*Spoilers – and I mean spoilers – ahead*. I talked about pretty much the entire movie. Read at your own risk.
Synopsis
*SPOILERS ALERT*
The film is about a high school kid – Adam Petrazelli – who dreams of going to culinary school after graduation and becoming a chef of his own restaurant. He’s a pretty talented cook also. Yet he has an illness.
Adam was diagnosed with schizophrenia after an episode at school that put his friend in danger. This led to him being bullied and eventually transferring school middle of Senior Year.
He was accepted to Catholic school on the condition that he continues with his treatments, maintains good grades and doesn’t pose a threat to the student body. In exchange, the school kept silent about his condition.
Adam eventually adapted to his school and met a lovely smart girl – Maya Arnez – who tutored him to get his grades up. Eventually they fell for each other but without Maya knowing the real deal with Adam.
Adam was getting better from his medications, however, it had side effects. He was losing his ability to cook due to muscle spasms and loss of taste. This made him skip his medications causing his hallucinations to return. Eventually, he had an episode at school causing the school to suspend – and eventually – expel him.
There’s a new controversial documentary in Netflix – Seaspiracy. I am familiar with our planet’s dwindling resources thanks to human’s own faults but it was a one-sided familiarity with only land’s woes. I was at a lost at sea.
Watching Seaspiracy opened my eyes to new knowledge such as bycatch, trawl fishing and wild fish farming.
Bycatch happens when untargeted species such as turtles, dolphins, sharks and whales are caught up in fishing nets and then discarded back to the sea – often dead. This is largely due to trawl fishing which is simply putting down a big net to the ocean that it can swallow even a whole cathedral. The net is dragged for many miles across the ocean floor gulping up everything in its path and leaving a flattened ocean. You can imagine the marine habitat destroyed – corals washed out – and the number of fishes big and small engulfed.
Fish farming may have been a solution – where instead of catching wild fish, they are harvested instead. But these farmed fish are fed wild fish feed (hence the need to catch more wild fish) and live in very bad farm conditions leading to lice infestations and many other fish problems.
The film went even further to tackle the problems of forced labor in Thailand and the conspiracy of sustainable labels where enforcers and reviewers can be bribed at sea – or shot dead.
Commercial fishing was a multi-billion dollar industry and it’s so interconnected – no one can stop it.
I was appalled at how destructive commercial fishing is and how some cultures are blatantly ignoring the real ecological impacts of their ignorant traditions.
After watching the film, I resonated strongly with the filmmakers conclusion – stop eating fish.
But as I slept it over and had more time to think it through – would this conclusion be the solution?
Before, the only comic superheroes I was a fan of were the X-Men. I watched the cartoon series, read some of the comics and was ecstatic when the movie franchise came out. After a series of failed super hero movie franchises which I won’t mention anymore, the genre has once again boomed with Marvel’s success with their Marvel Cinematic Universe. A success that the DC Cinematic Universe hopes to follow.
But the two are different as what the Batman vs Superman movie would show you.
After becoming a fan of the DC Universe through watching the current series of Gotham, The Flash and Arrow, I know that I would expect a serious and dark movie. After all, Man of Steel was bordering on boring and the Batman series of the recent past were all dark.
So the lack of humor was not a surprise for me. Critics said it made the movie boring and some writers I read said they were able to sleep at the first part of the show. They criticized the film for having an action-packed sequence only towards the end.
The movie was also criticized for not having overarching story lines and for the character expositions to be really poor. I overheard someone say she was disappointed because Wonder Woman appeared out of thin air without her usual transformations (I guess she was accustomed to the old depictions of Wonder Woman).
I also read a criticism that said the movie should be called something else because the title was a misnomer. It wasn’t Batman vs Superman. It was Batman and Superman vs Doomsday. Another critic said the mere mention of Batman’s mother’s name as being the catalyst to stop the fight and have the two superheroes acting as BFFs was absurd.
For me, it’s all these criticisms that are absurd!
I guess for someone not familiar with the DC Universe and expecting long explanations of why things are happening then they would really be disappointed. The movie forces you to think outside the screen, read between the sequences and understand why something is happening.
I perfectly understood why the African crisis had to happen. For me, that didn’t need any additional exposition. It was the catalyst for why the opinion of Superman was divided. It helped in the framework of the movie that here was a guy with super powers wanting to do good but his superpowers actually cause harm as he does good. Where can you see someone destroying buildings as he tries to destroy the enemy? Superman isn’t really that super. He’s just a really strong alien who needs Batman’s tactics in order to be more effective.
I love the discourse about whether someone like Superman should be regulated and the debate within Superman if he is doing the right thing. It shows that the guy is human and despite his super powers is someone who didn’t ask to become a hero. He was simply inherently good and wants to do good inside but like most people, sometimes doing good without proper wisdom will mean causing harm to others.
I perfectly understood why Batman had to be obsessed with killing Superman. And why he acted the way he did. His sole goal is to save his city – keep it safe. He’s a vigilante so he doesn’t want to be perceived as a hero, only as someone the criminals are scared of. Obviously, someone with super powers who seems to do more harm than good in his quest to be a hero must be tamed (or even put out).
I love how Batman’s ingenuity and resourcefulness was shown despite him fighting a super human – someone he clearly cannot battle defeat – not without his schemes. I applauded inside as Batman’s careful planning – his traps and what-nots – lured Superman and led him to have the upper hand. I can hear Oliver’s (Green Arrow) words about a fight being all about control and understanding your surroundings.
I know why the movie was titled Batman vs Superman – because that was what the movie was really about. It was about the world – and those who claim to protect it – understanding what a super human can do. Batman was the epitome of the world who wants to control what it cannot understand. When the legal way become impossible, then the vigilante brand of justice had to be exacted.
I love how Wonder Woman appeared, how her powers were shown in the battle and how it left me hanging and excited for when those powers – and her character – will be explained in due time. There is a reason why her movie will be an origin one unlike those of The Flash and Cyborg which will begin in the present day. As someone who watched the old Wonder Woman movie, seeing her powers in action during the battle made me ohh and ahh as I remember in my mind what each of those can do.
Every time Lex Luthor appeared, I wanted to cringe and punch him in the face. I didn’t like the guy and his insane antics not to mention his schemes. A friend hated him for being whiny. I don’t recall the Lex Luthor of the old Superman movies (just that he was a much older guy) so I don’t know how he should have been portrayed. But if the goal was to create an irritating villain, Jesse Eisenberg definitely delivered.
I am not so sure I can agree to see a Flash that is not Grant Gustin but I’ve come to accept that the Ezra Miller version of the Flash will be a different portrayal from the Flash in the TV Series. Whether I will like him as the Flash is yet to be seen.
Down to the last scene – which I won’t spoil – I was watching at the edge of my seat, excited for something to happen be it in the current movie or in the next one.
Despite having read countless reviews and to an effect spoiling the movie for myself, I still went in to watch it in the big screen and felt every peso I spent worth it. The thrill was real – in fact more real than what I feel watching Marvel’s movies. My heart beat raced in more than one occasion and my mind shot fireworks as I understand each sequence more and more.
It was an amazing movie and I’m proud to say I loved it. It’s one of the best movie I’ve watched in the big screen and I am excited for the next installment which will be Suicide Squad showing in August 2016. I just hope they don’t try to push Suicide Squad to be more like a Marvel movie (I’ve heard they were re-shooting to add more humor after the criticism of Batman vs Superman).
So if you haven’t watched the movie yet, do yourself a favor and go see it in the big screen. Not from some pirated DVD (which sadly I saw was being sold as I crossed an overpass after watching the movie). It’s totally worth it to experience in the big screen.
Go there devoid of expectations despite having read so many reviews like this one. Then form a verdict for yourself.
I don’t have much experience with indie films – or films in general – but I do know that Cinemalaya films are a must-watch for they expose issues in society rarely discussed and much less shown on film. And so, I made it a goal to watch a Cinemalaya film this year – finally after being cooped up in the province for so long where Cinemalaya is virtually inaccessible.
With so many great films to choose from, I didn’t know where to begin. A friend recommended #Y and it being about my generation, I opted to watch it. And so, at 9pm on a Thursday night, there I was, alone, in Greenbelt, watching #Y.
I didn’t really know what to expect from the film. The reviews were mostly vague. And nothing could have prepared me for the film’s effect. Seemingly shallow at the beginning, the more I dwell on it, the more it exposed issues inside of me – issues I have been too afraid to disclose; issues I have set aside and never really dealt with. It was not your usual indie film. It didn’t just expose issues in society – it exposes issues within yourself.
And so, after almost a week of having seen the film and after countless discussions with friends, officemates, myself and even the director – here is my take on the film and how it has purged me of my own personal demons.
SUICIDE
The overall apparent theme of the movie was suicide. The trailer unapologetically led people to believe it was a film simply revolving on sex, drugs and alcohol and never really gave a hint that it was primarily about suicide. Hence it was a shock when the film opened with the main character – Miles (Elmo Magalona) – lying on the pavement, in his own pool of blood.
And from there, it was a flashback to how it all began.
The suicide theme was softened by Miles’ comedic monologue. I found it funny when, even while lying in the pavement, apparently dead, the audience can still hear his thoughts – about how dying by jumping off a building, despite being really fast, was in fact, very painful.
No one really knew why Miles would commit suicide. In fact, his family and friends all pretty much had good opinions about him. They saw him as having everything he could wish for and living a pretty much good life. No one knew why he would do it. But I do.
And that I have expounded here.
SEX
Sex was another overriding theme in the movie. It tackled how sex is the norm in today’s generation and how the days of Maria Clara and sex-after-marriage are seemingly down the drain. My mom would have a fit when she reads my exposition on sex – and my vast knowledge of it but such is the reality of things.
The main overriding theme of #Y was suicide. When I asked the director why he made a film about suicide – and if that is really the norm in my generation – he straightforwardly answered YES. Studying in the U-Belt area, he claimed that it was a normal occurrence for a student to simply jump off the building. In fact, the number of students who commit suicide are never really reported for most of these kids belong to well-known families who would rather keep everything private.
Come to think of it, suicide is a tough thing to deal with. From the person attempting to commit it to the people left behind after the act. So many questions. So few answers.
It appears that despite the socially connected world we live in, we still suffer from isolation.
After such a long time, I watched a movie in the big screen again. Not that I am no movie buff, I just don’t seem to find any necessity watching films in the big screen when I can easily download them. Then again, Bourne Legacy was a different story because it was shot in Manila. I was excited how they will depict the city in the film. Not being a fan of the previous Bourne movies, I was at a lost when the film started. I literally don’t know what was happening. But I hang on, waiting for the Manila scenes to take place.
The two main casts – Rachel Weisz and Jeremy Renner in the streets of Manila.
Almost 2/3 of the film was already done, and still no Manila. I was beginning to get bored especially when Rachel Weisz started talking scientific jargon. As a biologist, I’m suppose to understand some of the terms – I do – but then it was too technical even for me to appreciate. I tuned out of that conversation. But I was aghast at how Manila was inserted in the story line. The virus was manufactured here? I didn’t know what to make out of the logic presented. But since I tuned out of the entire conversation, I really didn’t know the logic behind Manila being the virus producer.
And so the characters went to Manila. Yey! At first, I was impressed with the nighttime aerial shots. It was as if the film was in Bangkok or some other high-end Asian City (but then I recalled some Hollywood films did used Manila as a stand-in for those locations). I was also almost at the edge of my seat when close-up shots of Manila were presented. From the taxi ride from the airport to the scenes in the factory and the rented room, it all screamed Manila to me. During the chase scene, I felt that it was a Tagalog movie I was watching, with all the Tagalog dialogue I heard. It was in fact unnerving to hear the occasional English conversations of the main characters.The Manila geography was a bit off for me – I mean who in the Philippines would seriously believe Manila was laid out like that? But then again, for the many foreign viewers, or even those who don’t know Manila all too well, they will most probably excuse the geographical liberties.
Just when the scenes were getting good, the film had to end abruptly. Just when I thought that finally, they have come to the Philippines and we can see some real action, it ended. The hyper chase scene that dominated 1/3 of the film was all there is to it. Nothing more. I was literally left hanging. I can’t believe the credits were rising; I can’t believe the lights turned on. I can’t believe the film was over. I kept expecting something else to happen.
To me, it felt like a very bad, forced ending that would communicate – again badly – that there was a sequel to look forward to. I felt that the entire film was something that they made just so they can make another Bourne installment and make money out of it. In fact, I think they tried to work up all the hype over nothing! Of course, I was happy Manila was featured in the film, although mostly it was the slums they showed and nothing too flattering to the Philippines except the last shots in El Nido, Palawan. Then again, who would really recognize that the end shots were in El Nido? Will anyone ever think those were actually in the Philippines after what they saw in Manila? I certainly hope so.
But overall, story being considered, I did not really like the film. I was in there to watch out for the scenes shot in Manila and that was exactly what I got. Nothing more. No enigmatic story to pique my brain. No intelligent conversation to make me rave about the film. I got what I went there for and that was it.
Did it meet my expectations? My expectations for great shots in Manila, yes. I knew they were not aiming to shot the glorious tourists spots but they did justice to the city. My expectations for a great film with great story telling and dialogue and characters, no. Basically, it was all hodgepodge to me.
Since the film obviously has another sequel – the way they just cut it out in the middle blatantly speaks so – if it is no longer shot in the Philippines, then I would definitely not watch it in the big screen; MAYBE (and not even sure about it) just download it. Because of my disappointment, it was no surprise that I came out of the theater without really catching on the title of the film – even to the point that I posted a status update saying: bitin ang Bourne Identity.
This is why I hate watching movies in the big screen. Sometimes, you can never be too sure of your money’s worth.
This post was supposed to be made when I watched the film during its release last Sunday, but I never got around to it. But thanks to the date function here, I can alter the published date. Hehe.
I made a blog review about the New Moon movie but I had to take it down for some hours because I seriously doubted whether it was well written or not. I guess I have been influenced by all the other reviews that I’ve read. But after much thought and consideration, I decided to put it back up again. Heck. This is my blog after all and it is the only freedom space I have. Why then should I be limited or prohibited in expressing what I want to express? Also, it took me such a long time assembling the blog article!
Then again, the real reason is because I have had mixed feelings about New Moon. The book – I can only say one thing about it – was horrible. I hate the long moping scenes of Bella. Come to think of it, there were nicer points in the book like how Jacob’s character was developed and how the wolves came in but all that stuck me in New Moon was the stupid break up and the long moping months. Those agonizing narration. When I think of the action in the book, I associate it with Eclipse.
But the movie was something else entirely. First, I really think that only those who read the book could really appreciate the movie. I agree with a review that New Moon was made for Twilight fans and not the regular movie goer. It was made with the fans in mind – an effort to bring to life how someone imagined the book to be. As such, there were no explanations or attempts to develop characters that much – they were merely depicted for who they are. Take for example Harry Clearwater. He was just there in the movie – no explanations necessary. Yet fans would know what he represents and who he really is. Get my drift?
Volture (From L-R: Aro, Cauis and Alec)
I was actually excited to meet the new characters – the wolf pack and the Volturi. That was the main reason why I trudged to the cinema on premiere night despite heavy rains. I was a bit disappointed though that they didn’t get much airtime as I hoped. I barely had a glimpse of Heidi and Alec’s power wasn’t even demonstrated.
Wolf Pack (From L-R: Paul, Sam, Jared and Embry)
When the movie started, I must admit I was criticizing it blatantly. My sister must have hated how I constantly whispered my criticisms in her ear. I found Kristen’s facial expression while running through the square unpretty and I think Rob was pushing his acting too much. Back in Twilight, I loved their moments together but in New Moon, I find it sickening. I was also forever critical of Kristen’s acting.
But then I loved Jacob in New Moon. I liked his new look and how his character came alive. I liked the smooth flow of Taylor’s portrayal. The supporting casts like Charlie, Jessica and Mike were also great. Alice was fantastic.
When I think back on the film, I liked how they portrayed the agonizing months after the silly break up. It was done with such taste and art that produced the exact opposite effect created by the book. In the movie, the agonizing months were one of my fave scenes.
I read somewhere that the wolf transformation was not well-developed. That it was too rapid as if there was just magic – poof! He’s a wolf. But I disagree. Based on how I imagined it from the book, the transformation is really fast and quick. Instantaneous. They even worry that they don’t have time to save their clothes because it gets ripped apart. So for me, the CGI for the wolves were satisfactory.
Considering Edward’s transformation from Twilight to New Moon, I think his pathetic acting could be justified. I mean, Edward was really pathetic in Twilight. But I hope he does better in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn because in those two books, Edward was wonderful. Yet I wished Rob could have worked out for New Moon. Not to the same extent like that of Taylor but close. His body, I’m afraid, is hideous when he bared it out in the movie. It was not what I imagined Edward’s body to be.
I also wished they could improve the looks of the Volturi. Bella constantly describes the vampires as beautiful, even if they do have red eyes. Of the vampires in the movie, only Alice and Victoria are beautiful. The rest are not. I hope Eclipse and Breaking Dawn would see some improvement especially with how Jane is portrayed. Or her eyes that is.
The turning point in the movie for me, that is, where I remembered why I loved the Twilight saga so much, was when Jacob told Bella of his feelings after they watched a movie. Before that part, I was seriously doubting how I ever liked Twilight. But it was during Jacob’s confession that I remembered the wonderful parts of the entire saga. There was a rush of memories for me that were too much for words to contain. And so, despite my criticisms of the movie and the book, I remain, a Twilight fan.
After one year, I have ventured again to the big screen and watched my first ever premiere. I am not a big fan of the movie theatre, preferring DVDs over big screen movies anytime, but there was just something in me that compelled myself to go to SM Cinema and watched the premiere of New Moon. So I hurried up finishing my articles for the day and rushed to the cinema to catch the last full show.
And this is my objective take on the movie – by objective, I hope to point out the good points as well as the bad.
When I watched Twilight, I got goosebumps when the Summit logo came up and the initial scenes started. I guess it was an after effect of my temporary fanaticism over the book. When the Summit logo, came up for New Moon, I was just really focusing on the effects and was already feeling kind of objective to the film. So unlike my Twilight experience. (Short background: the movie I last watched on the big screen was Twilight.)
The effect for the movie title was cool. They showed a full moon slowly phasing to become a new moon and eventually revealing the film’s title. I find the full moon rather symbolic. In the film, the werewolves were introduced. Although in the Twilight saga, the wolves transform at will or when provoked, in normal legend, werewolves transform when there is a full moon.
The movie opens with Bella’s dream. In it, you see her running towards something. Gosh. She looks so haggard and stressed out. I thought movies were supposed to make stars look pretty most of the time but it was the complete opposite. She looked stressed and unpretty. But I liked how they portrayed her dream.
For those who have no idea about the New Moon storyline, it simply tells of how Edward broke up with Bella because he realized the danger he is putting her into by exposing her to vampires without wanting to turn her into one. Bella then goes on to mope his absence, realizing that only by exposing herself to reckless situations is she able to see some vision of Edward. She then bonds with Jacob, who she sees as a bestfriend but who later on professes love for her. As it turns out, Jacob is one of the werewolves, commisioned to protect the Quilette land from vampires. Wolves and vampires are mortal enemies. When Bella jumps off the cliff, Edward thought she had died and decided to kill himself by provoking the Volturi, the sort of police of the vampire world. But Bella didn’t really die since Jacob saved her. Unfortunately, Alice can’t see Jacob in her visions so Edward believed the worst. Bella then set out to prevent Edward from getting killed by the Volturi. In the end, the Volturi mandated that either Bella should be killed or be turned into a vampire because she knows all their secrets. Of course Bella loved the decision but Edward and Jacob didn’t.
That is really a very short and candid way of putting the plot together. I apologize for all the details I left out but to me, New Moon is the most boring book in the entire saga. Chapters were devoted to Bella’s moping (the book is narrated by Bella) and it really made me want to stop reading it. But the New Moon director, Chris Weitz and the screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg did a good job of portraying those moping months without making the viewer gag.
Source: twilightcrazy.com
Other plus points of the movie were Taylor Lautner’s acting, not to mention, looks. He really came a long way from the Jacob I knew in Twilight. His short hair is also way sexier than his long one and it is evident he spent a lot of time working out to get his body in shape. His acting is also quite natural and you can really feel the depth of his emotion. I can feel Jacob’s anguish at forever being a bestfriend, never a lover, to the girl he loves. Then again, I still can’t help but feel that there is a missing component. Lautner’s portrayal of Jacob still seems to fall a bit short of the utterly funny Jacob I’ve known from the books. Then again, maybe I ought to reread the entire saga.
The rest of the wolves didn’t capture my attention as much as what the trailers promised. There were a lot of hype about who would play the wolves and how hot they would look. But so little air time was given to them that their characters really weren’t that developed in the film. I think only those who read the books would really recognize the wolves for who they are. But the CGI were really wonderful. It all felt natural – as if such large wolves really existed. The sound effects when the wolves entered were also superb. It did jolt those who were sleeping already. But I think somone mistook the wolves for bears. I heard a small child in the audience said that they were teddy bears. (what was she thinking?) Also, Tyson Houseman has a very, very, very short airtime. I look forward to more acting roles in Eclipse, not just for Tyson but for all of the wolves.
Moving on to the vampires. First the Volturi. Michael Sheen gave a convincing and superb portrayal of Aro but I had imagined him to look a bit older. Though I am inclined to agree with the director’s interpretation anytime. The other two – Cauis (Jamie Campbell Bower from Sweeney Todd fame) and Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl) did not have much speaking part and regretably just sat through their short screentime. Other Volturi members, especially Heidi (Noot Seear) had underdeveloped characters as well. I just hope that in Breaking Dawn they will be given more attention. Regretably, Eclipse has no mention of the Volturi that would merit airtime.
Victoria
The Cullens also changed to some extent. Peter Facinelli gave more credit to his role of Carlisle by looking more incredibly handsome, not to mention more human. I still think Rachelle Lefevre who plays Victoria would suit the role of Rosalie Hale played by Nikki Reed simply because she is more pretty. Though I have no complaints with her portrayal of Victoria, she was simply the perfect villain. She had no speaking lines yet her facial expression showed how dangerous she could get. You get chills whenever she appears close to her prey. Of course, I can say this because I have prior knowledge from the book but I think she really did a great job. Jasper, played by Jackson Rathbone, constantly looks as if he is constipated although he employs that look to signify that he is forever controlling himself from eating Bella (a misnomer if you read the books). Ashley Greene remains perfect as Alice and so does Kellan Lutz as Emmett. Though I think they could have chosen a better Esme played by Elizabeth Reaser. Again, just because I have imagined Esme to look more like a Morticia Adams of sort – homely yet elegant. Reaser, for me, is simply homely trying to be elegant.
disclaimer: this is not the scene in the movie
Now for the main vampire protagonist – Edward Cullen played by no other than Robert Pattinson. I must say I am gravely disappointed. Because he portrayed Edward in Twilight, and I loved his portrayal, my imagination of Edward is forever Rob Pattinson. But in New Moon, he looked ghastly most of the time. I even joked to my sister how his make-up seemed to have been done by a funeral make-up artist. There are scenes wherein he tries to look cute but achieves the opposite. Then I am gravely disappointed by his body. In the book, Bella described him as an Adonis (if my memory serves me right). She describes Edward as something like a statue. To me that means smooth skin and close to perfect features. How I wish Rob had work out some weights before baring his chest just like that. In the big screen, it was hard to look at. His was not a sculpted body as I had imagined. Lautner had a more sculpted body than he does. But I guess Edward changed a lot as a character from Twilight to New Moon. In Twilight, he was still the lovable, easy-going guy but in New Moon he was in constant turmoil because of Bella. I guess the “un-handsomely” portrayal of Rob was because of that. But I still cannot get over the body. Hmph.
Kristen Stewart as Bella was just, well, average. She is able to portray the Bella I have come to know in the book – pathetic, helpless, utterly stupid at times. Wow. What negative words. I just don’t like New Moon in general. But since Kristen was able to portray the Bella I know, then she gets a thumbs up. Ironic? But I always wonder why she seems to be stammering all the time. It seems that everytime she talks, she can’t say something straight except when angry. The rest of her lines are delivered as if she is always unsure. Even her facial expression. Well, that’s Bella for you.
I also cannot comprehend how everytime Bella and Edward has to kiss, they’re panting. I mean I have watched other kissing scenes, and Bella and Jacob also have near kissing scenes in the movie, but it is only when Edward and Bella kiss that they pant – as if they’re having sex or something. Well I guess that is the portrayal of that intense emotion that they cannot afford to give themselves to – lest Edward hurts Bella with his more than human strength.
The rest of the cast gave outstanding performances. Anna Kendrick was fantastic as Jessica – entirely capturing the Jessica portrayed in the book. Michael Welch was also superb as Mike Newton. He was marvelous all the way through. These two actors, even in Twilight, did a really good job of bringing their characters to life. Billy Burke also rose to the occasion as Charlie Swan. He gave more depth to the character of Charlie and now when I read about Charlie in the book, I will always picture him as it.
Overall, the movie is still a must watch. The soundtrack is still undoubtedly great even if it didn’t have the same impressive list of artists as before. Commendation must also be given to the screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg for how she was able to turn critical moments of the book to unforgettable screen moments like the time when Bella was passing the months after Edward broke up with her. To me that made New Moon worthwhile to watch. I was really curious how they will portray that part. It is integral to the story as annoying as it may be. Then again, the movie stuck to the book as much as it can and deviated only when strictly necessary. Also, it was wonderful to see that there could be so much action packed in the New Moon movie. I’ve never really considered it an action packed book when compared to Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.
This has been a long review. For more accurate and credible reviews, you can check this links out:
‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ surpasses all expectations (advance review)
Personally, New Moon is a must watch movie. For fans, nothing would really deter them from watching it. For non-fans, I think you should watch it too and enjoy it for the movie that it is. Though, I think reading the book prior hand would really make you appreciate the movie more.
For the record, I am now Team Jacob. Balimbing I know, since I’ve always supported Edward throughout the book – arguing how utterly considerate he is, understanding, etc. and how he is the ultimate perfect guy. But because of Lautner’s performance, I am willing to give Jacob another chance. 😀
The people at home always accuse me of being morbid to a fault. I cannot really fathom how I find gory films and scenes rather funny. It’s not like I have some murderous tendency or that I really enjoy these kind of things in a real life. Yet I discovered than I find these scense funny where others find them icky and disturbing. I can even watch them before I go to sleep and not have a single nightmare about them!
I first discovered this when I was rummaging in my brother’s files and found video clips of Happy Tree Friends. It was about 4am and I was using a headset to watch the videos. Next thing I knew, my mom was beside me – she was checking if I was alright because apparently my giggles and snickers had woken her up. My sibs were appalled that I found the videos utterly funny when they were so gory! A sample is shown below.
Warning: Contains really gory scenes. May not be suited for very young audiences or those with weak stomachs.
And yesterday that uncanny fascination of mine was again reflected when I selected Sweeney Todd as the movie we were to watch before turning for the night. Of course no one had any idea how gory the film was. When it was time for bed, my sister was sort of reluctant she watched the film eventhough she liked Johnny Depp as an actor. There was too much blood for her taste. But as for me, I was just giggling and snickering in delight at the film’s utter beauty.
And here is one of the most gory scenes in the movie:
Warning: There is so much blood and gore in this part so don’t watch it if you cannot stand such scenes. Also the quality is not that good but this is what I’ve managed to get.
