Busy busy time at the cinema over the last week
Not only did I manage to make the Friday 13th UK preview screenings of Paranormal Activity, but also faced the end of the world in 2012 – all before revisiting Bella and Edward’s angst ridden lives at the exclusive fan event and multimedia screening of New Moon with my work.
So I’ll start with Paranormal Activity shall I?
So for a while I’ve been following @tweetYourScream on Twitter, which asks audiences to tell them what they thought of it – but up to now I’ve only seen US responses. Nice touch holding UK previews on Friday 13th, so me and the gf went to check it out (both love horror films – even if she does hate it when I feel the need to re-enact the faces after…)
In the same vein as Blair Witch, it’s entirely filmed on a hand-held ‘amateur’ camera and tells the story of Katie (looks very much like a chunkier Amy Adams – no?) and Micah who are haunted in their new home. He’s sceptical, she’s apparently cursed and so it goes on. Each night they set the camera up and you’re staring at a dimly lit scene – eyes darting at any slight movement, wondering what’ll happen next. The creepiness includes footsteps (which looked like a frog….), swinging lightbulbs and scratched photos amongst other things.
I won’t give away the ending, but to be honest you nearly see it in the trailer…didn’t scare me so much as creep me out, and there was a funny atmosphere in the cinema. If you’re like our audience and us, you’ll find yourself talking through slow bits then being deadly silent when the night scenes come around again.
There’s a really interesting back story to how this film nearly didn’t happen, how things went bump in the night for Steven Spielberg after he watched it, and then how a ‘demand to see it’ interactive campaign helped to push it out across America and beyond. It’s now broken records to become the most profitable independent film ever made having earned over $100 million with a production budget of $15,000
Good luck to it in its UK campaign… 7/10 for me.
Next a bit of impending doom from the same director as The Day After Tomorrow…yes, it’s 2012 – the end of the world ‘as we know it’
Now apparently ‘we were warned’ by the Mayans about the date of the end of the world – and as hinted at in the film, this will have catastrophic effects for the 2012 London Olympics.
Disaster King Roland Emmerich’s 2012 is indeed the ultimate popcorn film. Bits of the earth falling off here and there, struggling families, the outspoken scientist telling the Gov the shock news, a US President forced to choose between a duty to his people and relationship with his daughter (lovely Thandie Newton), a comedy Russian, a Paris Hilton-a-like as well as enough action filled car & plane chases to sink all of the Noah’s Ark style ships it provides as the solution – hurrah! I’ll give it a 8/10 for pure trash enjoyment.
Go if… you liked Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow – because this could be all those rolled into one
Don’t Go if…you’re after a highly strung, thoughtful film that provokes inner thought and reflection.
A warning of my own…at 158 mins long it’s not the shortest film. Could have cut that down, but make sure you pace yourself on the snacks!
Another nugget – the epic trailer music in the trailer is from my favourite trailer music company… Two Steps From Hell…they sure know their stuff…love it!
Which brings me finally to New Moon – the sequel to last year’s smash Twilight, the film adaptations of Mormon author Stephenie Meyer’s The Twilight Saga
In the absence of a UK premiere (due to US led global release date), London was treated to a different kind of red carpet event – a fan event held at Battersea Evolution featuring Rob, Kristen and Taylor (pictured) along with director Chris Weitz (About A Boy, Golden Compass)
CRAZY is not the word. Fans lined the barriers screaming as loud as they could as the stars approached, before taking to the stage for a brief Q&A. It went well – Kristen was even cheerful (SHOCK) but i think she handled New Moon so much better than Twilight.
Once they were off stage they literally flew off for the next leg of the fan event tour – but the rest of us were treated to food and drink and music from bands on the soundtrack who performed for the crowds. I had a good evening, chatting to Heat’s Film Ed Charles Gant, News Of The World’s Robbie Collins and even RottenTomatoes‘s own UK editor Joe Utichi.
But – onto the film of course. I went to the first screenings held by E1 at Odeon Leicester Square on Tuesday 17th with work and took our seats in the packed out (and mainly female) audience.
Screams even met the studio logos as the audience clearly knew we were about to begin, and as started with Twilight, New Moon began with Bella’s monologue to set the scene. From here on in though, you knew the franchise had moved up a notch since Catherine Hardwicke’s humble beginning.
More budget, much more slow-mo, and more Thom Yorke soundtrack made for a much different kind of film. No longer an angsty almost indie film – New Moon embraces the world of the Blockbuster with force. I did however like the rare comedy moments which helped break it up – whether intentional or not a couple of bits made me snigger, such as Alice’s visions of a Vampy Bella running ‘GAP styled’ through a forest with Edward – or the VERY Hammy Michael Sheen (who was severly underused).
It’s not really a film for guys – as you would expect, nor is it a critic’s film (as the reviews out this week would allude), but you’ve got to keep it in perspective – it’s for the fans, the ones reading the books religiously, the ones besotted with RPatz and crazy for the likes of Taylor Lautner’s chest (he’s 17(!) ladies – how??) 5/10
Those who like all of the above will enjoy this…
