With the release of New Moon two weeks ago I’ve been hearing and reading a bunch of reviews about how terrible it is and I have no doubt they’re all true.  My problem lies with the fact that Kristen Stewart seems to be getting a fair share of criticism, with the main complaint being that she’s a bad actress.  To me that’s not right.

I saw Twilight and was truly shocked by how bad it was in every respect and it’s for this reason alone that I won’t be watching New Moon.  I also accept that Stewart was pretty damn ordinary in Twilight, but I don’t believe for one second that she’s a bad actress.  She was captivating in Into the Wild, one of my absolute favourite movies of all time and she was equally good in Adventureland (my #1 movie so far this year).  I really think that her performance in the Twilight movies is a combination of bad direction, a terrible supporting cast, an inane story, and Bella being such a whining needy spoiled emo bitch.

In addition, don’t let all the media coverage of her fool you, she isn’t Lindsay Lohan.  She does have talent.  Plus she seems to be genuinely painfully shy when giving interviews or appearing on talk shows.  That to me indicates that she’s not an attention whore like Lohan.  I hate to come across all Chris Crocker, but it just seems unfair to heap the bulk of the complaints about how terrible the Twilight films are at her feet when she’s done some great work.

Just remember that she does other movies and not just shitty tween angst “vampire” flicks.  Check out her IMDB.

Below is a video showing her singing in Into the Wild.  I actually think the non-singing stuff she does in the film is better but I couldn’t find any footage.

(source = IMP Awards)

© Miramax Films

At last, after having the release of Adventureland screwed around with here in Oz I’ve finally been able to see the movie that I was most excited about for 2009.  It may seem like an odd choice for my “most anticipated” considering that so far this year we’ve had Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Up, The Hangover, Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies, and that we’re still awaiting the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Avatar.  Nevertheless, there was something about the combination of actors involved, the writer/director and the setting which greatly appealed to me.

Probably the most important thing to know about Adventureland for those that haven’t seen it yet is that it’s not at all like it’s been marketed.  Despite what the trailers may convey, and the stellar comedic cast suggests, this is not a standard teen sex romp in the Apatow mold.  Instead it’s a heartfelt intimate romance with a hint of the trademake Apatow style humour thrown in in the form of nut shots and erection jokes.  But to be fair these comedic elements are a very minor part of the film and really only serve to stop the film from becoming too dark under the weight of it’s central drama/romance storyline.

The film tells the story of James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) a recent college graduate who is told by his parents that they don’t have the money they promised him to travel when he finished school.  In fact, money has become so tight that he’s forced to get a summer job before he heads off for grad school in New York.  His only successful application comes from the local seasonal theme park, Adventureland.  The park is run by Bobby and Paulette (Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig) and populated by other employees Frigo (Matt Bush), Joel (Martin Starr), Em (Kristen Stewart) and Connell (Ryan Reynolds).  It doesn’t take long for James to fall for Em and the film follows the development of their relationship and the complications in their lives over the course of the summer.

For me, the heart and soul of this film comes from the performance by Kristen Stewart as Em, who is a far more complex character than you expect when the film first begins.  Just like her knockout performance in Into The Wild Stewart is a captivating presence.  A real character with a complex story and not just some cardboard version of a girl you expect to get in a film billed as a teen comedy.  Her performance in this film shows me that her turn in Into The Wild was no fluke, and despite the utter mediocrity of Twilight, she has now emerged as someone I’d watch in any film.

Ryan Reynolds is superb as Connell, the somewhat tragic figure who commands the awe of the “kids” working the park, but is actually a sad sack guy who is neither a bad guy or a good guy.  He’s certainly not in the film for comedic purposes.  He’s not a stereotype but instead is a real person.  I never in a million years thought that this is the performance I’d see from Reynolds and was amazed by him for the entirety of the film. His scenes with Stewart are grounded in the sadness and loneliness they feel in their lives, and the comfort they can derive from each other in their brief secret liasons.

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are the only pure comedic elements of the film but their roles are much less than I thought they’d be (once again mislead by the trailer).  It’s difficult to say if I’d prefer them to have bigger roles as I think a higher degree of comedy in the film would distract from the story being told.  So whilst I was disappointed by the relative lack of screen-time for Hader and Wiig, I think that for the film it’s probably the right amount.  If this were the simple comedy I went in expecting then I’d definitely have liked to have Hader and Wiig on screen more, but because it’s so different than how it’s been advertised I think that their roles are just about perfect.

Frigo is the goofball old childhood friend of James who never outgrown his hyperactivity (I guess he’d be diagnosed ADHD now) and I guess he can be seen as the most consistent comic relief, but even he comes through when James needs him.  It’s this kind of character development and the bonds you see develop between all of the characters which once again shows that this isn’t just a simple teen sex comedy, but something far more interesting.

If Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is the magical tale of what it’s like to fall in love over the course of one night, then Adventureland is the story of what it’s like to fall in love in real life.  There are hardships, friendships, emotions and complications that don’t always make the process easy, but it’s something that everyone remembers.  That’s the overwhelming feeling you get from watching Adventureland.  It thrives on capturing ordinary moments, like when James, Em and Joel are watching the 4th July fireworks or when they’re riding the bumper cars, and it’s these captured moments which show the beauty to be found in falling in love.

CONCLUSION
I love it.  I’m pissed that it has taken this long for me to see it, but I’m glad that it exceeded my already high expectations.  I’m also overjoyed that it has now moved into the #1 spot on my list of 2009 films, having overtaken The Hangover.  What’s even better is that I know I’m not talking myself into liking this film just because it was my “most anticipated” because it’s so different from what I expected it to be.  I love it, it’s really that simple.  I love it, I love it, I love it.

FINAL GRADE: A

Another day and another set of photos of Kristen Stewart and Joan Jett together for work on The Runaways.  I have to say that I like them spending so much time together ‘cos it can really only be a good thing for the movie.  Hopefully it’ll turn out to be another great starring vehicle for Kristen.

I kinda like the t-shirt she’s wearing too.  I wonder if everyone working on the flick gets one.

Click the images for a larger view.

Click the images for a larger view.

Here are some snaps of Kristen Stewart decked out as Joan Jett on her way to rehearsals for The Runaways at Sunset Sound on June 11th.

I’ve developed a fascination of Stewart ever since I saw Into The Wild.  I thought she was amazing in that film, and no matter how shitty Twilight was I still like her.  She looks stoned and kinda pissed off in the last one which is surprising because I didn’t think potheads could get angry.

Click the images for a larger view.

Australia f#$%ing sucks

I can’t even begin to say how pissed off I am about this, but Adventureland, one of the main films I was looking forward to this year has FINALLY been released here in Oz, only to be limited to 16 cinemas.  That’s right, a whopping 16!!!

16 for the WHOLE COUNTRY.

How the hell can this happen?  I mean Jesus, Lesbian Vampire Killers is being shown at 8 locations.  How can a movie featuring Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Reynolds, and Kristen Stewart not be given a full release?

I can’t see this film anywhere in my city.  Nowhere.  If I want to see it (which I do) I have to travel to Sydney.  There’s no way I’m travelling to Sydney and dealing with that traffic to see a film, no matter how much I want to see it.  On top of this it’s only being shown two times per day, 11am and 8:45pm.  That’s fucking bullshit.

For the most part living in Australia is pretty decent.  But it’s situations like this which make me hate this country.  I’m a movie fanatic and this kind of shit drives me insane.  We got shafted with no release for Grindhouse.  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang played for about 2 weeks at about 4 locations.  And now this.

BULLSHIT!!