Here’s the teaser for Breaking Dawn, Part 2. I’m actually pretty excited to see it. My two favorite parts of the book were the wedding and when Bella first wakes up after the change, so it will be fun to see Bella as a vampire.
Nov 29, 2011
30 Days of Book Discussion: Day 29
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Day 29: A Book Everyone Hated but I Liked
The answer to this question is easy. I know many people in the Twilight fandom hated Breaking Dawn, but I actually really liked it.
After I finished reading the book the first time, it was my favorite of the series because I loved that we got back to Bella and Edward and basically no interference from Jacob. I loved reading about the wedding and I loved Bella’s transformation (my two favorite parts of the book). I even didn’t mind Renesmee, not even the name, or Jacob imprinting on her. I just loved that almost everything was resolved in a way that I wanted it to be, meaning Bella was with Edward not Jacob.
I didn’t expect the backlash it got. I was completely blown away! I couldn’t understand why people hated it so much. I know Renesmee was a surprise, but I didn’t expect her to be so hated. Then, I kind of jumped on the bandwagon myself, but not to the same extent. I’ve never hated Renesmee, but I did start to see the book’s flaws, like the lack of conflict or action, Jacob imprinting on the baby of someone he was in love with only seconds before, and a very anti-climactic ending. But, I realized after reading it a second time that even with its flaws, I still love the overall story. Yes, I would’ve preferred there had been a huge war between the Cullens and the Volturi, but I’m happy to enjoy the book for what it is.
Breaking Dawn is no longer my favorite of the series because I realized that Twilight had to take precedence. After all, it did get me into reading and Meyer’s world. But, Breaking Dawn is a close second.
What about you? What book did you like that everyone else hated?
Nov 21, 2011
Breaking Dawn, Part 1
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Last Thursday, I had the chance to see Breaking Dawn, Part 1 with many of my SLTA friends at an early showing. My friend Olivia rented out a theater and invited us to come along. And, as part of the fun, some of us ordered shirts for the event.
As far as the movie is concerned, I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, there were laughable parts (that weren’t meant to be laughable), but I still liked it. It’s the closest movie to its book, which I think has to do with Stephenie Meyer being a producer now. And, I’m really excited for the second one because I think they’ll do a good job with it (and add more action than the book has).
Before I talk about all the things that I loved, let’s get the few complaints I have out of the way.
- At first, I really liked the scene in which the wolves spoke to each other. I liked the disjointed images Jacob saw as he was running through the forest and all the other voices in his head. But, as soon as Sam and Jacob started speaking to each other, the voices sounded weird, kind of like Darth Vader meets Optimus Prime. And, the voices sounded overly dramatic.
- The imprinting scene was … awkward. But, honestly, I don’t think there was any other way to do it and it’s a little creepy in its own right anyway.
- The dream sequence, like all the other dream sequences in the movies, was weird. It’s not how I pictured it and I didn’t like that they used the wedding guests instead of the immortal children.
The makeup and wigs are still awkward and fake-looking. Poor Carlisle and the blond Denali vampires (other than Irina). Although, I did think Jasper looked better in this one than he has in the others, which is a plus and a miracle.- I’m one of the fans that actually enjoyed the book. But, I knew the story was very cheesy and seeing those scenes on screen made the cheesiness more real.
- The wolves seemed less real in this movie than in New Moon and Eclipse. I’m not sure why, but the animation didn’t seem as refined. But, at least it wasn’t Lupin terrible.
Not too shabby, right? I honestly don’t have a lot of complaints as you can see because I thought they improved on a lot of things this time around (especially the acting). I absolutely loved the following:
- Even though the birth scene was extremely gruesome, it was actually my favorite part of the entire movie. It was seen through Bella’s perspective which gave it a disconnected feeling. I knew it was described as that bloody and horrific in the book, but seeing it come to life was a little surprising because I guess I didn’t picture it that horrifically in my mind.
- I loved Bella’s transformation. Watching the Photoshopping happen on screen as she turned from a mere mortal into a beautiful vampire was just so cool! It was really well done.
They did an awesome job making Bella look as emaciated as she did while she was pregnant with Renesmee. I wish they could’ve applied that makeup awesomeness to some of the vampires.- Normally, I hate added scenes in movies. But, I actually really enjoyed that the Cullens and wolves fought after Renesmee’s birth. It gives me hope that there will be fighting in the second movie instead of just talking and diplomatic solutions.
- I like who they got to play Renesmee and can’t wait to see how her aging process works in the second movie.
- I told my friend Debbie that I haven’t liked Robert Pattinson as Edward. He just never sat well with me. But, in this movie, whatever they did to his makeup or hair made him more appealing. Now, if only he’d shave his chest, then he may be perfect or as close to perfect as an actor can get to Edward.
- Aro became my hero in the short scene during the credits! He’s a grammar Nazi like I am!
- I loved Bella’s wedding dress.
And, of course, as always, I loved Charlie. Billy Burke is the best thing that happened to these movies.
Overall, I was very happy with the film. It did as good of a job as it could with the storyline the book had. So, if you’re like I am and you liked the book, then I think you’ll like the movie. But, if you didn’t like the book, then I doubt there’s a chance you’ll like the movie either.
Nov 14, 2011
The SLTA’s Interview
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Remember that post about a month ago talking about how my group of friends and I got interviewed because of our involvement with Twilight? It aired bright and early this morning!
Unfortunately, I can’t embed it. But, here’s the link to the spot. (There may be a geographic redirect for people outside of Utah–annoying–so you may need to scroll down to the Live Interviews section and click the “What’s Next for Twilight Fan Club?”) My friends Danylle and Jamie were able to be there live this morning to answer questions after the spot aired. They represented our group well.
Once you watch the segment, come back and tell me what you think. I’ll tell you what I think right now, but don’t read it until after you’ve watched the clip. (I don’t want to taint your view, lol.) After seeing this, I feel like Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove. “Is that my voice? Is that MY voice?” Seriously, is that how I sound? I think I may need to invest in a voice coach so I don’t sound so annoying. And, I may need to take a public speaking class so I can learn not to “um” as much as I do, lol.
It was fun and I’m excited that our group got our 15 minutes of fame and that we could mention and promote other local authors too.
PS–When I was being interviewed, I mentioned how we had the chance to meet other fans around the country and that we’re friends with much more than just our local group. But, it didn’t make it into the segment.
Nov 3, 2011
Guest Post on Alison Can Read
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Alison of Alison Can Read is devoting all of November to Twilight to celebrate the release of the first Breaking Dawn movie. Today, I’m her guest and I share my story of how much Twilight has impacted my life. Hop on over and say hi!
The one thing I realized I forgot to say, which may be okay since my post is already a few miles long, is that I have friends from all over the world because of Twilight and the Lex. I love those friends just as much as I love my local Utah friends and I hope I get to meet the ones that I haven’t met someday and see those that I have again. My friends are seriously the best!
