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Moviegoers flocked to theaters in droves over the long holiday weekend and Hollywood is thankful. Total box office for the five day Thanksgiving weekend was the biggest ever with 290 million dollars. But the weekend’s top three movies were all holdovers from last week. Breaking Dawn Part 2, Skyfall and Lincoln were 1,2 and 3 respectively, same as last week. Both Breaking Dawn and Skyfall crossed the 200 million dollar mark. Rise of the Guardians was fourth with 24 million, Life of Pi was fifth with 22 million, while Red Dawn was seventh with 14.6 million.

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," $43.1 million
2. "Skyfall," $36 million
3. "Lincoln," $25 million
4. "Rise of the Guardians," $24 million
5. "Life of Pi," $22 million
6. "Wreck-It Ralph," $16.8 million
7. "Red Dawn," $14.6 million
8. "Flight," $8.6 million
9. "Silver Linings Playbook," $4.6 million
10. "Argo," $3.9 million

(Life of Pi – 20th Century Fox – Rated PG)
Ang Lee’s Life of Pi is a movie that you must see in theaters AND see it in 3-D. It is absolutely spectacular. It’s a visual spectacle, with incredible, jaw dropping imagery, and 3-D effects that at times took my breath away.
The story is amazing with a twist that will make you think about it for days. This wonderful, spiritual film is one that I really couldn’t find a flaw with. I loved this movie! This guy is high on Life of Pi…5 Stars Out of 5

(Smashed – Sony – Rated R)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Oscar nomination-worthy performance in Smashed is stunning. Both Winstead and Boise native Aaron Paul make their characters feel very real. Both are terrific, but Paul isn’t given a whole lot to do. Winstead is a revelation, turning in a performance that is shocking, soul baring and electric. Unlike most movies with similar addiction themes, it doesn’t wallow in melodrama. The ending is somewhat less than satisfying, but it is Winstead’s performance that will endure.
4 Stars Out of 5

(Rise of the Guardians – Dreamworks – Rated PG)
Rise of the Guardians has an off-putting visual style. The film does its best to turn children’s heroes on their heads. Santa Claus is eastern European with a thick accent and tattoos. The Sandman is actually made of sand. Yetis make toys, not elves - elves are just minion style comic relief. Much of this film is dark and may not play well with younger children. It is ultimately somewhat heartwarming – even though the tried and true “finding yourself” theme is getting a little threadbare. It didn’t get much of a rise out of me. 3 Stars Out of 5

(Red Dawn – Filmdistrict – Rated PG-13)
Red Dawn has been sitting on the shelf for three years…a victim of MGM’s bankruptcy. In those three years, the filmmakers decided to change the bad guys from the Communist Chinese to the North Koreans. You see, China is a big market for US films and they didn’t want to offend. Changing it renders the whole premise brain dead. I think they should have concentrated more on making a good movie - maybe a different movie. This was an unnecessary remake – the original is one of my favorite action films from the 80’s and boasts a cast who would later all become much bigger stars. This version plays like the lite TV movie version – it’s not nearly as good. Its main attribute is the obnoxious, copious overuse of the shaky-cam, which rendered this movie frustrating and darn-near unintelligible. You couldn’t tell what the heck was going on, and it started to give me motion sickness. When the camera wasn’t shaking there was silly, laughable melodrama. Toss in bad editing, bad direction, a contrived script and performances that never feel real and you’ve got Dead Yawn. If you must see it, take a couple of Dramamine first. Better yet, rent the original. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5

For Bob Richards' past reviews and more, check his website, bobrichardsmoviereviews.com.