BuzzSugar

Post Grad: A Cute Quarterlife Comedy

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:30:57 -0700

The big elephant in the room while watching Post Grad is that the plot seems like it's totally zeitgeist-y, but it's actually not. A young woman (Alexis Bledel) can't seem to get a job despite her qualifications and languishes in unemployment. Unemployment! Super timely, right? But no, there is no mention of the current recession that's keeping a lot of the brilliantly competent out of work, which solidifies that this movie must have been made quite a while ago. Adding to my suspicion is the fact that Bledel's character Ryden does all her job hunting with a red pen and a newspaper. In 2009. In LA.

Once you're past the faux timeliness, however, the movie becomes surprisingly enjoyable. Is it Alexis Bledel channeling a less-successful Rory Gilmore? Not so much, though she is believable and irritatingly adorable. More than anything, the fun of this movie lies in the strength and comedy chops of the supporting cast. To hear what I thought of it all, just read more.

I could have watched a whole movie about Ryden's family alone: her grandmother is played by Carol Burnett, who couldn't not be funny if she tried and her mother is Jane Lynch, who's something of a straight man (I know) to Michael Keaton. Yes, that's right, Michael Keaton is back, and his presence is an unexpected delight. Though his character gets a little too wacky at times, he charms as Ryden's goofball dad.

As the movie goes on, the comedian cameos come fast and furious; Fred Armisen, The Office's Craig Robinson, and Kirk Fox all pop up. J.K. Simmons' role is kind of a disappointment, just because he weirdly disappears after a couple of scenes as the father of Ryden's best friend. Friday Night Lights' Zach Gilford plays said best friend, obviously in unrequited love with Ryden, who inexplicably resists him. Rodrigo Santoro's presence is questionable, but not entirely unwelcome - is it quirky or contrived that his hunky, mysterious neighbor pops up to dispense a tiny bit of sage advice? Well, I don't know, I was too busy being lost in his eyes.

But, oh yeah, there is a main character in this flick, Ryden, whose problem is infuriating at times. She has a vision of her perfect future, which she expects to start with landing her perfect dream job just days after she graduates college, and when this doesn't happen immediately, she's utterly lost. What redeems her is that her entitlement is, sadly, understandable, since the college environment really does make you feel like the brightest future imaginable is at your feet once you get your diploma. A whole trend - the quarterlife crisis - was born years ago to define the disappointment of folks in their 20s not getting what they assumed they deserved. That she buys into it reminds me of my own postgraduation experiences and those of my friends.

Ryden doesn't necessarily learn that the "perfect future" is something that takes hard work and doesn't happen overnight, but she does learn that her life could be more fulfilling if she stopped whining and started dating her sweet best friend (I knew she couldn't resist a singing, songwriting Matt Saracen for long). Is that a good lesson, or even realistic? Maybe not, and in this movie, it's predictable; but you'll still cheer when Ryden does finally stop stressing out and finds some semblance of a future.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Movie Preview: Alexis Bledel in Post Grad

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:30:39 -0700

Though parts of this trailer for Post Grad are predictable and a little cheesy, overall it's way more endearing and adorable than I had anticipated. Alexis Bledel plays Ryden Malby in this sentimental comedy that explores the scary/exciting challenges of graduating college and not having everything fall right into place. She lives with her parents, hangs out with her longtime guy friend Adam (Zach Gilford), and vies for the same jobs as countless other early 20-something hopefuls - and repeatedly faces rejection, causing her to wonder what her future will actually look like. Michael Keaton plays Ryden's father, Jane Lynch is involved somehow, and Rodrigo Santoro appears as a handsome older guy doling out life advice.

Post Grad (previously known as The Post-Graduate Survival Guide) opens August 21. To watch the trailer, read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Movie Preview: The Merry Gentleman

BuzzSugar — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:30:53 -0700

It's not often that a crime drama about a hitman elicits a great big "Awwwwww!" from me, but the trailer for The Merry Gentleman caused just that reaction, placing it in the same (um, fairly limited) category as The Professional. The hitman in The Merry Gentleman is Frank, played by a gruff Michael Keaton (who also makes his directorial debut with this film), who meets a sweet and charming young lady named Kate (Kelly Macdonald) when he helps her out from underneath a fallen Christmas tree. This fact - Frank finding her under the tree, like a gift - is played for cute poignancy in the trailer, but somehow it avoids veering into too-saccharine territory.

Frank is suicidal when he meets Kate, and there's a humor-amid-darkness vibe to the film that reminds me a bit of Little Miss Sunshine. The movie is set to open May 1. It really is one of the cutest trailers I've seen lately, so to check it out, read more.

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TV Tonight: "The Company"

BuzzSugar — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 13:30:25 -0700

Here's the bad news: I didn't love the first installment of TNT's "The Company" the way I expected to. The two-hour segment, which airs tonight, seemed a bit jumbled, covering a lot of ground without a good hook to pull me in. The good news is that there was enough compelling content in the first episode that I'm still planning to check out the other two.

Broadly speaking, "The Company" tells the story of the CIA in the Cold War. More specifically, it focuses on two friends (played by Chris O'Donnell and Alessandro Nivola) who are recruited from Yale into the CIA, a third friend (Rory Cochrane) who ends up working for the KGB, and an American intelligence expert's quest to uncover a KGB spy within the CIA.

The book by Robert Littell on which the series is based weighs in at almost 900 pages, so I suppose it's no surprise that the miniseries (which will air in three two-hour segments) also plows through a lot of material. But what did surprise me was how disorganized the whole thing felt, so to hear more about that and see a video of Chris O'Donnell talking about his role, read more

The screener copy of "The Company" that I received came with a poster-sized chart of who's who, breaking down which characters work for the CIA, which work for the KGB or other intelligence agencies, and which are (or at least appear to be) civilians. And thank goodness; part of the idea of "The Company" is that you don't know who's really working for which agency, but I thought the first two hours contained too many characters with too little context.

Beyond that, "The Company" doesn't seem to have a coherent identity thus far. Is it a story of three college friends who end up working on opposing sides of the Cold War intelligence effort? Or is it a story of one man's lifelong quest to track down the KGB's mole within the CIA? I also had to roll my eyes at the "love story" portion of events; those who fall in love seem to do so in about 10 seconds, and of course all of the main characters' relationships are with people who could jeopardize their jobs and their lives. (One of those women, a ballerina who seems to do nothing but dance 24/7, is particularly grating.)

The first hour certainly had its good points, though. I mentioned I'm a sucker for spy stories, and there's some great code-cracking, phone-tapping and allegiance-switching here. Alfred Molina delivers a strong performance as a CIA agent nicknamed "The Sorcerer" who mentors O'Donnell's character and thrives on the danger of his job. And I hope Cochrane gets more screen time in future installments; his character, a conflicted Russian-born, American-bred spy, has more depth than anyone else so far. Overall, "The Company" looks to be a mixed bag - but fellow fans of spy stories still might find it worth a try.

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First Look: "The Company"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:33:39 -0700

Sure, on the surface, I'm a pop culture-obsessed, concert-going, movie-watching maven. But behind it all, I'm really just a nerdy, somewhat spy-obsessed gal. So TNT's new miniseries, "The Company," easily earned a spot on my list of reasons to keep the TV on this summer.

The three-night, six-hour exploration of the history of the CIA, which premieres this coming Sunday, Aug. 5, has an excellent pedigree. Based on an acclaimed novel by Robert Littell, the miniseries is directed by Ridley Scott and counts Chris O'Donnell, Michael Keaton and Alfred Molina among its cast. I have high hopes that this miniseries - like "Mad Men" - can be not just a great period drama but a great drama, period. I'll share my thoughts on the first episode later this week, but in the meantime, you can check out
this tense trailer and a sneak peak from the first episode.

Photo courtesy of TNT

Chris O'Donnell Is In Good Company

Molly — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:18:12 -0700

Chris O'Donnell was looking almost as dreamy as his Circle of Friends/Mad Love days last night at a screening of his new TNT miniseries The Company in LA. Chris hasn't had excellent luck on TV series in recent years (either written off or all together canceled), but I do love seeing those baby blues back on the small screen. This new show which premieres August 5, is produced by Ridley Scott and centers around the double lives of Cold War Era CIA agents. It sounds interesting, but anything that helps keep Chris in our living rooms for at least a little while longer is fine by me.

To see more pics from the screening, including Michael Keaton, Natascha McElhone, Dana Delany and lots more just read more

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Images include Alessandro Nivola, Alfred Molina, Catherine Bell, Chris O'Donnell, Michael Keaton, Rory Cochran, Caroline Fentress, Ricardo Chivara, Natascha McElhone, Dana Delany, and Gregory Cruz

Mark Wahlberg Gears Up to Be an Other Guy With Will

Molly — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:00:27 -0700

Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell met up in NYC yesterday for a meeting about their upcoming movie together The Other Guys. The two will apparently be playing cops in the comedy alongside costars including Michael Keaton and Eva Mendes. It already sounds like a far cry from the project Mark spent the beginning of his Summer working on - The Fighter. Despite his back-to-back films, Mark will hopefully be able to sneak in a few days off when Rhea gives birth to baby number four.

For more of Mark and Will then read more.

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Morning Links - MJ's Dermatologist Reportedly the Biological Father of His Children

PopSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:30:13 -0700

Michael Jackson's dermatologist is reportedly the biological father of his two eldest children - Us Weekly
Katherine Jackson was granted temporary custody of MJ's kids - lilsugar
Michael Jackson's most recent Will may have left out his father - Wonderwall
Melissa Rycroft gets engaged to her boyfriend Tye Strickland - I'm Not Obsessed
Billy Mays's death was related to heart failure, not his plane crash - The Blemish
Spencer Pratt is turning his life around - Lifeline Live
Diane Keaton is fine after being injured by a sumo wrestler during filming - Popeater
Is Usher asking for a paternity test for his second son? - Celebitchy
Isabel Lucas doesn't have any expectations of fame - Fox Pop Tarts

GiggleSugar Reader Spotlight: Schaianne

GiggleSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:00:00 -0700

It's that time again, readers. It's "get to know your fellow GiggleSugar readers" time! Meet Schaianne, Emergency/911 dispatcher by day, married step-mom and Sugar sites addict by night! (Okay, I'm exaggerating, and I don't know her shifts!!) Man, with a job like that, no wonder she needs to stop by GiggleSugar and look at cute animals and weird pics!

GS: What's your motto?
Schaianne: "Do unto others as you'd have done unto you" basically. Other than that … I'd say "Life's full of idiots – try to steer clear!" - myself NOT included, of course! LOL

GS: Where are you from?
Schaianne: Long story short : I was born in Friedburg, W Germany but live in Virginia now. I grew up an Army Brat, if that explains it. Maybe one day I can convince hubby to move, but looks like we'll be here a good long time. Ehhh, not a BAD thing, I guess.

GS: What do you do?
Schaianne: As in work related? I am an Emergency/911 dispatcher at my local sheriff's office. I have been dispatching for about 7 years total now. I routinely deal with fire departments, rescue squads, police/sheriff, game warden, animal control, jails, after-hours electric/water, Social Services, and, well, you name it. As you can imagine, the stress of this job gets to you sometimes and that's one reason I love my Sugar sites!! They provide some well needed respite from the seriousness and aggravation of my job! I'm also a part time stepmother - well, it's never JUST part-time, y'know ... she's always in my thoughts and plans even if she's not here physically. I think it's one of the hardest job ever!

GS: How would you describe your sense of humor?
Schaianne: Hmm, according to my partner here at work … lacking, haha! Seriously, strange & twisted I'd have to say. I find a lot of stuff funny that most people don't , thanks to being a dispatcher for 7.5 years – it's our defense mechanism. By the same token, though, I cringe while watching "America's Funniest Videos" and the like. People getting hurt usually just makes me think of dispatching squads to them. I'll find stuff funny at work that outside of work I wouldn't.

GS: What's your favorite GiggleSugar post?
Schaianne: Hmm, too hard to choose just one – but I like the WTF?! posts best.

GS: Who's the cutest funny man and funny woman?
Schaianne: Ummm, Michael Keaton and Brett Butler, I guess. I've never really thought of it.

GS: Who are your favorite male and female comedians?
Schaianne: (Wow, super hard questions here … so difficult to choose! There are so many great comedians out there!) Gene Wilder and Lily Tomlin are way up there, in my opinion.

GS: What's your favorite comedy of all time?
Schaianne: I love A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. It's older, kitschy, and gasp--a musical! It's hilarious!! I have to thank Mr. Winn, my high school Latin teacher, for introducing me to it! (I don't like many of today's comedies – Napoleon Dynamite did NOTHING for me.) As for favorite comedy show, I LOVE "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Those guys are GREAT!

GS: If your life were a comedy, what would it be?
Schaianne: Probably "Grace Under Fire."

GS: Do you look like someone famous?
Schaianne: I don't think so. No one's told me so, anyway.

Schaianne's Free For All: Well, I'm 35 years old (will be 36 in Sept!!) and I've been married 18 years. Family and God mean everything to me, which doesn't coincide with what my job demands at times. I dislike conflict but WILL cause waves if I feel no one else is going to stand up. I'm half German and therefore am very opinionated and a bit of a perfectionist! I have recently learned to say "NO" … wow, now to learn not to feel so guilty when I say that, haha! All in all, I'm pretty laid back … just don't mess with one of "mine" – then I'm a momma bear! Lastly, I LOVE to laugh. I think laughter is one of God's greatest gifts to us! One reason hubby and I have stayed married as long as we have is his ability to make me laugh … even when I don't WANT to, haha. He's the best! And, thanks for taking an interest in little, ole me.

Thanks, Schaianne!

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(Schaianne looking pensive, Gene Wilder, Brett Butler, Michael Keaton, and Lily Tomlin)

Keith Urban Said He's "Mr. Mom," Doesn't He Mean Dad?

LilSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:00:06 -0700

Michael Keaton made it famous, Lonestar sang about it and Keith Urban recently played the card, but isn't being "Mr. Mom" simply being dad? You don't hear working women say they are "Mrs. Dad" while at the office. Are we, as a society, as laughable as Jack Butler's antics in the 1983 flick? Like many fathers, Keith Urban relishes spending time with his new bundle of joy, two-month-old Sunday Rose. He told CMT Insider:

"When my wife's working and I've got time off, I'm just Mr. Mom during the day, taking care of the little girl," said Urban, 40, who also called fatherhood "beautiful."

Of course, the proud papa is referring to his taking on the primary caretaker role while his wife, Nicole Kidman, is filming a movie, but since when is tending to one's own tot not just considered daddy duty?
What's your opinion?
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