The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Chris Weitz
Running Time: 130 minutes
Imprint Entertainment, 2009
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Genre: Supernatural; Romance
Viewers Annotation
After vampire Edward deserts his true love Bella, she falls into a deep despair that only lifts as she deepens friendship with Native American Jacob... but he has secrets of his own.
Plot Summary
Bella and Edward are typical high school sweethearts, except that he's a vampire. On her 18th birthday, Bella has a nightmare that she ages into an old woman, while Edward stays forever 17. She tells him that she wants him to change her into a vampire, but he refuses, because he believes doing so will take away her soul. After her birthday party, when a paper cut sets off his brother's blood lust, Edward breaks things off with Bella, saying that there is no way their relationship can ever work. Before he leaves, he makes her promise that she will not do anything reckless and in return promises that she will never see him again. Bella spirals into a deep depression, having screaming nightmares at night and losing touch with all her friends.
While riding on a motorcycle, Bella is visited by a vision of Edward, who reminds her that she promised him not to do anything reckless. Because she is so desperate to see her love again, she decides to rebuild two broken motorcycles with her Native American friend Jacob, a 16-year-old who is handy with mechanics. Being with Jacob is the only thing that makes Bella happy, and when she's around him, she feels like her old self.
Life in Forks is never easy, though. Though Bella remains in love with Edward, Jacob is clearly falling for her. Bella's father is busy with reports of a mysterious large animal that has been spotted killing area hikers. And Jacob is worried about a pack of boys on the Rez, who all follow their leader around blindly, who seem to be coming for him next....
Critical Evaluation
There's only one thing I can say about this film: at one point, I laughed.... loudly. The entire theater turned to look at me. And the scene? It wasn't supposed to be funny.
I wanted to like this movie. I really, really did. But I couldn't because, well, it was terrible. Most of this movie rests on Kristen Stewart's shoulders; she's in practically every scene. But while I've enjoyed her in other films, including Speak and Twilight reviewed elsewhere in this blog, she just doesn't have the acting chops to carry this film and spends most of the film looking pained. As Edward, Robert Pattinson does better, but he has very few scenes in the movie. In his big dramatic scene at the movie's climax, his makeup is noticeably bad. The viewer wonders why Bella is struggling to choose between Edward and Jacob, when Edward looks like death warmed over. Taylor Lautner is a bright spot; his scenes with Stewart are the movie's best, and the only time where Stewart seems comfortable, and with his open smile and his six-pack abs, Bella's choice seems easy.
It's certainly not only the actors fault; the pacing of this movie is strange, and the editing should have been much, much tighter. We spend way too much time at the beginning of the movie on inconsequential details, so halfway through the movie, the viewer is willing the pace to pick up. The special effects are laughable; the first transformation of the Native Americans into werewolves was, in fact, what had me laughing out loud. The director relies on Matrix-like camera tricks to show the vampire's stealth and speed, but somehow it just comes out looking cheesy.
The screenwriter failed to make the necessary changes from the book to the screen. The reader learns about Bella's torture, her choice to live dangerously to prolong the visions of Edward through her risky behavior, through her narration. The viewer is not so lucky; people who have not read the book will be very confused as to what's going on in many scenes. While voice-overs can be a clunky technique, I think it would have helped this film tremendously. More experienced actors might have been able to convey these complex emotions wordlessly, but the teenage cast cannot.
That said, teenage fans of the book are flocking to this movie despite the bad reviews. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if many of them left as members of Team Jacob instead of Team Edward.
About the Director
Chris Weitz previously found huge success with young adults as co-director of American Pie, a raunchy sex comedy that also had a lot of heart. (His brother Paul was the other director.) Their next project was About A Boy starring Hugh Grant, based on the Nick Hornby novel. The movie was critically acclaimed, especially for its nuanced characterizations. Weitz' previous directing project was the film version of the modern young adult classic The Golden Compass.
Curriculum Ties
None, although its use in non-educational settings (such as a movie night at a library) would undoubtedly be popular.
Viewing Interest/Level
The film is appropriately rated PG-13 for scenes of action and violence. While teens and adults are the intended audience for the movie, younger teens in junior high will undoubtedly be curious about it, too, and the film would be appropriate for them as well.
Challenge Issues
Since parents tend to understand the MPAA rating system, I do not think it's likely that this film would be challenged in a library collection. It is appropriately rated PG-13 for scenes of violence and action.
Selection Criteria
Because of all the hype surrounding this movie, I decided to see it opening weekend. Indeed the theater was packed with young adults!
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Twilight (film) dir. Catherine Hardwicke
Twilight
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
ASIN B001P5HRMI
Running time: 122 minutes
Summit Entertainment, 2008
Rated PG-13
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Genre: Supernatural; Romance
Viewers Annotation
When a teen girl moves to a small town in Washington to live with her father, she becomes intrigued by a beautiful, mysterious boy whose family holds a dark secret.
Plot Summary
Bella moves to small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father after her mother gets remarried. Though she used to spend part of her summer in Forks, she hasn't been back in many years. In such a small town, her arrival is big news, and both students and people around town are dying to talk to her. Bella, who is quiet, shy, and a little bit awkward, is unnerved by all the attention. Only one boy isn't all over her feet: Edward Cullen, the beautiful and mysterious boy whom all the girls have crushes on... but who has never dated a girl from school. Edward is supposed to be Bella's lab partner, but he spends the whole first lab holding his nose and acting as if he can't bear to be around Bella. Then he disappears from school for a week.
When he returns, he apologizes for his rudeness. Bella becomes friends with some of the kids from school, and also reconnects with Jacob Black, a Native American who is the son of her father's best friend. While visiting the reservation with some friends from school, Jacob tells her that the Cullens are not allowed on the Rez; an ancient legend says that his tribe is descended from werewolves and that the Cullens are evil creatures they are sworn to defeat. Bella does not dismiss this as mere legend, and using other observations she's made, figures out that Edward and the rest of his family are vampires. She's already fallen in love with him, and he with her, so rather than run away upon learning the news, she and he grow even closer. But there are a series of mysterious deaths getting nearer to Forks. Are vampires the cause of those attacks? And can Bella ever be safe while she's around Edward?
Critical Evaluation
Twilight, both the books and the film, seem to be equal targets of worship and ridicule. While watching this movie with my husband the other night, he was scoffing at the ridiculousness of several plot points. I had to agree with him intellectually, yet I admitted that the 15-year-old girl inside of me was absolutely swooning at the over-the-top romance. The film does a good job at portraying their young love. Robert Pattinson as Edward is appropriately intense and gorgeous. Though many have criticized Kristen Stewart's performance as Bella, I thought she was well-cast. Beautiful, awkward, and intense, she stands out as quite different from the stereotypical teens who surround her at Forks High. One can see why Edward is so attracted to her. The film's best scenes are the ones between Bella and Edward, as they navigate the waters of their changing relationship. I also enjoyed the scenes between Bella and Jacob (the excellently cast Taylor Lautner).
The film adapation, however, does highlight the weakest portions of Meyer's book. The dramatic confrontation between the Cullens and another vampire clan, taking place over a rousing game of vampire baseball, is even more ridiculous in the film than it was on the page. The final climax, where one vampire kidnaps Bella in order to get Edward to chase him, feels way too rushed. The emotions in the movie's final scenes are told through dialogue rather than shown through acting and editing.
The movie is gorgeous; Forks is lush and green, and the famous scene where Bella and Edward lie down together in a meadow is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The final scene, where Edward escorts Bella to her prom, is also quite lovely, as Bella and Edward dance in a gazebo covered in fairy lights. The movie's soundtrack is quite effective at using pop music to help convey a sense of place and emotions throughout the film.
About the Director
Before Twilight, Catherine Hardwicke was probably best known for Thirteen, a controversial 2003 film about two 13-year-old girls who drink, take drugs, steal, and engage in self-mutilation. The co-writer and star of that film was cast as Rosalie Cullen in Twilight. Another of Hardwicke's major releases, Lords of Dogtown, deals with young adults. It tells the story of the California teens who invented skateboarding.
Curriculum Ties
This film is not well-suited for use in any curriculum, though it would certainly be a popular choice for a movie night for a school or library event.
Viewing Interest/Level
The movie would probably be of interest to junior high students and up. The movie is rated PG-13 for some scenes of violence and one scene of sensuality (though there is no nudity).
Challenge Issues
I don't think that this movie would be likely to be challenged. Adults tend to understand the MPAA rating system well, and the movie is appropriately rated PG-13. While sometimes supernatural films or books are challenged by people who find them offensive to their religious beliefs, Twilight was written by a Mormon writer and is praised by many for its themes of abstinence.
Selection Criteria
The movie is an absolute phenomenon among young adults! A recent Twilight-themed party was the most successful young adult programming event my branch library had had in recent years.
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
ASIN B001P5HRMI
Running time: 122 minutes
Summit Entertainment, 2008
Rated PG-13
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Genre: Supernatural; Romance
Viewers Annotation
When a teen girl moves to a small town in Washington to live with her father, she becomes intrigued by a beautiful, mysterious boy whose family holds a dark secret.
Plot Summary
Bella moves to small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father after her mother gets remarried. Though she used to spend part of her summer in Forks, she hasn't been back in many years. In such a small town, her arrival is big news, and both students and people around town are dying to talk to her. Bella, who is quiet, shy, and a little bit awkward, is unnerved by all the attention. Only one boy isn't all over her feet: Edward Cullen, the beautiful and mysterious boy whom all the girls have crushes on... but who has never dated a girl from school. Edward is supposed to be Bella's lab partner, but he spends the whole first lab holding his nose and acting as if he can't bear to be around Bella. Then he disappears from school for a week.
When he returns, he apologizes for his rudeness. Bella becomes friends with some of the kids from school, and also reconnects with Jacob Black, a Native American who is the son of her father's best friend. While visiting the reservation with some friends from school, Jacob tells her that the Cullens are not allowed on the Rez; an ancient legend says that his tribe is descended from werewolves and that the Cullens are evil creatures they are sworn to defeat. Bella does not dismiss this as mere legend, and using other observations she's made, figures out that Edward and the rest of his family are vampires. She's already fallen in love with him, and he with her, so rather than run away upon learning the news, she and he grow even closer. But there are a series of mysterious deaths getting nearer to Forks. Are vampires the cause of those attacks? And can Bella ever be safe while she's around Edward?
Critical Evaluation
Twilight, both the books and the film, seem to be equal targets of worship and ridicule. While watching this movie with my husband the other night, he was scoffing at the ridiculousness of several plot points. I had to agree with him intellectually, yet I admitted that the 15-year-old girl inside of me was absolutely swooning at the over-the-top romance. The film does a good job at portraying their young love. Robert Pattinson as Edward is appropriately intense and gorgeous. Though many have criticized Kristen Stewart's performance as Bella, I thought she was well-cast. Beautiful, awkward, and intense, she stands out as quite different from the stereotypical teens who surround her at Forks High. One can see why Edward is so attracted to her. The film's best scenes are the ones between Bella and Edward, as they navigate the waters of their changing relationship. I also enjoyed the scenes between Bella and Jacob (the excellently cast Taylor Lautner).
The film adapation, however, does highlight the weakest portions of Meyer's book. The dramatic confrontation between the Cullens and another vampire clan, taking place over a rousing game of vampire baseball, is even more ridiculous in the film than it was on the page. The final climax, where one vampire kidnaps Bella in order to get Edward to chase him, feels way too rushed. The emotions in the movie's final scenes are told through dialogue rather than shown through acting and editing.
The movie is gorgeous; Forks is lush and green, and the famous scene where Bella and Edward lie down together in a meadow is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The final scene, where Edward escorts Bella to her prom, is also quite lovely, as Bella and Edward dance in a gazebo covered in fairy lights. The movie's soundtrack is quite effective at using pop music to help convey a sense of place and emotions throughout the film.
About the Director
Before Twilight, Catherine Hardwicke was probably best known for Thirteen, a controversial 2003 film about two 13-year-old girls who drink, take drugs, steal, and engage in self-mutilation. The co-writer and star of that film was cast as Rosalie Cullen in Twilight. Another of Hardwicke's major releases, Lords of Dogtown, deals with young adults. It tells the story of the California teens who invented skateboarding.
Curriculum Ties
This film is not well-suited for use in any curriculum, though it would certainly be a popular choice for a movie night for a school or library event.
Viewing Interest/Level
The movie would probably be of interest to junior high students and up. The movie is rated PG-13 for some scenes of violence and one scene of sensuality (though there is no nudity).
Challenge Issues
I don't think that this movie would be likely to be challenged. Adults tend to understand the MPAA rating system well, and the movie is appropriately rated PG-13. While sometimes supernatural films or books are challenged by people who find them offensive to their religious beliefs, Twilight was written by a Mormon writer and is praised by many for its themes of abstinence.
Selection Criteria
The movie is an absolute phenomenon among young adults! A recent Twilight-themed party was the most successful young adult programming event my branch library had had in recent years.
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