There's always that debate isn't there? Which team are you on? I always get shocked looks when I say "Team Wolf". Invariably, they are thinking "What does that mean? Team Jacob?" No it doesn't. I'm going to grumble a bit before I explain what I mean.
I have never been a big fan of either Taylor Launter nor Robert Pattison. Taylor's acting improved in Eclipse, but Robert seems to be lost in Wooden Expressions land for all eternity. Plus, I really don't think he's as hot as some think he is. He's too skinny and bony for my tastes. And then poor Mr. Lautner is too baby-faced. So despite how much I liked both Edward and Jacob equally in the books, they just don't translate for me on the big screen with their current actors.
Then we get introduced to the Wolf Pack. That is what I was waiting for. You have a whole gaggle of hot guys who, for one, actually look First Nation (boggle!) but their computer animated counterparts are just amazing! I was the one in the 4 row squealing like a schoolgirl when all those wolves jumped out of the forest. Oh, yeah. So when I say I'm Team Wolf, I mean I love every single one of those wolf-boys and those beautifully constructed computer animated wolves.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
New Moon - The Review
Ok yeah so its been a year since my last post and its been nearly 3 months since New Moon came out - so sue me! Also if you haven't seen New Moon - THERE ARE SPOILERS! If you haven't seen it where was the rock you were under?
In a nutshell - New Moon - loved it! The highlights of it for me was the wolves. Let me create a new Team. Team Wolf. Not Team Jacob. As I've said in the past, I'm like Bella's older sister. I want her to be happy and if she chooses Edward over Jacob, the safer choice, then I'm happy for her. But how insanely cool was the wolf animations? In my opinion, my favorite scene was Jacob running and phasing right over Bella's head in her defense. Plus all those hottie-mac-hottersons native boys? Come on! Definitely Team Wolf.
Taylor Lautner - I'm finally going to give you some props. I do still wish they had gotten someone older and bigger to play the changed Jacob. However, despite your baby face, you bulked up sufficiently that the change in your physique was dramatic enough to suspend my disbelief. Plus, sweetie, I can tell you took some serious acting classes between Movie One and Two. Your character Jacob has finally gotten a little personality. Thank you for that.
Kristen Stewart - well, all I can say is at least you did a decent job. Its kinda hard to act angsty when you looked completely bored or stoned. Lay off the reefer the next movie you do.
Robert Pattison - um, I still have never liked you as Edward. I still don't like you as Edward. I accept the fact that I have absolutely no say in casting whatsoever, so I have to see your face up on the screen, but seriously dude - You know what? I'm not going to go there. His pasty gaunt body in the scene in Italy made my skin crawl - 'nuff said.
Chris Weiss - I love you. You rescued this franchise from arthouse over-angst, and your comfort among special effects was so apparent. Everything was flawless! Well, nearly everything. Ok really - something else could have been done about the forest frolic scene, please? You can't take two gangly, awkward people, make them run through a forest over vines and roots and expect them to look graceful and fluid even in slow motion. It just didn't work. I laughed out loud and a few of the people in the theater next to me did too. Despite that, please do all the rest of the movies. Make Kristen Steward go through rehab and make RobPat eat some more protein. Give the wolf boys a hug for me.
So there you have it. A little nugget into my thoughts. This movie was really, really good. Not perfect, but a far cry better than the special effects disaster that was Twilight, thanks to Catherine Hardewicke.
In a nutshell - New Moon - loved it! The highlights of it for me was the wolves. Let me create a new Team. Team Wolf. Not Team Jacob. As I've said in the past, I'm like Bella's older sister. I want her to be happy and if she chooses Edward over Jacob, the safer choice, then I'm happy for her. But how insanely cool was the wolf animations? In my opinion, my favorite scene was Jacob running and phasing right over Bella's head in her defense. Plus all those hottie-mac-hottersons native boys? Come on! Definitely Team Wolf.
Taylor Lautner - I'm finally going to give you some props. I do still wish they had gotten someone older and bigger to play the changed Jacob. However, despite your baby face, you bulked up sufficiently that the change in your physique was dramatic enough to suspend my disbelief. Plus, sweetie, I can tell you took some serious acting classes between Movie One and Two. Your character Jacob has finally gotten a little personality. Thank you for that.
Kristen Stewart - well, all I can say is at least you did a decent job. Its kinda hard to act angsty when you looked completely bored or stoned. Lay off the reefer the next movie you do.
Robert Pattison - um, I still have never liked you as Edward. I still don't like you as Edward. I accept the fact that I have absolutely no say in casting whatsoever, so I have to see your face up on the screen, but seriously dude - You know what? I'm not going to go there. His pasty gaunt body in the scene in Italy made my skin crawl - 'nuff said.
Chris Weiss - I love you. You rescued this franchise from arthouse over-angst, and your comfort among special effects was so apparent. Everything was flawless! Well, nearly everything. Ok really - something else could have been done about the forest frolic scene, please? You can't take two gangly, awkward people, make them run through a forest over vines and roots and expect them to look graceful and fluid even in slow motion. It just didn't work. I laughed out loud and a few of the people in the theater next to me did too. Despite that, please do all the rest of the movies. Make Kristen Steward go through rehab and make RobPat eat some more protein. Give the wolf boys a hug for me.
So there you have it. A little nugget into my thoughts. This movie was really, really good. Not perfect, but a far cry better than the special effects disaster that was Twilight, thanks to Catherine Hardewicke.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Entertainment Tonight Sneak Peek
So I caught the first installment of the New Moon sneek peek this week. ET does a good job of hyping up the bits that they have and then when they show it, they constantly recycle the same shots over and over again. What we really got was about 25 seconds of Robert Pattinson interview and 10 seconds of Taylor Lautner interview. Whoopie big deal. The only thing that was talked about was really just blather about the "Twilight Phenomeon" and how really good New Moon is. As if its not in their contract to have to say that stuff to the press anyway. We were graced with a few shots of Lautner with a short cut and with a parka on but otherwise shirtless. Standing next to Kristen Stewart there's still no major height difference and I'm still going reserve judgement on Lautner's physique since all we really got to see was man-boobs and the fact that he didn't have a little tummy.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
New Moon Casting Thoughts
A couple of thoughts on this great evening. I am very excited for the next Twilight movie, New Moon. I am excited because they have a new director, a substantially bigger budget, and most of the original cast is back. These changes make me hopeful forthe real slam-bang movie Stephenie's stories deserve. Don't get me wrong - Twilight was a good movie. I emphasize good. Well all know it had cheesy parts - remember the scene where Robert Pattinson looked like he fell in a glitter bucket? But those were things I had no say in. For example, I had some huge issues with Robert Pattinson playing Edward (would have much rather had Henry Cavill) but since he's still marginally good looking I can deal. Catherine Hardwicke was completely out of her league with a special effects intensive movie, thus my happiness about Chris Weitz of Golden Compass fame taking over the helm.
For this new movie, I am still upset that Taylor Lautner is still playing Jacob. I know I'll get hung up by my toenails by his legions of fans, but if all his fangirls will re-read the book, Jacob goes through a DRAMATIC change in appearance. Stephenie says that he ages like 5-7 years over a course of a month or so. And its not only the aging process but Jacob grows substantially taller and muscle bound. Mr. Lautner, I'm sorry - for one, you look 14 years old, not 25. For another, you can't physically make yourself grow taller. With snappy camera shots and standing on boxes you could very well make it look like you grew taller (Tom Cruise does it all the time!), but walking next to Kristen Stewart, we'll all see that in bare feet, there is no change in tallness. Muscle bulk can change so I'm reserving judgment until I see production stills of your new physique.
As for the rest of the cast, I have been waiting eagerly to see how they fleshed out the rest of the cast. I am happy to announce that according to Stephenie's website, all of the true Native American actors from the first movie and a couple of additions will all be playing our favorite Quileutes. Yay! As any of my family and friends will tell you, I am all for having actual Native Americans playing Native Americans. Maybe because real Native Americans really look like, well - Native Americans. Go figure. I won't go on about Taylor because well this post will be much longer than I intend. Read all about it.
On to the vampires. Thankfully all our favorite veggie vamps are returning as well. We also get some new additions. Go HERE to look at pictures of them.
I agree with some, neutral on others and sort of torked on others. I think it brilliant to have Dakota Fanning playing Jane. She is an amazing little actress and getting to play the bad guy, I'm sure, will be supremely fun for her. I liked Rachael Lefevre playing Victoria, all two minutes of her movie time. I'm hoping she's got the acting chops to pull off a main character role. A surprise casting was Jamie Campbell Bower of Sweeney Todd fame. He does make a good pick for a vampire with his semi androgynous look and he's the age I think would be appropriate for a vampire - the twenty something. The two that had me kinda irked was the additions of Michael Sheen (The Queen) and Christopher Heyerdahl (SciFi's Sanctuary). Aren't these guys too old to play vampires?? Both are in their 40s somewhere. And before people get me wrong, I don't think being 40 is old. But my thought process was that most folks that became vampires would have turned at a younger age, with very few being older than their 30s. But that's me. My brother pointed out to me that probably the casting director and Chris Weitz were looking for an authority look. Michael Sheen is a great actor and he's played a Prime Minister so he is able to exude authority. So in that way, he is a good choice for Aro. He would also be a good counterpoint for Caius's hotheadedness (Jamie Campbell Bower). Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl), besides the age issue, is a neutral opinion for me. I've seen him in Sanctuary, he's good actor and its not like Marcus does a whole lot other than be bored.
I always reserve final judgment until I see the final product. But as the movie-phile that I am, I can't but help wish they had done some better casting in some places, and I completely give them a standing ovation for others.
For this new movie, I am still upset that Taylor Lautner is still playing Jacob. I know I'll get hung up by my toenails by his legions of fans, but if all his fangirls will re-read the book, Jacob goes through a DRAMATIC change in appearance. Stephenie says that he ages like 5-7 years over a course of a month or so. And its not only the aging process but Jacob grows substantially taller and muscle bound. Mr. Lautner, I'm sorry - for one, you look 14 years old, not 25. For another, you can't physically make yourself grow taller. With snappy camera shots and standing on boxes you could very well make it look like you grew taller (Tom Cruise does it all the time!), but walking next to Kristen Stewart, we'll all see that in bare feet, there is no change in tallness. Muscle bulk can change so I'm reserving judgment until I see production stills of your new physique.
As for the rest of the cast, I have been waiting eagerly to see how they fleshed out the rest of the cast. I am happy to announce that according to Stephenie's website, all of the true Native American actors from the first movie and a couple of additions will all be playing our favorite Quileutes. Yay! As any of my family and friends will tell you, I am all for having actual Native Americans playing Native Americans. Maybe because real Native Americans really look like, well - Native Americans. Go figure. I won't go on about Taylor because well this post will be much longer than I intend. Read all about it.
On to the vampires. Thankfully all our favorite veggie vamps are returning as well. We also get some new additions. Go HERE to look at pictures of them.
I agree with some, neutral on others and sort of torked on others. I think it brilliant to have Dakota Fanning playing Jane. She is an amazing little actress and getting to play the bad guy, I'm sure, will be supremely fun for her. I liked Rachael Lefevre playing Victoria, all two minutes of her movie time. I'm hoping she's got the acting chops to pull off a main character role. A surprise casting was Jamie Campbell Bower of Sweeney Todd fame. He does make a good pick for a vampire with his semi androgynous look and he's the age I think would be appropriate for a vampire - the twenty something. The two that had me kinda irked was the additions of Michael Sheen (The Queen) and Christopher Heyerdahl (SciFi's Sanctuary). Aren't these guys too old to play vampires?? Both are in their 40s somewhere. And before people get me wrong, I don't think being 40 is old. But my thought process was that most folks that became vampires would have turned at a younger age, with very few being older than their 30s. But that's me. My brother pointed out to me that probably the casting director and Chris Weitz were looking for an authority look. Michael Sheen is a great actor and he's played a Prime Minister so he is able to exude authority. So in that way, he is a good choice for Aro. He would also be a good counterpoint for Caius's hotheadedness (Jamie Campbell Bower). Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl), besides the age issue, is a neutral opinion for me. I've seen him in Sanctuary, he's good actor and its not like Marcus does a whole lot other than be bored.
I always reserve final judgment until I see the final product. But as the movie-phile that I am, I can't but help wish they had done some better casting in some places, and I completely give them a standing ovation for others.
Stephen King Needs to Get Over Himself
*~*~* Originally posted on my Facebook on 2/6/09 *~*~*
Here is an article I read today that just had me laughing:
http://www.comcast.net/articles/entertainment-eonline/20090204/b82354/
To sum up, he called Stephenie Meyer's writing crap. Then trying to hedge his blunt statement added that her storytelling is compelling but only to those less educated than say himself and his friends. Um, wow! Here is a man who's been writing what amounts to violent pulp fiction for about 30 years and he's criticizing someone who's just starting out. Reality check please - anyone who's staring out in their craft is not going to be as good a writer/artist/actor, etc etc as they will be 30 years from now.
He continued to make me giggle to compare Stephanie to JK Rowling, in that JK's writing is so far superior to the Twilight novels. mKay - nother reality check here also - Mr. King how long has it been since you read The Sorcerer's Stone? Did you forget about all the writing techniques she butchered? For example, all the adverbs ending in -ly. Just about drove me insane. She said hesitantly. He said jokingly. She said longingly. He said descriptively. AAhhhhhh!!! But as anyone who read and enjoyed her novels ANYWAY would have noticed that by the time she got to Deathly Hallows her writing had greatly improved and was more polished. Hmmm, maybe its because she had been doing it for nearly a decade?
I think Stephen King's real beef might just be sour grapes. All his fanboys of the late seventies and eighties still read his novels but they have other things to distract them now, like jobs and kids. They're not throwing release parties at the local Barnes & Noble for the next one he puts out. The newest generation of readers can get just as much violence, sex, offensive language and gore turning on the TV or popping in a game in the ole XBox360. But then comes along Stephenie who manages to write a compelling romantic novel with thrilling themes to them but doesn't have any of the sex and gore that seems integral to his novels. And the kicker is - her books are flying off the shelves. But that's not the only kicker. Her fanbase is multi-generational. You can find whole families who have read her books from grandma to little sister. Some men even find enjoyment in them.
I've heard people criticize her books for being "safe". That means that she wasn't pushing any limits of decency in her books as the rest of the world defines them. But I think that what Mr. King maybe hasn't clued into yet is that people were tired of books that gave us what 'they' defined as hyper-reality. Maybe what we've been yearning for is a little safety - where you can open a book and read it and not worry about burning your eyes. I think there were a lot of people longing for the days of Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austin, where men were gentlemen and adored their ladies. I don't know. Maybe if Stephen King writes a book like that, he'd find a broader fanbase? Because despite his arrogant assumptions, he and the more educated people in the world make up a very small percentage of the book buying population.
Here is an article I read today that just had me laughing:
http://www.comcast.net/art
To sum up, he called Stephenie Meyer's writing crap. Then trying to hedge his blunt statement added that her storytelling is compelling but only to those less educated than say himself and his friends. Um, wow! Here is a man who's been writing what amounts to violent pulp fiction for about 30 years and he's criticizing someone who's just starting out. Reality check please - anyone who's staring out in their craft is not going to be as good a writer/artist/actor, etc etc as they will be 30 years from now.
He continued to make me giggle to compare Stephanie to JK Rowling, in that JK's writing is so far superior to the Twilight novels. mKay - nother reality check here also - Mr. King how long has it been since you read The Sorcerer's Stone? Did you forget about all the writing techniques she butchered? For example, all the adverbs ending in -ly. Just about drove me insane. She said hesitantly. He said jokingly. She said longingly. He said descriptively. AAhhhhhh!!! But as anyone who read and enjoyed her novels ANYWAY would have noticed that by the time she got to Deathly Hallows her writing had greatly improved and was more polished. Hmmm, maybe its because she had been doing it for nearly a decade?
I think Stephen King's real beef might just be sour grapes. All his fanboys of the late seventies and eighties still read his novels but they have other things to distract them now, like jobs and kids. They're not throwing release parties at the local Barnes & Noble for the next one he puts out. The newest generation of readers can get just as much violence, sex, offensive language and gore turning on the TV or popping in a game in the ole XBox360. But then comes along Stephenie who manages to write a compelling romantic novel with thrilling themes to them but doesn't have any of the sex and gore that seems integral to his novels. And the kicker is - her books are flying off the shelves. But that's not the only kicker. Her fanbase is multi-generational. You can find whole families who have read her books from grandma to little sister. Some men even find enjoyment in them.
I've heard people criticize her books for being "safe". That means that she wasn't pushing any limits of decency in her books as the rest of the world defines them. But I think that what Mr. King maybe hasn't clued into yet is that people were tired of books that gave us what 'they' defined as hyper-reality. Maybe what we've been yearning for is a little safety - where you can open a book and read it and not worry about burning your eyes. I think there were a lot of people longing for the days of Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austin, where men were gentlemen and adored their ladies. I don't know. Maybe if Stephen King writes a book like that, he'd find a broader fanbase? Because despite his arrogant assumptions, he and the more educated people in the world make up a very small percentage of the book buying population.
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