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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• Australia: 466 screens, $1.6 million
• France: 751 theaters, $4.26 million
• Italy: 625 screens, $2.7 million
• Spain: 652 screens, $2.2 million

Most of the shows are sold out in my neck of the woods (Traverse City, Michigan), including ALL seven of the midnight showings.

Got your tickets yet?

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

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All three of these actors are darn cute, and I love everything Kristen Stewart’s been wearing. She must have an army of people accompanying her with trunks of clothes.

The movie opens in theaters Nov. 20, 2009.

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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Robert Pattinson

The crew has been jetting here, there and everywhere promoting the movie, and flew from Los Angeles to Paris on Monday, amidst throngs of screaming fans. As for whether it bothers him, Pattinson told one reporter:

“It’s when I’m in my real life, when I’m not working, when there’s less security around me, that it’s worrying,” he said. “When some girl shows up on my doorstep … In a way, it’s funny because it’s completely new to me. Growing up, that wasn’t me. I wasn’t someone who had a girlfriend.”

It appears he DOES have a girlfriend now, co-star Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella Swan in the movie. According to one report, the pair were the last ones to leave the terminal to board the plane. “Out on the tarmac, he took her hand, like young lovers. They stopped and looked at each other, their plane, the scene. They seemed very calm, in love. They continued holding hands boarding the plane.” Awww, that’s sweet.

For more on “New Moon,” visit Junior Celebs and Twilight Groupie!

See pics of the London event after the jump…

Images: splashnewsonline.com; Newscom

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This cast is going to be so happy when the movie comes out on Nov. 20! They already look exhausted, and I’m sure they’ll be completely fried out by the end of the tour.

After the jump, check out the full list of locations and see if they’re in your area (if you can score tickets, that is).

Robert Pattinson, a.k.a. Edward Cullen: 

More pics after the jump, and the schedule…

Kellan Lutz, a.k.a. Emmett Cullen:

Nikki Reed, a.k.a. Rosalie Hale:

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, a.k.a. Bella Swan and Jacob Black:

Here’s the lowdown on the “New Moon” tour dates: 

11/06/09 Los Angeles, CA SOLD OUT
Hollywood & Highland
Cast Appearing: Kellan Lutz "Emmett", Nikki Reed "Rosalie", Jamie Campbell Bower "Caius", Alex Meraz "Paul", Kiowa Gordon "Embry", Ashley Greene "Alice", Elizabeth Reaser "Esme", and Chaske Spencer "Sam"
Bands appearing: Band of Skulls, Sea Wolf, Anya Marina, and Death Cab for Cutie

11/08/09 Denver, CO SOLD OUT
Park Meadows
Cast Appearing: Alex Meraz "Paul" & Kiowa Gordon "Embry"

11/09/09 San Francisco, CA SOLD OUT
Stonestown Galleria
Cast Appearing: Ashley Greene "Alice" & Kellan Lutz "Emmett"

11/09/09 Washington, DC SOLD OUT
Fair Oaks Mall
Cast Appearing: Edi Gathegi "Laurent" & Jamie Campbell Bower "Caius"

11/10/09 Chicago, IL SOLD OUT
Westfield Fox Valley
Cast Appearing: Ashley Greene "Alice" & Kellan Lutz "Emmett"
Band Appearing: Anya Marina

11/10/09 Houston, TX SOLD OUT
Houston Galleria
Cast Appearing: Alex Meraz "Paul" & Kiowa Gordon "Embry"

11/10/09 Philadelphia, PA
Cherry Hill Mall
Cast Appearing: Charlie Bewley "Demetri" & Daniel Cudmore "Felix"
Band Appearing: Hurricane Bells

11/11/09 Miami, FL SOLD OUT
Dadeland Mall
Cast Appearing: Alex Meraz "Paul" & Kiowa Gordon "Embry"

11/11/09 Minneapolis, MN
Mall of America
Cast Appearing: Edi Gathegi "Laurent" & Jamie Campbell Bower "Caius"
Band Appearing: Anya Marina

11/12/09 Boston, MA SOLD OUT
Natick Collection
Cast Appearing: Ashley Greene "Alice" & Kellan Lutz "Emmett"
Band Appearing: Hurricane Bells

11/12/09 Seattle, WA
Westfield Southcenter
Cast Appearing: Charlie Bewley "Demetri" & Daniel Cudmore "Felix"
Band Appearing: Anya Marina

11/12/09 Atlanta, GA
Mall of Georgia
Cast Appearing: Edi Gathegi "Laurent" & Jamie Campbell Bower "Caius"

11/13/09 Phoenix, AZ
Scottsdale Fashion Square
Cast Appearing: Charlie Bewley "Demetri" & Daniel Cudmore "Felix"

11/14/09 Salt Lake City, UT
Fashion Place
Cast Appearing: Edi Gathegi "Laurent" & Jamie Campbell Bower "Caius"
Band Appearing: Anya Marina

In addition, Hot Topic promises "a special visit from cast members in Times Square!" Keep an eye on their site for more details.

Images: INF

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Now CelebTV is reporting that the stars of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” have called it quits. Rumor has it he wanted to get married, but she wasn’t ready. Let’s hope they’re still speaking, or that could get pretty interesting for the next two “Twilight” movies.

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I know they’re supposed to be big and scary, but the wolves also look kind of cuddly, like you just want to hug one of them.

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In this clip, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) face the Volturi for the first time. Oh, Edward! And check out this clip where Bella slaps Paul. Oh, Jacob!  

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Paul is played by Alex Meraz, a Native American Indian who’s had roles in “The New World” and the 2007 short, “Two Spirits: One Journey.” “New Moon” hits theaters Nov. 20, 2009. Check out the abs on these guys!

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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.”

More after the jump…

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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