BuzzSugar

The Results Are In: Recast Speed

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:30:12 -0700

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar T-shirt!

I'm glad so many of you were as into recasting Speed as I am - it's a fun action movie to think about updating.

A lot of you, like Baluk, thought of Shia Lebeouf to play Officer Jack Traven, which is a good thought as the young actor is making a name for himself in these kinds of fast-paced action roles. And it's hard to argue with CYL's suggestion for the intense Christian Bale to play the lead, too.

As for the spunky Annie, luckiedog came up with Renee Zellweger who probably could have done a good job making that role her own. I liked RosieButterface's idea for Liv Tyler to play Annie too.

In the end I went with the Jack I liked best, as well as a great suggestion for Lt. McMahon: congrats to lilprisci!

To see who lilprisci chose, along with a new cast photo, read more.

lilprisci's cast list:
Officer Jack Traven -Ryan Reynolds
Howard Payne -Terence Stamp
Annie Porter - Rachel McAdams
Det. Harry Temple - Ryan Gosling
Lt. "Mac" McMahon - Don Cheadle

Recast Speed and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:30:26 -0700

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I'm excited about this week's recast challenge because 1994's Speed is one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures. I don't know what it is but if I'm channel surfing and I come across Speed, I have to watch it. That opening elevator scene still makes my heart pound! There are many characters that make up the passengers on the bus, so let's stick to the basics on this recast.

Who would you cast as one of the LAPD's explosives experts, Jack Traven (originally played by a very fit Keanu Reeves), and his veteran partner Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels)? What about the evil Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who made famous the line, "Pop quiz, hot shot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?!"

But it's not all dudes. We need to recast the tough and outspoken bus passenger Annie Porter, a role that helped launch Sandra Bullock to stardom. Finally, let's recast the police boss-man Lt. "Mac" McMahon (Joe Morton).

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, October 28, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more.

Characters to recast:
Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves)
Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper)
Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock)
Det. Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels)
Lt. "Mac" McMahon (Joe Morton)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Source

What's Buzzworthy: Action Movies

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:00:00 -0700

As I mentioned last week when I challenged you to Buzzworthy your favorite action movies, summertime feels like the best season to grab the popcorn, find some air-conditioning and get swept away by the blockbustery goodness of a high-octane flick. I can't wait to update my Netflix queue, since I forgot all about some of these oldies but greats.

The Rock
One of my personal favorites, Linda McP has this to say about her pick: "Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, and Ed Harris are perfectly cast in this film about domestic terrorism (all of San Francisco is held hostage by a deranged war hero played by Harris). Parts of the film are unrealistic, for sure, but the interplay between and among the characters makes this film a worthwhile pick. Connery just gets better as he ages!"

Kill Bill, Volume I
Another favorite of mine, this was chosen by tdamji who writes, "It's great to see a woman in a starring role in an action movie. There don't seem to be very many like that. Lucy Liu is great in this, as is Uma Thurman."

Several more if you read more

Top Gun
Sweet Tea picked this lovable oldie starring a young, hot Tom Cruise. She writes, "A classic action flick - never gets old."

Speed
Buzzworthied by both Hmorris and missyosigirl, who can forget Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves' collaborating to save a bus full of people from a fiery death?

The Seven Samurai
I should really check out this classic action movie from 1954, which was suggested by Fab_Kitty. Samurai movies often make fantastic action films with quality plots and characterization, what with all that courage and honor. Fab_Kitty says, "Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece Seven Samurai has enough training and fighting to satisfy action film enthusiasts. It's also a film with lovely cinematography, a thoughtful pace, and a moving narrative."

Check out the widget I made that includes all the bookmarked action movies!

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The Office, "Murder": Best Lines of the Night and Video!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Well, I do declare! This week's The Office was silly good fun. Distraught over rumors of bankruptcy, Michael suggests that the employees engage in a murder mystery game called Belles, Bourbon and Bullets to keep their spirits up. Pam's recent bad attitude seems to lift as she gets into character, and Andy uses the opportunity to ask Erin on a date. (I can't wait for when those two finally hook up!)

Ready to take a look at some of my favorite quips from the episode (and share your own in the comments)?

Jim: "With all due respect to everyone here, I think the most worthy opponent of you is you."
Dwight: "That is correct. Unless there happen to be measles present."
How awesomely ridiculous is the opening scene where Dwight tries to fight himself during his own karate instructional?! That right there is why Rainn Wilson gets nominated for Emmys.

For more funny lines, plus a video of the Clue-like antics, read more.

"Your feelings journal? You told me to put it in the time capsule."-Erin
Check out Erin delivering yet another great quote this week! I'm curious to see what the writers do with her character, especially now that they're setting up this will-they-or-won't-they thing with Andy that's slightly reminiscent of another Office couple.

"You can all have jobs at Schrute farms as human scarecrows. It doesn't pay much, and you can't unionize."-Dwight
Leave it to Dwight to concoct a plan when news of the company's money loss hits the Scranton branch.

"Operation got me through my vasectomy, i.e. my operation. I don't think I would've been able to endure my breakup with Holly had it not been for Toss Across."-Michael
Michael explains his use of board games as a coping mechanism to Jim, but my favorite part is when he plays "Lullaby" by Sean Mullins on his computer to wallow in his sadness. Anyone else remember that song? Love the '90s nostalgia!

Kevin: "Now do the Swedish Chef."
Andy: "I'm not familiar, what province is he from?"
Kevin: "He lives on Sesame Street, dumbass."
Andy does such a good job with his Savannah accent using his "molasses" technique that oddball Kevin asks him to talk like the Swedish Chef from Sesame Street. But I have to mention Creed -I was dying when he shows up to the office, hears about the "murder," and speeds off in his car! Also, kudos to the crime scene with Meredith and to Oscar for putting on the strangest accent I have ever heard. Check him out in this video:

"Today is the hardest I have worked in a long, long time."-Michael
Sad thing is, Michael's probably telling the truth.

So what's your assessment of the evening? It sounds like there are tough times ahead for everyone, since David Wallace says the company will be out of money by the end of the year. What do you think will happen? My hopes are that Michael and Dwight will cook up some solution that doesn't involve scarecrows. And what do you make of the Erin and Andy romance - do you want to see it happen?

Don't forget that you can discuss the episode in full over at The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community! Here are two words to get you started: Tube city.

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC

Buzz Interview With the Cast of Precious, Part 2: Lee Daniels

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:30:17 -0700

Last week I shared with you my interview with Precious actress Paula Patton, but now it's time to hear from the director himself, Lee Daniels. I asked the Sundance-award winner - the film took home the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize - how it feels to hear Oscar buzz, and what it's like when Oprah is on your speed dial. Plus, he opened up to me about how the movie helped him overcome from his own dark past. Ready for his incredibly candid responses?

On all the hype surrounding Mo'Nique's performance: I'm not the least bit surprised. It's magic onset. People are talking about this buzz, but she and I laugh it off, because we got a movie made, and there were no arrests! Seriously, the cops came, but they didn't shut us down. They said, 'OK, we'll give you five minutes.' There were no arrests, and no one got in any trouble, so for us, the win was finishing the film.

To hear more from Daniels, read more.

On how he felt when Oprah and Tyler Perry jumped on as producers: Tyler calls and says, "Hey, it's Tyler." Huh?! Oprah calls, "Heeeey." It's crazy! It gave me hope that people would see the film.
On the Oscar buzz: Why do people say that? What happens if you don't?! Then your feelings are so hurt. You teeter on wanting so desperately for it, but dare not dreaming for it, because your feelings are so crushed if it doesn't happen.

On why he wanted to make Precious: To heal. Some horrific things have happened to me [in my past], not only at home, but outside of my home life, [like] being openly gay. Being gay is nothing like it was when i was a kid - back in my day, you were literally stoned, a dislocated arm, teeth knocked out. So I try to see the light often. It's hard, because we all have hard lives, and some of us have it harder. What I like to find is people who have had lives just a little harder than mine [like Precious] so I can feel that mine wasn't as bad as it was.
On what he learned from making the film: I look at [the film] as a process. This was not a beautiful journey, because I learned so much about myself. I had been holding on to so much anger from the past, and it was making me an ugly person. It was making me judge people like Precious, because of who I was. How sad was that to find out at 50, that I would've lived such a better life if I had just let go of the hostility. [But once I let go] it felt beeautiful! Liberating!

I was so moved to hear Daniels talk about his own healing through the film - hopefully, it will have the same effect on others when it arrives in theaters next week.

Before the release, I'll be running my interview with Gabourey Sidibe, the newcomer that's making headlines for her Precious performance. Be sure to check back for that later - you're going to love her.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Source

Reese Witherspoon Plays by the Rules

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:39 -0700

It seems like Reese Witherspoon has been laying lower than usual this year. (She voiced Monsters vs. Aliens, but we haven't seen her face on screen since Four Christmases!) Now her career is speeding up again. The A-lister just signed on to produce and star in Rule #1, which will follow Witherspoon as a New Yorker who gets chummy with a young Puerto Rican girl with ADD.

Those are the only storyline details as of now, but it sort of reminds me of those promos for Sandra Bullock's The Blind Side - a woman taking a challenged kid under her wing, etc. Hopefully it will steer clear of the sappiness we typically get from those types of films and show off Witherspoon's serious acting side instead.

What do you think? Does this new project sound like Oscar bait - or just another formulaic weep-fest?

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:30:00 -0700

It's Tuesday, which means new DVDs hit shelves to fatten up your entertainment library! Trying to decide which to add to your Netflix queue? Check out these three releases.

Orphan

All right, so it's not the best horror film ever - for that, take a peek at my scary movie bracket - but who doesn't love a good spook just in time for Halloween? In Orphan, Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard star as parents who adopt a destructive little girl with a huge secret. The movie borders on ridiculous, but if you like to laugh during your fright flicks, it's got a bit of dark humor and over-the-top slasher scenes. Bonus features include deleted scenes and an alternate ending - which should be good for keeping things fresh, seeing as how the big twist has already been spoiled by pretty much anyone who's seen it.

55%

See two more new releases when you read more.

Nothing Like the Holidays

If you're feeling anti-Orphan, then perhaps a Christmas-themed ensemble film is more your speed. Nothing Like the Holidays follows a large, boisterous Puerto Rican-American family as they gather at their parents' home, and the obligatory love-hate relationships ensue. The storyline is a little stale, so I wasn't a fan when the movie first came out - but it may be a solid rental to get into the pre-holiday spirit and for the actors. (Alfred Molina and Freddy Rodriguez are particularly good as father and son.) There's also a bonus blooper real.

49%

Whatever Works

Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David stars in Woody Allen's story of a crabby New Yorker who takes in a young Southern runaway named Melodie (Evan Rachel Wood). Putting aside the somewhat unsettling older man and much younger woman relationship, the real joy to be had is from the bit character parts. Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley Jr. turn in hilarious performances as Melodie's parents, and dreamy Henry Cavill of The Tudors plays a love interest. If you can get beyond David doing his tiring, whiny Allen schtick, they make the film worth checking out.

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