Apocalypse last weekend, AKA 2012. |
|
A throwback to the disaster-spectacle epics of Irwin Allen and Cecil B. De Mille, Roland Emmerich's 2012 gave movie-goers APOCALYPSE NOW last weekend. Sony Pictures felt the earth move and the ink gush black as their end of the world flick hauled in an explosive $225 million total in 106 countries. But that was last weekend.
An Elvis-era pop hit begins, "Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time."
Well, Match-Flickers, this isn't your grandfather's pop culture column, so let's put it this way: Bella, Edward and Jacob are back: it's TWILIGHT SAGA time. If there's been a more highly anticipated flick this year, yours truly is unaware. Ever since Match-Flickers swarmed to TWILIGHT last fall, its sequel has been on the minds of movie-goers everywhere.
I pity the poor flicks that are opening on what is clearly THE TWILIGHT SAGA's Weekend.
I wouldn't want to be PLANET 51, the highly-advertised, animated science fiction flick about a 
Edward is more support than star in NEW MOON. |
|
planet whose inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion.
Nor do I envy the likes of THE BLIND SIDE, the Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates vehicle about a white woman (Bullock) who takes in a 344-pound, uneducated, African-American teenager in Memphis.
And I lament BAD LIEUTENANT, the Nicolas Cage remake of 1992's THE BAD LIEUTENANT, which featured Harvey Keitel in the title role. That version, about a depraved officer, received an NC-17 rating. Cage's update has been given an R. That's little consolation, considering BAD LIEUTENANT must open against the hottest new franchise of our young century.
Be advised: The TWILIGHT franchise isn't following a predictable path with its second installment. You'd expect NEW MOON to focus upon the evolving relationship and challenges of the Bella-Edward relationship.
Instead, Edward Cullen is more of a supporting player in the sequel. Mostly, NEW MOON is Bella and Jacob's story.
NEW MOON is truly a brand new 
Jacob is newly-buff in this NEW MOON. |
|
day for author Stephanie Meyer's worldwide phenomenon THE TWILIGHT SAGA.
Following Bella's ill-starred 18th Birthday Party, Edward Cullen and his family leave Forks, WA, in order to protect the mortal teen from the deadly dangers of the vampire world. Not surprisingly, Bella is broken hearted, desolate and depressed. She virtually sleep-walks through the school year – and life in general.
Finally, with the assistance of her childhood crony, Jacob Black, (the newly buffed-out Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike. Slowly, her broken heart begins to mend, and her blossoming relationship with Jacob is responsible for the healing.
But let's get real. Our Bella isn't the kind of young woman to have her chimes rung by an average Joe or Jacob. Lest we forget: Jacob Black is a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, and he has a supernatural secret of his own. And it's not about how he bulked up so quickly for this sequel. By transferring 
Bella: To whom will she give her heart? |
|
her affection from Edward to Jacob, Bella has, in effect, gone from dating Dracula to spooning with the Wolfman – and you thought your relationships were dicey!
Of course, loyalty, her own, and that of others, also rings them bells for Bella. As she's drawn further into Jacob's dark, dangerous world of werewolves, historically the enemies of the world of vampires, she finds her loyalties challenged, and her well-being is as precarious as when she was with Edward.
To no one's surprise, before this NEW MOON wanes, Bella and the Cullen family are reunited in Forks, and she is back in Edward's undead arms again - believing that life will be a dream (shaboom) with him at her side.
As for forward-looking Match-Flickers, the TWILIGHT SAGA is one step ahead of you. The third installment, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, completed principal photography in Vancouver in late October, and you can bet your silver bullets it will be at a multiplex near you on June 30, 2010.
 email this column to a friend
Comment on this Column:
Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to columns.
Join or Login. |
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS
|
| The Business of Show |
Every other Friday
Does advertising, public taste, or overindulged stars determine a movie's box office fate? Christoper Stone explores what's going on behind the box office.
|
| Christopher Stone |
Christopher Stone is the author of the international best seller Re-Creating Your Self. With Mary Sheldon, he co-authored three highly successful hardcover books of guided meditations.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
|
| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Christopher Stone by clicking here.
|
|
