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Buzz In: What Books Do You Think Would Make Good Movies?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:30:08 -0700

There are constantly news of books being adapted for film, and some are great ideas while others make me wary. There are loads of bad adaptations (remember Suburban Girl based on Melissa Bank's The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing? Yeah, most people don't.) and a few examples of the opposite (The Jane Austen Book Club made for a better movie than book, in my opinion).

So while the risks are high, the results hit-or-miss, Hollywood consistently turns to the bookshelf for new ideas. What stories have you been able to easily envision on the big screen? I have always thought the epic page-turner I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb would make a great movie (and apparently there's one in development, but details are vague). Also, earth to Hollywood: Jennifer Weiner's Good in Bed would make a great movie with a relatable protagonist - and it already has a fan base to boot. So what is the hold up? I know Jodi Picoult's novel My Sister's Keeper is being adapted, though I also think Vanishing Acts would translate well to screen. Finally, the whole time I was reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I could see it played out as a movie - though it would need a director with a brilliant, artful eye.

What books do you think would do well on the silver screen?

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Two Straight-to-DVD Romances, One Long Night

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:30:43 -0800

Sometimes movies go straight to DVD and you can kind of guess why (sidenote: thank you, Molly, for watching Blonde Ambition so I don't have to!). But then there are those sweet-looking films with some big names - Alec Baldwin, Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Sarah Michelle Prinze - that pique my curiosity. What could be so bad about movies like Suburban Girl and I Could Never Be Your Woman that they went straight to DVD? Well, in honor of Valentine's Day, I popped in these straight-to-DVD romances to find out just that.

The Description:
"Neophyte editor Brett Eisenberg (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is paying her dues in New York's publishing world when she attracts Archie Knox (Alec Baldwin), an aging industry luminary. Soon, their romance is complicated by real-life pressures, including Archie's alcoholism and Brett's dying father."
The Good:
Some of you may recall The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, a collection of short stories by Melissa Bank that became a huge hit in 1999, and Suburban Girl is based on two of the stories in that book. They did well to maintain most of the protagonist's character (now named Brett): her wise-beyond-her-years maturity, her immense (and proud) knowledge of literature. If nothing else, it's refreshing to see a main female character in a romantic comedy (I guess this is a comedy?) who is not a bumbling fool. She's like a heroine for any bookish girl who loves Dante and leather pants all at the same time. She's not altogether humorless, either - my writer's heart melted upon hearing Brett gush, "Don't you just love alliteration?"

To find out "The Bad" and my take on the other romantic DVD, read more
The Bad:
With the exception of endearing quips like those, the dialogue is shockingly bad. For this alone, I can see why Suburban Girl was not theatrically released. Some people have also criticized the relationship between Brett and Archie, claiming Sarah Michele Gellar and Alec Baldwin have zero chemistry, though I don't share this opinion. Their relationship is supposed to feel awkward at times, seeing as Archie is nearly the same age as Brett's dad. Sure, there are moments when their interactions feel forced, and they beat the whole "stop treating me like your daughter!" thing over our heads ad nauseum. But I was more or less okay with it.
Bottom line:
I completely understand why this film went straight to DVD but it's not without its charms, and I fervently hope to see characters like Brett on the big screen someday. Also, the movie's soundtrack could make those of similarly billed "chick flicks" weep with shame. It's cute enough if you're a huge fan of these actors.

I Could Never Be Your Woman
The Description:
"Just as Rosie (Pfeiffer) strikes up a romance with a handsome younger man (Paul Rudd), her daughter Izzie (Saorise Ronan) falls in love for the first time - and Mother Nature (Tracey Ullman) can't resist the temptation to meddle."
The Good:
Pfeiffer and Rudd are surprisingly cute together - to the point where I deeply wished the movie were solely about their relationship. Instead, there are a dozen different things smushed into this one film, and it all gets muddled and (especially in the scenes featuring an ethereal-looking Tracey Ullman as "Mother Nature") super weird. There are vague strains of female empowerment and some commentary on the culture of plastic surgery and degradation of women's bodies in Hollywood, but it all gets diluted amidst the rest of the storylines. Still, on some level, I appreciate the attempt to shed light on a culture in which little girls make their Barbies ridicule each others' bodies.
The Bad:
There's a romantic story involving Pfeiffer's character as The Hot Older Woman (at 40) and Rudd's character as The Funny Younger Man (at 29). But then there's the daughter's coming-of-age stuff and her own shrieky problems with boys at school. And there's Rosie's career troubles and her struggles with self-image within Hollywood. Finally, topping off this messy pile is the smart-mouthed Mother Nature who comes around to criticize Rosie's every move. It's just perplexing, and while there are some funny lines - and Rudd is as adorable as you've ever seen him - it's not actually a fun movie.
Bottom line:
The actors are great, but they can't save this overloaded, bizarre and not especially pleasurable story.

Is Sarah Michelle Still a Suburban Girl?

PopSugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:43:29 -0700

Sarah Michelle Gellar was looking very sleek in all black yesterday in NYC. We're still waiting to hear when Suburban Girl (based on A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing) is coming out. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival but we haven't heard anything else about it. Perhaps they were waiting for all the chaos with Alec Baldwin to blow over. Hopefully, they won't let it sit on the shelf much longer. I've been looking forward to seeing SMG back on the big screen in something other than a scary movie.

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We Welcome The Return of Sarah Michelle Gellar

PopSugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:22:48 -0700

SMG was looking fabulous at the Tribeca Film Festival where she debuted 2 of her latest films, Suburban Girl and The Air I Breathe. I am loving all the SMG sightings we are getting these days. Hopefully with these two movies on the horizon we will see a lot more of her and that adorable husband of hers, Freddie Prinze Jr. Can you all see her squeezing his hand on the carpet? SO cute. As for the two movies, Suburban Girl is based on the wonderful book, The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing and the Air I Breathe has SMG playing a pop star that gets in trouble with the mob. I can't wait to check both of these out but more importantly, I am just glad to see her out and about again. Now if we could only get her and Freddie to make some little ones already!

For lots more of SMG and her co-stars like Kevin Bacon, Andy Garcia and Brendan Fraser just read more

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Book Review: The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:00:17 -0700

I'm excited about a lot of the movies premiering at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, and Suburban Girl is near the top of my list. It's based on two of the short stories from Melissa Bank's collection The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, which was one of my favorite books when it came out in 1999. It had been a while since I'd read the book, so with the movie looming, I decided to drag my old paperback off the shelf and see if the book still holds up.

And it does. Bank's books (she also wrote The Wonder Spot) are great examples of what I like to call "upscale chick lit" - well-written stories with central female characters who are intelligent, witty and unafraid to speak their minds. In Girls' Guide, the focus is Jane Rosenal, whom we first meet as a 14-year-old realizing, as she watches her brother's relationship with his girlfriend slowly disintegrate, that the quest for true love really sucks.

Jane never stops looking for love, but as she grows older she also starts trying to piece together the other components of a fulfilling life. Those interests intersect fiercely in the two stories on which Suburban Girl is based, so read more

"My Old Man" and "The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine" show Jane at her conflicted and endearing best. She's in her 20s, trying to succeed in publishing, when she meets Archie Knox, a powerful executive at a rival firm. She's drawn to him, but in a matter-of-fact way; there's no hearts-and-flowers romance, just a series of dinner meetings and sudden advances. Not even half his age, she longs to impress him, to be the sharp, brilliant woman he's been looking for. "I stored up stories to tell him," Jane says at one point. "I practiced them in my head." She wants to hold her own with him, but at every turn, he gives her a new challenge - his alcoholism, his playboy past, his unexpected difficulties in bed.

In the second of the stories, "The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine," the Archie story dovetails with that of the other important man in Jane's life: her father. After a brief breakup, Jane is back with Archie, much to her family's disappointment, and she's also in the process of choosing to ruin her career rather than please her boss, a sort of Miranda Priestly-lite. Then she finds out her father is dying of leukemia, which snaps everything into perspective - but not in the way you'd imagine. I've reread that story several times now, and there are a few lines that always give me chills.

I'm glad the movie zeroed in on those two stories; they have a coherent arc, and they show off the strongest parts of Jane (called Brett in the movie) as a character. But the other stories in Girls' Guide are also worth a read, including the hilarious final chapter in which Jane decides to abandon her natural sarcasm and try out the dating techniques in a book called How to Meet and Marry Mr. Right. She imagines the authors perched on her shoulder, telling her when to talk and what to say ("Keep him guessing!" "Let him pay!"). In the end, of course, she figures out it's all ridiculous, and she leaves us with a pure, simple revelation that sums up Jane's whole story: "I realize that I can say whatever I want now. And I do."

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Get the Look: An Education's Fab Frocks

CasaSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:00:55 -0700

Writer Nick Hornby's movie An Education chronicles the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, whose life is affected by the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age. With a great cast including Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Alfred Molina, and Rosamund Pike, the movie features fab set design and gorgeous dresses. Check it out in theaters this Friday, but for now, see how you can translate Mulligan's gorgeous dresses to your home.
Source: IMDB

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Movie Preview: Nick Hornby's An Education

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:45:12 -0700

The description for An Education goes like this: "A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age." And the new trailer for the movie, written by Nick Hornby, shows just that. In fact, the whole movie seems to unfold within this trailer, and yet, I still really, really want to see the movie. In a rare occurrence, I'm anxious to find out what happens in between all the scenes we see in the preview. This is largely due to the engaging cast, which includes Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Alfred Molina and Rosamund Pike. Carey Mulligan, as the young woman at the center of the story, is particularly riveting, a spirited pixie with a sharp mind and the sweetest, most innocent face in the world.

An Education opens in limited release here in the U.S. Oct. 9. To watch the trailer, read more.

Is Oral Sex the New Kiss . . . and Prostitution the New Fear?

TresSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:00:00 -0700

There's always a new study, book, or movie to tell us how fast kids grow up, but Oral Sex Is the New Goodnight Kiss (both a book and a documentary) takes it to a whole new level. Some girls, it seems, are causally consenting to prostitution.

Canadian filmmaker Sharlene Azam worked with teenage girls from ages 13 to 15 for four years in order to gain their trust, and they did not hold back once they started talking.

While the idea that oral sex is commonplace is not earth shattering, the girls said it was basically expected at the end of the date. Why? It's quick, easy, and doesn't take up much space. (Umm, OK.) But things get more shocking when they talk about stripping and exchanging sexual favors for a few dollars, new clothes, or the "privilege" to hang out with a certain crowd, especially guys.

The film stresses that the girls are all from upper-middle class families in suburban Canada, and one teen adds "I had a really, really, really good childhood." In fact, Azam says, the girls most at risk are the prettiest and from the most successful families. And, they're recruited by their friends who tell them about the benefits. Yikes!

Good Morning America asked several American teenagers to watch the film and talk about it yesterday. While accepting money in exchange for sex seems to be news to them, they confirm the pressure to keep a boyfriend is intense. Their identity is wrapped up in who they're dating, and most girls, they said, would do "anything" to keep a boyfriend.

To watch a clip from the documentary, read more.

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 24, "Valley Girls"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:30:01 -0700

Hey, Gossip Girl fans! What did you think of the highly anticipated '80s time warp on this week's episode? Do you think it can work as a spinoff? My first reaction is lukewarm. Don't get me wrong: I love '80s music, clothes, and Andrew McCarthy as much as the next gal, and learning about young Lily is totally fascinating. But for some reason, those flashbacks didn't do as much as I thought they would for me.

Which is fine. Shows can improve over time. But as the episode progressed, I started to feel resentful of the flashbacks, and then . . . angry. I couldn't figure out where these strong emotions were coming from, and then it finally hit me: This spinoff stuff completely cheated us out of our Gossip Girl prom episode. Hello?! Proms are 90 percent of the reason I watch teen shows! Craziest of all, I didn't even realize prom was on the menu until about a third of the way into the episode. There's much to discuss, so read more.

Let's start with the present. Serena is still in jail. Everyone knows Lily did it. Nate, Chuck, and Blair are all peeved. Nate: "I can't believe she had her own daughter arrested. Who does that?"
But they're not as peeved as Serena. Check out what she says to her mother: "I would rather give my kids up for adoption than end up like you. . . . Oh wait. You did that." Harsh! But probably deserved.
Meanwhile, back at the Brooklyn loft, Dan, Jenny, and Vanessa are hanging out when Rufus comes storming out of his room. He's so moody and bitter after his nonproposal ("You guys are the Gossip Girl generation, don't try to pretend like you aren't interested in this gossip"). Hey, Rufus, this is more than mere gossip!
Aw, since Dan ruined everything last week, he calls CeCe to bail Serena out of jail, and then he takes her to prom - because even on Gossip Girl, nobody should miss prom by being behind bars.
Speaking of which, would Serena really just check herself back into jail? I'd think she'd run away before she'd willingly submit to incarceration.
It turns out Blair keeps a prom scrapbook full of hilarious princess drawings under her bed. Who would have thunk it?
I love how Blair thinks the idea of "prom queen" is lame and for "suburban schools" and "teen comedies" until of course she learns she's nominated.
Chuck maneuvers this whole dream prom scenario for Blair. Touching? Or weird? Do you wish we could have spent more time on that instead of flashing back? (Do I sound bitter?)
Nate and Blair's breakup has to be the tamest teen breakup I've ever witnessed. It's almost sweet!

Meanwhile, in the past . . . could they have shoved more obvious '80s references into the spinoff scenes? Fanny packs! Rubik's Cube! Tapes! Music videos are a "new art form!" They even insert a random '80s outfit montage that Brittany Snow works hard to sell.
Ew, I can't believe that Keith van der Woodsen d-bag is Eric and Serena's dad. He even had sex with Lily's sister, Carol.
I loved Lost's Cynthia Watros as a young CeCe! (And I especially loved her legwarmers.)
Do you guys find Lily's love interest, Owen, interesting/attractive/worth caring about? Or do you want to just fast-forward to the part in the future where she meets Rufus?

Are you as sad as I am that the flashbacks took away from b>Gossip Girl prom? Do you think Brittany Snow did a good job as young Lily?

Photos courtesy of The CW

NBC's New Slate: Chuck in 2010, No More Earl

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:15:58 -0700

On the heels of ABC's announcements, NBC has declared what its Fall schedule will look like, with some shows not returning to the network and new original programming coming in. We'd already heard much of NBC's news, but here are some interesting tidbits from today:

NBC has dropped My Name Is Earl and Medium, though it's possible other networks may pick those up. CBS appears fairly likely to snag Medium while Earl could land at Fox or ABC.
Chuck fans will have to wait until after the 2010 Olympics to get their fix, as the show won't return until February 2010. When it does return, though, one character will be working at Subway, as the sandwich chain is a major sponsor for the show.
Heroes will take the 8 p.m. time slot in the Fall in an effort to draw viewers to the new show Trauma at 9 p.m.
Friday Night Lights doesn't yet have a start date on DirecTV, and it's expected to be back on NBC in Summer 2010.

NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman is proud of the upcoming schedule with its mix of fan-favorites and new original programs: "NBC has picked up more scripted shows than last season even with The Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m. We're incredibly excited about our new and returning series and have more comedy programming than anyone else, as well as two of the most buzzed about new shows, Community and Parenthood. We can't wait for the Fall."

Remember, you can already watch some previews of the new shows. To check out the full schedule and descriptions of the new NBC shows, read more.

MONDAY
8 p.m. Heroes
9 p.m. Trauma
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

TUESDAY
8 p.m The Biggest Loser (two-hour edition)
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Parenthood
9 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

THURSDAY
8 p.m. SNL Weekend Update Thursday (multi-episode run)
8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation
9 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. Community (moves to 8 p.m. after SNL Thursday is done, replaced by 30 Rock)
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Law & Order
9 p.m. Southland
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Dateline NBC
9 p.m. Trauma (encore broadcast)
10 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7 p.m. Football Night in America
8:20 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

Midseason Schedule
MONDAY
8 p.m. Chuck
9 p.m. Day One
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

TUESDAY
8 p.m The Biggest Loser
9:30 p.m. 100 Questions
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Mercy
9 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Community
8:30 p.m. Parks and Recreation
9 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. 30 Rock
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Law & Order
9 p.m. Southland
10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Dateline NBC
9 p.m. Southland (encore broadcast)
10 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7 p.m. Dateline NBC
8 p.m. The Marriage Ref
9 p.m. The Celebrity Apprentice

2010 Winter Olympics preempt regularly scheduled programming from February 12-28

The New Shows

Community: Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Arrested Development) comes Community, a smart comedy series about higher education - and lower expectations. The student body at Greendale Community College is made up of high-school losers, newly divorced housewives, and old people who want to keep their minds active. Within these not-so-hallowed halls, Community focuses on a band of misfits, at the center of which is a fast-talkin' lawyer whose degree has been revoked (Joel McHale), who form a study group and end up learning a lot more about themselves than they do about their course work. In addition to McHale, the series also stars: Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, and comedy legend Chevy Chase.

Parenthood: When Sarah Braverman (Maura Tierney), a financially strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings in Berkeley, Calif. after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting her two inconvenienced kids, Amber (Mae Whitman) and Drew (Miles Heizer), she is greeted by her opinionated father, Zeek (Craig T. Nelson), and strong mother, Camille (Bonnie Bedelia), who are privately dealing with their own marital issues. As Sarah is reunited with her siblings - sister, Julia (Erika Christensen), and brothers Crosby (Dax Shepard) and Adam (Peter Krause) - all struggling with issues of their own, it's clear that the Braverman reunion is just what they need to face the everyday challenges of modern family life.

Trauma: Like an adrenaline shot to the heart, Trauma is an intense, action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in the world: first responder paramedics. When emergencies occur, the trauma team from San Francisco General is first on the scene, traveling by land, by sea or by air to reach their victims in time. From the heights of the city's Transamerica Pyramid to the depths of the San Francisco Bay, these heroes must face the most extreme conditions to save lives - and give meaning to their own existence in the process. Starring in Trauma are Derek Luke, Cliff Curtis, Anastasia Griffith, Aimee Garcia, Kevin Rankin and Jamey Sheridan.

Mercy
Mercy a new medical drama with a unique point of view, portrays the lives of the staff at Mercy Hospital as seen through the eyes of those who know it best - its nurses. Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling, Dark Matter) returns to Mercy from a military tour in Iraq - and she knows more about medicine than all of the residents combined. Together with fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kirchner, Rescue Me) and Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg, Gossip Girl), Callahan navigates through the daily traumas and social landmines of life and love both inside the hospital and out in the real world. The cast also includes: James Tupper (Men in Trees) as Dr. Chris Sands, a new doctor at the hospital who complicates Veronica's life; Diego Klattenhoff (Supernatural) as Mike Callahan, Veronica’s husband; and Guillermo Diaz (Weeds) as Nurse Angel Lopez. Mercy is a production from Universal Media Studios and Berman Braun. Joining writer/executive producers Liz Heldens (NBC’s Friday Night Lights) and Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts (Pushing Daisies, Pepper Dennis) are executive producers Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. Emmy Award winner Adam Bernstein (NBC’s 30 Rock, Rescue Me) is the director.

Day One
From executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander (Heroes, Lost, Alias) and director Alex Graves (Fringe, Journeyman), Day One tells the story of life on earth following a global catastrophe that has devastated the world's infrastructures. Beginning with the immediate aftermath of the cataclysmic event, an eclectic band of survivors - played by Adam Campbell (Date Movie), Catherine Dent (The Shield), Julie Gonzalo (Eli Stone), David Lyons (ER), Derek Mio (Greek), Carly Pope (24), Thekla Reuten (Sleeper Cell) and Addison Timlin (Cashmere Mafia) - strives to rebuild society as they unravel the mysteries of what happened and face their uncertain future. The group, all residents of one apartment building in suburban Van Nuys, Calif., embarks on a quest for survival and discovers that hope is found in small victories - and heroes are born every day. Day One is a Universal Media Studios production.

100 Questions
Emmy winner James Burrows (Will & Grace, Friends) directs 100 Questions, a new comedy series written and executive-produced by Christopher Moynihan (For Your Consideration) that provides hilarious answers to 100 questions about love. Charlotte Payne (Sophie Winkleman, Peep Show) is looking for love and has rejected multiple marriage proposals - but she has yet to meet Mr. Right. When she joins a popular online dating site, she gets a little help from her dating counselor Ravi (Amir Talai, The Ex List) - who requires her to take a 100-question compatibility test. The questions aren’t easy for Charlotte to answer, and each one requires her to recount a poignant and humorous time in her life with friends Leslie (Elizabeth Ho, Women’s Murder Club), Jill (Joy Suprano, NBC’s Law & Order), Mike (Christopher Moynihan For Your Consideration) and Wayne (David Walton, Quarterlife). The test becomes a journey of self-discovery for Charlotte who begins to realize what she truly wants in a relationship. Ron West (Psych), Kelly Kulchak (Psych) and Michelle Nader (King of Queens) join Moynihan as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios and Tagline.

Photos courtesy of NBC