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Woody Allen's New Women

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 04:33:38 -0700

Say what you will about Woody Allen and his sordid relationship history, but the man knows how to cast female actors in great roles. Witness Dianne Wiest in Bullets Over Broadway, Mia Farrow in Hannah and Her Sisters, and - of course - Diane Keaton in Annie Hall. Perhaps not coincidentally, those are also some of my favorite Woody Allen movies.

The director's new muse, it seems, is Scarlett Johansson, who just signed on to star alongside Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem in Allen's still-untitled latest film, which begins shooting this summer in Spain. For all the details, read more

The movie will shot in Barcelona and marks the first time he has filmed a movie in Spain. But it also represents another interesting milestone for Johansson. According to Variety:

That is her third starring role in his past four films, making Johansson the actress Allen has used most frequently since his early runs with Mia Farrow and Diane Keaton.

While Farrow and Keaton are by far the most famed of Allen's actresses - mainly because he was romantically linked to them - he definitely likes to work with the same actors over and over again. If you're interested, Film Experience has a very cool ranking of women who have appeared in Woody Allen movies, including some I'd forgotten about. Charlize Theron and Tracey Ullman, for instance, have both appeared in two of his movies.

What do you think of the casting? Do you think Penelope might end up a regular fixture?

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jhilly123's Favorite Romantic Comedies

Buzz Community — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:30:51 -0700

This post comes from BuzzSugar Community user jhilly123, who submitted her post to the Movie Lists group.

My favorite category! I was actually going to tackle this topic earlier, but hadn't gotten around to doing it. These are just ones that come immediately to my mind and I may think of ones later that I'd forgotten (which is usually the case). Even if the endings are usually predictable, rom-coms always make me laugh and are great movies to watch when you want to relax.

Love Actually: One of my favorite movies ever, Richard Curtis (the director) is a genius. The stories and characters intertwine really well, and you feel satisfied (if that's possible) after seeing it. I've probably watched it 100 times already.
Bridget Jones' Diary: How could this not be on the list? It was on my other list as my onscreen favorite couple, but Renee is so hilarious as Bridget Jones.

Miss Congeniality: I think Sandra Bullock's the romantic comedy Queen-many of her movies are my favorites, she just knows how to make people laugh. Plus I love Benjamin Bratt and Michael Caine.
Two Weeks Notice: See what I mean? And Hugh Grant is the King of romantic comedies-I love this film and the New York vibe I get from watching it. Plus the banter between the two is really cute.

To see the rest of jhilly123's list, just read more.

The Wedding Date: Although I've read the book (and the entire story is different, minus the plot), I love this version and I find Dermot Mulroney so hot. Plus it takes place in England, and I'm obsessed with all things British.
You've Got Mail: I love Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks' collaborations!
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Another great romantic comedy. Don't you love Kate's yellow dress?
When Harry Met Sally: Classic right? Well Meg Ryan is really good in romantic comedies and it does answer the question as to whether or not men and women can be friends!
27 Dresses: This just came out more recently, but I love Katherine and James' banter throughout the film. Benny and the Jets!
13 Going On 30: I've always been a fan of Jennifer Garner and I love the premise behind the film. Plus Mark Ruffalo is really cute in the film.

Here's my list! Let me know what you think.

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Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher Are Friends With Benefits

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:30:11 -0700

Ashton Kutcher's love affair with romantic comedies just keeps on. To follow up his role in Valentine's Day (and the upcoming Killers), the actor has signed on for director Ivan Reitman's next project, currently titled Friends With Benefits - and his leading lady is Natalie Portman!

The premise (at least what's been revealed so far) is what you'd expect: how men and women who have no problems hopping into bed together can have trouble actually forming a solid relationship. It sounds like the beginnings of what could be a cute story, but I'm still skeptical. Kutcher doesn't exactly have the best track record with films, and while Portman is undoubtedly a great actress, she's been inconsistent as of late.

The film already has a release date of Jan. 7, 2011, which means someone believes in the project. As for me, I'm hoping that Kutcher and Portman will help balance each other out. He can bring out her goofier side that we don't see nearly enough on the big screen, and she can tone him down a little. Could be a good pairing after all - what do you think?

Movie-to-TV: Almodovar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:30:22 -0700

I should really watch Pedro Almodovar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown again. Actually, I should have just bought that Almodovar collection for myself around the holidays because I don't remember a ton about it besides the fact that I really enjoyed it and I swooned over the skinny, baby-faced version of Antonio Banderas. Today there's another reason to rewatch the madcap comedy: Fox TV Studios is developing an hour-long, English-language TV series based on the movie. The studio has tapped Almodovar fan Mimi Schmir to write the series, as she has already "mined the arena of women in midlife crisis in a novel she is writing based on her 'Hot Flashes' blog." For more info on the project, read more.

Here's more:

The movie, starring Carmen Maura and featuring Antonio Banderas, was inspired by 1950s Hollywood comedies. Featuring Almodovar's trademark rapid-fire dialogue and fast-paced action, it chronicles a two-day period in the life of a voice actress who has been abandoned by her lover and gets in a series of comedic situations while frantically trying to track him down.

The Women series "will be a suburban drama about a group of women who have known each other for a long time, perhaps from college, who are in the middle of their lives and looking at the second half of their lives," Schmir said.

Like the movie, the series will feature a fair amount of humor. Schmir also is planning to pay homage to the movie by keeping some elements, like the film's ongoing gag of unsuspecting visitors to the actress's apartment being knocked out by sleeping pill-laden gazpacho she had intended for her philandering lover.

It will be interesting to see how much of the original flavor from the movie will make it into an English-language television series. Apparently Almodovar himself will be "very involved" in the production, so that's a good sign. Have you seen Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown? How does this sound to you?

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What to TiVo: Saturday

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:50:00 -0800

ABC has repeats of Desperate Housewives and Castle
CBS has repeats of CSI and Criminal Minds, and is new with 48 Hours Mystery
FOX is new with Cops and America's Most Wanted
NBC has repeats of Parenthood, Law & Order, and Law & Order: SVU
ABC Family has Miss Congeniality
AMC has Gangs of New York
E! has Little Women
Lifetime is new with Who is Clark Rockefeller?
MTV has repeats of South Park and Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, and has Slither
VH1 has repeats of Sober House With Dr. Drew and Tool Academy 3
Late-night highlights include Jude Law and Pearl Jam on Saturday Night Live on NBC

Movie Preview: Women in Trouble

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:30:29 -0700

Every few years, a woman-heavy ensemble hits the theaters, and I always hope it's going to be as good as the standard, Steel Magnolias. This year's flick, Women in Trouble, stars Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, Marley Shelton, Emanuelle Chriqui, and Sarah Clarke as the various women from different walks of life. One's a porn star, one's a masseuse, one's a flight attendant, and many of them are in their bras in this trailer. As you can tell from the title, they're each in some kind of personal trouble and the film looks like a Crash-like melange of the ladies' intersecting lives.

There's also a wee bit of testosterone with a few actors who are easy on the eyes: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, and Simon Baker. The cast seems pretty promising, but I worry it'll veer into the same stale territory as last year's The Women.

To see the trailer, just read more.

Books: Japanese Women One-Up French Women?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:52:03 -0800

In 2004, Veuve Clicquot CEO Mireille Guiliano published a book about healthy living with a French twist, titling it with the bold claim that French Women Don't Get Fat. Not to be outdone, Tokyo native Naomi Moriyama came back with a book about how Japanese women trump French women not only in the weight game but also when it comes to aging!

Recently reprinted as a new edition, Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat addresses the phenomena of Japanese women having both the lowest obesity rate and the highest life expectancy in the industrialized world. The book gives suggestions for non-Western everyday healthy living, emphasizing that the basis for much Japanese cuisine is simplicity. According to Publisher's Weekly:

Cooking tips abound, but what adds a French Women Don't Get Fat angle is the useful eating advice, such as "Hara hachi bunme," or "Eat until you are 80 percent full."

It seems like it's become a war of the skinny cultures, making me wonder how the next author will try to outdo Moriyama's assertion. Which culture will claim that its women don't get fat, old, ugly, sick, or sad or have bad hair days?

The Women: Not Fizzy, Just Empty

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:34:00 -0700

Philosophically, the very existence of The Women is something that makes me cheer. As its title suggests, it's a movie full of only women - and many of them "women of a certain age," at that. Director and screenwriter Diane English spent years trying to steer her remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic to the screen, and I respect and admire her determination. A powerful remake of The Women could have sent yet another signal that moviegoers want to see women on screen in all their beautiful, imperfect, daffy, lovable, clueless, fantastic glory.

On screen, though, The Women disappoints to an almost depressing degree. It's not an outright disaster; there are good moments from nearly everyone in the gigantic cast. But it's not screwball enough to honor its '30s movie heritage, not clever enough to make for a fun night out at the theater. And its own message on women is utterly conflicted, threatening to undermine the potential positive impact of bringing an all-female movie to the big screen.

Meg Ryan stars as Mary Haines, whose life comes complete with adorable daughter, fabulous luncheons, and blooming garden she planted herself. If there are cracks in that shiny veneer, she'd hardly notice; as a friend, Alex (Jada Pinkett Smith), points out, she's too busy filling them in. So it knocks her flat when she finds out - thanks to her gossipy manicurist (Debi Mazar) - that her husband is having an affair with the Saks perfume "spritzer girl" (Eva Mendes). That betrayal would be bad enough, but before long, there's another one, courtesy of her best friend Sylvie (Annette Bening), who sells out Mary to save her own floundering career. The Women does fine with that broad sketch of a plot. It's in the details that the movie loses its footing, so read more.

Some of the movie's issues lie in the direction, which isn't confident enough to pull off some of the more screwball elements. English also doesn't seem to know how to use Bette Midler, who has a brief cameo that is delightful to watch but doesn't contribute much to the story, and Debra Messing and Smith are hardly in the movie. The whole look of the film is flat - understandable given its relatively small budget, but far from engaging for a viewer.

What The Women gets right is Mary's devastation at Sylvie's betrayal; losing her husband wouldn't have been so bad if the whole mess hadn't taken her friend along with it. The few scenes with the friends together are a treat, especially when they're plotting their confrontation of (and revenge against) the spritzer girl. Mendes basically just has to act hot and stupid, and she does that well. And Candice Bergen is amusing as Mary's mother, who dispenses advice that seems to be from another era.

Or is it? The Women seems confused about its own thoughts on women's roles. And while I can live with the ultimate outcome of Mary's journey to find herself (though I thought it was far too easy and predictable), what I can't condone is the movie's treatment of Mary's daughter Molly, who is basically a living representation of Why Women Hate Themselves. In her first scene, she tells Mary she's on a diet because she's fat; Mary laughs it off . Over the course of the movie, she starts smoking to keep from eating, burns tampons because she hates being a girl, and laments that she doesn't understand why magazine editors like Sylvie send such mixed signals to women. Sylvie's ultimate response when confronted with all of Molly's baggage? "I'm a hypocrite. Life is complicated."

That's all?

Sadly, that empty, cop-out response is far too apt a metaphor for The Women as a whole.

Photos courtesy of Picturehouse

House Rundown, "Private Lives"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:35:47 -0800

After a month-long hiatus for House (and a Cuddy-centric episode), the Princeton-Plainsboro team returns this week to shed light on another mysterious case. I waited in anticipation to see what they'd cook up after time off, but dare I say, I'm somewhat let down. Not that the night didn't have storyline gems, but the patient plot of an over-sharing blogger (Laura Prepon) feels like the show is trying too hard to tap into the 21st century. See how millennial we are? OK, to cut the writers some slack, I do love the battle between Wilson and House, and there is one particularly interesting reveal. It almost seems like we're getting hints about where the characters are headed in coming episodes. Ready to go over some of the night's important questions? Let's get down to it when you read more.

I'd hate to be the speed dater stuck with House. When he, Wilson, and Chase head to a mixer, House bets Chase that he'll get the most phone numbers due to his pretty face. Chase agrees - optimistic about the women's lack of shallowness - and pretends to be a slovenly video game player who makes fat comments, while sympathetic Wilson gets stuck with sob stories about cats with cancer. As for House . . . well, he's himself. It isn't a vital scene per se, but hey, it entertained me. Who do you think will actually be the first to start dating next - House, Wilson, or Chase?
Speaking of Chase's love life, once again I think I sensed a connection between him and Thirteen, like the writers seemed to allude to several weeks ago. When Chase is disappointed by the outcome of his speed dating trial (several women want his number despite his behavior), he turns to Thirteen to validate that he's more than his looks, and the two doctors seem to bond. Would you like to see Chase and Thirteen get together?
Let the hijinks continue! House discovers that Wilson is in a porn tape and lets everyone in the hospital know - with posters. To Wilson's credit, it's a video he did for his college film student roommate, and he's not actually in the XXX portion. I do love seeing House and Wilson one-up each other and was dying to watch Wilson get him back. What about you - are you getting tired of the House and Wilson prank wars, or do you still love them as much as ever?
Wilson does return the favor: with a book. With Chase's clever deduction (seriously, it seemed too easy for him to realize House's fake book swap), Wilson finds out that House is reading a collection of sermons. Sermons?! Wilson obviously has a good laugh over this one, and after passing around copies to everyone to taunt House, the truth comes out - the book is written by House's biological father. 1) Yes, House's dad is a minister, and 2) Can we please, please see a reunion between father and son?
As for the patient, I enjoyed seeing Laura Prepon make an appearance, but her storyline? Kind of snoozy. First, we think she's been exposed to rat poison, then it's a bad heart valve, then it's lymphoma, then the vaccine is killing her. Sometimes I wish House could just figure things out on the first try. Did you enjoy her case? Her situation does raise questions about technology and social connection, however. I mean, do you think she's right to poll her blog readers on medical questions?

So tell me, are you glad House is back, or were you like me and hoping for a juicier patient case? Do you want to see an episode with House's father as much as I do? Share your thoughts in the comments, or head over to the House! group to talk more.

Photo courtesy of Fox

The 2007 Women In Film Awards

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:35:16 -0700

Yesterday several great women were honored by Women In Film (WIF), an organization's that strives not only to help women in the entertainment industry with funding projects, but also by making them feel empowered in such a male-dominated industry. For all the great strides women have made in the film industry - most notably this year in independent film with fantastic directors like Sarah Polley (Away From Her) and Adrienne Shelley (Waitress) - it's still hard out there for a woman in film (and television).

On Thursday night, the WIF's Crystal+Lucy Awards were given out at a gala dinner in Los Angeles to a select group of women - though there were many beautiful attendees who came to support. According to the WIF website, "All [the winners] have excelled in their chosen fields while simultaneously supporting the work of other women." Right on! Emily Blunt is among the winners, as is "Grey's Anatomy" creator/writer Shonda Rhimes. To see the full list, read more

Crystal Award for Excellence in Film
Renee Zellweger

Lucy Award for Excellence in Television
Shonda Rhimes, and the women of "Grey's Anatomy"

MaxMara “Face of the Future” Award
Emily Blunt

Dorothy Arzner Directing Award
Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, Something's Gotta Give)

The Paltrow Mentorship Award
Kathleen Kennedy

Kodak Vision Award
Uta Briesewitz, "for her notable achievements in Cinematography"

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