'New Moon' will nourish your soul

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

3 stars

Rated PG-13

The sequel to the 2008 supernatural romantic fantasy will not disappoint the avid readers of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling four-book series or the rabid fan base of women, especially teenage girls, who turned last November’s first movie into a box office phenomenon.

Kristen Stewart (aging mortal Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (forever young vampire Edward Cullen) have become major stars since becoming star-crossed lovers in “Twilight.”

Chris Weitz (“The Golden Compass” “American Pie” and “About a Boy”) takes over as director and brings more action, better special effects, a larger cast of supporting characters and werewolves.

Bella is entering her senior year in high school and celebrating her 18th birthday. Edward’s sister Alice (Ashley Greene) invites her to a party at the house of the vampire family the Cullens. Bella accidentally cuts her finger opening a present. The sight and smell of her blood triggers an attack by Jasper Hale.

The Cullens, including Edward, decide to leave Forks, Wash., to protect Bella from further danger. Edward disappears from her life and leaves Bella depressed and broken-hearted. She turns her attention to her American Indian childhood friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). They get closer when he uses his mechanical skills to repair two motorcycles.

Bella becomes reckless and takes life-threatening risks. This causes Edward’s image to appear in a hologram to warn her of danger.

The movie is full of pop culture references. Bella uses the word “cougar” in conversation with Jacob, who is two years younger. Bella notices that Jacob has a beautiful upper body when he rips off his shirt. His body temperature is so hot that she thinks he may have a fever. He turns into a monstrous werewolf whenever he gets agitated or upset. Bella discovers his secret and things get weirder.

An old nemesis comes back into the picture, placing Bella’s life in danger. Alice, who can see the future, comes back to Forks and is surprised to find Bella alive.

The ruling royalty of the vampire world known as The Volturi are introduced. They are an old and powerful group that kill vampires who make spectacles of themselves and reveal the secret of their existence to mortals. The malevolent leader of this Italian faction is Aro (Michael Sheen from “Frost/Nixon” and “The Queen”) and his menacing minion is Jane (a nearly unrecognizable Dakota Fanning from “The Secret Life of Bees” and “War of the Worlds”).

Due to a misunderstanding regarding a funeral, Edward wants to expose himself as a vampire, which would mean death at the hands of The Volturi. Bella flies to Italy with Alice to save her true love.

The strong storytelling keeps you engaged even if you have not read the book. The parallels that can be drawn to “Romeo and Juliet” are more in evidence this time around.  There is a lot of mythology only the book readers can understand.  The second half of the film has more action sequences featuring werewolf attacks, cliff diving, an underwater struggle and an extended fight scene between vampires. The sparkling effect whenever Edward appears in sunlight is vastly improved.

Much of the movie takes place in the woods, but the scenes in Italy are very colorful with stellar production designs. The women will be drooling over the buff male chests exhibited. The guys who turn into werewolves wear very little clothing. They could give underwear models, beach volleyball players and even the Chippendales a run for their money in the looks department.

An Oscar pedigree is provided by actor Graham Greene (“Dances with Wolves”) who has a small role as the sheriff’s deputy, Harry Clearwater. Stewart shows more poise and greater maturity in her acting. Lautner has a winning personality and displays a sizzling screen charisma. He creates a romantic dilemma for both Bella and the viewers, who now must choose between Team Edward and Team Jacob. Sheen adds campy class to the proceedings with an unforgettable dramatic performance.

Another strength is a wonderful musical score by Alexandre Desplat (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), recently named film composer of the year. The icing on this delectable cake is that it features the best series of passionate kissing seen on screen for 2009. The movie ends with a cliffhanging question that has future implications and will have many audience members scrambling to purchase or reread the books.

This cinematic destination event will nourish the soul and provide escapist fun before and after your Thanksgiving feast.

AN EDUCATION

3 and a half stars

Rated PG-13

This spirited coming-of age picture is about a teenage girl in suburban London whose sheltered existence is drastically altered when a dashing playboy enters her life. Jenny (Carey Mulligan in a star-making turn) is a very bright schoolgirl approaching her 17th birthday. Her goal is to get into Oxford University.

She plays the cello in a youth orchestra. After a rehearsal, she accepts a ride from a handsome stranger driving a maroon sports car during a heavy rainstorm. His name is David (Peter Sarsgaard from “Shattered Glass” and “Kinsey”). He is nearly twice her age and wants to rob the cradle. He is suave, debonair and a fast talker.

David is able to persuade Jenny’s parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour) to permit her to go to a classical concert with supper afterward on a Friday night. He is able to wrap the impressionable and naïve Jenny around his little finger.

Her morals get loose and she develops bad habits that include smoking and drinking. He gives her a taste of adult life that she will not soon forget. She even comments that everything in her life was boring before she was seduced by David’s charms. It appears she has thrown her whole life away on one romantic fling.

The ensemble acting comes up all aces. Mulligan is spectacular, reminding audiences of a young Audrey Hepburn. Molina provides strong support as the hoodwinked father.

The movie’s strengths also include extraordinary costumes, 1960s period touches in production design, an exemplary soundtrack and top drawer cinematography. The whirlwind courtship has a creepy side, but it is easy to see how Jenny could get caught up by all the lavish attention.

The scenic backgrounds include the Oxford campus and familiar landmarks in Paris. The implied sex and the loss of virginity are handled discreetly off camera. The movie purposely shrouds David’s background in secrecy and tells the story from Jenny’s fresh perspective. It also gives an accurate assessment of the limited liberating opportunities for women in the early 1960s.

The popular song “This Girl is a Woman Now” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap comes closest to the accelerated maturation process resulting from this eye-opening learning experience.

This cinematic gem is an ironclad lock to be nominated for best picture of the year. Its winning pedigree starts with Danish-born female director Lone Scherfig (“Italian for Beginners” and “Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself”), screenwriter Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity” and “About a Boy”) and Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson (“Stranger Than Fiction,” “Love Actually,” “Sense and Sensibility” and “The Remains of the Day”) in a supporting role as the school’s  headmistress. Oscar prognosticators put this movie on the radar after it won the audience choice and cinematography awards on the world cinema side at the Sundance Film Festival.

Now showing exclusively at AMC Studio 30, the Rio and Cinemark Palace on the Plaza.

REVANCHE

3 stars

Not Rated

A rock thrown into a small secluded lake in the woods creates a ripple effect. Similar reverberations are felt by the characters in this emotional drama. The title’s translation means revenge or the act of retaliating in response to some bad action.

Tamara is a prostitute from the Ukraine working in a brothel in the red-light district of Vienna. Her boyfriend Alex is an errand boy and driver for her pimp boss. They have to keep their romance a secret, because employees are not allowed to fraternize. They are looking for a way out.

Alex devises a plan to rob a bank in a little village out in the countryside. Tamara insists on going along for the ride. Robert, a local policeman, is in the vicinity. He fires a few shots at the stolen getaway car as it speeds off and hits Tamara.

Alex lies low at his maternal grandfather’s farm nearby and chops firewood for the approaching winter. He is consumed with pain and grief. He harbors a deep hatred and a desire for vengeance against Robert. Alex begins to spy on Robert and his kindhearted wife, Susanne. The film focuses on how the lives of all these people change from the domino effect of the loss of a loved one.

The official submission from Austria was one of the five finalists for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Writer-director Gotz Spielmann garners the recognition he deserves for being an astute observer of the human condition. The original screenplay is dripping with irony and cleverly ties together the characters.

The precise camera placement in every scene brings the audience an up-close and personal vantage point. The sights and sounds of nature play an integral part in the story.

With the exception of the grandfather, who is content with his lonely existence, everyone else is seeking changes to improve their daily existence. Sharp contrasts are made between the corrupt city and the peaceful countryside.

This movie is for mature audiences only with an abundance of sex, nudity and drug usage. The dialogue is in German with English subtitles. Now playing exclusively at the Tivoli for a limited engagement.

PRECIOUS

2 and a half stars

Rated R

This low budget independent film was shot in only five weeks and rose from obscurity after winning three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival including the grand jury prize and audience award in the U.S. dramatic competition. It followed that up with an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, where it again captured the audience award. It built momentum and word-of-mouth support around the world, making stops at 14 prestigious festivals including New York, Vancouver, Chicago, Tokyo, London and Denver.

The hype machine went into overdrive when Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry jumped on the bandwagon as executive producers. It has triggered a fanatic response and off the charts per-screen average attendance figures. The amazing background of this climb from anonymity to the summit of popularity is overwhelming and far more interesting than the film itself.

The movie takes place in 1987 Harlem. It deals with the harsh reality of ghetto squalor. It is an exploitive horror story that piles on the misery, cruelty, sadness and abuse of both the mental and physical variety.

The central character is an obese, illiterate African-American teenager named Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe). She lives with her cruel and abusive mother Mary (Mo’Nique). Waiting hand and foot on this devilish matriarchal monster, she is treated like a domestic slave.

Precious is pregnant for the second time by an absent father. Her first child has Down syndrome and lives with her grandmother. Her second pregnancy gets her thrown out of public school. This actually becomes a lucky break and a turning point in her life.

The school principal directs Precious to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. She comes under the wings of Miss Blu Rain (Paula Patton from “Déjà Vu” and “Hitch”), an understanding and compassionate teacher. Precious learns to read and write.

A silver lining and a glimmer of hope appear on the horizon at the conclusion.

It is hard to believe people live like this in America. The movie throws in your face all the warts of a failed system. It centers on one family tree in a forest of urban poverty. It cries out for reform in public education, welfare and child protection. It is uncomfortable to sit through. You will want to turn away since some scenes will make you sick to your stomach.

The most abhorrent segment involves Precious bringing home her newborn son to meet mom. This ugly encounter becomes the last straw when a television set is hurled down a flight of stairs nearly striking Precious and her baby.

This manipulative string-pulling drama unflinchingly deals with tough-to-swallow central themes of incest, rape, teenage pregnancy, obesity, poverty, welfare, illiteracy, AIDS, child abuse and lesbianism.

The movie feels almost like a documentary. There are blackouts between scenes. The main character adds a voiceover narration of her thoughts and feelings. Her daydreams and fantasy world are very colorful.

The acting is stupendous and rises above the material. An almost unrecognizable Mariah Carey appears in a supporting role as a welfare counselor. Sidibe’s speech pattern while in character is sometimes difficult to understand. She alternates between mumbling and slurring her words.

You can’t help but feel compassion for this dumb and innocent human being. The uneven pacing causes things to drag and you may find yourself checking your watch since the 109- minute running time seems much longer.

The movie was directed by Lee Daniels (a producer of “Monster’s Ball”) and is based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire. Now playing in Johnson County exclusively at AMC Town Center 20 and the Leawood.

Top 5 Flick Picks

1. An Education

2. Coco Before Chanel

3. 2012

4. New Moon

5. Revanche

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