ReelzChannel | Robert Pattinson

New Moon Box-Office Update

REELZ — 23 Nov 2009 21:03:59 CDT

The numbers just keep climbing.

As of Monday night, New Moon's opening-weekend ticket sales have been recorded at $16.1 million MORE than what Summit originally estimated. Overseas box-office figures are still "trickling in" according to the LA Times, but right now the worldwide total stands at $274.9 million.

The final U.S. number for the weekend came in at $142.9 million, up $2 million from Sunday's estimates.

Twilight Saga: New Moon Premiere

20 Nov 2009 04:24:57 CDT

Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and the cast hit the red carpet

New Moon Fan Reviews

REELZ — 19 Nov 2009 11:02:44 CDT

Critic reviews for the second Twilight Saga movie have run the gamut. However, when it comes to die-hard fans, the decision to see New Moon was made weeks ago. Entertainment Weekly reports that the movie is breaking pre-sales records and that Fandango has sold out several thousand New Moon showtimes.

But what will Twilight fans think of the movie? Will it be worth the wait? For a good indication, we looked to an early review posted on the fansite Novel Novice Twilight. Here's a recap of what their reviewer had to say:

Okay, I'm just going to say it. The Twilight Saga: New Moon is not a perfect movie. Critics — the really nasty ones — are going to nitpick and tear it to shreds. Which is really a shame, because while it is not a perfect movie — it's a wonderfully enjoyable movie. (For this fan, at least.) I’ll be honest, New Moon is my least favorite of the books — but I felt a new sense of appreciation for it while watching it unfold on the big screen.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon is also a huge step-up from Twilight, in many ways. The overall scope and feel of the entire movie is both bigger and better.... And oddly enough — it actually felt to me like there was more romance between Bella and Edward in New Moon than there was in the first movie.... Can I also just say thank you to the folks who injected New Moon with all the action scenes?

For more fan reviews, come back tomorrow for our First Fans segment. And let us know what you think of the New Moon by posting a comment on the movie page.

Tracking New Moon's Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner

REELZ — 18 Nov 2009 15:51:23 CDT

With the New Moon premiere out of the way, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner are making the promotional rounds before the movie's opening weekend. Given the record number of ticket sales at this point, their appearances are, in all practicality, more of a gift to the fans than a necessary marketing push.

Tonight, Pattinson will be on Late Show with David Letterman, and as you can imagine, hoards of fans and photographers flooded the streets outside the studio to see him arrive. You can see a gallery of shots at Gossip Center. After Letterman, fans can switch the channel to catch Stewart on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

And for anyone who missed Lautner's appearance on The Jay Leno Show earlier in the week, you can see it below. The clips include footage of his appearance on the Mickey Mouse Show years ago, tales of one passionate Twilight Mom at a recent signing, and a new, exclusive New Moon scene.

Twilight Saga: New Moon - Interview

17 Nov 2009 07:34:12 CDT

Robert Pattinson talks about the relationship between Jacob Black and Bella Swan

New Moon Week on ReelzChannel

REELZ — 16 Nov 2009 17:14:08 CDT

Excited for New Moon? Well so are we, and because of it ReelzChannel is celebrating the release all week, on all our shows.

Find out Robert Pattinson's favorite food and how to make it on Hollywood & Dine. Tune in for Leonard Maltin's look at stand-out performances by the saga's cast in other movies on Secret's Out. See music videos from both soundtracks on Movies and Music. Get premiere news and more on Hollywood Dailies. And wrap it all up with a Twilight Weekly: Spotlight marathon.

Get the full schedule and find out where to see ReelzChannel in your area.

Listen, Don't Watch: 10 Soundtracks Better Than Their Movies

REELZCHANNEL STAFF — 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CDT

Seven months ago, the movie formerly known as The Boat That Rocked had its UK theatrical release, followed up two months later with the DVD. Reviews at the time were so-so. Now the pic gets shipped state-side, renamed Pirate Radio and apparently with all the good parts taken out.

That said, the soundtrack contains 32 '60s classics from The Kinks to The Who to David Bowie — sending it straight to the "Soundtracks Better Than Their Movies" category. Here are our top 10 on that list.

Movie

Soundtrack Highlights

Music vs. Movie

"We're Feelin' Ya"

1.	Purple Rain

Let's Go Crazy
Take Me With U
Darling Nikki
When Doves Cry
I Would Die 4 U
Baby I'm a Star
Purple Rain

Prince's concert movie/biopic is nearly unwatchable when any "acting" happens offstage (except, of course, for the unforgettable "purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka" scene featuring Apollonia). Meanwhile, the soundtrack is the third best-seller of all time, won an Oscar, and still holds up 25 years after its release.

"It's probably best to think of the film as an extended music video, a watershed moment for movie sound tracks, and not much more."

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

2.

Twilight

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
I Caught Myself - Paramore
Eyes on Fire - Blue Foundation
Never Think - Rob Pattinson

Some Twilight fans have complained the movie's soundtrack didn't really "fit" the Bella-and-Edward love story or the Forks, Washington, setting. As if that's a bad thing! Forget for a moment that it's based on a popular book, and the movie would barely make the cut for the CW. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is first-rate, including a moody ballad by star Robert Pattinson.

"There's nothing transporting about the visuals. Twilight was a famously low-budget production compared to most traditional blockbusters, but this is ridiculous."

Christy Lemire, Associated Press

3.	Marie Antoinette

Plainsong - The Cure
Kings of the Wild Frontier - Adam & the Ants
Ceremony - New Order
Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Maybe Sofia Coppola would be considered a better filmmaker if her soundtracks didn't always trump her movies. Marie Antoinette isn't bad, but when you set "Hong Kong Garden" to an 18th-century French costume ball, it's Siouxie and the Banshees who steal the show.

"The result is a silly piece of costume jewelry called Marie Antoinette, and no, the soldering of a new-wave-revival soundtrack with 18th-century Versailles is not interesting enough to save this bauble."

Michael Booth, Denver Post

4.	Lost Highway

I'm Deranged - David Bowie
This Magic Moment - Lou Reed
Mr. Eddy's Theme 1 and 2 - Barry Adamson
Anything - Angelo Badalamenti

David Lynch has made some of our favorite movies ... but this ain't one of 'em. Bill Pullman was a musician who morphed into a mechanic, or something. If you figure it out, let us know. Anyhow, the Lou Reed music still sounds great and Lynch's composer Angelo Badalamenti was still at the top of his game.

"If one wishes to make sense of this film, it would have to be done on a metaphorical level."

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

5.	Garden State

Caring Is Creepy - The Shins
In the Waiting Line - Zero 7
One of These Things First - Nick Drake
Winding Road - Bonnie Somerville
Let Go - Frou Frou

Director and star Zach Braff's pale cover of a Wes Anderson movie somehow manages to have less drama and emotional connection than the movie's music, which includes tracks from Zero 7, Nick Drake, and of course Frou Frou. Oh, yes, and the Shins get a couple ditties in there, too.

"This comedy works so diligently at being idiosyncratic, it comes off as artificial and forced."

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

6.	O Brother, Where Art Thou?

You Are My Sunshine - Norman Blake
Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss
Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby - Emmylou Harris
I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow - The Soggy Bottom Boys
I'll Fly Away - Gillain Welch

It's not that we hated this update of Homer's Odyssey by the Coen Brothers. But let's face it, it's impossible to follow up The Big Lebowski with a movie that won't disappoint by comparison. The catchy American folk music soundtrack, on the other hand, turned millions on to bluegrass, gospel, and blues — people who otherwise are predisposed to indie rock and music from those Apple commercials.

"After making what are still probably their two best features, the Coen brothers came up with their worst, a piece of pop nihilism."

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

7.	Saturday Night Fever

Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
Boogie Shoes - KC & the Sunshine Band
Disco Inferno - The Trammps

The movie is dance-off cheese with a dollop of bad Brooklyn accents, yet it did — thanks primarily to the music — turn disco into a worldwide phenomenon we're still coming to grips with almost 30 years later. It's still the number two best-selling soundtrack of all time, two million units behind The Bodyguard (seriously).

"John Badham's film (his best to date), a zeitgeist picture that captures the disco subculture of the 1970s like no other work, features a star-making performance from John Travolta who dominates every frame."

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.com

8.	Pretty in Pink

If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Do Wot You Do - INXS
Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo & the Bunnymen
Wouldn't It Be Good - Danny Hutton Hitters

Maybe if John Hughes had written and directed Pink it would be up there with Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club in the "Brat Pack" filmography. Instead, its soundtrack is what's most memorable, an almost perfect collection of mid-80s alt-rock tainted only slightly by Suzanne Vega's "Left of Center."

"This is like every other Hughes film, just a little shoddier."

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

9.	The Life Aqautic with Steve Zissou

Life on Mars? - David Bowie
Rebel Rebel - Seu Jorge
Gut Feeling - Devo
The Way I Feel Inside - The Zombies
Queen Bitch - David Bowie

Every Wes Anderson movie is a little bit worse than his last (starting with the brilliant Bottle Rocket and ending with The Darjeeling Limited), but the soundtracks are always top notch. Previous to Darjeeling he made the snoozer Aquatic, redeemed significantly by Seu Jorge covering David Bowie ... and David Bowie singing David Bowie.

"Why is it that so many people think this filmmaker is the voice of their generation? Is their generation that vacuous?"

David Edelstein, Slate

10.

Xanadu

Magic - Olivia Newton-John
Suddenly - Olivia Newton-John
I'm Alive - Electric Light Orchestra
All Over the World - Electric Light Orchestra

In spite of featuring Olivia Newton-John at the peak of her beauty, this 1980 flick about a Greek muse who inspires a guy to build a disco roller rink — we didn't just make that up — doesn't even qualify as a guilty pleasure. The movie bombed. The soundtrack, however, contained five Top 20 singles, three from ONJ and two from ELO.

"Xanadu is a mushy and limp musical fantasy, so insubstantial it keeps evaporating before our eyes."

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Twilight Saga: New Moon - Interview

11 Nov 2009 16:08:12 CDT

A chat with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Kellan Lutz, and more

ReelzChannel | Robert Pattinson

New Moon Box-Office Update

Twilight Saga: New Moon Premiere

New Moon Fan Reviews

Tracking New Moon's Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner

Twilight Saga: New Moon - Interview

New Moon Week on ReelzChannel

Listen, Don't Watch: 10 Soundtracks Better Than Their Movies

Movie

Soundtrack Highlights

Music vs. Movie

"We're Feelin' Ya"

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Twilight Saga: New Moon - Interview