I didn't care for Twilight, so I have no enthusiasm for its sequel New Moon (or The Twilight Saga: New Moon). I don't think there's any shame in enjoying the premise of a beautiful outsider finding romance with a handsome vampire, but Twilight wasn't the first book/film to get there, and it didn't add anything of value. The teaser for New Moon is an edited look at two scenes that will fuel the new storyline -- Bella (Kristen Stewart) being attacked by one of Edward's (Robert Pattinson) family when she cuts her finger, then dealing with her boyfriend deciding to leave for her own safety, before being attacked by another vampire and being rescued by a teenage werewolf. Werewolves being the element of the Twilight saga that the first movie only hinted at.
Reasons to be excited? I'm not, but I must admit that Stewart has "beautiful kookiness" down pat, and Pattinson has legions of fans if you like your men pale with crimson lips. Reasons to be fearful? Come on, this is a cynical cash cow being served up to a hormonal teenage fanbase. It's cheap and easy to make with guaranteed box-office receipts, hence the incredibly fast turnaround (a la Saw). And the teaser's climactic mid-leap werewolf transformation totally erased any trace of intrigue New Moon held for me -- a slick, CGI'd, implausible shapeshift instead of the bone-crunching reality of American Werewolf In London, or even the Underworld franchise? What are they thinking? It was like one of the daemons from The Golden Compass, only less convincing.
Released: 19 Nov '09 (AUS), 20 Nov '09 (US), 27 Nov '09 (UK)
HD Downloads: 480P (51MB) | 720P (106MB) | 1080P (143MB)
The Spanish-language original was very good, particularly the 15-minute climax (which contains a few genuinely unnerving shots), and I hear that the US remake Quarantine isn't too shabby. [●REC]2 is the inevitable sequel, and it appears to be picking up exactly where the original left off. I have no idea where the story is headed (will we stay inside that apartment block AGAIN?), and I'm not convinced this really needs to exist... but, the teaser is the kind of visceral, bloody tease that zombie-loving fans will lap up. [●REC]2 is currently in-production, but the German premiere is scheduled for 29 October. Hopefully it will get a wider release than the original did in English-language territories, just in time for Halloween.
The Final Destination franchise is one I enjoy, despite the fact it retels the exact same story every movie with different teens and ingenius ways to slaughter them. In every film, a teenager has a premonition of a terrible tragedy, manages to persuade their friends to avoid a premature death, only to discover that Death/Fate continues to stalk them. Their lucky escape sadly proves that each survivor is on borrowed time, as circumstances and Rube Goldberg-like environments conspire to kill everyone who ducked the Grim Reaper's scythe.
The Final Destination (so-called because this is definitely the last one?) keeps the formula going for the fourth time, only this time in 3-D. They really missed a trick not making the third one 3-D, didn't they. The disaster avoided this time involves a NASCAR racetrack (which I can't get excited about...), but the trailer again teases us with some creative death scenes. This may be the fourth entry, but the Final Destination brand still has a certain spark sorely missing from the slasher sequels/remakes/prequels we're being force-fed these days. And there's something oddly bewitching about a horror where the devil's in the detail; it's not the unlikely teen-killer in a hockey mask you have to be worried about, it's a puddle of water or a loose nut and bolt...
Released: 28 Aug '09 (US/UK), 1 Oct '09 (AUS)
HD Downloads: 480P (43MB) | 720P (98MB) | 1080P (172MB)
