The Twilight Saga: New Moon comes out today. And it's a safe bet that it'll be number one at the box office. If you're unconvinced whether this flick is for you, here's an overview to help you along your way ... or not.
Naturally, you'll enjoy this movie more if you're a fan of the series. New Moon picks up where Twilight left off: Edward Cullen and Bella Swan are together and she becomes more a part of his life, which includes interacting with his vampire family. But Edward insists he's bad news for Bella and that they shouldn't be together. Bella finds solace in her friend Jacob Black, from the Quileute tribe, and he becomes her confidante and support. But he has a secret identity and, for a while, it creates a rift between the two friends. Jacob becomes the hero of this story. Unlike Edward, he's honest about his feelings for Bella -- he'd like more than friendship from her, but her heart belongs only to Edward.
The Volturi -- who act as the vampires' government officials -- are introduced in this installment; they are led by the brilliant Michael Sheen (The Queen, Frost/Nixon); and Dakota Fanning convincingly plays the evil vampire Jane.
Between heightened acting chops, CGI effects and an all-around bigger budget, New Moon proves meatier than the cheesy initial Twilight installment. Director Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy) brings his strengths of knowing what dudes like to see in a movie, which helps this movie expand its appeal beyond tween girls. Adults and guys will appreciate the denser content of this film, which will please the girls who drag them to see it.
While your teen is getting her Edward fill, go check out director Pedro Almodovar's latest, Broken Embraces, which stars his muse Penelope Cruz. I guarantee the plot of this movie is unlike any you've already seen. The story jumps between the past to the present, to help explain the current state of the players. (For instance, Lluis Homar plays the lead, Mateo, who in the present is blind.) He's a successful writer and formerly successful director. Cruz's Lena gets her boss's attention, which leads to a love affair. But she realizes her happiness when she decides to audition for a role in Mateo's movie. In addition to the lives of the leads, Mateo's mentee and occasional assistant, Diego, has a side-story as does Ray X, who is Lena's boss's son.
Although it envelops themes of true love, obsession, pain and secrets, one of the most interesting threads throughout is fatherhood and how father's affect their offspring in such diverse ways. 
Cruz is breathtaking and already garnering Oscar buzz for her portrayal. Although it's in limited release (opens in New York today and L.A. mid-December), it's worth tracking down a screening if you can.
Follow Meg Hemphill on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mhemp1
