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In a weird marketing move by Summit Entertainment regarding their beloved Twilight franchise, the latest trailer for The Twilight Saga:Eclipse has debuted today by way of: the media behemoth known as Oprah. Huh?! I know you’re asking yourself the same question I did when I heard this news, “What does Oprah have to do with Twilight?” And the answer is: both of them attract and are loved by TONS of adoring women!
I don’t know if I need to preface my review with a disclaimer that says “I have never read the books” in order to substantiate my review, but in the end, I know my review will be cast aside because I just “don’t get the whole story without reading the books.” And I am ok with that.
With movies like Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Twilight, I want to leave the theater inspired to go and read more about it. I want the movie to strive to want to make a fan out of me. I want to be so curious as to the motivations of characters, why certain things happen, the little details that make the characters whole that are left out, that I run out and buy all of the books. And for me, New Moon hasn’t done that for me. I am no more a fan than I was when I left Twilight…though, I am at least more interested in the franchise to come.
If I could have been taking notes during the film, I know the one word that would have littered the pages: pouty. Everyone in this movie pouted. Edward was pouting, Bella was pouting, Charlie was pouting, and at times, even Jacob was pouting. Why was everyone pouting? It just seemed that, at least in the first and the last act, everyone was depressed and in angst…but I wasn’t fully convinced of why. I thought that the first film at least made me believe the chemistry and the connection between Edward and Bella, but in this film, the reasoning wasn’t clear. I felt that they were just reacting to each other and not really connecting. Whereas Twilight established a deep bond between them, New Moon tried to build on it, but instead it felt shallow. Jacob to me was the only real character with substance to him. If I was giving away an award for the Most Improved Character/Actor I would give it to Taylor/Jacob.
I am wondering if the emergence and popularity of Twitter may have seeped its way onto the script of New Moon. I felt like Edward and Bella’s dialogue together was like an IM conversation. They were very quick short cheesy phrases that all said the same thing: I can’t live without you. I don’t know if it was the editing or how it actually played out on screen, but everything was so rushed with them. They were just robots reading lines to each other, and in fact, the only really “human” we see out of them is when Edward “breaks up with her” and leaves her. We at least saw their hearts and their vulnerability without the love poetry.
I love poetry and I love a good romantic film. I really like to see people engage in each other and really experience the intensity of love and the sacrifice and the work is requires of you. It’s hard for me to take any of the relationships in this film seriously. I thought the relationship between Edward and Bella felt fake and awkward and scripted, whereas I thought her relationship with Jacob was way more realistic. There was never enough time or enough material on screen to build on what was established in the first film. Edward and Bella felt like an old couple who had been together forever who had lost things to talk about, except for of course death and vampires and aging. Even the “wolf pack” was a laughable addition to the film and didn’t help the relational handicap New Moon has. In fact, if you didn’t know any better, watching Jacob and the “wolf pack” felt like watching a parody of the Twilight franchise.
And to me, that’s where this film and the rest of the films will and have failed: there is so much going on that we don’t know about because they are in the book. Inner-monologues, deep convictions, heartfelt thoughts, secret dreams, all of the greatness that makes for a good read that is totally left out of the movie…because it has to be. This franchise, this story, is built on the intense and world-defying relationship between Bella and Edward and how a teenage girl can fall in love with and ultimately die for a vampire. For that to be even considered a good read or a great story, there has to be a ton of build up and depth into the hearts of the characters. For us as the “audience” we have to fall in love with the characters to be able to reconcile the fantastical story. In literature, you have the time and the breadth of material to do that, in a 120 minute film adapted from that literature, you don’t. Now, I know there have been a lot of really successful and relatively great book-to-movie adaptations, but right now, Twilight will not be one of them.
What we are left with is an underwhelming film franchise that doesn’t come close to connecting us “non-fans” with the story and ultimately making us care about them, and a film that the “fans” will forever shun because “they didn’t come close to matching the books.”
My wife tells me that the books get better and more intense so here’s hoping that the next installment might make me believe.
Content Warning: Rated PG-13 for some violence and action. The Volturi vampires are intense and probably one of the few bright spots in the film and the scenes involving them are a little violent. If you don’t like monsters, then this isn’t for you.
So much for consistency! In another wild and predictable move (predictable in my opinion), it looks like another Twilight cast member has been replaced…and it’s definitely created more drama than the movie themselves.
It was reported yesterday that Rachelle Lefevre, who plays the evil vampire Victoria in all of the films, had been replaced by the great Bryce Dallas Howard for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which is the 3rd book in the series. According to the reports, “scheduling conflicts” was the reasoning behind the sudden change, but as of today, new information that has come out has caused an uproar.
Below is a statement by Rachelle Lefevre herself claiming that she never knew about being “let go” from the Twilight films in favor of Bryce Dallas Howard: (as told to EW)
I was stunned by Summit’s decision to recast the role of Victoria for Eclipse. I was fully committed to the Twilight saga, and to the portrayal of Victoria. I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules. My commitment to Barney’s Version is only ten days. Summit picked up my option for Eclipse. Although the production schedule for Eclipse is over three months long, Summit said they had a conflict during those ten days and would not accommodate me.
And Summit Entertainment, feeling backed into a corner and publicly humiliated, released their own very political sounding statement:
We at Summit Entertainment are disappointed by Rachelle Lefevre’s recent comments which attempt to make her career choices the fault of the Studio. Her decision to discuss her version of the scheduling challenges publicly has forced the Studio to set the record straight and correct the facts.– Ms. Lefevre’s representatives were advised as early as April that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE was expected to start shooting in early August.
- If Ms. Lefevre was, as she describes “passionate,” about being part of THE TWILIGHT SAGA, we feel that she and her representatives would have included us in her decision to work on another film that would conflict with the shooting schedule of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.
- It was not until July 20th that Summit was first informed of Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to BARNEY’S VERSION, a commitment we have since been advised she accepted in early June. Summit had acted in good faith that she would be available to fulfill her obligations both in terms of rehearsals and shooting availability for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. We feel that her choice to withhold her scheduling conflict information from us can be viewed as a lack of cooperative spirit which affected the entire production.
– Furthermore Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least ten days of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE’s principal photography. This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast, and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production.
- Contrary to Ms. Lefevre’s statement, it is simply untrue that the Studio dismissed her over a ten day overlap. It is not about a ten day overlap, but instead about the fact that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story.
The fact remains that Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to the other project – which she chose to withhold from Summit until the last possible moment – makes her unfortunately unavailable to perform the role of Victoria in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.
This sounds a lot like what happened with Terrence Howard in Iron Man when he was replaced by Don Cheadle and claims, to this day, that it was a complete surprise to him and that he feels slighted by Warner Bros. I don’t know what’s true and I don’t think we’ll ever know as I’m sure Summit Entertainment will work hard to spin the story the way they want it to go, but I will say this: This is another sign of the failure of Twilight as a movie adaptation. (a big post explaining that is coming)
Why can’t Twilight keep its cast and crew? First the director leaves all of a sudden, then one of the most important and pivotal characters, Jacob, almost gets recast after the first movie, and now this….
Who do you believe? Do you think this will add to the demise of Twilight?
Following the MTV Movie Awards last week where Twilight took home almost every award available, Summit Entertainment debuted the first trailer The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Thanks to our friends over at FirstShowing, we have it for you now in all of its tweeny glory. I have to say that from what little I know about the second book, this trailer sparks a little more interest in me than what I would have thought. It’s nice to see Jacob actually look like a menacing and charming presence, a worthy adversary to Edward, instead of the pip-squeak kid we saw in Twilight.
What did you think of the trailer? Are you any more excited about this film than you were about the first?
Whoever came up with the idea of titling a series of movies “The Twilight Saga (NAME OF NEXT MOVIE IN SERIES)” obviously didn’t take into account how excruciatingly long it would be to spell out! Putting aside my movie title angst, Summit Entertainment have finally released details and an OFFICIAL poster for its next Twilight installment: The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Considering that everything we’ve seen thus far has been fan made, I am sure it’s nice for those rabid Twilight fans to see something of value come from the camp of Twilight. The poster doesn’t really add anything to what we have seen already, except that it’s nice to see the Jacob (Taylor Lautner) character actually look like a teenager for a change. The Jacob that was in the first Twilight looked more like a 12-year-old with a black wig. I read somewhere that the producers (I am not sure which one on which film) told him that he HAD to put on nearly 40 lbs. of muscle if he wanted to return as Bella’s OTHER love interest.
New Moon Footage News
If you like MTV and are planning on watching the over-hyped and “so last year” MTV Movie Awards on May 31st, then you will be in for treat. Not only will you get to see all of your favorite Hollywood actors, those that were probably not doing anything else that night and were paid handsomely by their respective agencies, and the prestigious “Best Kiss” award nominees, but you will get to see the FIRST EVER footage from New Moon. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner will present the FIRST EVER FOOTAGE from the New Moon film on the MTV Movie Awards. Is that enough to get you to watch the awards show?
What’s your opinion on the latest Twilight news? Are you interested in the Twilight world at all? Do you still watch MTV?
The big news from the weekend is confirmation that Dakota Fanning will be joining the cast of New Moon, the sequel to last year’s Twilight. Rumors of this casting move have been floating around since January as previously discussed here at TOC. This may be a legitimate casting move, but it also may just be an attempt to add some level of star power to the series that has definitely been underwhelming so far.
Also of note, it was announced last week that Fanning will and her New Moon co-star Kristen Stewart will be teaming up again next year for the rock band bio-pic Runaways.
I’m far from being a Twilight fan – in fact I know relatively nothing about it. So, Twilight fans unite and tell us what you think of this move. Is it true to the books or does it seem like another Hollywood publicity stunt? Is there hope for this franchise or was Twilight too big of a disappointment? Why is every other book in the young adult section at Barnes and Noble a Vampire romance??
[Source: SlashFilm]
The history of the Twilight saga on film isn’t shaping up to be a smooth road, with the underwhelming success of the first film, the loss of a director and subsequent hire of a new one within a few weeks, the constant casting rumors of concrete and important characters being let go, but this latest news might actually work out in its favor.
Slashfilm is reporting that they heard from E! Online that 14-year old actress Dakota Fanning has been straight up offered the role of Jane in the upcoming and very rushed sequel New Moon. A close source to the story explains that Fanning didn’t audition for the role, they just offered her the part and now they are negotiating back and forth.
In case you are not familiar with the Twilight world (as I am not and had to ask my wife about her) and the character of Jane in the next film, she is a member of the Volturi, an Italian group of vampires who maintain vampire order and ensure that humans don’t find out about vampires’ existence. In New Moon, Edward flees to see the Volturi following a grave misunderstanding about the state of Bella’s well-being, and asks them to end his life…
According to E! Online:
“In the casting notice we got our hands on earlier this month, Jane is described as a petite blonde with a ‘Botticelli angel-like face…[and] crimson irises.’ While fellow Volturi guards Demetri & Felix ‘are three times the size of her, they are terrified of her,’ the casting notice reads.”
I know not all of you are into the world nor know enough or care enough about it to chime in, but from a movie standpoint, I see the constant casting changes and director changes as a possibly negative. There’s something to be said for continuity and consistency throughout a series, especially one as famed as the Twilight series. The Harry Potter films have sort of proven that keeping consistent directors/writers links to immediate and assured success, but one could make the case of the quality of the Potter films declining after the first 2. (well, I know I would and could since I do feel that way) But, putting aside the generic movie standpoint and after reading that description of Jane, do you think Dakota can do it?
[Source:Slashfilm]
Movie News (12/16/2008): Fans of Twilight don’t have to wait any longer to find out who will helm the next sequel in the “Twilight” series, after the surprise firing of Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, it has been announced that Chris Weitz will take over and direct New Moon.
To that I say, remember a little romantic film called The Notebook? Yeah, that was directed by Nick Cassavetes, a man. In any case, I don’t think it’s a good sign for the future of the Twilight saga that they have one movie made and have already had two directors.
There’s been so much movie news that’s come out over the weekend that I needed an entire post devoted to it so you could stay informed.
Adventures in Babysitting Sequel
-Miley Cyrus is set to play the lead role in the project, entitled “Further Adventures in Babysitting,” and the good news is that the project is seen more as a sequel than a remake. I really thought the original 80′s movie was great for its time, and am glad to see that they aren’t trying to remake it, which was the original idea.
Will Smith’s Upcoming Sequels
-Smith confirmed to Collider about the I Am Legend prequel saying “We have a fantastic prequel idea…we’re still trying to work through a couple of bumps in the story. It’s essentially the fall of the last city – the last stand of Manhattan. The movie would be…within the body of the movie D.C. and then Manhattan would fall as the last city.”
-He also confirmed to JoBlo that the Hancock sequel is definitely happening but didn’t speak on any details or dates as of yet.
Aliens 5 Rumor
-Sigourney Weaver talked with MTV and revealed that Aliens 5 with the original director and creator Ridley Scott isn’t out of the question. In speaking about a possible story, she said, “We’d have to go back to the drawing board on the alien. Ridley said that right away when we first talked about a fifth film. What we’re interested in is taking the character of Ripley and seeing what other science fiction story we can tell about someone who has lived several lives.”
Spielberg Updates
-With the passing of Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg’s long-time producing partner Kathleen Kennedy says that she thinks his death was a sign not to mess with the Jurassic Park story anymore. So, there will be no Jurassic Park 4.
-Spielberg’s Lincoln will begin shooting in the spring and Liam Neeson is still attached to play the lead.
Twilight Director Off Sequel
-Even with the surprisingly strong box office numbers of Twilight it wasn’t enough to keep director Catherine Hardwicke attached to the next sequel New Moon. Summit Entertainment is calling it a move of timing – they are aggressively wanting to get the next movie out by late 2009/early 2010 – and that doesn’t work with Hardwicke’s style of directing and how much prep time she needs to deliver her vision. This is huge news for the Twilight world and I am looking forward to seeing who they get to replace her.
Fourth Bourne Story Details
-Thanks to Universal’s recent first look deal for late author Robert Ludlum’s oeuvre, the next Bourne movie may be going back to the books for its storyline. Producer Frank Marshall said, “We now have access to all the Ludlum story ideas. We’re going to make the fourth movie from them…” According to Marshall it will be the non-Bourne thriller “The Parsifal Mosiac” that will likely serve as the main thrust of a fourth film’s story.
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