BuzzSugar

What Love Is: The Year's Worst-Looking Film

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:00:41 PDT

Most likely, you haven't heard about What Love Is, and that's probably because the people involved are ashamed. Well, I'm here to inform you about it and to speculate as to how movies like this ever get made. It truly baffles me that, at the completion of this movie, after everything wrapped and the editing was done, someone sat back and said, "Yup, that's it: Perfection!"

The most hilarious part is that, at some point, the filmmakers had extremely overzealous hopes for this movie, which will open quietly this Friday. Allow me to present this nugget from the production notes:

"What Tom says to Sara in that final moment will not only go down as one of the all-time classic moments in filmmaking history, but it will not leave a single dry eye in the house."

Um. Not likely.

That's not even the half of it, so

read more
In summary: Tom Riley (Cuba Gooding Jr.) goes home to propose to his girlfriend Sara on Valentine's Day night, only to find that she's left him but will be coming back to the house to pick up her remaining suitcases. Problem is, Tom invited his buddies (Matthew Lillard alert!) over to celebrate what he thought would be his new engagement. So, the buddies arrive and, in their dudely wisdom, offer advice on what to do about Sara. Here I must defer again to the outrageous production notes:

As more and more testosterone flows and more and more alcohol is consumed these five men work themselves up into such a frenzy that finally when there is a knock on the door nobody knows what to do! Everyone freezes except Tom, who is forced to gather up his courage once again and open the front door to confront Sara... only it's not Sara... it's five drop-dead gorgeous women standing in his doorway and asking him... "Is this where the Valentine's party is?" (Apparently Sal invited some women from back at the bar to join the party!)

The many ellipses are not my own, by the way. I can't really stomach much more of this, so please, just watch the trailer and witness this cinematic treasure for yourself.

Buzz Time Machine: Ryan Reynolds Gets Schooled by a Teenage Witch

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:00:00 PST

Long before Ryan Reynolds was kicking ass and taking names in Safe House, he landed a pretty different gig as a bad-boy jock on the Sabrina The Teenage Witch TV movie. Reynolds played Seth, your standard '90s smooth talker, who becomes the love interest of Sabrina. During a school dance, Seth pressures Sabrina to head to Lookout Point - and I'll let you see what is supposed to go on there. The whole thing looks like a bad after-school special until Sabrina does what she does best. Don't click away without watching Ryan Reynolds get schooled in this video!

Safe House: A Standout Thriller

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:05:00 PST

While working for the CIA may seem like a dream job, Matt Weston's (Ryan Reynolds) current position at a Safe House is certainly no picnic. He's a new agent, stationed alone in South Africa, waiting for the chance that he will have a "house guest" (someone who is taken prisoner by the CIA.) Matt's desperately trying to get some field experience so he can be stationed in some other city where he can see a little action. After a year of boredom, his wish comes true when Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) arrives.

I was constantly on the edge of my seat throughout the film, and felt everyone in the theater being equally enraptured with what was unraveling before our eyes. Safe House has high-stakes moments cut with sardonic, nonchalant comedy that Reynolds and Washington both pull off nicely. I felt connected to everyone's struggles, but the plot kept me unsure if I wanted the good guy or the bad guy to come out on top. To find out why Safe House exceeded my expectations, just keep reading.

Watch Oscar Nominee Jean Dujardin Audition For Every Villain Role Ever

Shannon Vestal — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:30:34 PST

Best actor nominee Jean Dujardin has a good chance of winning the Oscar for his performance in The Artist, and this Funny or Die video has a very specific idea for his career trajectory. Two Hollywood types inform Dujardin that many foreign Oscar winners go on to play memorable villains, so the good-natured Dujardin agrees to audition for a bad guy role - in every possible upcoming movie. Watch the ultra-charming star and his French accent try out every clichèd villain threat (and catch all the hilarious titles for sequels that aren't real . . . yet).

Jean Dujardin's Villain Auditions from Jean Dujardin

Brad Pitt Spends His Morning Talking "Bad Girl" Angelina, Kids, and More

Lauren Turner — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:10:54 PST

Brad Pitt sat down with Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning as part of his latest press tour for Moneyball. He's been promoting the movie, which is nominated for an Oscar, with appearances on The Daily Show, the Today show, and a taped episode of Inside the Actors Studio, which will air this Friday. In his most recent interview with CBS, Brad chatted about making the film, but also touched on his family life. He shared that the kids are used to the jet lag of the family's constant travels and that they have the responsibility of packing their own bags. Brad also responded to a clip of Angelina Jolie on 60 Minutes, confirming that "she's still a bad girl, delightfully so." Brad broke from his promotional duties yesterday, when he and Angelina took twins Knox and Vivienne to a screening of Lady and the Tramp in Hollywood.

Photo courtesy of CBS

Oscar Hall of Shame: The Bad Movie Pasts of the Nominees

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:30:01 PST

This year's crop of Oscar nominees are being honored for their remarkable performances, but not all of them have had careers full of strictly stellar films. As the following films prove, everyone has had to start somewhere (or had the occasional film-picking blunder), so for fun, we've compiled the movies that the Oscar nominees probably hope audiences forget come Feb. 26.

11 Rules to Dramatically Increase Your Productivity

Wise Bread — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:35:04 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!

There's a problem with a lot of productivity advice out there, and it's this - your "rules" for personal productivity are often going to be different than mine. Sure, sometimes there's overlap. Sure, you can always learn from others.

But if you want to see a dramatic increase in your productivity, spend less time reading and memorizing other people's rules, and more time figuring out what your own rules are. You'll be more productive and in a way that works with who you are.

So I'm sharing a few of my personal productivity rules. Maybe some of them will work for you or inspire you to think of your own.

1. Small Daily Movements Become Big Accomplishments

I tend to think that I must have big blocks of time in order to get any forward movement. So I hesitate and procrastinate, waiting for that "open time" when I can really push and get a lot done on whatever the current project is.

Turns out, that's a waste of time. Small daily movements add up. It's just that the movements or steps themselves are so small, I think they don't count. They do.

I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need a whole day or a whole week to devote to some project. I just need to take the 10 or 20 minutes I have here and there and use them. I need to achieve a little bit of forward movement every day. That adds up, and it builds momentum, and pretty soon there's been quite a lot accomplished.

For more rules, read after the jump.

Lock-Out Trailer: "Loose Cannon" Guy Pearce Goes to Space

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:49:17 PST

For the worst criminals in the world, a maximum-security prison on this planet will no longer suffice. In Lock-Out, the worst of the worst get to go to space. For some reason, the president's daughter is on a "goodwill mission" at the place where the most dangerous dudes in the world serve their time. During her stay, the inmates have an uprising, and there's one guy in the world who can stop them. The gorgeous Guy Pearce plays the bad boy Snow who is (and I quote) "the best there is - but he's a loose cannon."

My first impressions when I saw that Lock-Out trailer? It's a high-tech Con Air in space: the inmates take over, and they're doomed to have an epic crash down to Earth. However, the movie does have the same producers as Liam Neeson's thriller Taken, which proved to be a decent film. In the same vein, the actress who played Neeson's kidnapped daughter in the film, Maggie Grace, plays the president's daughter in Lock-Out - looks like she's got the damsel-in-distress gig down pat. See if you think Pearce and Grace have got this film locked down when you check out the trailer.

Get a Grip on Indulgences With Trainer Gunnar Peterson's Tips

Leta Shy — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:55:48 PST

Indulgences can get the best of us at any turn. Whether it's a co-worker's plate of cookies or a strong desire to skip a workout in favor of happy hour, it can be hard to stick with a routine when you notice temptations left and right. We recently spoke with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, the man behind some of the curviest bodies in Hollywood, who offered these tips on how to get a grip when we're craving unhealthy food or have skipped a workout.

Have a healthy outlook: Most people have an indulgence or two that leaves them weak in the knees (even Gunnar's got one: "Peanut butter is death for me. I would shank my grandmother in the neck for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup," he jokes). Instead of banning your favorite junk food from your diet completely, make healthy choices most of the time, but allow yourself some leeway in all aspects of your healthy lifestyle. "Just try and make the right choices most of the time," Gunnar says. "If you make them all the time then you're just flat out boring and then you become a weird fitness zealot, and at the end of the day nobody wants to be around you."

Get out of the kitchen: If the kitchen table is your go-to spot for paying bills or finishing up work in the evening, you may find that just being around all that food can lead to mindless snacking. As Gunnar jokes, "If all bachelor parties were held in movie theaters there would be a lot less bad stuff that happens at bachelor parties." Take temptation out of the equation by getting out of the kitchen after you're done eating for the night.

Read on for more of Gunnar's healthy living tips.

The Oscar Nominations: Snap Judgments

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:24:33 PST

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and now that we've had time to digest the news, we have a few reactions to share. From the positive and excited to the slightly disappointed, check out our thoughts on the 2012 Academy Award nominations, and be sure to share yours too.

It's rare for a comedy to be able to compete with all of the heavy dramas of award season, especially an R-rated comedy, but Bridesmaids impressed us by not just nabbing a supporting actress nomination for Melissa McCarthy, but for best original screenplay for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Nice work, ladies!
We were happy to see acting nominations for Nick Nolte in Warrior and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Both men have been left off a lot of lists (like the Golden Globes), but we're so glad that they pulled in Oscar nominations since these were two performances we felt strongly about.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo may have been passed over in most major categories, but its lead actress, Rooney Mara, was still recognized. The Academy seems to love its ingénues, and we're glad they chose Rooney for her brave breakout role.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has suffered from some bad reviews, but not from the Academy: it scored a best picture nomination and a nod for supporting actor Max von Sydow. We liked him in the role, but it's still a surprise to see the movie come up so strongly.
The Tree of Life was a similar surprise, since the Summer release had polarized reviewers and audiences and didn't seem to have much award season steam. But the movie still managed to join the race with nods for best picture and best director for Terrence Malick.

To read some more of my Oscar snap judgments, just keep reading.