Eclipse

Goolphipp Award: 4.75 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Where we stand: Fanatics, but not the creepy kind

Goolsby: Yes, there is some imaginary line when fans become crazed fans. I don't think Goolphipp falls into the crazed section, we're just enthusiasts. I love the story, and more importantly I loved this film.

Phipps: After I saw New Moon, I wrote on this blog, "I'm super stoked about the next movie...but I'm not going to stalk the set in Canada." And that is still technically true. However, Goolsby and I did take Movie Extravaganza Tour of the Pacific Northwest, which included the real Forks, La Push, and Port Angeles. In addition to that, we visited nearly all the filming locations for Twilight. We took some pictures at each place and that was it. It was cool and fun, and just our style. So I suppose, we can now be labeled fanatics...but we most certainly did not carry around cardboard cutouts...and I still don't write or read fan fiction.

Audience: Teens and up

Goolsby: I think it has been in the theaters long enough now to safely say there will be minimal teen-screaming, or stampeding for that matter. If you're trying to avoid the teens and watch this movie in peace, and without those prolonged sighs from some drooling teens, then so see an early or late late showing. This movie brings something for everyone, so enjoy.

Phipps: 14+. There's more action in this one, and the themes are more adult. Eclipse has been labeled the "most guy friendly," and I would agree. There's less moping around and more wolves. Girls, of course, will love it if they love the books or vamps and wolves in general. I think most people will be able to find something they like. While we were waiting in line, we saw three generations of women: a grandmother, a mom, and her teenage daughter. That's one neat thing about this franchise, it allows for some common ground in the generation gap.

Storyline and drama: Classic Love Triangle

Goolsby: Tried and true the triangle always forces viewers to choose one side. And this is where we get the Team Edward and Team Jacob shirts. But hey... what about Team Quil Ateara? (Sorry, my geek is slipping out.)

Phipps: Stuck to the book plot fairly closely, aside from a few minor deviations. Each script gets a little better in capturing the spirit of the novel. General summary: Bella loves two men - a vampire and a shape shifter. And in the midst of the emotional turmoil, someone is trying to kill her. There's your hook. Angst for the women, and cloak-and-dagger for the boys.

Continuity: Hey look, they match

Goolsby: We sat through all three films for the midnight showing trilogy thing. I literally had to tell myself "pay attention" the first 20 minutes of this film because it felt so seamless. I appreciate the plot sticking to the original book plot. I was so glad that all the background history of the other Cullen family members got to be explored. Maybe I change my mind - Team Jasper Hale. (Entering full geek mode.)

Phipps: There isn't a marked difference in the cinematography. In fact, I think David Slade really tried to make a movie that fit with the other two. Crazy Goolphipp saw the trilogy opening night on the big screen, and Eclipse felt like an extension of the other two. As a whole, all the characters got to shine...and the plot was completed. There were no wasted scenes. Slade did a great job with the action sequences. I felt like this movie was almost the complete package. I say almost because they missed the sparkly vampire skin in quite a few scenes. That's part of why they are in Forks - no sun = no sparkle. I almost feel like a post-release touch up of these scenes would be beneficial...but nobody listens to me.

Delivery: Nailed it

Goolsby: Everyone is finally well seated into their characters. I think any forgiveness we gave in the first two movies has paved the way for great performances. I'm indifferent to the whole Kristen-Stewart-as-the-right-Bella conflict... I don't really care. Heck, at least she stopped that incessant blinking she sported in the first film. Billy Burke as Charlie always, always, always, steals the scenes. Perhaps I change my mind again, Team Charlie. Haha. But really, great supporting cast on this one. I loved Julia Jones as Leah Clearwater, she really nailed the pissed off look. And Boo Boo Stewart (poor kid has to live with this name) as Seth Clearwater was perfect - so eager and outgoing, loved it.

The filming was great too. I loved all of the action scenes. I wanted more. A few times they went really fast, and the vampire parts flying around were hard to catch. The sound mixing was great! Awesome. I love a good fight.

Phipps: People nailed their characters as usual. I'm still not a fan of Kristen Stewart...I'm sure there was a better Bella out there. I love Taylor Lautner. In my opinion, that kid just knows his character inside and out, which makes for the perfect Jake performance. Pattinson was allowed by the script to really show the old-fashioned, gentleman side of Edward, and that was amazing to see brought to life. The supporting cast - especially Jasper (played by Jackson Rathbone) and Charlie (played by Billy Burke) - stole some scenes. Overall, I was really satisfied.

Phipps overall: 4.75
The missed sparkle...automatic deduction.

Goolsby overall: 4.75
Phipps is right. Almost perfect.

Goolphipp award: 4.75 (Worth 11 Bucks)

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Up in the Air

Goolphipp Award: 3.4 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
We've all heard the hype around this movie in some way or another. Could be you've heard that George Clooney did a stellar job, and they would be right. Clooney has the Cary Grant sparkle and charm, which is perfect for this movie. Could be you heard about all those awards nominations for this movie, and just might want to watch it to see if it deserved all of them. While I don't think that it was the best movie this awards season, I have to say that the script (aside from the ending...or lack thereof) was pretty great. It had the humor jabs juggling the drama without being cheeseball. (I do have to say, the idea of downsizing all our material possessions in our "backpack" is absolutely a splendid idea. It kind of inspires me to clean out my house.) Let's address the ending - warning! spoiler might be on the horizon - I hate movies where nothing really changes. I suppose the kid learns something...but it doesn't seem like he decides to really make an effort to reforge relationships with his family or have more of a life. Ryan (Clooney) just seems resigned to his life in the sky. What a downer. And that lady was a jerk.

Moving onto other points, Anna Kendrick, of the Twilight Saga fame, shows she has something to bring to the table as far as acting chops. I was impressed, and I hope she continues to enhance her repertoire.

It was good to see Sam Elliott, too.

This movie was well-done in all respects - cinematography, sound mixing, acting, directing, writing - except the last 5 minutes made it a downer. I don't anticipate a lot of DVD sales on this one, folks. Nobody wants to be stabbed in the heart twice.

Phipps overall: 2.75
I can't see past the nose-dive at the end.

Goolsby:
Phipps has already warned you of the not so great ending. I'm okay with endings that don't always end up on the bright side of things, but this movie seemed like it was headed somewhere else. The whole movie builds up this character Ryan. We see that his life is isolated and always in transit. He really has no roots. Even when he visits his family, he has been removed too long to even connect at first. I think this movie tries to show that relationships, no matter what kind, take work. Lots of it.

The backpack Phipps talks about above is a neat concept in the movie. The constant moving Ryan is a motivational speaker who sends the message, what really matters in life? When it comes down to it, his travel size carry on is really Ryan's backpack. The things that he cares about turns out to be all about his transatory life.

The point I'm trying to make is that this movie builds up Ryan's realization, but he ultimately - spoiler - does nothing with his realization. He ends up alone. Thinking back on this movie though, I guess it is realistic. Some people end up alone, in spite of even realizing they have other options. I don't think I would want to see this again, but as I write this, I've decided it was a good message. Perhaps it will inspire me to make the other decision - to live a connected life.

Oh, and one more thing. There is a speech given by Alex (Clooney's love interest), played by Vera Farmiga, that basically outlines everything she looks for in a man. The whole scene surrounding this list hits home, and hits it hard.

Goolsby overall: 4
Hmm, I won't see it again, but I can't give it less than this. I took a lot from this movie.

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Daybreakers

Goolphipp Award: 3.9 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:
I grew up with Ethan Hawke as Jack from White Fang and Troy from Reality Bites. You can say I'm a fan. Put him opposite Willem Dafoe (who plays Elvis) and add some vampires, you know I'm going to be there. I thought this movie was clever and had more to offer than just being another "vampire movie." Directors and writers Michael and Peter Spierig created a whole world where vampires are the norm and humans are the minority. This movie was horror first, drama second. The blood and guts were done well. I hate it when horror or action movies over use the gore factor and then use cheap blood to boot. We had realistic looking blood for the most part and awesome action moments. Plenty of "boo" moments for all. I appreciated the under story though. The drama between Hawke's character Edward and his military brother Frankie was well delivered and placed. I really liked all the details. Vampires need to drive in the daytime, so we've got modified cars with multiple driving cameras and black windows. There were subwalks (similar to a subway) for the vampires to walk around during the day. There were also coffee stations that served blood mixed with coffee.

I really liked this movie. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it gave me more than I thought. Give me a "smart" movie where the characters make smart life saving decisions and I'm good to go. This movie made us think and I always welcome that. This movie is not for the faint of heart. Daybreakers also had its faults, but they were minimal and easy to overlook.

Goolsby overall: 4.25
"We're the ones with the crossbows."

Phipps:
I generally like vampire movies. I wasn't as pleased with this movie as Goolsby...and I suppose it's because it is a horror movie. I'm not a fan of those. I felt it had too many boo moments. They were unnecessary, the plot was enough to keep me interested. But I liked the details of the movie, especially the tricked-out Chrysler with the sun shades.

This particular movie had different pieces from vampire movies that came before it. The golden eyes were most likely pulled from the Twilight movies. The swearing was akin to Blade, as was the blood and gore. I thought the CGI was on the same level as Underworld. While these are some of the similarities, I still think that Daybreakers had something special. With all the "cool" vampire movies out, where characters want to become the undead, this movie was a refreshing change. What if everyone became a vampire? An intriguing question.

So, I guess, at the end of the day, I would watch it again on DVD. It was done well. Heck, I even dreamed a couple nights later about staking the starving bat-like vamps in Daybreakers. For the record though, Ethan Hawke makes a better human than vampire.

Phipps overall: 3.5
For Willem Dafoe...the original ex-vampire.

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New Moon

Goolphipp Award: 4.8 (No Peanuts Chucked)

Where we stand: Both fans, not fanatics

Goolsby: I love the series. I've read the book more than once, and appreciate its depressing qualities. We have a tradition for going to the midnight showings. We also have a tradition that borders on fanatic status - we make shirts. Last year we made subtle shirts that included a book quote. This year we had a group of 4 people. Each person sported a sweatshirt that displayed each of the months Bella was in a zombie-like phase - October, November, December, January (me). I go into detail about this, because the movie actually paid homage to the months in the movie, all except January that is...

Phipps: I'm a fan of the books. I think the character Edward Cullen is generally the teenybopper version of Mr. Darcy...with really sharp teeth. I'm generally a Team Edward girl, although, like Bella, I always seem to forget how much I like Jacob Black...until he is before my eyes. I was "December" in the months that Goolsby describes. I enjoy the storyline...and I'll make a shirt...but I don't write fan fiction. I'm super stoked about the next movie...but I'm not going to stalk the set in Canada.

Audience: Teenyboppers and up

Goolsby: I think a large range of people can appreciate this film. We all know that the Twilight craze affects most women regardless of age. A mom and a daughter bonding over how amazing Edward is? It happens. But I think this movie also has a more sound appeal for males as well. Twilight had minimal action compared to New Moon, and I think boys will appreciate the master-crafted werewolves too. I don't think the movie is appropriate for children though. Definitely teen and up.

Phipps: Bottom line - know your kid. If you've got a kid that handles Narnia, Terminator, Star Wars, etc, without blinking or getting freaked out, it might be okay. But odds are, 14+.

Storyline and drama: "I leave you alone for one minute, and the wolves descend."

Goolsby: Girl meets boy, boy leaves, girl cries, girl makes a friend, friend turns into werewolf, boy comes back. I think we all knew the premise of this movie based on the trailers that were going around like flies. It is simple. I also think it plays off of a dilemma most people can relate to, especially teens and young adults - lost love. If you cant relate to Bella, then you definitely can relate to Jacob. Stake in the heart, or silver bullet I should say.

Phipps: Stuck to the novel, which impressed me. There were a few plot deviations, but in each case, you understand why it needed to be tweaked - it was nothing significant. The telling was seamless.

This movie marks the rise of Jacob Black...in all his wolfy glory. And, of course, the cementing of the "love triangle."

Continuity: Spot on

Goolsby: I think a lot of fans that have read the books really appreciated all the small details that were included in this film. Everything was incorporated seamlessly that there were very few times that stuck out as plot deviations.

I also thought that the look and feel of the film was superb compared to Twilight. I liked how they handled the fight scenes between the vampires. The werewolves came out great too. They were big and detailed that I was completed satisfied. The color in the film was handled well too I thought. This film is all about losing the love of your life, and I think the muted colors really helped even though it was subtle. The soundtrack too was well incorporated and subtle. This movie all about about giving us what we wanted with a smooth coating. No grievances from me here.

Phipps: You can tell that Weitz really worked hard on this film. He wanted to please fans and tell a great story. Kristen Stewart once commented that everything that Catherine Hardwicke shot on Twilight was "fast." I think Chris Weitz slowed it down, which was possible due to increased funding, but that allowed the cast and crew to really nail it. The product was a fairly stellar film.

I liked that New Moon isn't so starkly different from Twilight in look and feel, and yet it does have its own flavor. There was definitely more polish to this one and less of a choppy splice-n-dice.

Delivery: Great

Goolsby: I think everyone has been getting increasingly better. Stewart had high expectations from me, just because she failed pretty much in the last movie. She was able to cut down on her blinking which I was so happy for. The really kicker was Lautner, he did an awesome Jacob Black. That boy has got some acting chops for sure. And oi... break my heart and stomp on it, Pattinson's scene with Stewart in the woods was perfect. Pattz was pretty awesome. Loved the supporting cast too. Always have to give props to Billy Burke. Everyone is really falling into their roles, I love it. I cant wait to see what is next.

Phipps: People slipped right back into their roles. The new cast members were well-cast (as was the original cast in Twilight). I think in this case, better performances are rooted in the change of director. Some of the younger cast is really cutting their teeth on these movies - Taylor Lautner and Dakota Fanning being ones to watch. And I swear, Michael Sheen is a vampire geek at heart, since he tends to find vampire/werewolf roles. I'm happy to note that Kristen Stewart definitely improved in portraying Bella Swan - thank goodness. All in all, I was very satisfied with all the performances. And thank goodness, our audience, which was full of loud teenyboppers, was so entranced with the movie that they forgot to be obnoxious.

Phipps overall: 5
Stellar. Everything I wanted.

Goolsby overall: 4.75
Simply for the missing January!

Goolphipp award: 4.8 (No Peanuts Chucked)

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