Last week, my sister took me to see Breaking Dawn I & II, as she is a big fan of the books and series (she is 7 years older than me). I didn't like the first part last year, but I said OK now just to see how things will develop and have a clear view on the whole situation. After the screenings, I can still say I don't like BD1, but 2 is a rather good ending to a very successful franchise.
Breaking Dawn 1 starts with the illustrious wedding, which was done in a very tasteful, beautiful way- I loved the dress and the very awkward speeches, but the dialogue was still incredibly cheesy. They obviously consume their honeymoon, and Bella soon realizes she is pregnant, which, with a vampire being the baby daddy, it's practically impossible. The rest of the movie consists of Bella getting worse by the day as she refuses to give up the baby that is slowly killing her. As expected, it ends with the birth of Renesmee and Bella as a new vampire.
Why I didn't enjoy it? Although I understand why they split the book in two movies, the second half of BD1 still dragged on, even though they cut a lot of scenes. On another note, as usual, I really didn't like the dialogue and its delivery by the actors- it's weird, because I loved the book and on paper it was better than what it sounded on screen. Still, the supporting characters were downright hilariously bad, especially Jackson Rathbone and Kellan Lutz, and their look is still unconvincing. High points? Wedding, honeymoon, Bella's look and the transformation into vampire.
Breaking Dawn 2 was much better, which was curious, considering it was directed by the same man and in the same time as 1- maybe the story moved a little faster than the first part. But don't think I loved it, because I still found many flaws to it- let's just say I liked it overall and it gave a nice ending to a series of books I used to love. BD2 follows the Cullen family in their happy days as the young girl grows and Bella gets used to her new state, but the clouds come in when the Volturi find out about the child and decide to kill her. The ending features a violent fight between the Cullen's friends and the Volturi clan, which has a surprising turn that I quite liked. The last scene is, of course, very romantic and a sweet wrap-up of the now famous love story.
I know most men will hate BD2, but I thought it was fine. It was slightly better than most Twilight films on all accounts and the fight scene was very cool, including its conclusion. If I could object to one thing, and that could apply to all the franchise movies, is the hair and make-up of the vampires- they never ever got it right (with the exception of Robert Pattinson, of course, and Kristen Stewart in the last one), it all looked absolutely horrible and cheesy.
Should you see Breaking Dawn 2? Well, if you watched all previous 4, than yes, you should, just to see how it all ends, no matter how painful in might be. If you skipped through Twilight films, and saw just one or two, just forget it, it's probably not for you.
The Cannes Festival is almost here and today the
official line-up has been announced. There are multiple categories, but I will
focusing on the In Competition movies- check out below a couple of things you
should know about each one and some trailers to go along with it, too.
In
Competition
Amour,
directed and written by Michael Haneke
-Previous works of MH: The Piano teacher,
Funny games
-Stars Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant and
William Shimell
-Synopsis: A retired couple deals with
aftermath of the wife suffering from a debilitating stroke. (IMDb)
The
Angels' Share, directed by Ken Loach and
written by Paul Laverty
-Previous works of KL: The wind that
shakes the Barley,
-Stars: Roger Allam, Daniel Portman and
John Henshaw
-Synopsis: Narrowly avoiding jail, new
dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery
inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives. (IMDb)
Baad
el mawkeaa, directed by Yousry Nasrallah
-Surprisingly enough, no information
about it on IMDb and nothing clear in the first pages of Google
Beyond
the Hills, directed and written by Cristian
Mungiu
-Previous works of CM: 4 months, 3 weeks and
2 days (Palme D’or winner)
-Stars Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur and
Valeriu Andriuta
-Synopsis: A drama centered on the friendship
between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge
at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in
Germany. (IMDb)
-Particularly happy for this one, as I
remember being so excited and proud when he won the Grand Prize a couple of
years ago (yes, shocking revelation, I am Romanian)
Cosmopolis,
directed and written by David Cronenberg, based on a novel by Don DeLillo
-Previous works of DC: Eastern Promises,
History of Violence
-Stars Robert Pattinson, Jay Baruchel and
Kevin Durand
-Synopsis: Riding across Manhattan in a
stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset
manager's day devolves into a odyssey with a cast of characters that start to
tear his world apart. (IMDb)
-Looks absolutely crazy and I love it, I
am intrigued by it! Plus, dare I say Robert Pattinson might do a fantastic job
in it? He looks very good in the trailer
Holy
Motors, directed and written by Leos Carax
-Previous works of LC: Pola X, Les amants
du Pont-Neuf
-Stars Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue and
Michel Piccoli
-Synopsis: The drama follows a day in the
life of a young actor (played by Denis Lavant) as he moves from one set to
another, sharing scenes with various partners. [Synopsis Courtesy of Next
Movie]
-Big names, interesting premise, will
attract attention
The
Hunt, or Jagten,
directed by Thomas Vinterberg&written by TV and Tobias Lindholm
-Previous works of TV: Festen, Submarino
-Stars Mads Mikkelsen, Alexandra Rapaport and
Thomas Bo Larsen
-Synopsis: a divorced man in a small country
town who is accused of abusing a child. (Guardian)
Killing
Them Softly, directed and written by Andrew Dominik, based
on a novel by George V. Higgins
-Formerly known as Cogan's Trade
-Previous works of AD: The Assasination
of Jesse James
-Stars Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and Richard
Jenkins
-Synopsis: Jackie Cogan is a professional
enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker
game. (IMDb)
-Expect big press around this movie, Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the eve of their engagement
In
another Country, directed and written by Hong Sang-soo
-Stars Isabelle Huppert and Jun-Sang Yu
-Synopsis/storyline: There are three
women named Anne who each consecutively visit a seaside town. They each stay at
the same small hotel by the shore and venture onto the beach where each of the
Annes meet a group of the same people including a certain lifeguard who
restlessly wanders up and down the beach. Huppert plays all three of these
different Annes and aside from her, the rest of the cast is all Korean,
although the film was mostly shot in the English language. (Screendaily)
In
the Fog, directed by Sergei Loznitsa
-Stars Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin
and Sergei Kolesov
-Synopsis: Western frontiers of the USSR,
1942. The region is under German occupation. A man is wrongly accused of
collaboration. Desperate to save his dignity, he faces impossible moral choice.
(IMDb)
Lawless,
directed by John Hillcoat, written by Nick Cave, based on a novel by Matt
Bondurant
-Previously known as “The Wettest Country”
-Previous works of JH: The Road, The
Proposition
-Stars Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy
Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain
-Synopsis: Set in the Depression-era Franklin
County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a
cut of their profits. (IMDb)
-There was buzz around it for a long time
and it is rumoured to be a very good movie
Like
Someone in Love, directed and written by Abbas
Kiarostami
-Previous works of AK: Taste of Cherry,
Certified Copy
-Stars Ryo Kase, Denden and Rin Takanashi
-Synopsis: Akiko (Rin Takanashi) a pretty
young student, sells herself to help pay for her studies. But then she comes
across a very unusual client: a learned old scholar (Tadashi Okuno) who shows
her great kindness. An extraordinary relationship develops between her and the
old man. (Awards Daily)
-Another loved and anticipated movie,
high on the betting boards
Moonrise
Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson and written
by WA and Roman Coppola
-Previous works of WA: The Royal
Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Fantastic Mr.Fox
-Stars Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce
Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton
-Synopsis: A pair of lovers flees their
New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.
(IMDb)
-Opening night, big stars, world known
director, interesting trailer- buzz-worthy film
Mud,
directed and written by Jeff Nichols
-Previous works of JN: Take Shelter
-Stars Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey
and Michael Shannon
-Synopsis: A drama centered on two teenage
boys who encounter a fugitive and pact to help him escape from an island in the
Mississippi. (IMDb)
On
the Road, directed by Walter Salles, written by
Jose Rivera based on a novel by Jack Kerouac
-Previous works of WS: Motorcycle Diaries
-Stars Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley,
Kristen Stewart, Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams
-Synopsis: Dean and Sal are the portrait
of the Beat Generation. Their search for "It" results in a fast
paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S.
(IMDb)
-Very anticipated and talked about film
in the last few years, the big names will attract a lot of press, especially
Kristen Stewart
-Early reports say that the movie is 2h
20 min long and very good
The
Paperboy, directed and by Lee Daniels and based
on a novel by Peter Dexter
-Previous works of LD: Precious, Monster’s
Ball
-Stars Zac Efron, John Cusack and Matthew
McConaughey
-Synopsis: A reporter returns to his
Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate. (IMDb)
Paradies:
Liebe, directed by Ulrich Seidl and
written by US and Veronika Franz
-Director known for his documentary style
-Stars Maria Hofstätter, Margarete Tiesel
and Inge Maux
Post
Tenebras Lux, directed by Carlos Reygadas
-Mexican director, known for Japon and
Battle in Heaven
Reality,
directed by Matteo Garrone and written by MG and Ugo Chiti
-Previous works of MG: Gomorra
-Stars Claudia Gerini, Nunzia Schiano and
Ciro Petrone
-Synopsis: “...is taking a look at
reality television, and at the very least, this image suggests a lighter movie
than the excellent but heavy "Gomorrah." (Indiewire)
Rust
and Bone, directed by Jacques Audiardand written
by JA and Thomas Bidegain
-Stars Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts
and Bouli Lanners
-Synopsis: It starts in the north. Ali ends
up with Sam, age 5, on the arms. His son, he barely knows. Homeless, penniless
and friendless, Ali finds refuge with her sister in Antibes. There is much
better that she's hosting in the garage of his house, she takes care of the
little and it's nice. Following a fight in a nightclub, his fate crosses that
of Stephanie. He brings her back to her and leaves her phone. He is poor and
she is beautiful and confident. She is a princess. All the objects. Stephanie
is a trainer of killer whales at Marineland. It will take the show turns into a
nightmare for a phone call in the night's meet again When Ali is found, the
princess is packed in a wheelchair: she lost her legs and a lot of illusions. He
will simply help, without compassion, without mercy. She will revive.
(IndieWire)
-It received some buzz before hand,
especially because of Marion Cotillards involvement
Taste
of Money, directed by Im Sang-soo
-Previous works of IS: The Housemaid
-Stars Kim Gang-woo, Baek Yoon-sik, Youn
Yuh-jung, Kim Hyo-jin, On Ju-wan and Maui Taylor
-Synopsis: The story focuses on Youngjak,
the secretary of Mrs. Baek, who is the leader of a powerful Korean industrial
giant. Tasked with looking after the affairs of this private and morally
questionable family, Youngjak is soon caught in a spiral of domination and
secrets, lost between his principles and the possibility of rapid career
advancement to a more comfortable life. Youngjak must choose sides to survive
in this world where money, sex and power are kings. (Indiewire)
You
Haven't Seen Anything Yet, directed by Alain
Resnais
-Stars Lambert Wilson, Mathieu Amalric and
Michel Piccoli
My
choices/picks aka The "I wish I was in Cannes to see
this movie" recipients
aka "I will
be checking to see how these following movies do in the festival":
On the road- first
and most anticipated (you know that by now); I loved the book and I have had a
crush on Garrett Hedlund since Four Brothers. The trailer looks solid
Mud- for the new Michael Shannon-
Jeff Nichols collaboration; the first one (Take Shelter) was amazing, so I have
high expectations for the second one
Lawless- great cast
Moonrise Kingodom-
cast+director+trailer+storyline= all very interesting
Cosmopolis- One word: CRAZY...or, if it
pleases you, out of control
Killing them softly- mafia
and a sexy Brad Pitt? Yes, I am that shallow, I will take it
Beyond the hills-
sticking with the national talent! Go Mungiu!
What
movies are you excited about? If you
could choose one movie to see from the line-up, what would it be? Let me know
in the comments!
