Weekend Movie Report: It’s a New Moon at the Movies

• The Twilight Saga: New Moon • An Education • The Blind Side • Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit)

The Stab: A satisfying second chapter to the Twilight saga, improving on its predecessor in every way possible. Even with a scant narrative, the film gushes with dark romance and flights of fancy.

New Moon brings a new beginning and a major upgrade to the Twilight franchise. Director Chris Weitz fills in the critical cracks of the first film created at the clumsy hands of Catherine Hardwicke.

The first entry’s restricted perspective and seasick framing are replaced by expansive lensing and an epic scope. Effects are sharper, clearer, and more convincing. Instead of cheesy baseball montages, we get chiseled boys transforming into massive wolves.

The writing is more rhythmic and intuitive, expunging the improvised ramblings of the first installment. The actors also prove more proficient. ...Continue Reading

Tags: Alfred Molina, An Education, Anna Kendrick, Blind Side, Carey Mulligan, Eclipse, Emma Thompson, Gabby Sidibe, Gabourey Sidibe, Kristin Stewart, Mariah Carey, Michael Oher, Monique, movie, New Moon, Paula Patton, Peter Sarsgaard, Precious, Push, Ravens, review, Robert Pattinson, Rosamund Pike, Sandra Bullock, Sapphire, Taylor Lautner, Twilight, weekend movies

Weekend Movie Report: 2012 is a Catastrophe, Pirate Radio is a Riot

2012 (Columbia Pictures)

The Stab: A poor excuse for filmmaking lacking in virtually every department. Even sequences of grandiose Earthly devastation are dim and dull. With a two-and-a-half hour runtime, this isn’t a movie: it’s torture.

2012 is just as the ancient Mayans predicted: an earth-shattering, cataclysmic event unleashing untold horror and agony upon the entire human race. I hope my creative license to use hyperbole is appreciated, even if I won’t be using it here.

In the year 2012, solar flare storms bombard the Earth. The core melts, and the Earth’s crust begins to shift. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis abound, destroying the world as we know it. The film alternates its focus between diplomatic preparations before the coming crisis, and one family’s struggle to survive the global disaster. One perspective is just as stupid as the other.

As patriarch of the fleeing family, John Cusack wears his embarrassment over ...Continue Reading

Tags: 2012, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Emmerich, film, movie, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Pirate Radio, review, weekend movies