Pretty infrequently do we get to see Robert Pattinson truly shine on screen (Edward the sparkling vampire aside); even more infrequently do we get to experience true, unadulterated movie magic. Water for Elephants unexpectedly lets us experience both. Based on Sara Gruen's bestselling novel, Water for Elephants tells the story of Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), a Cornell veterinary student who, after the tragic sudden death of his parents, falls in with a traveling circus. When he becomes in charge of training the 9,000 lb elephant and new star act, Rosie, Jacob and star performer Marlena (Reese Witherspoon)--who just so happens to be the head-honchos wife--fall in love over their shared compassion for the gentle creature.
There's something about this story that tugs at your heartstrings and refuses to let go. Visually breathtaking from beginning to end, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto deftly captures all the whimsicality and grandeur of the circus life. Combine that with James Newton Howard's magnificent score, and the rest is history. Water for Elephants is a film that brings out all of your compassion and leaves you utterly vulnerable to its effects. Like Marlena and Jacob, the viewers will find it near impossible not to fall in love with Rosie--and it's important to note that animal lovers will find it especially hard to watch some of the graphic scenes of animal cruelty. August (Inglorious Basterds' Christoph Waltz), the circus ringleader and Marlena's jealous, hot-tempered husband, is the perpetrator of said cruelty. Waltz' August is multifaceted and impulsive; He has two sides to him, and whenever he was on screen I couldn't help but try and brace myself for the outburst that could transpire any second. He doesn't just steal the scene, he commands it. 
Pattinson impresses with his sincere, tender portrayal of Jacob and more than holds his own next to his Oscar-winning co-stars. Though along with all the endless amounts of praise I have for this film, I couldn't help but wish that Pattinson and Witherspoon had more undeniable chemistry. They're good enough together on screen, and there are quite a few great romantic scenes...but the passion, intensity and urgency of their situation never quite gets through as much as it could have. Maybe it's the age gap? Even so, Water for Elephants has so much going for it that the lack of fire between the two leads is easy to overlook. I don't use the phrase "movie magic" lightly, but what else can you call it when you feel like you're floating on a cloud, completely mesmerized, while watching a film?
Rating: A-
If you're a Scream aficionado such as myself, then not only are you well-versed in the rules to survive a horror movie, but you've been waiting anxiously for the past 10 years to be reunited with Ghostface and the sheer horror that comes from the sound of a phone ringing. After the undeniable train wreak that was Scream 3, it was very easy to have low expectations for Scream 4--after all, once the sequels start to get bad, it's almost always a downhill ride from there. Or to quote one of the new characters: "Sequels just don't know when to stop" (wink wink). But one of the saving elements that revitalized Scream 4 was the introduction of a new generation. Because lets face it, for some reason it's much more fun to see good-looking teens stalked by a masked killer than those already BFF's with botox (I'm looking at you, Courtney Cox). Setting the story into motion is the return of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). She's come back to Woodsboro to promote her new self-help book "Out of the Darkness". Of course, it's her return that will plunge this poor town back into the darkness all over again (why, oh why, does anyone still live in Woodsboro?!). The new set of targets are Sidney's niece, Jill (Emma Roberts) and her friends, with standout performances from Hayden Panettiere as the sexy best friend and Rory Culkin as one of the new film geeks. In addition to Sidney, we're also reunited with surviving veterans Gale (Courtney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette)...let the slashing begin! 
One of the things that made the original Scream so great was its blend of horror and comedy. Scream 4 takes on this challenge, and for the most part succeeds--with the exception of a few instances in which the screenwriters lost their footing and combined the two in a "spoofy", (although some may view it as "self-aware"), way. On more than one occasion a character blurts out a "joke" right before dropping to their demise, Scary Movie style. When Ghostface was wielding that butcher knife I don't want jokes, I want to be watching the film through my fingers while my heart is pounding uncontrollably, a la that famous Drew Barrymore opening death in Scream. But don't worry--we still get some hella scary sequences where you'll be biting your nails trying to anticipate when Ghostface is going to jump into the frame. Super fans of the franchise will be delighted by the constant homage that is paid to the original, as well as the fresh twists this new technology-obsessed generation bring to the table (they even have a Ghostface voice app on their cells, how cool is that?!)
At times I found it hard to wrap my head around the fact that this horror-movie-loving group did things even stupider than their predecessors...not to mention that they take the reality that their friends and peers have been slashed to pieces and gutted really (and I mean really) lightly and are still more than down to party and watch horror flicks. Where's their humanity?! But then again, tis a mark of the genre, I guess. With a much appreciated increase in the number of chilling phone calls, more tongue-in-cheek humor, a clever and surprising opening, and the biggest body count yet, Scream 4 brings us the best Scream film since the original...while leaving every element of Scream 3 in the body bag where it belongs.
Rating: B+