The second chapter in the “Twilight” saga – “New Moon” is good, but not as good as the first chapter (“Twilight”).   Sorry to say it, but this franchise may have lost its charm and become too big… with too many hands in this project to come out the way fans and non-fans may be hoping for.

Lets get this out of the way right now — fans should SEE IT – you may only be a little disappointed.  MY WIFE LOVED IT but she had a few minor issues with this movie.  Non-fans should wait for the excitement to die down or WAIT TO  RENT…. or you may be doubly disappointed with fighting the crowds and seeing a less than stellar offering.   Let me tell you why, without spoilers….

  (My spoiler-free review)

By now, most of us know the story: teen girl (Bella) crushes on teen-looking vampire (Edward, who is actually 100+ years old).  Now with “New Moon”, this “Twilight” love gets the third leg in its triangle… as good friend Jacob (West Michigan native Taylor Lautner) starts to become more than just a good pal due to the circumstances of this chapter.

This growing love interest with Jacob adds to the themes of Love, Forbidden Love, Love Lost, Sacrifice, Tough Choices and more Forbidden Love…. and then more Tough Choices.

I guess Bella can’t catch a break.  First its Forbidden Love with a vampire and the whole teen anxst thing… now its on to another Forbidden/awkward level… why can’t she just date a normal guy… with no superpowers or immortality?  Because that would be boring.  And the references to Romeo and Juliet laid out early in this one wouldn’t make sense now would they?

But as this new chapter’s pieces all begin to unfold (and there are a lot of storylines to keep track of)…. its clear that not all is good for the happy couple… including Bella now worried about growing old like normal people.

The movie makes a clear distinction between Bella’s two love interests both in personality and physique… but its a labor going through the two hours she takes to come to a decision.   The visual journey isn’t easy either – with one close-up after another and tracking camera moves around Bella … its like a director with a budget and tools he never had before.

Most of those storylines do make sense in the end… but the journey through this love story/fantasy adventure is a lot of mushy, over-the-top moments that we know these good young actors can do better at… we saw it in some scenes here… but not in others. 

There’s more effects and long exhaustive camera movements with blaring music than actual character development.   More time is spent in the second half of the movie with the male leads removing their shirts and being objectified by Bella… than actually digging deeper into their characters… they are just moved along a storyline… in the same fashion and mostly the same acting as the first.  We expect more from a sequel since the main characters are established, we should be getting more into who they are and why.

Its good that all the effects support the story, and are not just done because the fillmakers have a bigger budget.    There are also nice little moments of humor – some only fans will get – that break up a lot of the tension and overall gloominess of the film.

West Michigan can be proud of Hudsonville native Taylor Lautner who does a good job with what he has to work with and succesfully pulls off the change in his character… Jacob is the only character that really gets much development this time around.   In “New Moon”, Lautner begins to seperate himself as a strong character and actor apart from his mopey screen companions that mostly do the same thing they did in “Twilight” – look young and inexperienced and unpolished… acceptable in the first movie… not this time around.

The supporting cast gets a little to work with including more for Ashley Greene’s “Alice” character… and respectable fare from Michael Sheen who plays a powerful vampire with limited screen time.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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“New Moon” tickets selling fast, if you missed out, I have 1 set to giveaway to a fan

Celebration! Cinemas has sold more than 13,300 tickets for “New Moon” and 60 auditoriums are already sold out for midnight shows (13,389 as of 5pm Wednesday).   500 tickets were sold Wednesday from 9:00am-5:00pm.

Last year, “Twilight” midnight shows sold 6,285 tickets sold and 20 auditoriums sold out.   That’s getting close to the current record holder for Celebration! Cinemas: “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” sold 14,644 tickets and sold out 69 auditoriums.

If you don’t have tickets yet, here’s your chance….

I have one (1) set of three (3) tickets to tonight’s “New Moon” show at 12:20am tonight (11/20/09) at Celebration! Cinema North in Grand Rapids. Winner must comment on Laff at the Movies Facebook Fan page and will be notified by email/phone.  Winner must be able to pick up the set of tickets from WOODTV offices by 5:00pm today (11/19/09).

Go to Facebook for details: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laff-at-the-Movies/166412513994

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One summer blockbuster and one hyped up summer comedy…

New this Week on DVD: “Bruno”, “Franklyn”, “How To Be”, “Is Anybody There?”, “My Sister’s Keeper”, “The Open Road”, “Star Trek”, “Thirst”, “Wild Child”

Best Bets: “Star Trek” was one of my pleasant surprises of the summer and was one of the better reviewed/received movies of the summer… put it at the top of your rental list !!! 
“Bruno” got good reviews, but didn’t do as well at the box office.   “Is Anybody There?” and “My Sister’s Keeper” were more serious fare dramas that got some good marks for acting performances.  You’re on your own with the other offerings this week.

Next Week on DVD: “Angels & Demons”, “Four Christmases”, “Funny People”, “Janky Promoters”, “The Maiden Heist”, “Santa Buddies”, “Shorts”

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT/BUY:  (more…)

“The Genesis Code” working on a Grand Rapids premiere ahead of national release

Producers of the movie “The Genesis Code” that filmed around the Grand Rapids area this summer have their movie finished and are now planning the premiere.

The movie is said to be on track for a December/January release and Producer Mark VanderWal says “We are working with Loeks (Celebration! Cinema) to confirm the dates for the premiere.  We will likely be doing a two week run of engagement here in West Michigan prior to releasing TGC nationwide.”

 ”The Genesis Code” is about a college hockey player and a female journalism student trying to find common ground between their spiritual faith and scientific studies.  

Logan Bartholomew and Kelsey Sanders play the lead characters “Blake” and “Kerry”.   The cast also includes Louise Fletcher, Ernest Borgnine, Fred Thompson, Rich Franklin, Lance Henriksen, Rance Howard, Catherine Hicks, C.R. Lewis, Susan Blakely, Adam Chambers, Ben Murphy, Jerry Zandstra, Roger Garcia, and Armon York Williams.

The movie is directed by Patrick Read Johnson.

The movie shot for five weeks in August on the campus of Calvin College (at the Chapel, in classrooms, in the cafeteria, at the President’s House, at the Nursing School), at the former Lear Plant in Walker, in Lowell, the Patterson Ice Center, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, and at the Silver Bullet shooting range on Division in Wyoming.

Previous posts on “The Genesis Code”:

http://blogs.woodtv.com/2009/09/03/genesis-code-props-for-sale/

http://blogs.woodtv.com/2009/08/26/extras-needed-genesis-code/

http://blogs.woodtv.com/2009/07/30/not-just-borgnine-more-cast-for-genesis-code/

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“2012″ destroys box office, “Precious” making a strong push up the charts

The big budget disaster flick “2012″ blows away the competition with $65 million… blowing away last week’s number one “A Christmas Carol” by more than $40 million… but “2012″ has a long way to go to make up its $200 million budget.  

“The Men Who Stare At Goats” was 3rd again, just ahead of “Precious”, the movie with all kinds of Oscar buzz… it has made more than $35 million in just two weeks of limited release – in just 174 theaters.  Overall, the weekend was up 22% from last weekend, raking in $130 million… it also marks the 7th weekend in-a-row of a new number one at the top of the box office.

 TOP MOVIES AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (estimated results):
 1. “2012″ – $65 million (1st week)

2. “A Christmas Carol” - $22.33 million
(2nd week, was #1 last week, lost 26% of audience from last week)

3. “The Men Who Stare At Goats” - $6.20 million
(2nd week, was #3 last week, lost 51% from last week)

4. “Precious” – $6.09 million
(2nd week of limited release, was #12 last week, gained 225% more audience from last week, added 156 theaters)

5. “This Is It” - $21.30 million
(3rd week, was #2 last week, lost 61% from last week)

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A special effects bonanza and several smaller movies with very few special effects… also a comedic classic back in theaters for just four days!!!

New this Week at Theaters: “2012″, “Pirate Radio” (limited), ”World’s Greatest Dad” (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon), “Coco Before Chanel” (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon)

Special showing: 
“Monty Python And The Holy Grail” – one show a day November 13th-16th (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon)

Limited Release in Grand Rapids market: 
“Pirate Radio” (Celebration! North, Celebration! Rivertown, AMC Star),
“Bright Star” (Celebration! Woodland),
“World’s Greatest Dad” (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon) through 11/19,
“Coco Before Chanel” (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon) through 11/19,
“No Impact Man” (UICA in Grand Rapids) through 11/19,
“Act of God” (UICA in Grand Rapids) through 11/19

Moving to Woodland Mall this week ($4.00 shows): “Zombieland”, “Bright Star”, “The Informant”

Best Bets: The best bets this week may be the limited releases of ”Pirate Radio” and “Coco Before Chanel” … and you can’t go wrong with the legendary comedy “Monty Python And The Holy Grail” (see locations above).  We’ll see if “2012″, the disaster movie and its multi-million dollar budget lives up to all the hype from the studio.  Also of note: the period piece drama “Bright Star” about poet John Keats thats getting some Oscar buzz for the acting performances.

New this Week on DVD: “Up”, “The Accidental Husband”, “The Merry Gentleman”, “Spread”, “The Ugly Truth”, “Watchmen” (Director’s cut)

Best Bets: “Up” did very well at the box office and with critics, it will be the first on my rental list… if you’re looking for a romantic comedy: my wife liked “The Ugly Truth” and wanted to see “The Accidental Husband”… “The Merry Gentleman” and “Spread” are an R-rated drama and comedy that got limited attention in limited release… and if you like “Watchmen”, the Director’s cut is now available.

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Next Week at theaters: “New Moon”, “Precious” (limited), “The Blind Side”, “Planet 51″, ”New York, I Love You” (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon), “Big Fan” (UICA in Grand Rapids)

11/25 – “A Serious Man” (limited), “An Education” (The Harbor Theater in Muskegon), “Boondock Saints 2″ (Celebration! Cinema GR and The Harbor Theater in Muskegon)

Next Week on DVD: “Bruno”, “Franklyn”, “How To Be”, “Is Anybody There?”, “My Sister’s Keeper”, “The Open Road”, “Star Trek”, “Thirst”, “Wild Child”

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT/BUY:  (more…)

A summer family movie hit, two romantic comedies, two R-rated movies, and a comic book blockbuster gets its Director’s cut….

New this Week on DVD: “Up”, “The Accidental Husband”, “The Merry Gentleman”, “Spread”, “The Ugly Truth”, “Watchmen” (Director’s cut)

Best Bets: “Up” did very well at the box office and with critics, it will be the first on my rental list… if you’re looking for a romantic comedy: my wife liked “The Ugly Truth” and wanted to see “The Accidental Husband”… “The Merry Gentleman” and “Spread” are R-rated drama and comedy that got limited attention in limited release… and if you like “Watchmen”, the Director’s cut is now available.

Next Week on DVD: “Bruno”, “Franklyn”, “How To Be”, “Is Anybody There?”, “My Sister’s Keeper”, “The Open Road”, “Star Trek”, “Thirst”, “Wild Child”

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT/BUY:  (more…)

“A Christmas Carol” wins weekend, but didn’t make as much as expected

Disney’s new animated 3D “A Christmas Carol” pulled in $31 million, but some were expecting/predicting clsoer to $40 million.   “The Men Who Stare At Goats” was 3rd behind last week’s number 1 “This Is It”, but had the 2nd highest per theater total (of movies playing in at least 1,000 theaters).

“The Fourth Kind” was 4th, ahead of “Paranormal Activity” in its 7th week, and “The Box” came in 6th.  Overall, the weekend brought in $110 million… a 33% boost from last weekend.

 TOP MOVIES AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (estimated results):
 1. “A Christmas Carol” - $31.00 million (1st week)

2. “This Is It” - $21.30 million
(2nd week, was #1 last week, lost 40% of audience from last week)

3. “The Men Who Stare At Goats” - $13.31 million (1st week)

4. “The Fourth Kind” – $12.52 million (1st week)

5. “Paranormal Activity” – $8.60 million
(7th week of release, was #2 last week, lost 48% from last week)

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UPDATE: “New Moon” tickets going fast… 36 shows sold out, new shows added too

 36 “New Moon” (Twilight Saga) shows are now sold out at Celebration! Cinemas… the movie opens November 20th, to keep up with demand… new shows have been added at Celebration! North and Celebration RiverTown !! 

To check how the shows are selling, click over to the Celebration New Moon page.

ORIGINALLY POSTED 10/29/09:

Celebration! Cinema selling tickets for “Twilight” and “New Moon” on same night

Forget how the first one ended?  Just want to see it again?  Never saw it?!!?  Here’s your chance to see “Twilight” and the sequel “New Moon” on the same trip to the theater!!

Tickets are already selling at many Celebration! Cinema locations for Thursday, November 19th when “Twilight”, the first film in the series, will be shown at 9:00pm and then ”New Moon” premieres at midnight Friday, November 20th. (more…)

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a fun, tongue-in-cheek comedy with a cast of crazy and quirky characters.   Its a slick story filled with smiling sarcasm as the movie makes fun of itself while its telling the story.

For me it wasn’t too crazy or quirky, but it might be a little too much for some, which is why I’m giving the split suggestion: SEE IT if you saw the trailer, the poster, or a clip and thought it looked fun – you’ll probably enjoy it… but WAIT TO RENT if you haven’t heard of the movie/weren’t convinced it was worth your time at the theater… although you might like it.

(My spoiler-free review)

I know that some of those “critics” out there didn’t like this movie for whatever reason… but the more I think about it, the more I like this movie FOR WHAT IT WAS… not what you might have thought it was going to be or expected more from *before* seeing it.

This movie is plain and simply a funny and original story of a bunch of characters that you would think should be living on the Funny Farm if you met them in real life.  They are goofy, wierd, odd, crazy, and then you hear their story: they believe they are part of a special group of psychic spies.

Its okay, I didn’t spoil anything: you get that information early on.. or from the trailer… the cool thing is we, the audience, get to go along on this journey to discover the truth/absurdity of these claims with reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor).  And I love the disclaimer at the beginning of the movie: “More of this is true than you would believe”… which says a lot and nothing at the same time - setting the tone early, so does the scene that follows.. and the next scene and the next.

The exchange between Bob and Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) in the hotel room in Kuwait after they first meet is great: a guy that doesn’t believe and is trying to seriously want to understand and a guy who is totally convinced of what he is saying… Lyn even admits that its crazy/mind blowing stuff.   Clooney is great in this role as the leading man of this dry comedy adventure plays like a buddy road trip movie with several fun scenes in the desert…and beyond.

Jeff Bridges is perfect as hippie unit leader Bill Django: a cross between the dude in “The Big Lebowksi” (1998) and a “Shawman” as Bob refers to him… seriously commited to his spiritual military work.

The other supporting cast are also solid, including Kevin Spacey as the renegade of the group and Stephen Root who first tells Bob about the group.   Overall, the guys in the unit are oddballs that only feel like they fit in when after they join this group.

The movie’s tongue is firmly placed in its cheek while making numerous Star Wars references:  (more…)