Eclipse Review! (possible spoilers, beware)

Got home at 3am, didn't sleep much, and am up studying but I thought I'd take a break to do my shpiel. Overall impression: SO good! Best of the three for sure! Gonna go see it again tomorrow with another buddy, hopefully the screams will have died down a bit and I can hear more dialogue this time... that's always hard at the midnight showings, heehee.

Without getting too spoilery, this is what stuck out the most to me:

* Very few/minor deviations from the book! Much was condensed, of course, but nothing plot-altering was done, thank goodness!

* Lots and lots of dialogue straight from the book, some even from BD.

* Sparkle effect was very subtle and better done than in previous movies.

* More of the soundtrack made it into this movie than any of the previous ones. Some worked, some... not so much, in my opinion.

* I prefer the " marble consistency" of the vamps in New Moon to the "crystal consistency" in
this one... fighting scenes really bring out the difference.

* Speaking of fighting scenes, I was unprepared for how graphic (albeit non-bloody) they were.
No subtlety there... but then again, I've got a low tolerance for the cringe- factor.

* Lots of tongue-in-cheek/movie poking fun at itself moments :)

Directing/Production technicalities aside, most memorable moments:

* Loved all the Bella/Charlie scenes. Perfectly awkward/funny/tender! The sex-talk scene was
my favorite, although graduation made me tear up ;)

* Rosalie/Jasper flashbacks were awesome!!! Quillute legends were cool as well.

* Loved the adorable Alice/Jasper stuff they threw in; many "awwwww" moments!

* Lots of the Bree Tanner back story made it in which helped tremendously.

* Riley and (new) Victoria were pretty cool. Riley stole the show though, awesome actor!

* Jacob does a really good job at making you feel so bad for him... I totally hated him in the books
but even my cold heart-strings felt a few tugs :(

* Tent scene was done very well, they kept the most crucial of the book's dialogue.

* Ahh, the much anticipated big bed/chastity & virtue talk/official marriage proposal scene:
It didn't deviate much from the book, if that tells you something. My favorite part was the end,
when he does the actual proposal and she says yes. Absolute raw/unguarded joy! I almost
forgot myself and jumped out of my seat clapping... Probably will go down as a fan favorite!


And that's that folks! I'm SO excited to see it again tomorrow, its always better the second time around because you can take more in. Hopefully the crowd won't be as rowdy. Yeah... we'll see about that ;)

I may regret this tomorrow...

... oh, but what a way to go!!!

I work tomorrow (afternoon) and have my 2nd Micro test of the week Thursday but guess what I am doing tonight? Oh yeah baby... ECLIPSE!!!! Since we're just doing the midnight release this time, and not the triple feature, we (my friends and I, Ben is not coming tonight) will have to do the never-ending waiting in line thing... *sigh* Good thing I have a gazillion terms/essay topics to memorize!

Okiedokie, gotta eat and head off to the theater, hopefully I can get a coherent movie review up tomorrow!

Bool Review: Bree Tanner (Caution: possible spoilers?)

I normally stay away from books that have a sad ending (and anyone that's read Eclipse knows that Bree Tanner's ultimate fate is not a happy one, so I don't consider this a spoiler) but I just had to make an exception for this one. Eclipse has always been my very favorite of the Twilight Saga for many reasons, but one of them is my fascination with " the newborns." The info Stephenie Meyer gives us about them (in the series) is almost like a tease and I always wondered what it would be like, from their perspective. When I found out that she had written a short novel based on a newborn's experience I was thrilled! Finally, first hand accounts of what it was like to be these crazy, savage beings; a complete departure from the Cullen world.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner essentially fills in all the gaps in Eclipse regarding Victoria's "newborn army" and her plans for revenge on the Cullens, namely Edward. All the how's and why's are answered which is satisfying since even at the end of Eclipse, after all was resolved, you were still left wondering how Victoria and Riley accomplished what they had. Basically, this ties up a lot of loose ends and introduces you to some really neat characters that we never knew existed, but whom were nevertheless vital to how everything played out in the end.

Sadly, Bree's story is that of a tragic hero. She is just one of the many victims. The Cullen's have her to thank for some vital info obtained in those last moments before her ultimate demise. That last scene takes on a whole new meaning when seen through someone other than Bella's eyes. I expect that some of what we see in Eclipse will make a lot more sense now that we have this back story. For me, my dislike of the Volturi (especially Jane and her cronies) increased tenfold. Too bad things turned out the way they did... I think Bree (and perhaps two of her friends ) would have made loyal additions to the Cullen fam.

Here is a short featurette about Bree Tanner and her role in Eclipse.

New Muse Video!!!

Hooray!!! Here is Muse's new song for the Eclipse soundtrack:
Neutron Star Collision(Love Is Forever)

Muse - New Music - More Music Videos

Love love LOVE the song!!! Lyrics here. It fits well with the doom and gloom circumstances surrounding the plot and Bella's choice in the end. No spoiler scenes to speak of, pretty much stuff we've already seen. Enjoy:)


Aaaaaaaaand because I just couldn't resist... a snippet of one of my favorite scenes in the book. I much prefer Edward's quiet fury/threats (in the book) to the movie Edward's sort of manic tantrum. Plus, Bella(and her broken hand, heehee) is supposed to not care if Edward rips Jacob in two, not stand between them! *Sigh* They always mess with stuff. However, gotta love Charlie! I wonder if they'll leave in his, "Good for you kid!" line... that would be classic. I guess we shall see... Anyway, here it is.



Jacob is a punk... Boo!Hiss!

Final Eclipse Trailer

Yay! So excited!!! I was a bit concerned about the 3D/IMAX side of things but it's going to make the wolf pack scenes CRAZY!!!

Go puppies, go!!! :)
(for the record, the wolves are killing the bad (newborn) vamps, NOT regular people!)

Come on June 3oth...

Uh-oh, it's begun again...

Eclipse's first official trailer is out, and here it is!!!



AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! *Much squealing and jumping up and down ensues*

The men take a stand!

Just had to share this music video, it's pretty funny!

Teehee...

I am officially good to go for November 19th/20th!!! AMC theaters are doing a Twilight Extravaganza thingy the night New Moon comes out by showing Twilight at 9PM and then New Moon at midnight. They've sold out 4 theaters already. I just got tickets for us and a friend from work and her hubby! When I dropped them off at work for her we did a happy dance and squealed like a bunch of 14 year olds... heehee. Plus when you add in the student discounts and coupons we had, we ended up being able to see 2 movies for the price of one and some change! WOOT!

Please excuse the teenage girls...

... and their never ending SQUEALS! *sigh* This is going to be really annoying during opening night, since 1/2 the movie (I bet) is going to be comprised of shirtless Jacob and then Edward, Edward, and oh yeah... shirtless Edward :)
Anyway, here are 2 exclusive clips smuggled out from the Comic Con previews... enjoy them while they last, I'm sure YouTube will pull them off any minute until Summit releases them "officially." Sorry, I can't help myself...

Clip 1 (yes, he does that in the book)


Clip 2 (yes, he does that in the book too)


*sigh* Is it November 20th yet? Nope... dang.

Veryus Funnycus...

... except for all the cussingicus at the endicus! (This will make sense later)

So normally I don't approve of posting stuff with potty language, but this had me rolling.... Please don't play if children are around, Jimmy Fallon has a potty mouth. The really bad part is the "out-takes" clip... I'd rather skip that part anyway but it's on there at the very end. It's all "bleeped" out but still very obvious as to what they are saying... just be forewarned!!!

"Robert Pattinson" ~vs~ "Daniel Radcliffe"

Today's pick me up

I'm home sick today due to a poorly timed fever and stomach bug. Three days prior to my surgery and I get sick? Seriously, this is just ridiculous. It's viral and so there is nothing they can give me to get me better by Monday, so I've been ordered to rest as much as I can and keep an eye on my temps. If I still have a fever on Sunday, my surgery is canceled. :( These past 6 weeks have been really rough and my countdown to Monday was pretty much the only thing that kept me going, so the thought of having to reschedule it is freaking me out. I have to admit... I'm pretty bummed out and on the verge of panic.

On the bright side, I found this just now which definitely cheered me up some! For those of you that are not familiar with New Moon, this is a pivotal scene in the book. For me, its the only part that makes New Moon worth the read, as I find the first 3/4 of it much too painful to get through. (Explanation of scene below)




Edward has run off to Italy to provoke the Volturi (the Vampire law enforcement- basically a royal vampire family that makes it their duty to keep their existence a secret. Anyone that threatens to expose them gets dealt with quickly) into killing him because he thinks Bella is dead. Overdramatic vampire that he is,Edward is planning on walking out into the Voltera Piazza (plaza) at noon when the sun is at it's highest point and take off his shirt in front of the townsfolk. (SM's vampires sparkle in the sunlight because their skin is like diamonds) Bella arrives just in time to sprint across the piazza, through the big fountain, and slams into Edward who thinks he's already dead and has just been reunited with Bella. She then forces him into the shadows so that no one notices his sparklies and the Volturi won't attack... except its too late. DUM DUM DUUUUUM! :) They don't actually kiss in the book when this happens, but I'll forgive them this little fudge. Oh, and those black dots all over RP have something to do with the CGI sparkle effect. At first I thought he'd grown a whole lot of moles all of a sudden, lol! Oh, I should add that the townsfolk are all in red cloaks because they are celebrating St.Marcus Day so they (and the town) are all decked out. Anyway... enjoy!

Just another reason...

Alice Cullen rocks.... She has a Sirius!!! Well, the actress does, but if she had a pet in real Cullen life (haha) my Blubbers would probably be the only dog cool enough for them! (Not that I'm biased or anything...)



This is exactly what he looked like as a pup! *sigh* Makes me want to run out there and get another puppy... why do they have to grow up and get all fat and lazy?!?!

Anyway, random I know, but it was enough to make my day when I'm not feeling well. Hooray for cute little puppies!!! Eeek!!! :)

Chinchilla droppings?

Seriously... WHY did they cut this stuff out?
H-i-l-l-a-r-i-o-u-s!!!

Twilight

Edwards breath = Gasoline?

So I survived my first day (well more like part of the day) on the phones, hooray! Anyway, so Ben and I were having a conversation about names we've been called by our (sometimes kinda deaf) AARP customers and for me it was Alice. That happened to me quite frequently at my last job as well and I used to really not like it, but ever since I became a Twilighter, I find it puts a smile on my face because it makes me think of my favorite vampire!

Ben was surprised to hear that I gave Alice that spot, rather than Edward. I admitted though, that if these characters were real and I could actually meet one of them, I'd actually pick Edward over Alice, even though I find her the most intriguing and likeable of the bunch. Why? Well, simply because I'd be curious to see what his breath smelled like! I think I'd just go up and ask, "Hey, can you just breathe on me? Thanks!" (For those of you that have never read Twilight, this sounds crazy, I know... it's hard to explain, so either go read the books or... well, I guess you'll just have to think I'm insane!) I imagine that it would smell differently to each person, as it's supposed to be whatever they find appealing/attractive? Anyway, so when I told Ben this, he knew right away what Edward's breath would smell like to me...

GASOLINE!

Yes, I'm a freak. I loooooooooooove the smell of gasoline!!! Well, I must clarify, I love the smell of gasoline fumes, not the actual gasoline itself. If you've ever spilled it on yourself, I'm sure you know why... But the fumes? Oh yeah, baby, bring it on. I used to fill up my roommates'/misson comps' cars just so that I could stand by the pump and smell it, LOL. Ben still teases me about it every time we go gas up and I have to roll down the windows and get a good sniff!

So yeah, apparently Edward's breath = gasoline fumes for Alex. What would Edward's breath smell like to YOU? ;)

You know you've overdone it on the Twilight front when...

... you start having recurring nightmares about James coming to get you! ;)

Last night I tossed and turned and had another one of those dreams where you wake up, roll over and continue dreaming right where you left off...several times! I was in a hotel hiding out while James was on trial for trying to kill me. (Apparently in my dream he hadn't been ripped apart by Emmett, Jasper, and Alice?) Carlisle and Edward were there as witnesses and while I was waiting in my hotel room, I get a call from Carlisle urging me to stay put because James got away while the jury was deliberating and Edward was off tracking him. He (Carlisle) was on his way back to the hotel to watch over me in case James tried to do me in again. I, of course, was terrified and became much more so when Carlisle's cell dropped the call and the last I heard was that he was on SW 29th and Meridian (here in OKC, so apprently we moved away from Forkls?!?!) which seemed too far away for comfort.

I woke up at this point, pretty disturbed. Rolled over, kinda laughed at myself and fell back asleep.

I was still in the hotel, frantically trying to reach Carlisle again. His cell went straight to voicemail. I tried to tell myself that it was because he didn't want to be overheard talking to me just in case James was close by (tracking him back to me) and could hear him. I don't remember how much time passed but I was starting to panic b/c in my dream it had been quite a while and Carlisle should have been there by then.

I woke up again. Still pretty disturbed, rolled over again and tried to think about something else other than Carlisle, James, and Edward. Fell back asleep eventually.

Once again in dreamland, now I was in hysterics because it had been hours and still no sign of Carlilse OR Edward. I was still alone in this hotel, windows shut tight, door locked, lights off- terrified that any moment I'd see James' red eyes and his freaky smile. Now MY cell wouldn't work either. All of a sudden my door bursts open and in come a bunch of people that look vaguely familiar, but none of them vampires. It took me a second to figure out who they were, but in the meanwhile, they turned on the lights and brought in food and drinks and were really loud and happy. I finally recognized them... they were all contestants on American Idol! The runners up from previous seasons! Ace, Bucky, Constantine, the be-boxer guy whose name I can't remember, etc etc.(there were like 15 of them) Apparently I had won some contest and got to meet them and help them with their new albums?!?! Yeah... so here they were in my hotel room, completely oblivious to the fact that I was surely about to be murdered by James since Carlisle and Edward were nowhere to be found and I (as of yet) possessed no extraordinary powers as a pitiful human being.

Guess what came next? Oh yeah, I woke up... again! By now I was actually starting to feel less disturbed and more intrigued. AI contestants?!?! Where would this dream go eventually? Once again, I rolled over and tried to fall asleep quickly, hoping I could pick right back up.

I got lucky! So again I'm with all these AI singers and we're just kinda rockin' out and they're making me sing (in my dream I could sing, it was awesome!) and for a while I'm oddly content and lose track of the time. Eventually I realize a few hours have gone by and its almost dawn and still no Carlisle/Edward. I start trying my phone again and to my surprise they (the AI people) start telling me to not worry, and just come and have fun, etc etc. I got a bad feeling. All of a sudden it hit me... The were IN on it! I'm not sure how I knew, but I just knew that James had sent them to keep me busy while he intercepted Edward and Carlisle and then came for me one last time. At this point I just freaked. I started crying and oddly enough, it wasn't because of Edward anymore... I was so sad that I wouldn't get to see Carlisle again?!?! Hmm... yeah, not sure what happened there, but there it is.

I woke up one last time, totally frustrated and mad at my dumb achy back for ruining this for me! That was kinda sucky, because I really wanted to finish up and either A) die so this dumb run-on dream could end once and for all or B)watch James get his trash kicked (somehow) and then I could see Carlisle... no, wait, Edward.... no wait Carlisle? I don't know...

In any case, I shut my eyes really tight and tried willing myself into the continuation, but this time it didn't work. ARGH! I'd done it 3 times already, why couldn't it happen once more? Grrr...

*sigh* Oh well, I guess there's always tonight, right? Wish me luck! ;)

PS> Yes, I know that the AI contestants being in on it makes no sense... If they were human (they had to have been because they looked normal, felt normal, smelled normal) I'm not quite sure how they were alive if they'd actually MET James, seeing as he would have killed them? Yeah, I know... weird, but then again what part of this dream wasn't?

Seriously, almost pee'd my pants!

I just had to share this one, it's hilarious! Enjoy :)

New Moon is next!!!

Summit Entertainment has confirmed that they will be making New Moon! Read about it here!!! (click on News)

MTV reports:

The news comes on the heels of the vampire flick selling out theaters nationwide, despite its mixed reviews. The madness began with some impressive advance ticket sales, then the film added to its $7 million midnight-screening take with a staggering $35.7 million on Friday, taking in money at a rate reported to be more than three times that of last week's box-office winner, "Quantum of Solace." To put it in perspective, "Twilight" is now second only to "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" in terms of biggest opening-day gross for a non-summer release.
"Twilight" is currently on track to become the highest-grossing film ever made by a female director, the highest-grossing vampire film of all time, and is also threatening several other records heading into Saturday. The film is currently projected to make more than $60 million this weekend, which would put it on track for the $150 million box-office haul that director Catherine Hardwicke has said would automatically green-light sequels.

Who cares if all critics weren't blown away? We still get New Moon!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!

Twilight Review

So I am totally bummed that I didn't get to go to the midnight showing (getting up at 5am to go teach Seminary and then having to work afterwards just don't mesh well with staying up until 3am) but Ben and I went today after work! Here is my spoiler-free review. Comments are fair game though... if you don't want the details, don't click on the comments! You've been warned...

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! I loved loved loved loooooooooooooooooooooooved it!!!! I was terrified they were going to butcher it, and after Eragon, the possibility became more real to me. I am a big stickler for staying true to the book, and while I recognize that movies are "adaptations" I have a hard time letting go of my preconceived notions of how the movie "should be." Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite HP book, but my least favorite movie for that very reason.

That being said... I think they did a fantastic job of not screwing it up!!! 90% of the dialogue was straight out of the book, word for word... I loved that! Did they deviate a bit due to time constraint? Yes. Did little scenarios get added in that weren't in the book? Yes. However, they were done very tastefully and in a way that remained very true to the characters, and things they could have done/said.

My only regrets are that some of the Cullens didn't get as much screentime as I would have wished, but some of that is true to the book anyway because they don't all play a huge role until later books. Some more character development would have been nice too, but again... time constraints, I get it. All in all, there wasn't a single thing I hated or had a big promblem with. The thing that bugged me the most was that I wasn't a big fan of "Bella's Lullaby" but thats my own fault... I found a song that somehow got linked with Bella's Lullaby (It's actually called "River Flows In You" by Yiruma) and just kinda became "it" in my mind. I love it... its beautiful. It did not end up being the actual lullaby in the movie... BOO. But seriously, thats my biggest complaint... pretty trivial. (It's on my playlist as "Bella's Lullaby" by Edward Cullen if anyone is curious)

I don't think those that have not read the books will like Twilight very much. In my opinion, it was totally made for the fans. If you don't have a working knowledge of the story I don't think it will make much sense. Bella ends up looking very stupid and Edward like a creepy stalker. It's hard to develop the characters well enough in such a small amount of time and the nuances of their love is lost. I got it, but then again I've read the series like what... 6+ times? *sigh* I'm sad for those that have not and end up disliking the movie because of it.

My final grade? Twilight gets an "A" all the way!!!

Now... if I could only think of some excuse to go back and see it again... and again... and again... ;)

Hollywood strikes again... ARGH!

Anyone seen the newest Twilight TV spots? Yeah, there is one that shows them kissing in her bedroom IN HER UNDIES! Whats that about?!?! Soooooooooooooo not Bella, she wore ratty old sweats to bed! Not something Edward would have allowed either, being all Mr.Chastity and whatnot... *sigh* I h-a-t-e how Hollywood has to mess up what is so crucial to their characters just to wrack in more bucks by putting Kristen Stewart in her chonies for all the men to oogle at! I bet Stephenie Meyer is gonna be tiiiiiiiiiiicked! Hmph...

Let's play mind-reading vamp!

Ben doesn't think they cast a buff enough looking guy to play Emmett so I was trying to find a better picture that shows that indeed he is all muscle-ish... I haven't found a good one as of yet (since most are of E&B) BUT I did find a particularly funny picture that got me wishing I had Edward's mind-reading abilities so I could figure out what they were all thinking... or trying to portray anyway.

So here's the game: Tell me what you think each "character" is thinking. I'll start!
Ok, so the picture isn't very sharp at it's current size and I don't know how to make it so that it goes full size when you click, SO... go to this link for a better look! http://twilighters.org/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=1530&fullsize=1


Jasper is obviously having a really hard time ignoring his "thirst" and hates having to pretend to eat normal food. He's painstakingly giving it a go.

Alice is lovingly supporting her Jasper, coaxing him to give it another bite while having a vision that assures her that he is not about to go attack that particularly good smelling girl across the room, so she's smiling in encouragement.

Emmett and Rosalie are off in their own little world, probably making plans to work on one of their many cars at home once their tedious hours of pretending to be highschool students are over. Emmett is also probably making a bet as to how soon Jasper will crack and have to run out of the cafeteria, Alice skipping lithely behind him.

Edward is sick of the lovey-dovey thoughts/behavior of the others and is wanting to whack them all upside the head really bad... "Helloooooooooooo people, we're supposed to be SIBLINGS!" He's also very doubtful Alice will succeed in her coaxing, as he realizes how close Jasper is to snapping.

Ok! Your turn! :)