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Box Office: Paranormal Activity Spooks Its Way to No. 1

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:30:00 -0700

Talk about a shocker! The low-budget underdog Paranormal Activity has been riding its growing popularity all the way to the top - even upsetting the reigning king of horror, the Saw franchise. Paranormal took in $22 million in its first weekend with a wide release, which has execs talking about a possible sequel. Saw VI trailed at No. 2 with only $14.8 million - the worst opening ever for a Saw film.

Completing the rest of the top five was last week's biggest moneymaker, Where the Wild Things Are, which dropped to No. 3 with $14.4 million, followed by Law Abiding Citizen at No. 4 with $12.7 million, and Couples Retreat at No. 5 with $11 million. (The box office newcomers Cirque du Freak and Amelia placed No. 8 and No. 11, respectively.)

Hollywood Halloween: 10 Costumes Inspired by This Year's Movies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:30:59 -0700

Still hunting for that perfect Halloween costume? Never fear, for I am willing to share some of my ideas with you, culled from this year's flicks. Everyone loves a good pop culture reference, and the best part is that these are super easy to put together last minute. From spooky to hilarious, there's a little something for everyone, so take a look.

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Box Office: At the Top Is Where the Wild Things Are

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:30:09 -0700

Where the Wild Things Are lived up to its big expectations, taking the top spot at the box office this weekend with $32.4 million.

Audiences disregarded Law Abiding Citizen's less than stellar reviews (including my own), and the film took second place and raked in $21.2 million. Paranomal Activity continues to soar, climbing up to number three and making $20.1 million. Couples Retreat slid down from number 1 to 4 with $17.9 million, and The Stepfather rounded out the top 5 with $12.3 million.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Where the Wild Things Are: A Passionate Ode to Childhood

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:30:00 -0700

There's been a bit of a controversy over how to market Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, Where The Wild Things Are. Is it for kids? Adults? Adult hipsters?

The answer is anyone who wants to feel what it's like to be a child, and not in the fun-loving, no-responsibilities way. As adults, we tend to forget the insecurity and fears we had as kids, which the film's young character Max is in the throes of. There's just enough exposition before the fantasy begins: Max has a single mom (Catherine Keener) and an older sister who has recently outgrown him. His first few acts at home show his innocence and the savage emotions under the surface. He knows it as being "wild."

Where the Wild Things Are isn't a heavy-handed allegory, or an edgy children's movie; it's a loyal tribute to the way kids think and feel. To see what else I thought of the film, just read more.

Max reaches the world of the wild things after throwing a particularly heinous fit, prompting his mother to yell, "You're out of control!" After running away, Max finds himself on a boat that finally brings him to a strange land. This is where the wild things are. The creatures Jonze has created are aesthetic wonders: creepy, hostile, and huggable at once. These aren't Jim Henson's Muppets, but real characters, led by Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini). The rest of the group is comprised of Lauren Ambrose as aloof KW, Catherine O'Hara as prickly Judith, Paul Dano as timid Alexander, Chris Cooper as Douglas, and Forest Whitaker as Ira.

Each creature has a fully realized personality, with flaws and varying temperaments; their faces are so emotive and their dialogue so human that their scenes with Max are as real as those with his mother. This group is not easily classified as friend or foe - they're dysfunctional in their relationships and don't always treat each other well. One of the most successful elements of the movie is the dialogue of the wild things, which is rooted in Max's head.

In many ways, screenwriter Dave Eggers's job was tougher than Spike Jonze's, because it's imperative to remember the way children think. Max's interactions with Carol and his new clan are made up of the kind of things a kid would hear from his parents and peers and then internalize. In fact, in the wild world, Max declares himself king to bring order, and he summons up speeches from the authority figures that he's pulling away from in his real life. Naturally, he's too young to recognize how his subverted position is significant.

Max's relationship with Carol is most telling. As the de facto leader of the group who can't handle sadness, loneliness, or jealousy, he acts out as a mirror of Max while still being his own character. The richness of Carol and the creature cast stays with you; when Max has to say goodbye to his friends, your heart breaks.

Jonze impressed me with his non-conformity; in another movie, Max would have demonstrated the grand lessons he learned from his time on the island, but in this one, he doesn't have to learn anything. He just gets to feel and experience and appreciate his emotionally fragmented new friends. It's devastating as a viewer, especially if you can put yourself back in that childlike place when your feelings were so raw and simple.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Buzz's Picks For Fall Movies: Best of the Rest

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:30:03 -0700

Fall means back to school, cooling temperatures, changing leaves . . . and a whole lot of new movies. I'm helping you sort through the coming releases by giving you my recommendations - I already talked about which dramas, comedies, and romances to see - but there are a few movies that don't fit perfectly into any of those categories. But what they are is exciting - check out the best of the rest of upcoming Fall flicks.

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Karen O Tells Us "All Is Love" in Where the Wild Things Are

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:30:55 -0700

Unsurprisingly, the first song off the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are, which already looks adorable and cool, is totally cute. Featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' frontwoman Karen O and a collection of adults and children simply called "the Kids," the track is sweet and whimsical, with all the Kids' voices combining with Os high-pitched chirruping. In "All Is Love," the whole group repeats those three words over and over until you can't really do anything but smile and start to believe it.

The single will be available to download tomorrow, and for now you can hear it on the MySpace page for Where the Wild Things Are. Take a listen, and tell me what you think.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

The Latest Trailer For Where the Wild Things Are Is Adorable

BuzzSugar — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:30:40 -0700

Not that that's a huge surprise since that first full-length trailer was so endearing, but in this latest one we actually get to hear the wild things talk some more - and it's awesome. The look and feel of this film is so different from that of other kids' movies from recent years. It's touching and sweet, imaginative and realistic at the same time. Watching this latest trailer made me feel the way I did when I saw Labyrinth, Neverending Story, and The Dark Crystal for the first time. I have this feeling (or at least I hope) that Where the Wild Things Are will be a movie that our kids will show their kids, who will show their kids, and on and on for generations.

The movie will open Oct. 16. This new trailer really is just so cute, so to check it out, read more.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

2009 Comic-Con: Sherlock, Wild Things, The Box, and More!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:35:29 -0700

Today at Comic-Con, Warner Bros. provided a closer look at some of its most-anticipated upcoming films. In a packed 90 minutes, we got sneak peeks at Where the Wild Things Are, The Book of Eli, The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes. The panels were chock-full of celebs, which made for a lot of fan excitement and some interesting questions (including multiple marriage proposals for Megan Fox and Cameron Diaz). Here are my thoughts:

Where the Wild Things Are: We didn't get a full panel and Q&A for this one, but the clips were more than enough to satisfy fans who have been dying to see more of Spike Jonze's newest project. I was so excited to find that the scenes were just as touching and mesmerizing as as the film's trailer. Basically, I can't wait for Oct. 16!
The Book of Eli: This morning I showed you all the trailer for the movie, but having the cast on hand was even better. Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman seemed to have a great relationship - the perfect balance of mutual respect mixed with a lot of goofing around. When asked what it was like to work together, they quipped:

Washington: "It was like good sex. We had a ball together. Sometimes we do the scene as English gentlemen . . ."
Oldman: "Sometimes you do it with the slang African-American, sometimes it's the English gentleman, sometimes it's the thespian . . . like good sex."

It should be awesome to see these two duke it out on the big screen. Oh, and Oldman also revealed that he'll start filming the next Batman next year - adding "But you didn't hear it from me."

Want to hear about The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes? Of course! Just read more.

The Box: Cameron Diaz and James Marsden came out along with director Richard Kelly to answer questions about the upcoming creepy sci-fi flick. We got the first taste of the film's eerie score, which is done by The Arcade Fire, and Frank Langella's scarred face was even more haunting than I remembered it from the trailer. Diaz isn't exactly known for supernatural thrillers, but she talked a bit about why she loves the genre. She said:

"What I really love about sci-fi is that it comes from the creative, artistic intellectual who is trying to answer all of these existential questions that we have. When I read Richard's script, I thought, 'There's so much about humanity in this script and so much we're trying to understand about ourselves just pushing a button'. . . It was just so big. . . I loved that about it, and that's what I love about sci-fi. I grew up on sci-fi. My dad was a sci-fi reader. It's always been something I've really enjoyed."
Jonah Hex: This creepy-looking Western doesn't hit theaters until next Summer, but I'm not surprised that it's already garnering interest. Josh Brolin stars as the title character, an intimidating cowboy with swagger, a bad attitude, and a mysterious scar (a hole, really) on the side of his face. Megan Fox plays his prostitute love interest, and while the trailer made me a bit squeamish, I have to admit that I was intrigued. Brolin seemed effusively proud of the project - almost to the point of arrogance - while Fox sat pretty on the panel and tried to dodge questions from drooling fanboys.
Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey Jr. needed no introduction, and he ate up all the cheers and applause with the charm and charisma that makes him so great. The movie footage was really just an extended version of the trailer, but the panel was more than enough to reaffirm my enthusiasm. RDJ, along with the film's producers (including his wife, Susan Downey) and Rachel McAdams, reiterated again and again how hard they worked on the film. They cited the biggest challenge as staying true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original portrayal of the characters, but not before Downey joked, "This is how sick I am: I don't think there's anything that can be too challenging for me. I have an illness of confidence."

Stay tuned for more from San Diego all weekend!

Movie Preview: Where the Wild Things Are

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:00:40 -0700

Um, I just about started crying at my desk right now, and it's all because of this brand-new trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. Set to a version of the Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," the trailer's full of striking shots of Max in his fuzzy costume and crown, romping on through the forest with giant, gorgeously rendered monsters. It's sweet and poignant and beautiful, and it gives me such hope for this movie, which I've long thought was too good to be true. Can it be Oct. 16 right now?

This adaptation is being brought to life by director Spike Jonze with a screenplay co-written by Dave Eggers. Word that the film was having troubles early on made me fear it would never make it to theaters, and having seen the trailer, I'm not surprised - this definitely doesn't look like a typical children's movie. But I'm not sure it's all that different from some of the darker movies of my childhood (I mean, we had Labyrinth). And everything is just so thoughtfully put together, right down to the font. Looks like this one definitely deserves its place as one of my most-anticipated entertainment moments of '09. To check out the trailer, just read more.

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Link Time! 3/24

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:30:34 -0700

Help choose the ultimate '90s movie. - Best Week Ever
Some highs and lows from SXSW. - Pop Candy
Tina Fey and Megan Mullally love them some Conan. - Popwatch
Hooray! New pictures from Where the Wild Things Are. - Cinematical
Do you Hulu? - geeksugar
Emily Blunt talks about ditching Iron Man 2 for Gulliver's Travels. - MTV Splash Page
What are the best short-lived shows of all time? - TV Squad
Zac Efron out of Footloose remake: yay or boo? - PopSugar