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Movie Preview: Timberlake and Bridges in The Open Road

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:30:50 -0700

Jeff Bridges and Justin Timberlake make a pretty cute father-son pair in The Open Road, a road trip movie that also stars Kate Mara and Mary Steenburgen. It looks predictable (a mismatched pair is forced to hit the road together and after some wacky adventures they learn to respect each other!), but the cast is still rather adorable. Bridges seems to be doing much of the heavy lifting, though Timberlake seems to do alright as the average guy who has to deal with his estranged (and strange) father.

I won't be rushing out to see this one when it opens Aug. 28, but it'll probably be a fine rental somewhere down the line. What do you think? To take a look at the trailer, read more.

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Justin Timberlake Hits the Open Road With Jeff Bridges

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:30:05 -0800

Southern boy Justin Timberlake will return to his roots (er, nearby his roots, since he's from Tennessee) when he begins filming his next movie The Open Road in Louisiana later this month. Timberlake will play "a young man trying to reconnect with his father, a legendary athlete, as he struggles to get him home to his ailing mother’s bedside." Most likely, Bridges plays the father and Mary Steenburgen will play the ailing mother.

We know Timberlake can handle physical humor, goofball comedy, gritty drama, whatever Shrek the Third is classified as, and of course, pop princedom. It will be interesting to see him try his hand at what sounds like a heartfelt drama.

Also, he gets to star alongside the Dude! Lucky guy.

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House Rundown, "Known Unknowns"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Finally, after a two-week break and a World Series, House is back! And lucky for us, the writers packed in several juicy plot points to make up for the hiatus. This week's case involves a young teenybopper with an ego and compulsive lying streak to boot. Sounds intriguing, but personally, I was more wrapped up in all of the personal drama going on with House and a certain fellow female doctor.

Ready to cover the highlights? There's a major twist with a big reveal, so prepare for some spoilers when you read more.

Right off the bat, the sexual tension between Cuddy and House is turned on full volume, what with Cuddy's low-cut shirt and House's leering looks. I found it to be a bit over the top, but I still have to give Cuddy props for this awesome comeback after House references her breasts as "Patty" and "Selma": "I feel bad I haven't named your testicles." Touche, Cuddy. Although, I sort of feel like she wears those revealing clothes for House, don't you?
I knew this episode had to be good when I heard it involved a Wilson and House road trip and an '80s party, but House in an 1880's costume walking among guys in Devo hats is brilliant. And then, when things can't get any better, he dances with a Flashdance Cuddy to "Time After Time" and finally admits to her that he's always had feelings for her. What a fantastic scene! That is, until she walks out.
Another high point of the evening for me: When House drugs a pants-less Wilson to keep him from giving a potentially career-ruining speech on euthanasia. Now, that's a solid friend. Were you shocked over Wilson's confession of delivering euthanasia himself? We always think that House is the one with all the secrets, but I guess Wilson isn't 100 percent on the up and up either.
I definitely laughed when Wilson uses the term "friend-zoned" while talking about Cuddy. House is surprisingly open about his feelings for her instead of his usual denial, which I think is nice to see - do you agree? Or is House becoming too soft?
Surprise! Were you taken aback by Lucas? (Lucas is the private investigator that Cuddy hired last season.) When House goes to Cuddy's room to prove to her that she can "count" on him (as she puts it), Lucas is there playing with her baby daughter. I think House and I both had the same look when that happened - huh??!
Didn't this episode's diagnosis seem even more roundabout than usual? The doctors came across completely clueless - not to mention they did extra damage by giving the patient supplements. Perhaps it's just because House wasn't on the premises to pull the strings.
Lucas's mention of House's sex hallucination with Cuddy = painfully awkward. But I don't think Cuddy is over House. Did you look at her face?!
We can all breathe a sigh of relief, because Chase finally breaks down and tells Cameron the truth about the murder of Dibala. She's obviously stunned, but we didn't get her response before the episode ends. We already know that she's leaving the show, but what do you think will happen between them next week?

Please, please weigh in on the Cuddy and House saga! Do you think those two are ever going to get together? Or is Lucas's arrival going to muck things up for good? Tell me your thoughts in the comments, or click on over to the House! group in community.

Photos courtesy of Fox

The Box: An Inadequate Package to Unwrap

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

I so wanted The Box to be a worthy successor to Donnie Darko, director Richard Kelly's first film and much-appreciated cult fave. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly get my wish.

The Box is a highly stylized, good-looking thriller, from the retro 1976 Virginia setting to the Barbie and Ken looks of leads Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. They play husband and wife Arthur and Norma Lewis, who run into a bit of a financial jam when a strange opportunity conveniently presents itself. A creepy, disfigured man (Frank Langella) offers them a million dollars if they push a button inside a box - but a stranger will die if they do.

Kelly has all the right elements and the creativity to give us a hip, entertaining thriller, but there are a number of blatant missteps that make the movie unsatisfying. To see more about what I mean, just read more.

Kelly puts his stamp on everything, namely the constant eerie atmosphere and the random sinister characters (apparently an old person standing still in the road is his trademark). Though many questioned the casting of Cameron Diaz and her requisite Virginia accent, there was a similar doubt when Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze were cast in Darko, and it ended up working. With Diaz, it's not that I would say that she nailed the part, but that the accent and greater aspects of the plot are very campy. And I like campy, but I don't know if that's what the film is going for.

If you're not taking it seriously, the movie is a pretty good time, with some frightening scenes and jumps. There are also many parts that are supposed to be creepy, but they're so labored that they come out as funny. Like, laugh out loud in the theater funny. I wouldn't call that a failure, I'd just invoke the term I used before campy.

The major problem the movie runs into is when it begins exploring these sci-fi and supernatural angles, which end up being red herrings. For instance, much is made of Arthur's job at NASA and Mars, which made me think we were in for a weird, wild sci-fi ride. I was ready to embrace something really out there (I'm a big David Lynch fan, after all), but you don't really get it. There are so many elements that are introduced but never followed to a conclusion, so you're left shrugging your shoulders when the movie ends. It's even more perplexing because the mystery of The Box itself is explained, but you're left with all these details that went nowhere, in retrospect. It's one thing to leave things open-ended, but you have to give the audience something to work with.

Honestly, if you're a Kelly fan, you'll probably find it enjoyable. But if you want complete resolution, I'd wait for the director's cut.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.