Breaking Dawn Part 2: The Early Reviews Sound Promising for Twilight Fans

After the Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiere last night, it's now only a matter of days before the final installment of the Twilight saga hits the big screen for all to enjoy, which means one thing—the reviews are in.

Critics have already gotten a sneak peek at what Twi-hards have been waiting over a year to see, and it seems as though devoted fans will be left feeling satisfied, even with the surprise twist at the end.

But before you prepare your goodbyes to Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), take a look at what some reviewers had to say about the highly anticipated flick.

K.Stew and Twilight cast slip into something more comfortable for premiere after party

•"Although the new film builds to a massive confrontation on a wintry field between more than two dozen vampires, backed up by their hirsute werewolf allies, and the more numerous and gifted Volturi, this remains the rare popular series without any great set pieces or even memorable scenes; from the beginning, it all has just sort of chugged along in a stylistically mundane way that has not infrequently slipped over into dullness," The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy said, but also mentioned, "The final installment of the immortal Bella/Edward romance will give its breathlessly awaiting international audience just what it wants."

Baz Bamigboye from the Daily Mail wrote, "I can't deny that I didn't care very much for the four other movies. For the most part they were poorly made and badly acted. Also, all that girl falls in love with a soppy vampire then a second suitor turns up who turns into a werewolf got on my nerves. But somehow the final film has stuff to say about love, friendship and loyalty that works."

Find out Taylor Lautner's late-night guilty pleasure

•"With Bella reborn as a bloodthirsty, butt-kicking vampire mama, this second of two Bill Condon-directed installments clears a low bar to stand easily as the franchise's most eventful and exciting entry. Admittedly, much of the credit should go to a jaw-dropping extended climax that will give fans something to chew on besides the delicate matter of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's offscreen romance -- not that a movie this commercially invincible requires too many talking points,"

Variety's Justin Chang said, and also added, that, "it'll be interesting to monitor reactions beyond author Stephenie Meyer's distaff fanbase, this being perhaps the first Twilight picture that some men in the audience might find themselves actually enjoying."

•"At any rate, having seen the movie twice at this point, I can assure you it's going to be a hit with fellow fans," Amanda Bell from the Examiner wrote. "As many fans have been warned, the big showdown with the Volturi is a touch different than what we read in the book. The biggest question about that is, 'Is it so different that I won't like it and/or recognize it?' The answer is no. Mark my words on this: The theaters will be in a cheering and gasping uproar during these scenes. To say anything else would be a spoiler to the experience of it."

Source

'Breaking Dawn' premiere: Wait almost over for 'Twilight' fans

After camping on concrete for four nights in downtown Los Angeles, thousands of "Twilight" fans finally got their payoff Monday evening: coveted spots along the black carpet at the premiere of the fifth and final film.

Three hours before the stars of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" were set to pose for the cameras, rows of fans were clustered behind a fence with posters, drawings and cameras in tow. Some held up flags representing the countries they hailed from, including Mexico and South Africa. Others had their Sharpies ready for early arrivals to sign one of their copies of Stephenie Meyer's novels.

Like any blockbuster premiere, the final "Twilight" attracted a potpourri of Hollywood stars. Past tween stars of their day, including Hilary Duff, Ashley Tisdale and Mayim Bialik, were on the tip sheet, as were sports stars Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace.

Bialik, who rose to fame as "Blossom," said she wouldn't haven't been able to handle the glare of the spotlight the "Twilight" stars are under.

"Everything you do goes much farther and there's much more of an emphasis on high fashion and things that I can barely handle as an adult," she said. "I would have gone to grad school and stayed there."

Also on the RSVP list? Rachel McAdams, set to walk the carpet with her "Twilight" star boyfriend, Michael Sheen, Grammy winner and apparent Twi-hard Stevie Nicks, Sugar Ray Leonard and uh, Al Yankovic?

Of course, fans seemed less thrilled about Weird Al and more excited about Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

One fan had blown up an image of Pattinson's, er, nether-regions. A woman in a wheelchair showed off her shaved head, which had "Twihard" written on it. A pregnant fan held up a handmade poster upon which she had glued her sonogram and written: "My baby is half vampire too!"

And a group of middle-aged women toted a banner voicing their support for the newly reconciled Stewart and Pattinson in the wake of Stewart's liaison with Rupert Sanders, the director of "Snow White and the Huntsman."

"Rob & Kristen: Keeping it R.E.A.L: Respect - Enthusiasm - Admiration - Love."

Source

New Bond film 'Skyfall' tops box office

The new James Bond movie "Skyfall" swept North American box offices this weekend, crushing second-place animated feature "Wreck-It Ralph", industry estimates showed Sunday.

The 23rd episode of the spy thriller series -- and the third starring Daniel Craig in the lead role -- took in $87.8 million in its first weekend of release, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Wreck-It Ralph," the animated Disney film about a video game villain with dreams of becoming a hero, garnered $33.1 million, dropping from the top spot it held last week.

"Flight", starring Denzel Washington as a troubled pilot who crash-lands a plane and becomes a national hero, only to have his alcohol and drug problems made public, was third at $15.1 million.

In fourth place was "Argo," based on a true story about six Americans spirited out of Iran during the 1979-80 hostage crisis; the film directed by and starring Ben Affleck earned $6.7 million.

Next in the rankings was "Taken 2" -- Liam Neeson's return as ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills -- which stayed in fifth place with earnings of $4 million this weekend and $131.3 million since its release.

"Here Comes the Boom," a comedy starring Kevin James as a high school teacher intent on becoming a mixed martial arts fighter to raise money for his school, moved up to sixth place with $2.55 million.

The number seven spot went to the genre-busting, time-traveling "Cloud Atlas," in which Tom Hanks and Halle Berry each play six different roles set across a 500-year span. It took in $2.52 million.

"Pitch Perfect," a musical-comedy about a cappella singing groups, earned $2.5 million to move back into the top 10 in eighth place.

In ninth place was action film "The Man with the Iron Fists," starring Russell Crowe and set in feudal China, which took in $2.5 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "Hotel Transylvania" about an overprotective vampire dad intent on guarding his adolescent daughter against a budding romance with a human boy. It earned $2.35 million.

Source

Star Wars 7 Gets the Disney Force: Toy Story 3 Scribe Michael Arndt Writing Screenplay

The Disneyfication of Star Wars is in full force.

Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his addition to the Disney-Pixar franchise and previously won an Oscar for his Little Miss Sunshine screenplay, has been tapped to pen the script for Episode VII in the venerable series, Lucasfilm confirmed Friday.

Arndt had already penned a 40- to 50-page outline for Star Wars 7 and was considered a top candidate for the job.

What's Quentin Tarantino's problem with Star Wars 7?

So, that's one rumor cleared up!

The mill has also churned out word that Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will make appearances in the hugely anticipated sequel, though not as Leia and Luke, seeing as how the film will feature the characters at more of a Return of the Jedi age.

Neil Blomkamp, Darren Aronofsky, Alfonso Cuarón and some young upstart named Steven Spielberg have also been bandied about as possible directors.

Who should play Han Solo in the new(!) Star Wars?!

When Disney announced that it had acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, it also thrilled generations of fans with the news that, not only is Episode VII due in 2015, but that two more sequels were in the works, to be released two to three years apart.

"If this is true, Michael Arndt is the perfect choice," Lost executive producer and Star Trek scribe Damon Lindelof tweeted yesterday, when the news was still in the rumor phase. "We're in good hands, fellow nerds."

Source: Eonline.com

Photos: Ashton Kutcher as Older Steve Jobs in ‘jOBS’

If you had told me a year ago that the genius co-founder of Apple Inc. and the lovable idiot from That ’70s Show were dead ringers, I probably would’ve given you the side eye. But after Ashton Kutcher won the lead role in the indie Steve Jobs biopic jOBS (on April Fool’s Day, no less), tech aficionados and movie fans took a closer look at the actor and were struck by the resemblance. Whatever you think of Kutcher’s dramatic chops, set photos have proved that he certainly looks the part.

The last time we checked in with the production, we got to see the cast dolled up to reenact Jobs’ early days working out of his childhood home in Los Altos. The latest batch shows Kutcher looking a bit older, portraying what appears to be the ’90s version of Jobs. Dermot Mulroney, who plays former Apple CEO Mike Markkula, can also be seen in old-age makeup. Check them out after the jump.

I’ll admit to not being terribly well versed in Jobs’ sartorial evolution, so I can’t pinpoint the exact year this is supposed to be taking place. Apparently it’s before he switched to wearing black turtlenecks exclusively. If you’re more knowledgeable about the topic, feel free to chime in.

As we’ve said many times, whether Kutcher looks like Jobs isn’t as important as whether he has the talent to pull off the late tech guru’s prickly charisma and, as producer Mark Hulme put it, his “psychological complexity.” That said, well, Kutcher does look an awful lot like Jobs.

Directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote), jOBS also stars Josh Gad, Ahna O’Reilly, Lukas Haas, Matthew Modine, J.K. Simmons, and Kevin Dunn. The film, which covers Jobs’ life from 1971 to 2000, is expected to open sometimethis year.

Source

'Star Wars Episode 7': 12 filmmakers who could step into George Lucas' shoes

It was the news that rocked the geek universe: "Star Wars" architect George Lucas is selling his Lucasfilm to Disney, which plans to release a seventh "Star Wars" film in 2015.

"I have story treatments of 7, 8 and 9, and a bunch of other movies," Lucas says in a YouTube video discussing the sale. "And obviously we have hundreds of books and comics and everything you could possibly imagine. So I sort of moved that treasure trove of stories and various things to Kathy" -- that's Kathleen Kennedy, now the president of Lucasfilm -- "and I have complete confidence she's going to take them and make great movies."

Kennedy adds that she and Lucas have started "the really fun part of the process" of making the next "Star Wars" movie: "We're sitting down with a couple of writers and we're starting to discuss ideas, and we're starting to talk about what those stories might be," she says in the video.

PICS: Life after 'Star Wars'

That got us thinking: Who could take the "Star Wars" reins for the next movie and give us an Episode VII worthy of its (original trilogy) predecessors? Zap2it came up with a dozen people -- some writers, some directors, some both -- who we'd love to see take a crack at Han Solo, Princess Leia and the rest of the characters. In alphabetical order:

J.J. Abrams: "Star Wars" is right in the wheelhouse of Abrams, who has successfully restarted another beloved sci-fi franchise ("Star Trek") and showed a deft, Spielbergian touch with "Super 8" last year. The question: Would he be too faithful to the "Star Wars" template>

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss: The showrunners of HBO's "Game of Thrones" have proven their ability to translate revered source material and handle big, sprawling stories -- qualities that would serve them well given the multitude of expanded universe tales on which future movies could draw.

Kathryn Bigelow: The Oscar-winning director is aces at putting taut, human-scale action on screen. If "Star Wars" ever were to tilt toward a more adult reading, she'd be great.

Guillermo del Toro: Fanboys and -girls would likely salivate over what del Toro could bring to the franchise. Early looks at his "Pacific Rim" were pretty impressive, and his plate is clear after "Pinocchio," currently slated for 2014.

Jon Favreau: His two "Iron Man" movies had lots of action and pretty solid character development, sure. But they were also just fun -- a quality that was largely missing from the "Star Wars" prequels.

Vince Gilligan: Just think about what the creator of "Breaking Bad" could do chronicling the further adventures of Han Solo. And a story that's so interested in chronicling how people can slip to the dark side could scarcely find a better fit.

Seth Green and/or Seth MacFarlane: Why not give the two foremost "Star Wars" parodists (with "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy") a shot at the real thing?

Steven Moffat: He knows a thing or two about resurrecting a sci-fi icon -- see "Doctor Who" -- and balancing the desires of hardcore, grown-up fans with the need to serve a wider audience.

Joss Whedon: Along with Abrams, he's one of the icons of fandom. He's also rather busy at the moment with his various Marvel projects for Disney.

David Yates: The British director proved he could handle a big franchise with the final four "Harry Potter" films -- satisfying fans almost as numerous and dedicated as those of "Star Wars."

Who would you like to see at the helm of the next "Star Wars" movie?

Source

IRON MAN 3 Trailer Breakdown

By now you’ve surely seen the first trailer for director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Sir Ben Kingsley. You might have even glanced at the collection of images we pulled from said trailer to get a closer look at the images hidden within. Now, we’re going to take those images and speculate as to what they might mean for the plot. What’s up with War Machine’s paint job? Why is Iron Man all up in people’s faces and being a sleep creep? Why does an over-sized bunny appear to have an arc-reactor? What’s the deal with the Mandarin’s rings? Marvel’s Kevin Feige has some insight to share on that last question. Hit the jump to see the answers.

Iron Man 3, also starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall, opens in 3D on May 3rd, 2013.

For a refresher, here’s another look at the trailer for Iron Man 3, followed by some stills with a bit of discussion on each:

As has been noted all over the interwebs, this trailer has a much darker tone than previous iterations of Iron Man. From Stark’s opening monologue in which he states that he has a lot to apologize for after New York, we’re led to believe that Iron Man 3 is going to pick up right where The Avengers left off. That brings us to the following image:

There has been some speculation that perhaps this memorial is from a bombed out building as a result of Stark Industries’ weapons getting into the wrong hands. I’m going to go the other direction and say that this scene is the result of the Chitauri invading New York and vaporizing people in the streets. The scene occurs in the trailer when Stark is talking about not being able to sleep and having nightmares. Perhaps his ability to finally make the “sacrifice play” has opened him up to guilt and remorse that his previously over-confident self couldn’t be bothered with. (God, I hope he starts drinking in this one.)

While Stark is busy tinkering with his new armor, his armor is apparently busy doing other things. We previously reported that Iron Man 3 is based on the Warren Ellis comic arc, “Extremis,” in which nanotechnology allows Stark to bond with the armor (the strongest version yet) and become Iron Man whenever he chooses. This technology is great in the fact that Stark no longer has to carry around a briefcase suit of armor or dive out of a building in the hopes that his rocketing armor suit will catch up to his homing bracelets in time. But it’s crappy in the fact that villains like Aldrich Killian (Pearce) can use it to infect the other suits and turn them into weaponized drones. Why else would Iron Man be attacking planes or sleep creeping on Pepper Potts (Paltrow) or mounting Stark in the dominant position?

Little attention has been paid to Paul Bettany, who voices Stark’s computerized assistant, Jarvis. I’m curious as to whether or not Jarvis will become corrupted in the film or act as an “inside man” to help Stark right the Extremis infection. A silent suit would certainly be creepy, but perhaps Bettany will have to voice some dialogue in scenes with the AWOL robo-suits.

Speaking of those suits, Stark apparently solved the “icing problem” back in the original film and we saw him SCUBA-suiting in The Avengers, but it looks as if his new Mark XLVII armor is getting the full climate test in this one. Not only will he be practically blown up in the third movie, but he’ll be dragged underwater (shouldn’t be a problem, right?) and somehow end up surrounded by ice and snow. Hope Stark purchased the all-weather option.

Meanwhile, Stark’s armor isn’t the only thing getting upgraded as the trailer shows a quick glimpse at Tony going under the knife, possibly for an upgrade to his arc reactor, but probably for the nano-technology treatment. But, hey, at least when Stark gets home, he’ll have a nice giant bunny stuffed animal to cheer him up…until his house gets blown up.

Wait, is that the Starship Enterprise crash-landing? No, it’s Stark’s Malibu beachfront home being obliterated by, one can only assume, the Mandarin (Kingsley). While this scene of devastation comes courtesy of a few rockets fired from strafing helicopters, many fans are wondering whether or not the Mandarin will use his infamous rings of power. Marvel’s Kevin Feige recently spoke to EW on just such a topic, saying not to expect beams of ice or fire like in the comics. So, no magic, even though magic has already been introduced through Marvel’s films and the comics’ version of the Mandarin has ten rings of unfathomable power:

“But this version of The Mandarin will not follow that same backstory, said Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios.”

What Feige didn’t explain was that creepy tattoo on the back of the Mandarin’s neck. Bullseye? Captain America shield with an Avengers symbol on it? Is the Mandarin nothing more than a devout fan who was shunned at one too many comic conventions? Or is the ringless person sporting the tattoo someone else entirely? How very strange…

So we’ve seen Iron Man’s enemies, including Killian, the Mandarin and an army of his own suits turned against him; what’s up with his allies? First up is Colonel James Rhodes (Cheadle), aka War Machine. When the first images of his new suit came out, we speculated that it was the Iron Patriot. Turns out that ol’ War just needed a new paint job. What’s still up in the air, so to speak, is just who War Machine happens to be body-slamming into that table.

Even without Rhoadsie, Stark still has Pepper…right? Oh, unless Killian puts his creepy moves on her. Though he’s not alone in this game of hearts as it looks like someone else is seducing Stark. And what the hell does Dr. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) have to do with this story? Oh right, she helped develop Extremis and is an integral part in Stark’s life in more ways than one.

What what about good old stand-by, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau)? Happy ain’t so lucky this time around, as the trailer showed in a quick glimpse. Speculation is all we’ve got on the director’s cameo so far but perhaps a bit of fan investment into his character’s fate will make the tale of Iron Man 3 that much more palpable.

Source

Tippi Hedren in ‘The Girl’

Tippi Hedren attended a private screening over the weekend of HBO’s “The Girl” a movie about her life and how it intertwined with Alfred Hitchcock’s life. Hedren’s daughter Melanie Griffith also attended the private screening. According to Yahoo News the end of the film was met with silence.

The silence sustained until Melanie said; “Well now I have to go back therapy.” Hedren polished and still beautiful at 82 appeared in two Hitchcock films. Hedren is blonds and Hitchcock very rarely casts blonds in any of his films. Perhaps her unique beauty and grace is part of the reason Hitchcock became obsessed with Hedren.

Hedren’s experience with Hitchcock is detailed in “The Girl” which debuts on Saturday at 9 p.m. The movie is as jarring to watch as one of Hitchcock’s thrillers. When filming “The Birds” Hitchcock did not tell Hedren that she would be shooting with real birds and not mechanical birds.

Hedren was expecting to film with mechanical birds. Hitchcock then subjected Hedren to five days of attacks from the birds and only stopped at a physician’s orders. Hedren was injured and distraught, but Hitchcock wanted to keep filming.

Hedren gathered herself once again and appeared in Hitchcock’s “Marnie”. After refusing his advances Hitchcock refused to let her out of her seven year contract. As a result Hedren lost out on her chance to do other films including “Fahrenheit 451”.

Source

Stephen Colbert to Make Cameo in 'The Hobbit'

The Comedy Central host and "Lord of the Rings" fan will appear in Peter Jackson's 'Hobbit' trilogy.

Stephen Colbert will make a cameo in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, a knowledgeable source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter.

The host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report is a huge J.R.R. Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fan who reads Elvish. No word on which role he'll play in the franchise or whether it will be a key character or just part of the background.

Colbert's cameo will not come in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, according to the source. The first film in Jackson and Warner Bros.' trilogy hits theaters Dec. 14 with a cast that includes Martin Freeman, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Serkis.

The second film, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, arrives Dec. 13, 2013, while the third, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will be released July 18, 2014.

PHOTOS: The Hard Road to 'The Hobbit'

Colbert teases an appearance in the films in the November issue of Playboy, acknowledging his visit to the New Zealand shoot.

"Peter Jackson invited me to the set last year," he said. "I flew out and watched them shoot some scenes and went to some locations. I saw a 25-minute cut, and it was amazing. Jackson knows I'm a big fan of the films."

When asked if he was hired as an extra, Colbert smiled; and in response to the question, "Are you telling us you're in the Hobbit movie?" he responded, with another smile, "Could be."

Earlier this month, Colbert appeared on Oprah's Next Chapter to promote his latest book, America Again, revealing the origins of his faux-conservative television persona as a combination of Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera and CNN's Anderson Cooper.

"I like to say that he's well intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot," he joked about his Report character.

Source