Vampires are taking over the theaters this weekend, and, well, there’s no just escaping them. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, probably the only “event movie” until Avatar hits next month, is going to make huge splash, though I think a few other new releases might be good alternatives…especially if you’re not too crazy about Robert Pattison and his pasty, glowing, angsty friends. Let’s check out the new releases… [breakdown of new movies after the jump]
1. “Planet 51” - This looks like a cute idea. We get a spin on the old ‘50’s alien-invasion movies…only this time it’s us humans that invade paranoid aliens (in alien-ized American suburbia). The trailer’s a lot of fun, and I think kids will eat this up. Plus, this has a cast of a lot of people that I like, including Dwayne Johnson (always good to see The Rock) as the cocky human astronaut, Justin Long as his alien pal, Jessica Biel, Seann William Scott (go Stifler!), and Gary Oldman. The reviews aren’t enthusiastic, but they’re mostly decent…which is kind of what I expected. I don’t think this will be something as fresh and witty as Shrek or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, though it could very well be a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half.
2. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” - Eh, I haven’t heard too much about this one—some little movie about vampires, right? Man, I hope it can find an audience…Yep, it’s insanely hard to ignore the Twilight tsunami right now, and New Moon is going to make a ton of money this weekend (it already earned more in its midnight screenings that The Dark Knight did—sorry, Batman). I get that this franchise has its fans (an understatement if there ever was one), and I realized halfway into the first film that this is just not for me—I’m not the target demographic, and I probably never will be. Edward creeped me out (why was he in love with Bella exactly? I never got a sense of that in the movie...besides her blood being like “his own brand of heroin,” of course...), and Bella drove me insane with how passive and singularly focused on Edward she was (does this girl have any interests outside of the boy she’s obsessively in love with? Why, why would she dive off a cliff to get a glimpse of his face?! Seriously, she could find someone better…and less pasty-looking!).
But, as said before, I know this isn’t meant for me at all. Stephanie Meyer’s books are a much-loved property, and I’m sure the fans will dig this new movie as well. Actually, from my perspective, New Moon does have a few new things in its favor. For one, this sequel was directed by Chris Weitz, who made the very underrated The Golden Compass. Plus, it co-stars the great Michael Sheen, the Brit character actor we last saw as David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and who you might also know as Lucian (a werewolf, natch) from the Underworld movies. Most of the reviews (which are fairly decent, to be fair) comment that Sheen brings just the right kind of campy energy in the film’s second half as the head of the Volturi, the vampire government in this world (I hear Dakota Fanning, as a fellow Volturi, steals her few scenes as well). These sound like smart moves to give this series some actual stakes, to make the central romance a bit more dangerous and exciting. Opening up this established world to more vampires and werewolves could be just what this franchise needs to give it a shot of adrenaline…and, dare I say it, more male fans.
If you’re a fan, you know you’re seeing it. If you’re like me, you might want to hold out until the hype dies down and then judge the phenomenon in whole (I have the first book too, and I do want to read it one day to have a proper opinion). Either way, we haven’t seen the last of Twilight—the third film, Eclipse, hits theaters next summer (directed by David Slade, who made the little-seen, but quite great vampire movie, 30 Days of Night), followed sometime soon by the series closer, Breaking Dawn.
3. “The Blind Side” - I don’t know too much about this one—it looks like a crowd-pleasing, based-on-a-true-story sports movie…and, I have to admit, I’m usually a major sucker for those (ie, Invincible, The Rookie). Also, the mostly good reviews say that this is one of Sandra Bullock’s best performances—she can be excellent with the right material (like Crash, a movie I couldn’t stand, though her performance really was terrific), and I’m glad to see her shifting gears a bit from her standard fluffy romantic comedies. This could be good—it’s from writer/director John Lee Hancock, who I thought did a commendable job with similar territory in The Rookie. I wouldn’t rush out to see it, but this looks like something I’ll definitely catch in the future.
4. “Broken Embraces” - Opening in limited release, this is the latest from Spanish filmmaker, Pedro Almodovar, and his go-to muse, Penelope Cruz. I’ve never seen any of Almodovar’s films, though I’ve been wanting to check out his work for years—he is very highly regarded, and the last time he collaborated with Cruz, it led to her first ever Oscar nomination. The premise for this film could be interesting: basically, a blind screenwriter tells his life story, particularly his past relationship with a fiery actress (Cruz). Reviews are very good, with especially strong notices for Penelope Cruz’s performance. This will probably gain a lot more steam as we move closer to Oscar season (which is really next month), and, like Precious the week before, this seems like it’s worth catching—maybe not for some escapist entertainment, but whenever you’re looking for something more heady and substantial. As of now, it’s only playing in New York City, but it will expand to more theaters in the coming weeks.
5. “Red Cliff” - Like underdog-sports movies, I have a weird thing for historical epics too (like Kingdom of Heaven, The New World, etc). And, from the massive back-story that a buddy of mine told me, this sounds like a captivating part of Chinese history, and one that’ll lend itself nicely to an epic movie treatment. From director John Woo (Mission: Impossible 2 and Face/Off, and here marking a return to Chinese-language cinema), this is the most expensive project ever made in China. I’m not the greatest fan of Woo—M:i-2, for example, was a fun ride, but it paled in comparison to the story-driven first and third films. He puts on great action spectacles, but I feel that the rest of his movies don’t always live up to that. Then again, I know his early Chinese films (with frequent collaborator Chow Yun-Fat) are very respected, and this might be the right material for Woo to tone down the flash, and make a human story on a grand scale. Once again, this is a fairly limited release, but, judging by the excellent reviews, this should be around for a while, and come out in more theaters in the coming weeks.
6. “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” - The title’s kind of lame (and oddly clunky, considering that it’s not actually a remake of the original Bad Lieutenant), but the great reviews say it’s a fascinating piece of ballsy, in-your-face insanity. A collaboration between over-the-top master Nicolas Cage and unpredictable director Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn), this is the story of a cop in post-Katrina New Orleans, who ends up on a slippery slope of drugs, murder and one hell of a hurricane-raddled seedy underworld. Cage is getting some of his best reviews in years (with mostly everyone saying how he perfectly dials in his patented brand of crazy for this part), along with co-stars Val Kilmer as his shady partner, and Eva Mendes as a complex hooker that Cage hooks up with. The trailer (check it out below) is suitably weird, but, I have to say, it actually does look interesting. There’s a murder mystery on top of all the cocaine hits, and, surprisingly, many critics say the whole thing is a powerful experience, a gripping look into a city that’s breaking down right before the hero’s eyes. It’s probably not for everyone (maybe myself included); still, this looks like something I’ll want to watch later on. Certainly an offbeat choice for anyone looking to escape Twilight-mania.
7. “Mammoth” - Honestly, this is my first time hearing about this one. It’s only opening in New York, and, if anything, it might be worth seeing for stars Gael Garcia Bernal (from Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries, and Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien—he should really be big star by now) and Oscar-nominee Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, the upcoming Shutter Island). Sounds like a fairly intimate storyline: a husband (Bernal) travels to Thailand, and certain things occur that affect his wife (Williams) and family back home. The reviews are pretty mixed, though I expect the actors turn in strong work, as expected. Not a must-see, but another potentially interesting choice if shiny vampires don’t float your boat.And that’s all we have for this weekend. Is anyone seeing Twilight? In all honesty, I’d love to hear from fans of the books/movies—do you genuinely enjoy the stories, or is it more along the lines of guilty pleasures? (both of which I can understand—zombie movies are sometimes amazing, though a majority of them will always be my instant embarassing-favorites).
And how about the other movies? Any of these look interesting?
I think I’m seeing Red Cliff in a few weeks with my friend, but, other than that, I’m probably using this weekend to finish my book (a definite future "On the Bookshelf") and catch up on some TV shows (which I hope to finally start blogging about next week)…and, of course, sit down to watch my brand-new Star Trek DVD!
Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
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