BuzzSugar

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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Zombieland Eats the Competition Alive at the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:30:55 -0700

Well, it looks like Très isn't the only one who loves a good horror comedy - Zombieland took the top spot at the box office this weekend with $25 million in ticket sales. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs slid to No. 2 with $16.7 million, followed by the Toy Story 1 &2 3-D double feature with $12.5 million.

The Invention of Lying made its box office debut in fourth place with $7.35 million, and Surrogates rounded out the top five with $7.4 million. Drew Barrymore's Whip It couldn't hack it in its opening weekend and finished in seventh with $4.8 million, right behind Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Weekend Movie Reviews, Dave's Multiple Affairs, and the Kanye/Gaga Tour Gets Canceled!

Molly — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:50:00 -0700

Trying to figure out which movie to go see this weekend? Check out our one-sentence movie reviews of Whip It!, Zombieland, and The Invention of Lying. Plus, find out what we're thinking about the David Letterman affair/extortion bombshell and possible reasons behind why Kanye West and Lady Gaga canceled their tour. Watch the weekend edition of PopSugar Rush now!

Whip It: A Rollicking Good Time

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:30:56 -0700

Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, roller derby comedy Whip It, is not unlike the actress's persona: cute, fun, and with a whole lot going on.

Ellen Page stars as quiet 17-year-old Bliss Cavendar, whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants to make her the queen of small-town Texas beauty pageants. Bliss meekly goes along with the idea, her voice too small to tell her mom she hates the contests. But one chance visit to nearby big city Austin and everything changes. Bliss admires some intimidating derby girls, and after sneaking off to a match, decides to try out. What follows is a fast-paced, highly entertaining girl-power anthem.

To read more about what I did and didn't like about the movie, just read more.

The movie is perfectly cast; Page plays a shy teen easily, never giving up her sweetness even after she adopts the moniker "Babe Ruthless" and gets repeatedly knocked into the rink sidelines. The team who welcomes her, the Hurl Scouts, is a motley crew: Eve and Zoe Bell don't become much more than background players, Barrymore is an ebullient if minor supporter ("Smashley Simpson"), but team captain Kristen Wiig is one of the hearts of the movie. With a part bigger than the trailer implies, Wiig (I never get tired of the derby names: "Maggie Mayhem") emerges as a mother figure when Bliss's relationship with her own mom is strained. It's nice to see her playing straight for once, and besides Page, Wiig is really the only multi-faceted derby girl.

That's not to say that the derby girls aren't anything special. Beautiful, tough, and impossibly cool, maybe you wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley, but you'd definitely want to be invited to their party. Juliette Lewis looks every part the queen bee - aggressive and sexy, she'll push you in a locker before you know what hit you. And naturally, there's a love interest, musician Landon Pigg - but he's kind of an afterthought, which I liked. By not giving in to the cliche that a girl gets everything she wants when she finds her passion, it strengthens the movie's pervasive girl power idea.

The movie isn't just about derby; it's a coming-of-age tale too, and Bliss didn't come from a shaky foundation. Alia Shawkat (yay, Maeby!) plays the hilarious and supportive BFF who doesn't exist just to cheer Bliss on from the sidelines. She's got her own thing, and is too confident to be left behind when Bliss gets wrapped up in her new life - a refreshing departure from the typical best friend character. And Harden isn't merely a strict parent caricature; she may want something completely different for her daughter, but her caring nature shines through.

It's not all success on skates, though. Sometimes the portrayal of the derby world gets to be an overzealous glorification. Sure, it's an amazing outlet for a lot of people and one of the few contact sports that really belongs to women, but the movie pushes the sexualization of the players a little too far. It's already sexy that the women play such a powerful sport, so it's not really necessary to do close-ups of the actresses' bare flesh to show the bruises.

There are a few things you could criticize about Barrymore's direction; for instance, Shauna Cross's screenplay is really quite funny, but some of the actors' lines fall flat. Also, the roller derby scenes have such potential to be exciting, and they could have been even more epic. Then again, this is Barrymore's first outing as a director, and it's still what you would expect from her: a fun-loving, freewheeling confection of a movie with a killer soundtrack.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Our Take on a JT/Biel Split, Justin Talks Drew on the Whip It! Red Carpet, and Kristin Gets Gleeful

Molly — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:25:18 -0700

Amid rumors of a split, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were spotted out holding hands on Monday night. Plus, check out what Justin Long had to say on last night's Whip It! red carpet and get a sneak peek at Kristin Chenoweth on Glee. Don't miss our exclusive message from a cast member too - super cute. Also, Lisa Kudrow whips out "Smelly Cat" at a benefit in LA last night. Watch it all on PopSugar Rush now!

Buzz's Picks For Fall Movies: Comedies

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:45:00 -0700

I've already given you previews of tons of upcoming Fall films, but now that their release dates are fast-approaching, I'm going to share my picks for the ones most worth seeing. Mark your calendar (or just write 'em in on your TV calendar!). First up, comedies.
Photos courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures, Fox Searchlight, and Sony Pictures

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Movie Preview: Drew and Ellen in Whip It

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:00:35 -0700

"So what are you, like, alternative now or something?"
"Alternative to what?"

Those images from last week were just a little taste of the Drew Barrymore-directed roller derby comedy Whip It - now there's a full trailer for the movie which gives us Ellen Page in a character that isn't nearly so smart-mouthed or brash as her previous roles. In fact, she's downright meek (and she wears glasses which, in my opinion, are incredibly cute on her)! Page plays Bliss, a quiet misfit who discovers that she's pretty good at roller derby, an "unladylike" activity that serves two purposes: it makes her happy and it annoys her controlling mother (Marcia Gay Harden - yay!). A bunch of other people also star, including Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis and Kristen Wiig (yay, again!).

Also, kudos to the trailer creators for using Weezer's "Pork and Beans." Awesome. Whip It opens Oct. 9. To see the trailer, read more.

This image premiered in USA Today

New Pics: Ellen and Drew as "Hurl Scouts" in Whip It

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:40:39 -0700

I've been interested in Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It, ever since I first caught wind of the news and now there are some pretty awesome stills to check out. USA Today premiered these pics, explaining that the roller derby movie follows Ellen Page's character, "a rebellious teenager who signs up to play the brutal and sexy female sport against her mother's will, finding friendship and freedom among the bruises and falls." Drew also stars in the movie, as does Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis.

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Man, I Can't Wait to Whip It!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:00:04 -0700

Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking about Whip It!, the film adaptation of Shauna Cross's novel Derby Girl, which just added Alia Shawkat (a.k.a. Maeby Fünke) to the cast. I knew that Drew Barrymore had signed on as the director of the film (and she'll be playing a role), and that the main character will be played by Ellen Page, but with every new addition to the cast I am even more intrigued to see this movie.

In addition to Page, Barrymore, and Shawkat, we've got Marcia Gay Harden (who I love), Juliette Lewis, Eve, former Xena stuntwoman Zoe Bell, and funny lady Kristen Wiig. The cast used to include Justin Long, but he quit after his relationship with Drew Barrymore ended.

The IMDB page for Whip It has this plot description:

In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.

Have you read Shauna Cross's novel? Do you, too, think this might end up being totally adorable? Are there any additional fun actresses you'd add to this cast?

Source and source

Movie News Roundup: Watts, Fox, Another 300 Movie and More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:46:17 -0700

According to The Guardian, Naomi Watts will play one of King Lear's daughters in the next film adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley will take on the roles of the other two daughters to Anthony Hopkins's King Lear.
Matthew Fox is in talks to star in yet another one of Hollywood's comic book-turned-movies, Billy Smoke, about "an elite hit man who's nearly killed during a botched job and realizes that his only way to find redemption is to rid the world of all assassins."
Hollywood Reporter writes that Helena Bonham Carter will have a "small but pivotal role" in the fourth Terminator movie.
A follow-up to 300 is officially in the works, with Frank Miller currently writing the graphic novel on which it will be based. Though he's not committed yet, 300 director Zack Snyder is "definitely interested" to see what Miller comes up with. It's unclear whether the new installment will be a prequel or a spinoff, Variety reports.
Robert Rodriguez is casting his lady Rose McGowan yet again, this time for a new film version of Red Sonja, a story based on the fearsome woman warrior created by Robert E. Howard and later adapted for Marvel Comics, Variety writes.
According to Hollywood Reporter, four more ladies (Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis and Zoe Bell) have joined Drew Barrymore's directorial feature Whip It, starring Ellen Page. The movie is based on the novel Derby Girl.

Source, source, source and source