Movie: The Twilight Saga: New Moon * Trailer * Official Site * Gecko Links	In Theaters: Nov. 20, 2009
Runtime: 130 minutes	Directed by: Chris Weitz
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence and action	Gecko Rating:

I was a little dismayed when I saw that Roger Ebert had given “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” only one star, but I can sort of see where he’s coming from. In terms of overall production, “New Moon” might not be the best movie ever made, but it’s romantic, continues the story beautifully from the first movie (“Twilight”), and sets things up nicely for the third film, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” It also appeals perfectly to its target audience – young girls and middle-aged moms. For all these reasons, it gets four out of five geckos from me.

More after the jump…

We pick up the story with Bella (Kristen Stewart) celebrating her 18th birthday at the start of her senior year. She’s not really into the whole “presents and cake” thing, but agrees to a birthday party at the Cullen’s house. When she cuts her finger while opening a gift, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) nearly attacks her. Being a young vampire, he doesn’t have as much control over his bloodthirsty instincts as the others. It all ends well, but the incident makes Edward (Robert Pattinson) realize that over the long haul, his relationship with Bella will never work. So he and his family leave Forks, Washington, leaving Bella to stumble through her senior year alone and depressed. 

But she finds comfort with longtime friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who’s suddenly grown buff and strong. To get over her heartbreak with Edward, Bella asks Jacob to help her fix up a couple of motorcycles, so the two can ride together. But Bella has an ulterior motive. She discovers that whenever she’s in danger, Edward appears to her in a vision. Thus, she puts herself in danger quite often, from reckless motorcycle driving to cliff diving to solo ventures into the woods. There are still dangerous creatures lurking out there.

And Jacob is harboring a secret of his own, as he starts hanging with a group of Native American boys who like to wander bare-torso’d through the woods. The audience where I was the movie was so funny, because every time a guy would rip his shirt off or run through the woods half-naked, everyone would ooh and aah. I have to say, Taylor Lautner definitely logged plenty of gym time.

Meanwhile, the Cullens are off somewhere in the world, but Edward, distraught over news he hears about Bella, goes to see the Volturi in Italy. They’re the leaders in the vampire world, tasked with making sure all the vamps adhere to their many laws. When Bella hears about it via Alice (Ashley Greene), she has to take action, much to the chagrin of Jacob.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is romantic, funny and dramatic, but oh, the teen angst. They’re tortured souls! The computer generated effects are beautiful, with gigantic, fearsome wolves who snarl and fight like, well, wild wolves. That bad vampire Victoria makes an appearance, as well, and gets into a violent tussle with the wolves.

The Volturi are a great addition to the saga, and while they don’t have a lot of screen time, they use it well. Dakota Fanning plays Jane, a powerful vampire who can inflict pain with her mind. The leader Aro (Michael Sheen) makes a giddily evil vampire, and he’s flanked by the more silent and stoic Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower) and Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl).

The Quileute Wolf Pack includes Alex Meraz as Paul, Chaske Spencer as Sam Uley, Bronson Pelletier as Jared, and Kiowa Gordon as Embry Call. They look just fine, don’t they? 

I’m sure “New Moon” will be spoofed to the nth degree, and there’s plenty to spoof: longing looks between characters, mannerisms like Bella’s lip-biting, Jacob’s strength, and Edward’s sparkling … just about every character could easily be a “Saturday Night Live” skit. But that’s ok. It means the movie embeds itself into our psyche.

I think maybe Roger Ebert should have seen “New Moon” with some junior high girls (ok, that doesn’t sound right!). But I took my 12-year-old daughter and two of her friends, and just watching their joy at seeing the movie made it all worthwhile. And this mom loved it, too.

Note to Parents: The PG-13 rating is spot-on, but if your younger-than-13 child saw the first “Twilight” movie and was ok with it, they should be fine with this one, though there’s considerably more action. The wolves are quite awesome, snarling and fighting to the max. There’s an intense fight scene involving the Volturi, where one character gets thrown around quite a bit and another is dismembered. Not much is shown, but the effect is there.

Early in the movie, Jasper nearly attacks Bella, leading to a fight between him and Edward. Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) and Laurent (Edi Gathegi) have separate tussles with the Wolf Pack, who also come after Bella at one point. Bella puts herself in danger, approaching a motorcycle gang, driving a motorcycle recklessly, and nearly drowning in a cliff-diving scene.

There are also plenty of romantic scenes, but nothing much more than kissing and hand-holding. Language is fairly mild, including “bloodsucker,” “dammit,” “what the hell,” and “oh my God.”

Image: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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These two should make a good couple for an action film, and I’m sure there will be some fun romance in there, too. Hopefully lots of snappy dialogue reminiscent of the old-time spy movies. James Mangold directs the film, due in theaters July 2, 2010.

Cruise looks in tip-top form, doesn’t he?

More after the jump…

Images: Bauer-Griffin

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This one stars Ethan Hawke as Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019 investigating an unknown plague that’s transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. 

However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

“Daybreakers” hits theaters on Jan. 8, 2010 and also stars Willem Dafoe, Isabel Lucas, and Sam Neill. No rating yet, but I’m guessing R or possibly PG-13. Watch the trailer here, and check out the new TV spot.

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Angelina Jolie stars as CIA officer Evelyn Salt, who swore an oath to duty, honor and loyalty – a loyalty that’s seriously tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. So she goes on the run, using all those CIA skills and experience as a covert operative to elude capture.

What do you think of the poster? She’s got the steely stare down pat, doesn’t she? Oh, those lips!

Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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"Chris [Weitz] was always extremely supportive and I was glad to have him behind me," Lautner says. He is such a cutie! And I’m like some lovelorn Twi-hard teeny-bopper!

“New Moon” hits theaters in three days. Have you got your tickets? I do!

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The Plot: Newly arrived at Terminal Island, a prison for the most nonredeemable of convicts, Carl “Luke” Lucas must prove his mettle in a race to the death.

Since Jason Statham drove off with Tyrese Gibson, the producers are seeking an actor to wear the Frankenstein mask, as well as the female villain who dreamed up the Death Race concept as the new reality show craze. They’re also looking for people to play inmates named Big Bill, Gunner, Rocco and Jesus Luna.

So … if you fit the bill, go ahead and get in touch with them.

By the way, here’s how the numbers went down in the original 1973 movie, “Death Race 2000,” which starred Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine:

• Man: 10 points
• Woman: 20 points
• Teenager: 40 points
• Kids under 12: 70 points
• People over 75: 100 points

Image: Amazon.com

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I’m thinking it must have some pretty good stunts, and it’s written by one of my favorite screenwriters, J. Michael Straczynski (“Babylon 5”), which makes it ripe for a TV series!

It also looks like the kind of movie that’s going to make me want to go home and do a couple of sit-ups – until the feeling quickly passes.

“Ninja Assassin” tells the story of a young ninja named Raizo (Rain), who’s one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a boy, he was transformed into a trained killer by a secret society known as the Ozunu Clan. Their existence is considered a myth. 

But Raizo is haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, so he vanishes and waits, preparing to exact his revenge.

In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) stumbles on a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Despite the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into classified files to learn the truth behind the murders.

Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, and the two must trust each other in order to survive.

“Ninja Assassin” is rated R for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language. Watch the clips after the jump.

Pain breeds weakness:

Live without one of your senses:

They’re already there:

Brothers battle:

Highway showdown:

Final fight:

Ninja fight:

Ninja Assassin Trailer:

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And apparently, Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart are BFFs, having filmed “New Moon,” “The Runaways,” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” together back to back.

“New Moon” hits theaters next Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. 

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Movie: 2012 * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Nov. 13, 2009
Runtime: 158 minutes	Directed by: Roland Emmerich
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language	Gecko Rating:

If you’re not familiar with the theories surrounding the year 2012, there are a lot of them, ranging from the Apocalypse, the return of the aliens, a comet colliding with the earth, sunspots, and other various cataclysmic events.

But some also say the year will signal a spiritual awakening, so maybe it’s not all bad. Check out Armageddon Online for more theories.

In the movie “2012,” the focus is on a series of catastrophic natural disasters that center on a shift and destabilization of the earth’s core. Thus we’ve got earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and just about every other sort of disaster you can think of.

More after the jump…

The central character is Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), an author who’s written a book about Atlantis but works as a driver for a Russian diplomat, Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric). Now divorced, Jackson is disconnected from his two kids (Liam James and Morgan Lily), and decides to take them on a camping trip to Yellowstone. Meanwhile, his ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and her new husband Gordon (Tom McCarthy) stay behind in their happy suburban home.

But, of course, things start coming apart. California starts experiencing little earthquakes, and Jackson and the kids see some odd happenings during their Yellowstone camping trip, too. They also meet a crazy mountain man, Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson, whose perfectly cast in that role), who broadcasts a radio show, warning everyone that the end is near. 

Meanwhile, the politicians are gearing up in Washington, D.C. and around the globe, including U.S. President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover), his daughter Laura (Thandie Newton), and a geologist, Adrian (Chiwetel Ejiofor). They’re aware of the earth shifts and have a plan of their own. When Jackson catches wind of the plan from Charlie, he does everything in his power to get his family — including Gordon — to safety.

A lot of the dialogue in this movie is downright corny, but the special effects make up for it. You have to just sit back and enjoy the disaster ride that includes giant cracks that open up in the earth and threaten to swallow whole stores, skyscrapers toppling into each other, massive pieces of land sliding into the earth (cities and all), and sweeping tsunamis taking out entire continents, including a monk’s retreat on a mountaintop. And it’s all done really well.

But you also have to snort in disbelief at some of the outrageous things that would never happen, should a real disaster of this type occur. Like planes taking off on rubbled runways, then landing in a remote mountain area near exactly where the travelers were headed.

Still, as far as disaster movies go, this is a fun one. If you like this sort of thing, you should definitely check it out. At 158 minutes, though, it’s long, so be prepared for lots of disaster.

NOTE TO PARENTS: While I wouldn’t call “2012” a family movie, it definitely has some family elements to it. Even though Jackson feel disconnected to his kids and ex-wife, they work together during the disaster and realize they need each other.

The PG-13 rating seems on target for this movie. There are plenty of disaster scenes and people in peril, but you don’t see too many close-up shots of dead people or anything, and the movie isn’t “real” enough to warrant any major emotional upheaval in kids 13 and older.

Images: Sony Pictures Releasing

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