BuzzSugar

Things That Make Me Feel Old: The Rent Remake

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 08:30:00 -0700

When I was an angsty, misunderstood teenager, I wanted few things more than to see Rent on Broadway. It was, after all, a musical for "our generation." I was a sucker for the story, which seemed then like edgy political commentary, and of course I loved the semi-racy, semi-rockin' soundtrack.

Well, apparently I'm no longer hip, and neither are my fellow 20- and 30-somethings who fell hard for Rent the first time around. See, Rent is being remade for British theater - and the producers are calling their show a "contemporary" take on the musical.

Ouch.

This version is "digital production for a digital world - more a pop opera than a rock opera," the director told Variety. He also said that the "grunge-style electric guitar" is all but gone from the soundtrack. Gone the way of flannel, old-school Smashing Pumpkins and the stereotypical Generation X slacker, I suppose.

Granted, Rent is itself a remake of La Boheme, and its story is pegged to a very particular time and place. Parts of the story were feeling dated already when the movie version came out two years ago. But saying Rent needs to be retooled for a younger, cooler generation makes me long for the days when "Seasons of Love" felt deeply meaningful - and maybe even revolutionary.

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Things That Make Me Feel Old: The Nirvana Baby Turns 16

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 08:30:00 -0700

Happy 16th birthday, floating Nirvana baby! Otherwise known as Spencer Elden, this boy will forever be known to many as the underwater baby on the cover of Nirvana's album Nevermind.

According to an interview Elden did with NME in 2006, he's a fan of Nirvana, saying "Most bands around today can't even get near to what Nirvana did on that album, and I'll always be happy to be a part of it." It's a good thing this kid grew up to like Nirvana. Imagine if he didn't?

I wasn't all that old when Nevermind came out, but it's still jarring to see the teenage version of a baby I thought would forever be floating nakedly toward that dollar bill, and possibly drowning a little. In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm going to go listen to "Lithium" and see if I can't dredge up some leftover angst.

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90210 vs. Melrose Place: Which Was More Scandalous?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Both 90210 and Melrose Place felt like they were building up to something big this week. It didn't make for a particularly juicy two-hour block, but I cannot wait to see exactly what happens in the coming episodes as each carefully placed plot point starts to unravel. (You just know Jen's scheming is about to blow up in Naomi's face - and don't even get me started on nut-job Violet! They're going to have to kill her off soon if she keeps acting this cuckoo.)

Which show do you think had the most drama? I know my pick for the week, so check out my argument and see if you agree when you read more.

90210 point: Jen is such a snake in the grass. She talks smack about Naomi - even going so far as to say "You couldn't even keep your little high school James Dean happy" about Liam. Then she backpedals and pretends to be Naomi's best friend to weasel money out of her.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Can we say psycho? First, Violet tries on Auggie's clothes while he's out of town, and then she makes Michael her new mark, going to the hospital with a fake heart attack and getting him to drop trou outside the bar. Oh, and let's not forget the clincher: She shows up to his house by posing as the new babysitter and blackmails him.

90210 point: Adrianna is such an idiot, even she said so. She breaks up with Navid because of her wandering eye for Teddy, but after a quick frolic on the beach (barf!) set to the tune of "You're a Dream to Me," Teddy breaks the news that he wasn't looking for a relationship. By the time Adrianna realizes the mistake she's made, Navid knows about her kisses with Teddy and tells her that he doesn't want anything to do with her. Hurtful, but deserved.
Melrose Place counterpoint: The hooker lifestyle is quickly getting more out of control for Lauren. When she takes a job on board a party boat with a few other "girls," her neighbor David shows up, forcing her to make a quick escape - and putting her on very thin ice with her madam. Anyone else think the writers are starting to put her and David together romantically? Ella is going to be pissed!

90210 point: Mark gets jealous of Jasper, and tells Annie that Jasper pulled a knife on someone at his old school. As a result, Annie starts blowing Jasper off, and instead accepts a date with Mark, which quickly escalates into borderline rape. Jasper swoops in to break it up and denies the knife rumor - but whaddyaknow, he just happens to have a blade on him so he can stab Mark's car tires.
Melrose Place counterpoint: An art deal goes wrong fast with David, so he gets beat up by multiple guys and has to go to the hospital. His nurse? Lauren, naturally. I swear these two will be knocking boots any minute now.

90210 point: Silver starts to rekindle her relationship with her mom - that is, until Kelly butts in and tells her mom to stay away from Silver because she's bipolar. (Kind of mean for Kelly, wasn't it?) In other Kelly news, Harry obviously has feelings for the teach. He drinks too much at the bar, and accidentally says her name - instead of his wife's.
Melrose Place counterpoint: Prepare for a Riley-Ella face-off. Did you see the death stare Ella gave her when Riley became the new model for the jeans line?

Alright, so I'm giving this week's round to 90210. While Violet is certifiably insane, she really was the only shocker on Melrose. But on 90210, you've got Jen and Jasper keeping things interesting. Do you agree with my assessment? Which one caused you to do a TiVo rewind?

Want to keep talking about the episode? Check out the 90210 Superfans group in the Buzz Community!

Photos courtesy of The CW

A Serious Man: Seriously Hard To Wrap Your Head Around

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:00:10 -0700

I like the Coen brothers. I loved No Country For Old Men, I still enjoy quoting Frances McDormand lines from Fargo - I even appreciated their most recent project, Burn After Reading despite lukewarm reviews. So I went into A Serious Man with high expectations. Perhaps a bit too high.

The Coens go incredibly dark and thought-provoking this time around, and unfortunately without any big-named stars attached like Clooney a la Reading or O Brother, Where Art Thou?, A Serious Man probably won't live on as one of their more memorable films for viewers. In fact, many people will probably feel put off by it. To see what I mean, read more

A Serious Man opens like a horror movie, which isn't surprising given the Coen's propensity for heavy themes (and often a few stab wounds) in their stories. The music is a big player, creating tension that doesn't let up for the audience even when the screen goes to black. But the antagonizing score fits well within the nightmare existence of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a professor and devoted family man in '60s suburbia. First, his wife announces that she's leaving him for a touchy-feely close-talker; his unemployed brother spends entire 24-hour periods in his bathroom; and one of his foreign students is threatening to sue him. Really, the only thrill Gopnik ever gets in life is when his neighbor Mrs. Samsky sunbathes nude.

Poor Gopnik is a wound-up guy, and you feel for him and with him. (It's true; I had to decompress after this movie.) His world is spiraling out of control, so he seeks out three rabbis for a solution. Does Gopnik get the enlightenment he seeks? Not exactly, and neither do we as the audience.

There's not a single bad thing I can say about any of the actors. Each one was believable and charmingly offbeat in their role. The Coens are brilliant with character nuances - even some of the small two-minute parts managed to get laughs - but the larger picture just seemed murky from the get-go. The first five minutes of the film starts with a man in a village who accidentally invites a ghost home for dinner. It's all in Yiddish with subtitles, and it's almost like watching a stand-alone play, but I'm still not sure what it had to do with the rest of the plot, other than the Jewish religion and setting a dismal tone. So right away I felt semiconfused, but entertained nonetheless - which is pretty much how the duration of it went for me.

The film does have some great scenes - I loved the interaction between Gopnik and his foreign student, and his wife's new boyfriend Si is particularly funny - but trying to piece it together is a bit like banging your head against the wall (just like in the movie's trailer). I get that Gopnik's life sucks, but other than that, it's hard to tell exactly what we're supposed to glean from the story. I think that was sort of the point the Coens were trying to make - Gopnik doesn't get the answers he seeks, and neither do we.

Go see it if you're a hardcore Coenaholic, and enjoy the funny scenes without trying to analyze it too much. But if you prefer to dissect your movies, I'd say rent this one at home, because you may need to watch it twice.

What movies are you seeing this weekend? Review them in our Movie Review Group!

Photos courtesy of Focus Features