Movie Review: THE TWILIGHT SAGA - NEW MOON (Minor Spoilers)

Visually stunning, the second installment in the Twilight Saga starts off as fans expected, a slow walk-up of Robert Pattinson's Edward and the beefier Taylor Lautner sneaking up on Bella (Kristen Stewart) in the same scene. Heavenly bodies do exist in Forks, WA.

New Moon covered all the requisite plot points of the tragedy that Bella suffers at the short end of being the only human in a fantastic world. The wolf tribe was intact and the wolves themselves were glorious, if a little gimmicky.

The language of Twilight carries through the film well although sometimes what is read does not always translate as meaningfully when heard out loud. A definite romance with werewolves and vampires rather than a horror film, New Moon holds its own more over than the original Twilight.

The breakout star of the film is certainly Lautner who was the only one who was able to wear his heart properly on his sleeve. Bella was very monochromatic as the Juliet torn between two loves. Her pain and tears appear more as seizures, making even the diamond hard Edward seem like an emotional wreck. All emotion in the film was from Jacob's perspective.

Bringing some of the more ephemeral ideas like Edward "speaking" inside Bella's head and a little romp through the woods in a future view of Bella's potential outcome were poorly executed and would have been served better with less unintentional humor.

Future events to come are hinted at with visits by key character cameos. And will tempt a rabid fans' taste for more. A Must See for Twilight Fans, simple romance buffs and those looking for an escape from the mundane.

With pre-sale records already broken for New Moon, part two of the quadrilogy will debut on the New Moon of the Lunar Cycle for the month of November. As good a sign as you could wish for. Unless there's an Eclipse for the next release.

Joey Cruz

Movie Review: THE BLIND SIDE

Sandra Bullock is in excellent form as no nonsense alpha momma, Leigh Anne Touhy, of the well to do Tennessee Touhy family. She and her husband, Sean (well played by Tim McGraw) believe that the more money you have, the more responsibility you have to help others. That spirit, in and of itself, seems to be an anomaly in decades of late and ensures that the family is true to its heart in wanting to assist a almost homeless gentle giant, Big Mike.

Michael enters their life through no fault of his own and through the sheer force of will of Leigh Anne. She forces Michael to look into the heart of family to find a drive within to protect that which he holds dear. That transfers to the opportunities that he now finds himself faced with and he begins to excel in and out of school.

Jae Head is the Touhy youngest child, S.J., and all but steals the show. He is drill coach, tutor, a friend in pocket and breaks the ice on the misunderstanding of Big Mike.

The Blind Side also reminds audiences that it does take a village to raise a child. Without the extra efforts of his teachers, coaches and surrogate family, Michael would not have succeeded on any front. By current standards of "norm", Michael is the rare gem mined by going above and beyond. Rewards are not always detailed on a paycheck stub.

Without a doubt, see THE BLIND SIDE. You'll regret not watching it come Oscar time when Bullock is writing her speech.

Best Movie of the Year!

FREE Movie Tickets Available NOW at Play N Trade Lake Mary, FL for

THE BLIND SIDE (Mon. 11/16)

NINJA ASSASSIN (Thurs. 11/19)

Get them now while there are still tix available. Modern Warfare 2 is out and they're packed.

Sorry about The Box, I only get the tickets to the masses, I don't make the films. In case you didn't get the hint, that was the most disjointed movie I've seen in a long time. Completely reaching for any semblance of a plot. The actors were excellent but even they couldn't keep the aliens at bay. Yeh, aliens.

Hope all is good with everyone (o:

HEE HEE! I came on here honestly to get some ideas for my wood carving projects and to see if I could find something about state teen homes but then I got these tickets to give away for THE BOX screening and thought, hey! I know people who'd love to see if Cameron Diaz pushes the button.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

And tickets are once again at - PLAY n TRADE in LAKE MARY starting Friday Morning, Oct. 30th. Just in time to go trick or treating and pick-up DJ HERO. Game is AWESOME and I'm not big into the music emulation genre but this will stick on you quick and you won't want to stop.

The screening for THE BOX is Thursday, NOV. 5th, at Winter Park at 7:30. (Oh yeah, don't forget to set your clocks back this weekend while we're out trick and treating.

OK, QUICK review of films we've seen lately is on for tomorrow. I promise!! Pinky Promise!

I'm using a 5 skull scale in honor of Halloween. See if you agree.

Don't be afraid of the dark. It's only me (o:

Starting NOW, PLAY N TRADE in Lake Mary has tickets for THE INVENTION of LYING starring Rickey Gervais and Jennifer Garner. The screening is Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 7:30 at the Winter Park Regal.

Also this weekend, if you or a friend is a GEARHEAD, Play N Trade is having A GEARS OF WAR TOURNAMENT Sunday at 5 pm. Sign up early while you're there picking up movie tix.

QUICK REVIEW of PANDORUM:

Fun flick where Descent, Pitch Black and Dead Space crash bulkheads. Dennis Quaid is his usual quirk with command as a frazzled lieutenant trying to unravel his ship, his crew and his mind. Special effects were hit and miss. At times, the "hunters" were fearsome and others they looked a little fast-forwarded.

The premise is sound as the last hope of our world takes the largest generation ship known to humanity out to a promising planet called Tanis. En route, systems fail and the puzzle is laid out as the characters mix past glimpses with discovering hints of their present condition.

Careful if you're squeamish as there are some gruesome kills and intense sequences throughout the ships mazes of conduit and mind.

A definite date movie (o:

Go see it!

Joey Cruz