Movie Review for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I liked it. A lot. Waaay better than Twilight, and marginally better than New Moon.

If I were to go back and grade the first two movies based on my opinion of them now, just so you can relate my grade for Eclipse in comparison, this is what you'd have:

Twilight: C-

New Moon: B-

Eclipse: B+

Little by little the Twilight Saga movies are growing up. I was ticked when Summit Entertainment fired Catherine Hardwicke. But what do I know? In hind site it really seems like the best idea they had, that is after actually snatching up movie rights to the saga in the first place. Each successive director has added to the series and put a different spin on it all, building on the last directors, well, direction. Hardwicke had the saga's best interest at heart and God love her, really was a fan of the franchise. But her vision of Forks, WA was a little crusty around the edges.

Then comes Chris Weitz, a seemingly odd choice for New Moon. But he brought a sleekness to New Moon that Twilight only aspired to. He made it hip. And he saw fit to trust in Taylor Lautner when he promised to bring the heat and heartbreak to the Jacob Black role. He gave Lautner free reign to smolder shirtless onscreen.

It seems Weitz must have also been as annoyed with Kristen Stewart's clunky and uncomfortable acting as the rest of us. He wisely got her to stop fluttering her eyelashes and stuttering long enough to get whole lines of dialog out at one time without seeming spasmodic. And next to Lautner's stellar turn as Jacob, she was almost... forgivable for sucking next to his superior acting chops. He was so good, he made her better I guess.

Now with Eclipse, David Slade waltzes in and turns the Twilight Saga into a bona-fide Hollywood blockbuster (okay, maybe that's generous). But seriously, Eclipse really has the feel of a stylized big budget production. There was so much going on in the movie that it made me forget the lackluster 'chemistry' between the two leads Stewart and Pattinson (that's right, I said it). Okay, they weren't too bad, I think they must feed off of each others weaknesses, poor things. I think they do better when each is in scenes with stronger actors. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Taylor Lautner's unbelievably big talent.

But overall everyone did a good job, some great. Those worth mentioning are the kid who played Riley, Xavier Samuel. He rocked. And Bryce Dallas Howard filled Rachelle LeFever's shoes nicely as Victoria. I had liked LeFever so well that I didn't want to like 'the new girl' in her role but I give Howard credit for a job well done.

I guess that The Twilight Saga is becoming so good that the Twi-Haters really don't have any reason to complain anymore. Twilight has evolved to the point where it's not just for fangirls anymore.

Vampires Suck Movie

He he he...

Some of these parody actors seem more fitting for Twilight movies than the real ones.

LOVE the chihuahua!!


EMBED-Vampires Suck - Watch more free videos

Or click here to watch.

Eclipse Premiere... Anyone?

Hi everyone. My admiration for the Twilight Empire has remained inspired but unfortunately life is not a forgone constant. Sometimes in life your schedule is open and malleable enough that you can go to midnight showings of movie premieres and sleep in the next day. Other times ratty old job commitments ensnare you in their evil grip and won't let go.

Essentially what I'm saying is shit happens.

So, I have to work crappy hours now and since I owe a mortgage company part of my mortal soul I haven't seen Eclipse yet. Grrr! Don't big corporations understand the order of importance: Eat, sleep, poop, family, friends, pets, TWILIGHT, 100's of other things, work and bills.

Guess not.

I do have plans to go see it this Monday. I'm excited. I've heard good things so far. I have remained removed from the hype this time around though so I really have no expectations about the story or actors or special effects and all that. But I know I'll like it all the same. It's kind of better this way. I'll see it totally unconditioned for what's coming. It might be more intense that way. I'll let you know.

I'll post my review here sometime next week.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, my fellow Twilighters.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner -- Today!!

Hey all! Today is the day to get your feverish little hands on the Eclipse novella "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner". It seems to have crept right up on me. Which is a good thing I suppose, since many have been chomping at the bit to get it for months. Well, this watched pot has finally boiled so get out there on Amazon and start shopping :)

AMAZON LINK

<3 Happy hunting, mis amigos petite!

Bet you thought I forgot ya.

Hi Twilighters. I just bet you think that I, a fellow Twilighter, had forsaken you. Not so. I must say that I've been doing some heavy thinking though. I suppose you can say that I've been soul searching and figuring out how to proceed.

It's true that when I started this blog I was so full of opinions and suggestions pertaining to the Twilight Saga that I felt I would bust if I didn't immediately start getting it all out. And it's also true that lately I've been rethinking my motives. What is my ultimate goal for this blog?

Let's face it: there's only so much you can say about one franchise. I knew this when I started blogging. But I just loved the Twilight books so danged much that I didn't worry about the future.

My interest in Twilight has waned. This has been coming on for a while. At first I thought I'd just keep rereading the books to keep them fresh in my mind and blog about the intricacies of those. But since I've decided to expand my area of writing and attempt a novel (or 2.. or 3) I just haven't had the time to devote to multiple rereadings nor the enthusiasm to convince myself I should.

So instead I thought I'd come up with unique ways to blog about the Saga like the 'alternate cast' blogs. While I still find that a valid idea, I have had to postpone that recently due to other pressing obligations. And then, it seems that the longer I go without blogging, the easier it is to forget to feel guilty about not blogging.

One thing's for certain, when I started this blog I never had to feel guilty about not blogging because I wanted to blog here more than anything else.

But then two things happened: 1 - after the first movie opened I could never quite recoup that insanely exciting feeling leading up to the Twilight premiere and 2 - during those long months until the release of New Moon I wrote weekly installments of an unrelated story to post on this blog to pass time. The ratio of my excitement was displaced from blogging Twilight hype to writing my own story. It became painfully clear to me that although I loved blogging Twilight stuff, my heart's desire had become making my own way in the world of writing. I yearn to create my own characters, places, situations. And most of all, I yearn for an audience to appreciate my stories too.

As of right now I have no plans to abandon the Twilight Saga Blog. But I will also continue to nourish my career as a writer, which may cause more sporadic posts here and an eventual demise to this blog. But before I go, I will leave bread crumbs for you, mi amigos, to a new more inclusive blog that may contain posts relating to Twilight but will also include general thoughts not strictly related to one topic. I will forever be grateful to the Twilight Saga Blog and you all for giving me a forum to express my thoughts creatively and also for teaching me more than I've ever known before about writing for an audience, sparking an eternal passion for the written word.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

Stephenie Meyer is throwing us Twihards a bone. This is the first I've heard about the novella she wrote while editing the Twilight Saga before publication.

It's due out this June 5th.

Needless to say, I'm excited about it.

Stephenie's official statement

Go pre-order it on Amazon!!

Twilight Alternate Cast: Carlisle Cullen

Happy -almost- St. Patrick's Day Twilighters!!

I guess I've been on hiatus for a while, you know how life goes. But you've always been there in the back of my mind.

"I must post some quasi-interesting opinions on Twilight soon!", I'd say to myself.

Finally my self-inflicted peer pressure has won over. So here I am, at my own insistence and at the hand of my own intimidation tactics; I bring you the first of the alternate Twilight cast posts.

There is no significance to the order of the posts. I'm starting with Carlisle because I hadn't really given him or the fact that he is played by Peter Facinelli much thought. I am completely content with Peter playing Carlisle. As a matter of fact, I think he is one of the cast who actually is proud of every aspect of being involved with the Twilight franchise. He doesn't seem to mind the over zealous fans or dodging sunlight on his own time to remain pasty skinned. I think he does a fine job of being Carlisle. He portrays Carlisle with compassion and a hint of sensuality that is very appealing. Peter's look is distinct and for me there is no way to not associate him with Doctor Cullen now.

Because of Peter's total and inseparable meshing with the character of Carlisle, I've been inspired to go in a different direction. I chose a guy who is different than Peter in a lot of ways. I chose this particular guy because I've always liked him and so he remained a little nougat of dreamy goodness saved in the back of my brain.

For the part of Doctor Carlisle Cullen, I have chosen...

RUPERT FRIEND

A Friend-ly Carlisle

Many of you are (hopefully) aware of the yummy, quietly dignified English actor Rupert Friend. If not, allow me to jog your memory because you've probably seen him but maybe you don't remember you have. Give this young bloke a year or two and I'll bet everyone will know his name. He studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and made his acting debut as Billy Downs opposite Johnny Depp in The Libertine. He's gotten steadily good reviews for his roles and he looks to be on the fast track to fame. He met his current sweetie Keira Knightley on the set of Pride & Prejudice and they seem a well suited English couple.

Although it's roles like Downs in The Libertine and Mr. Wickham in P&P that will bring him to the attention of the media and therefore, millions of screaming fans, my favorites showcase Rupert's subtle charm and dreamy leading man quality. If you really want to get a feel for Rupert Friend, I suggest watching Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont starring the wonderful Joan Plowright as Mrs. Palfrey, a woman who moves to a hotel for retirees (sort of an English version of an old folks home for upwardly mobile geriatrics). She has a daughter and grandson who don't give her a second thought, let alone visit her. So when Mrs. Palfrey bumps into a charming young gent while out on an errand, she propositions him to 'play' her grandson to placate her curious hotel mates who wonder why her grandson never visits. It's really a heartwarming story.

You also should rent The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Rupert has a supporting but memorable role in this film. It's a good movie, definitely worth watching. It's about a Nazi who, unbeknownst to his wife and two children, runs an Auschwitz style concentration camp. He decides to move his family from their mansion to an intimidating looking house a lot closer to the camp. Of course it's a bad idea and one they'll all regret. Check this film out, I think you'll enjoy it. And you really have to see Rupert rocking the Nazi soldier's uniform. He has to be the hottest Nazi soldier in history.

Overall, I think Rupert Friend would bring a different feel to the role of Carlisle. I believe he'd give Carlisle a depth that would make the viewer yearn to hear more about his past. Rupert's haunting blue eyes can have a hollowness that conveys 'secrets' that would serve the character well. He usually looks kindly and compassionate but when he's serious there is a dangerous edge to him. He's gorgeous, which all the Cullen's are supposed to be. He's light complected naturally so there would be nothing contrived about his pallor in the films. His features are angular and his body lean, which gives him a predatory air. Even though Carlisle doesn't hurt anyone, he is a predator none the less and would, in some ways, look it. The vampires in Meyer's novels are said to put humans off, like their nature speaks to humans in a subconscious, inherent way. Rupert can be intimidating (just watch The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas).

I really do think that Rupert Friend would look the part and play the part of Dr Cullen wonderfully. I think he'd give the character a different depth that would be really interesting to watch.

...And yes, I'm aware of the fact that he looks a bit like Orlando Bloom. So what's wrong with that?

"J--- In My Pants" Twilight Parody

Please enjoy this Twilight / Edward Cullen parody of the raunchy Andy Samburg song "Jizz In My Pants". Be warned that the video lyrics are questionable and may offend some more sensitive viewers.

If you can handle a little bit of Andy's sophomoric humor (which I personally love) then remember it's at least an opportunity to look at Edward for a few minutes...

~sigh~

Click here to go directly to video on youtube.com!

Twilight Cast

Hi all.

The time has come to reveal my alternate Twilight cast. What I'm going to do is post them one at a time with why I think they would be a good 'stand in' for the person who was actually cast to play the character. I'll include a little actor's biography and a list of where you might have seen them.

Have a wonderful weekend Twilighters and I'll see you back here soon.

The Weather in Forks, WA

We here in Southeast Ohio are smack dab in the middle of an abysmal winter wonderland. As I checked the upcoming weather conditions for our area yet again, I wondered what the weather was doing in good old Forks, Washington.

I know I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was a little, just for a second. Then I laughed. Forks really does sound like my idea of Heaven. 100% chance of rain?! Who gets that lucky? Love it.

If Bella, Edward and Jacob were real, I don't know what they'd be doing right now. But whatever it is, I bet it would be indoors.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Taylor

For those of you with your heads buried in the sand (ala an ostrich) let me be the first to remind you that a certain delicious man-boy turns 18 tomorrow.

Legal. He he he.

That "he he he" was meant to conjure the sinister laugh of a wanton caged 'cougar' pacing, waiting to launch and devour such young succulent meat.

But in all honesty, I jest. Yes, it's true that Taylor Lautner is now almost 18 years old but that really means nothing untoward. Those of you who think like I do, and I'm sure there are tons of you out there, will find that it's barely a blip on your importance radar. It doesn't matter at all how old Taylor is. Because it's not Taylor we love and fawn over. It's Jacob Black, the literary character. Taylor is merely a conduit through which we can realize one interpretation of Jacob. Because we love those characters, it's easy to get caught up in the hype of Twilight star mania. 

Twilight Mom Inspirational Poster (grr!) Men do ogle 17 year old girls. How many men do you know who don't fantasize about high school cheerleaders? Please.

Its true, Taylor is a beautiful boy man now. May we all pause for a moment to appreciate him for the man fantasy he is. We can do it if we want to, because that's how fantasies work. I just felt the urge to clarify because some people out there would misinterpret our affectionate ardor (read: think we are perverted older women for ogling that fresh tender man flesh) when there is a perfectly sensible explanation. Let our critics not forget, Jacob isn't a real person. In our minds it is Jacob we love, not Taylor (although we may appreciate him for his inspired portrayal of Jacob) and also in our minds, we are that 16 year old counterpart, perfectly acceptable mate for young *fictional* Jacob.

So all our opponents should just take a pill and relax. The Twilight Saga mania surely can't last forever. Some day all too soon the  Twilight hysteria will be over and we'll be back to our mundane lives. The joy of living in this moment will be a dim memory. Those who find it so distasteful to see middle age moms screaming outside Twilight venues when Taylor or Rob walk by should keep that in mind. Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone! Come on, let us have this one!

SOME Pictures are >1000...

Hello my little Twilight lovelies. I know I've been a gal of few words these past weeks and for that I sincerely apologize. But you know how it goes. Sometimes you get busy, sometimes there isn't anything much you want to say and sometimes pictures just say it better than words.

In that vein, let me just add. . .
(click for full res)

First Official Eclipse Poster

Direct from The World of Twilight - Official Site. I'm so excited. This poster is the harbinger of delicious love-triangle-y things to come. I know I'll just about faint during the mountain tent scene and then for the big, wet, you-know-what between Jacob and Bella that comes after it! Seriously folks, I hope that director David Slade really draws out that scene. I mean, it can last an hour all by its self. That would be totally okay to me. Because I'm going to be in - straight up, no holds barred - ecstasy! I just hope I'll be able to control myself enough to keep from melting out of the theater seat and writhing around on the floor!

I can't wait to see how Slade handles the banter that goes on between Edward and Jacob in the tent. The audience will most certainly have to have access to Jacob's thoughts to make it enjoyable and understandable. Otherwise it'll just seem like Edward is grumpily talking to himself.

Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!!

The Casting of Twilight, Take 2 (Just for Fun)

Hello fellow Twilighters! It's a new year and I'm all a-tingle at the possibilities. New beginnings do that to me. I've always tried to see the brighter side of things, which believe me, is sometimes very trying.

For example: when I was 25 I got dumped by the man of my dreams, well he was the man of my 25 year old self's dreams. Anyway, yes, he dumped me and I was devastated. It came out of nowhere. I felt like that was it for me, I couldn't go on. But a sort of 'defense mechanism' in my brain kicked in to protect me. I started to see it from the point of view that I had my whole life ahead of me, no encumbrances or roadblocks! I was free, dammit! I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me. I began to feel better right away.

Of course that little story has barely anything to do with this post, except to say I think we're going to have a great new year! The possibilities are endless. We don't know what we are capable of accomplishing until we do it. And right now, we can do anything! This may be the year that changes our lives forever!

Okay, still not on track completely :D What I'm getting at is this: let's do a little project to stimulate our brains and hone our Google hunting skills. I thought we'd start off the year with a meaningful discussion.

:: Let us delve into a scenario, where in some parallel universe, the casting of Twilight is yet to take place. And NONE of the current cast is available. ::

Who would you cast in what role and why?

Post replies or comments to this blog or email me. Enter 'Twilight Cast' or something equally recognizable in the subject line. List your choice(s) and why you think they would be wonderful as Edward, Bella or any of the other characters. I'll collect suggestions for the next month and then post them for us all right here on my blog!

Can't wait to hear from you!

Happy 2010, Friends!

Hi all. Well, we've made it through another year. Last year was one of economical uncertainty for most of us. But thankfully we had a monetarily cheap but emotionally rich past time to make the year one to remember. And that's our love of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. I hope Mrs. Meyer knows the great joy she perpetuated with her wonderful story.

Back to work today.. Back to the grind. So I figured to offset the tediousness of reality I better get crackin' on some super deep and thought provoking Twilight musings.

So dear readers, I'm going to really submerge myself into the Twilight world (again) and see what I come up with.

Hope 2010 treats us kind!