My Twilight Movie Review

It's a well known fact, or should be by now with the large amount of books to movies we've seen over the last several years, that a movie adaption of a book is going to be lacking and modified from the original version. Catherine Hardwicke stated that their goal for Twilight was not to duplicate the scenes from the book but to get the overall "feel of Twilight" correct and, boy, did they ever! So much so, that a few scenes they took the liberties of adding to or changing from the book seemed like they came straight from the visions of vampires dancing in my head while reading Twilight for the first time.







For example, in the book when Bella was researching vampires on the Internet, I pictured in my mind scenes from old, black and white vampire movies. A glamorous Hollywood starlet draped in a diaphanous silk gown, neck exposed and a very hungry vampire at her throat with slick black hair complete with a widow's peak and dark red cape. Not that Stephenie mentioned anything even remotely close to this in the book, it's just a vignette even the smallest vampire fan reverts back to when you think of the classic vampire. So when we see Bella doing this in the movie it seems only natural that she has this sort of dream about Edward.




Some other very similar examples was the flashback scenes between the Quileutes and the Cullens during Jacob's telling of the "Cold Ones" legend. Again, it was something one has to imagine while he's telling the story in the book with the vintage clothing and what the Quileutes would have looked like and worn at that time period. I can't wait to see the Legend of the Third Wife played out on screen in Eclipse!





The revelation scene when Bella tells Edward she knows what he is worked perfectly as an intro to the content from the meadow scene. In the books they only run and hunt through the forest but when I saw pictures of the rain forests in and around Forks I couldn't help but imagine Edward and his family climbing up the the mossy branches and lurking in and around the ferns. I'm so glad they changed the location from the car to the forest for this scene. Not that the scene in the car wasn't intense and wonderful to read in the book but I like the visual in the forest better. I loved how he climbed up the tree and leaped onto the rocks as he demonstrated his power and explained his family to her. We just got to enjoy all of their surroundings more this way... I loved how Edward took her up into the trees and how Alice walks along a branch and then jumps down into the house. All this contributed to their animal- like movements and senses, their relationship to the natural world around them.




Another little thing they added that I loved was Charlie cleaning his guns before meeting Edward. In the book you get a sense that he is very protective of Bella but to mix that with his first meeting of Edward was just so classic. My hubby always says he wants to be cleaning his guns when Kaiya brings a boyfriend over the first time.

Other additions not in the book:

The apple scene that gave a nod to the book cover...loved it!





The kiss in the bedroom instead of the forest...enough said, really.





Victoria watching them at the end. In New Moon and Eclipse you get a sense that she is always watching them so this set the next two movies up nicely. Plus, Rachelle is just so darn cool and the window she is looking out is the window to the bedroom we stayed in at the View Point Inn. So cool!



Also, to showcase Alice's dance-like physicality they added in the twirl with Jackson during the lunch scene and the way she pitches the ball with her little pointed foot. So cute!





My favorite things about this movie:

All of the above, plus



The humans! Awesome! Michael Welch was a perfect Mike Newton and Justin Chon's Erik was hilarious. They were perfectly annoying as it should be.





Mike Dexter Carlisle is a GOD! Mike Dexter Carlisle is a ROLE MODEL! Seriously, his personality is what I picture God's personality to be like. He is so smart and subtle and kind with perfect willpower and strength and he loves all his children and directs them to rise above their flaws and be better than they are. I loved his anguish in the flashback scene when he was turning Edward. I loved his first entrance in the hospital. The best part was when he stopped Edward from going crazy and letting his anger get the best of him and simply stated, with a hand on his son's shoulder, "Remember who you are." I cry every time. Oh, how I love him so!

Plus, in reality Peter is such a kind man so this only adds to his character.



I thought Robert did a fabulous job bringing Edward to life. Some thought his reactions were a bit too over-the-top but I didn't. Bringing those deep emotions of Edward's to the surface is a difficult task. What is too much? What is too little? How do you convey the impact of Bella's smell for the first time to an audience who has never read the book and how do you get it perfect for those who have? I think he was subtle and timid when he needed to be and strong when it was called for. It's always going to be difficult for fans of the book to picture anyone as Edward because we all have a very clear picture of our own "Edward" in our heads, but for the movie Robert totally and completely became him. There were definitely parts to of Midnight Sun that shown through in his performance, especially his internal struggle during the kiss scene. That was pure perfection.



Also, Kristen and Rob portrayed the love story beautifully. I always knew Kristen would make a great Bella and she nailed it.



I especially loved the scenes between her and Charlie. Speaking of Charlie, Billy Burke nailed this part as well! I just wanted to reach out and give him a big hug when Bella lied and left him. I didn't know very much about Billy as an actor going into this so his performance pleasantly surprised me.








Jacob! I love me some Jacob. I had no idea how well Taylor would do as Jacob and he's a little too young for us older fans to swoon at but I have to say that he made a fabulous Jacob! I can not wait to see New Moon because of this one actor! But also, because of the scenes in Italy, Bella jumping off the cliff, the motorcylce scenes, the wolves and that yellow porche. And if they can get an awesome cast for the Volturi, then I think New Moon will go down as the least favorite book but the most favorite movie out of the series!







The baseball scene - one scene that was okay to read in the book but ten times better to watch in the movie! This really showcased their vamp powers well. Plus, Muse was playing during the scene which made it even that much funner!



There also has never been a better intro for bad vamps in all of cinema. That was pure rock and roll.



The intensity of the ballet studio fight scene was total movie magic. Especially after Bella gets bit and Edward's siblings are tearing apart James. Kristen did an excellent job making that vampire bite seems so painful! I love how Alice almost lost control and I love the beautiful video montage that played out as Edward was trying not to kill her as he was saving her. With Rob's song "Let me Sign" playing in the background it brought me to tears.




The prom scene was my most favorite. It was so gorgeous and having been to and stayed at the place they shot it at only made it that much more special for me (click for link). That whole scene under the lighted canopy was breathtaking and it captured the enchantment of Edward and Bella's intense love for one another.



I love that scene so much I had a jeweler I recently found on Etsy named Shielou make me a necklace to depict this scene. I told her the bricks on the Inn were a dark gray and that I wanted it to look like the little Edward and Bella charms were dancing under the twinkly lights. Didn't it turn out beautiful? I couldn't be happier!

It's called "Under the Starlit Canopy"



Here is her blog: http://shielou.blogspot.com/
and her etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6289058

The only things I had a slight problem with in the movie were some of the special effects. I thought the sparkle effect that ILM did was fabulous, but some of the leaping and running just didn't look realistic enough. I can totally overlook these things though since the movie was so good!

It has done so well with ticket sales that this morning Summit released a statement basically saying that New Moon is a go!



The estimated sales for the opening weekend are looking like $75 million which would make this movie the biggest opening for a movie with a female director ever! Go Catherine! She is one of the coolest people in the world (she walked the whole line of 200 camped-out fans the night before the premiere taking video footage for the DVD extras and signing autographs and taking pictures with everyone) and she deserves this honor.



This is not just a movie with a female director, but a screenplay written by a female and a female leading character all because of a book by a female writer. More power to the women!

After all, Joseph Campbell stated, "Woman is the sublime acme of sensuous adventure."

Twilight is a sensuous adventure indeed.


-Britten

Twilight Premiere!!!

I have lots of stuff I want to post about the red carpet and the podcast I was in, but I'm not sure if I will get time today and then I will be gone all day tomorrow for Kaiya's field trip and then the midnight showing of Twilight. So the long story will come on Friday. For now the short if it....

We got to be in the front row of the fan section of the red carpet. AMAZING! BEYOND A DREAM! Here are a few pictures and a video to prove it


Also, you can visit the TwilightMOMS blog for some stuff I did at the red carpet
here:

My little intro...



I'm a geek.

and pics HERE and HERE

Oh, yeah, and Rob came down the line. *** I got to touch him. ***

p.s. I am NOT the one talking in this video, i.e. not the one taking the Lord's name in vein, although it did constitute a big, fat "Oh, My Edward!") but I am the one recording it. =)

and screaming like a little fangirl... *headdesk*

I told myself I was going to stay cool, but the thrill of it all totally possessed me.



A few pictures....







The backs of Paramore





Ashley as she was being whisked down the red carpet by her manager. She was still trying to give the fans some love.





Alice-like fashion sense










Taylor got real close!






Cam being interviewed




**My pictures basically suck compared to the content that is out there right now, but we were so busy getting some video content (that we will feature later) that our pictures were just after-thoughts. Plus we were facing all the press lights so that didn't help. To view MUCH better pics, you can view Georgia's she took from the red carpet on Lisa's blog here.

And there are some of us and the cast on the red carpet here. You can find me if you look for my hand with all the rings...



Georgia, Kirsten and I at the TwiCon after-party.



Much more later!

20 Minutes in Heaven!

I'm apologizing now for the overabundance of exclamation points and poor writing in this post. I just kind of spewed all this out onto the keyboard so that it would finally get written and put out there and I'm leaving to go back to Hollywood in 3 hrs and don't have time to make it better. It's still good stuff....



Most of you don't know but Kirsten and I and our TM friends Sarah and Mary got tickets to the MTV spoilers show. We thought we were only going to see Catherine, Rob and Kristen and do a little Q&A with them plus see a never-before-seen clip from the movie. Here's how it all played out, including details from the clips we saw.

So when we got there and waited in line for about 4 hours or so, there were rumors flying around that we might be watching the whole movie or it was a 20 minute clip. Then we were told that there were 2 actors plus Catherine coming and we were hoping that it would still be Rob and Kristen. They kept telling us we couldn't bring purses or phones or cameras into the theater. So we thought this must be major big.....



We had to stand in line down the street and around the corner behind a big building mostly so they could control us and we wouldn't be standing out by a busy street and cause too much attention to the theater, I guess. They gave us our badges and we got marched down the street to the theater where there were lots of big lights and a red carpet, plus "MTV Twilight Screening" up on the theater's "Now playing" sign.



We got into our seats and we were not too far from the front and right in the center. Then we got up to get our free popcorn and soda! Yee haw!

We could see Rob from behind a black curtain off to the side of the stage so people were starting to freak out! Then the announcer dude said, "We have a little surprise for you. Please welcome the entire cast of Twilight!" And so we went wild and out walked Peter, Jackson, Ashley, Kellan, Rob, Kristen, Catherine, Nikki, Taylor and Edi! We could hardly contain ourselves!!!





So Rob and Kristen went to the front to introduce the clip and every time he ran his fingers through his hair or said, "Um" the crowd went wild and he couldn't say what he wanted to so he finally said " Alright, SHUT UP!" really loud ad playfully so we all laughed and calmed down after that. hahah! So then he and Kristen introduced the clip and they all walked off the stage.





WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!!!!

Blackness

Summit Logo

Blackness again ( I got so excited thinking this is what it would be like to see the actual movie at 12:01 AM on the 21st!)

Then we see Bella in the cafeteria sitting at a table with Jessica and Angela. The camera pans up to the cafeteria door and in slow motion, in walks Edward Cullen! OME!!! He's gorgeous!!! He walks by Bella's table and can hear Jessica's thoughts (either that or he can overhear what she is saying about him and his family) and he just gives this perfect, crooked grin and a slight chuckle. Then after he is seated, he notices Bella turning and looking at him and he stares at her and then tilts his head as if to listen and probe her mind. Of course he can't hear her so he gets a furrowed brow and stares her down all the while she keeps looking away and then turning back to see if he's still staring at her. Meanwhile, the rest of the Cullens pretend to munch on lunch.

*fade to black*

The next scene we saw was an extended version of the parking lot scene with Tyler's van crash. There is soooo much more than you see in the trailers and tv spots!!! It starts off as Bella is walking toward her truck. She puts her things down on the hood and turns around to see Edward staring at her from across the parking lot. They have one good, long stare at each other. All the while Alice and Jasper keep looking over to Edward to see what he will do. A car pulls out of it's parking spot without seeing Tyler's van coming behind them. Tyler's van swerves to miss it and we actually see a clip of Tyler in the van struggling to get the car corrected again. Then of course, Edward gets there in the nick of time just like in the clips we've seen already. The van hits the back of Bella's truck too. In the actual scene, Edward pushes the van back a little after he stops it with his hand and there is lots of crunching of glass and creaking of metal. It's very raw and gritty and you feel as if you are right there in the thick of the crash with them. Then Edward lets go of Bella and hops over the truck just as we've seen before.

*fade to black*

The next scene is the Port Angeles scene. Bella is getting pushed around by some drunk high school/college age boys in a back alley. They are right in her face and encircling her and the camera angle is such that we feel we are right there getting pushed around with Bella. Then we see headlights as the Volvo comes around a bend and pulls right up to the gang of boys with a halting screech. Edward gets out of the car and says intensely to Bella, "Get in the car!" She does as he commands and he walks up to the boys and just gives them this really, freaky, intense stare. They all look like they are about to wet themselves! It was great! So they start to back off. Then he gets back in the car, revs the engine and drives straight almost running into them. That's when he backs up and peels out like a bat out of you-know-what. The clip ended with a shot of he and Bella in the car together and he looks like he wants to tear their heads off!

*fades to black*

Next is the apple scene in the cafeteria I think most of us have seen by now. If not, you can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha35fD8Ky-A It was complete with the little clips of him climbing up the tree and pulling another tree out of the ground though I believe it won't be that way in the actual movie. This was just for promotional purposes.

*fades to black*

Next is the scene in the forest from all the trailers. It starts out with Bella standing alone in the clearing and Edward walking slowly and steadily up behind her. The tension in the air as you view the whole scene is so thick you could cut it with a knife!!! She is giving the whole spiel about him being "impossibly fast, and strong" his "eyes changing color" and noticing he doesn't eat. Then he says "say it, out loud. Say it!" and she finally says "vampire" but with the music and the sounds of the forest and their breath hanging in the air it is just soooo intense! Much more than the trailers. Then he asks her if she's afraid and she turns around very slowly and says "no" but you can tell that she is scared still. Then he takes off running through the forest with her on his back.

*fades to black*

The next scene was hilarious! Bella is talking to Charlie about Edward. They are sitting around the kitchen table and Charlie is cleaning his guns. He has his rifle barrel cocked open. He states that she told him she didn't like any boys in town and she rebuffs that by saying "Edward doesn't live in town". Then she says he is about to come over and pick her up for a date, we hear a knock on the door and then Charlie quickly jerks the rifle and snaps it shut again and says, "Let him in", while trying to seem calm and cool. Everyone in the audience was laughing so hard!

Edward comes in and Bella introduces them. He tells Charlie that they are going to play baseball with his family and that he will have her home on time.

*fades to black*

The next scene was the 8 minutes Summit showed in Rome. You can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrxFbhDfmOQ I have to say that seeing it without the screaming and with a clear screen and sound is QUITE different! There was so much I didn't catch the first 50 times I watched the YouTube version. When Bella comes in Emmett waves at her with a knife. LOL! That's why everyone in the audience is laughing at that part, not because of what Edward says. (Sorry, maybe I'm slow) Also, when Edward flies out the window with Bella and says, "You better hold on tight spider monkey" it is a different take than the one we've seen before on the behind-the-scenes shot and when he says it in the movie it is sooooooo much sexier! OME!! But you can't hear this from the YouTube video because of the screaming.


*fades to black*

Then.....

....then....OMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Next was the kissing scene. HOLY SCHNIKIES!! No one could breathe in the theater! You could tell everyone was holding their breath through the entire scene!!!

This is where Rob got Edward from Midnight Sun soooooo complete and perfectly.

They are in Bella's room. It looks as though she is sitting on the bed and he is sitting on the edge of the bed. It's all close-up shots. Very intimate. She asks him, "How often do you do this?" (meaning watch her sleep) He answers, "All the time" and then she says something like, "every night?" and he says, "Yes, for the past few months". She is shocked. He says, "I love watching you. You're interesting when you sleep." She just laughs. Then he says, "I just want to try one thing."

It's just them face to face. He says, "Close your eyes and hold very still."

She does.

Then he comes in a little closer and says, "Don't move" and she, with eyes closed still, just nods. Here you can see the total fight that is going on within him. He is also speaking in such a hushed, husky voice here I was about to turn to a puddle of goo on the floor! There is so much more than we see in the trailer!! Aaaaaah! He lingers there for what seems like at least 30 seconds just trying to get a hold on himself and not bite her. It is so intense and you can hear them breathing hard and then we finally see the part in the trailer where he goes in and then backs up a little and she captures his lips in the kiss. We only got to see the actual kiss for about 5 seconds before the scene changed so we didn't get to see the whole thing, BUT OME!! The stuff leading up to a kiss is the best part! Everyone let out a collective exhale at the end of the scene. It was just so intense and amazing!

I swear to you now it WILL get hottest kiss at the MTV movie awards next year and somehow it will go down as the best movie kiss of all time....ever.....in the world. Is there an award for that yet?

*fades to black*

Last was the fight scene and it was pretty much everything we had already seen previously from Comic Con and trailers but the one thing I remember that we different was that we got to hear Bella's screams after James bites her and I was almost in pain myself listening to them. Eek!

At first I was skeptical knowing that Catherine said she would shoot the film documentary style. I didn't want the camera to be too shaky and feel like a roller coaster ride. It didn't feel like this at all, though. The style they chose works so well for this movie! You feel as if you are right there with them in every scene. There are many close-up shots (to the collective sigh of every fangirl out there) You can almost feel their breath (or lack of) on your face. It just feels raw and so real. It is like reading the books but with surround sound!

I have always had my mind set on going into the movie psyching myself out into thinking that this is not going to be the same as the books so I won't be disappointed. I kept telling myself that this would just be a different version of the book and while that may still be the case, this version is far and well above my wildest expectations! The things they add only give it more humor and intensity. Robert totally becomes Edward, completely and without one doubt! He captures him so brilliantly that anyone going into this movie who still isn't sold on him as Edward will dream about him as Edward after they see it! Catherine was right, they totally capture the feeling of reading Twilight and coming out of it, you won't remember which lines are from the book and which lines were from the movie. They are one and the same to me now.


The movie isn't just going to be a decent version of the book....It is going to blow us all away!


Then there was a Q&A session with Catherine Hardwicke and some of the cast, including Ashley Greene (Alice) and Jackson Rathbone (Jasper). At one point everyone was chanting "kiss, kiss, kiss" to Ashley and Jackson and so they did. They are so cute and lovey in public. Jackson always is calling her "his wife".



You can see footage from the Q&A session here

And after the show we went around the building to see if some of the actors were hanging out there and they were! Ashley, Jackson and Taylor. Taylor was signing peoples passes. He was being such a good sport. Kirsten and I were waiting behind the crowds and didn't want to add to the madness but I did have Jackson and Ashley walk right by me. OME! Ashley is so beautiful she is STUNNING! Her skin is like peaches and cream and tan and she had the cutest dress and clutch and really high heels. Like she is so beautiful you just want to reach out and touch her to make sure she's real!





Then Jackson walked by and I looked at him and he turned to look at me and whoever else was standing by me and he looked straight at me and smiled this really wide smile and OMJasper! His eyes totally bore holes into mine! It's like he's looking straight into your soul or something! I was totally taken off guard. It was sorta freaky.......

Then they all got whisked away in their black cars and tinted windows.....*sigh*


What a night!



This weekend I'm off to be the TwilightMOMs representative on a podcast panel called Twilight Live. It will be at the Borders in Westwood, CA this weekend. I am part of a quick panel which consists of various representatives from some of the major Twilight fan sites. Then there will be a panel of some of the actors from the movie, namely Peter Facinelli (Carlisle), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) and Michael Welsh (Mike Newton) and we are going to be discussing the movie with them. Here's to praying I'm not a total dweeb in front of Dr. Cullen. *gulp*

The night after is the official movie premier of Twilight and my good friend and fellow TM, Georgia (photographer extraordinaire!) will be covering the red carpet for TwilightMOMs. I just know she is going to get some great interviews and photos of the cast! Later that evening, Kirsten, Georgia and I have been invited to the official TwiCon (next year's Twilight Convention) after-party. I am totally stoked and will report with the awesomeness we encounter when I get back. =)

Toodles!

Still tackling...

Corralling the beasts was not an easy task.

There were some that were quite grumpy about it...






There was all-out war...




...and fire breathing dragons!




Normally, Andy has one figure in each little compartment, but I needed to combine and to reduce the amount of bins so these guys weren't happy about sharing their apartment spaces. Hey, it's the economy, you ugly little creatures, get over it!




Finally, I was able to fit everything into the cupboards.




Almost everything. There were a few bins I had to hide on the side...



Now the two pieces of furniture are switched around and the shelves are all nice and decorated in a very medieval-like manner.





Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish because I had an appointment for work and now there are still boxes of crap like old check stubs that need to be shredded, old stampin' up demonstrator stuff, high school year books, etc. all over the coffee table and under other furniture. Most of all of it I can get rid of or find a new home for, but I just have to make time. That will be the next task....

Tackle it Wednesday??

So since I missed Tackle It Tuesday, instead of Washing something on Wednesday I am tackling my bedroom...or a corner of.

This is Andy's corner of the room, which is a total eyesore. Do not EVER let your hubby get into playing Dungeons and Dragons on a regular basis (most of you won't EVER have to worry about this. LOL!) - they think they need to accumulate every book about how to be a better Ranger or Sorcerer ever written. And what is worse, they buy these packs of mini dragons and elves and such that they use to maneuver all over the Dungeon play board. Satan must have created these things! Not only do they come with these ghastly looking creatures but you get 50 of these and only 1 of the really cool dragons you were after in each pack. After buying as many packs as one can in order to get all the rare dragons, elves and beasties you were after, you end up with MOUNTAINS of excess strange, little miniature beings....thus, the mess that you see before your eyes...







I have to give it to Andy....he has really tried to organize said beings in the plastic bins. It's just not working for me anymore. The goal here is to get the tall shelf where the table holding all the crap is and get rid of all that is not needed and try to hide anything that is an eyesore, which is most of it.

Then display Andy's Yoda collection in a very aesthetically pleasing manner on one of the open shelves.

(Only in my house, huh?)

Wish me luck!

Ari and Kaiya thank you...

...for voting yes on Prop 8!

*Trooper thanks you too but he was playing inside when we took this picture. =)

Don't forget. Tomorrow...

For the protection of marriage between a man and a woman, for families, and for the continued separation of church and state, please vote:


*Do you think with my cute mushrooms and flowers, this will sway people?

If you are undecided right now, I warn you that the future implications of this could be devastating for the parental control of our children's education and the religious freedom of our churches. I love all men and do not judge anyone, but if you still think this proposition is about tolerance or oppression, you are being deceived as I was only a few months ago. I want happiness for everyone and have known and sincerely cared for a handful of others who are gay. So I felt I would be betraying those friends by voting "yes". I have since done more reading and research and know now that this proposition is about so much more. We can still love all men, but this does not mean we agree with their lifestyles. I also want to teach my kids at home about marriage and what is right and wrong according to our religion. I also don't want my church to be forced to perform same sex marriages.

God's definition of marriage is between a man and woman. Gender is essential to our eternal identity. This may seem archaic to many of my young friends, but I believe He sees and knows all. It may be hard to understand, we don't have all the answers now, but that is what faith is for.