Movie Review & Reflections: New Moon (Spoilers, if you haven't seen!)

I saw my wonderful Aunt Amazing today, and she said, "Deb, I was disappointed not to see your thoughts on New Moon!"  So, in honor of Aunt Amazing, here are my thoughts on the movie.  I'm anxious to get yours.

1. Better.  I thought this one was better in almost every respect than the movie version of Twilight.  The actors seemed a bit more comfortable in their roles, especially Kristen Stewart.  However, since Bella is supposed to be in an emotionless fog for most of the film, perhaps this one just played to her strengths.  I don't know.

2. Better than the book.  I actually think the film improved on the book in several ways.  Some of the (minor) changes they made allowed the story, for me, to make more sense and have more emotional resonance.  (I should say New Moon has always been my least favorite in the series.)  Most notably: the visual hallucinations of Edward, which I know was done to keep Rob Pattinson visible, but I thought it really added to the story.  I also liked the twist on Harry's heart attack, having it brought about by Victoria during the hunt.

3. Team Jacob.  I now understand how someone could prefer Jacob to Edward.  Jacob, in the books, has always been a completely unappealing character.  I had no idea how Bella could possibly want him, even a little bit.  Now I know, thanks to Taylor Lautner's performance, which I think is what makes the film.

4. Music.  Like Twilight, New Moon had a great soundtrack that really, really enhanced the movie for me.

5. Disappointment: I wanted more of the Volturi sequence.  I know, they did it nearly verbatim, but that was one area where I really wanted more.  They picked amazing actors to play just about everyone, had a big buildup, amazing location, all for a scene that ended far too soon.  I would have loved to see about 10 minutes of angsty Bella cut in favor of an extra 10 minutes of red-eyed Volturi action.  Oh, well.

I thought it was good.  I saw it with Momz and we each commented on how fast it went by; it didn't seem like a two-hour-plus movie.  Overall, this movie made me hopeful that the films will continue to improve.  Eclipse, from what the director has said on Twitter, is in the can and set for a summer release.  Breaking Dawn is set to be two movies.  I predict they will cut it at the point in which Bella "dies" and begin the second half when she opens her eyes as a new vampire, but that's just my prediction.

And, my friends, what then?  Will we ever get Midnight Sun?  Will we even want it by that point?  I'm not sure.

Team Edward Vs. Team Jacob

Watch Taylor Lautner hamming it up as a member of Team Edward.

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Twilight Spoof

Check this out, if you haven't seen it already:

The Host Movie

I don't know if any of you have read The Host, but Stephenie Meyer announced on her website today that it's being made into a movie. I really enjoyed the book, so I'm curious to see how the movie turns out. Sounds like Meyer's keeping herself busy!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Trailer in HD

In Case Anyone is Still Reading...

I was talking to Momz the other day, and she made the following observation:

"I'm so glad I've gotten past the whole Twilight thing."

It made me think, as Momz comments most often do. Am I over my Twilight obsession?

No. Not really. I'm not continuously re-reading the books, but I just re-read New Moon, and am lazily re-reading Eclipse.

I am visiting the New Moon Movie site as well as Entertainment Weekly's Special Twilight Coverage section to see new pictures from the film.

(In case you want to know, it's looking good. Volturi look awesome. Edward makes me want to weep gently. I'm even feeling warm about Jacob. I'm very excited.)

I have finished a draft of my own "vampire novel." (Not fanfic, not based on Twilight at all, but thought I'd mention it. 97,000 words. Anyone know an agent?)

I have a rough sketch of an upper-level high school/college-level course called "Twilight and its Impact on American Culture." If I ever get that Ph.D, I'll be rarin' to go.

But all is not lost! I have not invested hundreds of dollars in the officially licensed Twilight dolls and have dismantled the scale model of Forks/LaPush in the basement. I did not bid on the Authentic Certified Copy of Bella's Engagement Ring on eBay. And when my son appropriated my Lion and Lamb keychain, I let him keep it.

So I suppose I'm getting better. How about you?

New Moon Movie Site

The New Moon movie site is up, and though there's not much there now, there should be more to come. At least you can watch the trailer repeatedly...

New Moon Movie Site w/ The World of Twilight