The second film in the Twilight series begins with Bella Swan (Kirsten Stewart) having a dream about herself growing old. From her eighteenth birthday, this is the start of one of her fears that she will age, while her love Edward (Robert Pattinson) will stay the same and not be as attracted to her. At a gathering on her birthday, Bella cuts her finger accidentally and is nearly attacked by one of the Cullens, only to be saved by Edward, leaving a gash on her am. The thought that she could be harmed again and other reasons, leaves Edward to announce that he and his family are leaving and that he does not want Bella. Distressed, Bella finds comfort in her friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) who offers to help her fix up a motorbike after she becomes an adrenaline junkie. Yet with the arrival of wolves in the area it is clear that Jacob is hiding something.
The first Twilight film was a solid entry into the franchise, a dark and highly atmospheric love story, handsomely crafted by director Catherine Hardwicke who carried a real interest in teen behaviour. This pitiful sequel retains none of the qualities of the first film and could be one of the most disappointing pictures of the year. Taking over from Hardwicke is director Chris Weitz who was previously made About a Boy and started the unfinished trilogy of The Golden Compass. The narrative in Weitz's film is primarily at fault here. Whereas the original Twilight was enjoyable for the way it compressed much of the tedium of the novel, this film is not only painfully slow but it is also uneventful and compressed to the point where it becomes nonsensical. It only takes just one brief ride on a motorcycle for Bella to turn into an adrenaline junkie and the exposition directed towards her reckless behaviour is minimal. Prior to performing anything daring like riding or cliff jumping Bella is met by apparition of Edward who warns her not to do it. It would make more sense if he came to her in near death performing the act, not before it.
Bella's motivations are as convoluted as Edwards though. His depart in particular is problematic for the narrative. Not only is his eventual explanation for leaving highly contrived but in his absence the romantic substance of the film is evaporated, leaving very little for Bella to do. Pattinson has the most minimal role, only appearing at the beginning and the end in person, and occasionally as an apparition. Although it may be true the novel, fans are still likely to be disappointed by the actors absence. Stewart is still a very beautiful young actress and although she looks tired in this film at times, she does her best with some very poor writing. It is to her credit at least that she is one of the better performers in the cast. The excessively soppy dialogue though is still is difficult to take and the allusions to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" are particularly lazy and obvious.
The first film achieved a great sense of dread and uncertainty because of the mystery of the vampires and the stunning photography of the woodlands. Structurally, it was also punctured by an exciting final third and a highly visceral climax. New Moon is not only lacking in romance but the action is also scarce and dramatically flat. The few brawls in the film are almost all entirely in super slow-motion lessening their impact. The main threat in this film is supposed to be the werewolves and the secret that Jacob is hiding. Yet given everyone who wanted to see this film has probably watched the trailer at least twice there is no surprise as to what he is hiding. He is a thoroughly uninteresting character, devoid of any of the romantic sensibilities that were apparent in Twilight. What is most frustrating about his presence in the film is the blatant attempts at trying to create sexual tension with Bella by having him shirtless for almost the entire film. It is the sort of thing Matthew Mcconaughey might have made a career out of, but here it is not only repetitive but bordering on embarrassing, as it blatantly attempts to win the heart of female audience members. The scenes where Jacob wipes the blood off Bella's forehead with his shirt or stands outside her window half dressed, were met with laughter from the audience. Mostly likely this was unintentional, perhaps signaling that audiences are not fooled by the sheer phoniness of the sexual tension in this film. Where the first film was endearing and sweet in its romance, here it is just superfluous.
At 130 minutes, New Moon is longer than its predecessor but also inferior in almost every aspect. The romance is absent and the action is disappointingly flat. Why Hardwicke was not brought back as a director who created such a vivid and fresh atmosphere is incomprehensible. Weitz has done a pretty poor job with this film and rather unsurprisingly, he is being replaced by director David Slade (Hard Candy) for Eclipse next year. It is a shame that those who wish to see if the next instalment is an improvement will have to sit through what is an extremely tedious and dull experience.
A Christmas Carol is a retelling of the cIassic story by Charles Dickens, focussing on Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy old man who has stopped believing in Christmas because of his bitterness to the world. He is entirely unsympathetic to the poor and needy, especially his own workers, such as Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldmen) who is trying to feed his family, including his crippled son Tiny Tim. Scrooge is also neglectful to his own family, such as his nephew Fred (Colin Firth). Yet on Christmas Eve, Scrooge returns home and is met by the ghost of his former business partner Marley. He is warned that three spirits will soon come to him and that very evening they do. The first is the Ghost of Christmas Past, the second the Ghost of Christmas Present and the third the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Each ghost serves to show Scrooge where his life went wrong and what will come if he does not change his ways.
The screening I attended for A Christmas Carol in 3D was initially not a happy one. Despite being Hoyt's discount day, the price to see this film in 3D was twenty dollars. I was also told to keep my glasses because the cinema was going to also start charging for the glasses in the future. How often entire families are going to see films in 3D with these outrageous prices is highly doubtful. Furthermore, the screening, which did not include any previews, was late to start by twenty-five minutes. In spite of these misgivings, A Christmas Carol (3D) is a surprisingly uplifting and faithful adaptation, gloriously shot with motion capture technology. The 3D visuals in this film are just a delight to witness and become a part of. They are so rich and vividly immediate in bursting off the screening that you could almost reach out and touch the snowflakes as they fall towards you. Sweeping shots across snowbound London and close-ups of outstretched hands that come towards you have been deliberately placed to show off the sheer depth and range of the visual aesthetics. It is such a shame that these 3D films are so expensive because it is a delightful and beautiful experience to be immersed into.
Yet this is not just a visual treat as director Robert Zemeckis and Disney have opted to remain true to the essence of the dark themes of Dickens' story. Questions of poverty and the working cIass of London have not been glossed over, as much of the dialogue of the original tale has been kept intact, allowing Scrooge to be characterised as a man who has lost faith in the world and sees no reason for celebration because of the poverty and the overcrowding in the city. When he is told that the poor cannot go to the prisons and union workhouses and would rather die, he responds by saying: "they had better do it quickly and decrease the surplus population". The maturity of dialogue such as this is surprising for a Disney Christmas film, but a welcome addition all the same. At times though, the film seems almost too dark, specifically with the design of some of the supernatural elements. The wait for Marley's ghost is a slow, intense one, but his appearance is even scarier, particularly when he has to realign his own jaw. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – who looks exactly like the shadow of the Grim Reaper – and has control of a possessed horse and carriage, is also a very scary inclusion. This film might not be entirely suitable for very small children.
In contrast with these supernatural elements though, there are a number of poignant scenes that are surprisingly touching. The most emotional of these being when Scrooge overlooks his younger self and sees the time he met his first love at a dance, and also the decline of the crippled boy, Tiny Tim. These somber scenes ensure that the final moments, when Scrooge attitude changes, are rewarding with their warmth and humour. It is up until these last scenes in the film that Jim Carrey, who plays eight characters in the film, including the three ghosts, could almost be called restrained as Scrooge. His trademark wacky mannerisms are kept to a minimum, with more attention applied to his harsh creaking voice and more subtle movements. The amount of time spent capturing the slight gestures of Scrooge would have been painstaking. After the disastrously predictable Yes Man, this is a performance that Carrey can be really proud of.
To say that the last decent Christmas film was Bad Santa back in 2003 is an indication of the lack of quality in these pictures in recent year. Fortunately, A Christmas Carol (3D), though very dark at times, is a wonderful tribute to Dickens' story, visualising the cIassic tale with artistic flair and sustaining the narrative with smart writing too. Hopefully cinemas like Hoyts, who are the real Scrooges at the moment, will come to their senses though and realise that this breathtaking technology will never last with such absurd prices. It would a real shame if films, as visually magnificent as this, were never viewed in 3D because they were too expensive for families to afford.
Well I'm not really familiar with this "tagging" fiasco. I guess some people felt the same about "Jazz" when it first started too!!
Here are some fun facts about me.
1. I am looking for a fresh start to my life in 2010.
2. I considered putting a picture of Everett Hitch - Viggo Mortensen's character from the movie Appaloosa - as my display picture on Facebook (See below), purely for his facial hair.
3. I have finished the campaign for MW2 and I am enjoying the MP, trying to get my hours up so I can start a review!
4. I am looking to read some new books over the holidays including Lord of the Flies and Fight Club.
5. I am putting more effort into Xmas this year. I bought one of my friends the novel "No Country For Old Men" and also a University teddy bear lol 
6. My football team finished last in the NRL this year but I have a good feeling we're going to finish in the top 8 next season
7. I might be seeing A Christmas Carol tomorrow in 3D. Watch out for a review of it.
8. I am trying to educate people about the connections between Captain Price and Carl from the movie Up!
9. I became a fan of the boogey man on Facebook and regularly make boogey man-like noises to people.
10. I am meant to be seeing the movie Genova on Thursday with one of my friends! Can't wait!!
Three People I'd like to tag!!
1. Pvtdonut54
2. t3hrubikscube
3. G013M
EDIT: Might take this time to also give an update for some of the reviews etc on the Blog:
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
An Essay on Film itself! (Blockbusters vs. Cl@ssical Cinema)
Friends
Tracked Blogs
