Tag: Kristen Stewart

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Twilight, Forever! An Epic Finale

Finally.  5 years of anticipation.  Breaking Dawn Part 2 is upon us.  Just how high is my expectation?  As high as Bella can jump with her new found vampiric power.

Twilight Saga has always been the highlight of the tail end of my year.  At the epic ending, I did not hear selective audience bellowing in pain like last year.  Instead, the pair of Javanese girls sitting beside Cynthia went “This is so sweeeeeeet!  This is so sweeeeeeet!” non-stop.  As the audience slowly filtered out of the theater, still holding onto whatever Twilight fever that lingered, a large group of girls no less then twenty were taking photographs to commemorate the completion of this 5 years journey.  Throughout the movie, the audience laughed in unison, clapped hands at the triumphant moments.  The love to the Twilight was felt everywhere, in this enclosed environment.  Is Breaking Dawn Part 2 really the end?  I mean, out of nowhere, that hobbits infested franchise Lord of the Ring has sprung out a new movie The Hobbit, hasn’t it?  I don’t know.  Thinking that Twilight Saga has finally ended leaves a hole in my heart.  What am I going to look forward to same time next year?

Initially, I questioned the wisdom of splitting Breaking Dawn into two parts.  Having watched part two, I believe it is a necessity.  The mood is completely different.  Part one was a struggle, on Bella’s side of the story.  She was pregnant, with a ‘demonic’ child of an unknown status.  Half human and half vampire.  Bella was also at her weakest, weaker than even her human form from episode one to three.  It was painful to watch, not because the story is terrible.  But the entire struggle is painful.

Now, in part two, Bella has finally become a vampire.  A wish that she has stated in the first installment.  A proposal made by Edward with a condition in New Moon.  An agreement to Edward’s terms in Eclipse by Bella.  And in her dying moment, a bite that concluded in Breaking Dawn Part 1.  I have waited 5 long years to see Bella transformed into a powerful vampire, breaking free the human frailty that has made her so vulnerable in the large part of this saga despite her strong human will.  I want to see what she can do, how the character emerges in this final installment.  Breaking Dawn Part 2 delivers.

There are still the legendary kisses between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in this final episode.  Taylor Lauther once again takes off his shirt and has won swoon from the female crowd.  There is more character development on the expanded vampire reinforcement.  The Volturi – powerful vampire coven – looks deadly as ever.  The werewolf pack is there, albeit having a much lesser role to play in this last episode.  Almost all the human characters are gone, saved for a few.  This is a battle between the vampires.  Those who have missed any of the previous episodes would likely not able to follow the plot as the narrator makes little effort in recapping the past.  But the fans would love this climax ending.  The generally depressing and at times desperate overture is gone.  Now is time for the glory.

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Snow White & The Huntsman – This Is Not Twilight, Is It?

I am happy that Cynthia has picked Snow White & the Huntsman for our Movie Review Squad outing.  TK did not object.  Hooray!  As a huge fan of Kristen Stewart, I would say, this film does not disappoint.  Plus, I heart Twilight Saga.  There are at least two scenes in this movie I would ask myself: Am I watching Twilight?

I have repeated this story many times to my friends.  Since it is relevant to what I am trying to say, so bear with me.  Since young, my mother disallowed me from watching TV.  Reading novel was my only entertainment as a kid.  Therefore, I have not heard of Snow White or Jack and the Beanstalk.  Hard to believe, I know.  But I just do not know of any of these stories.  Halfway through the movie, I was puzzled about the plot.  So, I whispered to Cynthia: Isn’t this Sleeping Beauty?  She giggled, trying very hard not to laugh out loud in the cinema, and she replied: NO!

I really thought that Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are the same story.  I mean, the girl has fallen asleep.  And there is an evil queen somewhere.  A prince too.  I was genuinely confused because, well, Snow White & The Huntsman is nothing like what I have expected.  Kids, this is not a fairy tale.  There is bloodshed in this movie.  And plenty more.

Snow White & The Huntsman is a contemporary interpretation of the Walt Disney classic.  My little niece and nephew in Indonesia adore Snow White.   They can recite word-by-word even before the lines come out.  In that classic cartoon, Snow White the character has black hair, fair skin, red lips, and she moves with grace.  In this movie, Kristen Stewart too has black hair, fair skin, red lips, and a would-be-vampire look.  Grace, I don’t think she has.  She hunches a bit (like in her Twilight movies) with this hesitant, vulnerable look.  I have no idea why a Hollywood star does not have a good posture (compare her with Charlize Theron).  Cynthia defended her by highlighting the fact that Kristen has to act with a lack of confidence.  Hence the hunch.  I suppose she has a point.  Kristen Stewart’s version of Snow White has been locked inside a prison for a very long time after all.

Charlize Theron, the once upon a time sexiest woman on earth, is scary in this movie.  Truly scary.  She screams at the camera as though she is screaming at me.  Charlize is totally into this evil queen character.  Cynthia thought that she acts really well.  As for me, I thought she has over-dramatized her part.  Is she beautiful?  Without a doubt.  When she is not aged by the CGI technology that is.

Then we have Chris Hemsworth from Thor.  He is the huntsman.  I still don’t think he can act.  But he does have his emotional moment that moves me, slightly.  He has plenty of action too, which he does it well.

There are awkward moments in Snow White & The Huntsman.  Moments that do not make sense.  Corpse kissing is one.  Reciting Our Father prayer in a fantasy world filled with fairies, dwarfs, and a troll is another.  Cynthia was quite mad that the scriptwriter has incorporated a Christian prayer into a fantasy movie.  I was pretty cool about it.  Isn’t God omnipresence?  She rolled her eyes thinking that I have played too much video games.

TK thinks that this film is average.  In fact, I am surprised that he has stayed awake throughout the movie because he couldn’t even stand Twilight.  I have enjoyed watching Snow White & The Huntsman, mainly because I am a fan of Kristen Stewart since her days in Panic Room.  Is this movie entertaining?  Yes.  Will I watch it again?  Probably no.  The good thing is, unlike Twilight, you don’t have to wait for 5 years in order to see the ending.

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – So Far So Good

OK.  I promise I am not going to poke fun at the Twilight Saga like before.  Looking at the record breaking ticket sales, I think the fanatic fans have gone beyond caring about what the critics say and have dived straight into yet another episode of this bizarre love triangle of a vampire, a werewolf, and a human girl.  I for one have convinced myself that what I see is not bad acting.  You can’t expect a several centuries old vampire with no beating heart and cold to touch to be more animated than Robert Pattinson, can you?  Perfect casting.  And I suppose the over-reacting, hot blooded Taylor Lautner is merely acting to the role of an animalistic werewolf.  Or did he take it out on the break-up-make-up experience with Taylor Swift?  Cynthia asked if I am a Team Edward or Team Jacob.  My reply?  I am Team Bella.  I think in this entire saga so far, only Kristen Stewart can act well (while the other two are improving, so it seems).  Without Kristen, there will be no Twilight Saga.

In fact, I think I am Team Alice.  She is by far the hottest vampire I have seen.  Please bite me, Alice!  Come to think of it, I begin to be able to relate to Bella’s strong desire to be bitten by a – I presume in the eyes of the girls – hot vampire.

As though the filmmakers have read my lament earlier on, they have done something positive to the new soundtrack.  “Twilight” soundtrack is great.  There are good tracks by Muse, Paramore, and Linkin Park.  “New Moon” soundtrack is forgettable.  As for “Eclipse”, while there are quite a few album fillers, Muse has returned.  Howard Shore’s composition on “Jacob’s Theme” is beautiful.  He is the composer for “The Lords of the Ring” and “The Avatar”.  And another strong track is “Heavy In Your Arms” by Florence + The Machine.  The Australian jazz-pop singer Sia’s “My Love” is soothing to listen to and not to be missed.

This third instalment has the advantage of diving straight into the drama without the need to go through how vampire (episode one) and werewolf (episode two) in this bizarre Twilight Universe works.  In addition, since the romance between a vampire and a human and the friendship between the same human and a werewolf have already been established, there are more rooms for drama beyond Bella and Edward or Bella and Jacob.  For example, we now have Bella and Edward and Jacob locked in a PG version of a threesome.  And there is story development for other characters too, which I enjoy watching.  Less CGI, more dramas.

Cheesy dialogues still exist.  Jacob still takes his shirt off – twice (if you miss it the first time he shows off his torso, you will have a second chance).  Dakota Fanning’s involvement with the movie is still disappointingly minimal.  The scale of the movie has grown and it begins to look more like a blockbuster, which is good.  I feel that Edward the vampire does not seem to demonstrate his power as much as before, Jacob the werewolf does not seem to be as uncontrollably dangerous in wolf form as before, which is strange.  What is missing, currently, in this Twilight Saga is for Bella to fall in love with a human boy.  That would make a wonderful foursome.

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Drama Movie Reviews

The Runaways – Got Me Nostalgic Thinking About Rock Bands Of The Past

I used to read biography of the bands formed in the 60’s and 70’s.  Most with tragic beginning or ending or both.  Sex, drug, and rock and roll.  Bands that could not stay together, for whatever reason.  The amount of angst and feeling poured into the lyrics and the music.  The sacrifices too.  Music of that era is unlike what we have today.  On that note, while watching “The Runaways”, countless rock band stories that I have read in my younger days – from the books and from the magazines – flooded my head.  The film got me feeling nostalgic.  Gosh.  I love the music of that era.

Dakota Fanning.  My oh my.  Look what she has grown up into.  I remember how impressed I was when I watched her in Steven Spielberg’s “Taken”.  And some of her movies too.  But “The Runaways” is a whole new level.  Let’s forget about the less than impressive storyline and music for a moment – as the movie is based on a true story of a girl rock band called “The Runaways” and nothing could changed the history.  For the 16 years old Dakota to act out the part of Cherie Currie as the band’s lead vocalist  is in my opinion technically difficult.  She has to smoke cigarettes and take drug, act intoxicated by drug and alcohol, and living in a dysfunctional family; to be a girl who adores David Bowie, trained as a rock band vocalist in the 70’s, and transformed into a sex symbol for the music business; make out with a guy and make out with a girl.  If you stop for a moment and think of Dakota as a little girl growing up, you probably would be like me hoping that this film will not destroy her real life.

“The Runaways” has indirectly set Cynthia and I on a soft collision course.  Why?  It is because she is a fan of Kristen Stewart and I Dakota.  For a film that is co-produced by Joan Jett (acted by Kristen as the guitarist of the band) and by the fact that Joan Jett is the more commercially successful one, you would have thought that Kristen Stewart should have more air time than Dakota Fanning.  In the movie, it does not seem to be that way.  While Dakota is given the opportunity to act out a wide spectrum of emotion throughout the film, Kristen Stewart’s part is rather one dimensional, as demanded by the script.  Dark, with determination to succeed (a good departure from being a vampire’s love interest).  Hence, “The Runaways” may not please Stewart’s fans.  Having said that, my counter-observation is that a lead vocalist is the focus of the band (in this case, the focus of the movie).  When you take the vocalist away from the band, the rest seems to fade away (if it helps, recall what Slash & Co. looks like when Axl Rose left).  And to that extend, it explains why this film seems to be all about Cherie Currie.  It also explains why “The Runaways” may seem to have climaxed a little bit too early.

I enjoy watching “The Runaways” mainly because I care about the music created during that era.  I am unsure if someone may find it awkward to watch girls being ‘bad’ just like the boys.  I have heard pockets of laughter as well as pockets of sighs and disapproval from the audience.  My only stereotypical observation is that in the history of rock, there are a lot more all-guy bands than all-girl bands.  I wonder why.  On a separate note, the director “Floria Sigismondi” has made a lot more music videos than films (this being her second one).  No wonder those music clips are so beautifully made.

If you are curious about the soundtrack inspired by this movie, Dakota and Kristen have sung in 4 out of 14 tracks.  3 tracks from the band “The Runaways”.  1 song performed by Joan Jett called “Don’t Abuse Me”.  From my first listen, the album does sound coherence, sound-wise.  But since I have my reservation on the music of the band “The Runaways”, the soundtrack is pretty average.

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews Romance

The Twilight Saga: New Moon – The Non-Fans Won’t Get It

2nd Installment

The question, I think, is why “New Moon” can get away with the disjointed subplots and cheesy dialogues and yet able to make tons of girls in the theatre we visited swooning all the way from opening to the end credits – literally so.  Some guys would play along and ‘swooned’ ahead of the girls causing lots of giggles from the audience.  We love the crowd at Cineleisure.  Movie distributors seem to know that this second installment of the Twilight Saga would be a hit in this small island of ours.  Multiple theatres are playing “New Moon” simultaneously to meet the demand.  Cynthia and I  forcefully brought our buddy TK to watch “New Moon”.  He has not watched the first episode and at the end of the show, he said to us, “There won’t be a third for me”.  And we had a good laugh.

The answer, I think, is fantasy.  It is fantasy beyond the beautiful cold-blooded vampires that shimmer under bright daylight (?!) and the over-sized hot-blooded werewolves (?!) that transform from human form at will (and back with the pants on); it is a fantasy beyond the teenage flirtation of lips licking, body hugging, almost kissing, countless promises of the forever-and-ever; it is simply a fantasy of a regular girl becoming the object of great desire and a man’s desire to protect the vulnerable girl at all cost.  Who wouldn’t want to be Bella?  Who wouldn’t want to protect Bella?  And hence, the ticket sales.

To say that Cynthia adores the Twilight Saga with a capital A is an understatement.  It is almost illegal for me to raise the question on what she sees in the pale withering malnutritional vampire played by Robert Pattinson who was named as one of the “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2008 by People magazine (?!).  Equally illegal for me to ask why she has so fallen in love with the werewolf played by Taylor Lautner – like I suppose many of the fans of the saga – who mind you has a stunningly solid body at the age of 17 and a beautiful smile.  The filmmakers seem to play that to its fullest.  Every time Taylor takes off his shirt, all the girls simply melt and swoon and cry for more.

Right.

I for one am not complaining watching Kristen Stewart playing the role of Bella.  I am a big fan of her since the days of “Panic Room”.  Nor any complain with some of the vampire girls like Ashley Greene (plays the role of Alice) and the brief appearance of Dakota Fanning, which I hope I can see more in later episodes.  My only complain is the weak soundtrack compares to the first episode.  There were Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole”, Paramore’s “Decode”, and Linkin Park’s “Leave Out All The Rest”.  What does the soundtrack of “New Moon” have?  Terribly depressing, terribly boring.  I really hope that they can make a better soundtrack for the next installment.

By the way, “Twilight” the first episode will be on Star Movies tonight.  “Haven’t you watched that on TV recently?” I asked over breakfast.  “It doesn’t matter.  It’s Twilight!” Cynthia answered.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews Romance

We Celebrated Christmas Eve the Twilight Way

Twilight

Wow.  How Kristen Stewart has grown up from the 12 years old Panic Room diabetes into one fine young actress who is in love with … a vampire.  Twilight watched like a mix of my favorite TV series Buffy and Felicity.  Add that with the cool rock numbers by Linkin Park, Muse, Paramore, and more – OK, this concoction is rather appetizing.

Cynthia and I are both big fans of vampire stories (for different reasons of course).  Watching Twilight to me is like watching a chick flick.  A film adaptation of a young adults book, I am not surprise on how far the film wouldn’t go.  So we have vegetarian vampires, vampires that shimmer in light of diamond under the sun (?!), and a lust so strong that … turns into a series of friendly, cosy conversations on the bed.  Now, if I was the filmmaker, I would have created a Twilight Reload and chopped it with a R(A) rating.

There are moments of awkwardness – at least to me – like the attempt-to-be Romeo & Juliet style of courtship at the woods, or those Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon kind of flying and flirting scenes.  But there are also moments of tenderness and fresh ideas such as vampires playing baseball games (I know) that is really cool to watch.

Pairing the talented Kristen Stewart with the rather stiff looking one dimensional vamp Robert Pattinson to me is like pairing Natalie Portman with the dude who plays Anakin Skywalker.  Hey, I am a guy.  Maybe girls do love Robert Pattinson for his cool factor.  Who knows?

I think Kristen Stewart has potential.  I am keen to follow her acting career.

By the way, Merry Christmas to y’all and watch out for our Movie Review Squad’s nomination for the Year 2008 Movie Awards.  It will be fun, I promise.