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Dedication: Too Weird for Its Own Good

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:00:00 PDT

Dedication, the directorial debut from Justin Theroux, is a weird little movie. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, Dedication gets a little too lost in its own weirdness, ultimately overwhelming what could be a sweet, unlikely love story.

At the heart of Dedication is Henry Roth (Billy Crudup), a basket case of a children's book writer who occasionally has to put heavy objects (encyclopedias or other large books, preferably) on top of himself to feel safe. The one person in the world who can tolerate his antics is his illustration partner, Rudy Holt (Tom Wilkinson), whose particular brand of tough love seems to calm Henry down. The two are working on a tough deadline for a children's book based on their character of Marty the Beaver (dreamed up, amusingly enough, in a porno theater) when Rudy dies suddenly of a brain tumor. That leaves Henry without an illustrator, not to mention without an anchor to the regular, non-neurotic world.

Enter Lucy (Mandy Moore), an illustrator plucked by editor Arthur Planck (Bob Balaban) to work with Henry. Henry spends most of his time trying to figure out just how insulting and nasty he can be to Lucy before she gives up and leaves him alone; considering she's been offered $200,000 if she gets Henry to finish the book (unbeknownst to him, of course), it will take a lot more than insults to get her to leave. It's a perfectly solid plot, but Theroux doesn't control the movie's tone enough to execute it well. To see what I mean,

The first half of the movie feels trippy and surreal, something straight out of a David Lynch film (an effect I doubt is coincidental - but more on that later). Henry, angry over Rudy's death, continues speaking to his dead partner in a series of dream sequences, shot with a choppy, deliberate camera effect. Crudup does a fine job of conveying Henry's various psychoses, and though much of his character is never really explained - why the books? why the OCD tendencies to rearrange the condiments at every restaurant? - he's interesting enough. One of Theroux's greatest strengths as a director is his use of music, and the soundtrack adds a lot to the story, with the disjointed sounds of Deerhoof giving an additional window into Henry's psyche and the more mellow Cat Power representing Lucy's calming presence. But in general, the effects are a little too strange to be useful; after the first couple of jolts into Henry's alternate reality where Rudy is still alive, the device felt tired.

But I still prefer the vaguely experimental tone of the movie's first half to the more standard love story it becomes in the end, because in all the trippiness, Theroux forgets to give us much reason to care about Henry or Lucy. Mandy Moore gives Lucy a good underlying toughness, but her character - who is also trying to decide whether to get back with her professor/thesis adviser (Martin Freeman) - isn't written deeply enough to understand why she'd put up with either of these guys. When the weirdness of the movie's first half starts to fall away, the story just feels empty.

Which brings me back to David Lynch. Theroux, who worked with Lynch on Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, wrote in the press notes for Dedication about how the legendary director had influenced his own style. So I suppose it's not surprising that Dedication feels like a clumsy attempt at taking elements of Lynch's films and applying them to a romantic comedy. But, well, even Lynch himself isn't famous for his great romantic comedies.

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Mandy Premieres Her Dedication

PopSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:15:35 PDT

Mandy looked like a vamped up version of herself at the Dedication premiere in NYC last night. While we're a huge fan of the actress, we're not loving this harsh look. We bet her costar Billy Crudup wasn't into it much either. Mandy makes him look so tiny as she towers over him. Obviously from her big smile we can tell they were having fun with the situation. It reminds us that she's still her wholesome self. In fact, Mandy recently opened up to TV Guide about what sets her apart from some of Hollywood's other young stars. Here's more:

How have you been able to sidestep the troubles that have plagued Britney and Lindsay?
I think it all sort of comes down to family and having this wonderful support of people in your life. I know this sounds Pollyanna-ish, but it's not. I don't relate to that kind of lifestyle and exposure. That is never really the situation I've been in. And I feel lucky for that.

We agree that Mandy is lucky to have been able to rely on her strong family background. She's also stayed out of the scene which has helped her avoid trouble. If only LL and Brit had a support system then maybe they'd be a positive role model like Mandy.

For more of Mandy, Billy and more just

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Images include Justin Theroux, Amy Sedaris, Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup and Bobby Cannavale.

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First Look: Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup in Dedication

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:20:00 PDT

There hasn't been much of a publicity push for Dedication, a strange little indie romantic dramedy starring Mandy Moore and Billy Crudup, which can sometimes be a very good sign. After all, the last two movies I saw with Moore in them (Because I Said So, License to Wed) enjoyed major marketing pushes and then turned out to be some of the year's most embarrassing disappointments. For Moore's sake, I hope Dedication is a quality movie so we can see that it's not the actress that was the problem - it was the material.

Crudup plays Henry Roth, a peculiar, misanthropic and slightly unstable man who requires certain things (like sleeping with heavy objects resting on his body) to feel safe. Henry writes children's books that inform children of Santa Claus' nonexistence. When his best friend and book illustrator dies, Henry is paired with a new illustrator, the young, pretty Lucy (Moore), who possesses a quirkiness of her own. The two struggle to get along, and surely a kind of love starts to bloom between them. Amy Sedaris and Martin Freeman (the original Tim from the BBC "Office"!) also star. Dedication opens in limited release August 24, so to watch the trailer,

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Mandy's Film Gets Picked Up By The Weinstein Co!

PopSugar — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:33:50 PST

Mandy's star is on the rise. She has a new album coming out this year and now her film Dedication has been picked up by The Weinstein Co. at Sundance. That's like hitting Sundance gold! Page Six reports:

"Distributors were in a fierce battle," said a source, but Weinstein secured the deal "at 4 a.m." Harvey Weinstein was huddled earlier in a corner of the Lotus Lounge at Hollywood Life House with the film's director, Justin Theroux, for hours. Moore was there as well, sealing her own deal with DJ AM. "The two were making out on the couch," said our spy. The Weinstein Co. also acquired "Grace Is Gone," starring John Cusack, for $4 million, as well as "Teeth" and "La Misma Luna." Reps for Weinstein confirmed all four picture deals.

Congrats to Mandy and her team on that deal. As for the DJ AM part, well I guess we're just happy Mandy is smiling again. More pictures of Mandy looking pretty for David Letterman, so just

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Mandy is a Good Girl, not a Goody-Goody

PopSugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:00:45 PST

Mandy is up in Park City and managed to sneak away from her new beau, DJ AM to get some promo pics taken for her film Dedication, which also stars Billy Crudup. Could she get any cuter? Mandy may have a squeaky clean reputation, but she set some things straight in the February issue of Jane magazine. In addition to saying that she hated her past pop albums and that she's recently suffered from depression she also made it clear that she isn't your typical good girl. Here's highlights:

On why she doesn’t drink:
“I’m a control freak, and I think maybe that’s why. I’m too scared to see what will happen. I’ve been drunk maybe two or three times in my life, although I do like to have a glass of wine before going into the studio, to mellow me out.”
On her image:
“I kind of am a goody-goody. But I’m not judgmental. I’ve done a couple of movies [A Walk to Remember, Saved] where I’ve played Christian characters, so people assume I’m very religious. It’s not a completely correct perception of who I am.”
On the future:
“I’m still figuring it all out, but I want to be extraordinary. I want to live up to my full potential. I’ve always been really shy, very ‘don’t look at me.’ I’ve wanted to hide. But now I don’t want to hide.”

She seems to be pretty extraordinary to us! I mean, she's managed to grow up in the spotlight without totally losing her mind (or her underwear). And she may be a good girl but not in an annoyingly, oh just shut-up kind of way. Young Hollywood needs more people like her. We are always up for more Mandy. For more pics just

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10 Astronaut Tees to Celebrate Sally Ride, the First American Female in Space

Anna Monette Roberts — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:22:06 PDT

Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel to space, turns 60 today! In her postastronaut career, she's continued to dedicate herself to science, investigating both the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia accidents, writing five science books for children, and founding Sally Ride Science, an organization helping women pursue tech- and science-related careers. To celebrate her birthday - and our love of astronauts in general - we've gathered 10 astronaut tees to flaunt our gravity-defying interest in space.

Model Liya Kebede Talks Minimal Makeup in Cannes

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:25:43 PDT

For model Liya Kebede, Cannes feels like magic. "It gets into you the minute you arrive here," she said this morning. "It's very glamorous, and I like that it's very international as well. You see all these different people from all over the world coming with their films, which is great." It's been a big year for Liya, who was named a L'Oréal Paris brand ambassador last June and is making forays into the film world. She's currently working on The Best Offer from Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore.

There's more to Liya than her stunning looks, though. She won a BellaSugar beauty award thanks to her philanthropic efforts. Her eponymous foundation is dedicated to improving maternal health, and she's created a clothing line, Lemlem, which helps support craftswomen in her native Ethiopia. Today, the supermodel talked about her various work endeavors and shared her best tips on beauty, the inside scoop on her own makeup routine, and more.

BellaSugar: It's pretty surreal here. Have you ever had an incredible Cannes moment?
Liya Kebede: I think you get it every time you get here. Last time, I ran into Woody Allen in the lobby. You can't believe it - it's just insane. There's so many of these great people and stars. At some point, you don't even react anymore. You get overstimulated. Every corner is some incredible person, or you go to a party and it's full of everybody. It's amazing. You just go, "I'm in Cannes!"

BellaSugar: And part of Cannes, is of course, getting made up and looking great, which you're quite familiar with, I'm sure. What's the best tip you've learned from the pros?
Liya Kebede: Less is more. If you're going do an eye thing, then don't do a lip thing. Try to find a balance about what you do. Also, nothing is necessarily specific - using a lip thing on your eye or cheeks is fine, and it works, and it's light. Play around! Nothing is so fixed.

For the rest of our chat with Liya, just read more

Fit Tip: Keep It Up Long After Summer Ends

Leta Shy — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:59:20 PDT

Last-minute Summer shape-up plans may help you shed pounds and tone fast, but they do involve a lot of hard work and dedication as you race against the warm-weather countdown. So as you ramp up your healthy routine in time to don that bikini, make an even better resolution: stick to your new healthy resolutions, even after the Summer season fades.

Whether you're detoxing with a debloating meal plan or kicking your workouts up a notch, Summer prep can be the best time to jump-start a commitment to a healthier lifestyle, not only because you're making healthy eating and exercise a habit, but also because waiting until the last minute to prep for a beach vacay can be stressful! Insanity's Shaun T says it best: "Make it a lifestyle change so next Spring you're not cramming for the test," he recently told us. (In the meantime, you can read his tips for last-minute Summer prep here).

Does this season's frantic shape-up routine have you vowing to make a healthy diet and exercise routine part of your regular life? Luckily, you don't have to do it alone; follow our tips on how to stick to an exercise routine, and this time next year you can rest easy knowing you don't have to beat the clock!

5 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Paying For College

LearnVest — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:15:23 PDT

Paying for college is such a complex issue. LearnVest helps simplify it by answering some key questions in regard to paying tuition.

If you believe everything you read, then you might think you need to be a Rockefeller to have kids.

That, of course, isn't the case.

Yes, kids are expensive, and thinking about paying for a college education can be scary and frustrating . . . but that's where we come in.

As with everything else in life, figuring out what to do about your kid's college savings is all about the planning, says Stephany Kirkpatrick, CFP, LearnVest's director of financial planning. Depending on where you are in life right now and how old your kids are, you may have questions about how to set up a 529 plan (which is an education savings plan designed to help families set aside funds for future college costs), what to look for, and when to start saving.

If you're pregnant or have a newborn and are starting to think about this, then good for you! The earlier you get started socking away cash for their college, the easier it will be. You'll learn a lot in this article, but you should also check out our Baby on Board Bootcamp, which will tell you everything you need to know - financially - to be ready for a baby. It includes 529 advice, as well as financial tips on everything from putting together a will and picking out a life insurance policy to buying nursery basics.
If your kid is slightly older and you’ve done your research but haven’t yet started saving in a 529 plan, then first read the four mistakes to avoid when choosing a 529 plan, and then check out the different college savings plans available to you.
If this is the first you’re thinking about it, no matter your kid's ageI, then don't worry about it. You have to start somewhere!

Read on for more.

What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

Maggie Pehanick — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:05:00 PDT

This Means War

In This Means War Reese Witherspoon plays a woman tasked with a tough challenge when she starts dating two guys (Tom Hardy and Chris Pine) at once, who just so happen to be secret agents and best friends. Her choice becomes harder as the super spies pull out all the stops to win her heart, including some hilarious hijinks meant to sabotage the other's efforts. It may be a corny premise, but it's easy to fall for both leading men and the script keeps it light and funny. Extras include commentary by Director McG, deleted scenes, and alternate endings.

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The Woman in Black

In the Edwardian era, a young lawyer (Daniel Radcliffe) travels to a small town to manage the affairs of a recently deceased local. While he is there, he finds the real case is a string of child suicides in the area. Though he still has many demons of his own, he attempts to investigate as more children die at their own hands. Locals alert him of the legend of the Woman in Black, and before long, he has his own run-ins with the ghost, who is none too pleased to have a man encroaching upon her space. DVD extras include commentaries and behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes.

65%

One more release when you

Red Tails

Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard lead the cast in this World War II-era flick about the role of African American pilots, produced by George Lucas. Despite racial segregation, the Pentagon has no choice but to deploy the number of African American airmen enlisted for the war. Though they are initially outcasts, the squadron soon wins the respect of the entire air force with their dedication and skills in the air. Extras include "Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airman at War" mini-documentary and featurettes on the director and the cast.

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