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Movie Preview: Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:36:05 -0800

The trailer for Crazy Heart notes that both stars Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal have been nominated for Oscars, and the solemn, raw tone of the film looks an awful lot like awards show bait for these two big talents. Jeff Bridges stars as Bad Blake, a grizzled, hard-livin', lovin', and drinkin' country singer/songwriter who's known for his amazing music, and Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the journalist he eventually falls for.

We don't see a ton of plot in the trailer, but the story seems like a familiar one, complete with introspection and a soft country anthem that fits the title. Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall also star in the film, which features original songs by celebrated songwriter T-Bone Burnett.

To see the trailer and predict for yourself if this is one you're going to be seeing in the Oscar race, just read more.

Movie Preview: The Slammin' Salmon

BuzzSugar — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Good news for fans of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, famous for their cult comedy classic Super Troopers: their latest film, The Slammin' Salmon, which languished on a shelf waiting for a distributor, got picked up by a studio this week for a release in December. And that's not all; there's a new trailer for the film, featuring not just the group's faces, but one very welcome one: How I Met Your Mother's Cobie Smulders! Jim Gaffigan and Will Forte also have parts.

The movie is set in a high-end restaurant, and Smulders and the others play servers challenged to make the most money in one night for a shot at $10,000. The humor looks like the same that made Super Troopers so beloved, so I really hope that Salmon is just as funny. To see the trailer, just read more.

Movie Preview: Miley Cyrus in The Last Song

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:30:56 -0800

Are you ready for your second Nicholas Sparks movie preview in as many months? (Last month's was the romance Dear John.) Here it is: The Last Song stars Miley Cyrus (cue The Soup's "It's Miley!" sound bite) as a girl who's dropped off at the home of her estranged father to spend the Summer. Obviously she doesn't want to be there, obviously she falls for a local boy, and obviously she and her father end up bonding.

You couldn't call me a Miley fan, but I do love Greg Kinnear, who plays her well-meaning father. From the trailer, the movie looks very sweet and very schlocky - which is exactly how Sparks usually does it. Interestingly, Sparks was commissioned to write both the screenplay and novel simultaneously, with Cyrus in mind. While I don't know that I'll be rushing to the theater for this one, it's probably something you'd find me secretly Netflixing later on; I'm kind of a sucker for the addictive cheesiness of a Sparks movie.

Check out the trailer for The Last Song when you read more.

The Last Song comes out on April 2, 2010.

Movie Preview: Meg Ryan in Serious Moonlight

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:30:05 -0700

Jenna Elfman's character on Accidentally on Purpose recently made a crack that she knows the stages of womanhood by Meg Ryan movies, and it immediately made me miss seeing the actress in romantic comedies. The trailer for Serious Moonlight may look like a twisted rom-com, but hey, there's mention of love and definitely comedy, so I'm interested.

From the late Adrienne Shelley (who wrote Waitress) and directed by Curb Your Enthusiasm's Cheryl Hines, Serious Moonlight portrays Ryan as a woman who kinda loses it when she learns of her husband's affair with a younger woman (played by Timothy Hutton and Kristen Bell, respectively). I'm hoping this isn't just a crazy woman on display, and that the female filmmakers give it some grounding - I would so love to welcome Meg Ryan back into the funny actress fold. Also, look out for Justin Long in a small part as a petty criminal.

To see the trailer, just read more.

Movie Preview: Despicable Me, Starring Lots of Famous Voices

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:30:56 -0800

The same guys who brought us the Ice Age franchise are back to create another potential hit with the 3-D CGI Despicable Me. Seems like every animated movie nowadays wrangles A-list names, but the Despicable roster is even starrier than most. Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Mindy Kaling, Jack McBrayer - it's like a laundry list of my favorite comedy people. And while I sort of wish we could see them all acting together in the flesh instead of just lending their voices, their involvement really has me hyped.

The story follows the world's No. 2 villain Gru (Carell) on his plot to steal the moon - a plan that gets thwarted by three little orphan girls who challenge his evil ways when they want him to be their dad. The trailer doesn't reveal much, but I'm sure we'll get more footage as we near the June release date. In the meantime, check out the cute preview when you read more.

Movie Preview: Tina Fey and Steve Carell in Date Night

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:30:01 -0800

I freaked out a little (OK a lot) when it was announced that Tina Fey and Steve Carell would play a married couple in the comedy Date Night. Well, the trailer is here, and I'm still enthusiastic about it - though I wasn't expecting it to be so action-adventure-y.

The movie revolves around a single night out for typically bored (but atypically hilarious) married couple Claire and Phil Foster. When they take another couple's dinner reservation, their romantic evening turns into an issue of mistaken identity, and they spend the night running from trouble. While I'm not thrilled by the setup, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this first preview, including some amazing appearances from Mark Wahlberg and James Franco.

To check out the trailer, just read more.

Date Night comes out April 9, 2010.

Movie Preview: Emmy Rossum and Zach Gilford in Dare

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:30:18 -0700

The trailer for Dare starts out like it's going to be a typical high school flick: three seniors on the verge of graduation (and adulthood) each has his or her identity challenged. The three are nice girl Alexa (Emmy Rossum), Ben (Ashley Springer), and bad boy Johnny (Zach Gilford, somehow looking even more adorable than he did in Post Grad). Of course, their emerging identities - being as complicated as they are - muddle each relationship. Rossum, channeling Rachel from Glee, plays a precocious good girl trying to go bad surprisingly well, and both guys' roles look to hold some depth. Add in supporting players like Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer, and Sandra Bernhard, and you have my attention.

To see the trailer, just read more.

Movie Preview: Ben Stiller Plays It Straight in Greenberg

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:41 -0800

I have a love/hate relationship with Ben Stiller movies. Over the years, I've grown tired of seeing him in the same everyman role again and again (with a few exceptions, like There's Something About Mary), but every now and then he throws a curve ball that pulls me back in. Greenberg already looks like one of the latter films.

The upcoming indie movie from The Squid and the Whale director Noah Baumbach follows Roger Greenberg, a middle-aged New Yorker who heads to LA and decides to "do nothing" in an attempt to figure out his life. The movie looks like it could be a tearjerker, but maybe that's just because LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" is playing in the background. (The band's James Murphy lends a few new songs to the movie). Rhys Ifans is Roger's best friend while Greta Gerwig is the woman he befriends and beds. If you're ready to see Stiller take a break from slapstick, check out the trailer when you read more.

Movie Preview: Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:30:43 -0800

I've been waiting on a trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for what feels like forever (more specifically, ever since those first photos of Jake all buff and shirtless).

The preview starts off strong, immediately taking us on an adventure quest that doesn't make any attempt to hide its video game origins. The effects are amazing, though I couldn't help snickering the first time Gyllenhaal speaks in a British accent. The good news is that it looks like the movie has some campy elements and a sense of humor along with all that in-your-face flair. We'll have to wait until Memorial Day 2010 for more, but to see the trailer, just read more.

Movie Preview: Amanda Seyfried in Letters to Juliet

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:30:33 -0800

Amanda Seyfried's latest film Letters to Juliet looks like a mash up of her other work. First off, her character's name is Sophie, which brings Mamma Mia to mind, as does the romantic foreign locale. But even the title itself made me do a double-take - wait, isn't she already doing a book-turned-film about letters called Dear John?! Still, I'm not writing it off just yet. (No pun intended). I can be a sucker for a love story, even if it's a bit sappy.

The film follows Seyfried as an American tourist who discovers an unanswered "letter to Juliet" while on a trip in Verona, Italy. (The notes are left by visitors asking for help from Shakespeare's famous heroine.) She responds to the plea, and then sets off to find its author (Vanessa Redgrave) and reunite her with the man she left decades before. Of course, there's a triangle in there too, as Sophie begins to question her own relationship with her fiance (Gael Garcia Bernal) and falls for the woman's grandson (Christopher Egan).

The trailer pretty much gives away the whole movie, but this sort of storyline is usually predictable so I'll forgive the studio for it. Bonus for Taylor Swift fans: her "Love Story" is the theme song. The film doesn't arrive in theaters until May, but check it out and tell me what you think when you read more.