Iron Man 2:

Tony Stark shows off some more of his new gadgets, and works with another helper robot, in a couple of stills I don't think we've shown you before. [Shockya]

Lost:

Here are some more promo pics, of Frank, Richard and Ilana. Meanwhile, the show was filming some scenes involving Locke on the beach with Charles Widmore... and why are there sonic pylons surrounding him? (Also, is that Widmore from when he was booted off the Island, or present-day Widmore?) And finally, one lucky fan, Darin, witnessed the filming of some scenes involving Jin, Sayid, Keamy, Omar and Mikhail, including a rehearsal of a sequence involving gunplay. More pics at the link. [Lyly Ford and SpoilersLost and Hawaii Weblog]

And some new promos make some grand promises about what we'll get in the show's last 18 hours. [Lyly Ford]

Doctor Who:

The star of "The End Of Time Part 1" is really Bernard Cribbins, who starts out the episode seeking solace from the bad dreams that are haunting the whole world, then finds himself at the center of events that threaten the fabric of time itself. The Doctor hints there may be more to Wilf than meets the eye.

Meanwhile, the Master is totally batshit insane and hilarious and terrifying, and he doesn't really seem to have a plan for most of the episode — until it kicks in towards the episode's end, and we discover how terrifying a Time Lord can be if he's not on your side. The identity of that female hand that picked up the Master's ring is nobody you've expected. And the story uses some artful flashbacks to fill in the gaps. [Total Scifi Online]

Says David Tennant:

The forces gathering are quite unlike anything we've seen before. They're on a whole new scale. We've managed to keep a few surprises, even if people think they know what's coming.

And it's official: Timothy Dalton is playing "a senior Time Lord in an extraterrestrial dressing gown." Also, one of Tennant's last scenes involved being 30 feet up on some kind of flying rig. [Daily Mail]

The episode ends with a "doozy" of a cliffhanger, involving a huge plot twist. The episode is amazing, but there are some awfully convenient plot devices introduced a few times, to get the Doctor out of some nasty situations. And some new aliens are a bit naff, although they set up a great line from Wilf. [SFX]

It doesn't sound like Martha Jones is going to appear in "The End Of Time," but Freema Agyeman does insist, "Martha's not done!" [Digital Spy]

And we already showed you a few pics of the Master in bondage, but here are some more... [BlogtorWho]

Twilight: Eclipse:

Bryce Dallas Howard explains her take on the vampire Victoria:

Victoria is a wonderful character. ... It's awfully juicy to play a villain. To play someone that's just evil; Victoria is evil. And I think with "Eclipse," it ends with quite a huge battle, a big spectacle, and it's very scary. It's a very, very scary book and very terrifying set of circumstances, and I think the Cullens are in jeopardy in a way that they never really have been before. It was a really, really exciting world to be a part of, because it was so scary and the stakes were so high.

[MTV]

True Blood:

Lindsay Pulsipher (The Beast) will play Crystal, a young woman who has an "electric" connection with Jason. [EW]

Caprica:

Ryan Robbins describes his character, Diego, as a badass and a militant on the side of the monotheists. And it sounds like he's the character who gets to mack on Lacy. [Up And Comers via Battlestar Blog]

Also, Smallville/V actor Ryan Kennedy (Cosmic Boy) is joining Caprica, but no word on whom he's playing yet. [KSiteNetwork]

Chuck:

Here's your first glimpse of Angie Harmon as Sydney, a spy for The Ring tasked with taking out Awesome. Full version at the link. [ and EW]

And here's a new sneak peek at episode 3x01, "Chuck Vs. The Pink Slip":

FlashForward:

Here's another character we'll meet in episode 18, from a casting call:

[ROSS] 25-35 yrs, any ethnicity. Very intense. Has gone over the edge and puts himself in a life threatening position. GUEST STAR

[SpoilerTV]

Supernatural:

Episode 5x17 will be called "Your Time Is Gonna Come." [SpoilerTV]

Smallville:

Episode 9x16 will be called "Escape." [KryptonSite]

And here's a couple new promos:

Heroes:

This show returns with a special two-hour episode, "Upon This Rock; Let It Bleed." Here's the synopsis:

As Claire (Hayden Panettiere) becomes immersed into the world of the Carnival, she becomes increasingly suspicious of Samuel's (Robert Knepper) motives. Hiro (Masi Oka) is on a mission to rescue one of his own, but has difficulty communicating his intentions to Ando (James Kyson Lee). Samuel has his sight set on Emma (guest star Deanne Bray) and her ability to complete his master plan. Meanwhile, Sylar (Zachary Quinto) returns to the Carnival in search of answers and Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) continues to struggle with the loss of his brother. Elsewhere, H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) sets his plan in motion to take down the carnival.

[SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Mary Ratliff.

THR reported that Disney has picked up the rights to the brand new YA series Fallen. The first book is already out and there are three more yet to come, all of which Disney now own.

The story is strikingly similar to Meyer's vamp series. A misunderstood girl meets a mysterious boy that she's strangely drawn to. What's his ace in the hole? Why he's a fallen angel, doncha know, hence the title. Plus there's another angel, also fallen, that she's also drawn to, and they fight over her, as men are wont to do. Sign me up. And while we're at it bring on Legion, Hush Hush and Going Bovine.

via THR

The third movie in the Twilight Saga, Eclipse, will be on the big, big screen. Which means giant Bella lip biting, hot puppy fight action and abs as far as the eye can see.

The director for the third film, David Slade (30 Days of Night), will have to tackle the tricky plot details which are an all out vampire war with the red-headed Victoria, played by Bryce Dallas Howard who replaced the original actress from the first two films. Should be interesting to watch this all happen on a giant screen, but that also means giant drama sessions as Bella is still stuck in this wolf/vamp love triangle. And nothing says IMAX fun like a nice long talk about love between to teenagers, one in jean shorts.

[via Variety]

Awesome Decorations To Bring The Nerd Cred

Awful Crap. Who Came Up With This? Coal For Everybody.

Pitt's Plan B company will be producing Vlad, which focuses on the early life of the inspiration behind the Dracula myth. Written by Queer As Folk and Sons of Anarchy actor Charlie Hunnam, music video director Anthony Mandler is in talks to direct the project and head up a rewrite in order to bring it closer to the studio's vision of "a visually edgy and radical period movie" similar to 300. We can hardly wait... Oh, okay, we can.

Summit working on 'Dracula' remake [Heat Vision/The Hollywood Reporter]

Mad Max: Fury Road:

Just how big is the set for this film? Says star Tom Hardy:

It's massive. It's enormous," he continued. "It's like turning a mountain upside down and pouring it through a sieve.

Any clue what that means? It sounds epic, anyway. [MTV]

Avatar:

Not sure if we've already run this clip or not, but if not, then enjoy:

And here's a clip we definitely haven't shown you before. I love Neytiri wearing her sunglasses to ride her dragon. [Cineplex via Slashfilm]

The Lovely Bones:

Weird nitpicks: After Stanley Tucci's creepy pedophile murderer tosses his victim Susie Salmon's charm bracelet in the water, but keeps the "house" charm. But then we see all the charms expand into ice sculptures or clouds or topiaries — but the house charm is still among them. Also, before Susie dies we see her reading Seventeen magazine, but after she dies, she fantasizes she's the cover girl in Groovy Teen magazine. Towards the end of the movie, Susie sort of inhabits the body of a goth girl who looks like Emly the Strange, and makes out with Emily's boyfriend, whom Susie loved before she died. Then Susie goes to heaven permanently, and we see Emily and her boyfriend spooning, with no mention of the weird ghost possession make-out that just happened. [Black Book Mag]

Kick Ass:

A new character poster gives us a better look at the Red Mist. Bigger version at the first link. [AICN via Cinemablend]

Endangered Species:

A few new details about Eli Roth's Transformers-meets-Cloverfield movie. It's set against an urban backdrop. He's tweaking the script at Quentin Tarantino's suggestion. He's going to do some visual-effects tests, the results of which will determine how he shoots the thing. It's very character-driven, and he has some actors he's dying to work with. [MTV]

Eclipse:

A new picture of your favorite couple, Edward and Bella. [SpoilerTV-Movies]

Doctor Who:

As you may have heard, the show was filming in Croatia this past week, with the Doctor, Amy and new companion Rory in tow. (And some are claiming that Rory is Amy's boyfriend — is he the new Mickey Smith?) The Croatia filming appears to be for an episode taking place in the past, judging from some of the costumes. But don't believe the British media chatter that it's an episode about vampires — it's almost certainly the Van Gogh episode that Richard Curtis wrote. More pics at the links. [Sky and Hello!]

Here are a bunch of promo pics from "The End Of Time," David Tennant's swansong, one or two of which we may have shown you before. They include your first look at the alien, shapeshifting Vinovicci. [BlogtorWho and BSCReview]

Meanwhile, Britain's Radio Times has another cast list for "End Of Time" part 2, which conflicts with the IMDB version. Notably, no Harriet Jones. Hmmm...

David Tennant - The Doctor
John Simm - The Master
Bernard Gribbins - Wilfred Mott
Timothy Dalton - The Narrator
Catherine Tate - Donna Noble
Jacqueline King - Sylvia Noble
June Whitfield - Minnie Hooper
Claire Bloom - The Woman
David Harewood - Joshua Naismith
TRacy Ifeachor - Abigail Naismith
Lawry Lewin - Rossiter
Sinead Keenan - Addams
Alexandra Moen - Lucy Saxon
Karlo Collins - Shaun Temple
Teresa Banham - Governor
Barry Howard - Oliver Barnes
Allister Bain - Winston Katusi
Sylvia Seymour - Miss Trefusis
Pete Lee-Wilson - Tommo
Dwayne Scantlebury - Ginger
Joe Dixon - The Second
Julie Legrand - The Partisan
Brid Brennan - The Visionary
Krystal Archer - Neys
Lachele Carl - Trinity Wells
Paul Kasey - Ood Sigma
Ruari Mears - Elder Ood
Silas Carson - voice of Ood Sigma
Brian Cox - voice of Elder Ood
Nicholas Briggs - voice of Judoon

[BlogtorWho]

Caprica:

This Battlestar Galactica prequel just cast another actor to play William Adama — no, not the future Admiral, but his grandfather. Aleks Paunovic will play the father of Joseph Adama and grandfather to little Willie in some flashback scenes, and he'll be a recurring character. Paunovic already appeared on BSG, playing Sgt. Fischer. [Aleks Paunovic via Battlestar Blog]

Lost:

A deserted area of Hawaiian rainforest hides a new camp which has been set up for this show's sixth season. It doesn't look like much, though. More pics at the link. [SpoilersLost]

Another new set — a ship of some sort, or rather part of one. It's apparently designed so they can rock the deck back and forth and make it look like the ship is caught up in a huge storm. And considering that some prisoner types were hanging around in baggy brown clothes, it may be the Black Rock. More pics at the link. [SpoilersLost]

Jose Yenque tweeted that he's joining the cast of this show. [Twitter via SpoilersLost]

Also, Fionnula Flanagan told an Irish talk show she'll be back for two episodes as Eloise Hawking, not surprisingly. [SpoilersLost]

Fringe:

The cast reveals the names of the Observers, and discusses their significance. [Fringe Television]

Meanwhile, I'm hard-pressed to tell exactly what's going on in this new set video. I think Anna Torv is being blown across a parking lot by some mysterious force, but hard to say. There are seven more videos from the same person under this YouTube account. I do like one commenter who says the intrepid fan making these recordings should shave his/her head and wear a fedora. [Anon120409 on Youtube]

And here's a sneak peek and "scenemaker" for Thursday's new Walter-and-William episode. [FringeRus]

Supernatural:

The show is casting one of the Four Horsemen for the episode "My Bloody Valentine:

[FAMINE] 50 to 80 years old... He is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He is withered, weak, raspy. This character is a creepy and destructive old man filled with a voracious hunger...GUEST STAR

[CUPID] 30s to 40s, doughy, out of shape, naked, his humorously loving character greets everyone with enormous bear hugs that almost break their ribs. He is overflowing with love and positivity to an almost humorous and narcotic degree (think Will Farrell in "ELF" sptv050769)...GUEST STAR

[SpoilerTV]

Also, Julie McNiven says that when Anna goes back in time and tries to kill baby Sam in episode 13, it's for the best reasons:

Everything Anna does is motivated by wanting to do the right thing, wanting to do what she feels is going to keep this apocalypse from happening. I see Anna as always doing what she thinks is right and she's very strong about that and doesn't want to hear anything otherwise.

And she says there's some great hand-to-hand combat and throwdowns in the episode, and hints that Anna does actually survive to try and kill more babies in the future. [AOL]

The Survivors:

There will be a "high octane" second series of this British remake at some point, but no date yet. And here's what happens:

The series picks up moments after the thrilling cliff-hanger to the first series and the survivors are now struggling not just with the difficulties of day-to-day life amidst the ruins of the post-virus apocalypse but also with the threat of other emerging communities and the machinations of the sinister Lab.

As the series begins, Abby is being held by Whittaker and Fiona at the Lab. There, she learns that the scientists have avoided infection and are looking desperately for a vaccine which they believe her unique immune system alone will generate.

Meanwhile, the family races to save Greg's life as he lies dying from a gunshot wound. Drawn into a burning hospital by their search for the necessary medical equipment, Al and Anya are caught in an avalanche of rubble as the building collapses around them. Tom is faced with the stark challenge of rescuing his friends from a seemingly insurmountable disaster, with only Sarah and Naj to help him.

Characters returning for this high-octane second series are Abby, a devoted mother with a missing son; Greg, a loner, hiding the pain of his past; Anya, a doctor who has seen too much; Al, a playboy who becomes a surrogate father to the young and headstrong Najid; Sarah, a hedonist used to getting her own way; Tom Price, handsome, dangerous and a high-security prisoner before the virus hit; and Samantha Willis, the last surviving member of the British Government.

[Survivors BBC TV]

V:

So just who are the Visitors? Laura Vandervoort explains that they're basically Canadians. Also, she says her character is definitely somewhat evil, but she's not sure how much yet. [Multipleverses]

FlashForward:

Apparently the reason why the show took a week off was simple: Major, huge developments happen in the episodes that were going to be episodes 15 and 16, and the network looked at those scripts and decided they should be episodes 13 and 14 instead (so, less treading water.) And it's not clear whether the original episodes 13 and 14 were scrapped, or just retooled to appear later in the season. Also, the biggest reveals of the season happen in the next two episodes, 11 and 12, says David S. Goyer. [EW]

Chuck:

Episode 3x11 will be "Chuck Vs. The Final Exam." [ChuckTV]

And one more new promo reveals that we'll be seeing a "Whole New Chuck." He's a reluctant spy no longer.

Sanctuary:

In next week's episode, "Penance," Michael Shanks guest stars as an abnormal named Jimmy who has a special David Cronenberg-esque pouch in his stomach, which he can use to smuggle things for the Sanctuary — including, in this case, a dangerous abnormal. Some bad guys get involved, and he's forced to go on the run with Kate, leading to a big secret for the two of them being revealed. And then in the following week's "Sleepers," Will and Magnus are in Mexico looking into some missing teenagers, and they run into vampire Nikoka Tesla, who's up to no good. [Sci Fi Wire]

Additiional reporting by Mary Ratliff.

Lautner has signed on to play the title role in Steel, which brings the Mattel toy line about an "extreme sports junkie" who gets turned into a superspy following an accident that leaves him full of nanobots to movies. According to Variety, Paramount are hoping that this could be another Transformers-esque successful franchise, but we think they're thinking too small: Maximize the Twilight crossover, get Robert Pattinson to sign on as main bad guy John Dread, make them spend half the movie shirtless and watch it become the most successful box office release ever.

Taylor Lautner to star in 'Max Steel' [Variety]

By splitting Breaking Dawn into two separate movies, Summit would be following in Warners' Harry Potter footsteps; that studio will release the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in two installments on November 2010 and July 2011 respectively. But while such a move would mean the chance for two box office smashes instead of one, it also means renegotiating the contracts for the franchise's stars, as well as entering into new negotiations for approval from Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer.

Complicating matters is the choice of director; Summit are said to be eager for New Moon's Chris Weitz to return, but he may not be available, having already lined up his next project... which is also a Summit project, and still requiring final approval. Would the studio bribe Weitz by promising to greenlight whatever he wants? Will Meyer stand in the way of another movie? Will we have to deal with Twihards for longer than we'd originally thought? Only time will tell.

Summit's 'Twilight' dilemma [Variety]

Beautiful Creatures (published today by Little, Brown) is the first in a five-volume series written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl that centers around Ethan Wate, a high school student who hates the town he lives in until he meets and falls for Lena Duchanne, who just so happens to have magical powers as the result of a curse that's existed in her family for generations. The movie will be written and directed by The Fisher King and The Bridges of Madison County screenwriter Richard LaGravanese, who explained why he thinks this series will convince Twihards looking for a new drug:

I love supernatural stories that have well drawn mythologies, and I liked that this book has all the basic elements of a classic first love story with a supernatural layer over it... So the first time they hear the words boyfriend and girlfriend, they accidentally overhear each other telepathically. Their first kiss comes after he saves her life and their first date is part of a bigger adventure that leads to the unraveling of the mysterious curse that haunts her family.

We knew it had to happen, but did it really have to happen this lazily?

WB, LaGravanese Bewitched By Book [Variety]

Right now the fans have identified 22 flaws, and counting. We've listed a few funny ones below, but we'd like to contribute some mind-benders of our own. First, the impossibility that is Jacob's transformation to a dog 4 times his size, where does this extra matter go or come from! Also his magic shattering clothes I wish all clothes burst into bits like that. Plus the jean-shorts conundrum. Why are these jean shorts always around — don't they shatter too? Is there some cave in the forest stocked with jean shorts so the werepuppies can slip them on after a fight? We may never know.

But here are a few of the problems the fans have identified:

When Jacob first shows off his tattoo, it is up at the top of his shoulder. Then when he is in the forest at the end with Bella and Edward, his tattoo is about 2 inches further down his arm.

When Bella is flying to Italy they show a Virgin America airplane. Virgin America only flies within certain cities in the US. Virgin Atlantic flies from the US to Europe.

Just as Jacob enters Bella's room through the window, a stunt prop - white band on his right wrist - is briefly visible.

In the montage scenes where we see Bella's depression, when the camera is circling her, the camera man is shown in the mirror (twice) behind her.

The rims of the vampires contacts can be spotted occasionally during the film, especially the Volturi's during the ending scenes — e.g., Jane's in the elevator.

In the main title when the giant new moon appears on the screen the shadow fades over the moon from right to left when it should actually fade from left to right. The moon travels around the earth clockwise. The waning moon should turn to a new moon, not the waxing which is shown.

See the rest at Movie Mistakes.

Recently, I conducted back-to-back readings of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and the Harvard Lampoon's Nightlight. I was curious: Would the parody deconstruct the original with biting wit, until all that was left was emperor-style nudity? Or would Meyer's kajillion-selling novel brush away the satirists like horseflies, and stand on its own merits?

Below, some findings. The uninitiated should know that spoilers for both novels lie ahead. (In the interest of transparency, I ought to note that I know one of the authors on the Harvard Lampoon staff, though I have no idea which parts of Nightlight she had a hand in writing.)

Plot-Per-Page Ratio

Twilight is 498 pages long and contains approximately three events. There's a car crash that almost happens, and an exposition-heavy showdown in a dance studio. Also, some vampires play baseball. Reading Twilight with an eye for plot markers is a bit like driving through rural flatland with the radio on: every now and then you'll hear a snatch of something interesting, but for the most part it's just static.

Nightlight is only 154 pages, and manages to squeeze in a cockeyed version of almost everything that happens in Twilight, plus a blood-soaked prom and a scene where a vampire menaces a young couple in a graveyard. Advantage: Nightlight.

Characters

After spending five hundred pages in the company of Twilight protagonists Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, here's what I know about them: Bella is clumsy and prefers bookstores to dress shopping. Edward is handsome, and attractive. Lest you think he's one-dimensional, though, Meyer is careful to note that he's very easy on the eyes.

Nightlight offers parody counterparts Belle Goose and Edwart Mullen. Written less as characters than joke-clotheslines, these two are nevertheless more memorable than Meyer's swoony couple. Belle may be delusional, but she's also headstrong and sure of her own personal magnetism, a distinct improvement over passive, self-doubting Bella. And Edwart Mullen isn't actually a vampire — he's an undersocialized gamer with pronounced hypochondria. But he's not prone to inscrutable smirking or blink-and-you'll-miss-it mood shifts, like some immortals we could name.

Prose Style

Only you will know whether you want to read 498 pages of Stephenie Meyer's dialogue-attribution verbs. Lines are "said" and "asked," but they're also "encouraged," "warned," "admitted," "breathed," "nodded," "urged," "gasped" and "coaxed." This isn't the only thing that matters about a work of fiction, of course, but it's such a basic point that it's worrisome when an author can't get it right.

Not every joke in Nightlight hits its mark, but the dialogue tags are knocked down early and brilliantly. From page 11:

"So what's Phoenix like?" he beseeched.

With one word, the authors of Nightlight show they're paying more attention to what they're writing than Stephenie Meyer does in the course of a novel.

Livejournal user kar3ning was reminded of something after going to see New Moon recently:

According to the National Domestic Violence hotline, these are some signs that you may be in an emotionally or physically abusive relationship.

Does your partner:
* Look at you or act in ways that scare you?
Check.

* Control what you do, who you see or talk to or where you go?
"Stay away from the werewolves. I love you."

* Make all of the decisions?
Check.

* Act like the abuse is no big deal, it's your fault, or even deny doing it?
"If I wasn't so attracted to you, I wouldn't have to break up with you."

* Threaten to commit suicide?
"I just can't live without you. In fact, I'll run to Italy and try suicide by vampire if anything happens to you."

* Threaten to kill you?
On their first date.

These are some more signs of an abusive relationship.
Has your partner...
* Tried to isolate you from family or friends.
Bella doesn't have time for anyone else!

* Damaged property when angry (thrown objects, punched walls, kicked doors, etc.).
Check.

* Pushed, slapped, bitten, kicked or choked you.
Does tossing her through a glass table count?

* Abandoned you in a dangerous or unfamiliar place.
"We're breaking up. And I'm leaving you in the forest."

* Scared you by driving recklessly.
Check.

* Forced you to leave your home.
She had to run away with him to flee from the other vampires in the first movie, and she had to drop everything and run to Italy in the second.

* Prevented you from calling police or seeking medical attention.
Check. Even in the hospital, nothing is a big deal.

* Views women as objects and believes in rigid gender roles.
Well, they are Mormon... (I know, I know, cheap shot.)

* Accuses you of cheating or is often jealous of your outside relationships.
Check, wolf-boy.

Now I'm pissed. According to the NDVH, "If you answered ‘yes' to even one of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship." This list is fifteen.

We'd be interested in hearing Stephenie Meyer's (Or even some Twihards') response to this, but somehow don't imagine that one is forthcoming.

What Do You See In Him Again? [Captain's Log]

Twilight of the Midnight Sons: Twi Harder may just be the latest episode of Marvel's What The?! online comedy videos, but admit it; that's a better ending than New Moon managed.

[YouTube]

Sometimes, you just need an escape from the relentlessness of the Thanksgiving celebrations, and Hollywood has been there for you — at least, some years. Certainly, in recent years, there have always been a couple of oddball films coming out for T-Day — but in previous years, it was hit and miss. Here's the complete list of Thanksgiving counterprogramming of the past 25 years, including some stuff that's not science fiction but is in some sense genre film.

All movie titles link to IMDB or Box Office Mojo pages containing release dates:

1984

Supergirl A movie guaranteed to make you give thanks that you're never going to see it again — and a strong contender for the worst superhero film of all time. What I want to know is, what sort of guy sees his buddy blown thirty feet across the parking lot, and then decides to try and attack Supergirl using a switchblade?

1985

Rocky IV The good news is, it would inspire you to go get in shape after eating all that turkey and stuffing, thanks to one of the most classic training montages ever:

1986

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home The most fun of the original cast movies, this probably would have been a good one to escape to with your family. Although the famous "Shatner underwater" scene might have proved distressing.

Solarbabies I'm convinced there's something very broken about this post-apocalyptic rollerblading film, but at least on the surface it looks very wholesome. Except for the part where the woman with the huge shoulderpads says, "Lock it down and disembowel it."

1988

Cocoon: The Return I'm not sure anybody should have to deal with Steve Gutenberg on a full stomach.

1989

Back to the Future 2 Given that Marty McFly's mom gets bizarre breast implants and becomes Biff Tannen's bitch, this is definitely a good film for a family outing.

1990

Predator 2 The underrated cop drama/Predator attack movie starring Danny Glover... it's really not as bad as you remember.

Robot Jox This, on the other hand... giant mecha gladiators, fighting it out with chainsaw crotches and other armaments... this is what family is all about.

1992

The Crying Game Terrorists, thugs, and the great transgender panic of 1992. I bet you took your mom to see this one.

1994

Junior Pregnant Arnold Schwarzenegger, watching sentimental movies and crying a lot, will help you understand your own family. Really.

1995

Casino It's an underrated Scorsese classic, full of brutality and weirdness. Perfect Thanksgiving fare.

Nick of Time I may be the only person who saw this movie in the theater. Johnny Depp has 90 minutes to kill someone or other, or else Christopher Walken will kill someone or other. Mostly worth it to watch Depp and Walken overacting in a shopping mall. And for Walken saying, "I'll make you a sauce for that black Irish cocksucker's meat." I'm happy this and the Scorsese film were the main choices for Thanksgiving 1995.

1997

Alien Resurrection The whole time you're with your family, you can imagine you're actually hanging out with lesbian android Winona. Or you can just daydream about what this movie could have been if they'd filmed Joss Whedon's screenplay.

1998

Very Bad Things A sex worker gets killed at a bachelor party — and then things turn ugly. Probably just like your family gatherings. It does star Jon "Iron Man" Favreau, and it's directed by Peter "Hancock" Berg.

1999

End of Days Satan and Thanksgiving — and Arnie! They fit together perfectly! Satan is looking for his Bride... so it's about family and relationships and stuff.

2000

Unbreakable A horrific act of mass murder brings to light a guy who can find the rapists and creeps in our midst. It's light family entertainment — but it does deal with some real questions about the power of story. So yeah, probably a good one to get out of the house for.

Quills This, on the other hand — the Marquis De Sade! In full effect! I'm betting many of you dragged your entire family to see this.

2001

Black Knight Martin Lawrence gets zapped back to the Middle Ages, and presumably, goes medieval on their asses. Enough to make your entire family commit mass suicide, Heavens Gate-style.

The Devil's Backbone An early Guillermo Del Toro classic, and more proof that horror owns Thanksgiving. Your family doesn't deserve this movie.

2002

Solaris You could watch Steven Soderbergh's trippy-ass remake of Tarkovsky's classic while you're already wigged out on tryptophan. Why not?

Wes Craven Presents: They Or you could have seen this gem — they're coming for you!

2003

Timeline "Your father is in the 14th. century." Hey, maybe he can hang out with Martin Lawrence there!

2006

The Fountain And speaking of trippy movies when you're already stoned on tryptophan... at least your entire family will each have different opinions about what happened in this film.

Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny Jack Black! Rocking out! It's bound to make more sense than The Fountain.

2007

Hitman A video game adaptation about a guy who kills people and thwarts some vague conspiracy thing. Probably the purest example of counterprogramming ever.

The Mist Given the shocking, ultra-secret ending, this is an... interesting choice for a family occasion. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't watch this clip:

2008

Transporter 3 It's a threequel starring Jason Statham. How can it be bad?

Twilight You probably have at least one family member who's as creepy as Edward. So it's good to get some perspective.

2009

The Road And then we're up to this year's crop... this whole movie is as depressing as The Mist's ending. But at least it does have a genuinely pro-family message.

Ninja Assassin This is the film we'll probably actually be watching on T-day. Ninjas! Wachowskis! James McTeigue! Out-and-out mayhem!

Additional reporting by Mary Ratliff.

Healey writes:

Bella is often accused of passivity, but although there are certainly faults to be found with her fixation on romance to the exclusion of all other interests, she doesn't actually lack forward momentum. She's the sexual aggressor and instigator of change in her relationship, hurtling through milestones at breakneck speed-first love, first soul-crushing breakup, marriage, sex, childbirth, and motherhood in less than two years-before achieving her goal of eternity in a fairy-tale cottage with her loving family. Her transformation is agonizing and traumatic, but, aware of the risks and owning her choice, she pushes unrelentingly for it anyway. Although I do wonder if Bella's really considered the ramifications of repeating high school over and over again, as her husband and new siblings-in-law do-after this ultimate transformation, she has perfection, but a static and essentially unchanging one.

All in all, I think I prefer YA where the protagonists aren't ever totally satisfied with their transformations. I like fiction that acknowledges the difficulty and terror of acquiring new bodies and new attitudes, but promises that change is not only inevitable, but can be a mindful and ongoing process of self-making, aiming for better days ahead.

via Strange Horizons

Heroin For Teens!

TMZ has a picture of Twilight Heroin baggies taken from West Hempstead, Long Island. Apparently they've been getting more popular these last few months.

Random Bitings

An ABC affiliate is reporting that a 17-year-old girl was bitten by a man after getting harassed in a New Moon screening.

The victim was watching the teen vampire romance movie with another friend when she says a man behind them started making sexual comments to them. After the movie was over, the man allegedly bit the girl on the neck. The bite did not break the girl's skin.

Ugh.

Vibrating Edward

And finally this super fan from Pillow Biters made a plastic pocket size vibrating Edward doll, and then had the actor who plays Jasper autograph it. Come on — you could of at least taped Jasper's face to it!

And thanks to New Moon.org for pointing out that you can make Edward and Jacob kiss in the new EW magazine spread.

The movie's final opening day gross was $72.7 million, which included a second record of $26.3 million for the movie's 12:01 Friday showings alone. The Friday take not only sailed past the Dark Knight's previous record of $67.2 million, but was more than double the original Twilight's debut of $36 million.

Right now, estimates for the movie's weekend haul are somewhere in the region of $125-130 million, which will leave one Dark Knight record intact (It made $158.4 million in its first weekend). But that doesn't mean that estimates could be wildly underestimating the appeal of shirtless, hairless supernatural teenagers. After all, the original weekend estimate was around $85 million...

'New Moon' breaks boxoffice record [Hollywood Reporter]

Side A, Vampires:

Blade, Blood Club

Once Bitten, "Hands Off"

Fright Night, "Good Man In A Bad Time"

Love At First Bite, With The Original Track "I Love The Night Life"

Twilight Prom Dance Clip

The Hunger

Side B, Werewolves:

Werewolf Steppers: He Jumps over A Bear Trap!

Werewolves Dance - For more funny videos, click here

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

Teen Wolf Dance

Teen Wolf Too "Shut Up And Dance"