Eclipse

New Moon


I kissed Bella.. and she broke her hand punching my face.

The Best Thing About It: The backstories of Jasper and Rosalie. It’s amazing what a little character development can do. Both of the stories combined maybe took up 5 minutes of screen time, but having the knowledge of where they came from and why they’re now part of the Cullen clan has made these minor characters some the most interesting in the saga to me. Oh, and Jasper and Alice > Edward and Bella.

What Would’ve Made It Better: If something new would happen. I was entertained by (how bad) Twilight (was) and New Moon exceeded my expectations, but now it just seems like the same story rehashed. I’m bored with the love triangle and they’re giving me virtually nothing new about the Volturi. Kristin Stewart still can’t act and the parts that did interest me (Jasper and Rosalie histories and the Victoria showdown) didn’t fill neraly as much time as they should have.

Random Thoughts: Why am I just noticing that Edward’s dad is Mike Dexter?! Shame on me. I blame the hair.

Riley’s transformation was by far the best opening of the Twilight saga.

Finally! Someone brings up the fact that Jacob is shirtless for no reason at all! Thank you, Edward.

Kristin Stewart should play a blind person. She only makes eye contact with people 23% of the time anyway.

I get why Jacob would show up at the graduation party, but why exactly did he and his wolf buddies get to sit in on the top secret meeting about Alice’s vision when they originally had no idea it was about Bella’s safety? Don’t they hate each other?

Was is supposed to be some big shocker when Bella put together that Victoria was the one building the army? Sometimes the plot is offensive to my intelligence. (Side note: I know Bella marries Edward and gets pregnant with a baby that’s killing her in the next movie. I’m gonna go ahead and call now that Edward turns her to save her life. Just a guess.)

Man, that tent scene was excruiating and may have caused Eclipse to lose a full point off it’s rating.

Hottie Alert: Mike Dexter.. err.. Peter Facinelli

The Verdict: Sadly, I have nothing new to report. I still hate Bella. I still don’t care about she and Edward’s love story.  Even though I’m firmly on Team Jacob, I’m getting irritated with the pissing contest between he and Edward over a girl that’s not at all worth fighting for. The laughable dialogue is becoming less funny and more pathetic. The plot is painfully predictable. And, to top it off, the aspects of the series that have to potential to really grab my attention are being suffocated by the teenage soap opera drama of it all. Of course, that’s what the Twilight saga is – a teenage soap opera… so at least it’s living up to it’s title. 2/10

Coming up next: Breaking Dawn: Part 1

New Moon

Twilight

Bella, you’re apologizing for bleeding?

The Best Thing About It: I’m a fan of vampires. I was before it became the trendy thing to do. And even though these vampires follow pretty much no established lore other than the whole blood sucking thing, I’m still interested to find out the history behind them and how their conflict will play out. With the introduction of the Volturi (yay Michael Sheen!) and the search for Victoria continuing, not to mention bringing the werewolves and the treaty they have into the equation, this is by far the most interesting element in the saga.

What Would’ve Made It Better: Re-cast Bella. I won’t sugar coat it – Kristin Stewart is horrendous.  Honestly, her bad acting was not just irritating to watch, it actually pulled me out of some scenes that had the potential to be engaging.
Here’s why her inability to act should really irk you as a Twilight fan: I’m told that in the books Bella is warm and kind and never waivers in her love of Edward. Nothing could be further from the truth for movie portrayed Bella. You can blame some of that on Melissa Rosenberg. Evidently she decided to create the Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle (which didn’t exist in the book, if I’m getting good information), which served only to make me feel sorry for Jacob, hate Bella and stay neutral about Edward. However, there is no one to blame for the unfeeling, heartless way Bella interacts with the people she loves but Kristin herself. I can tell the dialogue is meant to make her likable, but her delivery is flat and unconvincing. Go back and watch the scene when Bella goes to Italy and pushes Edward out of the sunlight. After months of longing for him, her face shows no emotion. None. If I had any shot at feeling some sort of connection to their love story, she ruined it for me with one look.
My solution to the problem: cast Anna Kendrick as Bella instead of Jessica. Boom. Done. Simple.

Random Thoughts: I like Bella’s dad quite a bit. Same with Edward’s. Interesting to see so many strong older male figures in a movie directed at teenage girls. It’s refreshing. Kudos to you on that, Stephanie.

So there’s a group of teenage boys who walk around wearing no shirts and jean shorts with matching tattoos in Forks, Washington which hardly ever has sunny days and is chilly to cold most of the year, but no one is questioning this? Idiots.

When did Bella and Alice become besties? I don’t necessarily have a problem with it, but it’s yet another example of the screenplays inability to flesh out a story.

I’m not big on Jacob when he’s all wolfed out, but if that’s what it took get rid of that hair, it’s an even trade. (I know this makes me sound like an old lady that runs around chasing long-haired men with a broom calling them hippies, but I normally love me some long, flowing locks. It doesn’t work for Taylor Lautner.)

When was the last time you got a paper cut that produced enough blood for it to run down your finger and drop on the floor? I’m just saying…

Hey, another Thome Yorke song! I had no idea he was so predominate in the saga’s soundtrack.

I was wondering if the vampires inability to read Bella’s thoughts was going to take a True Blood twist and she would be some sort of mythological being, but at this point I’m convinced that it’s because she’s a robot. Think about it. It would explain SO much.

Hottie Alert (for the dudes): Ashley Greene

The Verdict: I’d been told that New Moon is the best movie in the Twilight Saga, and I can see why. It was better than Twilight in almost every way possible… Not to say I loved it, but it was decent. I liked it more than I thought I would like any part of this series. They addressed a lot of the problems I had with Twilight. For instance, Chris Weitz is a welcome replacement of Catherine Harkwicke. Weitz created a style; Hardwicke turned down saturation levels. Also, no unnecessary background music – Yay! And, most importantly, no laughably bad dialogue. (Bad dialogue, oh yeah. Heaps of it! Laughably bad, not really.)
The one thing they couldn’t fix (other that Stewart’s atrocious acting) was the fact that I’m still not buying the love story of Bella and Edward. I tried, I really did, but it’s just stupid. I was much more interested in the story of Bella and Jacob than I ever will be of its counterpart, so I guess you can now officially mark me on Team Jacob. Still, learning more about the history of these covens and wondering how the war will play out is making movies that could be a chore to watch bearable.
Halfway through the saga I’m beginning to see the appeal it has to teenage girls, but am still baffled as to why some adults enjoy it so much. New Moon earns an improved 5/10.

Coming up next: Eclipse

Twilight

The Twilight Project

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire.

The Best Thing About It: Well, I can’t say I wasn’t entertained. Unfortunately, it was mostly for all the wrong reasons. There were a few minor redeeming qualities though.
First, I like the idea of vampires playing baseball. Sure, I had no idea why they were doing it or what sense it made in the context of the story, but I like the idea of it in a comedic sense. Sadly, it wasn’t used that way. Talk about a missed opportunity. Other things I’d love to see vampires do: play video games, go to an amusement park and attend a Michael McDonald concert.
Second, the fight between Edward and James was less sissy than I imagined it would be. Matter of fact, it was actually pretty good. Easily my favorite part of the movie. I’m far more interested in the war between the Cullens and the other covens than anything involving Bella, the robot girl.
Third, Rob Pattinson “Let Me Sign” and Radiohead “15 Step” are both great songs.

What Could’ve Made It Better: What a loaded question! I could bring up several things that irked me in the first installment of this series, but I’ll focus on what I see as the biggest problem, mostly because it’s what the entire series is based on – the relationship of Edward and Bella. How exactly did we go from “He thinks I’m stinky. I hate him!” to “He’s a dreamy vampire. I love him!”? There was so little development that as someone with low expectations, even I was disappointed. Perhaps it’s addressed better in the books and that’s why so many viewers are enthralled with the love story, but it doesn’t translate in the movie. At best their love is based on the Florence Nightingale effect which is caused by fleeting emotion. (Back to the Future FTW!) I’m sure you Twi-hards see Bella and Edward as the Romeo and Juilet of our time, but due to poor writing, I see two teenagers (okay, so Edward is a really old 17-year-old) acting like typical teenagers, unable to differentiate love from hormonal changes. However, given that Edward is a vampire, their affection will most likely end up getting their loved ones killed. Plus, Edward could do better. I kind of hate Bella, but in the sake of fairness, we’ll chalk some of that up to Kristin Stewart’s inability to act.

Random Thoughts: I’ve admitted that I haven’t read the books, but for the love of God, I hope the dialogue in them is better than it is in the movie. The quote I listed at the beginning of this post had me laughing for a few minutes. I literally had to pause the movie because I couldn’t focus on what happened after that until I made it through my laughing fit.

Was there any scene in this movie without background music? Music is meant to set the mood of the scene, but when overused it just becomes obnoxious and distracting. AmIright?

Catherine Hardwicke, your shots are not artistic. Please stop trying to be cooler than you are. The shot that stands out most to me is when Edward and Bella are in the forest and Bella is telling Edward that she knows what he is. There are so many unnecessary long shots of the trees that it’s laughable. Not to mention that most of the movie is overhead after overhead. And don’t even get me started on the desaturation! Cinematography fail.

Okay, so Bella moves and goes to a new school and immediately the paper wants to write an article about her? My school was too small to have a paper, but I have a hard time believe that it’s protocol to write an article about every new student.  Was it because her step dad is a baseball player? I could see that if anyone at the school ever mentioned it, but it’s never addressed leaving me to believe that the students don’t even know about her step dad. She’s just a random transfer student.. who apparently has never seen rain because she’s from Arizona. (Psst.. It rains in Arizona. Just an FYI.)

Also, Bella mentions to Jacob that she wishes he went to her school so that she’d have a friend, but 30 seconds after arriving she immediately befriends 20 kids. It appears that it was Stephanie Meyers intent to paint her as an outsider, and yet she is quickly accepted in this high school society. Doesn’t make much sense.

“Hey guys, I met this girl named Bella. She’s a human to whom I’ve told all our family secrets. (Of course, it only took her two conversations and a Google search to figure out I was a vampire anyway.) She’s given me no real reason to trust her and could easily get us exposed and killed, but I thought I’d invite her over so we can all be besties. Also, she smells good.”
“That’s cool. We’ll make her dinner.”
Dumbest. Vampires. Ever.

Hottie Alert: Kellan Lutz

The Verdict: Let’s not fool ourselves. These movies weren’t made to be masterpieces, they were made as film counterparts for teen romance novels. Because of that fact, I’ll cut them some slack. They are what they are. As difficult as it is for me to try to slide back into that mentality, I’ll will make a consorted effort to watch the rest of the films through the eyes of a sexually confused 14-year-old girl.
I don’t say this with any intended disrespect toward adults who enjoy the movies, but why? It’s a serious question. Why do you like Twilight? To me so far it’s pretty pitiful from every aspect – disconnected, incoherent story telling, terrible acting and cinematography that looks like it was directed by a fashion school dropout with something to prove. Maybe if I could see what you see in them, I’ll enjoy the other films more than the first. However, the fate of the first installment is sealed. 3/10

Coming up next: New Moon

The Twilight Project: A Twilight Virgin Watches 4 Twilight Movies in 5 Days

Our returning readers will probably remember that Brandon kicked off this blog with the Harry Potter Project in which he watched all eight Harry Potter movies in a five day span, then wrote reviews on each of them – an impressive feat. Until now I’ve been behind the scenes here at Grab Bag, so I thought what better to introduce myself than breaking down another wildly popular series – Twilight. Sure, I only have four movies to watch compared to his eight, but he was watching Harry Potter… I’m watching Twilight. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which project is more challenging.

The history: I’m a complete Twilight virgin. I’ve never opened one of the books or even paid full attention to any of the movie trailers. The only time I don’t zone out in situations concerning Twilight is when I hear people commenting on how absolutely terrible it is or how creepy it is that middle-aged women are lusting after teen actors. Oh, then there are the times I flip past late night talk shows interviewing Kristin Stewart and I literally spend the entire time debating if she is, in fact, a robot. But I digress.. that’s a different debate for another time.

Why didn’t I ever watch the movies in the first place? They look awful. I mean, through and through bad from the premise to the writing to the acting. Horrendous. Now, I am a self-admitted “movie elitist,” so don’t get too offended right off the bat, Twi-hards. As another side effect of my elitism – I’m generally put off by popular films. (Avatar, blah!) Clearly the Twilight series is quite popular so my natural inclination is to believe it’s over-hyped, but considering I’ve never seen any of them, I’m making unfair assumptions.

So why watch them now? The main reason is that nothing grinds my gears like people who call brilliant movies boring without even watching them first. Essentially, this is what I’ve been doing for the last three years with the Twilight series. Not that I’m calling the series brilliant, but in all fairness, if they are I wouldn’t know. It’s time for me to own up and give Edward, Bella and Jacob a chance. Time to finally make an educated decision if I’m on Team Edward or Team Jacob instead of defaulting to Jacob because he’s better looking. Time to see if I too will run out and buy body glitter and a replica Bella wedding ring.
Secondly, one of my new favorite theaters is giving out discounted refillable popcorn buckets and drink cups if you attend the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn. I’m a sucker for a good deal.

The project: From Sunday November 13th to Thursday at midnight, I will watch all 4 Twilight movies and review the movies I watched the previous night on this blog every day. I promise to write them from a completely neutral point of view. As much as may be inclined to let the elitist in me run wild, you have my word that I will give you my respectful, unbiased, honest opinion – good or bad – even if my confessions ruin my movie credibility. Between my 5 jobs and the fact that I’ve got a work days worth of Twilight watching to do, it’s going to be a jam packed week. Let’s do this! Sparkle, sparkle!

Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn: Part 1

Top 20 Movie Franchises of All-Time: #5 – 1

5. Rocky

Rocky (1976) – 10/10
Rocky II (2002) – 9/10
Rocky III (2004) – 8.5/10
Rocky IV (2005) – 8/10
Rocky V (2007) – 7/10
Rocky Balboa (2009) – 8/10

Why I love them so much: Did they get cheesier and hammier and whatever other breakfast foodier as the series went along? Of course they did, but who cares? Rocky is the ultimate underdog story, and the character himself is pretty incredible if you stop to analyze him. The Italian Stallion is a rough and tough boxer from the streets of Philly, but he’s ultimately a romantic at heart. He’s a bit of a dummy, but he’s such a sweet spirit that you don’t even care. He becomes a millionaire, but he never forgets his roots and where he came from. He’s a big goofball who tells corny jokes, but he gets dead serious and will bash your face in if you mess with his loved ones. He’s a family man, a fiercely loyal friend, and a patriotic American. And he’s got the Eye of the Tiger.

Favorite moment of the series: When Rocky clobbers Apollo Creed. No, when Rocky shows no pity to the fool Mr. T. Nahhhh. When Rocky hulks out on Hulk Hogan. Hmmm. Maybe when Rocky KO-GB’s Ivan Drago and the entire metaphorical Soviet Union. Or when Rocky takes it to the streets to whip up on former real life Great White Hope, Tommy Morrison. Okay, enough with the shenanigans, blog boy, give us the good stuff! In a collection full of epic boxing brawls, the best moment comes from the least likely source: a frail wife, sick in bed. When Adrian tells Rocky she just wants him to do one thing, and that is to, “Win Rocky… win!”, Rocky, Mickey, and every single one of us felt like we could take on the entire world.

Hottie Alert: pre-crazy Brigitte Nielsen

My geeky confession: To this day, if I see a big, long flight of concrete stairs leading up to a building, I sprint up them while simultaneously punching my fists in the air, and once at the top, I bounce around with my arms raised in victory over my head while singing, or more accurately doo-doo-doo’ing, “Gonna Fly Now”.

Twitter status update: Yo, @DanaWhite, I wanna shot at da UFC belt. Saturdayz ain’t good 4 me cuz it’s Bingo nite at the nursery home. Holla back later, I gotta take a nap.

4. Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – 10/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) – 7/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) – 9/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) – 7/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) – 7/10
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)- 7/10
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – 8.5/10
Freddy vs. Jason (2003) – 9/10 (Yes, I’m serious.)

Why I love them so much: Freddy Krueger has done some horrifying things to small children over the course of his lifetime, but he did have a positive impact on at least one little boy. It’s fairly obvious to those paying attention to this list that I’m a horror movie nut, and I have Freddy to thank for planting that seed. Just remind me to never try to thank him in person.

Favorite moment of the series: As tempted as I am to drop an awesome Freddy one-liner from one of the sequels where Freddy became some sort of a cheesy Dave Chappelle meets Norman Bates comic/serial killer morphing so that I can get a cheap laugh, I’ll stick with the original. Ya know, the scary one. The Tina in a bodybag, whispering for Nancy, proceeding to be dragged down the hallway by no one in particular, leaving a bloody trail behind scene is one of the all-time creepiest of my movie watching history. Okay, cheap laugh time: “Welcome to prime time, b****!”

Hottie Alert (for the ladies): Johnny Depp

My geeky confession: I’ve been a Freddy fan since I was nine years old. NINE! The original Freddy flick hit theaters in 1984, but the Mini-Me version of myself caught it on VHS the following year (true story, younggins—it used to take a full year for movies to be released to home video). I was horrified, but I also couldn’t get enough. How I didn’t grow up to be some sick, twisted serial killer is some sort of slight miracle. Heck, I can’t even watch those real life surgery shows cause my sissy tummy can’t hack the real stuff. I’ve been watching a child murderer slice teenagers up with finger knives for 25 years, but I get faint at the sight of a needle taking blood. Go figure.

Twitter status update: 1, 2 Freddy I love u. 3, 4 there’s lots of gore. 5, 6 I like ur taste in chicks. 7, 8 killing Jack Sparrow was great. 9, 10 don’t do a remake again.

3. Back To The Future

Back To The Future (1985) – 10/10
Back To The Future II (1989) – 9.5/10
Back To The Future III (1990) – 8/10

Why I love them so much: Action? Check. Adventure? Check. Comedy? Check. Romance? Check. Fantasy? Check. Sci-Fi? Check. Drama? Check. Rad soundtrack featuring Huey Lewis and the News? Check. Alex P. Keaton? Check. Young, super hot Elisabeth Shue? Check.

Favorite moment of the series: The very first time Marty McFly arrives in 1955. For a generation of film fanatics, this was also the very first time that we too were blown away by the possibility of what time travel could mean. Sure, other movies did it before, but not to the level and scope of Doc Brown. In the quarter of a century since McFly ventured back in time, we’ve been oversaturated with time travel stories. From Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure to Field of Dreams to Timecop to Lost, we now know all the rules and risks of time travel. But this moment was our first lesson.

Hottie Alert: Elisabeth Shue

My geeky confession: In the 80’s, I had such a big mancrush on Michael J. Fox that I vividly remember going to Fantastic Sam’s when I was 10 years old and asking the hairstylist to cut my hair like Marty McFly’s. I’m still convinced that I’ve never looked sexier before or since.

Twitter status update: Hey 2011 peeps, I’m tweeting from 2055 via a microchip in my brain! Guess what.. STILL NO HOVERBOARDS! But Cowboys win next 40 Super Bowls!

2. Spider-Man

Spider-Man (2002) – 10/10
Spider-Man 2 (2004) – 10/10
Spider-Man 3 (2007) – 8/10

Why I love them so much: Spider-Man was, is, and always will be my hero. Growing up on the cartoons, the comics, and even the cheesy live action television series, I’d waited 20 long years to see a big screen version of my favorite costumed crusader. And Sam Raimi did not disappoint. Without question, the first Spidey was my most anticipated movie experience of all-time… and probably my favorite.

Favorite moment of the series: The train scene in Spider-Man II. In the space of about 5 minutes, we see what separates Spider-Man from the other superhero icons. He uses his superhuman strength to stop a train (something Batman could never do), but it is physically torturous on his body (something Superman would never understand). As his body goes limp, the crowd of survivors see that this amazing superhero is… just a boy. And yet, he was willing to lay his life down to save them and was unafraid to sacrifice his identity being revealed if it meant helping others. Arguably the greatest action sequence AND the greatest dramatic sequence of the entire series all rolled up into one.

Hottie Alert: Elizabeth Banks

My geeky confession: Go through my mom’s old photo albums and you’ll find the answer. Almost every picture of me from ages 2-5, I am either shirtless and wearing Spidey underoos or I am pantless and wearing a Spidey shirt. Good thing she doesn’t have any pictures of me ages 25-34 in those albums, cause they’d be exactly the same.

Twitter status update: Memo 2 @MarcWebb, @AndrewGarfield, & writers of my new franchise reboot: I am FUNNY AND WITTY. And I am NOT a crybaby! #DontPullaRaimi

And before I reveal my #1 Favorite Film Franchise of All-Time, a quick break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you the following messages…

My Oh-So-Close Honorable Mentions: The Evil Dead, The Dollars Trilogy, Batman, The Universal Monsters Collection.

  • Yes, I did leave out Indiana Jones. I like them just fine, but have never fully loved them. Between you, me, and all the Indy fans who happened upon this blog via Google search, I just don’t care for Harrison Ford. Feel free to send hate mail to brandon@grabbagok.com or just leave nasty messages in the comments section.
  • Yes, I did leave out the slightly overrated Bourne Trilogy. Is his name Jason Bourne? Will he finally discover who he is? Why are all of these movies the exact same? I don’t care if I never get the answers to any of those questions.
  • Yes, I did leave out the absurdly overrated Pirates of the Caribbean. Or as I like to refer to them, much to my readers’ apparent confusion, My Bits of the Hair Lovey Bun.

And now, back to our reguarly scheduled program…

1. The Godfather Trilogy

The Godfather (1972) – 10/10
The Godfather II (1974) – 10/10
The Godfather III (1990) – 9.5/10

Why I love them so much: Simply put, these are the greatest films of all time. Yes, even Part III.

Favorite moment of the series: Insert the obligatory “it’s like asking a mother who her favorite child is” statement here. Really, though, there are so many iconic scenes and so many quotable lines, you’d think this was a 10 part series. I thought about saying “My favorite moment starts with the opening ‘I believe in America’ monologue and ends with a lonely, sorrowful Michael Corleone quietly passing away in his death chair”, but I decided to man up and pick ONE moment. For me, it’s Michael’s Vegas standoff with Moe Green. One of the greatest transformations in film history comes full circle, as the sweet, innocent war hero has been completely stripped away and for the first time, we see the cold, calculated mob boss. Pacino can say more with a slight look of his eyes than most actors will express in their entire filmography, and when he confronts Moe about slapping his brother Fredo around, I realized that Michael Corleone was the single most badass character in all of film and that Al Pacino the single most badass actor I’d ever seen.

Hottie Alert (for the ladies): Al Pacino

My geeky confession: Too many to count. I could list all the different ways I plan on using The Godfather theme in my life (it will be my wedding song, my funeral song and my intro music when I become a professional wrestler). I could tell you how watching The Godfather made me want to become an actor (hey, don’t knock it, my performance as “Soldier #1” in Deer Creek High School’s 1994 production of “Wizard of Oz” earned rave reviews… from my mom). I could confess that I’ve told my girlfriend that I will not propose to her until she watches all three Godfather films (she’s only 1/3 of the way there). I could tell you how I have a fantasy football team named The Godfathers, how my avatar on any message board is Michael Corleone, or how my friend and I actually made spaghetti using Clemenza’s spoken recipe and feasted while having our annual Godfather marathon. I only wish that I would’ve been a Godfather fan when Part III came out so I could’ve shown up to the midnight showing dressed like Luca Brasi.

Twitter status update: We were just named the #1 Film Franchise of All Time by @grabbagok! Better than all our Oscars, AFI lists, and IMDB rankings combined! Gratsi!

Coming up: Top 10 Movies That Shouldn’t Have Made Me Cry… But Did