Ellen Leventry: November 2009 Archives

"New Moon" the latest offering in the "Twilight" series, based on the books of the same name by Stephanie Meyer, is a critic-proof movie. Just ask the estrogen-filled throngs flooding the 14 midnight showings at my local theater, voraciously consuming the development of the vampire-human-werewolf love triangle of Edward, Bella, and Jacob. An informal straw poll of the XX-ers sitting around me revealed that, on whole, they found the movie to be superior to the first and truer to the book. An informal straw poll of those few XYs sprinkled throughout the auditorium revealed a discomfort with the amount of drool being expelled over the leading men.

"New Moon" is a completely different animal than director Catherine Hardwicke's moody, bleached-out "Twilight." Sure, Edward (Robert Pattinson) is still angsty and the whole piece is driven by Bella's (Kristen Stewart) depression over his leaving, but director Chris Weitz has infused the film with some "Golden Compass" magic, upping the special effects budget and creating a hybrid of teen drama and fantasy that mostly works. (The Volturi scenes are great fun.) Of course the special effect that received the most attention in Theater 7 was the 30 pounds of muscle that Taylor Lautner packed on to play the post-werewolf-pubescent Jacob. You may know how the books end, but you'll be Team Jacob by the end of this flick.

But this isn't a CGI-fueled film, it's all about the sexual tension between Bella and Jacob. Oh sure, Edward's still in the story, more so than in the book, but this is really Jacob's set piece. Still growing as an actor, Lautner's performance has some weak points-what my friend calls Keanu Reeves moments: cute but wooden (I think this goes for Pattinson at times, too)-but he's perfect as the best friend with the puppy dog crush: balancing the the pain of unrequited love with the desire to remain a loyal friend. Just as importantly, he brings out the best in Stewart. Gone, for the most part, are the distracting rapidly fluttering eyelashes and stuttering, replaced by an engaging, believable intimacy.

As part of its Second Annual Expedition Week, National Geographic Channel explores the controversy surrounding a self-proclaimed messiah named Simon who died four years before Christ was born and who, at least one researcher says, provided a template for Jesus' life and death.

As always seems to be the case in such ancient mysteries, the putative case rests upon the evidence of an elusive piece of text located on a shred of parchment or a worn-down tablet. And this case is no different, with the ink lettering strategically worn away on a three-foot-tall stone tablet from the first century B.C. that speaks of Simon. Purportedly describing Simon's resurrection after three days, the illegible text is put through multiple examinations and testings to little result. But, the special, which airs Thursday, November 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, does raise interesting questions and gives the general public a great insight to the inner workings on the archaeological process.

"The First Jesus?" may be most germane to a Beliefnet blog, but the rest of the week is well worth noting. Sure, there's no roguishly handsome Boyd Matson hosting, but there's giant sharks, submarines and even headhunters. A few words about my favorite episodes:

Expedition Great White
Monday, November 16 at 9:00 pm ET/PT
Ever wonder what you would get if you mixed Jaws-size Great White Sharks with a Nascar pit crew? No, not a bloody mess, but an absolutely incredible tagging program that is part of a conservation initiative aimed at protecting the endangered species. The precision and patience, and cojones, it takes to reel in these SUV-sized aquatic predators is awe-inspiring. And don't blink or you'll miss a glimpse of actor Paul Walker working with the crew.

With tales of celebrity and pageant queen sex tapes filling the airways, it surprises me that VH1's "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew," the cousin of the network's "Celebrity Rehab," has drawn so much negative fire, with many critics deeming it pure voyeurism and posters on message boards dubbing Dr. Drew a media whore and declaring him no better than Dr. Phil.

Jennifer Armstrong's critique in Entertainment Weekly, entitled "Does Sex Rehab go too Far," particularly struck me. "VH1's "Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew" might be the most voyeuristic show on television," Armstrong writes. "It aims for gravitas, with the good doctor lecturing [the cast] about STDs and drawing out intimate revelations about sexual abuse and rape. But putting a bunch of attractive professional spotlight-seekers together in a house with other hot sex addicts and cameras hardly seems the best way to get these folks to kick their addiction."

But, I would challenge Ms. Armstrong in her casual assessment of the value of the show.

Like my fellow Idol Chatter contributor Kris Rasmussen, I have been enchanted with Fox's "Glee" thanks to its quirky blend of song and social commentary. But unlike Kris, who was left "speechless" by this week's episode and declared it "perhaps one of the best hour's of television I have watched - ever," I was not impressed. In fact, I wondered what had happened to my favorite show during its two weeks in Major League Baseball exile. "Glee" returned from the World Series wilderness not the quixotic, agile composition of previous weeks, but a heavy-handed after school special.

As Kris notes, creator Ryan Murphy dubbed this episode a "game changer," telling the L.A. Times that, "... writing this [episode] made me feel the responsibility of showing the truth of the pain that outcasts go through." But I think it changed the game in the wrong way: the beauty of 'Glee' is that every episode is socially relevant and easily communicates the pain and awkwardness of being an outcast, but in a deliciously subtle way that works seamlessly with the partnering story lines. Viewers aren't bludgeoned over the head with Gatling gun-style "teaching moments."

It's great that the writers have finally turned their attention to Artie and the challenges he faces every day as a wheelchair-bound teen, and I loved seeing the softer side of Sue Sylvester (In fact, I shed a tear as she read to her autistic older sister). But, we are also informed of the harsh emotional and financial realities of teen pregnancy as Quinn's pre-natal medical bills piled up and the challenges faced by gay teens and their parents (Kurt and his dad). Additionally, we learned the contradictory message that it's not good to fake a disability (Tina's stuttering), except when it is (Finn getting a job to support Quinn and the baby by applying in a wheelchair)? And I haven't even mentioned the "where did that come from?" romance between Tina and Artie.

If you're never one to pass up a good History Channel special on rumored/potential military applications of remote viewing, the psychic ability to locate long-range, unseen targets, then this George Clooney vehicle, inspired by Jon Ronson's best-selling non-fiction book about the U.S. Government's exploration into paranormal combat methods, is for you. But even if you aren't familiar with the Stanford Research Institute or the Stargate Project, you will enjoy this wacky inspirational, morality tale of a movie.

A former member of the New Earth Army, a 1970/80s secret legion of New Age, psychic "warrior monks," Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) is on a mission to find the unit's former leader, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). Joined by a mid-market reporter, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), the two take off through the Iraqi desert on a hilarious journey, full of pitfalls and pit stops, in which he tutors the journalist in the ways of the "Jedi Warriors." (Yes, you read that right.)