Solve this word problem.

If you’re someone who has…

• a love of movies
• a fascination with celebrities
• a hobby of photography

where might you be found???

a. at an airport working as body scanner technician

b. at Disneyland documenting your trip with snapshots of you and Mickey

c. on the sidelines of a Patriots game working as the video assistant taping the opposing team’s cute sign language

d. at the Sundance Film Festival playing paparazzi

e. all of the above

If you picked “e” you’d probably be right. But for purposes of today’s story, let focus on “d”, shall we?

Playing paparazzi at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s one of the highlights of my year, getting the chance to mingle with the “big boys” (and girls – no sexism here) in the paparazzi world, snagging  snapshots of celebrities at The Sundance Film Festival as they scurry around the snowy, cold streets of Park City, Utah.

I was lucky enough to go to the festival for one day last year, and I had so much fun that I knew for certain that I wanted to go back for more this year. I even naively applied for “Press Credentials” for this year’s festival. Hahahahaha, fat chance for that, but it was worth a shot, right?

Denied.

“Thank you for your interest in covering the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.  Unfortunately…blah, blah, blah,… are only able to accredit a fraction of the journalists who apply. Respectfully Yours, The Sundance Film Festival Press Office”

Yes, these really are my boots. Don't make fun. My feet stayed toasty all day.

Well fine, paparazzi time for me once again. Anyway, I learned some good paparazzi tricks last year that I wanted to try out: like the head down, elbows out technique for getting to the front of the shooting pack, like wearing appropriate footwear for trudging through the snowbanks, like being quiet and sneaky when making a celebrity sighting and not squealing like a little girl.

I was all set this past Friday and Saturday to go to the big opening weekend of the festival, when the celebrities are out in full force. But as is often the case with real life, real life sometimes gets in the way. Like when a pipe under the concrete floor of your basement breaks and floods your house. And then your car breaks down and you have to get a tow home at midnight. Fun real life stuff like that. Stuff that makes you wonder if it’s even worth going out and actually doing something for yourself that doesn’t involve laundry, picking up dog poop, and wiping snotty noses. You know, stuff like that.

Finally, by Monday morning I felt like things were under control enough that the world would not end if I took off for the day. Only three days late. Not too bad in mommy timing. Am I right? You know I am.

I got there bright (and I do mean bright..have you seen the blinding way sunlight reflects off the snow?) and early, ready to paparazzi it up.

First off, I caught a bus to Eccles Theater and the premier of “Cedar Rapids”, with Anne Heche, Ed Harris, John C. Reilly, and Sigourney Weaver. Odds were at least one of them would be there. Unfortunately, I miscalculated the timing of the bus route and arrived about 15 minutes too late to find out for myself.

No big deal though, plenty of time left for stalking celebrities. Onto a second bus headed down to Main Street, where all the real action takes place anyway, with all my “straps”: a camera with a strap, a backpack with a strap, and a camera bag with a strap. I was off the bus for only about five minutes when I realized I was missing a strap…the camera bag strap. Now, if I were to predict something that I would NEVER EVER leave behind, it would be my camera bag. To me, that would be like leaving behind a child. (On second thought, strike that example. I actually did leave a child behind at a gas station on vacation years ago. Oops.)

Immediate panic. Inside that camera bag were my lenses, my phone, my money, my driver’s license, and one other  item which shall remain undisclosed, because of the risk of being disowned by my brother who may, or may not, have loaned me a flash for the day. I’m a little fuzzy on that point. Heehee.

By the time I got back to the station, my bus had already left. Long story short, I spent the next two hours looking for the missing camera bag on every bus that entered the station.  Nothing. I left my information with the transit Lost and Found department, gave them my husband’s cell number as a contact, and went off to lick my wounds and contemplate the end of the world.

I stubbornly refused to click even one picture as my own little form of protest to how much life stinks sometimes. First, I get there 3 days late, then I miss the celebs by minutes, then I lose my camera bag.

Fate was trying to tell me,

“Get back home, woman. Bwaaaaahahahaha! Don’t you know you have a kid that needs some Ramen cooked?”

It was at this point that my husband came riding up on his white horse, camera bag in hand, with not even one thing missing. Someone had returned it, Lost and Found called him, and up he came to save the day. He even bought me lunch at Burger King. Ha! Take that Fate! And thank you nice stranger who returned my camera bag and kept me from sinking into a deep abyss.

With only a few hours in my day left to shoot…bam, jackpot.

Greg Kinnear at the premier of “Salvation Boulevard”

And comedian Jim Gaffigan also in “Salvation Boulevard”

So take that Fate! Double whammy to you. And let this serve as notice for next year’s Sundance Festival. I’ve got my eyes on you.

Related articles

• Sundance 2011 (huffingtonpost.com)
• “Sundance Channel Brings The Festival To You” and related posts (sundancechannel.com)

(Sundance update: Kate Goes on an Adventure – Sundance Film Festival 2011)

It’s Sundance Film Festival time once again.

I should tell you right now that just typing that sentence made me giddy.

If you’re not familiar with the Sundance Film Festival, here’s the gist of how it works. Independent filmmakers make low budget, innovative, and often quirky movies, without the backing of big studios. They premier these flicks  in the beautiful ski resort town of Park City, UT., (one of the all time coolest places I’ve ever been), in hopes of getting their films picked up by major studios. (Think…Precious, Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine, Reservoir Dogs, and Blair Witch Project, all recent Sundance movies).

That’s the “official” purpose of the film festival. The reality of it, though, is that it’s a place for filmmakers, film lovers, celebs,  studio execs, trendy ski types, fans, the media and the paparazzi to meet up in one tiny little ski town for 11 days…to see and be seen.

Really, can it get any better than that?

So I am off to play paparazzi once again, hoping to snap some great celeb pics, to snag some last minute waitlist movie tickets, and to soak up some of Park City’s signature coolness.

In the meantime, take a look at my Sundance paparazzi moments from last year…

Kate Goes on an Adventure – to the Sundance Film Festival (Part 1)

Kate Goes on an Adventure – to the Sundance Film Festival (Part 2)

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: Driven by the murder of a close friend and the realization that his media empire is infested with ruthless heroin smugglers, Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet and his human weapon Kato jump into action on a heart-pounding quest to rid the city of this mob once and for all.

Rating: PG-13  for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content

Genre: Action/Adventure

Starring: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz

Director: Michel Gondry

Running time: 1:48

Kate says – Well, folks, I’m on vacation at Disneyland at the moment so I haven’t screened The Green Hornet yet. I’ve collected a variety of reviews to help you decide whether this one is worth your while.

Ebert says – 1 star “The Green Hornet” is an almost unendurable demonstration of a movie with nothing to be about. Although it follows the rough storyline of previous versions of the title, it neglects the construction of a plot engine to pull us through. There are pointless dialogue scenes going nowhere much too slowly, and then pointless action scenes going everywhere much too quickly.” (read full review)

Pete Hammond (Box Office Magazine) says – 3 of 5 stars ” (The Green Hornet) is bright and loaded with pop culture references and moments to showcase Rogen as superhero-as-buffoon. Surprisingly it often works, and we can credit the irreverent tone set right in the opening sequence…Rogen isn’t the obvious choice for a comic book icon but he forces his personality onto this material with an ingratiating ease.” (read full review)

Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) says – 2 stars “In the wake of last weekend’s massacre in Tucson it’s suddenly, temporarily a little harder to laugh off scene after scene of obsessive gun fetishization and mass slaughter in a superhero vigilante lark…The script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, tailored for Rogen in the title role, rides a streak of blase raunch and overscaled action smack into a series of walls, each spray-painted with phrases beginning with “Too.” Too much. Too numbing. Too coy. And ultimately too violent. This is a PG-13 picture very close to R territory.” (read full review)

Rene Rodriguez  (Miami Herald) says – 3 stars “This Hornet is a big, boisterous action-comedy — a funny, exciting and intentionally goofy summer movie that just happens to arrive in the middle of January. (Rogen) is perfect as the unlikely, mostly hapless hero — and Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind), an equally unexpected choice to direct such pulpy material, latches onto Rogen’s sense of humor. The Green Hornet strikes a deft balance of comedy and comic-book shenanigans that never wavers. The characters take what is happening seriously, but the movie doesn’t.” (read full review)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – (2010)

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: In this seventh and final installment of the beloved Harry Potter series, Harry faces new troubles; he must collect all of the Horcruxes that the evil Lord Voldemort has left behind. He has no idea where these are and he has to destroy them all, even without the faintest idea how to do so. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Rating: PG-13  for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images

Genre: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane

Director: David Yates

Running Time: 2:30

Kate says -3 stars “Here’s the thing about trying to review a movie so anticipated/monumental/beloved/era-defining as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, it doesn’t matter one tiny bit what any reviewer/neighbor/friend/co-worker has to say about it. If you’re someone who has spent the past 13 years immersed in the world of Harry Potter, measuring time by when the next book or movie comes out, then you are going to see this movie, even if it means walking barefoot through the snow, uphill both ways, to get to the theater. (Haha mom, are you laughing about that reference right about now?) If you’ve never read the 7 book series, and you’re perfectly content with catching the flicks years later if they happen to be playing on some movie channel on tv, then you’re probably not going to rush right out and fight the crowds to be one of the first 25 million to see it, even if reviewers give it 7 out of 4 stars.

That being said, here’s my somewhat irrelevant review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. This first of the two-part grand finale of the Harry Potter series is suspenseful and thrilling, and much darker and full of a pervading sense of gloom and doom than your typical kids movie. The special effects are so amazing that you often don’t even realize you are watching special effects, they’re that good. I don’t think it’s even possible to make a “bad” Harry Potter movie because of the attention paid to such detail and quality. This time the action leaves the walls of Hogwarts, and it’s enjoyable to see the kids out in the “real” world for a change, even though I missed the whimsical feeling of the magical Great Hall.

The movie drags a bit in the middle section where Harry and Hermione spend a lot of time doing not much of anything, waiting around for something to happen. It is important, however,  to note the “Part 1″ in the title. This movie serves as mostly as exposition and set-up for “Part 2″coming out next July. There is an incomplete, and somewhat unsatisfying feel to the film, and there’s no logical way of getting around that fact. The plus side, though, is that the audience is left anticipating the action and climax of the final film, which will surely complete the circle of Harry Potter life.Let the countdown to Part 2 begin.

*And as a final note, I must address the controversy of “the NUDE scene”, which seems to be causing quite a stir in my neck of the woods. (Several people have already gone to the local theater to get refunds for their tickets because they’ve heard there is a nude scene. I kid you not.) It’s true, there is a nude make-out scene, BUT it’s a nude scene where you don’t actually see any nudity and not much making-out happens. I’ve seen more nudity in body wash commercials on tv, and way, way, waaaaaaaaaaay more making out on this season of Glee. It’s part of a hallucination/dream sequence between Harry and Hermione, and all is covered in smoke and fog, and the characters have a somewhat ethereal CGI feel. It’s implied nudity, folks. Much ado about nothing

Ebert says – 3 stars “David Yates’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is a handsome and sometimes harrowing film, and will be completely unintelligible for anyone coming to the series for the first time. My cluelessness didn’t bother me, because the film depends more on mood and character than many of the others…As we approach the end of a decade of Harry Potter, it’s clear how wisely (and luckily) the studio cast the series. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson have grown from children to young adults, still retain the qualities they had when younger, are practiced professionals and carry the series.” (read full review)

Michael Phillips (Chicsgo Tribune) says – 3 stars We have reached the semi-finals. Staffed with half the best character actors in Great Britain, ” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″ brings the seventh J.K. Rowling tale to market, reminding both fervent Hogwarts maniacs and the Potter-ambivalent of this series’ priorities, its increasingly somber tone, as well as its dedication to one of the rarest of all franchise qualities: actual quality.” (read full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 3 stars “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” is a brisk, bracing film of actors in close-up. The lead players have grown into the roles and of the Who’s Who of British character actors in supporting parts shine like never before, placed, as they are,  in both real-world London and a selection of desolate landscapes that match the gloom of this apocalyptic tale. Alternately funny and touching, it’s the best film in the series, an “Empire Strikes Back” for these wizards and their wizarding world.  And those effects? They’re so special you don’t notice them. The digital elves are the most lifelike the movies have ever seen.” (read full review)

Kenneth Turan (Los Angeles Times) says – 3 stars of 5 “Much of the plot of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” involves the attempt to find and destroy a series of Horcruxes, and if you haven’t a clue about what they are or why they’re important, you might as well stay home. There is something different, however, about this Potter movie, and that is the words “Part 1″ that end the title. Understandably distraught about “Hallows” being the last of the phenomenally popular J.K. Rowling novels, Warner Bros. has split the final effort into two films and is likely kicking itself for not having thought of that with the earlier books.” (read full review)

Eric Snider (Snide Reviews) says - “Was ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ split into two movies so that the franchise could make more money? Well, yes. But maybe not just for that reason. As it turns out, ‘Deathly Hallows: Part 1‘ is a quietly thrilling and artful chapter in the eight-part series. It doesn’t stand on its own, exactly, any more than the first half of a TV two-parter would, but it isn’t merely set-up, either. If you think of ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the two ‘Deathly Hallows’ entries as a trilogy that concludes the Potter saga, ‘Part 1′ is a terrific middle.” (read full review)

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Genre: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher

Director: Phillip Noyce

Running time: 1:39

Plot: As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt’s efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who Is Salt?”–© Sony

Ebert says – 4 stars “Salt is a damn fine thriller. It does all the things I can’t stand in bad movies, and does them in a good one. It’s like a rebuke to all the lousy action movie directors who’ve been banging pots and pans together in our skulls. It winds your clock tight and the alarm doesn’t go off for 100 minutes.” (read full review)

James Berardinelli (Reelviews) says – 2 1/2 stars “Salt contains plenty of action; in fact, it rarely slows down, making one wonder if a better title might be Run, Angelina, Run. But the plot isn’t strong enough to withstand the assault on the wall of suspension of disbelief by a gamut of increasingly preposterous stunts. There comes a point when it becomes difficult to take Salt seriously…Admittedly, Salt goes well with popcorn, but it’s never filling.” (read full review)

Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) says 3 stars - “Suspend disbelief, all who enter here. Salt, starring slinky-sexy-scary Angelina Jolie as a CIA agent accused of going over to the Russians, is primed to keep your pulse racing so your brain will stop thinking, “WTF!” Go with the illogic or you’ll miss the fun. Salt has the action pow to slam you hard, batter your senses and make a case for Jolie as a superpower.” (read full review)

Rex Reed (New York Observer) says – 1 star “Salt is not a cautionary tale about the dangers of high blood pressure from too much sodium. No, it’s just another entry in the flaky, forgettable farrago of predictable action thrillers in a particularly brainless summer, this time starring Angelina Jolie as a C.I.A. operative named Evelyn Salt, who may or may not be a double agent working both sides of the fence. Like most of the loopy escapism I’ve suffered through so far this summer, it is totally preposterous.” (read full review)

Other movie reviews by Kate

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Movie reviews by Kate

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout

Genre: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Staring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard

Director: Christopher Nolan

Running time: 2:28

Plot: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one’s mind can be the most dangerous weapon or… In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one’s mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Kate says  – 4 stars “Put your thinking caps on for this one, because you’re going to need them.  Here’s my advice on watching Inception…just go with it. Pay attention. Try to keep up but don’t expect to understand what’s going on, and know that you’re in good company  because no one else knows what’s going on either. Inception is startlingly clever, imaginative, fascinating and intense.  Finally an action film that actually makes us pay attention to more than the blur of motion. The words of movie reviewers can’t possibly do this movie justice, you’re gonna have to see this one to believe it.”

Ebert says – 4 stars “It’s said that Christopher Nolan spent ten years writing his screenplay for “Inception.” That must have involved prodigious concentration, like playing blindfold chess while walking a tight-wire. The film’s hero tests a young architect by challenging her to create a maze, and Nolan tests us with his own dazzling maze. We have to trust him that he can lead us through, because much of the time we’re lost and disoriented. “Inception” does a difficult thing. It is wholly original, cut from new cloth, and yet structured with action movie basics…Here is a movie immune to spoilers: If you knew how it ended, that would tell you nothing unless you knew how it got there. And telling you how it got there would produce bafflement. The movie is all about process, about fighting our way through enveloping sheets of reality and dream, reality within dreams, dreams without reality. It’s a breathtaking juggling act…” (read full review)

Claudia Puig (USA Today) says – 3 1/2 stars “With Inception, writer/director Christopher Nolan not only cements his status as Hollywood’s most innovative filmmaker, he has created a daring genre: the surrealist heist thriller. Or, maybe he has developed the dream invasion action epic. No matter what you call it, the story is the most complex of any summer movie. Hollywood films generally regard audiences as below average in intelligence. Nolan, the creator of such films as Memento, Insomnia and The Dark Knight, regards his viewers as possibly smarter than they are —or at least as capable of rising to his inventive level. That’s a tall order. But it’s refreshing to find a director who makes us stretch, even occasionally struggle, to keep up.” (read full review)

Rene Rodriguez (Miami Herald) says – 3 1/2 stars “Inception is filled with grand, astonishing sights (in a dream, Page folds Paris onto itself as if she were folding a sheet of paper) and small, ingenious bits (DiCaprio gets stuck in a narrow alley while running away from bad guys, and the claustrophobia is nerve-racking). Nolan pays as much attention to small details as to big ones. The movie is as carefully constructed as a Faberge egg. The last half hour, a dream within a dream within a dream, is a breathtaking marvel of editing and pacing, cutting back and forth among three realms, the events in one impacting the others. The effect tickles your mind, then blows it right out of your skull.” (read full review)

Rex Reed (New York Observer) says – 1 star “Inception is the kind of pretentious perplexity in which one or two reels could be mischievously transposed, or even projected backward, and nobody would know the difference. It’s pretty much what we’ve come to expect from summer movies in general and Christopher Nolan movies in particular, but I keep wondering: Can he do anything of more lasting value? He’s got vision, but creating jigsaw puzzles nobody can figure out and using actors as puppets who say idiotic things, dwarfed by sets like sliding Tinker Toys, doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment to me.” (read full review)

Movie reviews by Kate

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: PG  for rude humor and mild action

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Kids & Family

Running time: 1:35

Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

Plot: In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Kate says – 3 1/2 stars “Despicable Me” is a wonderfully odd and delightfully entertaining movie. Finally we have a film that feels fresh, mostly because of it’s quirky, bright and bizarre  animation style  from first time French directors, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The hero of this movie is actually the dastardly supervillan Gru, who lives in an absurd  little world, and derives joy out of blowing up kid’s balloons just so he can pop them. Of course by the end, Gru will be a changed villain because of the love of three cuter-than-cute little girls, and we get our feel good moral about everyone needing love, even a super villain who realizes being there for your kids is what’s most important (even more important than stealing the moon). The movie is chock full of fast paced slapstick comedy and has an attitude of cartoon zaniness. I love the fact that the directors didn’t try to make things logical or realistic and seemed to revel in letting the characters do ridiculous things just because in the cartoon world anything is possible. The biggest laughs come from Gru’s army of little yellow bouncy Minions who are absolute scene stealers. “Despicable Me” is an outlandish summer treat you won’t want to miss.”

Ebert says – 3 stars “Despicable Me” begins with the truth that villains are often more fascinating than heroes and creates a villain named Gru, who freeze-dries the people ahead of him in line at Starbucks and pops children’s balloons. To make a villain into the hero of an animated comedy is daring, but the filmmakers bring in three cute kids to restore good feelings. The film is funny, energetic, teeth-gnashingly venomous and animated with an eye to exploiting the 3-D process with such sure-fire techniques as a visit to an amusement park. The sad thing, I am forced to report, is that the 3-D process produces a picture more dim than it should be. “Despicable Me” is technically competent and nowhere near the visual disaster that is “The Last Airbender,” but take my word for it: Try to find it in 2-D.” (read full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 3 stars “A conventional “Grinch grows a heart” tale rendered with an unconventional blast of anarchy, Despicable Me is a 3D cartoon comedy of whiplash-quick laughs, funny punch lines and a wickedly gimmicky appreciation for 3D…This is dizzy diverting fun, from it’s first Carell one-liner to the 3D gimmick gags stuffed into the closing credits.” (read full review)

Christy Lemire (Associated Press) – says 2 1/2 stars “Here, the look of the film is what makes it stand out amid the glut of summer cartoons. The characters are cute in their weirdness, down to Gru’s shaggy, growling dog. Even the trio of spunky orphans crucial to Gru’s latest diabolical plan – Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) – are adorable in an unusual way. What’s mainly missing from this first animated 3-D offering from Universal is story. There’s just nothing to “Despicable Me,” and that becomes glaringly obvious when you compare it to this summer’s “Toy Story 3″ in particular and Pixar movies in general, where story is paramount.” (read full review)

Other movie reviews by Kate

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Drama

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene

Director: David Slade

Plot: As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself… As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which? (Rotten Tomatoes)

Running time: 2:04

Kate says -3 stars “I’ll just be upfront at the beginning of this review and tell you that I am a fan of the Twilight series, and therefore, not an entirely (or even somewhat) objective reviewer of this film. That being said, I think that even if you aren’t a Twilight Saga fan, you may actually enjoy watching Eclipse. This movie is the first of the three in the series that doesn’t feel low budget. Spade has done a great job with the pacing of the film, alternating between scenes of the love triangle romance, and solid action scenes with much more believable fight scenes and CGI effects. The wolves look more realistic, the vampire gravity- defying skills more believable, and even the vampire sparkle has been toned down and improved. There’s even a bit of levity and humor as the writer, actors and director seem to be making a nod at the incredible life of it’s own the Twilight Saga series has taken on. The relationships of the three main characters, Edward(Pattinson), Jacob(Lautner) and Bella(Stewart) are the real story here, and the decision Bella faces in choosing between them. Lautner, as Jacob, has come into his own in this role and does a stand-out job portraying the emotions and conflicts of his character, as do Stewart and Pattinson, as well. This is not an award winning movie (except in MTV land – think Best Kiss Award, this time between Stewart and Lautner) ) however, this universal story of love certainly has taken hold of the world, and one could argue that, in itself, is a good thing. If you are a fan of the series, you’re sure to love this one.”

Ebert says – 2 stars “The movie contains violence and death, but not really very much. For most of its languorous running time, it listens to conversations between Bella and Edward, Bella and Jacob, Edward and Jacob, and Edward and Bella and Jacob. This would play better if any of them were clever conversationalists, but their ideas are limited to simplistic renderings of their desires.” (read full review)

Kirk Honeycutt (The Hollywood Reporter) says - “It took three films, but “The Twilight Saga” finally nails just the right tone in “Eclipse,” a film that neatly balances the teenage operatic passions from Stephenie Meyer‘s novels with the movies’ supernatural trappings. Where the first film leaned heavily on camp and the second faltered through caution and slickness, “Eclipse” moves confidently into the heart of the matter — a love triangle that causes a young woman to realize choices lead to consequences that cannot be reversed.” (read full review)

Eric Snider says – “B” “Eclipse” brings the “Twilight” series into the big leagues. It still isn’t great, and there still isn’t much crossover appeal, but it’s easily the best of the three films so far, with a well-constructed story, suitable climaxes, and — at last! — a main character who occasionally thinks for herself rather than being defined by her monster boyfriends. The men who are coerced into seeing “Eclipse” with their ladyfolk will surely enjoy this one more than the last two.” (read full review)

Elizabeth Weitzman says – 3 stars (of 5) “If you adore Meyer’s characters already, you’ll be thrilled to spend more time with them. If you don’t, well, you’d just end up sitting among a bunch of sighing teens (and their moms), wondering what the fuss is about. (Director) Slade – who imports some of the darkness from his last vamp thriller, “30 Days of Night” – knows just how to reach his audience, alternating suspense and romance in carefully precise degrees. It may not be the subtlest approach, but it is effective.  Most important, Bella and Edward are allowed a wider range of emotions than we’ve seen before; as a result, Stewart and Pattinson finally appear fully comfortable in their roles (though Lautner once again proves the standout, working hard to make Bella’s decision a difficult one). The truth is, almost everyone planning to see “Eclipse” will know how things end before the opening credits even appear. So Slade and his cast can be proud that they consistently keep us involved anyway.” (read full review)

Movie reviews by Kate

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: G

Genre: Children’s

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles

Director: Lee Unkrich

Plot: Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it’s all for one and one for all as they join Barbie’s counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear to plan their great escape.  Walt Disney Studios

Running Time: 1:43

Kate says -4 stars “We’ve loved these toys for 15 years now, Woody, Buzz and the gang.  We know them. We know their personalities and quirks.  We are connected to them. We feel like they are our toys. We care about what will happen to them as Andy makes the transition from childhood to young adulthood. Toy Story 3 is funny, heart-felt, clever, imaginative and beautiful. From the opening “play scene”, to the “prison break” action which lasts almost the entire second half, to the emotional resolution, this movie delivers on all fronts to all ages. May I suggest telling yourself,”They’re only toys. They’re only toys…pieces of plastic…not real,”  in order to keep from bawling your eyes out over the touching final scene, and then you’ll still cry.”

Ebert says – 3 stars “This is a jolly, slapstick comedy, lacking the almost eerie humanity that infused the earlier “Toy Story” sagas, and happier with action and jokes than with characters and emotions. But hey, what can you expect from a movie named “Toy Story 3,” especially with the humans mostly offstage? I expect its target audience will love it, and at the box office, it may take right up where “How to Train Your Dragon” left off.” (read full review)

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: PG-13 for violent action, sexual material and language.

Genre: Action/Adventure

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara

Director: Robert Luketic

Plot: Trying to recover from a sudden break-up, Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) believes she’ll never fall in love again. But when she reluctantly joins her parents on a trip to the French Riviera, Jen happens to meet the man of her dreams, the dashing, handsome Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher). Three years later, her seemingly impossible wish has come true: she and Spencer are newlyweds living the ideal suburban life – that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday when bullets start flying. Literally.
It turns out Spencer never bothered to tell Jen he’s also an international super-spy, and now Jen’s perfect world has been turned upside down. Faced with the fact that her husband is a hit man, Jen is determined to discover what other secrets Spencer might be keeping – all the while trying to dodge bullets, keep up neighborly appearances, manage the in-laws…and work out some major trust issues. And you thought suburban life was easy. –© Lionsgate

Running time: 1:39

Kate says – 2 1/2 “I’ll start of by telling you that the critics hate this movie. They knew before they even saw it, that they wouldn’t like it. That’s what happens when you tell the critics they can’t watch your film before it opens to the public, they naturally assume the worst. Imagine that! A movie critic looking for the worst.  (I laugh at the notion…heehee) I’m sure Lionsgate was attempting to hold off the bad reviews until regular movie goers could proclaim from the rafters that they love this movie. Sadly, that’s not likely to happen. The most Killers can hope for is a grand proclamation of “It’s not that bad. I kind of liked it” So here’s what I have to say about Killers. It’s not the complete and awful disaster the critics would have you believe it is. I’ve seen a lot worse. Is it clever and witty and creative? Well…no and no and no. Does it have amazing and heart racing action scenes? Nope, again. Do we believe that the characters (Kutcher & Heigl) are madly in love. Not really. What this movie does have going for it is that it is charming…and pretty…and light-hearted summer fluff. And sometimes that just enough for some pleasant summer entertainment.”

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 1 1/2 stars “When your stars don’t have much chemistry — he plays a humorless version of his all-boy, all-bangs shtick, and she’s still playing the undersexed adult to man-child co-stars –the movie becomes fair game for supporting players to steal it. Tom Selleck, as her no-nonsense gun-nut dad, and Catherine O’Hara as the mother who copes with that marriage by hitting the bottle, almost do.“  (read full review)

Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly) says – “D” “Because you liked Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up, and forgive her for The Ugly Truth. Because you think Ashton Kutcher is hawt. Because you’re a sucker for Catherine O’Hara doing one of her funny drinking characters, or Tom Selleck being ironically Sellecky in a mustache role. Because you’re in the mood to enjoy a crappy action rom-com in air-conditioned multiplex comfort on a hot early-summer’s night…By all means, go and enjoy Killers, which has been directed by Robert Luketic (who previously did his star no favors in The Ugly Truth). But don’t tell me I’m making too much out of nothing, because the steady drip-drip-drip of nothings like this are killing us all.” (read full review)

John P. McCarthy (Box Office Magazine) says 1 star (out of 5)  “The ugly if obvious truth about Killers is that two comely stars do not a movie make. After this bomb, Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher may qualify as two of the most attractive and prematurely washed-up screen actors Hollywood has ever produced. The fact that their physical beauty is woven into the dialogue without being successfully deployed for laughs or plausible sexual tension only adds to the lameness.” (read full review)