So… there seems to be some kind of vampire movie coming out sometime soon … um, something about Bella…and Jacob … and some guy called Edward? Yep, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” lands in theaters at midnight on Nov. 19 and fans are going absolutely nuts in anticipation. So we have good news for Bay Area Twi-hard fans. Twilighters Anonymous is hosting a vampire party and red carpet screening at the Brenden Theaters in Concord that night. The party starts at 10 p.m. with vampire-related games and activities, goodie bags and prizes, following by the much-anticipated movie at midnight. Tickets are $19.
And after you watch it, come on back, click “comments” and tell us what you thought.
Remember last year when an appearance by Twilight’s Robert Pattinson nearly caused a riot at Stonestown Galleria? Well, guess what? No, it’s not Edward. But there’s a “Twilight Saga: New Moon” event coming to the Bay Area and the tickets - actually wristbands - for the Nov. 9 festivities go on sale tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. at Stonestown’s Nordstrom and Hot Topic. The line starts forming at midnight and it looks like you have to buy a $30 New Moon T-shirt at Hot Topic to score one of the 500 wristbands available. Not sure what the deal is at Nordstrom…
Down in LA, the event itself will include cast appearances and performances by Death Cab for Cutie, Sea Wolf and other bands on the “New Moon” soundtrack. In SF though, the featured attractions are Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen) and Kellan Luzt (Emmet Cullen), New Moon activities, trivia games and movie-related prize giveaways.
So have you guys seen “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” yet? The reviews have been mixed. Orlando Sentinel movie critic Roger Moore applauds the idea that “between the Jell-O mold diving, ice-cream sledding and the derivative, overdone action finale, (the actors) and the writers deliver a biting message that parents should love — celebrate smartness and ease up on the ‘easy’ junk food before it kills you.” He gave it a B+. And Plugged-In-Online called the movie a “cheery, animated smorgasbord” with some laudable messages about the importance of family and of making wise choices.
But the Bay Area’s Common Sense Media gave the 3-D animated flick a mediocre 2 stars and says that other than meatballs falling from the sky, the movie script is very different from the beloved book’s plot line.
Exhausted, date-deprived new parents rejoice! El Cerrito’s much beloved Baby Brigade is back with a new name and under new management. The cozy Rialto Cinemas Cerrito is launching “The Bringing Up Baby Show” on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Catch a movie with your baby (under one year) on these specially designated evenings. Babies get in free, grownups are $9 each, and nobody scowls if your little one turns grumpy, because they’ve got their babies along too. The theater recommends that childless movie fans pick another showing.
Fandango is reporting that more than 2,500 midnight showings of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” have sold out, and tickets for remaining shows are disappearing at a rate of 8 Potter tix per second. Wow.
Locally, Berkeley’s UA7 has sold out its screenings at 12:01, 12:02, 12:03 and 12:04 a.m. A new show at 3:10 a.m. has been added to accommodate Harry Potterphiles.
Walnut Creek’s Century 14 theater has sold out all four midnight shows.
Regal Crow Canyon has sold out all three, and added a fourth show at 3:10 a.m.
All five midnight shows at Pleasant Hill’s Century 16 are completely sold out.
Ditto for Blackhawk’s theater.
And in Dublin, all 15 (!!) midnight shows at the Regal Hacienda Crossings theater are gone, gone, gone, but you can still get in at 3:10 a.m.
Across the Bay in San Francisco, Metreon has sold out four of its midnight shows, ditto for Daly City’s Century 20. The Century at Tanforan has sold out two midnight screenings, and Cinearts @Empire has sold out its one and only midnight showing.
If you’re catching a show tonight and don’t already have tickets, check with the theater before you go! And afterward… come back here, click “comments” and tell us how it was.
Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the Harry Potter gang have been making the rounds of the morning shows, including NBC’s “Today” show (pictured), answering questions and pausing to sign a few … arms? Enjoy this pic, then cruise on over to the Times’ latest slide show from the “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” premieres and the cast’s TV appearances. Big fun. Plus, Draco looks dreamy. Shhh, don’t tell anyone we said that.
OK, so more than 500 showings of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” have already sold out nationwide, and Fandango reports tickets are flying out the door - well, out the online door, anyway. Not surprising. But if you’re looking for ways to pass the time till 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, when the first frames of the latest Hogwarts flick flicker onto the screen, here’s an excellent one. Remember our wizard wrock discussion yesterday? It’s the musical genre that began as a passing mention in Rowling’s books — and a cameo by members of Radiohead and Pulp as a wizard band in the fourth movie.
But to really see the wizard wrock phenomenon in action, check out “We Are Wizards,” a documentary that debuted at SXSW last summer. At the time director Josh Koury began filming in 2006, there were 79 wizard wrock bands out there, including the Hungarian Horntails, two brothers, ages 5 and 8, who play punk Potter. Now there are 592. Catch a glimpse of the littlest musicians at the 0:59 mark on the film’s trailer. Or get comfy and watch the whole thing for free on Hulu.
Draco and the Malfoys, The Remus Lupins, 142 Staircases… These aren’t just references to Harry Potter, they’re wizard wrock bands. That’s right, wrock. JK Rowling’s famous Hogwarts tales may have come to an end two years ago, but the fan universe just continues to expand. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” hits the silver screen this Wednesday, and legions of fans will congregate in San Francisco for Azkatraz, the first Bay Area Harry Potter convention, in just a few days. Meanwhile, more than 590 wizard wrock bands, ages 5 to 30-something, continue to rock out on a daily basis, composing lyrics about Severus Snape, ballads to Hermione Granger and odes to dementors.
Those lucky, lucky Brits. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” had its London premiere at a Leicester Square theater last night, and the fans were out in force, despite rain, hail and general sogginess. We suspect Voldemort meddled with the weather. In any case, Daniel Radcliffe (above), Emma Watson (below) and a newly recovered Rupert Grint walked the red carpet under big, translucent umbrellas. We’re told fans hooted, hollered and hefted big signs reading. “Harry, I’ll be Your Chosen One.â€
The Times’ Randy Myers reports that early “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” reviews are coming in strong, with raves from Variety - which called it “dazzlingly well made” - and the Hollywood Reporter… but a big ho-hum from an 11-year-old who wrote a review for London’s Telegraph. Hey, us Muggles don’t care! We are so going to be there - at 12:01 a.m. July 15. How about you?
