3 Twilights

SPOILER WARNING!

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

Yeah, well, I've already seen Twilight three times and it's not enough. Not in the sense that the plot is complicated or disjointed, no; or that there are too many cinematic things to watch out for like camera angles, lightings, etc. This is more of a feel-like film; it creates atmosphere and that's why I'd see it again. Its soundtrack and panoramic shots are very expressive, though the script is pretty good as well (with the odd exception I mentioned in a previous viewing).

I've listened to Bella's Lullaby from the soundtrack and it's ... it's not typical. (I think, am not so sure, but somewhere in the book it was said that Edward composed it for Bella and that it sounded somehow familiar to her even the first time she heard it). It sets out like it's for the opening scene of some epic film, but then it changes course. It's not sweet or tender, it sounds encompassing, expansive, it gives a sense of freedom. And Bella frees Edward in many ways: from loneliness and especially from his fear of eternal damnation. (Basically, he thinks, at least initially, that he is a monster and will burn in hell for that).

P.S. The Cullens are great; hence their picture goes into this post:)))

Twilight the Second

SPOILER WARNING!

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

It's been a while since I saw Twilight again, but it's been pretty busy so I didn't get a chance to visit my blog until today.

Eerie. That's the prevailing feel of that film. Lots of factors contribute to it. The romance of the story, the vampire link, the cloudy, deep-green of the scenery, the mysticism of the Quilettes ...

I think Rosalie could have been prettier, but apart from her and Charlie, I'm quite happy with the cast. The chemistry between Bella and Edward is superb, the director and the actors can take full credit for it. I think this is the most important aspect of the film and they simply nailed it. I hope it won't be lost in future films of the series with the change of directors, etc.

I think we could have seen a bit more of Jasper; he hardly talks and there is no mention or example of his powers ... I hope he's not downplayed in the future.

On the whole, it seems that the filmmakers show some respect for the Twihards, the film being as true to the book as it is.

That's all, folks:)))
For this viewing, at least

Twilight - 1st Viewing

SPOILER WARNING!

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

I've decided to push the thought of the Twilight movie to the very back of my mind - I expected a looong wait. And yet, towards the end of the abnormally long 1st post New Year workweek, I got it!

It's as good as I expected; judging from the trailers and clips I've seen before. And I agree with most of the reviewers -- Kristen and Robert did a great job, especially Kristen. She got both the ordinariness and the depth of Bella. As for Robert, I'd say that he was more reserved than he should have been; I'm afraid that most of the time the nonTwilight fans of the audience wouldn't get him. I guess that it is for that part of the viewers that we have that scene in the forest (it's in one of the trailers, too) when Bella says that she knows what he is. That looked a bit cheap to me.

Apart from that, I think the movie is very true to the book; all that should be in the movie is there. The casing is great, all vampires (nomads included) look like the classic Hollywood stars (as they should). I would have liked to see a bit more of them, it wouldn't have taken so much time. I'm a bit unhappy with Charlie: I don't know if it's the casting or the script, but he came across as too sad and unemotional. OK, Charlie is like that, but not to that extent.

Cinematography is fabulous. Loved the scenic shots. The way that they filmed the vampires walking was great as well. Maybe the battle scene in the end, in the ballet studio, left something to be desired in the realistic corner, but that's not the most important thing. It's a book about two people finding each other and trying to deal with the consequences. The movie is about the same.

And I'd see it again. And again.

The Twilight Movie

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/ says the Twilight movie will hit us as late as February next year!
My, they're taking their time. I don't see what's the good in missing out on the Christmas season ...

Film Frenzy

Winter is a good season for movies.

I've been to the cinema twice for a week -- Body of Lies is finally here and I've seen one film (well, better than none) from the film fest, This is England.

And ... Twilight the movie was released on 21 November ... in the US (Hurray! nevertheless).

So I'm waiting ... and chewing over Body of Lies in the meantime:)

Enter Bella Swan

http://twilightsource.com/tsgallery/?level=album&id=5

SPOILER WARNING!

The more I think about Bella, the more I find that there is more to her than meets the eye.

Starting with her looks: she sees herself as rather plain and 'klutzy', but as Edward says, she doesn't see herself clearly. Even though I was spoilt by the pictures of Kristen Stewart (who plays her in the Twilight movie, http://www.twilightthemovie.com/), I didn't imagine her like that (and still don't). I think Kristen is prettier, though she captures the unusualness quite well. Anyway, what Stephanie Meyer says about Bella's appearance on her site draws my attention:

I have decided to tell you what she looks like to me. But I want to stress, Bella's looks are open to interpretation. ( http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_faq.html#bella)

Shall I take this to mean that it's the reader and not the author who interprets the text and that the author has almost no say in how their own creation is interpreted? I like that, but not to the extreme: every reader has his/her own view, but the author can always say what their intention was and how they pictured the character, the plot, etc.

Anyway, back to Bella. I side with Edward on the point that she's not as ordinary as she thinks. And she's been through a lot. She had to learn to take care of herself early on, because her parents got divorced and she had to look after herself and her carefree mother. And she didn't seem to complain, not even through her teenage years, when everyone complains a lot about everything. When she moved to her father, she again was quite capable of taking care of both.

What is quite striking is that she is not afraid of vampires. What's more, she wants to be one of them, even though she is told that it's extrememly painful, even though she sees that it's very difficult to get the better of the thirst for human blood, etc. And she seems extraordinally detached from humans: she is quite capable of forming relationships with vampires (and werewolves later on), but not people. Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies (or should I say immortal?) and yet she is friends with both. But that's not all. The fact that Edward's talent to read thoughts, Aro's talent to read minds, Jane's talent to torture do not work on her make me think that she is not ordinary at all and that she has some talent, which will surface when she becomes a vampire. I think she will, because it looks like Aro's guard will track her down eventually if she doesn't. (I'm getting to the end of New Moon).

In Twilight, she is ready to let James kill her to save her mother (and arguably Edward) and in New Moon she is ready to save Edward, even though there's a slim chance of success and a strong likelihood of being killed. Her sacrifice reminds me of Harry's in Deathly Hallows in a way. Only when they surrender to the thought that this is what they should do and that's the end of it, does the sacrifice really work. Harry saves the day, while Bella has to be saved by the Cullens. Still, she manages to escape from Alice and Jasper's watchful eyes and she really accpes the fact that James will kill her.

I didn't expect the Cullens to leave her. But I am still more amazed that she manages to get out of the severe depression she sinks after that. True, with a lot of help from Jacob, but it takes quite some strength of character and recklessness, as it turns out.

So, these are my first jumbled thoughts on Bella. I'm sure there will be more of them as I read on.

Coming Soon ...

I am not sure what I do with the time, but it's certainly gone before I know it these days.
Anyways, I've got lots of posts on Twilight on their way!
I thought of starting with some first thoughts on characters, which will be fleshed out as I read along.
So I want to start with Bella, Edward and then the rest of the Cullens.
On a separate note, I've got some really good sites I want to link; they are more Harry Potter-related, but not only.
It occurs to me that the lack of movie discussion is conspicuously missing from my (at least partially) movie-dedicated blog. I certainly haven't given them up for good, but there is a reason (not to my liking), which I'll dwell on later.
There. My blog post plan. Kind of.

Update: I don't know how I missed out on Jacob Black, but after New Moon, I'd say any discussion without him will fail poorly. I suspect his part in the series will get even more important.

On the Scent

http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Book-1-Stephenie-Meyer/dp/0316160172/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224446862&sr=1-1

Yeah, I know -- it's been too long. One of the reasons (the best one) is that I've been reading the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer (yes, the very same one that brought about this blog; for further details, see my first post).

Twilight spoiler warning: some book details may be revealed whenever I discuss the books or the movie, so beware:)

I still cannot quite get used to the idea that I find a vampire book so unputdownable, but, really, it's riveting. Part of it is the suspense of what happens next, no doubt. That's not all, though: I'm sure I'll be going back to these books more than once. There are many Whys here, but I'll deal with them in other posts.

It's been a while since I read an American novel and that has its own attractions -- it's in the usage; she uses expressions that I simply don't see in contemporary British writing. The author herself said that the book is quite visual and having finished Twilight, I see what she means: it's her description technique -- it's really easy for my imagination to picture a scene or whatever it is she is describing.

I'm now racing through New Moon and must admit that the Volterra adventure was a bit too much for my no-fan-of-vampire-books self, but I guess I'll recover; I still got hundreds of pages to the end of Breaking Dawn (the last book).

I decided not too get too much into the Twilight fandom stuff until I finish the series so I don't get spoiled, but my curiosity may get the better of me: I'm already leafing through the end of New Moon ...

And on that note, I put a stop now (I don't need to yawn all day tomorrow).