BuzzSugar

What Was Truly the Best Movie Kiss of the Year?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:01:07 -0700

This Sunday June 1, the MTV Movie Awards will strike again and while they aren't the most prestigious awards around, they at least get creative with their nomination categories. My favorite: Best Kiss.

Here are the nominees:

Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, Enchanted
Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman, Step Up 2 the Streets
Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer, Disturbia
Ellen Page and Michael Cera, Juno
Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I would love it if Ellen Page and Michael Cera won and then reenacted their kiss during the acceptance speech. But I have a feeling The LaBeouf will take that win.

Anyway, is it just me or were there some way better kisses this year than these nominees? There's a great scene in Waitress where Kerri Russell's character imagines a gorgeous kiss with her doctor friend (Nathan Fillion, anyone?) for example. Or hello? The library kisses between Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in Atonement!

Do you agree with this list or are there others you would add? What were some of the great on-screen kisses of the year (and by "this year" I guess we're talking all or most of 2007 since Disturbia came out in April of that year)?

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Buzz In: What's Your Favorite Film Score?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:29:53 -0700

Recently the filmmakers behind the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie held a panel discussion at the New York Comic-Con to promote the film to its key audience: fanboys. When director Louis Letterier declared the musical score for Hulk was, "Star Wars good" he reportedly got booed by the audience.

It cracks me up that, to a certain group of fans it is sacrilegious to ever suggest anything is as good as (or - gasp! - better than) that famous, ominous tune. Then again, to some degree, I can understand that kind of passion.

A great musical score not only helps to set the tone of a movie, but when done right audiences will forever associate the sounds with the emotion of a film. For example, the sound of a clacking typewriter will probably always make me think of the subsequent piano music and then the overall sense of agony and guilt associated with Atonement, a score that ended up nabbing the Oscar.

Of course, it's hard to look at Harrison Ford without the boisterous Indiana Jones score cuing up in my brain immediately. And while I hardly remember a single line from Driving Miss Daisy, that whimsical old-timey score is clear as day in my head.

What are some of your favorite movie scores? Are there any that will always evoke certain memories? Is there one that tops all the rest?

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Buy Atonement Now on DVD and Enter to Win a Trip for Two

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:00:11 -0700

The award-winning movie Atonement, one of my top ten movies of 2007, is coming to DVD today. As I've said before, I so loved the experience of watching this film that it definitely deserves a second (or third) viewing. Therefore, I'll certainly be adding the Atonement DVD to my film library.

From the award-winning director of Pride and Prejudice comes a stunning epic story of love. When a young girl catches her sister in a passionate embrace with a childhood friend, her jealousy drives her to tell a lie that will irrevocably change the course of their lives forever. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy lead an all-star cast in one of the best pictures of 2007.

If you want to capture the romance of the movie with your very own dream vacation for two, head over to iVillage for their Romantic Getaway Sweepstakes.

Thanks to Universal Studios Home Entertainment for sponsoring this post.

Rekindle Your Romance with Atonement DVD and iVillage

PopSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:00:11 -0700

If you're anything like us, your most extravagantly romantic vacations are more likely to happen through the magic of movies than to occur in real life. Lucky for you, now you can have the best of both worlds. The ravishing romance Atonement is coming to DVD today. In celebration of the release iVillage is giving away a luxurious getaway for two to a dream destination. All you have to do is head over to iVillage and enter to win the contest. You'll also be eligible to win the award-winning movie Atonement on DVD, where two lucky winners will be chosen every day. Sounds like a win-win to us!

Thanks to Universal Studios Home Entertainment for sponsoring this post.

Best Picture Breakdown: Atonement

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:30:56 -0800

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. So far, I've taken a look at There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton. Today's Best Picture nominee is Atonement.

Pride and Prejudice director Joe Wright works his magic with another desperately romantic drama, this one taking place in England before and during WWII. At the age of 13, imaginative aspiring writer Briony misconstrues a situation she witnesses and brings grave charges against her sister Cecilia's (Keira Knightley) lover, Robbie (James McAvoy). The terrible repercussions of this false accusation haunt Briony for the rest of her life, causing her to seek redemption for her mistake through her writing.

To see what I think about this Best Picture nominee's chances, read more.

Why It Might Win

Along with No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, Atonement has been a darling of the critics' circles thus far. Most importantly, BAFTA soundly rewarded the film and it won the Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama.
The film is an all-around success. It's equally impressive on all counts: acting, art direction, costumes, not to mention - most notably, in my opinion - the magnificent score by Dario Marianelli. At the base of it all is Ian McEwan's novel, concisely adapted for screen by Christopher Hampton. Atonement is satisfying to watch because it gets high marks in all regards.
At the most basic level, the story in Atonement is greatly appealing. It's just a good old-fashioned love story, full of war and romance, intrigue and betrayal. All the visual and musical trappings aside, it's an easy tale for people to fall in love with.

Why it Might Not Win

As far as American audiences and critics go, Atonement may be trumped by, well, American stories. The meaty, masculine, violent story told in No Country or the cautionary tale of greed woven by There Will Be Blood may prove more palatable to the Academy.
Along similar lines, Atonement has already been honored many times, specifically with the BAFTA for Best Film. It's hard to say whether the Academy will want to reward the movie on top of that.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

TV Dinners: Atonement - Chocolate Martini

partysugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:28:31 -0800

While food doesn't necessarily come to mind when thinking of the Oscar-nominated film Atonement, a cocktail might. The cocktail featured is a chocolate concoction created by a minor character named Paul Marshall. A chocolate magnate and friend of older brother Leon, Paul attempts to wow the Tallis family with his chocolate cocktail. He's incredibly unsuccessful; it's impossibly hot and humid and a chocolate martini is hardly a pool-side drink. However, when served in a more suitable atmosphere, a chocolate cocktail is tasty and delicious.

For a recipe that is much tastier than Paul Marshall's and a look at an extended trailer of the film, read more.

Chocolate Martini
From Drinks Mixer

1 1/2 shots Godiva chocolate liqueur
1 1/2 shots creme de cacao
1/2 shot vodka
2 1/2 shots half-and-half

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Makes 1 cocktail.

Print recipe with images | without images

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Oscar Worthy Gadgets: Atonement's Typewriter

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:05:37 -0800

Needless to say while writing Atonement, Ian McEwan was not contemplating ways to incorporate technology into the story. And who can blame him? Set in 1935, big inventions of that year were the "Supreme" Pedestal Hair Dryer and the Moving Coil Speaker. Talk about exciting. Although the typewriter is obviously a vintage gadget, it's an Oscar worthy gadget indeed. For much of the 20th century, typewriters were important tools in business, journalism, and paved the way for more modern and advanced word processing devices - like the one you are using today. They also came in handy when writing the occasional dirty love letter, as in the case of Atonement. Who wouldn't want a love letter from Robbie Turner delivered with the romanticism of the old fashioned type? Sigh.

Not only was the typewriter an important prop in the story of Atonement, it was also an important character. A character that became more engraved when the sounds of the machine were incorporated into the soundtrack, setting the stage for emotion when you heard the ticking of the keys. Taking such a low tech gadget and turning it into something so hi-fi is a super creative way to bring the classic gadget into the 21st century.

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Oscar Nominee: Atonement for Costumes

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:30:00 -0800

In the days leading up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Costume Design. We've already taken a look at the costumes in Across the Universe, now let's turn our attention to Atonement.

I've gushed about the superb art direction in Atonement, and the costumes are a huge part of the beautiful overall look and feel of the film. Of course, the emerald green dress worn by Keira Knightley's character Cecilia during one of the most pivotal moments in the film has garnered a lot of attention, and will most likely draw in a pretty penny in the auction benefiting The Children’s Charity of Southern California.

But every one of the costumes in Atonement is carefully chosen. From the smart nurses' uniforms worn by Briony to Cecilia's delicate floral summer dress, the costumes lend an authenticity to the time period and help to paint this desperately romantic and tragic tale.

To see the rest of the gallery of costume images from Atonement, read more.

Photos courtesy of Focus Features.

View 9 Photos ›

Oscar Nominee: Atonement for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:30:58 -0800

Every week up until the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I'll be looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Yesterday I featured production stills from Ridley Scott's darkly evocative American Gangster, and today I bring you images from Atonement.

As a huge fan of Atonement, I think Joe Wright should win all kinds of awards for the way he beautifully captured the world described in Ian McEwan's novel. The scenes at Cecilia and Briony's family's estate depict the lush lifestyle of an upper-class family as well as the hazy heat of English summertime. The later scenes, especially of Robbie picking his way through the wreckage of war, are full of dark despair. The art direction in this film shifts between passionate, wistful, doomed and tragic, in keeping with what's happening in the story. Indeed, the visuals here are as great a part of the storytelling as the actual action and dialogue are.

For more stills from Atonement, read more.

View 13 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of Focus Features

BAFTA Honors Atonement, La Vie en rose and Shia Labeouf

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:30:00 -0800

While we were busy handing out Grammys last night, the folks across the pond held their own star-studded award ceremony: the BAFTA Awards. In keeping with many of the awards ceremonies thus far, Atonement and No Country for Old Men were warmly recognized, though the picture with the most wins was La Vie en rose. Marion Cotillard was reportedly "visibly shocked" to receive the Leading Actress award.

Atonement took top honors with the Best Picture award, though the Coen Bros. nabbed the prize for Best Director. Diablo Cody took home the award for her Juno screenplay, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won for Adapted Screenplay. Many of the acting awards were to be expected (Javier Bardem, Daniel Day-Lewis), though Tilda Swinton's win against Cate Blanchett and Samantha Morton was a bit of a surprise.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, the Orange Rising Star Award - which is decided by the public - was given to Shia Labeouf. He was up against Sienna Miller, Ellen Page, Tom Riley and Tang Wei. Shia was not present to claim his award.

To see a full listing of this year's BAFTA recipients, including The Bourne Ultimatum and The Golden Compass, read more.

2008 BAFTA Winners:
BEST FILM:
Atonement

BEST BRITISH FILM:
This Is England

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD:
(For special achievement by a British director, writer or producer in their first feature film)
Matt Greenhalgh (Writer) - Control

DIRECTOR:
No Country For Old Men - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Juno - Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - Ronald Harwood

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
The Lives of Others

ANIMATED FILM:
Ratatouille

LEADING ACTOR:
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS:
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

MUSIC:
La Vie En Rose - Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
No Country for Old Men - Roger Deakins

EDITING:
The Bourne Ultimatum - Christopher Rouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Atonement - Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN:
La Vie En Rose - Marit Allen

SOUND:
The Bourne Ultimatum - Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/Dave Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS:
The Golden Compass – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Woods

MAKE UP & HAIR:
La Vie En Rose – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD:
Shia Labeouf

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