"I do have a concern or two," Leigh states in this exclusive clip.

Rightfully so!

She's about to embark on one of the more controversial movie scenes of her time, and the air around her seems only to thicken as Hitchcock's wife, Alma , shows anything but approval of the discussion at hand.

"Cut together, the montage will only suggest nudity, suggest violence," Hitchcock says. "Nothing will actually be shown."

It doesn't help that he continues to provoke the sensitivity, adding, with the touch of a cold hand, "Of course, having you in the shower will make it all the more — well — titillating."

Awkward, right?!

But isn't that why we love Hopkins in the lead?

His command pulls the strings of every last hair on our necks and somehow, though disgusted, we can't look away.

Hitchcock examines many of the intense interactions that fueled the director's life, particularly throughout his time producing the classic, Psycho.

It appears there was nearly as much — if not more — drama behind the camera as there was in front.

Perhaps the inner turmoil and trials of Hitchcock's personal life drove his twisted knife that much further into his film career.

Alma must have been a strong woman to support all of his endeavors and Mirren appears to have nailed that portrayal wholeheartedly.

Furthermore, leading roles from the beautiful Johansson and Jessica Biel help bring this all home.

Hitchcock slashes into theaters Nov. 23.

Video courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Check out the new trailer for the Stephenie Meyer-inspired film, The Host.

The Twilight author shed her vampire roots to explore the possibility of alien invasion, but it's not what you'd think. In the post-apocalyptic future, a parasitic alien race known as the Souls has infiltrated the minds and existence of people the world over.

Can the will of the heart salvage an infected mind?

Does love stand a chance?

It's difficult to sum up the entire plot in a few words, but watch the trailer and you'll agree that The Host appears to be a fresh perspective on the persistence of compassion amidst an array of odds, led by Saoirse Ronan.

The characters may be a bit different than Twi-Hards are used to, but this similar formula shows promise to be an exciting and moving film.

The Host creeps into theaters March 29.

Video courtesy of Open Road Films

Disney has unleashed a new trailer for their fantasy epic, Oz: The Great and Powerful. It's the latest film from Sam Raimi that takes on one of the most iconic characters of all time: The Wizard of Oz.

Fresh Oz: The Great and Powerful pictures>>

Oz: The Great and Powerful serves as a prequel to the 1939 film starring Judy Garland. Instead of focusing on Dorothy Gale's magical trip from Kansas, we shift to Oscar Diggs . Diggs is a lowly circus magician, who has aspirations for something more. Somehow his hot-air balloon gets swept into a tornado and he's transported to a mysterious land.

New poster teases Oz: The Great and Powerful>>

Once he lands in Oz, Oscar encounters three witches: Theodora , Evanora , and Glinda . The sisters are unsure if he's the savior they've heard so much about. The prophesied "wizard" must travel through the Dark Forest and defeat the evil Wicked Witch.

New Oz The Great and Powerful witch art>>

"Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity — and even a bit of wizardry — Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful wizard but into a better man as well."

Oz: The Great and Powerful co-stars Zach Braff, Abigail Spencer, and Joey King. The film hits theaters on March 8, 2013.

Photo credit: Disney

HAVING A BABY TURNS YOUR BRAIN TO MUSH

Before becoming pregnant, you are capable of all manner of rational and coordinated actions. As soon as that fertilized egg travels through your fallopian tubes, however, you have a hard time stringing together words to form a coherent sentence. Sometimes you trip… over nothing. Or wait ten minutes for toast before realizing your toaster isn’t plugged in. This phenomenon, known as “baby brain,” doesn’t just affect the mother-to-be. While Bella’s cerebellum is foggy with happy baby thoughts, Edward’s cranium is likewise maxed out — except he can dwell on nothing other than guilt for getting Bella pregnant in the first place, and fears that the baby will be evil. Yikes! That’s a lot to overcome in couple’s therapy.

POST-FETUS FIGHTS WILL PUT HAIR ON YOUR CHEST

So you’ve had a couple of spats lately. Maybe it drives you crazy when he cranks the volume up on SportsCenter. Perhaps he finds your twice-a-day Starbucks habit excessive. In the grand scheme of things, these little fights — although they may seem significant at the time — can’t hold a candle to the arguments you will have when a kid enters the picture. As soon as pregnancy strikes, a woman throttles into mama-bear mode and never shifts out of it. Any disagreement revolving around her offspring, whether it be the ideal bedtime or the appropriate discipline, can shoot to grizzly rage status if she is provoked enough. Bella and Edward went from debating when they’d consummate their relationship to duking it out over whether or not their baby had a soul. That, my friends, is heavy stuff.

FRIENDS WITHOUT KIDS MAY GO M.I.A.

When Bella gets pregnant, she drops off sister-in-law/BFF Alice’s radar — in a totally supernatural way at first, since Alice’s “sight” can’t extend to a future including half-vamps. But that wasn’t the only thing keeping Alice from warming up to the baby baking in Bella’s belly... she resented little Renesmee in the beginning because of the pain the future Cullen was causing its mommy. Alice, of course, wasn’t the only friend of Bella and Edward who sought distance from the couple after hearing the big news. This is actually quite common in the real world as well. Sometimes friends without kids just aren’t sure where they fit into the picture any more. Sometimes you grow apart simply because you get immersed in the many responsibilities of parenthood. Either way, if you’re expecting, it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and start staking out that fun-looking couple in your building who are knocked up too.

IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE PEES THEIR PANTS

Clearly, anyone who entertains the idea that getting pregnant will reignite the romantic spark in their relationship has never been pregnant before. While it’s true that sharing such a profound experience will bring you and your partner close in a life-changing way, you'd better be ready for a bumpy ride. Bella had to endure deteriorating health, bruises and broken bones from the baby’s kicks and even drinking donated human blood. While it’s true the rest of us won’t be harboring a superhuman vampire baby in our uterus, we’ll still have to contend with pregnancy perils like a leaky bladder, morning sickness, raging heartburn, extreme fatigue, embarrassing flatulence and, well, the list goes on. So before you go tossing out the birth control when your relationship needs a boost, you'd better be damn sure you’re ready to say goodbye to your vanity — who cares what your hair looks like when your partner has seen you after delivery wearing stretchy pants and sitting on an ice pack?

More on The Twilight Saga

Team Edward or Team Jacob? What your Twi-crush reveals
Getting hitched? Throw a wedding worthy of Edward & Bella
Twilight's Rob Pattinson was 'starstruck' meeting Kristen Stewart

Image courtesy of WENN.com

Sigh. Much like just about every children's movie out there, the upcoming Rise of the Guardians looks to be exhibiting Smurfette Syndrome: The only females in the movie are tokens.

As you may have heard, Rise of the Guardians is based on The Guardians of Childhood, a book series by author William Joyce, who began writing down the bedtime stories he told his daughter, Mary Katherine , after she innocently wondered if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny knew each other.

In both the books and the upcoming movie, most of the heroes and villains are male: Santa , the Easter Bunny and Pitch . The sole female Guardian is the Tooth Fairy, envisioned as a birdlike creature and voiced by Isla Fisher.

Exclusive Rise of the Guardians sneak peek>>

The Easter Bunny had to be a fella, folks? Why, now?

Anyway, the movie departs from the book series by zotzing the central female character Katherine, a young girl who becomes Pitch's greatest rival. Instead, the child at the center of the action in Rise of the Guardians is male, a young boy named Jamie .

So what we have here is a case of the Smurfette Principle in action. What's the Smurfette Principle? Glad you asked! As blog Feminist Frequency notes, the Smurfette Principle is a decades-old name for the mysterious absence of girls in programming aimed at children.

Rise of the Guardians promises plenty of holiday magic>>

Many children's shows and movies have no female characters at all. Those that do all too often relegate a female presence to just one woman in a sea of males, or, the sole Smurfette in a village of Smurfs.

Since author Joyce was originally telling bedtime stories to a daughter who wound up giving her name to a powerful, central female character in the Guardian books, the lack of female representation in the Rise of the Guardians movie is particularly disappointing.

But hey, everyone knows that girls will watch movies starring boys, while boys won't watch movies centering around girls, right?

Only one question: How exactly do we know boys won't relate to stories about girls when there are so few stories about girls onscreen anyway?

A female protagonist didn't seem to harm The Wizard of Oz, but what do we know?

Image courtesy Apega/WENN

Read more on children's films

I’m never moving to Forks, Washington!

Fork that! Evidently, Forks is a hotbed for creatures of the night. How would a gal ever get any sleep in a town like that? I like to go for walks and hikes in the woods, and I’d like to do it without having to worry if I’m going to cross paths with an unearthly sized wolf! I also like to fall asleep at night without wondering if some bloodthirsty vamp wants my neck for dinner!

Non-humans aside, I don’t care for the weather systems in Forks, Washington. It’s always dreary and cloudy. And I couldn’t help but notice in Eclipse that one minute Edward and Bella are battling Victoria in the snow and the next they are lying in a field of purple flowers !!

Twilight Breaking Dawn — Part 2: Are you a vampire?>>

Bella has a thing for non-humans

Geez, I guess us mothers of teenage girls really can’t complain about their boyfriends anymore. At least our daughters aren’t bringing home vampires and werewolves!

Everyone tries to put themselves in the place of a story’s protagonist, and I guess I’m just having a hard time getting inside Bella’s head. What’s so great about Edward? I, for one, find his eyebrows incredibly distracting. I mean, he’s nice and all and treats Bella respectfully, but isn’t he more than 100 years old? That’s not OK. And what is this great love story based on? Bella’s bubbly personality? Her good cheer? Her optimistic attitude? Her witty sense of humor? From where I’m sitting, I have a hard time seeing these two as soulmates — because as I understand it, you have to have a soul to find a soulmate.

At first, I thought it might have been my age or my experience that made me a bit skeptical of this love-match, but I ran into a woman over 60 the other day who was sick with excitement about the midnight premiere of Breaking Dawn — Part 2. It was the day before the presidential election and this educated woman was consumed with excitement about Breaking Dawn — Part 2. Whaaaa? I just don’t get it.

Behind the scenes: Breaking Dawn — Part 2>>

Bella’s dad isn’t horribly observant

For a policeman troubled by all the recent murders in his area, Charlie’s not terribly observant. You think he’d be a little suspicious of Edward and his pale, ageless family. He is also oblivious to the fact that his best friend’s kid is a werewolf. Police work isn’t for everyone. Maybe Charlie should explore other careers where the powers of observation are less important.

Insanity: 1,500 fans camp out for Breaking Dawn — Part 2>>

High school drama

Bella’s high school experience is sure putting the rest of ours in perspective, wouldn’t you say? In high school, my only drama came from if I was going to win co-president of the student council and watching my high school crush crushing on someone other than me. Big deal. Bella’s hanging with vampires, wondering if hostile ones are going to kill her, and dealing with a love triangle between a vampire and a werewolf. Sort of makes all those nights when I tossed and turned, wondering if my high school crush was going to notice my existence, seem sort of silly.

When it came to high school graduation, most of us were wondering what college we were going to attend and what our future career path was. Bella’s getting ready to surrender her human nature for all eternity so she can hunt animals at night with her future husband.

So what am I missing? Please enlighten me. Or Twilighten me, in this case. These stories are interesting in as much as it’s not a story line that has been done to death, but outside of that, why are women of all ages so in love with Edward? Why will women of all ages be lining up to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn — Part 2? I am clearly missing something and need your help!!

Image courtesy WENN.com

Repeat after me: Babies need middle names, too

So, Bella’s Mom is named Renee and Edward’s adopted Madre is Esme. In tribute to their beloved matriarchs — and likely in an attempt to avoid family politics — the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Cullen smooshed the two names together to form Renesmee. Not only will most people not make the family name connection , but they’ve also basically set their daughter up for a lifetime of mispronunciations and awkward nicknames. Uh, hello Nessie! The moral of this story? If you are stuck on the idea of saddling your kid with a strange hybrid name, do them a solid and stick it between their first and last.

Give Mom some parenting props

Between the weird noises, projectile vomiting and mood swings, your little bundle of joy will at times seem like something from The Exorcist. Instead of naming your sweet monster after your mother , do something that will simultaneously shock and genuinely touch your mother: ssk for her advice. As much as you never thought you’d admit it during your wild teenage years, she was right about a lot. We’re sure she’d much rather hear you admit that than hear people constantly tripping all over her grandbaby’s name… and knowing she somehow played a part in that linguistic roadblock.

Think big… after all, the woman gave birth to you

They don’t call it labor for nothing. The process of childbirth isn’t easy, and raising that baby sure isn’t any easier. Mom deserves credit where credit is due — I mean, hey, look how well you turned out! It makes sense Bella and Edward wanted to make a grand gesture. But think outside the box! If you already have a name in mind, slap that sucker on a star. Thanks to sites like StarNamer.net, you can choose from thousands of stars in the universe to name after your loved one. The name you choose will be registered in a database designated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Institute and will be copyrighted with coordinates so you and Mama can spot her star using a telescope. Hmm... Renesmee has a celestial ring to it, don’t you think?

More on The Twilight Saga

Team Edward or Team Jacob? What your Twi-crush reveals
Tinseltown Twi-hards: Celebs bitten by the Twilight craze
Getting hitched? Throw a wedding worthy of Edward & Bella

Image courtesy of WENN.com

Throw a Twilight night

If you hate saying goodbye to Bella and the gang as much as we do, channel your inner crazy ex-girlfriend and pretend like goodbye is simply code for see you later. Once a year , throw a Twilight-themed bash for you and all your Twi-hard friends. You can dress up like the gang, sample Twilight-inspired fare, and of course, hunker down for a Twilight movie marathon. Bonus? It will be the one night of the year you can show up in public with a hicky and people will actually think it's cool — OK, maybe not cool, but at least they'll figure it's part of your party apparel.

Twilight Saga food and drink recipes>>

Plan a pilgrimage

Thanks to a shiny, new theme park, fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series flock to Florida every day to wander the halls of Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. But until someone figures out how to pull off a Twilight-styled theme park, Twi-hards can pay homage to their favorite franchise by planning an annual pilgrimage to the tiny town in which the series is set: Forks, Washington. Prior to becoming the setting for Stephenie Meyer's books, Forks was most famous for sport fishing and abundant precipitation . So, when you're feeling Twi-stalgic, pack up your fishing lures, galoshes and The Twilight Saga book set and hit the highway.

Getting hitched? Throw a wedding worthy of Edward & Bella>>

Dub Fido something Twi-hard-tastic

If annual odes are too few and far between for you, consider paying homage to Twilight with a daily reminder. Our suggestion? Saddle your furry friend with names from the series. Obviously, you could go simple and straightforward with this by naming them after the characters. You could also get a little creative with it, depending on what type of pet you have. Got lovebirds? Name them after Twilight's most lovey-dovey couple — Edward and Bella, of course. Proud parent of an ebony pooch? Call him Jacob Black Lab. Have a Yorkshire terrier as opposed to a Labrador? Then Eric Yorkie is the obvious moniker for your doggy dearest.

Team Edward or Team Jacob? What your Twi-crush reveals>>

Put a bow on it

Obsessions are kind of like big secrets — it's almost impossible to keep them to yourself. As soon as you have one of either, you feel the overwhelming urge to share it with a friend, family member, colleague or even some random dude on the subway, if it means you don't have to bear the burden of carrying it solo. A fun solution for passing on your own single-minded Twilight focus is to wrap it up. You can gift the books, the movies or even both for the friends you'd totally turn into vampires if it meant saving them from the Spanish influenza.

Edward & Bella's baby: Pregnancy no cure for couple's issues>>

Image courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Butler's played a plethora of roles, from soccer dad to sworded slayer, Scottish smooth-talker to shaggy surfer.

The common denominator — this fool always pulls it off, always.

Granted, not all of us have the time or justification to spend as much time in the gym as Leonidas, but that doesn't change the fact that ladies love their Gerard Butler.

So let's take a walk down memory lane.

I'll show you why I'm jealous, and you... well, you can just bask in the pictures.

Don't say I never did nothin' for ya.

Gerard kills it

Not only does Gerard get to wield all the incredible weaponry like this here spear, but he leads a heroic brigade of soldiers to imminent death only to slay the majority of the opposition and look that chiseled all the while. It's one perk to get cast in the epic role, but it's another thing to look that stoic in real life. And yes, Gerard managed both. Oh, and he gets to hook up with babes like Ms. Leonidas, actress Lena Headey.

I bet you give me a half hour, and I'll come up with 300 reasons why I envy Mr. Butler.

Shaka brah

As if being the international man-wonder isn't good enough, Gerard gets to work and live near the beach. The dude is a frequent surfer on and off set, and even a bad day on the waves gets him good coverage.

And yes, that is, indeed, me being bitter.

If anyone would like to pay me to surf, I wouldn't mind. Just sayin'.

Oh, so he's a family man?

Apparently, when he's got a shirt on it's to cover the heart on his sleeve. Somehow, Gerard can shake his inner jock and stand in as a father figure like his upcoming role in Playing for Keeps for instance,  or the perfect husband in P.S. I Love You. Apparently, his roles run deep too as there's some speculation as to whether or not he and the newly-married Mrs. Timberlake had some chemistry off set too.

What the hell?!

If I walk around in just a towel, I look like I'm homeless. And I'm in good shape. Gerard just has to rub it in, doesn't he? I wonder if there's a clause in all of his contracts: "Mr. Butler agrees to the following under the notion that at least one — if not, and preferably, more — scenes allow Mr. Butler to shed clothes for the purposes of female satisfaction and further assassination of fellow man's any remaining chance."

What'd you do, a million sit- ups before getting into the shower and another set right after, just for the heck of it?

Keep your wetsuit on, man. Give us a shot.

Sincerely,

Males.

---

The list could go on and on, but truthfully, compiling more and more pictures for all you at home just doesn't make me feel too awesome about myself.

But that doesn't mean I'm through feeding your craving.

Yeah, when you're a male and you don't look like Gerard, you have to get through this world being friendly.

So before I take one last jab at Gerard, I'll be nice and give you the link to this gallery, replete with 32 more pictures of your dream man.

---

But before we close the curtains, I'd like to reveal this:

I had to.

Gerard is starring as this wee little lad in the upcoming comedy, Movie 43.

Suckerrrr.

Images Courtesy of WENN/20th Century Fox/Paramount Pictures/Relativity Media

Exclusive: The Guilt Trip

The mother of all trips

Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand are on the trip of a lifetime. Catch the exclusive artwork and TV spot below!

Andy Brewster is finally growing up. He's decided to hit the road to make a name for himself, selling his inventions all across the States. Unfortunately for him , his mother has caught wind of the gig and called shotgun for the cross-country endeavor.

From the miraculous moments that make you say "aww" in the mother-son dynamic to the perpetual teen angst-like embarrassment of your mom cramping your style, Babs and Rogen have got this down.

Together, they've got eight days of bonding and 3000 miles and all the chaos behind it, from sleeping in strip clubs to sales pitches, gambling and hitchhikers.

Nothing like trying to score a date with Mom right around the corner!

It might not be the traditional approach, but the drive proves to be a crash-course mission of camaraderie.

"Notice anything different?" Streisand asks in the brand new TV spot .

"Yeah," Rogen says. "You gamble all night and you get drunk at 7 a.m."

And just look at that cheek-pinching fun. These exclusive pictures give us an inside look at the Rogen-Babs chemistry that will surely move this film in the right direction.

The Guilt Trip marks Babs' first return to the big screen since a similar motherly role in 2010's Meet the Fockers. At a fresh 70 years old, this four-wheeled adventure shows she's still running strong and will even down a few, just for good measure.

This looks like one hilarious ride!

The Guilt Trip rolls into theaters Dec. 19.

Watch The Guilt Trip TV spot

Images and video courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Aaron Sorkin has been pretty hush-hush about his Steve Jobs biopic, but he finally gave something away. And that something is pretty important for the movie.

"I hope I don't get killed by the studio for giving too much away," Sorkin told Newsweek and The Daily Beast. "This entire movie is going to be three scenes, and three scenes only."

The three scenes will be re-enacting three of Jobs' "most important product launches," said the Los Angeles Times. The scenes will each be 30 minutes and will take place backstage at the events. According to the newspaper, the three product launches are: "The original Macintosh; NeXT, which was the start-up Jobs created after leaving Apple; and the iPod."

The scenes will also take place in real time, so the audience will see 30 minutes of each event as they are happening. To prepare for the film, Sorkin said he spoke with those who were closest to Jobs.

"I've been able to talk to these people who revere him in spite of the fact that he made all of them cry at one point or another," he said, according to the L.A. Times. "But he made all of them better at what they were doing."

Sorkin said he began a friendship with Jobs before his death, albeit over the phone. The second-to-last time Jobs called him, he had asked for advice on a commencement speech he was giving. The next time he called, he asked Sorkin to write a Pixar movie.

"Sorkin said he intended to end the movie with text or voiceover of the line, 'Here's to the crazy ones,' from Apple's famous Think Different ad campaign that ran after Jobs' return to the Cupertino, California, company," said the L.A. Times.

Sorkin ended by saying, "If I can earn that ending, then I'll have written the movie that I want to write."

The Steve Jobs biopic sounds like it will end up personal or emotional because of Sorkin's close relationship with Jobs. But either way, it's guaranteed to give everyone insight into what the Apple chief was really like.

Photo courtesy WENN.com

The always breathtaking Keira Knightley will wow viewers in her latest period piece, Anna Karenina. Her stunning dresses, elaborate dance sequences and steamy scenes with rising hottie Aaron Taylor-Johnson are sure to raise the temperature in the room. But one usually distractingly sexy actor who’s not bringing the heat in this movie is, sadly, Jude Law.

WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

“Jude Law is a very, very good-looking man,” Keira told SheKnows when we sat down to chat with her about the film. “But I don’t think sexy is what he looks like in this film.”

True, and rightly so. As Anna’s government official husband who is supposed to be 20 years her senior, the 39-year-old Law wasn’t supposed to look like his usually attractive self. His acting, however, was right on par. Keira told us she was excited to work with the talented Law and up-and-comer Taylor-Johnson, 22.

“I think they’re both phenomenal actors,” she told us. “I’ve known Jude socially for quite a few years and it was wonderful to actually get the opportunity to work with him. Aaron is wonderful. He’s a constant surprise. It will be really interesting seeing his career. He’s an extraordinary actor.”

Keira herself, though, is the one who really electrifies this film. Playing Anna, the 27-year-old English actress takes on a variety of roles in one: the scorned wife, the illicit lover and the doting mother. Her range within the character is truly impressive.

“I think it’s always more interesting playing the complex characters,” said Knightley. “Playing with if she was the heroine or the anti-heroine, all the way through, was kind of an interesting thing. She is very real. She is wonderful and full of laughter, and she is also horrendous and manipulative. I thought that was kind of true to life.”

Along with the challenge of the acting, Keira also had to face the difficulty of learning a very intricate dance number.

“It was very difficult to learn,” she told us of her ballroom scene with Taylor-Johnson. “The bottom half is sort of a classic waltz and the top half goes off into this whole other thing with hand movements. It was like that thing where you’re patting your head and rubbing your stomach.”

She had no trouble, though, with the gorgeous gowns she wore in the film. Keira worked with the same designer as on her films Pride & Prejudice and Atonement. She told us the dresses were based off of 1950s Dior couture gowns and made with modern fabrics like denim. And despite how skinny her waist looks onscreen, she didn’t have to deal with a troublesome corset.

“Unless you see me wearing a corset in the film, I actually wasn’t wearing one,” she said. “I was very, very lucky. That’s the wonderful thing about actually knowing the costume designer. She was like, ‘I think we can get away without that.’”

Be sure to catch Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Anna Karenina, in theaters today!

Photo Credit: Focus Features

Finally, Bella  is no longer human. Having given birth to her daughter while still warm-blooded, Bella is now living the life she claims she was born to live — as Edward’s plasma-slurping, pasty-skinned, sex-kitten-wife. Nice!

With cabernet-colored eyes, Bella now knows her husband in the biblical sense, without any guilt, puritanical shame, or remorse. She and Edward are getting it on, and as a red-blooded woman, I can whole-heartedly celebrate this coupling! And boy, does the sex look good.

But what about Bella’s father, Charlie Swan ? How much information is safe for him to know? Jacob  decides to fill Charlie in on the basics of supernatural beings by stripping in front of him then magically turning into a wolf. I guess that’s one way for Jacob to make his case to the human world.

Little Renesmee loves both the Cullen clan and hanging in the wolf den. But Jacob is overly fond of this wee babe and his second awkward moment in the film comes as he genetically “imprints” on her. At least he’s in Renesmee’s corner, right?

But Jacob’s inappropriate behavior is of little importance once the Volturi, or vampire police, get involved. Led by Aro , this undead watch group has reason to believe Renesmee is a human-child-turned-vampire .

Turns out that when children are turned into bloodsuckers, they are not able to acquire the impulse control required to keep vamps secret and must be destroyed by decapitation and fire. Better hide the kid, quick!

This is the central conflict of the movie and makes for one beautifully violent battle scene set on a timeless, silver-white snowfield. The druid-style hoods and capes, the fangs, Bella’s bad-a** kickboxing moves, and the numerous beheadings all crash onto the screen like the dreamscape of a demonic battle for a little girl’s soul.

My favorite image in the film is when Renesmee rides Jacob’s furry back as they are chased from the battlefield through the forest at hyper-speed. This image delights our unconscious minds, like watching the anti-Little Red Riding Hood. Renesmee is the girl who mastered the big, bad, wolf, and fractured her fairy-tale-fate for all the right reasons.

The only thing I miss from the The Twilight Saga in general, is the blood. How lovely it would have looked spewing on the virgin white snow, sparkling in the sunlight as heads were ripped off their spines. OK, I’m starting to creep myself out.

Bottom line: The 11-year-old girl sitting next to me in the theater cheered and applauded as each enemy was violently vanquished. Soon, the entire audience was cheering in a collective roar, honoring the characters that have grown to mean so much to them over the years. I’m pretty sure the reason humans go to the movies in the first place is to celebrate the myths and legends of our own time. And that sums up Twilight.

Photo credit: Summit Entertainment

4.5 Stars: Perfect for anyone who's ever struggled to keep it together

Pat is serving out an eight-month sentence in a mental institution for severely beating the man he caught in the shower with his wife, Nikki, who now has a restraining order against her husband. When Pat is released into his parents' care, he wants to rebuild his life, and that includes getting his wife back. But can he really do it without taking his medication? Pat seems to think so.

Pat has been bipolar most of his life, but until now, he has been undiagnosed. His mother, Delores , urges him to take his meds, but Pat claims they make him dull and listless.

Pat's father, Pat Sr. , has his own challenges — he's living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. He's also a bookie who obsesses over the Philadelphia Eagles, clinging to every superstition he's collected over the years, even thinking that the angle at which the remote controls are placed will have true impact on whether or not the football team wins. Matriarch Delores emerges as the unsung saint in this movie.

But without his meds, Pat Jr. can't quite keep it together, and when he wakes up his parents in the middle of the night to aggressively bemoan Hemingway's failure to give a happy ending to A Farewell to Arms, his parents have had enough — he's taking the meds, stat!

When Pat's best friend, Ronnie , invites him over for dinner, Pat is wary of going because Ronnie's wife, Veronica , is still friends with Nikki. But then again, it may be Pat's perfect opportunity to prove how stable he has become. At least that's what he hopes, until he meets Veronica's sister Tiffany , a young widow who describes herself as "a crazy slut with a dead husband."

Over dinner, Pat and Tiffany hilariously face off about which meds they've taken, which ones were awful and the burden of depression. They connect, but can it be good for either of them?

When Tiffany propositions Pat for sex, he turns her down. He's still married and can't make any mistakes that would keep him from fixing his marriage. Acutely clever, Tiffany offers to help Pat reunite with Nikki, if only he'll enter an amateur Dancing with the Stars–type contest. He agrees and gives Tiffany a letter to give to Nikki — in clear defiance of the restraining order. But will Tiffany actually give it to Nikki, or is this all a big ruse to allow Tiffany to spend time with Pat?

The best parts of this movie are when Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence spar with each other in that mentally unstable, defensive yet often semicoherent way. As Pat and Tiffany, they each have strong opinions, but they have a lot of trouble communicating despite their clear attraction to each other.

Cooper and Lawrence devour these characters and bring them to life in a painfully comic way. Cooper is hyper and out of control, while Lawrence is manipulative and scheming. I relate to both of these characters more than I'd like to admit, and it's terribly refreshing to see these people portrayed on the big screen.

Bottom line:  This is such a well-acted film, I wouldn't be surprised if Oscar came calling multiple times. If you like your romance a little offbeat, then you'll love Silver Linings Playbook.

Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

4 out of 5 stars: Perfect for those who
love a good romantic tragedy

Anna is married to Karenin, a man of great wealth and status in the 19th-century Russian government. She delights in her young son, but having married very young, there is much she has yet to discover about herself.

On a trip to Moscow to help her philandering brother, Oblonsky , reconcile with his scorned wife, Dolly , Anna meets a dashing man named Vronsky and begins a journey into obsession, sexual desire, self-realization and destruction.

Meanwhile, a young landholder named Levin , who's not at the top of the social ladder, is obsessively in love as well. He lusts after Dolly's beautiful young sister, Kitty . He proposes marriage to pretty-Kitty, but alas, Kitty has also fallen under Vronsky's spell. She shuns Levin and rolls the dice with Vronsky, who she believes will spend the evening at the grand ball dancing with her.

Kitty and Anna are both shocked when bad-boy Vronsky can't take his eyes off married Anna. While mistresses were often taken by the Russian elite, for a young, single man to pursue an older, married woman was quite scandalous.

Anna, who respects her husband greatly, knows nothing of passionate romance and is defenseless when Vronksy chases after her. Once he catches her, neither he nor she can let go.

And herein lies the central question of Anna Karinina: Is she to be applauded for taking a stand against a societal double standard that allows men enormous moral latitude while denying women the same freedom? Or is she a selfish, childish narcissist who is incapable of feeling empathy for the husband and son to whom she has committed her life?

Director Joe Wright's creative decision to set the film on the stage of a theater provides a meaty metaphor for imperial Russian society. He implies that instead of living their lives with passion and truth, the pre-revolution upper class were "acting" as if they were fulfilled — "acting" as if they were happy. Anyone who's ever seen Dr. Zhivago knows the dark fate of the Russian upper crust.

Lush costumes and choreographed scenes flow like a ballet, as does Tom Stoppard's dialogue. Keira is extraordinary in the challenging role of Anna, and the gorgeous Aaron Taylor-Johnson grabs Vronsky by the throat and doesn't let go.

Bottom line: If you love costume dramas, particularly ones with romantic tragedy, you’ll love this film. Enjoy!

Photo credit: Focus Features

Quentin Tartantino is no longer a Hollywood outsider.

He's always played by his own rules, and whether or not you like him as a person, it's hard not to love the films he's made.

Django Unchained marks his seventh major endeavor, and as it's been dubbed one of the most-anticipated films of the year. Playboy caught up with Tarantino for a bit of cinematic and personal reflection.

On the future of films

Quentin Tarantino:"I'm on a journey that needs to have an end and not be about me trying to get another job. I want this artistic journey to have a climax. I want to work toward something. You stop when you stop, but in a fanciful world, 10 movies in my filmography would be nice. I've made seven. If I have a change of heart, if I come up with a new story, I could come back. But if I stop at 10, that would be okay as an artistic statement."

On historical accuracy and context

Quentin Tarantino: "You turn on a movie and know how things are going to go in most films. Every once in a while films don’t play by the rules. It's liberating when you don't know what's happening next. …I thought, 'What about telling these kinds of stories my way — rough and tough but gratifying at the end?'"

Will Smith was going to be Django?

Quentin Tarantino: "We spent quite a few hours together over a weekend when he was in New York doing Men in Black3.…I think half the process was an excuse for us to hang out and spend time with one another. …It just wasn't 100 percent right, and we didn't have time to try to make it that way."

So why Jamie Foxx?

Quentin Tarantino: "He was the cowboy... Forget the fact that he has his own horse — and that is actually his horse in the movie. He's from Texas; he understands. …He understood what it's like to be thought of as an 'other.'"

And does Leonardo DiCaprio deliver as the villain, Candie?

Quentin Tarantino: "I hated Candie, and I normally like my villains no matter how bad they are. ...what I'm always trying to do... is get you to kind of like these guys, despite on-screen evidence that you shouldn't. Despite the things they do and say and despite their agenda. I also like making people laugh at f*cked-up sh*t. I want there to be anticipation. I was actually quite proud when I read that Django is one of the most anticipated movies coming out this year. It's a black Western. Where's the anticipation coming from? I guess a lot of it is me. That's pretty f*cking awesome."

How do you get the creative juices flowing?

Quentin Tarantino: "I wouldn't do anything impaired while making a movie. I don't so much write high, but say you're thinking about a musical sequence. You smoke a joint, you put on some music, you listen to it and you come up with some good ideas. ...I don't need pot to write, but it's kind of cool."

And how do the ladies feel about all that?

Quentin Tarantino: "If I had a wife, I would probably be more polite. She would make me write thank-you notes, which I won't do on my own. I wouldn't be such a caveman. if I want to live in Paris for a year, what the f*ck? I can. I don't have to arrange anything; I can just do it. If there is an actor or director I want to get obsessed with and study their films for the next 12 days, I can do that. The perfect person would be a Playmate who would enjoy that."

Do people know you nowadays?

Quentin Tarantino: "I'm not a Hollywood outsider anymore. I know a lot of people. I like them. They like me. I think I'm a pretty good member of this community... I still do things my own way, but I didn't go away either. I still kind of feel like I'm always trying to prove I belong here."

More on Quentin Tarantino

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Photo courtesy of Playboy/David Rose

1) Brave

Join Princess Merida on an epic adventure through the animated world of Scotland. Merida is set on deciding her own fate and must learn the true courage and sacrifice that comes with breaking tradition. This is one of Disney's most brilliant animated excursions yet, and with Emma Thompson and Kelly Macdonald commanding the voices, this is a must-have for the whole family!

Rotten Tomatoes: 78% Fresh

2) Savages

Drug cartels and love are never a good mix,  although they do make for a suspenseful movie plot. Savages is a complex tale of narcotics competition, kidnapping and revenge. The film stars Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, John Travolta and the stunning Blake Lively.

Rotten Tomatoes: 51% Splat

3) The Watch

Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill are the Neighborhood Watch. Need we say more? Just check out that van decal in the trailer. You already know these guys are going to take their trivial job way too seriously, and that the minimal jurisdiction they possess will surely be breached. And, they're not just patrolling soccer moms and snowbirds — the city has been infiltrated by aliens. Is the neighborhood really sleeping that much better at night with these fools in charge?

Rotten Tomatoes: 17% Splat

4) The Queen of Versailles

Jackie and David Siegel loved their lives in the bubble of billionaire luxury, but watch as it all falls apart and they have to return to the middle class when the stocks crash. From mansions to McDonalds, this documentary chronicles a return to normality and balance from the world of those who had neither.

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% Fresh

5) Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D

If you're looking for plot and substance then just move along. Now, if you want pure entertainment and adrenaline-fueled stunts, look no further. Join Motocross superstar Travis Pastrana and his band of assorted daredevils as they take on everything from skyscraper BASE jumping to crashes and everything else these crazy kids can think up. This isn't your average circus.

Rotten Tomatoes:  6% splat

For those who stood in line for a midnight showing of Breaking Dawn — Part 2, you probably can’t imagine a movie selling more tickets than were sold Friday. But not only has it happened in the past, it’s happened within the same franchise.

The film sold $30.4 million for its 10 p.m. Thursday and midnight Friday showings, for a total of $71.2 million for Friday alone . To make a comparison, last weekend’s winner, Skyfall, sold $87.8 million over the entire weekend. And that was considered a huge showing.

The Friday sales were the sixth-highest-selling opening day of all time. However, the opening was not enough to be the highest-selling opening day for a Twilight film. In fact, it wasn’t even second. The Twilight Saga: New Moon earned $72.7 million on its opening day and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 earned $71.6 million.

“An opening day north of $70 million is fantastic, and the fact that three Twilight movies have accomplished this feat is really remarkable,” said Box Office Mojo. “Still, unlike the conclusions to the recent Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars franchises, Breaking Dawn — Part 2's final status didn't drive it to a new Twilight record, which is slightly disappointing.”

Experts are predicting the film is set to earn around $135 million for the weekend, which would be slightly behind Breaking Dawn — Part 1’s $138.1 million earned on its debut weekend.

The Steven Spielberg film Lincoln opened Friday in 1,775 theaters, behind the final Twilight film, but not even in second place. Skyfall earned an estimated $12.35 million, and Lincoln earned around $6.25 million.

“In comparison, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter grossed $6.25 million on opening day despite playing in over 3,000 theaters,” said Box Office Mojo. “Lincoln's opening was a bit below War Horse's $7.5 million debut last year, but the Christmas Day start surely inflated that figure. Considering the movie's wonky nature and light theater count this is unquestionably a strong start, and the movie could get as high as $20 million for the three-day frame.”

Wreck-It Ralph and Flight came in at fourth and fifth place at Friday’s box office.

Photo courtesy WENN.com

Edward Burns and Connie Britton star in this incredibly raw holiday story set to hit theaters on Dec. 7.

True to most family Christmases, beneath the sparkly gift wrap and delicious food remains a past — sometimes good and sometimes painful — but the season brings about a desire to move forward.

For the Fitzgeralds, Christmas is a constant reminder that the head of the household walked out some 20 years before, taking with him any remaining trust and childhood innocence.

In the spirit of healing, Gerry has rallied his family to prepare for the reunion of the stranger who was once their father.

Understandably enough, the heartbreak and confusion his absence has cost has the remainder of the Fitzgerald family up in the air about the proposal.

Amidst the aches and the dilemmas they all face, the Fitzgeralds are reminded of the unity and strength that has pulled them together thus far, and this notion even warms Gerry up to the idea of tempting fate with Nora , who from the looks of this incredible exclusive clip above, has the potential for a similar stronghold and understanding throughout the whole ordeal.

This isn't the typical holiday cheer-type film that has stagnated the box office over and over again.

Instead, Burns states this is, "his most personal film to date."

For an honest look into the realistic struggles and blessings in disguise that often move the Christmas season, be sure to check out The Fitzgerald Family Christmas in theaters and On Demand on Dec. 7.

Video Courtesy of Tribeca Film

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Photo credit: Andrew Cooper, SMPSP