Episode 28: “New Moon” Review

1. Shannon the Movie Moxie Said,

   And the name of the clothing I stumbled on was lederhosen. I always forget that term, even though it doesn’t make it into general convo often.

2. Wray Said,

   Overall, I liked New Moon a bit more than Twilight. I liked Twilight because of two things: the edgy look of it (thanks Catherine!) and the intense emotional connection between Edward and Bella. However, it had so many ticks and odd editing that it was wholly uneven and detracted from the performances. I loved it in spite of all that because it had heart and it was trying something new. In New Moon, the performances were allowed to breathe and were very good – especially Kristen Stewart who has the more difficult job of carrying the film while in a near zombie-like state and is always believable. I was also impressed with Taylor Lautner – more because I had no idea what to expect. He does make a “transformation” with his before and after Jacob. His “before” Jacob relies on Taylor’s natural chemistry. He’s relaxed, teasing, and smiles alot. Later, when we see Jacob after he has learned the truth he looks physically different. There’s something about the way he hold his mouth when he talks, and he carries himself in a way that implies he has aged or that he’s world-weary. Of course Michael Sheen is over-the-top and terrifically so as Aro.

   Favorite scenes:
   - Carlisle and Bella – there was a really nice father/daughter connection with them here. It’s intimate due to the nature of what he’s doing (cleaning and stitching her wound) and the conversation they are having.

   - The Four Months – great way to do it and the music really fits here. I have to disagree with you guys about what’s happening outside. In October, there are trick-or-treaters and in November Charlie is raking leaves and you can see him stop and look up at her. Devastating.

   - Montage with Jacob and Bella in the garage – it was necessary for building their friendship, but it really looked like they were having fun. The biggest thing here is Bella – she really loosens up when she’s with Jacob. You don’t see that in Twilight with either her friends or Edward and it’s nice. Makes you understand why Jacob is a viable rival for Edward.

   - Jacob and Bella in the Rain – This “break-up scene” was sadder than the first one.

   - Victoria Chased by the Wolves/Bella’s Cliff Dive – this is a great sequence that shows the convergence of the two events. Loved the music here too.
   Volterra Scene – especially the confrontation with the Volturi. The Volturi (particularly Aro and Jane) are just fun.

   Wish there were more scenes in La Push. That’s the best part of New Moon and it went way too fast after Jacob “spills the beans” to Bella.

   I also liked the e-mails to Alice. It took care of two things: it demonstrated the relationship between Alice and Bella, and it illustrated how bereft Bella feels. When Edward leaves, he does more than remove himself, he takes this whole world that Bella has chosen with him. She has no one she can talk to about it, no way to put it in perspective, and this constant reaching out to nothing and no one is effectively sad.

   I agree with you guys that the Edward and Bella reunion scene was a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, that was a crucial misstep because it’s the heart of the story and it fell flat..

   The makeup is still a problem. It is distracting at times.

   I saw the movie twice, first at a midnight show and second friday afternoon. I live in a college town, so the audience was full of high school and college students – including more boys than last year. The second show was full (and I mean full) of middle aged women. The second was best because there was no screaming or whoo-hooing at Taylor and I could hear everything. In both showings, though, no one giggled through the scene you are referring to. There was some twittering (not the social network) at first when it was just Edward on the screen because they were like “why is he running alone in the woods?” but when Bella joined him and everyone saw her skin and eyes they were like “ooh”. The clothes were an odd choice, but they looked like Edward’s period to me – early 20th century.

3. Becca Said,

   Overall, I think New Moon was good but not better than Twilight. I went to see it at a midnight viewings with some of my freinds who hadn’t read the books and only watched Twilight and they were lost the whole way through it.

   I didn’t like the editing, i thought the film was rushed and disappointing.. I also thought Chris had great material and he showed us half of it. Ithink that Chris could have cut the uneccessary scenes i.e. The Pizza Scene and The motorbike with a stranger scene. I also agree with you both when you thought that the scene in Italy was rushed.

   As i did attend, the italy set while they were filiming and managed to see them film, they did not include some of the scenes that they filmed which were pretty important.

   I was very upset, that they never showed the flight back from Italy when Edward and Bella disscus there relationship, i though this was a major part of the book and showed how their relationship had infact grown.

4. Marina Antunes Said,

   You’re absolutely right Becca, by leaving out the flight back they missed a key point in the book (and I think, the series). I hope they did shoot something but just left it out – big mistake either way but at least we may have a chance to see it on the DVD.

   Now that I’ve said, I hope more now than ever, that they go the LotR route and give the option to see the film with all the cut out bits back in – I hate seeing them out of context. Fingers crossed!

5. Becca Said,

   I am deffo looking foward to seeing the extended scenes and the bits they left out!!
   I also agree with you when you say that they missed a big bit out of the series..i haven’t read the books recently but i do remember that the flight scene set up the end of the film..and i thought that was when Edward and Bella truly decide they can’t leave each other.

   I think the Dream Sequence.. the part when Bella is meant to be a vampire was ridiculous..everyone in my 3 screenings cracked up laughing..everyone was annoyed that they included this scene..It made the Twilight saga seem very typical and disappointing.

   I think that kristen’s acting has definatley improved but in certain scenes i think she totally was over acting..espcially the scenes with jacob.. I thought that the passing months scene was rather good but i would have perferred if they left out the actual words..November etc.

   I thing that really annoyed me was that Steph Meyer described Bella’s computer to be old and dodgy and she had a brand new apple mac..Is it just me or did this seem to ruin the scene??

6. Marina Antunes Said,

   Good call on leaving out the months in the passing time sequence. It’s a bit of “hitting the nail directly on the head” – the passing seasons would have been enough of a time stamp. I hadn’t thought of that before but it would be a little less obvious.

   Yeah…that frolicking bit is just strange. I think it was Shannon who mentioned that the vision should have had Edward biting into Bella (sorry if that wasn’t you who said that Shannon – someone mentioned that to me) – that would have been way more obvious but probably a lot less laughable. I want to take that scene seriously and it’s indeed very pretty but it just feels so wrong.

   Never noticed the computer!

7. Becca Said,

   I think that that the seasons didnt need to be stated on screen, i think the audience gets thats its changing seasons..I also really am annoyed about the computer thing..it may not be a big bit of the film but its a small important thing if you know what i mean??

   I think that the scene that Bella is meant to be a Vampire could have been more obivious..I also agree you when you say they should have had a scene where Edward is injecting her with his venom or biting her? I think that the Romeo and Juliet scene was out of place in the movie.

   I think that the film needed, the part where Edward was more playful then always serious..as we see him. I think that the Romeo scene was a bbit cheesy even though i did enjoy it.

   I wish that they included more of the agrument between edward and bella after the birthday scene?

   Lots of internet sites, are saying that Catherine Hardwicke would have been a better director..what do you think??

8. Marina Antunes Said,

   I’m with you – the R&J scene was great but it felt a bit weird – again, I can’t remember who mentioned it, but someone said something about it being strange that they’re having such an important conversation out in the open – it is a bit clunky.

   There needed to be a whole lot more stuff in there to really capture the essence of the book but frankly, I’m not sure what they should have left out to make the other stuff fit. What this really needed was another once over the script and more deviation from the original material to shed light on those emotions and important conversations but not necessarily in the same way they happened in the book.

   Would the film be improved if Catherine had been back…it’s an interesting question and frankly, I don’t know. It certainly would have looked and felt different and who knows, maybe she would have brought something more to the script. I’ll have to think on that.

9. Becca Said,

   When Catherine Hardwicke was chosen as the director of Twilight, i thought she may not be able capture the book but i have to give her credit as she grasped the indie look that was needed for Twilight. I think that if Catherine was director of New Moon, the whole mood of the film would be different and she would have focused on the relationship shift between Bella,Jacob and Edward.

   I just went to my thrid viewing of New Moon, and i have to say that i though the R&J scene really left me feeling annoyed because in the book, it was quite a big part showing the change in realtionship from Twilight.
   I am looking foward to seeing if David Slade has progressed succesfully, although i am worried that they focused more on the action and opening up the audience a bit too much?

   If you were director of New Moon, what would you have changed in the editing room?

10. Wray Said,

    Marina and Becca,
    I agree that the script needed a once-over. The whole production was rushed from the beginning – something that Catherine Hardwicke fought with Summit over. The decision to replace Catherine with Chris and keep their schedule would be an interesting debate – some of the critics even mentioned it in their review as a positive!? Anyway, In my very humble opinion, Chris Weitz and his cinematographer made a beautiful movie…with flaws. There are a few scenes that didn’t work and some that I wish were added, but the longing is palpable. In fact, I think that is the tone that Weitz was going for…and that’s what I loved about the book. In situations like this I usually let my heart be the judge, and it worked for me – I felt it. Certainly, I’m no expert, but I loved something that Tony Scott (A.O. Scott) of the New York Times said stuck with me, “It’s not a movie for teenage girls, it’s a movie that turns everyone watching it into a teenage girl…and I enjoyed that”.

11. Becca Said,

    Wray, I agree with the quote you posted!

    To be honest, i think the fans will make the film bigger and better whether the films are actually good or not, I do think that Chris did make a few mistakes e.g. cutting scenes and editing, but its still a great film.

    i think that Taylor Launter as progressed as an actor and shown that he has pure talent but i am still unsure about Kristen and whether she did a good job? You may disagree? I think Rob really shone through this movie as the unsurpisingly lead, with his strong accent and wonderful quirkness.

    One scene that i never mentioned, was the part where Edward Cullen is in Brazil. I though this was a excellant way to show where he was and i loved that they used a prime location, it could come across a bit cheesy. I didn’t think there was a need for him crushing the phone but i see why they put this.
    What do you think??

12. Wray Said,

    Here’s my very unscientific “summary” of the critics opinion of New Moon vs the fans (I have read every review on Metacritic, most on RT, and various others). Please keep in mind that I am generalizing.

    - Film critics are mixed, but lean to the negative, about the movie as a whole. In the reviews they cite wildly different things to prove their various points.
    - Critics tend to admire the actors, in the order of 1)Kristen Stewart, 2) Taylor Lautner, 3)Robert Pattison.
    - Lot’s of hatred/dismissal for the source material. Sometimes there’s blame on the screenwriter for NOT deviating enough, sometimes there’s praise for staying faithful to the source depending on which way the writer swings.
    - Same goes for comments about the director. Basically there’s either respect or dismissal of the direction based on faithfulness to the source.

    -The fans (in general) did not like first “Twilight” movie as much as they wanted to. Many loved parts of it; many loved Rob, many hated Kristen, but the majority of fans supported Twilight to ensure the making the rest of the series. They fully understood that if the first movie made money, the second would get a bigger budget and the things that were wrong with Twilight (in their opinion) would be “fixed”.

    - Fans generally love Chris Weitz.
    - Fans still mixed on Kristen Stewart. Less are extremely critical of her after New Moon.
    - Fans are in almost universal agreement that New Moon is “better” than Twilight.
    - Almost universal agreement that Alice’s vision of future Bella is most cheesy scene in the movie.

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