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Tom Hanks Hops on the Live-Action Toy Movie Bandwagon

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:30:53 -0700

Tom Hanks is no stranger to acting with - or as - toys in the movies. He played a toy designer in the movie Big and lent his voice to one of film's most famous toys of all, Woody the cowboy from Pixar's Toy Story. So it's no surprise that he would want in on the live-action toy movies sweeping the land - Transformers, G.I. Joe, Candyland, etc.

Hanks is looking to star as Major Matt Mason, a toy astronaut developed in the '60s by Mattel when every little kid dreamed of rocketing off to the moon like Neil Armstrong. Screenwriter Graham Yost, who worked with Hanks before on HBO's From the Earth to the Moon, will write the script. Of course, Hanks also has previous astronaut experience from Apollo 13.

Must be nice to be as big a star as Hanks and bring the toys of your childhood to life on the big screen. This toy came before my time, but I like the idea of Hanks on the moon again - how about you? Now if only a big box-office female star could get to work on Jem.

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Mattel Plans More Toy-Inspired Movies

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:31:54 -0800

The Transformers movie clearly turned out to be massively successful for the Hasbro toy company, and talk of a sequel swiftly followed the first movie's release. Then a G.I. Joe movie went into development, followed by a deal with Universal to make at least four movies based on Hasbro products, including Ouija, Candyland and Battleship, among others.

Not to be outdone, rival toy company Mattel got to work on a live-action "300-style" He-Man movie (with rumors of Brad Pitt taking the main role) and now there are a few more toy-inspired projects on the way. Apparently the company hopes to make an action film based on Hot Wheels, and at long last, Barbie will get her very own live-action feature film (though, as we all know, it's not exactly easy to find real women with the Barbie doll's measurements, or those who walk only on their tiptoes).

Obviously these projects are done with the intention of selling more toys, but do you think there's anything cool or interesting about them? And what kind of character will Barbie be?

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Movie Preview: Toy Story 3

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

Back in April we got a taste of Toy Story 3 with this little teaser, but that was nothing compared to the full-length trailer. It doesn't take much more than Randy Newman's voice and a few flashbacks to Andy's life with Woody, Buzz, and the gang to remind me how Pixar can be so damn emotionally manipulative - in the best way, of course.

In the movie's third installment, little Andy is all grown up and heading off to college. Like most of us, he's abandoned his childhood treasures for more grown-up toys (like an over-stickered laptop). Overcome with the fear of being chucked (or getting sold on eBay), Woody, Buzz, and their tiny toy army find themselves in an even worse predicament - a kid's daycare center. The original film still stands tall among my Pixar favorites, and there's something so comforting about hearing all those celebrity voices again. Considering how well the Toy Story 1 & 2 3-D double feature is doing at the box office right now, I won't be alone when the movie hits theaters next Summer.

To get all nostalgic over the trailer, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

My Little Pony Trotting Back to TV

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:30:00 -0800

The beloved '80s toy turned movie turned TV show, My Little Pony, is getting resurrected with a series set to air on the new Discovery-Hasbro kids channel.

Makes sense since My Little Pony is a Hasbro creation, but I have mixed feelings over this news. I was nutty for the toys growing up - I even had a tiny plastic pony tent that I used to pitch in my living room. And while I'm glad to see an old familiar friend make a comeback, I hope they don't turn it into some newfangled 2.0 version meant to look more slick, like so many other cartoons nowadays. Don't mess with a classic, people!

What's your take on My Little Pony's TV update? Were you a fan of the original?

Cirque du Freak: An Unnecessary Addition to Vampire Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:09 -0700

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen - but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do - that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

Things go awry when Darren finds himself tangled up in the world behind the Cirque, particularly that of Larten Crepsley, a crotchety vampire who couldn't be bothered with a teenager. When Darren gets himself into a sticky situation, the only way he can bail himself out is by selling his soul to Crepsley, becoming his half-vampire assistant.

If you thought sorting out all the vampire lore in Twilight and True Blood was confusing, get ready for the most convoluted yet. In this story, a war is brewing between two breeds: the Vampanese represent the blood-suckers that are all for killing their prey, while the run-of-the mill vamps prefer to sedate, feed, and then letting their victims return to regular life. As a half-vampire who's reluctant to lose what little human qualities he has left, Darren obviously joins Larten Crepsley's team, while his best friend Steve joins the evil Vampanese.

As for the actual Cirque du Freak, the group of misfits and outcasts are more X-Men and less Carnivale. The crew includes unusual children who were abandoned by their parents (like "Snake Boy" and "Monkey Girl"), along with a few other vaudeville acts like the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski). Some are friendly, others are surly, but the cirque in itself is more campy than scary; little hideout is basically an island of misfit toys.

The film isn't boring, but it's not exactly packed with pizazz either. Director Paul Weitz was sure to stay on the safer side of the movie's PG-13 rating, rarely pushing the envelope on what could have been a much creepier film. John C. Reilly is always reliable for a good performance, and he has some great comedic timing as the voice of brutal honesty to Darren's naivete. Massoglia gives decent performance for a newbie, and even reminded me of a young Emile Hirsch at times. That said, the movie is also packed with confusing subplots and some truly corny dialogue that evoked collective groans from the audience.

If you're looking for a fun movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, this might do the trick. Just make sure you're in a tween state of mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Motherhood: A Harried-Mom Tale That Often Feels Tired

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:30:20 -0700

When you have a parenting movie set in New York, you should know better than to expect a warm-'n'-fuzzy story about the joys of having kids. In fact, Motherhood is out to prove that mothers have it rough.

The film follows Eliza Welsh (Uma Thurman), a Manhattan writer dealing with a cramped apartment, busy husband, and side-street parking while raising her two kids. A day in her life feels like a really, really long 24 hours. Eliza runs around frantically trying to prepare for her 6-year-old's birthday while composing an essay for a parenting magazine contest and squeezing in a sample sale with her mommy friend Sheila (Minnie Driver). We know that Eliza was once a great writer, but when she had kids, she decided to give up her job to raise her family. Now, she's a shell of her former self in frumpy clothes and messy hair. Simply put, Eliza is dealing with the classic parent conundrum: how do you care for your kids and still retain something for yourself? The answer? It ain't easy.

For more about what I mean, read more.

Eliza doesn't try to feign martyrdom. In fact, she often whines about her plight in a way that screams, "I'm angry, dammit!" And at first, you're angry for her too. (No woman deserves to put up with all that she does.) But as the film goes on, Eliza's bitterness knocks you over the head, and you have to you wonder - is she like this every day? Yeesh.

Luckily we have Eliza's friend Sheila for some needed comic relief. Sheila is the cool single mom to the more neurotic Eliza - she mouths off cheeky one-liners and uses her son's motorized bath toy for her "alone time." Jodie Foster also delivers a hilarious cameo as a celebrity mom swearing at the paparazzi on the playground - aka, herself. Both women keep Eliza's "what-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong" storyline from wearing too thin.

Mothers will probably identify with either Eliza or Sheila but what about the rest of us? While the actors perform well and the movie provides laughs for those who can relate (read: parents), most of the jokes don't feel fresh, and you've probably seen similar setups on shows like The Middle or In the Motherhood or any of the other dozens of family comedies in recent years. Props to the filmmakers for giving mothers their due, but if you're not one yourself, an hour and a half with Eliza may be enough to make you rush out of the theater and buy birth control.

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Clive Owen had a big week: He landed a new project, and he was promoting his current film The Boys Are Back all over the place. I snagged an interview with him - and I have the video footage to prove it!
The New Moon soundtrack just came out, so I poured over it to choose a few favorite songs.
Before you hit the theater, check out my reviews for Law Abiding Citizen, New York I Love You, and Where the Wild Things Are.
Love a good bromance? Check out my top 12 favorites!
The fourth (and final) round of my Scariest Movie Bracket just started, so vote!
Channing Tatum gave us a misty-eyed performance in the trailer for Dear John - and Buzz and Woody are back for Toy Story 3!
Hollywood was giddy over a new film in the Jack Ryan series with Chris Pine, so I rolled out a few picks for the Hollywood men I'd like to see in the famous role.
My Caption It feature moved over to our BuzzSugar Community, so check it out!
As a spinoff to last week's 10 Most Influential Male Characters on TV, I gave you my picks for the 10 Most Influential Women. Take a peek at the list.
Ironically enough, I asked you which So You Think You Can Dance judge you were going to miss - and then Mia Michaels up and left.
Speaking of SYTYCD, don't miss your chance to go the finale! Take this quiz to win.

Live Action Barbie Movie in the Works - Who Should Play Her?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:30:09 -0700

We were just talking about the trend of board games getting made into movies, and now comes word that the holy grail of childhood toys, Barbie, is also getting a film deal.

Universal Pictures is teaming up with Mattel to develop a family film based on the doll, but here's the kicker: it's going to be live-action. That means two Hollywood types are going to be playing the famous blonde with impossibly high arches and her anatomically challenged boyfriend, Ken.

Let's talk casting. I'm sure a bunch of celeb mommies will be lining up to take on the part - what mom wouldn't want to play a role that's guaranteed to be a huge hit with her kids? - and I'm curious to see just which lady lands the lead. Until then, let's have some fun and try a few guesses of our own. Who would you choose to portray Barbie and Ken in the new movie?