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A few weeks ago, I found myself in a darkened cinema, waiting for a film to start. I keep telling myself and anyone who asks that I was only there because my friend begged me, but the simple truth of the matter is that this is just one of those films that most people see anyway, love it or hate it. The moody music starts, a montage begins, and within literally ten seconds Taylor Lautner is dashing across the screen, sans shirt. That’s right. I’m at a midnight screening of Breaking Dawn Part I.

First things first: this fourth film in The Twilight Saga is not the worst. Nor is it the best. The cast and crew have come a long way since the bland boredom of the original Twilight, but don’t seem to have maintained the spark of life that 30 Days of Night director David Slade managed to inject into Eclipse. Don’t even get me started on New Moon. In Breaking Dawn, lead characters Edward and Bella are finally coming to the climax of their saga of sexual tension, beginning with a marriage that somehow leads to a freakish vampire pregnancy, a hybrid baby, and for a few brief seconds at the end of the film, a newly-turned vampire Bella. There are plenty of areas in which this film falls down, and when it falls it really falls, but overall the truth is that Breaking Dawn isn’t that bad.

It doesn’t take long for Taylor Lautner’s trademark abs to make an appearance, as they have in every other Twilight film.

The focus of the film, of course, is Bella and Edward’s relationship. With the original book having been split into two, Part I is able to focus on the marriage and the pregnancy whilst presumably 2012’s Part II will shift attention to Renesmee (the child) and Bella’s new life as a vampire. One of the most highly anticipated elements of Part I was the necessary depiction of Bella and Edward consummating their marriage; although a humorous montage of Bella attempting to seduce her new husband is a high point for the otherwise bland honeymoon sequence, Edward’s dramatic reaction to Bella’s teeny tiny bruise post-coitus (this is a huge departure from the book, in which Bella is described as basically black and blue) is way too over the top. The pregnancy is discovered and progresses with uncomfortable rapidity, giving the audience little time to come to terms with the immense suspension of disbelief required for this ridiculous plot device.

Breaking Dawn Part I finally follows through on the sexual tension of the previous three instalments.

However, there are areas where Breaking Dawn totally succeeds, in ways the previous films have barely managed to touch on. Billy Burke has been a delightful distraction throughout the series as Bella’s overprotective cop father, Charlie. He excels here, delivering some of the best dialogue of the film, particularly during his speech at the young lovers’ wedding. This is where director Bill Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg get it right; more than any of its predecessors, Breaking Dawn Part I is an acutely self-aware film that openly acknowledges how ridiculous some elements of the story are. Bella’s suggestions for baby names, for example, meet with incredulous looks from Edward and Jacob; “EJ” for a boy (Edward/Jacob) and “Renesmee” for a girl (Renée/Esmé, Bella and Edward’s mothers’ names). Some of the most hilarious moments of the film remain unintentionally so, though, such as Jacob’s imprinting on the baby girl. Taylor Lautner manages to look so dumbfounded you’d think he was just told someone didn’t want to see him shirtless.

In spite of all the above, Breaking Dawn Part I has to be considered a huge success because it does exactly what it says on the tin: it gives Twilight fans what they want, indulging in the aesthetic pleasures of Lautner’s chest and the transformation (finally!) of our leading lady into an un-dead beauty queen. As a franchise, Twilight is worth over £1.2 billion, and the final instalment has been named one of 2012’s most anticipated movies. Breaking Dawn Part II will be released November 16^th 2012, and will conclude one of the most successful and influential series of all time. Bella will be back in vampire form, and we will meet the fast-growing hybrid child Renesmee as her existence turns the world upside down for Edward and co. There’s no trailer to speak of as yet, but why not take a quick look at Ellen’s humorous “sneak peek”, featured below.

- Kat Humphries

Sources and further information:

Four things you might miss in ‘Breaking Dawn’ – entertainment.msnbc.com

Review: ‘Breaking Dawn’ gives ‘Twilight’ fans exactly what they want – entertainment.msnbc.com

The 2012 Hot List! – fandango.com

‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ review: Vampire tale is lifeless – articles.latimes.com

Film review: Breaking Dawn – eat me – tribune.com

It takes a great deal of work to effectively translate to the big screen something that was much-loved on paper. It seems appropriate, then, that the two men who took on the job of bringing The Adventures of Tintin to audiences worldwide were suitably qualified: producer Peter Jackson has experience bringing book to cinema having adapted The Lord of the Rings, whilst director Stephen Spielberg was expounded, by Hergé himself, to be the man for the job. Tintin’s creator, real name Georges Prosper Remi, said before he died that “Spielberg is a creative artist himself, and I want to give him my confidence.” It should come as no surprise that the cinematic feat these two prominent industry figures produced has already been a soaring success, delighting audiences worldwide and generally satisfying Tintin fans both old and new.

The key, of course, is in Spielberg’s adherence to the original source material from which the film draws. The Secret of the Unicorn is an amalgamation of three of Hergé’s volumes: The Secret of the Unicorn, The Crab with the Golden Claws, and Red Rackham’s Treasure. Elements of all three stories are combined to create a robust adventure for the intrepid reporter and his loyal dog Snowy, as well as comedic companion Captain Haddock. Yet Spielberg effortlessly adapts these sources for a modern audience with flawless motion capture, his first venture into the medium, creating what Empire magazine calls “the romance of old-school cinema, conjured by the slick synthesis of CG wizardry”. Spielberg first expressed interest in accessing the rights to Tintin almost 30 years ago in 1982, when he convinced Hergé that he could stay true to the essence of the character. What Spielberg has brought to the screen today is “Indiana Jones for children”, an adventurer, explorer, and overall hero to which any viewer can relate.

The new film attempts to stay true to the essence of the original artwork and storytelling.

Jamie Bell does a great job of bringing Tintin to life, capturing the character’s appeal as an instantly likeable hero, but it is Andy Serkis who steals the show as the enigmatic Captain Haddock. Having pioneered motion capture as a medium with his roles as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, as the eponymous ape in King Kong, and most recently as chimp Caesar in The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Serkis is the perfect choice for Tintin’s comedic foil. His antics are the main source of amusement throughout the film, culminating in some of the most successful and ridiculous chase scenes of any adventure movie; at one point Haddock even manages to fuel a faltering plane engine with the alcoholic fumes of his breath.

Mo-cap veteran Andy Serkis steals the show as Captain Haddock.

Spielberg and Jackson have proved somewhat of a dream team in bringing Tintin to life, along with what Empire calls their “writing trio of Anglo-nerds”: that is, Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim), and Joe Cornish (Adam and Joe). The original plan was to make a trilogy of Tintin films; although at one point this plan seemed less likely due to financial issues, after the success of The Secret of the Unicorn a sequel is definitely on the cards. Spielberg confirms that a script has already been written, a combination of two Hergé stories, Prisoners of the Sun and The Seven Crystal Balls, penned by Anthony Horrowitz. This time round Peter Jackson will be taking the helm as director, but will Spielberg accordingly switch roles and produce? Either way, both men are extremely busy with current and upcoming projects; Jackson is hard at work on The Hobbit whilst Spielberg is thinking ahead to Lincoln and Robopocalypse, amongst others. A Tintin sequel is likely, but it is as of yet a distant speck on the horizon.

Will Spielberg and Jackson swap roles for a Tintin sequel?

- Kat Humphries

Sources and further information:

Peter Jackson Says He’ll Direct the Next ADVENTURES OF TINTIN After He Finishes THE HOBBIT; Spielberg Confirms Script for Sequel Is Already Written – collider.com

Hergé’s Heir – forbiddenplanet.co.uk

Peter Jackson Confirms He Will Make the Next ‘Tintin’ Film After ‘The Hobbit’ – slashfilm.com

Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, and Bailee Madison all in one movie? Definitely a movie worth watching, don’t you think? What if I told you that the movie is a romantic comedy filled with funny moments and endless supply of laughter?

Just Go with It is a fantastic combination of star actors, great storyline, and entertaining comedy all in one very enjoyable package. The movie itself is built around one simple lie, a very common topic you and I come across every day, that forces Danny (Adam Sandler) into a series of events. Danny’s loyal assistant is asked to pretend to be his wife that he will soon divorce in order to cover up for the lie.

As the lie backfires, the story becomes even more complicated for Danny. Funny lies after lies are being told, the assistant’s kids become involved, and they soon head off to a vacation in Hawaii; a vacation that will change everyone’s lives once and for all.

Just Go with It is a common catchphrase used to convince friends of relatives to just play along with the lie being told. Most of us has been in this kind of situation before, although Just Go with It obviously magnify the simple events to make the movie very enjoyable and entertainingly funny.

It is also safe to say that this movie is Adam Sandler’s best work so far, with lines after lines making audiences laugh in joy. There are moments in the movie when the jokes are not as funny, but the movie will keep you (at least) smiling the whole time.

This next movie we are about to discuss is not available in theaters yet – it is scheduled for release on the 1st of April, 2011 across the globe – but it is still very interesting to look into. The main concept behind the storyline is not new, but the way director Duncan Jones put the concept into an engaging story really makes this movie very interesting to watch.

The movie starts with Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) waking up in the body of an unknown man. He discovers that he is a part of a mission to uncover the bomber of a commuter train in Chicago. The mission itself is unlike he has ever known before, and is part of a government experiment call-signed “Source Code”.

It turns out that Source Code is a program that allows Colter to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With that ability, Colter relives the Chicago bombing incident over and over again hoping to find hints and clues that will help him uncover the incident and prevent a second bombing threatening the lives of millions more.

Source Code is filled with twists and turns that will keep you on edge throughout the whole movie. If you have watched Vantage Point, you will notice that the same concept is brought to a different dimension in Source Code. All in all, Source Code is a quality movie worth waiting for and a good movie to satisfy your needs for an intense thriller.

A good romance-comedy is always pleasant to watch, and No Strings Attached is definitely a good movie to choose in this genre. Featuring top names including Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, No Strings Attached take an everyday subject and turn it into an amazing comedy and romantic movie you will certainly enjoy.

In this movie, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends. They almost ruin everything by having sex one morning, and in order to save their friendship they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly “no strings attached”. “No strings attached” means the relationship has no boundaries; at the end of the day, it’s just sex and no love.

This is a subject most of us are familiar with. The big question remains: can a relationship really be strictly about sex without love getting in the way? As the relationship builds up, it gets trickier and trickier to keep their feelings aside. Of course, it also gets more difficult to keep their friendship like the way it was.

This 1 hours and 50 minutes movie directed by Ivan Reitman is rated R for the intense romantic scenes and the touchy topics. Still, it is a very elegant romantic movie to watch. Since the topic brought up by this movie is very close, audiences will be taken in an engaging journey to see how these two young friends deal with various issues that rise from the nature of their relationship. Definitely a must-watch, even if it’s just for seeing Kutcher and Portman together.

After seeing Matt Damon on Bourne Trilogy and The Shooter, audiences – perhaps including you and me – formed a distinct image of cool and composed character whenever they see Damon appearing. The Adjustment Bureau takes advantage of that particular image and places Matt Damon in an amazing role as David Norris, an ambitious politician running for a seat in the US Senate.

The will-be US Senate meets with Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt), a ballet dancer that quickly captures her heart. As David falls deeper in love with Elise, however, a mysterious man stage a plot to keep the two apart. It is not long before David realizes that he is up against the agents of Fate itself, known as the men of The Adjustment Bureau, and the odds against him.

David needs to decide whether to let her go and accept the path determined for him, or fight against The Adjustment Bureau despite risking everything to be together with Elise.

Written and directed by George Nolfi – writer of Ocean’s Twelve – The Adjustment Bureau builds up tension and surround the main characters with mysterious aspects and intriguing twists perfectly. If you love a good romantic movie, you will also find The Adjustment Bureau very pleasant to watch.

Despite the complicated plot and intense storyline, The Adjustment Bureau is not difficult to watch at all. Instead of walking out of the theater with questions, you will be doing so with a big smile and a lovely feeling of delight after watching a fantastic movie.

From the reviews you can find on this site you should be able to conclude that spring and summer of 2011 is all about action and adventures. There are so many interesting action movies to follow this time of the year, including Sucker Punch we are about to discuss in this article.

Sucker Punch basically tells the story of a rebellious young girl whose vivid imagination of a dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Babydoll (Emily Browning), has been locked away against her will, but her imagination roams free as she explored her fantasy world with four other companions: Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), and Amber (Jamie Chung).

Their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac) and Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino), will be their main opponents along with other amazing obstacles including samurais and armed soldiers. With a Wise Man (Scott Glenn) on their side, their fantasy adventure and unbelievable journey may set them free.

Directed by Zack Snyder, Sucker Punch is filled with visual masterpieces; you may recognize Snyder’s style from 300 and Watchment, both his and very successful. Scheduled for release on March 25th, 2011, Sucker Punch is certainly one of the most anticipated action movies of the year. It is a 2-hour movie with a PG-13 rating and will pamper you with tons of amazing scenes, great actions, and of course the lovely sights of all five main characters as they take you deeper into their fantasy world in an engaging journey.