This week at the movies, we’ve got a vampire wedding (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson), and dancing penguins (Happy Feet Two, with voice work by Elijah Wood and Robin Williams). What do the critics have to say?
As the Twilight Saga comes into the home stretch, it looks to go out with a whimper rather than a bang, say critics, who find Breaking Dawn Part 1 to be full of limp pacing and unintentional laughs. In Breaking Dawn Part 1, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) have gotten hitched, and soon Bella is preggers with a lil’ bloodsucker, a development that fills old flame Jacob (Taylor Lautner) with apprehension. The pundits say Breaking Dawn Part 1 is even more melodramatic than previous installments, with cringe-worthy dialogue and a weird puritanical streak that robs the movie of any sense of swoony fun.
Those jovial aquatic birds are back with Happy Feet Two, though critics say the sequel lacks the easy charm of Happy Feet; instead, it’s nicely animated but also thinly plotted and way too busy. This time out, Mumbles (Elijah Wood) and his two-left-footed son must rescue a group of emperor penguins trapped in an ice floe. The pundits say Happy Feet Two looks terrific, but it’s hampered by a lackluster script and an overabundance of supporting characters. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we count down co-star Robin Williams’ best-reviewed movies.)
Tomboy, a French drama about a 10-year-old girl who passes for a boy when her family moves to a new town, is at 100 percent.
Snowtown, a drama about an aimless teen who falls in with Australia’s most notorious serial killer, is at 94 percent.
Alexander Payne‘s The Descendants, starring George Clooney as a prosperous lawyer whose life is turned upside down when his wife is injured in a boating accident, is Certified Fresh at 91 percent.
Garbo: The Spy, a documentary about the remarkable story of World War II-era double agent Joan Pujol Garcia, is at 89 percent.
Tyrannosaur, a drama about an alcoholic widower and a Christian charity worker who form a complex bond, is Certified Fresh at 85 percent.
The Lie, a dramedy about an aimless young father whose fibbing has huge repercussions, is at 67 percent (check out director/star Joshua Leonard’s Five Favorite Films here).
Eames: The Architect And The Painter, a doc about celebrated husband-and-wife artists Charles and Ray Eames, is a 67 percent.
In Heaven Underground: The Weissensee Jewish Cemetery, a doc about Europe’s oldest Jewish burial ground, is at 60 percent.
The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch, an action thriller about a billionaire’s son who must outsmart armies of dangerous people in order to take over the family business, is at 50 percent.
Rid of Me, a black comedy about a recently divorced woman who attempts to reinvent herself, is at 50 percent.
Another Happy Day, starring Ellen Barkin and Kate Bosworth in a dramedy about a dysfunctional family reunion, is at 47 percent.
