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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1: Review

Damon Houx — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:00:42 +0000

Though The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 doesn’t feature the wrap up of the series, it does get to something the series has been building to since day one: Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) finally putting their desires to bed. And for the couple it is literally a bed-breaking event, one that leads to pregnancy. As a film Breaking Dawn Part 1 classes up the joint by adding Oscar winning writer-director Bill Condon to the mix, but for those hoping for something that might rise above the material, they’re going to be sorely disappointed. For the fans, it’s likely everything they want.

The Players:

Director:Bill Condon
Written by: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Billy Burke
Original Music by: Carter Burwell
Cinematography by: Guillermo Navarro

The Plot:

It’s time. Bella (Stewart) and “Team” Edward Cullen (Pattinson) are tying the knot so she can finally become a part of the Cullen family. “Team” Jacob (Lautner) wants no part of it, but decides to make a late appearance anyway. His clan is still upset with the Cullens, but currently they have a fragile peace. Edward and Bella go on an exotic honeymoon, and finally couple in an event that leaves her bruised and the bed broken. But as she feels weird, it becomes apparent that Bella is now pregnant with a vampire baby.

Full Disclosure:

I have only seen the first two films and haven’t read the books.

The Good:

Slightly Better: The jokes are funnier, the acting’s a little less stiff, and they managed to have the shortest running time of series. It has the more polished tone of the later films, but with the fun (and some of the camp) of the first film. The wedding sequence has some great little zings and jags – with Anna Kendrick having a number of funny moments.
They Go There: I have heard about imprinting and the more daffy elements of the narrative beforehand, and they’re in there, and it’s just as strange and messed up as I was led to believe. I wish it was R-rated (few films this obsessed with blood and sex are not), but that was never going to happen. Still, it’s weird.

The Bad:

Telenovela: At this point in the narrative, there’s not a lot of drama, and the drama in the film probably means more to the faithful. I guess there’s another war brewing between vampires factions and werewolves, but it’s a minor section of the film. Instead, a good chunk of the film is dedicated to a wedding and a honeymoon. There’s nothing going on under the surface of these things, and when Edward confesses that he once killed people Bella says it’s no big deal and then it never comes up again. And then Bella gets pregnant, and it’s all about waiting for her to give birth (abortion is mentioned, quickly dismissed). Much like the other broken-up book of the last couple (Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows), it feels more like a collection of scenes than a film. And so you wait for Bella to come to term so something happens, because every time Jacob and his crew get antsy it gets resolved quickly.
If You Don’t Know Me By Now: Where a number of franchises make it easy to drop in on later chapters with relative ease (There are Aliens in outer space, Harry Potter’s in school), but with Twlight at this point the mythology is established and the audience is there. Nothing about Breaking Dawn is going to matter much to those who aren’t in for the ride. It’s just for the fans, and only for them.
Not for You: And to that point, this doesn’t really function as a film. The performers are never bad per se (even Taylor Lautner – once the hot property – who has probably 86′d his chances of too much work outside Twilight after Abduction), but there are no arcs. The same could be said for the film. Not even the pregnancy is used as a device. This is a filmed book. And what appears to be not a very good one, that covers half of a narrative, which would be about one and a half of a three act structure. When the film hits its conclusion, it doesn’t feel like a cliffhanger, as all tension is resolved from the incident itself.

Overall:

I guess this is functionally better than the previous films in terms of having scale and better quality of most everything, but this is a movie for people who already care. As an outsider it was dull, but relatively painless, sometimes insane and occasionally interesting, but only to a point.

Rating: 4.5/10

Breaking Dawn opens November 18.

Stills:

Trailer:

The Last Airbender: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:25:09 +0000

After months of bad press and racebending rants M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film The Last Airbender is about to hit theaters. It’s based on the popular Nickelodeon animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” that was created by Americans who were inspired by anime. The show was popular with both critics and fans alike but unfortunately the live-action adaptation doesn’t deserve such praise. Not only did Shyamalan direct but he also wrote the screenplay for the film that suffers from many problems that go beyond its questionable casting.

The Players:

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Cliff Curtis, Shaun Toub, Aasif, Mandvi, Seychelle Gabriel
Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie
Original Music By: James Newton Howard

The Plot:

The Last Airbender centers on Aang, the young successor to a line of Avatars who have the ability to control the four elements (earth, fire, water, air). In the past there was peace between the four nations that represented each element, but it changed when the last Avatar disappeared and the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations. Now 100 years later, the Avatar has returned and has the Fire Nation’s disgraced Prince Zuko, Fire Lord Ozai, and their Army General after him.

The Good:

The Action: The battle scenes in this film were pretty well done. The mixing of martial arts and the elements was an amazing sight to see. Whenever the Fire, Earth, or Water benders go toe to toe with each other you can’t take your eyes off of it.
The Special Effects: The effects used for the element scenes were semi-believable and a lot sharper than you’d expect. Also, Aang’s Flying Bison surprisingly translated well from the animated series to the live action version.

The Bad:

The Acting: Horrible! The acting in this film is horrendous. This is Noah Ringer’s first starring role so his lack of delivery is understandable but everyone else must be held 100% accountable. The performances were terrifying to watch because they were so stiff, uneasy, and forced.
The Script: This screenplay had some of the blockiest dialogue I’ve ever heard. It gives Twilight and Star Wars Episode II a run for their money. If you’ve never seen the TV show, from which the movie is based, you won’t have any connection to the characters or their journey. The bad script plus the bad acting is a recipe for disaster.
The Set-up: The animated series was broken up into three books (Book One: Water, Book Two: Earth, Book Three: Fire). The film replicates that set up (spoiler) by beginning with a chapter and ending with a major cliff-hanger that will go over into the next film. This was a bad move to make because the film might not do well enough to earn sequel money therefore leaving those who did enjoy the movie without a conclusion or pay-off.

The RaceBending:

The biggest issue people have with this film is its casting. Three of the main characters are played by White actors when on the show they’re shown significantly darker. In the movie, Ringer actually looks like his animated character and his tribe of Airbenders is filled with people from various ethnic backgrounds. The Fire Nation is mostly Middle Eastern or East Indian, and the Northern Water Tribe is predominantly White. They all shared similar features for their region and it made sense.

The issue comes in with the Southern Water Tribe where Rathbone and Peltz’ characters Sokka and Katara come from. Those two along with their grandmother seem to be the only people who aren’t of Inuit descent in their tribe. They stick out like 3 sore thumbs! They look like they belong in the Northern Water Tribe instead.

Overall:

The Last Airbender has decent action but the pacing, the acting, and the screenplay are terrible. If you really want to see Aang’s story watch the TV series because this movie doesn’t do it justice.

Rating: 3/10

The Last Airbender hits theaters on July 1, 2010.

Photos:

Trailer:

Are you interested in seeing The Last Airbender this weekend?

The Last Airbender Clip – Fire Nation is Here

Krystal Clark — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:52:51 +0000

Paramount has finally decided to release a clip from next month’s The Last Airbender and it features none other than Jackson Rathbone. He plays Sokka in the film and conveniently stars in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which opens next week. Are they trying to keep his visibility up so they can leech off some of those vampire profits? The clip is entitled “Fire Nation is Here,” and it’s pretty self-explanatory. Take a look…

This has to be the most anti-climactic clip they could have chosen. It literally gives us nothing except mediocre acting and a lot of green screen effects. The film has been under a lot of scrutiny and instead of using this clip to show how amazing it will be they highlighted some weak teaser footage that doesn’t show any action (rolls eyes).

The Last Airbender centers on Aang, the young successor to a line of Avatars who have the ability to control the four elements (earth, fire, water, air). In the past there was peace between the four nations that represented each element, but it changed when the Avatars disappeared and the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations. Now it’s up to 12 year old Aang to defeat their army and bring balance and peace back to all four nations.

The Last Airbender will hit theaters on July 1, 2010 in 2D and 3D.

What do you think of the first clip from the film?

Twilight Eclipse Clip: The Cullens Talk Business

Krystal Clark — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:43:07 +0000

Summit Entertainment continues to dish out clips from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which is scheduled to hit theaters on June 30th. If you’re interested in seeing a group of pale actors with beady eyes and bad hair, check out the latest preview. In the video, the Cullens and Bella have an intense meeting at their swanky house to discuss who or what is trying to kill them…

Eclipse – exclusive clip and RPatz soundbite @ Yahoo! Video

All the men in this scene sound as if they’re trying to have low, breathy voices. Robert Pattinson doing it is somewhat understandable because he has a British accent and that might be a way for him to cover it but what’s everyone else’s excuse? It looks like Kristen Stewart and Ashley Greene are the only one’s speaking in a normal tone, even Nikki Reed sounds like she’s adding extra bass.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is said to be a lot darker than the previous films, which might have something to do with director David Slade. He’s known for the horror film 30 Days of Night and the indie thriller Hard Candy. It also seems like both Victoria and the new guy Riley will be going after the Cullens and Bella causing an all out war. There will be more than enough vampire-werewolf-human bloodshed to go around.

What do you think of the latest clip from Eclipse?

Source: The Insider

The Last Airbender HD Theatrical Trailer

Krystal Clark — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:04:07 +0000

Apple has debuted a new trailer for the upcoming 3D release of The Last Airbender and it shows more footage and more characters than what we’ve seen in the previous ones. This trailer focuses on the four nations and their bending powers and you get a good idea of how M. Night Shyamalan will illustrate them on the big screen. Check it out…

The Last Airbender centers on Aang, the young successor to a line of Avatars who have the ability to control the four elements (earth, fire, water, air). In the past there was peace between the four nations that represented each element, but it changed when the Avatars disappeared and the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations. Now it’s up to 12 year old Aang to defeat their army and bring balance and peace back to all four nations.

Is it just me or does Sokka’s girlfriend look exactly like Jessica Alba in The Fantastic Four? She’s sporting an extremely blonde wig and some very unnatural blue contacts and they’re scaring the sh*t out of me. Other than that, the acting isn’t looking that great either. It’s a good thing that Noah Ringer (Aang) will spend most of his screen time fighting or silent because dialogue isn’t his strong suit.

The Last Airbender hits theaters on July 2, 2010.

What do you think about the theatrical trailer for The Last Airbender? Does it change your mind about the movie in a positive or a negative way?

Jackson Rathbone’s Last Airbender Poster

Krystal Clark — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:08:12 +0000

A new poster has been released for M. Night Shyamalan’s adaptation of The Last Airbender, and it features Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. In the film he plays Sokka, and is accompanied by his younger sister Katara as played by Nicola Peltz. We also have a photo of Sokka’s former flame, Suki who is portrayed by Jessica Andres.

The Last Airbender centers on Aang, the young successor to a line of Avatars who have the ability to control the four elements (earth, fire, water, air). In the past there was peace between the four nations that represented each element, but it changed when the Avatar disappeared and the Fire Nation attacked, forcing a war on the other three nations. Now it’s up to 12 year old Aang to defeat their army and bring balance and peace back to all four nations.

Sokka and Suki are both a part of the Southern Water tribe, and while Sokka is an excellent warrior his sister is a practiced water bender. Suki is also a great fighter, and the leader of a group of young female warriors from Kyoshi Island, who also fight to bring down the Fire Nation.

Here’s are both posters…

What do you think of the look for Sokka, Katara, and Suki? Are they true to the series?

Source: BSCReview, Empire Movies

Twilight Eclipse Script Leaked

Krystal Clark — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:48:10 +0000

Apparently some Twilight fans just can’t wait until this summer when the third installment of the vampire series hits screens. According to co-star Jackson Rathbone, a leaked copy of the script has been making its rounds on the internet. Dun, dun, dun! Rathbone knows about the digital script floating in cyberspace because the document in question belongs to him.

The Eclipse script that was leaked onto the net has the watermark of Rathbone all over it, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of teenage girls from taking a peek. The validity of the script is being called into question because Rathbone recently made a few statements insinuating that the released copy doesn’t tell the reader that much about the movie’s plot. Some think it might be a “blue copy,” which is an earlier draft of the final script.

Even though it’s a convenient cover story, some insiders think Rathbone’s statements are a means to cover his tracks. Summit Entertainment might be coming down hard on the young actor for his negligence, and this could be his attempt to negate the interest of potential readers. There hasn’t been any confirmation or denial from the studio regarding the legitimacy of the digital copy, so who knows if you’re getting the real deal.

From an outsider’s perspective, the books don’t sound that great and the movies are even worse, so what’s the appeal again?

Eclipse completed shooting back in October and is scheduled to hit theaters on June 30, 2010.

Do you think the leaked Eclipse script is legit or a fake copy?

Source: Associated Content

Kirsten Prout Cast as Lucy in Eclipse

Krystal Clark — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:37:40 +0000

Another young actress has been sucked into The Twilight Saga Eclipse. According to MTV another casting announcement was made for the film via costar Jackson Rathbone who plays, Jasper. Former Kyle XY actress Kirsten Prout will play Lucy in the the third film, and will work closely with Rathbone and his character.

Mild spoilers may ensue, so if you haven’t read the book this would be a good time to stop reading. Lucy will appear in several flashbacks in the film, as a vampire who has a lot to do with Jasper’s origin story.

“A former Confederate soldier during the Civil War, Jasper was “born” when he encountered a vampire named Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno), who enlisted him into her growing vampire army. Jasper ended up turning on his creator, along with two of her soldiers, one of whom is Lucy.”

It’s good to see another Kyle XY alum getting some big budget feature film work. We previously reported on Prout’s former co-star Jaimie Alexander landing a role in Marvel’s Thor, and now this. Before her TV gig, Prout could be seen in the comic book adaptation Electra, playing the young girl the assassin was sent to kill.

What do you think of Kirsten Prout joining the cast of Eclipse?

ScreenCrave.com » jackson rathbone

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1: Review

The Players:

The Plot:

Full Disclosure:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 4.5/10

Stills:

Trailer:

Related Posts

The Last Airbender: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

The RaceBending:

Overall:

Rating: 3/10

Photos:

Trailer:

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