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Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:30:59 -0700

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music, and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! In the '90s, Tea Leoni was considered for one of the lead roles on a popular TV series. What show did she almost join?

Ghost Town: Easygoing and Sweet

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:30:22 -0700

One of the things I like best about Ghost Town is that it doesn't ask anything of you. There's no brain power required, though it's not insultingly stupid or empty. It's not hysterically funny, but it's also not crude or painfully immature. For my money, it's certainly the most easygoing - easy to enjoy, easy to forget afterward - of all the movies out in theaters right now.

It's hard to categorize this movie, since it's not a romantic comedy, necessarily. There's not a lot of romance, and while there is comedy, it's often bittersweet, due to all the dead people. Ricky Gervais plays dentist Bertram Pincus, an ornery, solitary man who comes out of a medical procedure to discover that he died briefly during it. His momentary death gives him the ability to see people who have died but who are still hanging out on Earth because they have unfinished business. And now they implore Bertram to finish it for them. One such restless soul is Frank (Greg Kinnear) who needs Bertram to prevent Frank's widow, Gwen (Tea Leoni), from remarrying. The ghosts torment Bertram until he agrees to Frank's request, but as he goes about breaking up Gwen and her fiance, Bertram starts to fall for Gwen. To find out my take on it all, read more.

The cast is great, and and I especially appreciate the female characters (and the actresses behind them), who are wonderfully funny and human. Kristen Wiig is hilarious as usual, and Tea Leoni is down to earth as the romantic lead: smart, funny and emotionally confused - but not to the point of hysteria. Her character is written as a person, not some weird parody of a woman. And Leoni easily embodies this beautiful, reasonable character.

Greg Kinnear is also well-cast, and with every new role I see him in, I warm to him more. He's got an honest, affable way about him that can be so endearing. Also, he's well-suited to play a counterpart to Ricky Gervais; Kinnear's more obvious humor and openness balances nicely with Gervais's dry, wry wit. Gervais is surprisingly capable as the leading man in this big American comedy, though with this material he's significantly aided by Kinnear who brings an almost clownish relief.

For some reason, I went into this expecting to laugh more than I did and feel less than I did. It's more emotional and heartwarming than I thought it would be. For any of the movie's faults (some scenes that drag, the occasional blandness of the tone overall), everything is forgiven in the final scene - specifically the last two lines - which is so full of hard-earned poignancy, it (I'll admit it) brought on the waterworks just a little.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Movie Preview: Ricky Gervais in Ghost Town

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:30:03 -0700

In the comedy Ghost Town, Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is "a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni)."

From the new trailer, it seems silly and surreal, and not necessarily in a good way. Man, I wish I thought this looked awesome and funny. I love Gervais and he's pretty entertaining no matter what, but I only kinda-chuckled twice watching this trailer: once because of Kristen Wiig, once from a bit about shoes. Ghost Town opens September 19. To see the trailer for yourself, read more.

Source

Movie Preview: You Kill Me

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:18:06 -0700

Next Friday, along with the openings of A Mighty Heart and Evan Almighty, Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson and Ben Kingsley will star in You Kill Me, a kind of dark-humored crime comedy. Kingsley plays Frank, an alcoholic hit man who travels to San Francisco to get sober when his hit man abilities get sloppy. There he befriends the saucy Laurel (Leoni) who may prove helpful when Frank is called upon to return to finish some business in Buffalo, New York. Wilson plays Frank's gay AA sponsor. You can watch the trailer if you read more

Photo courtesy of IFC Films.