MOVIE REVIEW OF THE WEEK
Twilight
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
Let me tell you my dirty little secret about the book. I am, despite all of my better senses, completely infatuated with the book. In terms of structure, pacing and even characters, it was highly uneven. In fact, a literary major would have spat on it and did all sorts of nasty things with the pages (toilet humor comes to mind). But the secret to the book's success did not lie in its literary quality, but in its undeniable power to infatuate and addict you in its tale of love. The mere words of Meyer, the author, made the romantic scenes so faint-inducing (at least to the eyes of a modern day teenager) that its appeal was undeniable despite all of its flaws. I do not love the book because it was a great book, instead i do so despite it being a pretty mediocre one. And that's the secret behind the book.
The movie adaptation lacks that very aspect. All the scenes were rushed, poorly handled and awkwardly shot. There were instances were I felt hints of the macabre love fest so temptingly hinted by the book, and at times I felt that the movie was about to finally find its stride. But every single time it did so followed it by completely losing its momentum. It tries very hard to capture the appeal of the book, so much so to a fault that it focuses on faithfully adapting every scene that it failed to leave room to its own creative inputs. A movie and a book are two completely different things. Following word-per-word does not make a good adaptation, as this movie clearly shows.
Finally the characters. Robert as Edward, for example, has been a bit of a mixed reaction. He's had quite a huge fanbase by now yet some are criticizing the pick. Well for me, he has the potential. There is something actually very appealing about him that may resonate to an Edwaresque vibe. You see, the key to the book as is to the film has to be the two lead cast. And indeed the two actually show potential in terms of looks. But their acting is mediocre at best, so much so that much of the sizzle is lost in the transition.
Long time fans of the books may be disappointed but inevitably will be clammoring for more in the end. I, for one, think that the movie had outlived way past its bearable point half way through the first film. So much for immortality.
6 out of 10
PREVIEW OF THE WEEK
Star Trek
I'm no Trekkie. I could never understand much of the appeal of the series, but then again I never watched them either except for the last couple of horrid Next Generation films. So conisder me basically a blank slate. So with this new trailer out, color me slightly impressed. I've liked JJ Abram's works so far and this trailer seems bursting with Trekkie goodness and shows it in an awesome cool new light that I've never seen before on any Trek installment. So yes, I am hopeful.
Trailer-> HERE
POSTER OF THE WEEK
There was a motion poster that came out recently and it featured a psoter that actually moved and played music. Though I doubt they'd ever use it outside the web, it's still pretty cool. The final screenshot of it, however is displayed above and even on its own static self it's still pretty kick-ass. So yah, pretty nifty stuff. You can find the full motion poster in all its cool glory here. Courtesy of Aintitcool
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