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Miley and LC on Divas Carpet, Jennifer's Body, Love Happens and Informant Reviewed, Our Emmy Picks!

Molly — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:00:34 -0700

Miley Cyrus, Lauren Conrad and Paula Abdul were three of the highlights from last night's VH1 Divas event in Brooklyn, NY and we were there to capture the red carpet footage. This weekend three big movies are hitting theaters, so watch BuzzSugar's quick reviews of each of them. Plus, it was a big week for oversized record breaking food and check out our Emmy predictions before this Sunday's show. Watch the Weekend Edition of PopSugar Rush now!

The Informant!: Funny If You Can Focus!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:00:38 -0700

What would happen if Michael Scott were dropped into the movie Michael Clayton? If you're wondering what to expect from Steven Soderbergh's The Informant!, the visual of Michael bumbling his way through a corporate thriller is a good place to start.

The movie is campy right from the start, almost making an announcement as cheesy music plays over the neon bubble letters of the credits. There's even the rarely seen "Matt Damon IN... The Informant" - Soderbergh isn't trying to hide anything here, though the move is set in the early '90s despite the '70s ambiance. While many of the jokes hit you over the head, don't expect the key plot elements to have the same effect.

To see what I mean, just read more.

Matt Damon literally transforms himself into Mark Whitacre, the vice president of real-life lysine developing company ADM. On the surface, Whitacre fits right into the upper-middle class Midwestern stereotype; he's an overweight, mustachioed man who sits down to dinner with his wife and sons every night. In what seems to be a sudden attack of conscience, Whitacre takes it upon himself to rat out ADM's price-fixing schemes to two FBI agents (played by Scott Bakula and a straight-laced Joel McHale). The more involved Whitacre gets with the FBI, the more eager he is to help take down the company that made him rich. The agents (and the audience) quickly begin to wonder - what's in it for him?

Most of my laugh-out-loud moments came from Whitacre's inner monologue. At first his thoughts give us clues about the decisions he makes - he seems to be obsessed with John Grisham novels and conspiracy theories, so it's no surprise that he's relishing in his involvement with the FBI. As time goes on, however, his stream of consciousness shifts from wacky observations about the world at large to ways he can manipulate it to his own benefit.

Soderbergh has a solid lineup of supporting comedians (Patton Oswalt and Tony Hale also make appearances) but Matt Damon is the mastermind here. He shines through all that hair, makeup, and extra pounds to deliver a highly enjoyable performance that keeps you guessing. Damon's no stranger to comedy, but his role as Whitacre is a far cry from Stuck On You.

The movie has a sluggish start, and loses its focus towards the middle - but try not to doze off, since almost every loose end is eventually tied up. While only a manageable 108 minutes, the film still feels like it's a half hour longer than it should be. If I had been watching it at home, I may have been tempted to turn it off, which is a shame since many of the laughs and most of the excitement happens in the end.

There's fun to be had here, if you manage your expectations. This is not your typical comedy: the humor is dry, but the laughs are there - just try not to lose focus along the way.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Caption It!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Welcome to the Caption It game on BuzzSugar! Every Wednesday, I'll post a photo still from a TV show or movie here and challenge you to think of the most hilarious caption possible. I'll announce the finalists the following Tuesday, and you'll get to vote for the best caption!

First, give your congrats to kafarine-tin-tin, the winner of last week's challenge. She gave our So You Think You Can Dance photo this hilarious caption.

"Buffaloes. Hundreds. They're coming from the East."

And she's winning by a landslide with a whopping 69 percent of your votes. Congrats, kafarine-tin-tin! Onto this week's challenge, inspired by The Informant! Look out for my review of the movie on Friday, but for now, check out this photo of Joel McHale and see if you can think up a line to go with it.

Leave your captions in the comment space below before 5 p.m. PDT on Monday, Sept. 21 to be considered for a spot in the voting round. Have fun!

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

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: Matt Damon Is a Hilarious Informant

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:35:47 -0700

This trailer for the comedy The Informant has, I think, given me perma-grin. A slightly chubbier Matt Damon portrays Mark Whitacre, a real-life "Ivy League Ph.D. who was a rising star at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in the early 1990s. . . . Whitacre secretly gathered hundreds of hours of video and audio tapes over several years to present to the FBI which became one of the largest price fixing cases in history."

Damon re-teams with his Oceans Eleven (and Twelve and Thirteen) director Steven Soderbergh and his buddy George Clooney is an executive producer. It looks like, once again, Soderbergh got some great results from Damon, who is absolutely hilarious as this unlikely informant, a regular guy who has a bit of trouble being smooth and cool. But the best thing about it is that Damon plays the guy as bumbling without making him seem somehow mentally deficient. Too many actors don't seem to know how to be funny without making their characters seem stupid, but Damon makes his Mark seem intelligent as well as endearingly human.

The preview says The Informant will open in September. To check out the funny trailer, read more.

Source: IMDB

Buzz News Roundup, 4/2

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:30:16 -0700

Joel McHale and Quantum Leap actor Scott Bakula will join Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's comic thriller The Informant, writes Hollywood Reporter.
ComingSoon reports that Brad Pitt will produce and maybe star in The Lost City of Z, about "the search for a lost city in the Amazon."
30 Rock, Project Runway, and The Colbert Report were among the shows honored with Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcast, reports Broadcasting and Cable.
According to Variety, Dave Annable (Justin on Brothers and Sisters) has a role in Julie and Julia, the Julia Child movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.
This is pretty genius: According to Zap2it, fans of the vampire drama Moonlight are organizing a blood drive to help save their show, with 3,000 folks already pledging a pint.
The School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University will open a Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, writes Variety.
The Hollywood Reporter has news that Ben Stiller will produce and possibly star in a film adaptation of graphic novel The Return of King Doug.
Hayden Panettiere will star in the film adaptation of the book Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, ComingSoon writes.
People reports that Jay Leno has issued an apology for his comments to Ryan Phillippe that many perceived as anti-gay.

Source and source

Mad Men, "Shut the Door. Have a Seat": This Week's 5 Maddest Moments

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:30:53 -0800

Wow. The biggest surprise of the third season finale of Mad Men isn't actually a plot point, but how light and almost exciting it manages to be. For a show that's normally so tense and tightly wound, this week's episode has a quick pace, and at times, a sense of humor. Of course, there is still disappointment and heartache; some of our predictions for the finale come true, but some go sadly unfulfilled.

Without further ado, let's talk about the door that closes and the one that opens this week, and as usual, the finale's five maddest moments, when you read more.

So long, Connie: It's eccentric hotelier Conrad Hilton that breaks the news to Don that rival agency McCann is buying PPL, and Sterling Cooper along with it. Don's plenty irate, as it's Hilton's fault that he was signed into a three-year contract and is thus, trapped. However, Don's bitterness quickly turns to ambition, when he rallies Burt, then Roger, to buy back Sterling Cooper from PPL. Pryce is unhelpful in even supplying the purchase price for the men, quashing the buyback plans, but then another scheme is launched: Pryce fires Don, Roger, and Burt so they can form a new agency.
Draper Dissolution: While an exciting change is happening for Don in his career, back at home a bleak change is coming. Betty informs Don that she's seen a divorce lawyer and advises him to do the same. It's painful watching these two spar, and I wanted so much for them to figure out how to fix it - but the ball is clearly in Don's court and he does nothing to sway Betty to call off the divorce. Sure, he tells her to, and even suggests that she might need psychiatric help. Oh, and he tells her that he gave her everything she wanted materially, insinuating that should be enough. Don may know what his clients want, but in his marriage, he has no idea what Betty wants.
Irreconcilable differences: Don sheepishly tolerates the divorce talk until he's having drinks with Roger, who spills the beans about Betty taking up with Henry Francis (I do have to say, it is rather nice to see these two getting along, acting like buds). This sends a drunken Don home to wake up Betty for a confrontation about her indiscretion, and things get nasty and uncomfortably physical. Again, Don manages to push Betty into even more resolve, and she tells him that she's going to Reno to initiate the divorce. Don and Betty devastate the kids with the news of their separation, and Betty makes good on her threat to go to Reno after Don softens a tiny bit - to tell her that he won't fight her.
Don, at your service: One of my favorite parts of this episode? Seeing Don put through the paces by Pete and Peggy. He's always treated them like underlings, and they finally have the opportunity to assert themselves. Don obliges them both and tells them how valuable they are, but not before Peggy pushes back. Her backbone straightens when she's first told of the new company and assures Don that she's had "other offers." Luckily, Don doesn't take no for an answer, and visits Peggy at home, telling her he'd spend the rest of his life trying to hire her if she turned him down now. It's so touching to see Don put aside his ego to acknowledge these others, and it makes me sad that he can't do something similar for Betty.
Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce: The gang's back together! It's thrilling good fun watching the new company assemble - Roger and Don get the agency's most prized employees one by one, plus my favorite: Joan! She's a necessity to help find all the files and materials in the office, and, they realize, a force that had been holding the company together. Her role in Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (can you say "Michael Scott Paper Company"? I told you these two shows have a lot in common!) is a given. With everything coming together so perfectly, though, I wondered why Sal isn't also called in. I suppose we have next season to look forward to for that. Speaking of, next Summer can't come fast enough.

It's interesting that the finale also weaves in flashbacks of Don's early childhood, as this season's premiere did. What Don is remembering now, though, is how his father died. The elder Whitman was faced with losing his home, and after breaking free of the cooperative, readies a trip to the city to sell his crop. His spooked horse kicks him in the head, killing him, with the young Don as witness. It's an obvious parallel to Don's circumstances, who's losing his home, as in his marriage; and, losing his home, as in his life's work. Of course, he only manages to take control of one of those.

So what did you think? Did this season wrap up the way you wanted it to? And even though we won't see the Draper family or the worker bees of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce until the fourth season returns, you can still join the Mad Men group in the community to chat about the show year-round.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Box Office: Audiences Still Eating Up Meatballs

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:30:47 -0700

Dancing and Bruce Willis weren't enough to knock kid flick Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs out of this weekend's top spot at the box office. Sony's 3D Meatballs held its place for the second weekend in a row, making $24.6 million, followed by Willis's sci-fi movie Surrogates ($15 million) and Fame ($10 million), which both just opened Friday.

The Informant! came in fourth this week with $6.9 million, and Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself rounded out the top five with $4.7 million in its third week in theaters. Unfortunately, Cam Gigandet's Pandorum didn't break the top five with its debut; the space-set action movie only made $4.4 million.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:30:01 -0700

Last week's Caption It Challenge featured a pensive Joel McHale in the movie The Informant!

You sent in several great suggestions, so take a look at these funny lines and tell me which is your favorite!

"A whole box and problem still not solved. What a rip. I should've gone with Fiber One instead."
"Ah, there it is. 'Excessive consumption may have a laxative effect...'"
"Wow, these granola bars are sooo.... meaty!"
"I wonder how many of these Matt Damon actually ate to prepare?"

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box Office: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Shines Bright

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:45:03 -0700

This weekend's new movies were full of A-list talent but Sony's cute animated characters topped them all. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs made $30.1 million at the box office. The children's book adaptation in 3D had a huge lead over The Informant!, which earned $10.5 million. Last week's champ, Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself, followed next at No. 3.

Unfortunately, the other new offerings of the weekend had disappointing debuts. Most of you said you were excited about Jennifer Aniston's Love Happens, but at $8.4 million the movie only made enough to garner fourth place. Jennifer's Body finished out the top five with $6.8 million.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures