Sorry I have not gotten around to writing my review of The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Weitz, 2009). I saw the movie Friday night at 11:30 pm (after not being able to get tickets to the midnight showing) and I absolutely LOVED it. Now I know not all of you are Twilight fans, but those of you that are, I'm sure you will enjoy this film. Non-fans may want to skip this one... but that's your loss. In the film, based on the second novel in the Twilight series, Edward Cullen (aka the most beautiful, perfect, amazing vampire ever!) leaves his girlfriend/soul-mate, Bella Swan, after a slight mishap at her 18th birthday party. With Edward gone, Bella is absolutely heartbroken and falls into a deep depression. In order to assure herself that Edward did in fact exist, she becomes a sort of adrenaline-junkie, desperately seeking danger that will provide her with apparitions of Edward. She also finds her friendship with Jacob Black growing and becoming more complex... especially once he realizes he is a werewolf.
The main cast, including Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Robert Pattinson, return and are joined by new faces of the wolf gang and Volturi who make their debut. I personally thought everyone was well-cast and great. Robert is the perfect Edward and although his part was much smaller than in the first film, I found myself looking forward to his screen presence. Taylor's shorter hair cut and ripped physique was pleasant to look at. All I can say is thank gGod the long locks are gone... those were not working for him. It is pretty crazy to believe he is only 17 and has the body of a tiny body-builder (steroids, anyone?) The new wolf members were also good although I was surprised they weren't in the film much.
Saying I loved this film may be a slight understatement. I literally was smiling the entire time and probably gasped when Edward showed up (I can't help it... Robert is gorgeous!) It may have a mere 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, but this is the kind of film that fans enjoy and not movie critics per se. And I think the fact that it debuted at #1 and made over $142 million says a lot about how dedicated Twilight fans are! It already broke the record for the biggest one-day gross (beating out The Dark Knight, which previously held the record) and it more than doubled the debut of the first film, Twilight. Way to go New Moon!
Has anyone seen Pirate Radio (Curtis, 2009)? This British comedy, released in Europe as The Boat That Rocked, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh. The story, inspired by true events, is about a group of DJs living together on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic in the 1960s who broadcasted rock-n-roll music into England, which was illegal at the time and drove British government crazy.
The film currently has a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so I guess you could say the reviews have been pretty mixed. I certainly enjoyed the film and thought it was funny, enjoyable, and had some great music. The actors, especially Hoffman and Branagh, gave some great performances and the outrageous personalities of each DJ will certainly make you smile. I also liked up-and-coming British cutie Tom Sturridge. (This London-native is not only one of the U.K.'s rising stars, but also Robert Pattinson's BFF!!)
I agree Jonathan F. Richard of Film.com who explained that this film is "just a hell of a lot of fun." The movie is not meant to be overly complicated or deep. It's just a good, light-hearted film with a simple plot, good acting, and a great backbeat. "Pirate Radio, the new rock-saturated comedy that proves life is better when it's set to a '60s soundtrack, is, to borrow from the Stones, 'a gas! gas! gas!'" commented Betsey Sharley of the LA Times.
A very special blogger requested I post Robert Pattinson's appearance on The Today Show this morning. So, this post is dedicated to her because she is my fellow Twilight fan and has an awesome blog! And I'm sure others will enjoy the clips also (hopefully!) Oh, and Taylor Lautner will be there tomorrow so I will post that when I can.
Yup, this truly is the best week ever. Why? Well for one it's my last week until fall break. Yay! And it is the week The Twilight Saga: New Moon finally comes out!!! And because the movie hits theaters in just three days, the cast is showing up everywhere.
Monday night Taylor Lautnerwas on The Jay Leno Show. I am definitely team Edward and would pick Robert Pattinson over Taylor any day, but I must admit that Taylor is looking good these days and he was pretty cute on the show. His story about "Twilight moms" and older women wanting him to sign their "team Jacob panties" kinda creeped me out, but he was a good guest.
Monday night Kristen Stewart appeared The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and then this morning she was on The Today Show. A lot of people give her a hard time and thing she comes across as stuck-up or annoying but I personally really like her. Granted, she is super awkward and kind of fidgety, but I think that is part of her charm.
And the cast will be making more appearances this week. Tomorrow morning Robert Pattinson will be on The Today Show and then Friday Taylor will be there. (Is anyone else surprised they saved Taylor for last? I was thinking it'd be Rob... although I guess this movie is more about the wolf pack).
And I will be attending the midnight screening of the film on November 20th! Anyone else excited? Anyone else going to be seeing it on Friday?
Hey guys! Happy Hump Day! Sorry that this post is coming to you much later then usual. It's just been one of those days. Anyway, since it's the middle of the week, I figured I would do a little update on what's been going on in the realm of pop culture. Just a little way to make sure we are all caught up on the important stuff.
1. So in case you haven't heard, there is a New Moon Mall Tour going on right now. This is your chance to meet the stars from The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Some cast members (which haven't been named) have hit the road on a nationwide tour before the vampire flick hits theaters November 20th. At all of the 15 stops, fans will get the chance to attend a Q&A forum and select cities will feature performaces from artits on the film's soundtrack. I am super duperly stoked looking forward to head to the mall this Sunday. And yup, my city is one of the lucky few to be having the little concert. Shweet!
2. In case you want to hear Chris Brownattempt yet another lame apology (anyone catch him on Larry King??), he will be speaking with MTV this Friday, November 6. The 30-minute special will have MTV's Sway asking Chris some tough questions about what happened in February.
3. Taylor Swift will be serving double duty on SNL this Saturday, November 7th. Not only will the 19-year-old country star be hosting the show, but she will also be the musical guest. Be sure to check out the promo video... it's pretty funny.
4. Sarah Chalke, of Scrubsfame, has a bun in the oven. And apparently it's a boy, due on Christmas Day. Just like baby Jesus!
5. Nicole Kidman and Robert Pattinson will be teaming up in a new movie, Bel Ami, which has been described as "erotically charged." According to Screen Daily, the flick will chronicle the rise of an ambitious young man who sleeps his way to the top from French soldier to powerful Parisian newspaper journalist in the 1890s. Hmmm sounds interesting. Anything that is erotic and includes Rob sounds good to me.
6. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart grace the December 2009 cover of Harper's Bazaar. In the article, the two talk about romance, googling themselves, and, of course, about one another.
7. 30 Rock will be welcoming yet another awesome guest star - James Franco. Looks like Franco is making the rounds on the TV circuit. First General Hospital, now 30 Rock. At least he is going up. Wonder what's next...
8. Taylor Swift is featured in the new commercial for Brand Hero. Heidi Klum was also featured in one of these commercials a few months ago. I really enjoy the whole Risky Business theme... quite clever.
9. Rihanna has premiered the video for her latest single, "Wait Your Turn (The Wait is Ova)" off her new album Rated R, out November 23rd. Check it out here!
10. And, perhaps the most exciting news of all, the host of the 2010 Academy Awards has finally been announced. And this year we are gettin' double the fun with two hosts! That's right, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will be teaming up to cohost the biggest night in Hollywood. What a dream team! The show airs March 7, 2010. Only four more months. Holla!
Oh, and don't forget tomorrow is Thursday... be sure to come back for a little TT action!
It’s Monday. It’s cold. I’m tired. But don’t worry, I think I have something to brighten everyone’s day just a tad.
So, you may or may not have noticed that I am a tad obsessed with a little movie called Twilight (Hardwicke, 2008). Oh, you’ve heard of it? Good. In case you have been living in a vacuum, let me fill you in. Twilight is a series of four New York Times best selling novels written by Stephenie Meyer. The stories are primarily told through the eyes of Bella Swan, an ordinary teenage girl who falls in with a beautiful 104-year-old vampire, Edward Cullen.
The books are addicting. Once you start, you probably won’t be able to stop. As of this year, the series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide with translations in at least 38 different languages! Pretty impressive for a teen-romance novel. But books were just the begging of the Twilight craze. In 2008, the first novel was made into a motion picture starring Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and a hot British fellow by the name of Robert Pattinson. The film won 18 different awards and grossed $191,465,414. Wowza! The second film, The Twighlight Saga: New Moon(Weitz, 2009), is opening November 20th (mark your calendars) and the third film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse(Slade, 2010) is scheduled to hit theaters June 2010.
Vampires, romance, Edward Cullen, werewolves, and Robert Pattinson. Sounds like the recipe for perfection.
So in case you too are in love with the books, the films, or Robert, you should check out my latest and greatest find: New Moon Watch. A blog 100% dedicated to the new movie!!! Could there be anything better?
I went. I saw. I was disappointed. (At least I got to see another preview for New Moon, so I guess I got my money’s worth).
In case you are unaware, newbie director Kevin Tancharoen decided to remake the Oscar-winning 1980 classic, Fame(Parker). Why he thought he could remake a classic, no one knows. The 2009 version follows a group of talented high school students during their fours years at the New York Academy of Performing Arts. Most of the stars are unknowns… and this film is probably not going to help change that. The acting was, for the most part, unmemorable. Naturi Naughton, who plays Denise in the film, clearly has a good voice but, like the majority of the cast, has absolutely no charisma. The only actor I enjoyed was cutie-patootieAsher Book as Marco. And I’m not going to lie, if it weren’t for him, I think I would have left early. I mean he is no Robert Pattinson(drool) or evenZac Efron, and some people have been saying that his haircut resembles that of Ralph Macchio (aka Daniel from TheKarate Kid). Nevertheless, his good-boy charm and lovely voice are sure to have tween girls (and maybe a few 20-year olds??) swooning.
Come on, he’s cute… right?
But overall the film falls flat. Perhaps the filmmakers were too ambitious. I mean remakes are always tricky territory, especially when dealing with a beloved film like Fame. This new movie tries to present numerous characters dealing with their own issues and struggles to succeed, but the storylines of each feel underdeveloped in this choppy script. I definitely agree with Brian Lowry of Variety who explains that “there's a ravenous hunger for success and the occasional disappointment, but the kids and their stories have been homogenized in such a way that nothing all that bad – or good, for that matter – really happens to any of them.” The film was slow, boring, and lacked any sort of clear direction. And don’t assume that even though the plot is weak that the singing and dancing is going to make up for it. Because it isn’t. Like Wesley Morris, Boston Globe film critic, stated, “innocent songs and unsuspecting dance routines are hacked to bits” in this film.
So is the new Fame gonna live forever? I think not.
Overall I thought the MTV Video Music Awards were a lot of fun this year. As I said before, I am not a fan of Russell Brand at all. Most of his comments are inappropriate, stupid, and just not funny. But he really did not have a huge presence at the award show so I was happy. The show opened with Madonna speaking and then the Michael Jackson tribute, which was wonderfully done. The tribute included a live performance by Janet Jackson, as well as a sequence of dance performances accompanied by Michael Jackson music videos in the background
The first award of the night was for Best Female Video, which Taylor Swift won. Kanye West, in the most surprising and talked about moment of the night, walked on stage, took the microphone from her, and said, "Yo, Taylor. I'm really happy for you. I'm gonna let you finish but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!" Whether or not you agreed with Taylor winning (which she totally deserved), Kayne had no right to interrupt her speech like that. It was so rude and inappropriate.
Besides Kanye's little interruption, the show included some great performances. Lady Gaga sang and covered herself with blood before hanging from the ceiling and... well I'm not quite sure what she did. It was interesting though. Beyoncé sang Single Ladies and totally rocked it out.
But the best moment of the night was seeing, even if just for a brief moment, Taylor, Kristen, and ROBERT as they presented the brand new trailer for New Moon.
And, just in case you *gasp* missed the show, here is a list of the winners:
Only a few more days until MTV's annual Video Music Awards air live on September 13th! Anyone else besides me pretty excited? I certainly enjoy watching award shows and the VMAs are usually pretty entertaining. Russell Brand, one of the most obnoxious people ever, will be hosting, yet again. There is a great line-up of performers including Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Green Day, P!nk, Taylor Swift, Muse, The All American Rejects, Pitbull, and 3OH!3.
The guest list is even better then the performers. The cast of Twilight shall be attending (including Robert Pattinson!!!!!), as well as a bunch of other people like Adam Brody, Andy Samberg, Chace Crawford, Jack Black, Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox... the list goes on. But I'm mostly excited for Mr. Pattinson.
