New Moon is currently basking in a pile of critical distaste. It’s currently a sad and deflated 30% on Rotten Tomatoes and has 70% of listed critics giving it stink eye. Not that critical ire matters in terms of films like these. New Moon will make its money and add further fuel to the “critics are out of touch” fire– just like Twilight’s spiritual cinematic brothers G.I. Joe and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did this summer. Critical loathing won’t make a bit of difference.
And really, critical loathing is fine– it’s a collective strength of disparate film criticism. But I’m beginning to wonder if the critical hate for New Moon is legitimately aimed at the film or, as stated in my review, if it’s based on fighting to maintain disgruntled predisposition, groupthink “street cred” and the abhorrence of associating with an estrogen-fueled pop phenomenon. A dissenting review is legitimate, but the smarmy strain at repugnance I’m seeing in so many New Moon reviews seems at least partially inspired by a personal beef with the phenomenon more than the film itself.
So now might be time to relinquish my right to continue as a bear wrestling, hairy chested, card carrying male. I unapologetically enjoyed New Moon… all in spite of itself.
Andy Samburg is about the only reason in the world I’ll be DVRing the MTV Movie Awards (no way in hell am I watching them live; there is great power in the fast forward button) set to air live on May 31, 2009 at 9PM EST, but if you’re a “Twilight” fan you’ll get your fix when Edward, Bella and Jacob, aka Robert Pattison, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, present an exclusive clip from the forthcoming “New Moon” during the “awards ceremony.” “Twilight” leads all movies with seven nominations. Academy Award voters must feel the hot glow of shame for missing the brilliance of this movie.
Michael Sheen, most recently seen as David Frost in Ron Howard’s Oscar nominated “Frost/Nixon,” has signed on to play the head of the Volturi coven of vampires in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Sheen must be relieved to finally shed the werewolf mask (he played a lycan in all three “Underworld” films) for that of a vampire. Boy, I know I would be. Them werewolves are stink-a-rific.
New Moon’s Box Office Debut = Holy Effin’ Ess!
Thing is? Numbers will most likely be higher when “actuals” (the actual dollars adjusted after a full Sunday run– not just today’s estimate) come in on Monday/Tuesday. I can’t say that I’m surprised, and yet, I’m still kind of surprised.
While a $140 million dollar haul doesn’t validate New Moon in terms of quality as much as it shows the Twilight brand is a platinum mine, New Moon’s massive success should give director Chris Weitz (who I inexplicably have a ton of good will for) a mood boost and a reason to hold of on improving his surfing technique. It’s also a “HA-HA!” to Paramount studios, who passed on renewing the rights to Twilight a few years back before Summit snatched it up and started printing gold coins off it.
That said, we can finally put New Moon behind us and look forward to some other great films coming out this holiday season… you know, as a breather until May/June of next year when stylistic and dark director David Slade delivers Twilight’s third chapter, Eclipse, to Summer Prime Time.