What a sad world when the great James Bond must step aside for Edward and Bella. Although Skyfall is bound to have a second great week at the box office, it will be overshadowed by the grand finale to The Twilight Saga. Also moving from limited to wide release this week is Steven Spielberg's Oscar-vying biopic, Lincoln.
Wide Release
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Directed by Bill Condon
Written by Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Theater Count: 4,070
What’s It About? The mighty Twilight Saga concludes with the second half of the final novel, Breaking Dawn. After being turned into a vampire, Bella (Stewart) adjusts to her new life until controversy strikes and the Volturi seek to hunt her family down.
Early Reaction: The grand finale nature of this one has earned in the somewhat meaningless title of "most watchable" Twilight movie yet. Too little, too late, it seems.
Metacritic: 53/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% (mixed)
What to Watch For: The end. Make sure it ends and there's no way it could be revived.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Tony Kushner, Doris Kearns Goodwin (book)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Distributor: DreamWorks/Buena Vista
Theater Count: 1,775
What’s It About? Steven Spielberg’s long awaited bio-pic of the 16th President of the United States has Daniel Day-Lewis already predicted for an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. Based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, Lincoln focuses on Lincoln’s efforts to pass the 13th Amendment as the American Civil War comes to an end.
Early Reaction: Spielberg returns to top form it seems, though Day-Lewis drives the film with his performance. Neither of these things should shock you.
Metacritic: 86/100
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (excellent)
What to Watch For: All the ways in which this film could compete for Oscars. A Best Actor is a shoo-in, but there are lots of other details to pay attention to that could warrant noms and a handful of statuettes.
Limited/Independent Releases
Anna Karenina - Director Joe Wright (Atonement, Hanna) reteams with Keira Knightley for the third time to retell Tolstoy's classic story of a scandalous wealthy-class romance in a way never before seen. (Metacritic: 64/100, Rotten Tomatoes: 64%) – Focus Features
Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell follows up his heavily Oscar-nominated drama The Fighter with this romantic comedy about a man (Bradley Cooper) learning to deal with his mental issues who finds a kindred spirit (Jennifer Lawrence). Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker costar. (Metacritic: 83/100, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%) – The Weinstein Co.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) – The latest romantic epic from Bollywood tells the story of musician betrayed by his lover who joins the army where he falls for a journalist. It stars the incomparable Shah Rukh Khan. – Yash Raj
Price Check – Michael Walker's second feature film stars Parker Posey, who starts to groom the main character (Eric Mabius) for an executive position at a failing supermarket chain, but at what cost? (Metacritic: 67/100, Rotten Tomatoes: 65%) – IFC