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.

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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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Alice (Ashley Greene) is the organizer of the event and the peacekeeper as she tries to smooth over Rosalie’s iciness towards Edward’s human girlfriend. Even so, things don’t go well and turn deadly when Bella cuts her finger, which gets Jasper’s (Jackson Rathbone) hunger up big-time.

The movie hits theaters Nov. 20, 2009; check out all of Film Gecko’s cover of “New Moon.” And be sure to visit b5Media’s Twilight Groupie blog!

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In addition to exclusive on-set photos, interviews, and previews of the second installment of the “Twilight” series, the special edition also includes an exclusive shot of “Eclipse,” the third chapter (pictured, right).  

“Twilight” earned nearly $200 million last year, and “New Moon” will continue the story of vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), and werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

‘Twilight’ is about first love; ‘New Moon’ is about heartbreak,” says director Chris Weitz. “That requires the actors to go to some very dark places.”

For Taylor Lautner, “New Moon” represents a big responsibility. “I get nervous trying to represent Team Jacob in the right way. This guy is some pretty good competition,” he says, referring to Pattinson’s Edward. “The fans would love anybody who played Jacob. I’m just lucky to be the one who got the chance.”

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The special collector’s edition also delves into the chemistry between Kristen and Robert in both their professional and personal lives. It’s no secret that the couple has been letting the sparks fly both on and off-screen.

Says Pattinson, “When I read ‘Twilight,’ and there are these moony descriptions of Edward as a godlike figure, I thought there was no way I could play him. But when I got in the room with Kristen, there was a certain chemistry. She’s basically the reason I did the movie.”

Catherine Hardwicke, director of “Twilight,” recalls one scene when things got a little steamy and Pattinson ended up falling off the bed. And co-star Ashley Green, who plays Alice Cullen, says their off-screen romance is the real deal. “They’re genuine, and they’re very talented. It’s like a secret potion that you can’t really pinpoint, but they both have it.”

The cast is already filming “Eclipse,” with the fourth installment, “Breaking Dawn,” on tap for the near future. “We’re all crossing our fingers, and we all want to finish the series,” says Kellen Lutz, who plays vampire Emmett Cullen. “And we want Stephenie Meyer to write more books if she could!”

Images and Source: People Magazine

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After Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) abandon the town of Forks, Washington, to try and protect her from the dangers in their supernatural world. Except it doesn’t help much, because she ends up in more danger than ever.

A heartbroken Bella wanders through her senior year numb and alone, and discovers that whenever she’s in peril, Edward’s image comes to her. Soon, though, she’s spending more and more time with her childhood friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner, pictured right), a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe.

When Bella comes face to face with a former nemesis, a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from certain death. In a race against time, Bella learns the secret of the Quileute and Edward’s true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved – not exactly the one she’d hoped for.

More pics after the jump…

Michael Sheen (Aro), Jamie Campbell Bower (Caius), Cameron Bright (Alec):

Dakota Fanning as Jane:

Charlie Bewley (Demetri) and Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen):

Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen:

Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus:

Cameron Bright as Alec:

Michael Sheen as Aro:

Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius:

Dakota Fanning as Jane:

Images: Details: James White, TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Specifically, the director said he wanted to keep the second film adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s books from Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) perspective, so it would be in line with the book. So when Alice has a vision of Edward about to commit suicide, she conveys that to Bella who imagines seeing it.

Do you think “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” will live up to your expectations?

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Which begs the question: Who is your favorite vampire?

Me? Right now, I’d have to say Eric of “True Blood” (did you see the hot scene with him and Sookie naked in bed together last week?) or my old favorite, Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” And Bill Compton (pictured) from “True Blood,” not only because he’s hot, but also because I interviewed him recently and he called me “darling.”

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The movie hits theaters on Nov. 20, 2009, and continues the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). It’s a cross-species love triangle involving a human, a vampire, and a werewolf. Check out the poster of the werewolf pack here.

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner:

Behind the Scenes:

Taylor Lautner:

Peter Facinelli and Kristen Stewart:

Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson:

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) and Edi Gathegi (Laurent):

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen):

Behind the scenes on the set: (left to right) Kristen Stewart, Director Chris Weitz, 1st AD Mike Topoozian, and Make-up Artist Robin Matthews.

Photo Credits: Kimberly French; Copyright, 2009 Summit Entertainment. All rights reserved.

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For the rest of us, we’ll get to see Pattinson as the sultry vampire again on Nov. 20, 2009, when "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" hits theaters.

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