Two nights ago I had a dream that winged creatures were attacking my school, which for some reason looked like a castle.  As my friends were devoured in front of my eyes by hungry jaws (RIP Cassidy), I could not cower in fear because I had a mission.  That’s right, thanks to weeks of seeing Breaking Dawn – Part 1 trailers on TV, my dreams were being infiltrated, this time with Kristen Stewart.  As I did everything in an attempt to save her, I ended up sacrificing myself.  Clearly I should have gotten her to promise that she would not waste her life, because after seeing Breaking Dawn Part 1 I am really afraid I dream died in vain.

With the 4^th book in the Twilight series coming to the big screen, or as I like to call it Breaking Dawn: Bella Contemplates Life in Mirrors, we find our vampire / human couple of Edward and Bella on the day before their wedding.  With only one day left to save Bella from a lifetime with a monster, Edward reveals a monstrous past he has kept for her, becoming forced moment #1 of the film.  I am no stranger to vampire brooding, and this is a nice idea in theory, but no matter how well the flashback worked on it’s own, it was far too forced in this moment.  Which begs one to wonder, why the heck are these two getting married?

Yes, they are in love, but this movie seemed to be bringing the relationship into question far more than necessary.  Starting with the wedding itself.  As Bella (Kristen Stewart) walks down the isle, she looks as if at any moment she is going to start sobbing and pulling away as her father drags her kicking and screaming by the wrist into a forced marriage.  As someone familiar with the Team Edward / Team Jacob divide, I understand the importance of the love triangle for this series, but once Bella has made the choice in marriage I think it is time to have this resolved more than it has been.  But instead of having the loving marriage starting off as such, it almost felt as if through it all she was more happy to see Jacob than her own husband, happily jumping into his arms as he arrives at the wedding (as opposed to the hardly visible smile when she sees Edward at the alter), or by later telling Jacob that with him there she is complete.  Come on Bella, stop being such a ho.

This sums up my biggest complaint as far as story content presentation goes, but the whole film felt like a lot of potential was just being ruined by poor choices.  Starting with the choice to break the film into two.  Because of this, this portion of the story feels rather stretched thin as the director reaches for anything that will help create something film length, throwing every movie making technique into the mix.  Here are a few of the biggest problem moments:

1. As I mentioned before, the Edward flashback seemed rather forced into the story instead of being given the time it was due (such as Jasper’s flashbacks in the previous film).
2. One more horrible choice prior to the wedding was shooting a dream sequence where Bella pictures the alter resting on a mound of bodies of her friends and family.
3. We finally get to hear the wolves talk to each other telepathically.  Unfortunately the voiceovers just seemed so ridiculous in this moment as the wolves angrily paced around each other that this high intensity conversation of conflict came off as laughable.
4. An imprinting sequence is shown through a series of images, such as a teen girl and rolling clouds.  I always wondered what this would be like, and I now know it is something similar to a perfume commercial parody.
5. The use of CGI in order to physically show a change to a character was completely unnecessary, and in all honestly removed all of the impact of the final shot before the screen goes black.

I never thought I would say this, but in addition to Billy Burke and Anna Kendrick as the highlights of the majority of the film, Taylor Lautner actually pulled through far more than I ever expected him to.  Let me just put it this way, as a character I have always found Jacob to be extremely annoying, but for the first time I actually enjoyed his time on the screen.  I’d like to believe that it was just because he is improving as an actor, but that does not help me forget just how mediocre the inclusion of some of the other characters were (who will now be considered the “sit quietly in the background characters.”  I’m looking at you, Cullens).

Other than the expected great soundtrack to these films, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 brought the series back down a notch, or seven.  The series has always fluctuated in the level of satisfaction with the films, but following Eclipse I really thought they were heading for improvement.  But no, with a mass of misused opportunities, I can do nothing but wait for Part 2 to fix the mistakes of this film.

Final Grade: D+

(If this was Jacob she would be looking at him far more longingly)

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The Twilight Saga is coming to an end with Breaking Dawn: Part 1 and while some are counting away the days till it is out of their lives it should be remembered as a series that missed opportunities to actually be interesting.

The film is an extended look at the first few weeks of Bella and Edward’s marriage and it stresses under the attempt to split the single book into two films.  Easily broken into three parts, the film encompasses the wedding, the honeymoon and the speedy pregnancy, giving us no real plot until it barely scrapes one together in the third act.  There was clearly no real reason to split this into two and the film’s quality is certainly sacrificed because of it.  The film is supposed to be the culmination of these two’s long delayed sexual desires and the results just fall flat.

From what I have heard about the books this chapter of the saga was supposed to be rather R-rated and the film is certainly PG-13.  The film practically glosses over the first time between the two and doesn’t get very sexy on top of that.  The film could be steamy without being graphic, but Bill Condon chooses to just let us see the aftermath of this supposedly epic sex romp.  Also being short changed due to the rating is the alleged graphicness and craziness of the birthing scene.  Through the hazy gaze of Bella’s POV they imply some nasty work by Edward, but had it been more graphic it could have made the moment far more interesting.

The film’s structure is also quite odd in that it races through plot and lingers on scenes of nothing.  The honeymoon sequence is a bloated mess, the wedding (while mostly quite good) runs a tad long, we see Bella looking miserable forever, and then when they reintroduce plot to the proceedings they rush through every element.  The plot didn’t have to be great; I just want to think about something once in awhile.

The movie also, again, has questionable CGI which is completely uncalled for in a billion dollar franchise.  Summit, why are you cutting corners anywhere with these films?  Sure some of the effects look good, but don’t short change a money shot (the baby’s face during the imprint) if you want us to have any sort of a reaction. No excuse.

The film also glosses over just about every interesting bit the story throws out there and I really miss getting to know the supporting characters’ pasts; like in Eclipse.  They tease us with one such flashback here, Edward’s human hunting days, and it is by far the most interesting thing introduce; too bad we only get a whole minute in this scene.

What did work for me?  The fight at the end was pretty good.  The music and score are great.  Condon and his cinematographer make sure this is the best looking film in the series and take full advantage of the Cullen home’s awesome architecture.  There is also a scene that would have been awesome, had the atrocious wolf pack voiceovers not made it almost terrible.

Acting wise everyone is consistent with the other films so I am not going to bother getting into it.  A house keeper on their honeymoon is a forced and horrible bit of acting though and none of the newcomers get time to do anything.  The wolf pack is also over exposed, even though they are only in a third of the film, and the film is tone deaf as it tries to interject humor at the most inopportune moments throughout the runtime.

In the end, leaving the theater I didn’t hate the film, but I was disappointed at the many missed opportunities.  Overly long and aimless, the film shouldn’t have been split in two and writing it up only makes the film’s shortcomings shine brighter.  I bet after seeing Part 2 it will be clear there was a solid movie in Breaking Dawn as a whole, but as it stands Part 1 has a lot of problems standing in its way from being able to stand on its own.  Awesome credits though!

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is a D+

P.S. Please more Michael Sheen in part 2

When I speak of my love of the vampire genre I always throw out references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Underworld, 30 Days of Night, True Blood…the list goes on and on.  However, unless directly asked I would never admit to having read all of the Twilight novels in a week or owning one of the two prior films.  Maybe it is the mushy soap opera nature, or maybe it is how much the fanatical Twihards creep me out; but no matter the case, I was embarrassed to admit that I find some level of enjoyment from these stories.  But after watching The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, I can now say with no shame that I am a fan of the Twilight series.

This entry into the series sees a lot of established storylines built into the previous films coming to a head as Bella moves closer to graduating high school.  As far as the love triangle is concerned, Bella has yet to answer Edward’s proposal of marriage and Jacob is still stubbornly persisting in his hopes of convincing her that he is the right supernatural being for her.  Also, Victoria has yet to give up her grudge over the Cullen family making a bonfire out of her life-after-death mate at the end of the first film, constantly trespassing into their territory. Though she is a common enemy for both the Cullens and werewolves, the proximity of the two groups is still causing some tension.  However, when a nearby spree of violence in Seattle starts to grow out of hand, the two groups are forced to form a truce to defend their home of Forks and the secrecy of their existence.

In the first Twilight film the love story between Bella and Edward was as awkward as it was cute, but when Edward left Bella in New Moon things spiraled out of control.  It was an emotional rollercoaster for Bella, and in all honesty the extent of the melodramatic nature of her breakdown was far too uncomfortable for me to enjoy playing witness to.  But now I am happy to say that third time is a charm, as Eclipse has been able to find a bearable representation of this heightened love story.  Don’t get me wrong, it is still as mushy as it ever was, but now instead of rolling my eyes at it I am back to giggling like the teenage girl these films usually cause me to revert back to.

Though this is a dangerous situation for the characters, it is not as dire and depressed as the previous film, with a lot of lighter moments that make it far easier to connect to the characters and enjoy the performances of the actors.  Not to bash on her previous performances in any way because I have never had a problem with Kristen Stewart’s acting, but she is best off with this change.  She seems to be fully comfortable in the role, mirroring Bella’s growth as a character as she gets more comfortable in her own skin.  And let’s face it, it’s far easier to connect to her character this time around because she is no longer an emotional wreck defined by the loss of her boyfriend.  Robert Pattinson gets the same boost to his character by being allowed to relax his face from an agonized brood with scenes between the two in which they are allowed to act like a happy couple. And to round out the love triangle, it is fun to watch both he and Taylor Lautner play off each other as they butt heads over their mutual love interest.

Something that I have always been happy about is the inclusion of the smaller characters in these films, and Eclipse is no exception.  Stewart gets to show even more depth in some heartfelt and fun scenes with Sarah Clarke and Billy Burke as her parents, with Burke continuing his part as one of my favorite characters of the films.  The high schooler friends are back briefly, and they take full advantage of having Anna Kendrick by giving Jessica a speech at their graduation.  As for the Cullen family, special mention must go out to Jackson Rathbone and Nikki Reed who both take advantage of their brief moment in the spotlight thanks to flashback sequences for their respective characters, and though Jasper’s seems much more relevant in the context and flow of the film, Reed provides my favorite comedic bit in Rosalie’s flashback.  My only complaint is that there is far too little Alice in the films, who is easily my favorite character of the books.  Here’s hoping Ashley Greene gets her moment as Rathbone and Reed did here.

The trailers definitely over-exaggerate the amount of action in Eclipse, but what little is included is quite amazing to watch.  In addition to this, the CGI werewolves look pretty good and as realistic as I expect from computer generated creatures.  Their addition into the culminating battle alongside the Cullens adds a great change of pace from usual fights scenes, as well as another level of viciousness.  The violence is more than I expected, with vampires’ bodies being audibly shattered as they are torn limb from limb, and it is quite the sight to see.

With the fan base and history that these films have already had, there is no doubt in my mind that Eclipse will do really well in theaters.  However, this entry into the series is stronger in every way that the previous films, making it far more deserving of the success.

Final Grade: B+

The third film in the quadrilogy (yes Breaking Dawn is splitting in two, but it is really one movie) known as The Twilight Saga, Eclipse is actually good, in fact it is really good, and is a huge step forward for the franchise before the finale.

Now, the film takes no time to try and catch up the outsiders and I won’t try to do so either.  Bella and Edward are busy going back and forth over the vampire’s marriage proposal while Alice sees a vision that will set the film’s plot into motion.  A growing threat in Seattle threatens the supernatural, and human, inhabitants of Forks and while the Cullens try and figure out what is going on up north in Seattle they must also try to keep Victoria and the Volturi from Bella.  The circumstances force the vampires and werewolves of Forks to form a loose alliance for the best of all of them and Jacob makes one last attempt at the heart of Bella whom he loves.

Now, if that paragraph didn’t make sense to you then you shouldn’t be seeing this movie as you should probably check out the first two films first.  And even if you think those two are just average to awful films, I would still implore you to give this film, Eclipse, a shot as it is a solid fantasy adventure that takes advantage of all of the best qualities of the series source novels by Stephenie Meyer.

If you are still unwilling and going to complain about watching a teen romance then there is no hope for you liking these films anyways and while there is still plenty of swooning and attempts to sweep each other off their feet in this film it is made much more realistic and watchable do to tighter writing and better performances.  Stewart and Pattinson have a great chemistry in the film and Taylor Lautner shows signs of growth as an actor, even if he is still the film’s weakest link.  The average romance dialogue is one of the few weak points you will find on this film and maybe a few scenes linger a minute or two too long.  Other than those issues though, I can’t really find a lot to complain about.

The films pacing is mostly solid, always moving forward and never stopping to really spell things out.  David Slade’s direction lays its confidence in its audience that it will be able to follow along and this film never tries to pander too the uninitiated.  And even when the film does slow down a bit, these are some of the best moments of the film as slow spots in Eclipse usually give us more background on the Cullens as we flash back into a couple of the family members early days as a vampire.  The action scenes are also superior to everything else in the series and the final fight is easily a contender for one of the best action beats of the year so far.  The brutality on display is also quite surprising at times as vampires are beheaded and dismembered left in right in the end.

The films look and effects are also the best the series has seen and Slade really shot a very attractive picture here.  The film just looks like it should for the amount of money it has made and it seems that Summit has spared no expense and it really has paid off.  Slade’s “darker” resume helped the picture mature and be much more accessible beyond the target audience and this could have reached a very broad viewer ship if it was an original property and didn’t have the first two films in the series keeping most anyone but fans away.  The first film was a solid origin and base for a series that sadly pandered too much to its target audience.  The second film was a step back from the first, mostly because the most interesting aspects of the series, the vampires, were non-existent.  Here, the Cullens are front and center, the mythology is greatly opened up (and I hope they flash back even more in Breaking Dawn), and the action is really given a fair shake; lets just hope these themes carry over into the finale.

The cast continues to do fine work here, Stewart shows a lot more life and energy in Bella and this is her best turn yet in the role.  Pattinson continues to be the best of the young bunch and doesn’t deter at all here.  Lautner gets better but there is still room to grow and Niki Reed and Jackson Rathbone both take full advantage of their much greater roles in this film.  Lastly, Billy Burke continues to provide a great real world rock for us to connect with and gets that he is supposed to remind us that we are ultimately watching a silly fantasy film.

In the end, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is a gigantic step forward for the series and blows the other two films out of the water.  If this wasn’t a Twilight film it would have a lot of people excited that will never touch this sometimes great entry into the fantasy adventure genre.  Eclipse is a fast, fun, and action filled romance that obviously is never going to appeal to everyone, but I think this film really could if it was ever given the chance by the non-Twilight audience.  Eclipse is about as good as a Twilight film its fans, and non-fans, could hope for and  is a summer blockbuster that does just about everything right.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is a B+ or A-; I can’t decide.

*Spoiler alert*

I’m personally a fan of the books, and I have high hopes for this film. This trailer however, is crappy just as I expected it to be. They decide to focus on the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob instead of anything else. There were no shots of Victoria’s new vampire mate, her vampire army, or the wolf pack. And did anyone notice the cast change for the role of Victoria? Despite her fake red hair, I thought Rachelle Lefevre was perfect for the role of Victoria. Now they’ve replaced her with someone I find far too ugly to be a vampire.

There can only be one reason why they focused on the love triangle in the trailer, more viewers. Personally, I think it’s a very stupid marketing strategy. People who are already Twilight fans will see this movie no matter what. They should spin Eclipse as an vampire action movie to broaden the audience spectrum. Anyone with any common sense should know Bella is going to end up with Edward. Twilight is a book series about vampires, NOT werewolves. I guess we’ll have to wait until June 30 to find out how good this movie turns out.

I still stand behind the fact that I am not a fan of this day, but Valentine’s Day has at least warmed my heart enough to be capable of acknowledging it as an acceptable holiday. But just this once.
In a nutshell, Valentine’s Day takes a group of characters that tie together in simple ways and depicts the relationships in their lives, whether they be familial, budding romances, friendships, till death do you part relationships, or what have you. The stories are all familiar and never veer from what is expected of them (except for one storyline), but the humor and the majority of the casting are enough to keep it entertaining and enjoyable. With the predictable stories the film also occasionally dips into the cheesier elements of the romcom genre, but it was at least not as sappy as the trailers that were shown prior to the film.
I know what you are thinking: where is the rest of the review? Well, Valentine’s Day doesn’t need much to explain it because you already probably know all you need to about this film. It has the basics of a predictable romantic comedy, a substantial and likeable cast, and enough love to make the audience fawn over (well, at least the girls. Expect a few waves of “aw!” from the crowd). Okay, maybe you are one of the people actually thinking that I have lost my mind for liking this film. But what can I say? It was the one day of the year that it is okay to love the hokey stuff, but color me a romantic.

Final Grade: B

Valentine’s Day is a bunch of good actors, looking pretty, and doing decent work in paint by numbers plot and unimaginative entry into the rom-com genre; whose formula has been done much better in a few films still fresh in the memory.
Now, this film is bound to bring in the bank for a number of reasons; lots of big name stars, appropriately timed release over the romantic holiday weekend, and its familiar plot lines a plenty being peddled in the film’s trailer. Now beyond this surface assessment people can make from the trailer and the poster, the film will gel with audiences once in the theaters because it offers up plenty of comfort food for the average viewer in a multitude of so obviously planned elements it is almost laughable. This is how I imagine some of the production meeting going on this film;

“Hey, Slumdog Millionaire is a huge hit, let’s set a big scene in an Indian restaurant and have some Indian people dance; everybody loves that. Or how bout we have a character that is like Brett Farve and can’t decide whether to come back or retire; everyone loves Brett Farve and make sure we get that guy from Grey’s Anatomy, in fact get both of those McWhatever guys on this thing. Oh and lets make sure we hire a bunch of hot young actresses and make them run around in skimpy outfits in bed to open the film so guys that are dragged her feel like the trip was worth it. Oh wait, we forgot about the Hispanics and the blacks, quick, cast George Lopez, Queen Latifah, and Jaime Foxx to appeal to them. Oh and make sure we have a couple of good friends who are actually perfect for each other in the movie. Oh and a cheating husband who is sleeping with another one of the characters. Wait, what about the tweens, get Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift on the phone. Oh man, what about the baby boomers, is Julia Roberts available? The Hangover was a hit, get, B.C., on the line. Also, we should have an “I hate Valentine’s Day” party in there to appeal to people who don’t like the holiday. Oh and we need a cute little kid, get the casting director on that. And everyone should be connected through a flower shop in some way so everyone crosses paths with one another. Did we cover everyone? Wait, the old people crowd, get me Shirley MacLaine!

Now, this might sound like the best movie ever to a lot of people, but the thought process behind it is just kind of sad at the end of the day. Sure the movie was entertaining most of the time and had a couple of laughs, but it felt like the day should be over when it was only three o’clock or so in the film; that is a lot of Valentine’s Day left. And nothing happens that you don’t see coming, (well one surprise couple at then end did catch me off guard and had a lot of audience members groaning; ah, American intolerance), every twist and turn is predictable and we have seen it a million times over. The biggest crime is that the movie basically rips off Love Actually on almost every level but that film at least had surprises and gave an honest and varied interpretation of love; almost everyone ends up happy in this one. The Paris and New York, I Love You films also both offer superior looks at love in an ensemble capacity with just as much star power and far superior filmmaking. So yeah, you might enjoy Valentine’s Day, but its not going to do anything new or original and you will forget it almost as soon as it’s over (kind of like the real, fake holiday).
The actors at least all show up and do fine enough work, with all of them of the understanding of exactly what they are getting into and just having fun in their roles that allow for it. The stand outs in the picture start with Anne Hathaway who gets the juiced stuff as a part time phone sex operator that offers up a fairly one note, yet successful, set of laughs. Jamie Foxx is also quite good with a number of good one liners when he is on screen, though he appears sadly too little. Hector Elizondo was also very likable as one half of the “old couple” and got to interact with a number of the films players. Kristen Schaal also made me laugh in her one bit part, always have to shout out for her.
In the end, Valentine’s Day is an uninspired and completely contrived piece of cinema that is trying to appeal to everyone while overwhelming no one. The film is watchable, entertaining at times, and even funny here and there, but it does drag about a third of the way in never fully recovers. If you know what you are getting into, you will have a fine enough time, but there are so many better pictures out there that have so much more to say and give on the topic of love that you shouldn’t bother spending your time with this one if you really don’t want too. But if big actors and clichéd plot lines are your fancy step right up to the plate with this one, just don’t expect anything revolutionary.
Valentine’s Day is a C-

Even with director Catherine Hardwicke’s take on bringing the first book of this series to screen, Chris Weitz fails to do little more than use her vision as a guidebook on how to direct The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and therefore, recreates a lot of the problems that plagued the first film while simply trying to appease the salivating masses of obsessed fans.

If you have read the books of this series, then you know exactly what happens in this ridiculously faithful adaptation. For those of you who haven’t, New Moon begins with Bella’s 18^th birthday, which proves to be just as traumatic as she believed it would be.  While at a party the Cullen family chooses to throw her, Bella (Kristen Stewart) gets a paper cut of epic proportions, sending one vamp into a blood hungry state of mind. Brooding over the opinion that this is all his fault, Edward (Robert Pattinson) chooses to take his family and run away from Forks, promising to never interfere with Bella’s life again. Falling into a pit of lonely despair, Bella eventually resurfaces, only to attach herself to Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who just so happens to be a werewolf.

Following the lead of most of the characters in this film, or rather, the actors’ interpretations of their characters, this film tends to take itself way too seriously, making it hard to relate to the story and characters more often than not. Let’s start with the most obvious: Bella’s dependence on the males of this series is a little excessive, and I half expected her to end the film early by slitting her wrists. Instead, we just get to witness her complete dedication to teen angst and depression, complete with night after night of screaming into her pillow as she contorts her body in agony. And once she finally decides to return to the land of the living, she continues to mope as she competes with the others over who can be the most melodramatic and brood in the corner with the most intensity.

With that said, because the main characters seem to have little expected of them in their range of acting, this film easily goes to the supporting cast, who often only appear in a couple of scenes. First, there is Jessica (Anna Kendrick), who shines in her hilarious rant about the true meaning of a film Bella forces her to sit through, becoming a much needed burst of fresh air in this overly suffocating film. Harry Clearwater (Graham Greene) follows her lead with more comedic relief, along with Bella’s dad, Charlie (Billy Burke), who proves to be a saint for putting up with that child. And finally, the Volturi coven, the oldest clan of vampires, is fleshed out with a lot of great people, including apathetic Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl), creepily enthusiastic Aro (Michael Sheen), and pain invoking Jane (Dakota Fanning). But lets face it, Dakota Fanning is Dakota Fanning, so no surprise there.

Continuing on this path, the supporting cast is not the sole item in the pro column fighting against the cons. For starters, though a lot of the music and camera work still proved to be over the top at times, there were a few moments when all the elements actually came together beautifully, such as when the wolf pack chases Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) through the woods, showing that Weitz actually may have some talent after all. Speaking of the music, though the orchestral scores were a little much, the soundtrack to the film is full of many strong selections. And finally, though I complain a lot about how melodramatic the film is, this actually proved to be a great source of unintentional hilarity, and made the film more enjoyable than I am letting on.

Overall New Moon fails to expand on what was expected of it following the first film, proving to be a disappointment to me, but still enjoyable in how easily one can make fun of it. And let’s face it, my complaints will more likely than not go unnoticed by the screaming girls this movie is aimed at.

Final Grade: B-

PS – when you have incredibly ripped boys taking their shirts off left and right, at least try to pretend there is a reason for this happening.

The Twilight Saga returns with a new director, a new set of monsters, and a New Moon, but the film feels rather rehashed and far to similar to previous film instead this time it is girl meets wolf; compare to girl meets vampire.
Everything starts off alright, in fact it was making me feel quite positive about everything unfolding. Chris Weitz’s direction is far stronger and more confident than Twilight’s Hardwicke, with the camera doing far more interesting things. The focus seems to be solely on Bella, her father, and Edward and the Cullen’s as it should be and pushing all the unnecessary characters to the background. The actors seem to be doing better; everything seems to be going in the right direction and then the Cullen’s leave. The most, and almost only, interesting thing about these films is taken away for the majority of the film and only return in the final few scenes to save the film from being a fairly bad experience.
The story mirrors Bella’s path in the first film with a weird killer in the woods, a budding romance with a boy with a secret, and a secret group of creatures living secretly right under her town’s nose. The new boy is Jacob, Bella’s old friend from her childhood who lives on the local reservation as he is a Native American. A bit younger than Bella, he has always kind of had a thing for Bella, and now with Edward out of the picture, he makes his move. Bella and Jacob slowly bond, but her desire for Edward can’t fade as they become closer friends and his secret is revealed. While the two have chemistry, we have seen this song and dance before in the previous film. Plus, all of the things Bella does to cut her adrenaline going to “see” Edward gets a bit ridiculous and never lets us really buy into the whole love triangle as Bella really shows no signs of leaving Team Edward.
Besides the romance not really working and Bella’s bitching getting a bit to much to bare, the effects work was a real disappointment. The few set pieces in the film were pretty well crafted, it’s just the effects work was only adequate and not awesome A+ stuff. These films make so much money there is no excuse for a shotty effect shot or blue screen work in this picture and there are a number of nasty takes. The wolves look good, could look better though, but I guess the target audience of this film isn’t that worried about that; though every shot of the cliff was border line horrendous. The film also jumps around quite randomly at times and feels like we are missing huge plot points or they get glossed over with a sentence. The first film had this issue as well and as in the first film as well it stays away till the final act which all of a sudden rushes forward and seems a bit too convenient.
But, there were some things that worked in the film. Everything with Edward, vampires, and the Cullen’s was very good and the best part of the film. The dynamic of Bella and Edward arguing over turning her is also a nice little thread, but the most promising element of this film is the introduction of the Volturi family in Italy who are the sort of deciders of the Vampire race. Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning will provide some solid actors for their future plots and they are as interesting and engaging as Edward, Alice, and Carlisle Cullen. Looking forward to more of them and the high point of the series so far is the encounter with the Volturi.
In the end, New Moon is sadly neither a step up or down for the series but continues to serve as a sampling of intriguing ideas and characters that they can’t flesh out into a fully engaging story. I don’t know how the wolf/vampire dynamic will play out in the last two films, as the wolves seem to be almost useless now even with the half assed attempt to keep the threat alive in the final scene. Though, if they can keep the dynamic alive, lets hope they make it interesting and compelling and same for the rest of the story, focus on the Cullen’s and Volturi and this series good eventually become a good franchise instead of an average one.
Twilight Saga: New Moon is a C+

The hotly anticipated adaptation of the hit teen vampire romance series is a fairly successful adaptation to the big screen.
Bella (Kristen Stewart) lives happily in Phoenix but is forced to relocate back to her home town of Forks, Washington, the wettest and most cloud covered city in the country. Moving in the middle of second semester of school, she is quickly thrown into a who’s who of the school by her new friends she makes upon starting up at school. Everything is the norm as a twelve year old’s view of high school, all except an odd family of kids that stick to themselves, the Cullen’s. Bella is first introduced to the only single member, as the rest of the siblings are oddly ‘together’, Edward (Robert Pattinson), who appears repulsed and disgusted by the sight, smell, and presence of her; so much so that he misses a week of school before coming back. Upon his reappearance, Edward, is fairly polite and charming, though remaining fairly awkward from time to time. They begin to form a bit of a friendship with seemingly potential for more, when an incident in the school parking lot causes Bella to begin to inquire about the history of the Cullen’s.  She learns from here childhood friend, Jacob, that there is an old tale that the kids on the Indian reservation near town tell one another about how the Cullen’s were found a few hundred years ago hanging out in the forest and that they made a deal with his tribe, the Quileute, to let them go in exchange that they stay off their land. This sparks Bella’s interest/research even further which leads her to believe Edward and his family are vampires.
The film itself is not a big wiz bang technical marvel; it is a fairly subdued and laid back picture. And if you know this going in, it’s ok; I think the hype around this flick spurred people to think it was going to be this huge vampire picture, with tons of action and effects. When it really is a fairly quiet and intimate story between Bella and Edward, and is light on action and set pieces. The suspense is alright, the high school stuff works ok but feels like what a younger person would view what high school is like, and that action is solid enough when it pops up. I enjoyed the twist on the “vegetarian” vampires, but I think the film really needed to lay out the rules of the vampires in this world, since it is obviously setting some against the usual norm. What brings the film above being fairly mediocre though is the chemistry of Bella and Edward and the Cullen family which are extremely interesting individuals that we don’t see enough of. The films biggest mistake actually is to choose shitty pop songs (outside Radiohead at the end, though the song didn’t fit at all) for the music in the film instead of a score which could have really boosted the emotions in this film like a good score can.
The film actually might have been better off being a bit longer, as it feels rushed towards the end and the bonding of the leads is a bit to quick and unbelievable and there is zero suspense or threat build up toward the finale, and they expect us to just be scared or feel threatened just because the characters are; the film doesn’t earn our emotions in the end. That said, the first hour or so of the film works pretty great, even if it is a bit corny and immature. In fact, I think the film could have been pretty damn good if it tried to make the film a bit more grown up and not play so much to the tween fan base. They were going to like it no matter what, but if they would have aimed the film a bit more at adults and taken things a bit more seriously the whole time the material could have really clicked and lifted above being a solid film, to maybe a pretty darn good one.
The reason the film was able to reach beyond its demographic though, has to be the great work by the two leads in the film. While the characters might have been a bit rushed, the actors did a fine job of bringing Bella and Edward to life. Kristen Stewart does a great job of conveying strength in Bella, showing little fear towards Edward, but maintaining an aura of curiosity and intrigue to him that works great for the film. Edward does some odd stuff during the courting process of this film and she nails the perfect balance between intrigue and a bit of what the hell in her. Robert Pattinson creates a nice, layered version of Edward as he perfectly captures the awkwardness and mixed emotions he feels balancing his feelings for Bella and his need for secrecy. Pattinson also brings a lot of good humor to the picture as well, and the comedy actually worked really well for the movie most of the time and I wish they would have injected a bit more solid dark humor jokes into the mix. Everyone else in the film does a good enough job, with the Cullen family members begging for further fleshing out in later films and I would love to see a more prominent role for Peter Facinelli as the head of the Cullen family in later films.
In the end, Twilight is an entertaining and solid little picture. While geared towards the tweens a bit too much, there is still plenty to like if you know what you are getting into. The leads do a fine job, and the Cullen family is very intriguing and makes you wish they had a more prominent role. The movie has me intrigued for a sequel and if they listen to the general public a little bit, and change a couple of direction decisions with tone, the series could start to really take off and improve upon itself. Twilight has laid a solid ground work for a potentially good series, lets hope they give us more back-story to the Cullen’s and grow the film up a bit, and they will have a real winner on their hands.
C+