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Twilight: The Review
It's hard to judge Twilight like any other movie, for a number of reasons: First off, you have to consider the audience. It was sort of made for them, and if it appeals to them, it's a success, right? Then there's the buzz factor: How much would we like this movie if there were no buzz? Finally, there's the fact that it's technically an independent film that's been widened due to said buzz. If watched as an indie, the movie might make people feel very differently than it does in its current context. All of these elements are important when reviewing Twilight, so I'm trying to keep them all in mind when I say what I'm about to say.
"The good ole Moviefile," you think to yourself. "They won't report on something Twilight-related two days in a row. Because I can't get away from Twilight news in the media or on my walk to class or at the bottom of the ocean -- the Moviefile will save me!" Oh contraire, Écouter. We can't bring you any more non-Twilight news, because frankly, there isn't any. I checked. I mean, there isn't much to say beyond Ben Affleck is touring refugee camps in the Congo, (for like, awareness of the plight of the people of the Congo, not for fun or anything) and Winona Ryder was briefly hospitalized in the UK for an unknown condition after she became ill on a flight from LA to London. She was probably freaking out because there was nothing to steal but, literally, peanuts. That's all I've got, people! It's that and sparkle-in-the-sun vampires! I tried. I did. To the Twilight!
If you've been living under a rock for the last few months, then you may not know that Twilight, the first in a planned series of films based on Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance novels, is about to hit theaters. The film had its Hollywood premiere Monday night in Westwood Village (a couple of zip codes west of Hollywood, actually), and I don't know if you've heard this, but the franchises' mainly female fans are just a teensy bit excited. Hundreds of fans camped out in Westwood to catch a glimpse of the premiere and the film's stars. Had I known it was on Monday night, I would joined them with a bottle of shampoo and a hairbrush for star Robert Pattinson. From the pics of the night, I don't think he's been intimate with either in well over two weeks.
As if to say "you must not know 'bout me and my love of superheroes," Beyoncé Knowles has declared that she would like to play Wonder Woman should a film version ever get off the ground, according to an interview with the L.A. Times. She's so serious about it, in fact, that she's already met with people at Warner Bros. and DC Comics to discuss the possibility. Now, I haven't seen many of Beyoncé's movies -- I intentionally missed Dreamgirls and Pink Panther -- but I have seen her in Austin Powers: Goldmember, and if that was all she'd been in, I would have to say that I don't think she's ready for the JLA. (The JLA, of course, being the Justice League of America, of which Wonder Woman is a charter memb-- oh, never mind.) But considering she's about to play a threatened wife in Obsessed and Etta James in Cadillac Records, she must be doing something right, right?
This one's for the ladies! Essential Pictures is in the process of developing a potential franchise out of author Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. The books, which Variety describes as "fantasy," tell the story of an 18th century Scottish Highlander and his modern-day time-traveling wife. [Not to be confused with the 2008 movie Outlander, about a space cop who lands on a planet of vikings. - Zach] And while the premise of the books is certainly fantasy-based, you generally find these books in the Romance section. And, okay, I know this because I've read them all. Don't judge me. They're an addicting, well-written series that sees historical events with a modern eye, and blends some pretty intricate stories all with an engaging romance unfolding in the background. If the film or films are anywhere near as captivating, y'all better watch out. I once had a dental hygienist obsessed with me simply because she thought I looked like one of the characters.
Almost everyone is feeling the effects of the economic downturn (to put it mildly), and we all know it's had its effects on the movie industry, what with changes in spending habits and budgets -- not to mention the writers' strike and the possible actors' strike. But there has been another side effect of the economy on Hollywood: how to schedule, release, and market movies about the economy, Wall Street, or frivolous spending.
I've heard of a studio greenlighting a movie's sequel after a great opening weekend at the box office, but I can't say as I've ever heard of a sequel getting a green light on merely the expectation of maybe having a great opening weekend at the box office. Despite the fact that the film doesn't open for another month, Summit Entertainment is already readying a sequel to Twilight, the film based on the first book in Stephenie Meyer's vampire novel series. The maybe-great opening weekend they're expecting? Summit has issued an estimated opening weekend take of a whopping $20 million. Yeah, that's it. So they don't expect to make their money back right away (the film's budget was $37 million) but they're firing away on sequel. I guess it helps when you have source material?
This Friday's movie releases have something for everyone. For the politics-loving conspiracy theorist, there's W., Ollie Stone's take on the current president. For horny teenage boys -- hell, for horny boys of all ages -- there's Sex Drive, a teenage sex comedy whose red-band clip on the Internet features a woman giving the film's heavy set protagonist a Lewinsky before using him as a human toilet (I'm not kidding). And for the ladies, there's 40-year old Dakota Fanning in The Secret Life of Bees. Choose wisely, because something's gotta get that damn Chihuahua off the top of the chart.
One of the Bond girls from Quantum of Solace has been surprisingly candid lately about some of her more unusual physical attributes. Get your mind out of the gutter--it's not that kind of physical attribute. London's Daily Mail reports that Gemma Arterton reveals in the newest Esquire magazine that she was born with six fingers on each hand. The extra digits were tied at the base an allowed to wither up and fall off naturally. If you look closely, you can see the slight scars that remain. Although, considering she plays one of 007's famously beautiful love interests in the upcoming pic, it's unlikely many will be looking at her hands when she's onscreen. Her polydactyly isn't the only thing Arterton is revealing, either. Click on through for Quantum spoilers.
Shia LaBeouf and Eagle Eye helped pull the movies out of the blues they've been in for a number of weeks (remember three weeks ago, when the No. 1 movie made $7.8 million?) with a $29.2 million opening weekend. It was not only good enough for the top spot at the box office, but also good enough to make it the No. 4 September opening of all time. That's mildly impressive -- though only mildly, considering one of the movies ahead of it is The Exorcism of Emily Rose, not exactly a masterpiece.
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