Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2



            The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is the fourth and final movie of this series. It was directed by Bill Condon. Melissa Rosenberg wrote the screenplay based on Stephenie Meyer’s book.  The main stars include Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. It currently has a 48% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I would have to agree with that. I admit I really liked the books, but the movies aren’t good.
            Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson) are enjoying their lives together after their daughter, Renesmee, was born. Unfortunately, Irina thinks she is an immortal child and tells the crime to the Volturi. The Cullens and Jacob (Lautner) gather up witnesses to support them against the Volturi to protect Renesmee.
            The plot was a little dull for most of the movie, but this is based on the book. Since this movie has only the last part of the book, not much happens just during this part. Some liberties were taken with the film though. A twist was put in towards the end of the movie, and this was my favorite part. Since I had come to love the characters from the books, I was devastated by some of the things added in. At the same time, I loved it because it was something I had wanted to be in the books. I would watch this movie again just so I could see that one scene one more time. I was happy that it ended the same way as the book did though.
            I really liked the ending of this film. It is the only time I actually believed the characters meant and felt anything that was going on. It was also nice to see all the characters from the other movies again, even if it was just their pictures. It brought the whole saga to an end nicely.
            The acting wasn’t very good. This didn’t surprise me because it wasn’t very good in the other ones either. I never cared about the characters or what they did in these movies, unlike the books. It even seemed like the actors didn’t care about what they were doing. The actors actually made me like the characters less.
            I didn’t even think the music was as good in this movie. The other movies had great moments that involved great music. The soundtracks were great for the other movies. The only music scene I remember in this last film is the ending with Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years.”
            I knew this movie wouldn’t be good because of the last three movies in the saga. I have liked other movies involving the same people though. The other Condon movie I’ve seen is “Dreamgirls.” Other movies I’ve seen that Rosenberg has written are the other “Twilight” movies and “Step Up.” I’ve also seen Stewart in the other “Twilight” films, “Adventureland,” “Jumper,” “The Yellow Handkerchief,” “Into the Wild,” “Catch That Kid” and “Speak.” I’ve seen Pattinson in the other “Twilight” films, “Water for Elephants,” “Remember Me” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” The only other things I’ve seen Lautner in are the “Twilight” films, “Valentine’s Day” and “Cheaper by the Dozen 2.” Hopefully, they will be involved in other good movies.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Magic Mike



            I recently rented this summer’s “Magic Mike” from a Redbox. “Magic Mike” is a drama directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Reid Carolin. The main actors are Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey and Cody Horn. Rotten Tomatoes gives the movie an 80% fresh rating. This surprises me. I thought it was okay, but I don’t think it quite deserves that high of a score.
            Mike (Tatum) is an experienced stripper and entrepreneur. He takes Adam, The Kid, (Pettyfer) under his guidance. Mike introduces him into the world of stripping and quick money. Mike teaches him to pick up women and party. Even though Mike is great as a stripper, he would rather be making custom furniture.
            The plot started with a very basic storyline. It reminded me of  “Coyote Ugly,” but with guys. It went the very predictable route with Mike and Adam’s sister, Brooke (Horn). The movie got a little better with the serious tone it took on because of the problems from living a party lifestyle. However, I think the problems were made out to be no big deal and easily solved. I was also a little disappointed with the ending. It just kind of stopped. I was left a little unfulfilled. I’ve had this same feeling with other movies Soderbergh directed.
            The dancing was great in the movie though. With Tatum as the main character, I knew it would be good. The choreographed group numbers were a lot of fun. The only thing I would say I didn’t like about the dancing is that there wasn’t enough.
            Music was used very well in the movie. I couldn’t help but smile when I heard the beginning of “It’s Raining Men” for a group dance. It was the perfect song to use. Another excellent song choice was Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” when The Kid was put on stage for the first time.
            As far as the acting goes, Tatum played his best role yet. I felt he grasped this character more than the other ones he has played. I was pleasantly surprised by Pettyfer. His character was very different from other things I’ve seen him in. I was very impressed with McConaughey in his role. I feel that he understood his character the best. Also, his performance wasn't like anything I had seen from him before. I thought the actors did a good job of making the characters interesting.
            Other movies I’ve seen that Soderbergh directed are “Haywire,” “Contagion,” “The Informant!,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Ocean’s Thirteen” and “Erin Brockovich.” I haven’t seen anything else by Carolin. I have seen several other movies with Tatum including “21 Jump Street,” “The Vow,” “Haywire,” “Dear John,” “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” “Public Enemies,” “Step Up,” “Step Up 2: The Streets” and “She’s the Man.” Other movies I’ve seen with Pettyfer are “Beastly” and “I Am Number Four.” I’ve seen McConaughey in “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” “Failure to Launch,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “The Wedding Planner” and “Angels in the Outfield.” Lastly, the only other thing I’ve seen Horn in is “Flipped.”