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Warrior: An Emotional Knockout

Rose Curiel — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 03:05:26 PDT

A lot of sports movies focus on underdogs, and while Warrior is no exception, it offers much more than a tale of athletes facing incredible odds. Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) are two estranged brothers who find themselves training for the same mixed martial arts competition with a $5 million dollar prize. After physics teacher Brendan is suspended from his job without pay, he goes after the prize money so that his family can keep their home. Former Marine Tommy, who has suddenly returned from his service in Afghanistan, is also anxious to get a hold of the cash, though his motives aren't immediately clear. When they finally step into the caged ring, you're just as concerned with the outcome of the physical battle as you are with the emotional one that has broken the family.

As the pair prepares for the fight, they cross paths with their reformed alcoholic father Paddy (Nick Nolte). Tommy decides to train with him, despite the fact that he loathes his dad, while Brendan resists a relationship with him when the old man attempts to apologize for his wrongdoings. The familial rift that has caused these men to grow apart is revealed slowly, and done in such a way that you become emotionally invested in each fighter. I was surprised that a movie about cage fighting could capture the strained dynamic between brothers so well. To find out why I found myself rooting for each brother in and out of the ring, just

When the movie opens, Tommy shows up on his father's doorstep, having returned from Afghanistan full of rage and resentment toward his family. Tommy comes off as a bit one-dimensional throughout the story; he rarely speaks unless it's to reject his family's efforts to connect with him or spout angry grievances about the past. Hardy makes up for the character's reticence by expressing his angst through powerhouse fighting scenes. As Tommy's story unfolds, including insight into what he experienced in Afghanistan, you begin to understand his outrage and feel a sense of compassion towards him. It's somewhat easier to connect with Brendan, because we see snippets of his soft side as a father, like repairing his daughters' toys after work, and letting them paint his face at a birthday party.

It's Nolte, however, who steals the spotlight as a repentant father desperate to reconnect with his sons. Throughout the film, Paddy receives an emotional beating from his sons that rivals the brutal punches his boys receive in the ring. From his worn face to the tears that quietly stream down his face, Nolte tears at our heartstrings with a powerful performance.

From all the Warrior promotion, it's obvious that the brothers go head to head in the competition, but the route to the ring is still an interesting one. The movie does a great job of presenting what is at stake for each brother, so much so that it's not entirely clear if we should favor one over the other. Sure, we experience the traditional music montage training session, but the complexities of the Conlon brothers' relationship more than makes up for the standard sports movie fare.

Even if you're not a sports fan, you will find yourself excited for the final fight scenes, despite some hard-to-watch body slams. By the end, I found myself riveted to my ringside seat of this film that is just as much a family drama as it is a sports story.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Jennifer Garner Joins Russell Brand in Arthur

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:32:44 PDT

Remakes are all the rage right now (there's not one but two hitting theaters just this weekend), and it sounds like Jennifer Garner is ready to jump on the bandwagon. She's in talks to star in the upcoming remake of Arthur, starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren. Garner would play the rich heiress whom Arthur's mother (Mirren) wants her son to marry, though Arthur himself prefers a poor girl (Greta Gerwig). Nick Nolte is also lined up to play Arthur's religious father.

I personally love Jennifer Garner's comedic side (particularly in The Invention of Lying), and I can easily see her playing the prim and proper foil to Russell Brand's crazy. We already know that Brand is super excited about the film, but are you into the latest additions to the cast?

What's the Most Serious Gadget Incident You've Ever Had?

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:00:28 PDT

On Tuesday, a fire broke out in actor Nick Nolte's Malibu home, forcing him to make a quick exit and escape through a window. The fire was said to have been caused by an electrical malfunction, which Nolte believes originated from his faulty printer. The damage was estimated at three million dollars.

We've heard about fires from bad batteries in cell phones, and laptops over-heating, but I'm wondering if any of you have actually had any "real life" serious experiences with gadgets malfunctioning and causing damage to your home? Let me know in the comments below!

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Sugar Bits - Travis Barker Speaks About the Plane Crash

PopSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:30:11 PDT

Travis Barker opens up for the first time since his plane crash about his recovery, his fear of planes, and his surgeries. He is currently in treatment at the Grossman Burn Center in LA. - Us Weekly
Celebrity DJs are hosting a benefit in honor of DJ AM as a welcome-home party and to raise money for the crash victims who died. The event will be at The Avalon in Hollywood on Oct. 14 and tickets are open to the public. - Hollywood Insider
The first wedding photo of Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky exchanging rings at the ceremony has been released. - People
Nick Nolte's house caught on fire yesterday, possibly due to a malfunctioning printer, causing $3 million in damages. Nick suffered from smoke inhalation but was treated on the scene. - AP
Lily Allen was regranted a US visa on Tuesday, after having it revoked a year ago following a fight with a photographer. - People
Tom Brady had successful surgery in LA Monday to repair his torn ACL and MCL. - TMZ

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Buzz News Roundup, 9/26

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:31:05 PDT

Do Not Disturb is the first casualty of Fall TV. - Broadcasting & Cable
It's only in the rumor stage, but still: People are saying Ricky Gervais may be the host for the 2009 Oscars! - E! Online
Steven Spielberg may adapt the sci-fi novel Chocky for his next project. - Zap2It
HBO wants to turn the Tom Wolfe novel I Am Charlotte Simmons into a TV series with Tina Brown as executive producer. - Variety
Helen Mirren is set to play a Mossad agent in director John Madden's The Debt, an English-language remake of Israeli thriller Ha-hov. - Variety
Melissa George of Alias will guest-star on Grey's Anatomy as a possible love interest for Callie or Erica. - Entertainment Weekly
Nick Nolte will star in an indie coming-of-age-drama titled Arcadia Lost. - Hollywood Reporter
Bob Dylan's new album will be released one week early as a free online stream on National Public Radio's website. - AP
The American Idol tour did better this year than last year but still couldn't match the 2006 edition. - USA Today

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Hayden Takes Care of Her Own

PopSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:00:52 PST

With no Milo Ventimiglia in sight, Hayden Panettiere had a much younger man, her brother Jansen, on her arm at the premiere of The Spiderwick Chronicles in LA last night. Hayden's still a family girl at heart, but earlier this week that backfired a bit. At Wednesday's Old Navy party mom Panettiere's dress was a little too risqué for her daughter's taste and Hayden had to leave the dance floor in order to try and keep her mother decent. We all know what it's like to be embarrassed of your parents, but let's hope that Mrs. Panettiere doesn't turn into a party mom.

Lots more of Hayden and her little brother along with Nick Nolte and others so

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Images include: Hayden Panettiere, Jansen Panettiere, Freddie Highmore, Nick Nolte, Joy Lauren, Martin Short, Zane Huett, Michael Indelicato

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Sundance Review: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:30:30 PST

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is great. And then it's terrible. And then it's puzzling. Then it's truthful. Then you go, "whaaaa?" And it ends and you're like, "eh."

It's not a bad movie, by any means. The music is fantastic, for example. Many of the directorial choices (the way shots are set up, the use of voiceover narration, etc.) are superb. Several of the performances are arresting. But the dialog is stilted and the action feels extremely rushed. I attended the "world premiere" of the movie at Sundance, and director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball) introduced it by thanking the citizens of Pittsburgh and professing his undying love for the Michael Chabon book on which the movie is based. His love is apparent, but it isn't enough to make the film truly enjoyable.

The story follows Art Bechstein (Jon Foster), a young man who, wishing to avoid responsibility for the Summer before he joins the real world, is living in Pittsburgh, working at a book warehouse. He dreads the monthly dinners with his father (Nick Nolte), a shady individual with power over most of the city, and he regularly sleeps with his boss Phlox (Mena Suvari). Then he meets Jane (Sienna Miller) and her boyfriend Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard) and his life instantly becomes more interesting. To find out more about this,

The movie version of Chabon's book focuses on the relationships between coarse bisexual Cleveland, vibrant Jane, and average Art, as the line between friendship and something-more starts to blur - between all three of them. Like so many movies, though, the love scenes heavily favor the female form. Even in the scenes with naked men - with only naked men - the filming is much more reserved, conservative. This makes me wonder if the filmmakers were not particularly comfortable portraying homosexuality. I haven't read the book, but I heard people who have grumble that the relationship between Cleveland and Art in the film is lamely subdued.

For the most part, the performances are good, though Jon Foster seems so much like John Krasinski - minus the ease and sweetness - I found myself wishing they'd just gotten Krasinski instead. Nick Nolte is gravel-throated and terrifying. Peter Sarsgaard is someone I have often thought of as a lazy, dopey actor. At the very least, those are often the characters he plays, and it makes me wonder. But in this movie he is commanding and aggressively committed. I started to feel toward him what the characters around him felt: irresistibly drawn to him, yet annoyed with his behavior.

I often wonder what I would think of Sienna Miller if I had no idea who she was in the tabloid sense. I think she does a fine job in this film, but she always seems so aware of her own beauty, her own power. And this is a problem when she's trying to play normal girls with major insecurities and issues. Whether this is her issue to overcome as an actress or something that falls to directors, I'm not sure.

Bottom line: There are moments of real truth and beauty, but it's all undermined by moments of total ridiculousness.

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Sundance Spotlight: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:31:34 PST

I am so thrilled to go to Sundance this year, and I simply can't wait to see as many movies as I possibly can while I'm out there! For the next few days I'll be highlighting some of the films I'm most curious to see. Today's spotlight: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

One of the few Sundance films to have an official website, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a film adaptation of the novel by author Michael Chabon (Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay). Chabon's work seems to lend itself to the movie format (I loved Wonder Boys) so I'm anxious to see how this one turns out. To see who's in it and what the story's about,

The plot description reads, "Set in Pittsburgh in the early eighties, the story chronicles the last true summer of Art Bechstein's (Jon Foster) youth. Stuck in a dead-end job working for his eccentric sometime girlfriend Phlox (Mena Suvari), and forced into an endless series of airless dinners with his mobster father (Nick Nolte), Art begins to believe that perhaps he doesn't even exist at all. What begins as a mundane summer is quickly interrupted when he encounters a beautiful debutante (Sienna Miller) and her lusty, no good hoodlum of a boyfriend Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard). Together they reveal a side of Art and Pittsburgh that he has never known."

So that's where Mena Suvari's been. Huh. This is also the project that earned Miller some bad press a while back when she badmouthed Pittsburgh in Rolling Stone and then backpedaled. I guess we'll see if she managed to cover up her disdain long enough to make the movie.

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Twin Peeps

GiggleSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:00:00 PST

I just had to note the resemblance, at least in coiffure. Nick Nolte in his notorious mugshot, and Bobby the plushy.

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If You Had To...

GiggleSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:02:00 PST

Talk about being stuck between a drunk and an orange place. Which one of these beauties would you hook up with, if you had to. . .

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