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The Promotion: Kind of a Slacker

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:00:57 -0700

Steven Conrad, the writer/director of The Promotion, could have gone in a couple of different directions with his film, which centers on two guys battling for a job at a Chicago chain grocery store. He could have traipsed through the well-worn but awfully funny territory of office humor, replete with annoying coworkers and pesky in-jokes. Or he could have gone a bit deeper, meditating on success and what it means to be good.

The main trouble with The Promotion is that Conrad's script doesn't commit to either direction. One minute the film is full of silly workplace antics (including a highly amusing tater tot battle). The next, it's fumbling toward a ham-fisted statement about addiction or manhood. In the end, the movie provokes neither riotous laughter nor profound revelations. Like middle managers everywhere, The Promotion just gets stuck.

Seann William Scott plays Doug Stauber, a grocery store worker who fears he may never climb above the dreaded assistant-manager rung of short-sleeved shirts and embroidered name patches. Outside the office, things are going well enough - cute wife (Jenna Fischer), hopes of buying a house - and so when a shining beacon arrives in the form of an all-new grocery store, Doug sees a chance at salvation. It could be his store to manage, all his; his boss, Scott (Fred Armisen), even goes so far as to proclaim him a shoo-in. That, though, is before Richard Wehlner comes to town. Richard (John C. Reilly) is a nice guy with a laid-back Canadian attitude and a sweetheart of a wife (Lili Taylor, who for some reason speaks with a Scottish accent). But Richard isn't about to roll over and let Doug have the job: Bolstered by self-help tapes, he goes about making the promotion his own. The Promotion creates a vivid picture of the workplace, but it doesn't do as well with its main characters. To see what I mean, just read more.

The Promotion scores points for getting the minutae of workplace life right, from the minor slights that preoccupy Doug and Richard to the tinny, piped-in grocery store muzak. The bane of Doug's existence is the store parking lot, the gang of kids hanging out there, and the nasty notes that subsequently end up in the comment box; those cards (which bear messages like "I didn't put sexual harassment on my shopping list, but thanks") give the movie some of its sharpest moments. We all have the equivalent of that comment box in our work lives, and those scenes perfectly mix pleasure and pain.

The film suffers, though, from a few attempts at pushing the boundaries of political correctness. Well, it doesn't really push the envelope - it just gently nudges it, without enough conviction to justify going there at all. Some of the cringeworthy moments are amusing: Richard's "blapples" quip, in which he calls some bad kids "black apples" in a racially charged meeting, was funny in the trailer and is even better in context. But too many others are just squirmy - including Doug's glory moment, when he has the final chance to impress the grocery store's board. What he says is so uncomfortable that the audience at my screening let out a collective "ohhhh no."

There's also something off-putting about the movie's underlying message, which crops up late in the film: Both Doug and Richard believe that the only way to make it, to be worthwhile in society, is to provide for their wives. "I want to be the primary breadwinner," Doug flat-out says at one point. But why Doug feels this way is never really explored; instead, it's presented as fact: Men, to be successful, must earn. That's just how it goes. We learn slightly more about Richard, but it's still not enough - and given the movie's somewhat sarcastic tone, I kept waiting for something in his story to be a lie or a joke.

As a workplace movie, The Promotion is quite funny. But when it tries to go deeper, things don't quite add up. In the end, too many of the film's choices - like Lili Taylor's baffling Scots brogue - just left me saying "why?"

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Movie Preview: The Promotion

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:52 -0700

The Promotion stars some awesome names like John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer and Seann William Scott and it looks hilarious. Yet I never heard of it at all until Cinematical posted a glowing review of the film after the South by Southwest screening. Now there's a trailer and a release date for the comedy: June 6. And I seriously can't wait.

The movie follows Richard (Reilly) and Doug (Scott), two mid-level Chicago supermarket employees who engage in a battle of wits over a promotion. Fred Armisen is in it, Jenna Fischer wears roller skates at one point, and it looks like Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal's love!) gets some funny bits. The trailer - which made me laugh out loud - makes it look like the movie has that funny-awkward thing going, similar to the tone of The Office. To check it out, read more.

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Link Time! 3/11

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:31:47 -0700

Popwatch is thrilled to see that Square Pegs, starring a baby-faced Sarah Jessica Parker, is finally on DVD, and wants to know what TV shows you're dying to see released on DVD. My vote goes to Ally McBeal.
Cinematical has all sorts of South by Southwest film news and reviews, including a super great review of The Promotion, an indie comedy starring John C. Reilly and Sean William Scott.
Goldie Hawn and Matthew Broderick have popped up on TV Squad's list of actors who should consider small-screen gigs.
If you didn't watch The Bachelor's "where are they now" special, TV Filter tells us, um, where they are now.
Idolator is pumped for the Pitchfork Music Festival, which will feature Public Enemy, Vampire Weekend, M. Ward, and Animal Collective, among others.
With Fox seemingly rolling out a new show every night, The TV Addict delivers a make your own Fox show Mad Libs game.
Check out PetSugar's adorable slideshow of her top 10 movies that star animals, including Best in Show and The Truth About Cats and Dogs, among others.
Vulture has a shot-by-shot commentary on the final scenes of The Wire.

Buzz-Worthy Videos: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson Make Late Night Rounds

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:30:01 -0800

While many of us are rabidly awaiting tomorrow - aka New Moon Day, as it's known around Sugar HQ - the cast is undoubtedly looking forward to the end of the promotional rounds. But their exhaustion doesn't make them any less eager to please - witness Kristen Stewart on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, who starts out a little quiet, but eventually warms to the funnyman. She divulges how Martha Stewart confessed a dream about Robert Pattinson to her - to which Stewart offered to hook them up (she even imitates the domestic goddess!). And then there's Pattinson himself, who doesn't know the definition of dull moment as he describes the fan-biting phenomenon to David Letterman.

To see both late night clips, just read more.

Kristen Stewart on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Robert Pattinson on The Late Show With David Letterman

Rob Pattinson Cuddles Up to Emilie de Ravin in Remember Me

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:15:14 -0800

It's all about New Moon for Robert Pattinson these days, but once the mania goes on hiatus, it'll be time for him to start promoting a project outside the franchise. Remember Me opens in March of next year, and here are the first still photos of Pattinson with costar Emilie de Ravin. Seems a bit weird to see ~~Edward~~ Pattinson cuddling up to someone other than Kristen Stewart, but he still looks pretty hot with his signature hair (skipping the paleface makeup is an added bonus). What do you think of these photos? To see what projects the other New Moon stars have in the pipeline, check out my slideshow!

View 2 Photos ›

Talking New Moon With Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:15:50 -0800

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner may be dominating the promotional circuit right now, but they're not the only cast members with something to say about New Moon. I had the opportunity to chat with costars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, aka Emmett and Alice Cullen, during their recent stopover in SF. They chatted about their characters, the vampire craze, and what it's like to be a "Twilight celebrity." Here are highlights:

On why so many people are crazy for the Twilight Saga:
Ashley: I think this film in particular is highly relatable. There are a lot of situations that people can relate to. The love story - everyone can relate to being in love or being in lust. You add the vampire, and it adds that next level fantasy. Vampires are mysterious and sensual and dangerous and unattainable. And everyone wants what they can't have. I think on another level that this came together at the perfect time. All the elements just fit, the casting was spot on, and we're in a difficult time right now with our economy. That's why you never have a drop in ticket sales because everyone wants an escape, and this movie is very much an escape from reality.
Kellan: It's a good escape but also it deals with so many situations, on so many positive notes. Just looking at it from the vampire coven to the wolf pack. It just deals with everyday issues just on bigger levels, in a way. And you have Bella as the keystone in many situations. You can just all relate from different countries to issues within the United States. It's easily relatable.

To read a lot more about working with three different directors and why they feel so lucky, just read more.

On how their portrayals of the Cullens are similar or different from the books:
Kellan: We got the jobs because we brought something new to it. You can interpret the characters each their own, but I think it's what we did alongside. Just like Kristen said - she's playing Bella but she's putting her Kristen spin on it, just like all of us are. And I think that's what's making it unique. We're still following the cheat sheets that Stephenie created by making the books, and there's Wikipedia. We have a lot of information to go off of. But I hope it's what I did in my audition that set it apart from the other guys trying out.

Ashley: I think it's mannerisms too. People do fall in love with this book, but I think part of it is that they always want more. You can't write out every human mannerism. You can imagine it, but seeing the emotion in someone's eyes and seeing them be affected it - it was kind of easy to give something to it, because we were just being people. We kinda just got lucky.
On how much more of the Cullens we can expect in the remaining movies:
Kellan: Realistically, we stick pretty close to the books. Obviously us Cullens would love to be in the books a lot more, which would mean we'd be in the movies a lot more. Talking New Moon, the scenes that the Cullens - except for Ashley, playing Alice who gets to go to Italy and be a main lead in the movie - us Cullens, we have to stick really close to the books, and the scenes that we're in are really crucial to the story, as you know - the birthday scene, the voting scene. I don't know, it was kind of a tease. Chris Weitz is such an amazing director, and for us, for myself - I only worked about a week on that movie. And it didn't even seem like I really got a taste for what it was.

Ashley: In the third film, you'll see a lot more of the Cullens because it's all of us collaborating and then getting ready to fight this war that's coming up. In the second one, my character got a much larger role because Alice is the Cullen, other than Edward, that really embraces Bella and they end up becoming best friends. In the beginning, you see her throw this huge party for Bella, and then Alice is the one who does, in fact, come back for Bella when everyone else decides to skip town. Alice is responsible for dragging Bella over to Italy, and she and I the whole time are fighting to save my brother's life. And then of course we get held up by the Volturi and stuff like that. My character got to grow a lot, which is really cool. You get to actually see the relationship develop between Bella and Alice, where in the first one you didn't. The first one was very much about the romance and showing the audience why these two people are willing to die for each other.
On working with a different director on each film:
Ashley: Each director is going to be very different. They're artists as well, and I don't think any of them are quite the same. The books, when you read them, all have very, very, different tones. So I think it's highly appropriate that we switch directors each go. The first one is very much a romance and is a very scenic, beautiful film. And Catherine's really, really great at capturing that. She's very high energy and works well in chaos and stuff like that. And it was fantastic because we didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into, and so it was nice to have her to guide us when we were freaking out a little bit. She was just so high energy, and it was really contagious. We were sad to lose her and move on to the second film, but then we got Chris Weitz and he's the complete opposite! But great as well. He's so giving and caring and collaborative and created this atmosphere that was kind of a safe haven for us. And it was really nice because we didn't know, switching directors, if they were gonna embrace us or if they had a completely different vision than what we created in the first one. It was nice that he was right there on the same page with us. And the second one is a warmer film, even from the color scheme. The first one is very blue tones, and the second one is much richer and warmer and I think he did a great job at capturing that. And we just finished shooting with David Slade, and I think he's highly appropriate as well. He just finished shooting 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, and they're both very dark, edgy films. And Eclipse is very much that. It's all centered around the anticipation and us getting ready to fight this huge war. We just finished filming, we haven't gotten to see much of it, but I think it's gonna be fantastic. He is, technically, the most advanced director. The angles that he shot and how he knows that tweaking something can affect a whole scene and the lenses. He was really nice to work with.
On coping with the fan effect and being a "Twilight celebrity"
Kellan: That's what blows my mind, 'cause I feel like it's really unearned in a way. The fans are making our careers. Without them, we wouldn't be working and doing the saga. There's so many times that trilogy books become a movie and the first one bombs, and then that's it. And you're always hopeful that you get to do them all. Especially since we're all in love with our characters. I love Emmett Cullen to death, he's my favorite character I've ever played. It's just so cool to have made it this far, and I think we all hope that we get to finish this series and do Breaking Dawn. This is such a blessing, it's every actor's dream to be part of something like this. It's not terribly hard either. We don't shoot halfway around the world; we don't shoot for a year of our lives. I know a lot of us have homes, we have pets, we have family. And it's really nice to shoot on the West Coast, either Portland or Vancouver, and have the chance to fly down if we need to. But it's definitely amazing to be part of something like this. And I don't think any of us knew how crazy it would be and how exhilarating it would turn out to be. Going to the premiere, really just, wow. I don't even remember it because I was really just starstruck by how many fans and signs and cameras. It felt like I was just walking through a strobe light room. It's amazing.

Ashley: I still think we can't really wrap our heads around what's going on and what's happening. We're still in the midst of filming and kept very busy from one film until the next. It's only these brief moments where you sit back and are actually able to take a breath where you go "Whoa. Wow. This is crazy." I mean, the amount of tickets they've already sold for New Moon - I'm pretty sure I can't even get a ticket if I tried to see my film in Jacksonville and it's mind boggling. We're just very lucky. I went into this film thinking "Oh my gosh, I got a job" and the it turned into the biggest break of my life. I think we all feel very blessed to be a part of this.
On how it feels to be part of Twilight fan fiction:
Kellan: It's an escape, in a way. We do live in a trivial time period right now. There's so much depression that it's kinda cool to be a part of something where people use it to be an escape. In a way that's kinda what Stephenie did -she had a dream and just elaborated on it. It became a huge success and it's really encouraging that people are doing the same and just making up this journey.

Ashley: That's why people love it so much I think. You can take it and make what you want of it. Before the demographic was teenage girls, but now it's women of every age and guys are starting to get into it, too. It's because there is that element of fantasy. If you're 8 years old you look at it one way; if you're 80 years old you look at it another. I think it's fantastic that we can draw such a huge crowd. The other thing is - it blows my mind but people are making connections over this film and over this book. there are mothers and daughters and grandmas who can all sit and talk about the same story and all fantasize about it and I think that's a really cool thing. I think it's rare.

To see all of our Twilight and New Moon coverage, check out TwilightSugar!

Twilight on Talk Shows: Where to Watch the New Moon Stars

BuzzSugar — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:30:53 -0800

The big release of New Moon is just five days away, which means the film's stars are in turbo mode to promote it. They've already popped up on red carpets all over the world, but now they're bringing it home to hit the interview circuit here in the states. The list is a bit overwhelming, but I've mapped out the next week so that you can all program your DVRs accordingly! Of course, don't forget to check out Molly's exclusive interviews with the whole cast and check back for my own chat with Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.

Monday, November 16: Tune in to The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC to see Kristen Stewart while Taylor Lautner stops by The Jay Leno Show on NBC
Wednesday, November 18: Robert Pattinson stops by The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS, while Kristen hits The Today Show on NBC, Live With Regis and Kelly on ABC and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC, Nikki Reed heads to It's on with Alexa Chung on MTV, and Kellan Lutz heads to Ellen
Thursday, November 19: Kristen takes her turn on The Today Show on NBC while Robert heads to Live with Regis and Kelly on ABC, Dakota Fanning makes an appearance on The Jay Leno Show, Kellan heads to It's on with Alexa Chung on MTV, and Taylor spends his Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC
Friday, November 20: Taylor Lautner hits The Today Show on NBC and Live With Regis and Kelly on ABC, Nikki Reed makes an appearance on The Rachael Ray show, Robert heads to Ellen on NBC, and both boys join Kristen for a late night chat on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC
Monday, November 23: Tune to The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS to see Ashley Greene
Tuesday, November 24: Ashley Greene takes her turn on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

Still can't get enough? Check out the Twilight Saga Group in the BuzzSugar Community!

Link Time! Is Steven Tyler Leaving Aerosmith?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:10 -0800

Joe Perry says that Steven Tyler may have quit Aerosmith - Vulture
Leighton Meester's music video with Robin Thicke involves a lot of writhing - E! Online
The team behind the movie Se7en is reuniting for a new film - Cinematical
Eminem, aka Slim Shady, takes on a horror 3D film appropriately titled Shady Talez. - MTV Movies Blog
Harriet the Spy is getting made into a TV movie for Disney, but this time, she blogs - TV.com
Here's what (500) Days of Summer would've looked like without a script - Movieline
Demi Moore promotes two new movies in December's W magazine - PopSugar
Ashlee Simpson may be coming to Broadway as Roxie in Chicago - Zap2it
The 20 worst cover songs ever - EW

The Office, "The Promotion": Best Lines of the Night

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:32:42 -0700

Once Jim is promoted to co-manager of the The Office, we all know some wacky banter with Michael isn't far behind. On this week's episode, the Dunder Mifflinites are adjusting to the new hierarchy while Jim and Michael have their first squabble about how to run things. Meanwhile, Pam is still planning for that big Niagara Falls wedding next week - check out a sneak peek of the JAM nuptials here.

As usual, I've put together some of my favorite jabs and one-liners of the night, but if you want to discuss The Office all week long, head on over to Jenna V's community group dedicated to the show. For my thoughts, just read more.

"You know what eats a large amount of the day are naps. You go to sleep, it's lights out, you wake up its dark. That's the whole day. Where did that day go? I have no idea." - Michael
"You mean on a weekend?" - Jim
"Yes." - Michael
Within about five minutes of having to make their first major decision again, Jim is already having problem staying professional with Michael. Nothing has changed between them and Jim still calls Michael out on his unprofessional antics, like unnecessary meetings.

"Can I also be a boss?" - Stanley
Stanley's observation about Jim and Michael's disorganization made me chuckle, because he hits the nail right on the head. The more Jim and Michael squabble, the more it seems like a couple of kids pretending to run an office. I also loved Oscar's followup where he describes the "necessity" of two monarchs, two ship captains, etc.

"I love rivalries. Michael or Jim? Paris or Nicole? Heidi or LC? It's so much fun. But, I guess if I'm really thinking about it and answering your question honestly, I'd have to go with LC. Heidi's a bad friend. And her skin is terrible." - Kelly
We can always count on Kelly to bring celebrities into everything. I also loved when she alluded to needing a raise to help fix Ryan's car.

"Why doesn't Crate and Barrel let you register for a toaster full of cash?" - Pam
While Jim and Michael are trying to figure out how to deal with the raise situation, Pam has her own money problems. She just wants cash for her wedding, but feels awkward asking for it, which means she can expect a romantic birdhouse from Phyllis once the big day arrives!

So what did you think of this week's episode? Does anyone else think there's not nearly enough Andy this week? And how sweet is Michael's gift to Jim?

Photos courtesy of NBC

The Office, "The Lover": Best Lines of the Night

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

Yay! Jim and Pam return from their romantic honeymoon, but there is no rest for the newlyweds at The Office. Michael crosses the line - and Pam bears the brunt of his antics, like usual - while Jim fends off a nosy Dwight. I'll admit that Pam got on my nerves this week but I was glad to have Jim back so he could one-up Dwight.

I found this week to be much more engaging than last week's post-wedding episode, and I'm pretty excited to see where the storyline is headed now that the co-workers are all together again. But before I give away any spoilers, check out my favorite quips plus a few more thoughts when you read more.

Meredith: "What'd you bring us?"
Pam: "Some candy."
Meredith: "What else?"
Pam: "That's it."
Meredith: "Ohhhh, because you spent so much on the wedding."
Poor Pam and Jim. They walk into Dunder Mifflin bearing gifts with the honeymoon glow still on their faces - until they realize they're back to working with goons again. I love the bit between Pam and Erin over the candy distribution. (Erin's such a goody-goody that she has to clear everything with Michael.) But my favorite is definitely the rum with the stuffed parrot. Mainly because watching Steve Carell talk next to a stuffed parrot holding a bottle is kind of hilarious.

Michael: "You know what? I'm going to start dating her even harder."
Pam: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Michael: "You know what that means."
So yes, Michael is dating Pam's mom, which he reveals after she gets wind of his fancy dinner reservations. I agree with Pam's initial anger - no one wants their mother to date Michael Scott, especially when he keeps using the word "lover." (Though "pickle" may be worse). However, I'm giddy over this new development, because I can't wait to see what it spawns. Pam and Jim on a date with Michael and Pam's mom? That would be a-ma-zing.

"You know, I really would've appreciated a heads up that you were into dating mothers. I would've introduced you to mine."-Dwight
Just picture Dwight's mother in your mind for a second. That's funny in itself.

"I have plenty of female friends...My aunt, but she just blocked me from IM; the woman from Quiznos."-Michael
Poor guy. I'm curious to see how Michael's new romance ends up affecting his relationship with Pam. She's got to forgive him at some point, but do you think she's overreacting? Personally, I find her complaining kind of grating. She has every right to be P.O.'d, but as the episode went on, she seems angry more out of spite than anything else.

"Did you really think I would put my primary listening device in a wooden mallard? I'm not insane."-Dwight
The mallard! I always enjoy a good Jim versus Dwight scuffle, so this was one of the highlights for me, especially when Jim tries to throw Dwight off by playing opera music or giving the wooden duck to Kelly. Then just when you think Dwight is a total idiot, he pulls out a twist, having hid a pen recorder amongst Jim's office supplies. Jim may have won the promotion, but Dwight's out to win the war.

So what'd you think about the episode? Are you on Team Pam, or were you a little annoyed by her screaming fit like I was? Weigh in below in the comments, and tell me your favorite lines of the evening!

Oh, and don't forget that you can discuss the episode in full over at The Office! group in the BuzzSugar Community! Here's a topic to get you started: Ryan's fedora. Discuss.

Photo and videos courtesy of NBC