No, these two mega-franchises don’t have a whole lot in common. There’s a lot less singing in Twilight, and Twilight spurts a lot more blood - or at least as much blood as a PG-13 rating will allow. And Twilight does have a broader fan base than HSM does.
However, the audiences of High School Musical and Twilight are both fueled largely by females swooning over the male leads, Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson, respectively. (God help my eardrums if the two of them ever make a movie together.) And, like High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Twilight is a well-crafted piece of entertainment I enjoyed even though I’m not exactly in the target audience.
Quick lowdown for all of us who are new to the phenomenon created by author Stephenie Meyer: Lonely teen Bella (Kristen Stewart) moves to the Pacific Northwest, much to her chagrin. Her hormones kick into overdrive when she meets the surly, sultry and steely-eyed Edward (Pattinson), who happens to be a vampire.
Edward is far from the only one. He has a family that, like him, does not feast on humans. The same cannot be said for a creepy-looking group of rogues who do like to drink human blood. The nastiest one of the lot, James (Cam Gigandet), develops a dangerous taste for Bella.
I cannot speak to how faithful the movie is to the book, not having read it yet. As was the case with the Harry Potter series, I wanted to see how much I liked the movie before reading the book. I don’t know that I’m any more eager to read Meyer’s novels, but the movie does exactly what it sets out to do - stoke the passions of its intended viewers. For that, director Catherine Hardwicke deserves much of the credit.
Well, for that you’ll have to read my review. But first, let me explain where I am on this saga.
As was the case when the Harry Potter movies came out, I’m new to the latest literary rage. I haven’t read any of Stephenie Meyers’ novels, so I’m still trying to sort all this out. Since I’ve seen the movie, I’m familiar with the first story, but I have a few matters I’m curious about.
Most every article I read about the books or movies talks about teen girls being the target audience. Is it really that limited, or are we in the press just focusing on the most vocal contingent?
Is there much crossover with the Potter fanbase? Do Potter fans and Twilight fans hate each other, especially now that Twilight slipped into Harry’s old release date?
And finally, sum up what Meyer’s books mean to you. I’d like to hear some testimonials.
“Sam” said that the action was “REAL speed.” (Maybe it was, but it would have been nice if I could tell who was who.) A “Jason” tells me it was better than some movie I was supposed to have made, and a “Kevin” tells me I flat out suck. Oh well. Ce’st la vie.
Maybe I’m reflecting my feelings that the film was lacking, but I get the distinct sense Quantum has not gone over with audiences all that well. Sure, it made $67.5 million, but that had NOTHING to do with how much people liked Quantum and EVERYTHING to do with how much people liked the vastly superior Casino Royale.
With box office, the second week always tells the real story. And I believe Bond is going to get drop-kicked by both Bolt and Twilight this week, and the movie will be out of first-run theaters by the time it becomes 2009.
All around movie blogs I read, I’ve been seeing comments like “It’s as though they were having a contest to see how short a shot they could put on screen … To paraphrase one of my buddies who I saw it with, it’s one of the shortest Bonds but it felt like one of the longest. And not in a good way.”
Even more tellingly, it received a not-too-good grade of B- from Cinemascore, which polls opening night audiences, who are usually pretty generous.
Even the title sequence was disappointing - it looked like Bond was trekking through a series of Journey album covers. It was nowhere near the standard set by Daniel Kleinman, who’d done the titles from Goldeneye through Casino Royale - the last being especially brilliant.
Believe me, I take no pleasure, or solace even, in reporting this. James Bond is my favorite movie series of all time, and I had been anticipating Quantum of Solace more than any other film this year. It’s not a bad movie, but it left me severely wanting, especially after Casino Royale had been one of the best Bonds in ages.
Here’s where I think it falls among other Bond films (listed chronologically within the categories):
Today is Mickey Mouse’s 80th birthday, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at Disney’s main Web page.
Oh, sure, “the boss,” as Disney employees like to call him, is all over there, but no more than he would usually be. Understandably, Disney’s main objective this week is to sell its new movie Bolt, out in theaters Friday, and to sell the DVD of WALL-E, which arrives on shelves today. (Everybody buy it, it’s the best film of the year - animated or otherwise.)
Still, I find it a shame there’s not much hoopla over such a milestone, by Disney or by anyone else. The DDN has put together this package of stories, but scanning across Google News, the few news stories I see include a nice package in The Kansas City Star, because Kansas City lays claim to being Mickey’s birthplace.
Why isn’t there more of a to-do about this? I remember Disneyland made a big deal out of the mouse’s 50th birthday when I went there back in 1978, why not now? Heck, Mickey is only the most iconic cartoon character ever created, although Bugs Bunny or Snoopy could justifiably make the same claim. (Mickey came before either of them, though.) Outside of his status as a corporate symbol, however, Mickey seems more and more like a sideman in his own company these days.
And I think I know partly why. He wasn’t the funny one.
Oh, in his earliest days, Mickey was a real rascal - a masher even. Check him out in his first cartoon, Plane Crazy. Minnie would never give him a second chance these days. (For the record, it’s her birthday as well.)
Why, he even drinks BEER in his second short, “The Gallopin’ Gaucho!”
He was so insanely popular in those early years, that “What? No Mickey Mouse?” became a national catchphrase. Walt Disney won the first of his 22 (!) Oscars specifically for creating Mickey. But as his wilder, sillier friends Donald Duck and Goofy gained popularity, Mickey settled down and became the proverbial nice guy, the straight man to everyone else’s antics. A brilliant 3D movie at the Magic Kingdom in Florida is called Mickey’s Philharmagic, but Donald is really the star. Something that suits him just fine, I’m sure.
Yet maybe I’m wrong about Mickey’s appeal these days. I had gotten the impression that among today’s kids, princesses and Pooh were the stars. However, my friend Angela Allen, who works in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the Magic Kingdom, assures me that while princesses rule among girls, Mickey is still the favorite of the boys, perhaps because of exposure to the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - though many of the boys do say Jack Sparrow. And Mickey does still make everyone go nuts in the theme parks.
So maybe I’m underestimating the appeal of the little guy. Perhaps Disney is saving their big party for when he turns 100 in 2028. But I’ll say Happy Birthday to him today.
Why? Because I like him!
M-O-U-S-E
What are your feeling about Mickey Mouse? Is he your favorite? If not, who is? Who do your kids favor?
Ever since the new James Bond film was named Quantum of Solace, people groused endlessly about how lousy the title was. I thought the complaints were stupid then, and having seen the film, I still think the complaints are stupid because the real problem isn’t the title - it’s the movie.
I have been tremendously forgiving of the 007 series over the years. I even liked Die Another Day, which many fans think of as the James Bond film that would be playing in hell’s multiplex. It’s not - that’s A View to a Kill. But Quantum of Solace is the first movie since then that has missed the mark. And that’s a real letdown after the triumph of Casino Royale.
Quantum of Solace falls short in the most crucial way - it botches the action scenes. And if a Bond film can’t get those right, you don’t have a movie. It’s that simple.
Other reviewers have lamented that Quantum tries too hard to imitate the Bourne movies with their fast cutting and brutal action scenes, but I don’t think that’s the problem in and of itself. That style could have worked. Casino Royale had a bit of Bourne in it too. Indeed, both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace used personnel from the Bourne movies who helped make their action scenes so effective.
However, Casino Royale had one of the best action directors working today, Martin Campbell, who also made Goldeneye. The director of Quantum of Solace, Marc Forster (Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner), does not have good action skills.
He drops the ball right at the very start. The film opens with a slam-bang car chase immediately, but there is no establishing shot to lay out the players. The scene is edited so rapidly and the camera is so close to the action, I kept losing track of what was where and who was who. That has never happened in a Bond film before.
A fight scene that followed shortly could have been great, but the shots were such a jumble, I couldn’t even tell Bond apart from the villain. When you keep asking yourself incomplete questions like “Who’s the … ? Where did … ? Why is …?”, the action isn’t delivering.
Quantum of Solace is the only new wide release today (although it should be noted that the Neon in Dayton opens Mike Leigh’s acclaimed Happy Go Lucky, while The Little Art in Yellow Springs has The Duchess and Barry Levinson’s Hollywood insider comedy What Just Happened).
So since Bond is the big news this week, two things are in order. My review of the new film can be found by clicking here - and it’s also time to ponder who the best James Bond was. Here are mine, in order of preference:
Sean Connery: I suspect I’m not going to get much disagreement on this. One could argue Daniel Craig is the best actor to play Bond, but Connery was and is the legend, and he is the Bond everyone will forever be measured against.
Connery’s best: Godlfinger - Everything comes together perfectly.
Connery’s worst: You Only Live Twice - He’s all too obviously bored in the movie, which made this the first 007 film to misfire.
Daniel Craig: Simply put, what he managed to achieve after just one film was astounding.
Timothy Dalton: You read that right, I’m placing him third. So when EW writer Benjamin Svetky claims that Bond has “survived … even being played by Timothy Dalton,” he can take a flying leap, and so can everyone else who slams him. True, Dalton was a bit lacking in movie star charisma, but if you look at his two films - The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill - you’ll see Dalton played him rather close to Ian Fleming’s rough and ready spy - which is exactly what Craig is being praised for now. It’s time Dalton got his due.
Pierce Brosnan: In light of Craig’s success, fans seem to decry most of Brosnan’s films as some sort of horrid era that’s best forgotten. That’s not Brosnan’s fault. Maybe Brosnan didn’t get the best scripts or directors, but he did play 007 with a smooth mix of Connery’s bravado and Roger Moore’s suave glibness.
Brosnan’s best: Die Another Day - The movie made some questionable choices (digital 007 surfing!) but people seem to forget what a thrashing Bond took early in the movie - and Brosnan played off that very well.
Brosnan’s worst: Tomorrow Never Dies- Not bad at all, but not exactly great either. Compared to Brosnan’s other turns, this one was a little indistinct, kinda like the movie itself.
Roger Moore: Although he’s toward the bottom of the list, I like Moore a lot. He did some great work as Bond in some of his better films, but he simply hung around one movie too long.
Moore’s best: For Your Eyes Only, which proved that even Moore could be a bit tough and mean.
Moore’s worst: A View to a Kill - He made Bond look old and feeble here. Sad, really.
George Lazenby: He’s better than many people like to admit, and his movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, is one of the best. In fact, it might well have been THE best - if Connery had done it.
It’s not New Year’s yet, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to look at 2009’s movies.
I received an email from Movietickets.com, and according to a poll of theirs, these are the most highly anticipated movies of 2009. And to my mind, some of these choices are highly suspect.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” - Not gonna argue that one. (July 17, if they stick with that date)
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” - Makes sense. Jackman was one of the best things about the franchise, but I dunno if I’d put it on the list. The choice of director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition) is … interesting. (May 1)
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” - Blah. First one was overrated. I’m not convinced Michael Bay’s skills have magically improved somehow. (June 26)
“Public Enemies” - Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Sold. (July 1)
“Angels & Demons” Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh, I’m sorry, I was reminded of watching The Da Vinci Dud, one of Ron Howard and Tom Hanks’ worst movies. (May 15)
“Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian” - Didn’t care for the first Night, but two names have me interested in the sequel: Amy and Adams. She plays Amelia Earhart. (May 22)
“The Informant” - The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation. Steven Soderbergh directs Matt Damon. Sounds a little Michael Clayton-ish, but I trust the star and director. (Sept. 18)
“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” - I’m not a great fan of these movies, but I must admit, the teaser trailer is funny. I’m still waiting for a movie with Scrat as the star. (July 1)
“The Day the Earth Stood Still”- I’m more willing to give this a chance than most movie geeks, but this doesn’t belong on the list. (Dec. 12)
“The Taking of Pelham 123” - The original is a nifty little thriller. With Denzel Washington starring and Tony Scott directing, this remake has a chance of being better than decent.
There are a few solid choices in there, but these folks overlooked some of the movies I most want to see. These include:
Fatal crash in Clark County
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2008 OSU vs. Michigan
2008 Ebony Fashion Show
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Allie, my daughter begged me to read the books for six months. I wasn’t interested. I finally