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Movie Preview: Amanda Seyfried in Letters to Juliet

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:30:33 -0800

Amanda Seyfried's latest film Letters to Juliet looks like a mash up of her other work. First off, her character's name is Sophie, which brings Mamma Mia to mind, as does the romantic foreign locale. But even the title itself made me do a double-take - wait, isn't she already doing a book-turned-film about letters called Dear John?! Still, I'm not writing it off just yet. (No pun intended). I can be a sucker for a love story, even if it's a bit sappy.

The film follows Seyfried as an American tourist who discovers an unanswered "letter to Juliet" while on a trip in Verona, Italy. (The notes are left by visitors asking for help from Shakespeare's famous heroine.) She responds to the plea, and then sets off to find its author (Vanessa Redgrave) and reunite her with the man she left decades before. Of course, there's a triangle in there too, as Sophie begins to question her own relationship with her fiance (Gael Garcia Bernal) and falls for the woman's grandson (Christopher Egan).

The trailer pretty much gives away the whole movie, but this sort of storyline is usually predictable so I'll forgive the studio for it. Bonus for Taylor Swift fans: her "Love Story" is the theme song. The film doesn't arrive in theaters until May, but check it out and tell me what you think when you read more.

Cute Movie Couple Alert: Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal

BuzzSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:15:12 -0700

How cute is this? Amanda Seyfried and Gael Garcia Bernal are teaming up to play a couple in the Italy-set romantic movie Letters to Juliet. They're joined in the cast by Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. The story is based on a book "about the letters written by the lovelorn to star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet." Here's more:

Story follows a couple (Seyfried, Garcia) who take a trip to Italy and receive a note meant for Juliet written by a woman (Redgrave) searching for a young man who romanced her during a long-ago vacation in Italy. The young woman scours Tuscany to find the older woman's long-lost love (Nero).

The production company behind the project is none other than Summit, home of the Twilight movie franchise, so we know those folks are no strangers to the whole star-crossed lovers thing. What do you think about yet another story loosely based on Romeo and Juliet? Do you think Amanda Seyfried and Gael Garcia Bernal make a sweet couple?

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Evening: Time to Sleep

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:51:26 -0700

I went into Evening really wanting - nay, expecting - to love it. Look at the cast of respected actresses in this film: Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Toni Collette... the list continues. I hunkered down in the theater, equipped with tissues, readying myself for some heartwarmth and perhaps a cathartic sob or two. What happened instead? I nearly fell asleep.

The story follows the dying Ann (Redgrave), who is beginning to lose her grasp on the difference between past and present. She mentally relives a period of her life that she never shared with her adult daughters Nina (Collette) and Constance (Natasha Richardson) - the time she fell in love with the same man (Patrick Wilson) her best friend Lila (Mamie Gummer/Meryl Streep) also loved. Some other stuff happens that's of consequence though we're not allowed to concentrate on it for long because the daughters' stories are also roped into Ann's story. It sort of has that Beaches friendship 'n death thing going on, but there's so much other clutter involved that it's ultimately unsatisfying. There's more to say, though, so read more

Swathed in the dusky colors of evening-time and employing adorable period costumes, the look and feel of the movie is luscious and pleasant. Some of the performances are excellent, especially given the sloppy script. Toni Collette, in particular, is a breath of fresh air every time she's onscreen, as usual. Vanessa Redgrave is given little to work with, and by midway through the film I had her pattern down: Lie in bed, babble incoherently about things we don't yet understand, drift off to sleep murmuring to self, repeat. Ann's story told in flashbacks with Danes playing the young Ann would have been quite interesting Danes played Ann with any shred of personality at all. Thus, I come to the greatest problem with this movie: Claire Danes.

As I've mentioned before, I actually like Claire Danes. I enjoyed her part in The Hours, found her pleasant to watch in Shopgirl, and of course she'll always have a special place in my heart as Angela Chase. So watching her fail in this film was disappointing. For a movie almost entirely about her character she doesn't manage to keep the audience's attention for more than a minute or so. Most of all, there is a massive disconnect between Vanessa Redgrave's characterization and Danes' lack thereof - not once did I believe the two women to be playing the same character. The resultant feeling is one of muddy confusion and irritation.

Everyone else is more intriguing to watch than Danes, and I was particularly mesmerized by the character of Lila. Lila in general seems more complex than Ann, but Mamie Gummer's performance as the young Lila is also more interesting than Danes'. And then there is Meryl Streep as the adult Lila, whose screen time is quite brief, but for the few minutes she's there she far outshines anything else in the movie. One gets the feeling watching Streep that she has all the world's wisdom in her possession, and is doling it out in tiny increments. I was left desperately craving more Streep, as she was the only truly great thing about the film. But alas, I only got more of Danes until, to my relief, the movie ended.

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Movie Preview: Evening

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Back when I was drawing up my summer movie previews, Evening was one of my most highly anticipated dramatic movies. The cast is full of amazing women: Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, and Vanessa Redgrave, among others.

Based on a book by Susan Minot, the story follows Ann (Redgrave), a dying woman who is having vivid memories about a love that changed her forever - but that she never spoke of to her two adult daughters Nina (Collette) and Constance (Natasha Richardson). As Ann dreamily relives this period of her life on her deathbed, her daughters struggle to make sense of their mother's life as well as their own. You may have seen the previews for Evening on TV lately since the movie opens this Friday June 29, and if you're like me you still have Dido's "White Flag" stuck in your head, but in case you haven't seen the full trailer you can check it out if you read more

Will You Tune In For the Last Season of Nip/Tuck?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:30:00 -0700

Tonight, Christian Troy and Sean McNamara are back for the sixth and final season of Nip/Tuck. I was hooked on the jaw-dropping, soapy series back in the day, but had to break up with the show when the ick factor became more than I could bear.

Admittedly, I've spent some time catching up on episodes past because I'm still kinda interested in what became of the characters and the over-the-top story lines. I'm sure that the writers will be pulling out all the stops for the final season, which is packed with guest stars including Vanessa Redgrave, Melanie Griffith, Rose McGowan, and the return of Famke Janssen just to name a few. I just might have to give it another chance, but what about you?

Photo courtesy of FX