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Do You Remember Great Movie Marketing Campaigns?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:30:46 -0700

There are awards for people in the movies and people making the movies, and just this weekend the people who market movies were honored at the 37th Annual Hollywood Reporter Movie Marketing Key Art Awards.

The marketing teams behind the Simpsons Movie, Bee Movie, Juno and No Country for Old Men were among the most awarded in categories like Best Campaign (No Country), Best TV Spots (Juno for comedy, There Will Be Blood for drama) and Best Website Design (The Simpsons Movie).

Judd Apatow received the Visionary Award, "recognizing a filmmaker who inspires movie marketers," and the theatrical trailer for Superbad won for Best Comedy Trailer. Upon accepting his award, Apatow joked about marketing a movie: "It's one of the most fun parts of the process. This award brings me full circle because I started out thinking you were all f***ing a**holes."

All this swearing and patting of backs got me thinking about promotional stuff for movies that have really stood out. Certainly some trailers are better than others (the one for The Happening, for example, was actually better than the movie itself) and some print advertisements can be absolutely amazing (see: print ads for The Dark Knight). Do you remember any really great movie marketing campaigns? Or is all this stuff so fleeting?

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:31:34 -0800

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to these titles, you can now find the five-disc collector's edition of Blade Runner.

The Simpsons Movie
In case you missed one of the biggest movies of the summer, you can now enjoy The Simpsons Movie in your very own home. In the movie, one of TV's favorite bumbling dads accidentally contaminates Springfield's water supply, and the town is placed under a giant dome by the government. The Simpsons then need to figure out a way to save the day.

The extras feature an assortment of goodies, including audio commentary by various voice actors and the directors, extended and deleted scenes, and a collection of the promotional stuff they did to generate buzz for the summer release. One of these is Homer's guest monologue on The Tonight Show. Woo-hoo!

Two more titles, so

BuzzSugar's Must-Haves for December

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:30:00 -0800

Welcome to BuzzSugar's monthly must-haves, where I show off a handful of the things I'm most looking forward to watching, buying, renting and reading. We're well into the holiday season now, so here are a few things I'm looking at to keep me happy and sane amid all the hustle and bustle.

To find out why "these are a few of my favorite things,"

Rush Hour 3 Zooms to the Top of the Box Office

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:30:00 -0700

Well, Brett Ratner has become an even wealthier man. Having figured out a most profitable buddy action flick formula, his latest movie Rush Hour 3 took the box office crown this weekend, raking in $50.2 million. Though extremely respectable, this sum falls short of the $67.4 million made by Rush Hour 2 its opening weekend in the summer of 2001.

The Bourne Ultimatum stayed strong in second place for its second weekend in theaters, bringing in $33 million, while The Simpsons Movie followed up in the No. 3 slot. Stardust, the fantasy adventure based on the Neil Gaiman novel, sadly didn't do so well its first weekend, bringing in just $9 million in fourth place. It didn't do quite so poorly as Daddy Day Camp did in its first weekend, however, as it just barely edged Transformers out of the tenth-place spot and earned approximately $3.5 million.

This weekend should prove exciting at the box office with the releases of one of the summer's biggest comedies, Superbad, and the creepy-looking The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Hopefully one of those will knock Rush Hour 3 off its throne.

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Box Office: Ultimate Bourne Breaks Records

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:30:00 -0700

For this weekend at least, Jason Bourne reigned supreme over James Bond. The Bourne Ultimatum finished its premiere weekend with an estimated $70.2 million in ticket sales, beating not only the other two Bourne films but also the premiere numbers for any Bond movie. It was also the biggest August premiere for any movie ever, and it was a personal best for both star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass.

The Simpsons Movie didn't come close to the $71.8 million it pulled in during its opening weekend, but it still finished strong at No. 2 with an estimated $25.6 million in sales. From there, it was a big drop to Underdog, which made $12 million to finish at No. 3 in its debut weekend. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry pulled in $10 million more in the No. 4 spot, and Hairspray nabbed another $9.3 million to round out the top five.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, No Reservations and Transformers all finished ahead of another new release, Andy Samberg's comedy Hot Rod, which pulled in $5 million in the No. 9 spot. As for the final spot in the top 10? That would be Bratz, which made $4.3 million and proved that toy sales don't necessarily translate into ticket sales.

El Cantante managed to finish at No. 12 with $3.3 million, despite only opening in 540 theaters. Becoming Jane, meanwhile, made $1 million in its first 100 theaters, while The Ten made $117,000 in an extremely limited 25 theaters.

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Comic-Con Report: Simpsons, Pixar, Narnia, More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:39:58 -0700

At Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, Team member Phasekitty got some great scoop on some upcoming movies from Disney, Focus Features and more. Be sure to check out all of her blogging about the event. Here are a few highlights:

At the Simpsons panel, Phasekitty got the answer to one burning question about The Simpsons Movie: What happened to Spider Pig? Apparently, the special creature will return in this year's season premiere. Another fun Simpsons Movie fact: The script went through 166 drafts in four years. As for the TV version of "The Simpsons," Jack Black and comic legend Alan Moore will voice characters in an episode about a rival comic shop opening in Springfield, and Dan Rather and Jon Stewart will lend their voices to a politically driven episode that finds Ralph Wiggum as the frontrunner for both parties in their primary elections.
Liv Tyler really knows how to please a geek: She spoke elvish upon request during the Rogue/Focus panel. She was there to promote her upcoming horror film, The Strangers. Phasekitty says: "First time director Bryan Bertino brings to life his own script about a couple who is attacked in their home by three strangers. Bertino, along with stars Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, headed up this panel and showed two tension-filled clips and an eerie, original teaser trailer."
Balls of Fury, on the other hand, kind of bombed: Phasekitty says the humor among the panelists seemed forced, the clips were only mildly funny, and "the questions were mostly directed to the creative team about other projects of theirs like 'Reno 911' and 'The State.'"

More, including a glimpse at the next Pixar film, so

Box Office: Simpsons Rake In Lots of D'Oh

BuzzSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:30:00 -0700

Looks like Bart, Homer, Marge and the gang aren't just small-screen superstars anymore. The Simpsons Movie pulled in an estimated $71.8 million — the third-highest opening ever for an animated movie, behind only the two latest installments of the Shrek series — to run away with the weekend box office title. According to the Hollywood Reporter, that's well above the industry's highest expectations. Springfield must be so proud.

The cartoon family bumped I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry down to the No. 2 spot with about $19 million in sales. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix stayed strong at No. 3 with $17 million and is now on pace to become the highest-grossing film franchise in worldwide box office history, topping Star Wars and the James Bond movies. Hairspray, meanwhile, grabbed another $15.5 million to capture the No. 4 spot.

Pleasant surprise No Reservations edged out Transformers for No. 5 with about $11.7 million (Transformers brought in $11.5 million). The weekend's other much-discussed new release, the Lindsay Lohan film I Know Who Killed Me, sneaked into the top 10, bringing in $3.4 million to finish at No. 9.

The Simpsons might not want to get too comfy on that couch atop the box office rankings, though. Next weekend, a man named Jason Bourne is coming to town.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

The Simpsons Movie: Satisfying Enough

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:28:15 -0700

First and foremost, The Simpsons Movie is very funny. In many ways, it's a perfectly satisfying Simpsons adventure with plenty of gags to keep the laughs rolling on. Thus, as a major summer comedy, this movie is a success.

However, as a longtime fan of the TV show, I suppose I'd expected certain things that the movie did not ultimately deliver. Much of the enjoyment of this movie hinges upon surprise, so I won't reveal plot details or specific jokes here — though the great number of you who voted Lisa as your favorite Simpson will be very pleased: She has some of the greatest moments in the whole thing, in my opinion. The movie felt like a longer episode with a little more obscenity, but still basically an episode. To check out my thoughts on the good and the bad, as divided into "woo hoo!" and "d'oh!"

Who's Your Favorite Simpson?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:30:00 -0700

These days it's all about "The Simpsons" as we wait with bated breath for the release of The Simpsons Movie this Friday. So for all you fans: Who's your favorite member of the Simpsons clan? In the interest of brevity, I'm leaving out anyone other than the core five.

The Simpsons Movie Soundtrack Now Streaming Online

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:30:31 -0700

The good news:
The soundtrack to the upcoming Simpsons Movie is streaming in its entirety online right now.

The really, really good news:
There's a whole choral/orchestral rendition of the full "Spider Pig" song!

Other stuff:
The album is comprised of Hans Zimmer's actual score to the movie, so there are no other well-known singers or bands doing fun songs. Some of the tracks are great, though, with my favorites being the high-energy "Release the Hounds" along with "Recklessly Impulsive," an electronic song consisting mostly of "D'oh!"s. Indeed, the titles might be the best part of all, from "Doomsday is Family Time" to "His Big Fat Butt Could Shield Us All," to the most hilarious "Thank You, Boob Lady."

And finally...
If you want to buy the actual soundtrack on CD and can wait until July 31, you can grab one with the brilliantly kitschy limited-edition donut packaging (see above, right). Woo hoo!

Vermont's Springfield Gets Simpsons Premiere

BuzzSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:27:26 -0700

Now we know which Springfield truly rules them all: Springfield, Vt.! The small town got 15,000 votes in USA Today's Springfields poll and will get to host The Simpsons Movie's July 21 premiere.

The town of 9,300 apparently was too small to be invited into participate in the contest at first and only got involved after seeing a news report and asking to be included. But their video — which featured a Homer-like character chasing a giant, pink-frosted donut past town landmarks — edged out larger, relatively more famous Springfields to score the premiere. Illinois came in second, with Oregon not far behind in third. Poor Florida didn't do so well, languishing in 14th place.

Nearly 110,000 people voted in the contest overall, and of course, Vermont's win is likely to draw some ire from supporters of the other Springfields. To them, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas had just one thing to say: "Don't have a cow, man."

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:00:00 -0700

There will definitely be a "Sex and the City" movie! Here's hoping they don't mess it up. And just for kicks, "Sex and the City" is this week's recast challenge.
What would be your list of top cult TV shows of all time?
This video of Rilo Kiley's "The Moneymaker" is pretty awesome.
Several towns named Springfield are vying for the chance to host the premiere of The Simpsons Movie on July 27. Based on each town's video, which one do you think should win?
Check out the playlist I put together of 50 songs for 50 states based on reader suggestions!
I've seen the pilot for the CW's fall show "Gossip Girl," and here's what I have to say about it.
Can you name this movie?

Which Springfield will Rule Them All?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 06:30:00 -0700

This week, in the Springfields of America, a great battle is raging: Which town will prove it's worthy of hosting the premiere of The Simpsons Movie on July 27? Fourteen of the nation's Springfields have submitted videos about their towns for a USA Today contest; voting, which is open now and closes July 9, will determine which town wins the premiere.

I have to give these towns some props: While the videos are obviously amateur, they're made with a lot of heart. The Illinois and Oregon Springfields took the tactic of using clips from the show to justify why their town is the "real" home of the Simpsons, while several of the others created fake news reports (often featuring a Kent Brockman-like anchor). And apparently, some Springfields have more in common than just their name: Over the course of the 14 videos, I counted quite a few scenes with Disco Stu look-alikes, prank calls to the local tavern, and Bart-like characters writing sentences over and over on a chalkboard. Springfield, Kentucky, even had someone write a bluegrass-tinged theme song for their film. (Springfield, Minnesota, on the other hand, declined to participate, saying their town was nothing like Homer's stomping ground.)

You can watch the videos and vote on USA Today's site until July 9. To watch the submission from Springfield, New Jersey, just

You, Too, Can Be a "Simpsons" Cartoon Character

BuzzSugar — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 10:02:39 -0700

Well, I just wasted about 20 minutes playing with the create your own avatar feature on The Simpsons Movie web site, and frankly, so should you. I can't imagine that I need to sell you on the idea of turning yourself into a Simpsons character, but if you need convincing, here are three reasons you should head to the site:

Who wouldn't want to create her own Simpsons character?
The customizable choices include such delights as a pig-nose, Sideshow Bob hair, and a t-shirt featuring Santa's Little Helper dressed as a reindeer.
The selection tool makes a funny little sound like on "Pop-Up Video."

I tried to make a BuzzSugar avatar, but the women's pants looked too much like mom jeans, so decided to make a mini-me avatar I've named "Baby Buzz" instead. I'd love to see what you guys come up with. (Thanks to Best Week Ever for the tip.)

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:30:00 -0700

If you could recast "Full House" in this day and age, which actors would you choose?
After winning his umpteenth Daytime Emmy Award, Bob Barker said "The Price Is Right" could use a "lady host," like Rosie O'Donnell. Do you think Rosie could replace Bob Barker on the show?
Mandy Moore's latest album, Wild Hope is streaming online right now.
Upon hearing the news that Monopoly may be made into a movie, I wondered what kinds of movies could spring from other board games.
How would you like the first season of "The Tudors" on DVD? Enter my "Tudors" DVD set giveaway!

Trailers galore! The latest and last Simpsons Movie trailer is now online, as are the ones for Julie Delpy's 2 Days in Paris, and August Rush which stars Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Exciting "Heroes" casting news! Claire will get a new boyfriend, and six other people will also be joining the cast, including a white dude who will play the ancient Samurai master Kensei.
If you like Bob Dylan but don't know which album to pick up next, check out my new "Getting Into" feature where I suggest albums for folks at all levels of fandom.
These are the Top 5 TV Moments that make me cry just thinking about them. What are yours?

The Final Simpsons Trailer

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:30:00 -0700

So, there have been several different trailers for The Simpsons Movie which opens July 27, but Fox has now released the final theatrical trailer — and it's great. For all intents and purposes, I've been preparing to see this movie for 18 years. My favorite part of this trailer is the end when Homer is singing the Spider-Man theme... only this time it's called "Spider-Pig."

I'll see you in the theaters in just over a month. Until then, you can check out the trailer if you

Link Time! 5/10

BuzzSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:30:33 -0700

YumSugar has the scoop on the 15 contestants for "Top Chef 3."
Cinematical wonders if Amy Smart’s new indie movie about swing dancing will bring about another swing movement, like Swingers helped to do.
The new MTV Movies Blog has video of Matt Groening talking about the Simpsons Movie, including the fact that he cut out Minnie Driver’s role in the movie.
Give Me My Remote is nervous about tonight's episode of "The Office."
Film Experience is giddy over the sexy advances Jane Fonda made toward Stephen Colbert recently, despite Colbert's "Jane Fonda fantasies" being "on notice."
Stereogum asks: Based on each presidential candidate's musical tastes, which one you would vote for?
TV Squad announces the winners of its contest to recap a TV season in haiku.
Idolator tries to figure out which washed-up rocker inspired Paul Rudd's "Veronica Mars" character.
Buddy TV looks at some of "American Idol"'s most embarrassing shams.

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Summer Movie Preview: Comedies

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 06:35:16 -0700

We now come to my favorite part of the summer movie preview series: Comedies.

The Simpsons Movie
For one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer, the Simpsons are taking their half-hour Fox show to the big screen and stretching it to feature-length. All the familiar Springfield faces will make appearances, satisfying the show's loyal fan base though the filmmakers have also promised some surprises, like a new character and the full-frontal nudity of a certain Simpson. I am waiting with bated breath for the movie's release July 27.

Knocked Up
By now you may have seen the funny trailer for Knocked Up, the upcoming "bromantic comedy" written by 40-Year-Old Virgin's Judd Apatow. The story follows two strangers (Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl) who suddenly find themselves pregnant after a one-night stand. Early buzz for this movie is overwhelmingly positive, with critics everywhere calling it this year's 40-Year-Old Virgin. Check out the trailer on the movie's website (favorite line: "He's playing fetch with my kids. He's treating my kids like they're dogs.") and tell me what you think of Knocked Up, which opens June 1.

So much more comedy if you