BuzzSugar

Link Time! 8/21

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:33:48 -0700

It looks like Michael Phelps's Olympian success will probably not equal many film and TV cameos. - Popwatch
I am loving the new animated video for Jeff Hanson's song "If Only I Knew." - Stereogum
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia game show tour?! Sign me up! - Give Me My Remote
Here's a thoughtful weekend-by-weekend breakdown of how depressing this year's Fall movies will be in comparison to those of 2007. - Vulture
You just might be able to catch a filmed version of the stage show Rent at a theater near you. - Popcandy
Check out this saucy image of Amy Adams portraying Amelia Earhart in the Night at the Museum sequel. - Cinematical
Valerie Bertinelli's TBS sitcom? Yikes. - TV With MeeVee
Would you live in a hobbit house? - CasaSugar

Did You Ever See Rent on Broadway?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:29:28 -0800

Sad news coming from New York's Nederlander Theater today: Broadway musical Rent is closing after a 12-year run. The last performance will take place June 1. Opening in the spring of 1996, Rent enjoyed immediate and explosive success with both critics and audiences, despite (or perhaps because of) the story's focus on AIDS, drug addiction, and poverty.

I was one of those crazy, obsessed fans when the musical first opened, traveling into the city with my high-school friends to get cheap tickets to the show several times. We'd even wait around afterward for glimpses of the actors emerging from the Nederlander. Later we followed their careers, from Anthony Rapp's solo album to Taye Diggs appearing on Ally McBeal and Jesse L. Martin getting his gig on Law & Order.

Did you ever see Rent on Broadway? What are your fondest Rent memories?

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Things That Make Me Feel Old: The Rent Remake

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 08:30:00 -0700

When I was an angsty, misunderstood teenager, I wanted few things more than to see Rent on Broadway. It was, after all, a musical for "our generation." I was a sucker for the story, which seemed then like edgy political commentary, and of course I loved the semi-racy, semi-rockin' soundtrack.

Well, apparently I'm no longer hip, and neither are my fellow 20- and 30-somethings who fell hard for Rent the first time around. See, Rent is being remade for British theater - and the producers are calling their show a "contemporary" take on the musical.

Ouch.

This version is "digital production for a digital world - more a pop opera than a rock opera," the director told Variety. He also said that the "grunge-style electric guitar" is all but gone from the soundtrack. Gone the way of flannel, old-school Smashing Pumpkins and the stereotypical Generation X slacker, I suppose.

Granted, Rent is itself a remake of La Boheme, and its story is pegged to a very particular time and place. Parts of the story were feeling dated already when the movie version came out two years ago. But saying Rent needs to be retooled for a younger, cooler generation makes me long for the days when "Seasons of Love" felt deeply meaningful - and maybe even revolutionary.

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Watch, Pass, or Rent: Boondock Saints II

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:30:26 -0700

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, the buzzed-about sequel to the cult fave, hits theaters tomorrow - just in time for All Saints Day. (Such clever marketing.)

I already peeked at the trailer, and it looks like a very cool, stylized follow-up to its predecessor. This time, the storyline follows the MacManus brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) as they return to Boston to seek vengeance on mob members who murdered a priest.

Fans will probably be curious to see if it lives up to their beloved original, but I'm on the fence. It seems entertaining, but it could be one of those films that you love or hate - depending on if you're in the mood for gun-toting bloodshed. I'm just not 100 percent sure if that's how I want to spend my Saturday.

Tell me your stance: are you going to buy a ticket to Boondock Saints II? Or is shoot-'em-up stuff just not your thing?

Watch, Pass, or Rent: The Stepfather

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:30:50 -0700

I haven't been wowed by the promos for The Stepfather, but it does have Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley in it, so maybe I can be persuaded to go see it on Friday.

Based on the 1987 original, the film follows Michael (Badgley), a son who returns home from military school to meet his mom's new boyfriend, David (Nip/Tuck's Dylan Walsh). But once a neighbor suggests that his stepfather looks like a suspect on America's Most Wanted, Michael gets suspicious that the guy is not as nice as he seems [cue creepy music].

While The Stepfather doesn't look scary-movie-bracket-worthy, the scene in the trailer where David drops a chainsaw on Michael's girlfriend did make me jolt. Maybe I'll go see it if I'm in the mood for a fright, but otherwise, I think I'll pass.

Are you going to check out The Stepfather? Or will you wait until you can watch it at home with the lights on?

Watch, Pass, TiVo, or Rent: Fame

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:30:31 -0700

I had semi-cynical feelings about the remake of Fame when I first heard it was being cast, but flash ahead two years later, and the trailer has me kind of pumped to see it on Friday. The music numbers look flashy, and it's got So You Think You Can Dance alum Kherington Payne, so I fully expect to be toe-tapping in my seat.

But here's the dilemma: I also really loved the original Fame. The characters were just these fragile, but impassioned people - and there were pirouettes on cars! It will always have a place on my list of dance movies.

I still want to see this new version - 'cause basically I'll see any film that features Capezios - but I'm hoping that it's different enough from its predecessor so I can just enjoy it for what it is: a total guilty pleasure.

Are you going to check out Fame this weekend? Or will you wait until it comes out on DVD, so you can do your dancing at home?

Watch, Pass or Rent Movie Reviews: Precious, A Christmas Carol, The Box and The Men Who Stare at Goats!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:00:24 -0800

We have an exciting new weekend video feature - our PopSugar Rush Watch, Pass or Rent Movie Reviews! This week we're giving you the bottom line on Precious, The Box, A Christmas Carol and The Men Who Stare at Goats. Check it out now and let us know what you think in the comments!

Watch, Pass or Rent Movie Reviews: Fantastic Mr. Fox and 2012!

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:00:52 -0800

Wondering what films to check out this weekend? Before you head to the theater, check out this quick guide to the newest releases. This week the Buzz editors weigh in on Fantastic Mr. Fox and 2012. Check it out and tell us what you think in comments!

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:30:00 -0800

There's a silver lining to TV shows going into reruns, and it's more time to watch movies! Happily, today there are a few highly-anticipated flicks, and I've gone through them to tell you What to Netflix. In addition to the three movies mentioned below, you can also catch Robert Pattinson's pre-Twilight dramedy How to Be.

Star Trek

This year's updated version of Star Trek turned the franchise on its head. With hot young things Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in the beloved roles of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, the film completely changed the series' history so they could start over with a fresh new story.

It worked like gangbusters: the space-set action movie is clever, entertaining, and tons of fun. It manages to make a sex symbol out of a pointy-eared geek, whom I personally drooled over. The movie manages to pay respect to the original, so those fans are still happy, while pleasing folks who weren't fans of the first (like myself).

The DVD's got lots of extras, including deleted scenes, a special feature on casting and a gag reel.
95%

See two more movies releasing today when you read more.

Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary follow up to 2006's wildly successful Borat, Bruno is more of the same: cringe-worthy setups that make for laughs. This time, though, the envelope that was pushed in the former is torn to pieces in the latter. It's not for the faint of heart or easily offended, but if you like Baron Cohen's humor, you'll appreciate the awkward-beyond-words situations.

I was torn - I wanted to laugh as hard as I did at Borat, but most of the time I was just wincing.

DVD extras include alternate and deleted scenes, as well as enhanced commentary.

67%

My Sister's Keeper

Need a good cry? Rent the tearjerker My Sister's Keeper. The drama stars Cameron Diaz as a mother presiding over her Leukemia-stricken daughter Kate, and the child they had in order to provide a kidney donor for Kate, Anna - who's played wonderfully by Abigail Breslin. When Anna sues her own parents for the rights to decide what to do with her own body, Diaz and her husband Jason Patric try to figure out what's really going with her.

I was definitely moved by the film, but you'd have to be made of stone not to, considering the subject matter. If you read the book, take heed: the ending in the film isn't exactly the same.

47%

Lindsay Lohan Disses Her Dad, Mr. Fox and 2012 Movie Reviews, and Taylor Lautner Talks New Moon

Molly — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0800

Taylor Lautner gives us some insight into Team Jacob vs. Team Edward while Lindsay Lohan has a message for her publicity-loving father. We've got your quick Watch, Pass, or Rent movie reviews of 2012 and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. We've also got a peek at January Jones on SNL. Watch the PopSugar Rush Weekend Edition now!