Bolt (voice of Travolta) is a celebrity dog and the star of a hit TV show where his amazing feats and powers draw big ratings. But when a mail-room mix-up finds him roaming free on the streets of New York City, the wonder dog will have to learn to rely on his actual strengths -- as well as his new friends, an abandoned housecat and a starry-eyed hamster -- in order to find his way back home to his owner and co-star, Penny (voice of Cyrus).
Buzz:
Disney's latest morality tale sort of sounds heaps better than, say, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but way less interesting as the Monsters Vs. Aliens teaser trailer that popped up online earlier this week. Hmm, what else to say? Well, Travolta is nowhere near as creepy to look at here than he was in Wild Hogs and Hairspray. Good luck to Ms. Miley Cyrus in her voice-role debut; she might be barely audible among the presence of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" standout Sussie Essman -- listen for her to steal as many scenes as she's in, though she'll have to keep her language family-friendly here.
In her new town of Forks, Washington, misfit teenager Bella Swan (Stewart) falls for her alluring and mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen (Pattinson). As it turns out, Edward belongs to a lineage of vampires, although he doesn't fit the typical vampire mold. As their passion reaches dizzying heights, can Edward resist his natural urges, and will he be able to defend Bella from his family members who have come for her?
Buzz:
In terms of movies, 2008 will be remembered as the year superheroes went truly mainstream and, separately, the industry realized that female and gay male audiences are a neglected demographic. But what about the younger generation -- more specifically, teenage girls? Has any studio been able to figure out what they want, aside from Hannah Montana? Enter Catherine Hardwicke's adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's first novel, a project that first captured our interest very early this year when Kristen Stewart (Bella), Robert Pattinson (Edward), and a handful of their castmates took over our STARmeter chart, well in advance of any available footage from the production. The hype reached its first apex at Comic-Con, when the movie's panel earned Beatlemania comparisons from aging journalists who covered their ears as the teen girls and their "Twilight Moms" made the event more of a freak-out and less of a presentation. It's always tricky to predict if Internet buzz will turn into box-office gold (or, in this case, crimson) but I will say this: If the mother-daughter duos turn out for opening weekend (which was pushed up from mid-December to pre-Thanksgiving once Harry Potter decided to hide until 2009), Twilight could trump some higher-profile holiday movies, powered by repeat audiences, and send competing studios rushing off to optioned like-minded novels. Stephenie Meyer is keeping a blog on the movie's progress, so you might want to bookmark it as your destination for all things vamp as the release date draws near.
Metermaid Les Franken (Rapaport) has an unexpected reaction to the anti-depressant he's taking as part of a clinical trial; suddenly convinced he's a superhero, he embraces his new powers, dons a homemade costume, and hits the streets to protect the citizens of his city. the corporation behind the pill, fearing bad publicity about their drug, set out to bring down our hero, who in turn hones his abilities to fight off his new arch-nemeses.
Buzz:
This one has been around since '06, but Magnet Films has saved it from DVD obscurity as part of their Six Shooter Film Series. You can bank on an ace performance from go-to character actor Michael Rappaport (who is sadly un-super-famous), but reviewers say prepare for a tonal shift that steers the story away from its comedic beginning and into murky, paranoid territory. Is that a good or bad thing? Either way: It sounds better than Hancock to me.
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The Phantom Of The Opera (DVD) Review
Nominated for 3 Academy Awards and 3 Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, The Phantom Of The Opera is one of the most talked about movies of 2004. Taking the smash commercial success of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage production to the big screen is no easy task, but long-time Hollywood director Joel Schumacher is more than able to get the job done. He takes an otherwise poorly written screenplay (minus the awe of a live performance no less) and manages to thrill the audience with the visual aspects of a film chiefly intended to rehash a successful stage musical. The costumes and set are simply magnificent, and Art Director John Fenner (Raiders Of The Lost Ark) helps Schumacher put together a fabulous production that's well worth a movie-goer's time?
Onscreen, The Phantom Of The Opera is weak by the standards of a traditional film. The cast does its best to make the most of a screenplay peppered with rigid dialogue - a script designed to sell "the music of the night". The supposed magnetism between Christine and Raul is non-existent and not really believable. As such, the audience is forced into believing that the phantom (who, by contrast, is quite charismatic in this rendition) would end up playing second fiddle to a man who makes Al Gore seem animated. Overall, however, other aspects of the film make up for this flaw?
Based on Gaston Leroux's 1925 novel of the same name, The Phantom Of The Opera loses much of its original edge given the phantom's transformation from a frightening and mangled lunatic to a watered down half-scarred/half-babe-magnet figure complete with likeable characteristics. But inevitably, that's the mark of an enduring franchise - its malleability in the realm of numerous genres and the public's willingness to embrace such changes. But arguably, the small changes in the original novel's plot were necessary to achieve Lloyd Webber's goal of a melodramatic and stirring Broadway musical boasting mass commercial appeal. In a year in which the Oscar nominations were mostly dominated by lower-budget, surprise hit films (such as Sideways, Million Dollar Baby, and Finding Neverland), The Phantom Of The Opera holds its own in many aspects (given its pre-production designation as a commercial success). But those who have not seen the stage version are unlikely to be won over to the ranks of the franchise's numerous fanatics. My advice is to definitely see the film if you've ever seen the stage performance or listened regularly to the soundtrack - otherwise, you might be disappointed. After all, no matter how good The Phantom Of The Opera translates to the big screen, there's a reason musicals are not the dominate genre in Hollywood?
Britt Gillette is author of <a href="http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com">The DVD Report</a>, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of <a href="http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/phantom-of-opera-dvd.html">The Phantom Of The Opera (DVD)</a>. Read more at:http://www.ArticlePros.com/arts_and_entertainment/movie_reviews/article-20497.html.
