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Sunshine Cleaning: A Cloudy Comedy

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:30:45 -0700

Critics may draw comparisons between this year's Sunshine Cleaning and 2007 Best Picture nominee Little Miss Sunshine. Both were Sundance darlings, both star the wonderful Alan Arkin, and both have optimistic-sounding titles. And despite each film's light-bright disposition, both skew closer to comedy of the darker sort. This intriguing juxtaposition worked quite well for Little Miss Sunshine, and, to a slightly lesser extent, it works for Sunshine Cleaning, too.

The off-kilter premise is what first drew me to the movie when I previewed it for last year's Sundance Film Festival. I loved that the film focuses on the dirty and demeaning task of cleaning up crime scenes, yet didn't seem as gloomy as the description suggested. By the time I saw the trailer, it was clear: No CSI confusion here. Luckily the film delighted me as much as I had hoped, mostly because the two lead actresses, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, are so compelling to watch.

To hear a little bit more about the plot and what else I liked, read more

In the lead, Amy Adams is Rose Lorkowski, a former hot-shot high school cheerleader who has settled into a low-paying career of cleaning houses. Emily Blunt plays her sister Norah, who, as a failed waitress, is even more down on her luck than Rose. It seems that the strapped-for-cash sisters may have inherited a touch of fiscal bad luck from their father Joe (Alan Arkin) who is constantly searching for ways to get rich quick. And while Rose disapproves of her father's shenanigans, she, too, finds herself scheming to pay for her son's pricey private school.

Enter Sunshine Cleaning, a biohazard removal service that Rose starts with her sister when she discovers that the field is rather lucrative. What follows are oddly hilarious scenes of Rose and Norah learning the ropes of the business and navigating the truly messy world of crime scene clean-up. Picking up chunks of brain matter and bleaching out blood stains sounds like your typical horror fare, but in the hands of these two ladies, there is a sense of down-iness that comes from their "we're in this together" camaraderie.

Despite the more comical moments, there are touches of genuine grief, especially when we hear about the suicide of Rose and Norah's mother, and view some of the sisters' failed relationships (Steve Zahn and Mary Lynn Rajskub are lovely in their respective supporting roles). These parts add a melody to a movie that could otherwise be somewhat one-note.

Bottom Line: The film doesn't reach the fever-pitch fun that Little Miss has at the end, but it's still a worthwhile journey, especially if you're a fan of Blunt or Adams.

Photo courtesy of Big Beach Films

Movie Preview: Management Gets a Trailer

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:30:34 -0700

When I think of Jennifer Aniston, things that immediately spring to mind include stuff like high-profile relationships (and breakups), really toned arms, nice tan, perfect hair. In other words, she can sometimes seem larger than life, and it's easy to forget that she can still play the "everyday gal" with the best of them.

I loved her in The Good Girl and really enjoyed her performances in Office Space and Friends with Money, which is why it's exciting to get a good look at Management, a movie in which she portrays a pretty average lady alongside Steve Zahn and Woody Harrelson.

That said, um, I don't know what to make of this movie. The essentials all seem to be there (quirky with emotional depth) but something is a touch off about it. There are some strange scenes with Zahn flying through the air and dropping into pools, and Zahn on a tandem bike, etc. And then there are more earnest moments that look like they're aiming for realism. I'm up in the air about this one, but I'll keep an open mind.

Management will have a limited release on May 15. To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, just read more.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 2/4

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:30:42 -0800

Al Pacino will play King Lear in a new film adaptation of the Shakespeare play. - ComingSoon
Steve Zahn is close to joining the cast of Treme, the New Orleans-set show from the creator of The Wire. - TV.com
Columbia Pictures and producer Scott Rudin will make a film based on the life of Henry Molaison, whose brain became the most studied gray matter in medical history. - Variety
The Hold Steady will release a documentary/live album combo in April. - Pitchfork
The creators of My So-Called Life are working on a pilot for CBS called A Marriage. - The Hollywood Reporter
Spike Lee is returning to a WWII setting, as he signs on to produce Brendan Koerner's manhunt tale Now the Hell Will Start. - Zap2it
A movie titled The Legend of Santa Claus is in the works, the first installment in a three-film series exploring the early days and mythology of the Christmas hero. - Variety
Warner Bros. Pictures has set Aaron Sorkin to write the movie The Challenge, a courtroom drama which George Clooney will produce. - ComingSoon
It's official: Bob Saget will return to ABC in Surviving Suburbia. - Zap2it

Source and source

First Look: Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn in Management

BuzzSugar — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:00:17 -0700

I remember when I first heard the casting news for the romantic comedy Management, and it seemed like an awesome idea to pair up the underrated (in my opinion) Steve Zahn with Jennifer Aniston. And ever since the movie earned some positive buzz after debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, I've been anxious to see some footage.

Now we've got a clip from the movie, which is funny and gives me a better sense of the tone. Looks like another quirky, subtle performance from Aniston (like what I enjoyed about her in The Good Girl) and Zahn is subdued but no less hilarious. The movie follows a traveling art saleswoman and the hotel manager who ~~stalks her~~ has a crush on her. In this clip we see Aniston's character encouraging Zahn's character to touch her butt. Yes, that is what I said. To see for yourself, read more.

Source

Recast Reality Bites and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:30:07 -0800

Every 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!

For this week's recast challenge, let's tap into the angst of Generation X and find a new group of actors for Reality Bites, Ben Stiller's 1994 directorial debut. There's the pouty Lelaina, scruffball Troy, square Michael, promiscuous Gap employee Vickie and commitmentphobe Sammy. What new actors could dredge up some mid-1990s anguish for a new Reality Bites?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, December 4, 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:
Lelaina Pierce (Winona Ryder)
Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke)
Vickie Miner (Janeane Garofalo)
Michael Grates (Ben Stiller)
Sammy Gray (Steve Zahn)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

Movie Preview: Strange Wilderness With Steve Zahn and Jonah Hill

BuzzSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:00:00 -0800

How many endearingly nerdy young men can you fit in one comedy about nature shows and not go into silliness overload?

I do believe Strange Wilderness addresses that question as Jonah Hill, Justin Long and Steve Zahn play guys whose nature show is getting terrible ratings (for reasons you'll understand if you watch the trailer). So the group ventures into the great unknown in search of Big Foot.

I don't know if this will be an overall satisfying comedy like some of those that came out over this past summer (Knocked Up, Superbad), but there are some funny lines in the trailer. To watch the preview for Strange Wilderness, which opens February 1, and tell me what you think, read more

Source

Aniston and Zahn Make Management

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:07:16 -0700

The news:
Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn will play the leads in a romantic comedy called Management.

What's the story?
According to Variety, "Aniston will play a traveling saleswoman who sells cheap art to small companies and motels. She has a fling with an aimless, underachieving assistant motel manager (Zahn) at one of her stops, and he pursues her all over the U.S." Stalking = hilarious?

Why it might be good:
The movie is being written and directed by playwright Stephen Belber, who was involved with The Laramie Project and is quickly rising through the writing ranks in Hollywood.

Zahn is playing a slacker again.
For whatever reason, it makes me happy when Reality Bites stars play grown-up versions of their roles in that movie. It's much less freaky than, say, Ethan Hawke playing a dad in The Hottest State.

Funny trivia:
This isn't Zahn's first dalliance with a "Friends" star. Fans might recall that Zahn played Phoebe's first husband, Duncan, in one episode.

Source

Movie Review: Rescue Dawn

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 06:00:00 -0700

The true story of Dieter Dengler is so astounding that director Werner Herzog felt compelled to tell it twice: first, in the 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly and now in Rescue Dawn, a new movie starring Christian Bale as the German-born American pilot who escaped from a Laotian POW camp in 1965. The Vietnam War-era saga follows the soldier from his first mission, when he survives a plane crash only to be tortured and starved by Laotian soldiers before fleeing into the even more superhuman hardships of the jungle.

Best known lately for the 2005 documentary Grizzly Man, German director Werner Herzog is - to put it mildly - a very extreme director inclined to extreme film-making. (For his 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, he famously filmed a steam ship being hauled over a mountain without the use of special effects.) So it makes sense that Herzog would be drawn to Bale, who infamously lost more than 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist. As crazy as both of these guys may be, their collaboration results in a brilliantly affecting piece of art, so read more

Rescue Dawn is easily one of Herzog's most mainstream movies, and it's refreshing to see such attentive film-making applied to a very watchable Hollywood movie. Though good war movies are often equated with frank depictions of horror - as with Saving Private Ryan - Herzog's more impressive method makes very careful choices about what to show and what not to show. In the process, he gives us a very intimate tale that overhauls the typical tropes of a Vietnam movie.

Because the film is told from Dengler's point-of-view, the viewer knows only what Dengler knows, and as a result, the film can't rely on cheap exploits or irony. For instance, Dengler is astonished that some of his cellmates have been imprisoned for two years - way before Americans knew we had troops in the region - and since he has no idea why his three Southeast Asian cell mates are in the POW camp, neither do we. Like our protagonist, who is crafting an escape strategy from the moment he arrives, we are concerned only with the here and now.

Bale is rightfully being heralded for his portrayal of Dengler, whose commanding personality convinces the prisoners to flee even as his body is wasting away. (In fact, Bale gets disturbingly thinner in every scene, indicating that they were filmed in sequence.) But just as impressive are the supporting actors, including Jeremy Davies (who, my friend pointed out, will have to take a career hiatus just to gain the weight back) and Steve Zahn as Dengler's fellow POWs.

In their most subtle interactions, the actors - particularly Zahn and Bale - craft characters whose only motivation is survival. In return, Herzog uses chaotic camera work and stifling cinematography to reinforce their suffocation and determination. It's an expert telling of a story that deserved to be told again.

Movie Preview: Rescue Dawn

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:49:01 -0700

Based on a true story, Rescue Dawn tells the tale of U.S. fighter pilot Dieter Dengler (played by Christian Bale), a German-American whose plane is shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War. A captured POW, he managed to organize an incredible and risky escape for a group of fellow prisoners.

From the trailer it looks like director Werner Herzog has created a tense and grim depiction of war with a little bit of hope tinging the edges. The movie is currently out in New York and L.A. and will open in other select cities as the weeks go by. To watch the trailer and tell me what you think, read more

Photo courtesy of MGM

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:30:24 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the movies below, there's also Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience and Madonna's directorial debut Filth and Wisdom. Check out this week's picks!

Away We Go

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as an expecting, road-tripping couple in this indie comedy drama directed by Sam Mendes. I loved the quirky humor that came from not only the leads, but a star-studded cast of supporting characters played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Alison Janney, and Catherine O'Hara. It may not be as laugh-out-loud as the two leads' usual work, but if you're looking for a sweetly funny flick you may like Away We Go. The DVD and Blu-ray have a making-of featurette, a commentary track, and a behind-the-scenes feature about how the filmmakers tried to make the production more environmentally friendly.

66%

See two more new releases when you read more.

Management

Jennifer Aniston stars as an everyday gal in the comedy Management. Steve Zahn is the shy hotel manager who meets and falls in love with her immediately, and Woody Harrelson is the has-been boyfriend he's trying to woo her away from. It's not the straightforward romantic comedy you'd expect from Aniston, which I don't mind at all, and Zahn's so adorable he can make stalker-like behavior seem OK. On the DVD are a commentary track, a gag reel, and deleted scenes.

44%

Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens boasts the vocal stylings of Reese Witherspoon as Susan Murphy, a woman who's hit by a meteor and turns into a giant as a result. The 3D movie from Dreamworks is definitely kid-friendly fare, but I tend to enjoy modern animated movies like this, especially when they also have the voices of Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie, and Stephen Colbert. The DVD and Blu-ray discs have tons of special features, like music videos, deleted scenes, and the technology behind the movie.

72%