There are two types of joy that will be happening this Thursday at midnight. The first is the joy of Twilight fanatics as they step into theaters to watch the new film Breaking Dawn Part 2. The second is the joy of the rest of us, knowing it's the last time we'll ever have to endure the release of a Twilight movie.

Well, depending on which type of joy you'll be experiencing Thursday, I have some good news or some bad news. Twilight Author Stephenie Meyer has another, non-Twilight book. It's called The Host, it's been adapted into a movie, and here's the trailer:

 

The Host Movie Trailer

Saoirse Ronan stars as Melanie Stryder, one of the last survivors of an invasion of an alien race who implant their souls into human bodies. After meeting fellow survivor Jared, played by Max Irons, Melanie is captured and implanted with an alien soul. But her will overpowers the alien's and she sets off to find her loved ones once again.

Jake Abel, Diane Kruger, William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk), and Chandler Canterbury also star.

The Host will hit theaters March 29, 2013. Check out yesterday's The Host poster for another look.

A new clip from Rise of the Guardians has hit the internet, featuring Santa giving Jack Frost a tour of his workship. Take a look:

 

Rise of the Guardians Santa's Workshop Clip

Chris Pine voices Frost, the spirit of winter, who is recruited by a group of 'Guardians' to help them save the world from the evil Boogeyman, voiced by Jude Law. Alec Baldwin plays Santa Claus, with Hugh Jackman as the Easter Bunny and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) as the Tooth Fairy.

The film is based on the book by William Joyce, with the screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire. Peter Ramsey directs.

Rise of the Guardians premieres November 21. Head to our Rise of the Guardians character posters page to get well-acquainted with all of the Guardians.

Robert Pattinson has been Edward Cullen for over five years now, so you can forgive the actor if he’s a little bewildered as to what comes next now that Breaking Dawn Part 2 is about to hit theaters. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more completely bewildered,” Pattinson told Movie Fanatic. “It’s going to take 10 years to really settle in my brain.”

Even more confusing for Pattinson is if one were to dissect the Twilight phenomenon to get to the heart of why this thing is even so popular in the first place. “I don’t think anyone knows why people like it. I don’t think even the fans know why they connect with it the way they do. It’s a visceral thing,” Pattinson said.

The actor believes that the series' creator could not answer that riddle. “I don’t even know if Stephenie [Meyer] could tell you why she was so fixated on this very, very contained story about these very obsessive characters. It’s just an anomaly.”

Now that it is over, Pattinson must say goodbye to a character in Edward Cullen who has not only inhabited his life for half a decade, but also launched his career into the stratosphere of popular culture. “It was very, very strange,” he admitted.

“I still had the same frustration with trying to play it, the entire way through, right up until the last shot. It’s a strange part because, on one hand, a lot of the audience projects their idea of Edward onto him. It doesn’t matter what he is. They want him to be a certain way. You’re trying to play someone who’s seen by a lot of people as this perfect thing, but what is that? That doesn’t mean anything. So, you’re trying to play an archetype on one hand and a character on the other, so I felt insanely frustrated, right up until the last shot, and then it ended.”

The conclusion of being Edward in Breaking Dawn Part 2 came in the most unusual of ways, given the series’ long shooting locale of the freezing Pacific Northwest.

“It was hilarious, considering we’d spent the entire series filming in the most miserable conditions, and then we ended on the beach in the Caribbean, filming for two days in the sea. We literally did the last shot, as the sun was coming up in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It was a nice way to end it because they were considering shooting it in the sea in Vancouver, which would not have worked at all,” Pattinson recalled, laughing.

Now that he’s revealed his impressions on the end, Movie Fanatic was curious as to the beginning. “The whole first movie was pretty fun. I had never really done a movie like it, when there’s such a big cast of people that are around about the same age. Everyone didn’t really know what was going to happen with the movie, but there was a good energy,” Pattinson said.

“There was something which people were fighting for, in a way. They wanted it to be something special. It felt like a big deal.”

And his first thoughts of the two cast members that he will forever be linked to, thanks to Twilight -- Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart?

“I met Taylor on the movie, I think, when he was wearing his wig and stuff. I met Kristen at the audition. I’m still just trying to come to terms with acknowledging being an actor, at all. When I did Harry Potter, I remember looking at Dan [Radcliffe], Rupert [Grint] and Emma [Watson] and being like, ‘Those guys are actors.’ I was star struck by them. And I was star struck by these guys. It’s funny to see people get humanized,” Pattinson admitted.

“With Dan, Rupert and Emma, I still see them as that. I was with them for 11 months and I still see them as massively famous people. It’s strange to have gone through the same experience with Taylor and Kristen, as well, and to see people retain their sanity, as much as possible. I’ve seen a lot of people have minor amounts of fame and just lose their minds completely, after a casting announcement, let alone having done a movie. It’s amazing to see that people manage to maintain.”

When it comes to the future, Pattinson has a fantastic attitude towards the next chapter of the U.K. actor’s life. “It’s not necessarily that satisfying getting monetary success, but sometimes it keeps the door open to make what you want to make. Other times, you can make five massive hits in a row and still not get cast by the directors you want to work with,” Pattinson said.

His work in between Twilight movies proves his passion for smaller films with roles in Cosmopolis, Remember Me and Bel Ami. “There are no guarantees. I’m trying to sign up and do movies that I’ll be proud of, if it’s my last one. That’s how I think about it.”

When it comes to vampire movies, Pattinson’s favorite and his opinion over those who adore the genre is quite hilarious. “I really like Blade. I wish people would make hard R-rated fantasy movies again. I haven’t seen that many vampire things,” Pattinson said.

“It’s always been strange to me that someone can say they’re a vampire fan. I’m not a non-fan, but it’s such an unusual thing to be a fan of. That’s like saying, ‘I love zombie movies! I just love ‘em!’ That’s more of a psychological problem than being an actual fan.”

Remember those two Oz: The Great and Powerful"art" images that seemed like posters but only had small lettering in the corner? Well, turns out, they were the edges of a full "triptych" poster, and we have the full image for you now. Take a look at it, followed by three new stills (click thumbnails to enlarge):

James Franco stars as Oscar Diggs, a circus magician who is transported to the land of Oz where he is assumed to be the fabled Wizard. There, he meets three witches, played by Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis (Black Swan), and Rachel Weisz, who aren't convinced of Oscar's power.

Using his skills to help the land of Oz with an epic problem, Oscar transforms into the Wizard of Oz.

Zach Braff, Joey King (The Dark Knight Rises), and Bruce Campbell also star in the film, directed by Sam Raimi. Oz: The Great and Powerful hits theaters March 8, 2013.

When all was said and done, screenwriter Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Munich) felt that although director Steven Spielberg had optioned the astounding book A Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, he would only use a particular slice of it. He felt that the story of Lincoln had to be about the passage of the 13th Amendment and its abolition of slavery.

“I had known Doris' work. I'd read everything else she'd written and I've always thought she's an extraordinary writer and shaper of narrative,” Kushner said. There were many books about Lincoln that he had read, and noticed that each one presented a different person.

“They're all recognizably Lincoln but there are many ways to interpret what Lincoln did. He left both an enormous amount of information, an enormous amount of observational information for people who were there with him, and also left very little. There are no diaries.”

Lincoln famously refused to talk about his childhood and he left few personal letters. “He was a very private guy, and so it makes him a figure that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways,” Kushner said. “I think you sort of have to find the Lincoln that speaks most to you… and for Steven, me and Daniel [Day Lewis], it was Doris’ Lincoln.”

Although that came in the form of the epic A Team of Rivals, filmmakers only utilized a particular few weeks from Lincoln’s life, his final weeks in fact. Having Goodwin’s book as a guide allowed everyone involved in the Lincoln movie to fill in many other blanks when it comes to Lincoln history.

“Doris' sense of who Lincoln was and how he did what he did became really the guiding spirit for the film,” the screenwriter said. “I think it's the Kearns Goodwinian Lincoln that we follow. I talked to Doris two or three times a month, the whole time I was working on the script, and with great joy.”

Kushner marveled at the cast that came together once Daniel Day Lewis said yes to portraying the iconic American figure. Sally Field joined as Abe’s wife, Joseph Gordon Levitt agreed to play Lincoln’s oldest son and a bevy of superstars were cast to portray the politicos of the time including Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes and James Spader.

“Steven made a huge effort, after Daniel said yes to playing Lincoln, to finding an astonishing company of actors, and people who like Joe and Sally really have a great comfort with language processing skills and can really act through words,” Kushner said. "Daniel is a very great actor, and we wanted him to be surrounded with a company of astonishing talent -- and I think that that's what makes the movie as good as it is, these people that create intensity, integrity and intelligence.”

After studying the world of Lincoln, Kushner concludes that the loss of the president at the hands of an assassin’s bullet is perhaps the greatest crime in history. “The murder of Abraham Lincoln in April, 1865, was a great catastrophe for the human race,” he admitted.

“A hundred years of Jim Crow segregation that followed might not have been entirely avoidable by Lincoln but I think he would have been able to use the time immediately after the war a great deal better. He was literally intending malice towards none and charity towards all."

Lincoln would have treated the South with more respect and as such, years of deeply divided civil rights fights may have been less bloody. “Had the South been treated better in the early days of Reconstruction it might have progressed a great deal more than it did. And certain elements of Southern resentment, which became breeding grounds of a kind of race hatred, might never have happened,” he said.

Yet, the screenwriter feels that the country has still made great strides. “I think that one of the things that Steven really wanted to do with this movie and I was really happy to be a part of, is that people like Abraham Lincoln come along once every, as Mary [Lincoln] says, once every, five or six generations at best,” Kushner said.

“This is somebody on the level, I think, of Michelangelo or Mozart, or Albert Einstein. The real trick I think of telling this story is to show that he may have been the greatest virtuoso of the machinery of democratic government that ever lived. But that doesn't mean the machinery doesn't work without him.”

As Movie Fanatic discusses in our Lincoln review, there is an optimism that Kushner believes starts with Goodwin’s book. “We're living in a period now where there is an African-American who's President of the United States and same-sex marriage has now become, increasingly, the law of many states and [the] Defense of Marriage Act was overturned by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals by a Reagan appointee! I think there's great cause,” Kushner said. “The question of human rights, the struggle for justice is never ending.”

It is also reflected in the leader of Lincoln, Spielberg. “He’s a deeply optimistic artist of profoundly democratic -- small d -- democratic impulse. He believes in people,” Kushner said. “He believes that people's entertainment should be rich and deep and complicated, and that that will provide entertainment that people really want to be challenged and to learn things and to grow as well as to have fun.”

Zombies are way in right now. This year's Resident Evil: Retributionscored big in the worldwide box office, and the highly-anticipated World War Z trailer just dropped last week. Now, continuing the tradition of "zom-coms," here's the trailer for Warm Bodies:

 

Warm Bodies Trailer

Nicholas Hoult stars as R, a zombie who falls in love with a human after eating the brains of her suicidal friend and consuming his memories. As R learns to love, his zombie companions begin to change as well.

Teresa Palmer plays the girl, Julie, with Dave Franco, Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), and John Malkovich also starring. Jonathan Levine wrote the script and directed.

Warm Bodies opens February 1, 2013.

A new featurette for Red Dawn has dropped! The video explores the Lady Wolverines Adrianne Palicki and Isabel Lucas. Watch below:

 

Red Dawn Lady Wolverines Featurette

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World), Josh Peck, and Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) star in the remake of the classic 1984 action movie. After their town comes under occupation from a foreign army, a group of high schoolers take up arms and train themselves into a guerrilla army to fight back.

Connor Cruise, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Brett Cullen also star.

Dan Bradley directs the film, which will hit theaters November 21. Watch this Red Dawn clip of the invasion for a sneak peek.

Keira Knightley knows a thing or two about working with her Anna Karenina director Joe Wright. The duo famously joined creative forces on the fabulous Pride and Prejudice. Knightley tells us in our exclusive video interview that she and the helmer were surprised at the lack of shorthand when it came to making Anna Karenina along with Jude Law.

“We changed an awful lot and that’s what was so funny coming into this,” Knightley admitted. “We did expect that it would be easy. And it wasn’t, and that was wonderful. He keeps learning and I hope I do too.”

 

Keira Knightley Exclusive Interview

We also ask the superstar what films she can watch over and over again. Interestingly enough, before the camera started rolling, we mentioned that might be a question and she said Mean Girls! But, once the camera was on (and perhaps after some time to think), her answers moved towards the iconic and less guilty pleasure. “My films that I watch over and over are Reds… Notorious is another,” Knightley said. Although this girl still knows how to have fun. “I also like The Philadelphia Story… can’t go wrong with the classics.”

A new image from Texas Chainsaw 3D has debuted! Take a look:

The seventh film in the horror franchise picks up where the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre left off. Alexandra Daddario (Hall Pass) stars as Heather Miller, a girl who inherits her grandmother's mansion, only to discover that the murderous Leatherface resides there.

Dan Yeager, Trey Songz, Tania Raymonde, Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Bill Moseley, and Scott Eastwood (Trouble with the Curve) also star. John Luessenhop directs the film, which premieres January 4, 2013.

It’s a huge week on the home video front with new Blu-Rays and DVDs from the three main genres of film: Action, comedy and animation. Brave from Disney/Pixar lands with a waving mane of red hair, The Watch finds Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill trying to save the world and Oliver Stone returns to the drama-thriller mold with the drug smuggling actioner Savages.

Oh, and Clueless director Amy Heckerling and Alicia Silverstone reunite for Vamps!

Brave: Pixar does it again as this time out, they head to medieval Scotland to tell the story of Merida (Kelly MacDonald), a princess who would rather ride her horse Angus and shoot her beloved bow and arrow than be set up for a royal marriage. But, it is that time of her life and she must do what her mother (Emma Thompson) and father (Billy Connolly) say. The film is a treasure and a lock for a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination, but it is the Blu-Ray DVD combo pack Movie Fanatic received that is the true prize.

Extras abound including priceless deleted scenes and the stellar short film that was previously unreleased, The Legend of Mor’du, as well as the brilliant short film La Luna that was featured prior to Brave’s opening credits.

Also a joy is watching the Pixar team explore Scotland in Brave Old World, as it takes viewers into the painstaking work a film team endures before creating a single animated cell. There’s also an alternative opening and a closer look at how they created the astounding specimen that is Merida’s horse Angus.

 

Brave Trailer 3

Savages: Stone returns to form in a film that split critics upon its theatrical release. Although Movie Fanatic’s Savages review appreciated what the director was going for, it’s actually even more of a delight to witness the auteur’s work on the small screen. With all the bonus features and with its unrated edition Blu-Ray, you can see how Stone really wanted audiences to witness his return to violent individuals and the world they inhabit.

 

Savages Trailer

As such the Stone commentary is a fascinating opportunity to get into the head of one of modern cinema’s masters. Of particular interest is the audio commentary given by the book’s author, Don Winslow. The in-depth five-part documentary Stone Cold Savages takes viewers inside the world Stone and Winslow created, leaving you wanting to go back to the film itself with increased knowledge about the entire process.

The Watch: Stiller, Vaughn and Hill are joined by U.K. comic Richard Ayoade for a comic romp that might not be what you expected it to be. Sure, the guys get together to form a neighborhood watch when a resident of their community is murdered. Except, there’s one thing: They realize it’s part of a larger alien invasion and it’s not just their neighborhood they must protect. The Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack Movie Fanatic received features the “Ruder, Cruder and Lewder” version of the film and yes, it is funnier than the theatrical version. As is typical with most comedy releases, there is a The Watch gag reel. But, in the hands of comic vets Stiller, Vaughn and Hill… it feels fresh and reminds us why we adore gag reels in the first place.

 

The Watch Trailer

Vamps: Fifteen years ago Heckerling made a star out of Silverstone in Clueless and with the filmmaker’s Vamps, they’re back together making movie magic. Silverstone is joined by TV’s Krysten Ritter in the story of two female vampires having a biting ball in the big city when both come to the realization that there is more to life than romantic conquests and the innocent slaughter of humans. When one of them falls in love with a vampire hunter, things get complicated. Another Clueless veteran Wallace Shawn joins the cast, as do the always awesome Kristen Johnston and Sigourney Weaver. Enjoy a clip below from the film, entitled Meet the Van Helsings!

 

Vamps: Meet the Van Helsings

Martin Freeman gets a whole 30 seconds basically to himself in the new The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot. Check it out:

 

The Hobbit Bilbo TV Spot

Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit hired by Gandalf the Grey, played by Ian McKellen, to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, along with 13 dwarves, from the evil dragon Smaug. Richard Armitage, Ian Holm, Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness), Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving (Cloud Atlas), Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, and Elijah Wood also star.

Peter Jackson directs the series, which acts as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, the story will be split into three films, An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and There and Back Again.

An Unexpected Journey will premiere December 14. Take a look at some The Hobbit stills for another look.

It has been four incredible years for actress Elizabeth Reaser tackling Stephenie Meyer’s literary alter-ego mother character Esme in The Twilight Saga. Now that Breaking Dawn Part 2 is in the can and set to enlighten audiences, Reaser admitted in our exclusive interview that she’s not one for nostalgia. “Part of me moves on really fast,” Reaser said. “I’m an actress so that’s what you do. When you’re done, you’re done.”

Yet, there is something different about the experience of being the mother to Edward (Robert Pattinson) and witnessing his romantic and thrilling journey with Bella (Kristen Stewart).

“Another part of me, I don’t think I’ve even processed it all. I think it will be another year, maybe two years, before I’ll be able to look back and have any perspective on how crazy insane this whole thing’s been,” Reaser said. “From the get-go, every single step of the way, I’ve been shocked, just so blown away by the passion that people have for these movies and these characters.”

Reaser reported that thankfully, she had no idea of the utter pandemonium surrounding Meyer’s series when she first landed in Vancouver to shoot Twilight. “I didn’t understand the scope of it when I first started, which was probably to my benefit. Had I been a younger girl who was a fan already, I might have had a little more pressure,” Reaser said.

She was able to just show up and let the novel’s author and that film’s director, Catherine Hardwicke, do their thing. The franchise was off and running to a full blown blockbuster. “I knew Stephenie specifically told me the first time I met her that she was really happy that I was playing Esme, that she had known me from Grey’s Anatomy and other things,” Reaser said and smiled.

“That kind of thing just really gives you so much confidence to just do my job. I don’t even think about it in those terms and now that you mention it, I could have been totally just despised and hated by the fans! It never even occurred to me that that was an option. So thank God!”

With some page-to-screen adaptations, the author isn’t very involved. Yet on the Twilight Saga, and especially on Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2, Meyer has been ever present and her insight is often needed. “Having her around affects the energy on set. It’s like, ‘That’s the person that created this. It came from her.’ It just feels good to know that she’s there. She cares. She’s got a voice. Her support, I feel, was really helpful to us.”

From Twilight through Breaking Dawn Part 2, Reaser is most often attached to the hip of her onscreen husband, Dr. Cullen (Peter Facinelli). “I just miss him,” she admitted of her feelings towards Facinelli as the dawn prepares to break on this Twilight ride.

“We’re never going to have 18-hour days together, huddled up in a trailer or whatever we’re doing in the woods. I just miss his humor. If I had to pick a show husband for five years or five movies, he would definitely be it. I got really lucky.”

It must be an interesting change from now on to play a character only once after portraying Esme for four years. “This is the rare thing. Usually these things are finite. There are times where I’m like, ‘I wish I could revisit that character.’ You don’t get to do that and you have to let it go. But that has been something fun about these movies, that I’ve gotten to reinvestigate it and try and get better at it,” she admitted.

Given specifically what the character was, the actress felt it was even more challenging. “It’s really a hard thing to do, weirdly enough. Playing a vampire, this type of vampire, has been really hard for me, imaginatively. To make it believable and feel authentic and yet still be part of the world in a way that feels dynamic, it’s nice to keep getting a crack at it.”

We will not speak of the ending, but when asked about the actual closing moments of Breaking Dawn Part 2, Reaser reveals how it was truly traumatic. “It was very intense. We only did a couple takes, thank God. Usually on these movies, we do tons of takes and tons of angles,” Reaser said. “Luckily we just got it because it was just such an intense thing to play, obviously.”

A new poster has dropped for the upcoming comedy Identity Thief. The film stars Jason Bateman as Sandy Bigelow Patterson, a man whose identity is stolen by a woman across the country, played by Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids).

After he decides to go after the con artist, Sandy realizes just how hard it can be to get your name back. Check out the poster below:

Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau (who we think would make a great Star Wars Episode 7 director), Genesis Rodriguez, Jon Cho, and T.I. also star. Seth Gordon directs, with a script by Craig Mazin.

Identity Thief will premiere February 8, 2013. Watch the Identity Thief trailer for more.

At the beginning of the summer, when it was first announced that the Splinter Cell video game series would be adapted into a film, we remarked that the video game's main character bares some resemblance to Argo's Chris Messina.

Well, our casting choice will not be seeing the light of day, but we can't really complain. That's because the inimitable Tom Hardy has signed on to star!

Hardy has had a year full of dark, critically acclaimed performances as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and Forrest Bondurant in Lawless. He imposing actor may actually have to lose some bulk in order to take on the role of special operative Sam Fisher.

Splinter Cell has yet to secure a director, or a shooting or release schedule. What do you think of Tom Hardy's casting? Does everything he touch turn to gold?

Oh, the horror! The Twilight Saga is coming to an end. Tens of millions of Twi-hards, as they are now called, will say goodbye to the franchise in literary and now cinematic form when Breaking Dawn Part 2 premieres. In honor of the series that defines the word “blockbuster,” Movie Fanatic looks over the last four years of Edward and Bella’s love story to come up with the top ten moments in Twilight history.

10. The Tent scene in Eclipse
All you have to say in Twilight circles is the tent scene and fans will know what is meant. It is a priceless moment of male brooding as Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) watch over Bella (Kristen Stewart) as she sleeps. Score this scene for Team Jacob as his warm, hot body can keep Bella warm on that wintery night.

9. Vampire baseball in Twilight
Whether it’s the killer Muse song (that interestingly enough inspired author Stephenie Meyer while she wrote Twilight) or the feats of athleticism turned in by our Cullen vampires, watching them play the national pastime in Twilight is a true treasure.

8. Jacob’s first turn as a wolf in New Moon
It had all built up to that moment in New Moon when the seriously bulked-up Lautner lost his shirt and became a wolf, right before our eyes. The key to the rest of the Twilight Saga story was in many ways born at that moment as our three key players would now be well on their way to their destiny.

7. Edward stops a truck in Twilight
They had flirted and exchanged glances, but it wasn’t until Edward saved Bella in the parking lot of their high school from a careening out-of-control truck that our heroine knew there really was something different about her new crush.

6. Charlie gives Bella the sex talk in Eclipse
Much as the tent scene also achieved in Eclipse, when Bella’s dad gives her the birds and the bees talk in that same movie, the franchise showed its ability to not take itself too seriously and interject some laughs.

5. Edward meets Bella for the first time in Twilight
We like to group the Edward meeting Bella moment into two parts and they are both monumental in the Twilight series. When Edward first walks into the cafeteria and Bella gives him a “Who’s that?!” look… it’s utterly priceless. Then, watching Mr. Suave vampire have trouble controlling himself in science class when they “officially” meet is nothing short of brilliant.

4. The birth of Renesmee in Breaking Dawn Part 1
Horrifying, yet you couldn’t look away, could you? When Renesmee makes her debut in the Twilight Saga world at the end of Breaking Dawn Part 1, everyone except those on screen know that it is truly the beginning of the end. It is a monumental moment in the world of Bella and the Cullen clan as the ever present Volturi will surely not let this union last.

3. Tie: Edward & Bella’s wedding in Breaking Dawn Part 1& Edward proposal in Eclipse
The wedding scene in Breaking Dawn Part 1 was, for fans, one of the most romantic on film. The moment they had been waiting for, the union of vampire and the girl who loves him, was now official. Just behind that in the swooning department is when Edward actually proposed to Bella in Eclipse. Cue the ahhhs.

2. Bella turns into a vampire in Breaking Dawn Part 2
In the opening moments of Breaking Dawn Part 2, Bella awakes from giving birth to Renesmee, having died and come back to life as a vampire. She is now “the same temperature” as Edward, as he points out. More importantly, she can race through the woods and tackle mountain lions for dinner!

1. The final battle in Breaking Dawn Part 2
Even for non-fans of the Twilight Saga, the ending of Breaking Dawn Part 2 is epic. It will be debated for decades to come and fans will be split on it, but one thing is for sure: The franchise conclusion lives up to not only the hype, but the hope of the generations who adore Meyer’s world.

Skyfall is being touted as one of the best Bond movies ever, and with so many great James Bond quotes in the history of the franchise, it's only natural that there would be some excellent Skyfall quotes as well.

Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Berenice Marlohe, Judi Dench, and Ben Whishaw all delivered fantastic lines. Check out the quotes we loved most below, then let us know your favorites in the comments section!

M: Where the hell have you been?
James Bond: Enjoying death. 007 reporting for duty. | permalink

Q: I'm your new quartermaster.
James Bond: You must be joking. | permalink

James Bond: There's some men coming to kill us. We've got to kill them first. | permalink

Sévérine: How much do you know about fear?
James Bond: All there is.
Sévérine: Well, not like this... Not like him... | permalink

Raoul Silva: We are the two rats left. We can either eat each other, huh, or eat everyone else. | permalink

Q: I'm guessing this is not official ?
James Bond: Not even remotely.
Q: So much for my promising career in espionage. | permalink

To paraphrase a Star Wars phrase about the force being strong with this one, when it comes to Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, the Oscar buzz is just as powerful surrounding James Spader. The acting veteran is earning the best marks of his career, as we point out in our Lincoln review, for his role of political operative W.N. Bilbo. Movie Fanatic caught up with Spader at Disney studios in Burbank for an exclusive conversation about all things Lincoln.

Knowing he was joining a Spielberg picture starring the chameleon-like legend that is Daniel Day Lewis in the title role, Spader dove into Lincoln history and admitted that it is too early to tell how much he truly learned about our greatest president.

“I learned a lot, but I don’t even know if I have the objectivity to even be able to know to the extent,” Spader said.

A bulk of the film takes place in the final weeks of Lincoln’s life as the Civil War rages. He had just won re-election and he was making his number one priority passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. The president knew that if he made slavery illegal, the entire reason for the war would cease to exist and peace could be achieved in one fell swoop.

“I was unaware of a lot of the circumstances of what’s depicted in the film,” Spader added. He appreciated Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner for their ability to sharpen the focus on a historical figure. “Unless you’re a student of history, you tend to think of history in broad strokes and this film is painted with the finest of brushes. It’s a very, very small slice. The politics of the day I saw for the first time through the prism of this screenplay.”

As seen in many of the eloquent monologues through the Lincoln trailer, Kushner’s work is a piece of art and its power is only further resonating with Spader since witnessing the entire film. “I’ve seen the film twice now and the first time it washed over me like a wave. It was just glorious. I saw it last night for the second time and you’re right, there were just certain moments all of a sudden where it’s just art,” he said.

Spader also was allowed to take a step back and marvel at the uncanny performance by the film’s lead. “I was even more drawn in by Daniel than I was the first time, although the first time I was just stunned at what a beautiful, beautiful performance it was. But last night I was even more drawn in. I remember I saw the film for the first time and called Daniel and said, ‘It just made me miss you terribly.’”

Even though it is a story that is almost a century-and-a-half old, Spader finds Spielberg’s work as timely as ever, especially in these deeply divided times. “That little period, just those few weeks, were such an incredibly dramatic time and it was such an incredibly brutal time in our history where one could focus on such a broad spectrum of issues of the day -- ultimately all those issues of the day could be distilled into this idea. I think in a way the film speaks to that sort of defining of our country right up to today,” Spader said.

Countries throughout the globe are going through what America went through during those trying final weeks of Lincoln’s life. “Other nations are struggling with things. I’ll travel to Europe which is struggling with things that we struggled with and how to live in proximity with people that you do not understand. You must be patient, must be tolerant, must be curious, or at least understanding,” Spader added. “I love the fact that this film delves into that.”

Not only does Lincoln show the final weeks of an American icon, it truly depicts a turning point in U.S history where a marked shift in policy would reverberate throughout time and geography. Spader remarked that many felt that when slavery was abolished that the race discussion in America was perceived to be completed. Yet, when President Obama was first elected in 2008, that same sentiment was also expressed.

Spader shared a story about his time on David E. Kelley’s Boston Legal and how the brilliant creator of that show handled that issue, and it reminds him of what Kushner and Spielberg have done with Lincoln.

“I remember I was doing Boston Legal right before the 2008 elections. We were shooting an episode that dealt with President Obama winning. [In that episode] there was this great argument that was sort of the center of the thing about whether this answered the question of race in our country. I remember the argument that my character was putting forth was that it’s a ludicrous notion that the election of a black president puts to rest the issue of race in our country,” Spader recalled.

“It’s just so funny that however many years prior to that, in this film Lincoln, the depiction is of a time where one might say, ‘Does this put to rest the issue of race in our country?’ And of course as the decades unfolded after that, it has always been an issue in this country.”

Breaking Dawn Part 2 is by far the most satisfying of the Twilight Saga. Could it be because the Stephenie Meyer-created characters are the most formed and each is more drawn out than ever before? Possibly, or it could just be that there is something satisfying about a film series that has always shown promise, but never quite lived up to its hype, and now in its final chapter… is ready to go out on top.

Part 2 picks up right after Breaking Dawn Part 1 concludes. Bella (Kristen Stewart) has died giving birth to her and new husband Edward’s (Robert Pattinson) baby Renesmee. Of course as fans know, Edward bit her in an effort to save Bella’s life and as she awakes in Breaking Dawn Part 2 with her searing red eyes, audiences know… this is Bella 2.0.

Movie Fanatic believes, in our Breaking Dawn Part 2 review, this is exactly why this film soars above all the others in the Twilight Saga. Stewart is unleashed and it is such a joy to watch her as she goes toe-to-toe with her new in-laws, particularly in a scene where she arm wrestles Emmett -- as this Breaking Dawn Part 2 clip shows. Then, moments later it’s practically a movie highlight when she tosses Jacob (Taylor Lautner) around like a rag doll as she discovers he has imprinted on her new baby -- more on that in a minute.

When a fellow vamp Irina (new to the series Maggie Grace) sees Renesmee, she immediate fears the worst and quickly reports to the Volturi and Aro (Michael Sheen) that the child is dangerous and must be destroyed. Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene), in her infinite wisdom and ability to see the future, sees the ruling vampire body coming for them and the family must prepare for battle.

Going into the film, we knew there would be a slew of new friendly-to-the-Cullen vampires and thought it might be a cohesive challenge for director Bill Condon to effectively and efficiently introduce them all while still serving his epic conclusion. Not so as it is a nice and infectious joy to meet these new vamps, especially Revolutionary War veteran Garrett (Lee Pace).

What was honestly creepy in the book Breaking Dawn was the whole imprinting thing with Jacob and Renesmee. Having a grown man lay “claim” to a newborn baby for a lifelong romantic connection just seemed off. Yet, in the film the relationship is portrayed as him serving purely as protector. It is Jacob’s already committed life path with her that gets his Wolfpack kin firmly into the battle that is looming with the Volturi over the child’s mere existence.

The star of Breaking Dawn Part 2 is Stewart. Through the entire series, the films have felt like an ensemble piece at its broadest and a love triangle with three actors at the helm at its closest. In the final film of the Twilight Saga, Stewart bursts off the screen with life, which is ironic considering she’s literally dead. Watching her embrace her inner vampire is pure joy and lifts this franchise from a satisfactory movie experience to one that is uniquely thrilling.

As for the ending, we refuse to offer any spoilers here, but as an outsider, we found it thrilling. It is satisfying and intensely powerful and almost resulted in a “hell yeah” emitted from this reviewer sitting in the dark witnessing the film. Yet, fans of the book may have a problem with it as it seriously diverts from what Meyer wrote. Twi-hards should know this: Meyer and longtime Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg combined forces to give us this cinematic conclusion to their epic series and if one can get over the differences with the book, it is explosive.

Sure, the film is not nearly as outstanding as most of the movie franchises out there from a pure quality standpoint. And an outsider with no knowledge of the series might not find the experience all that enjoyable. But, Breaking Dawn Part 2 is a good time for all. For film fans of broad scope, it is a solid conclusion to the series. For fans of Meyer’s world… it is a five-star spectacle.

British actor Aaron Taylor Johnson has shown his range in the last half-year between his roles as a peacenik medical marijuana dealer in Savages to his madly in love with Keira Knightley Russian aristocrat in Anna Karenina.

Movie Fanatic met Johnson for an exclusive video interview to explore how a character goes from a womanizing man of power to a hopeless romantic when he meets the muse that is Knightley as Anna Karenina. The Joe Wright-directed film pushes the boundaries of filmmaking and meets its literary iconography (don't miss our review going live November 16).

Plus, Johnson also shares his excitement, echoed in our exclusive Christopher Mintz-Plasse interview, for the upcoming Kick-Ass 2! “I can’t believe we’re doing it,” Johnson said. “I think Matthew (Vaughn, director) is adamant that he can try to top the first one. It’s quite overwhelming.”

 

Aaron Taylor Johnson Exclusive Interview

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World) busts out that deep, severe action-movie voice in the new TV Spot for Red Dawn. Take a look:

 

Red Dawn TV Spot

The film is a remake of the 1984 cult classic that starred Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen (Scary Movie 5). After a foreign army attacks America, seizing a small town in Washington, a group of young people called the Wolverines train in guerrilla tactics to overtake the enemy.

Hemsworth stars alongside Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Brett Cullen.

Dan Bradley directs the film, which fans can see in theaters beginning November 21.