusing, get ready for the most convoluted yet. In this story, a war is brewing between two breeds: the Vampanese represent the blood-suckers that are all for killing their prey, while the run-of-the mill vamps prefer to sedate, feed, and then letting their victims return to regular life. As a half-vampire who's reluctant to lose what little human qualities he has left, Darren obviously joins Larten Crepsley's team, while his best friend Steve joins the evil Vampanese.

As for the actual Cirque du Freak, the group of misfits and outcasts are more X-Men and less Carnivale. The crew includes unusual children who were abandoned by their parents (like "Snake Boy" and "Monkey Girl"), along with a few other vaudeville acts like the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski). Some are friendly, others are surly, but the cirque in itself is more campy than scary; little hideout is basically an island of misfit toys.

The film isn't boring, but it's not exactly packed with pizazz either. Director Paul Weitz was sure to stay on the safer side of the movie's PG-13 rating, rarely pushing the envelope on what could have been a much creepier film. John C. Reilly is always reliable for a good performance, and he has some great comedic timing as the voice of brutal honesty to Darren's naivete. Massoglia gives decent performance for a newbie, and even reminded me of a young Emile Hirsch at times. That said, the movie is also packed with confusing subplots and some truly corny dialogue that evoked collective groans from the audience.

If you're looking for a fun movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, this might do the trick. Just make sure you're in a tween state of mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures