Thursday, November 15, 2012

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, November 16th)


Andrew: Hello readers! Our weekly preview is back after a one-week hiatus, and while it's not going to be a particularly long preview, there are definitely some talking points here for us to touch on. Sarah, there are only two wide releases for this weekend - the final installment of the hugely popular Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, and Steven Spielberg’s Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln. We'll also briefly touch on a smaller film we've been waiting for that has finally hit our neck of the woods, The Sessions, starring John Hawkes and Helen Hunt.

So let's start this off with the new Twilight movie, shall we? Sarah, can you summarize what the last film is about? Where does it pick up from where the last one left off?

Sarah: Well in the first part of Breaking Dawn, we finally get to see Kristen Stewart’s Bella and Robert Pattinson’s Edward tie the knot and the final breakdown of Taylor Lautner’s Jacob as he realizes that that Bella will never be his. While Bella and Edward are on their honeymoon, she makes the grave discovery that she is somehow pregnant...and apparently a couple of months along. This is what happens when you get are impregnated by a vampire, people!. The rest of the story follows Bella on her very painful pregnancy as the baby grows at an accelerated rate and basically sucks the life out of her. The Cullens quickly realize that the only way she is ever going to survive the birth is if she is turned to a vampire at the right moment. The movie ends with Jacob imprinting on the Edward/Bella baby and Bella opening her blood red eyes. 

I have to say I am excited to see this one; a little bit because I am ready for it to be over, a little bit because I want to see some vampires kicking butt. I am hoping to see Michael Sheen more in this one, because he plays such a good vampire as the head of the vampire police, the Volturi. It is one of the most anticipated movies of the holiday season, so I will be interested to see if it lives up to the hype.


Official Trailer for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2


A: I can't say that I'm excited to see this film, but I have a morbid curiosity to see how it turns out because I've seen all the others (and no, men, I'm not proud of it). The only part of this whole "saga" that I've even remotely enjoyed was the big brawl at the end of Eclipse when they actually showed vampires being killed by decapitation and other means.  Yes, there was no blood involved because in these films the vampires just turn to stone or crumble when they're killed, but it was still pretty brutal. So if the final battle in Breaking Dawn Part 2 can be like that, I might actually derive some entertainment out of it.

Here's a question I have though: what exactly happens in the second half of the Breaking Dawn novel that could carry a whole movie?

S: Well there's the whole, "you can't create an immortal child" law that the Volturi have in place. So most of the Cullen clan goes off to try and find other vampires that were "born," not bitten. It will carry most of the movie and there will be a lot of new characters introduced from all around the world so that will be kinda cool. What I'm a little concerned about it that it will all be just too angsty. The final battle will be pretty epic so that will take up a lot of the movie so hopefully it will be enough to hold your attention.

A: Interesting. I actually wouldn't mind seeing the expanded universe of the Twilight world and meet other vampires. As long as they aren't as angsty as the Cullen clan is, I should add.

Ok! Let's move on to a large movie that only opened on about 10 screens last week and opens wide this weekend, Lincoln, the long-awaited Abraham Lincoln film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring two-time Academy Award-winner Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role of the Great Emancipator.

Sarah, this is a film that we were able to see an advance screening of so let's tease this up a bit and tell people what they can be expecting or should be looking forward to with Lincoln.

Official Trailer for Lincoln


S: The thing to look forward to is definitely the acting. It's amazing how much Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Sally Field (The Amazing Spider-Man) really get into their characters. They are both such amazing character actors and this really shines through in Lincoln. They are shoe-ins for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Academy Awards, respectively. It has a huge cast full of actors that we’ve become pretty familiar with, but those two are certainly the highlights.

A: Very good. For more on our take of Lincoln, you can find our review right HERE.

Alright, last but not least let's talk about The Sessions. This is a film that we've seen the trailer plenty of times and it's one that has been in limited release for quite a while now, but is just NOT getting a wider release and actually hitting our neck of the woods.

The Sessions is a film based on the true story of real-life poet Mark O'Brien, who was paralyzed from the neck down because he was afflicted with polio as a child, and how he hired a "sex surrogate" named Cheryl Cohen Greene to help him lose his virginity. O'Brien is played by John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), who has been having a great run these past few years, and Helen Hunt (Cast Away) as Greene.

What are your thoughts on how this one looks, Sarah?

Official Trailer for The Sessions


S: I am so excited to see this one. It looks like it has a great mix of heart, raunchiness and humor. I'll be interested to see where they go with this one. I don't know much about the story since it is based on a true story, and I don't really want to know too much before we see it. I want to be pleasantly surprised by this one because I think it will be a tear-jerker that can make me laugh out loud, too. I have only recently been introduced to John Hawkes in Lincoln, and when I did see him he was only in a small part so I'm interested to see him in a leading role. And of course you can't go wrong with Helen Hunt and William H. Macy (Showtime’s Shameless).

A: I'm excited to see this one, too. I've heard nothing but good things about it and every time we see the trailer, the scenes between Hawkes' O'Brien and William H. Macy's Father Brendan make me laugh out loud. I agree with you, I think this one will be a tear-jerker but I also think it's going to be a very heartfelt film with an interesting take on its subject matter. I'm curious to see exactly what it is that Helen Hunt's sex therapist does in these sessions, but more importantly I'm interested in seeing the performances from her and Hawkes. I've heard they're both Oscar-worthy and I hope that's truly the case.

Ok, readers! That’s all for this week’s preview. I can guarantee that we will be seeing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (God, I’ll be happy when I never have to type that ridiculous title again) on Sunday and hopefully we’ll catch The Sessions sometime soon! So be on the lookout for those reviews, and absolutely read our thoughts on Lincoln before or after you see it!

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