Twilight

The only place to begin is the book.  Twilight is about a teenage girl, Bella Swan, who exiles herself to a small town of Forks, Washington, and the rainiest place in the continental United States.  There she falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen, in unique tale of forbidden romance.

When pressed to describe the series I say it’s about “vampires and awesomeness.”  I am a tween at heart.  The books are amazing, so it’s hard to believe that any film could come close.  If you have read the books you must go into the movie with an open mind.

I saw Twilight at the midnight showing in my town.  That was a very interesting experience.  All the little tweens screamed every time a new young male actor appeared on the screen.  It was annoying and fun at the same time.  My theatre was full.  Arriving a half hour early left me in the suck seats two rows before the scream.  Not the best way to see any film.  So it wasn’t surprising to me that Twilight grossed around $77 mil in it’s first three days.  That was the highest opening for a female director, and thought that makes me happy to see a successful female, I was upset that it had to be Catherine Hardwick.

Catherine Hardwick directed and young, up-and-coming group of actors.  Kirsten Stewart plays Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen.  The acting was so-so, but I blame that on the direction.  Kristen Stewart really only had one look the entire film and that was a very blank one.  Establishing shots were amazing but most of the film was conducted in close-up and these actors just aren’t ready for that yet or were poorly directed on.

The filmed moved very quickly and the action was a little off.  Never once did the book say that Edward was spider-man and yet he’s scaling trees in the film.

Rating: 2.5 ★ stars (out of 5)

Recommendation:  This is the perfect tween film.  It represents teenagers almost spot on and is quite humorous.  Throw in some good-looking actors and you have Twilight.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved the film, but I loved it more for what I could bring to it than what was presented in front of me.  If you are, have or are a tween at heart then this is a good film for you.

Rachel Getting Married

Sorry that this post is long overdue.  I have several movies that I want to write about including Twilight and Role Models.  Since my finals have ended I will update more my reviews more often.

            Rachel Getting Married is tale of a recovering drug addict, Kym (Anne Hathaway), who gets out of rehab just in time to make it to her big sister, Rachel’s (Rosemarie Dewitt) wedding.  With Kym comes a trouble past and loads of tension.

            Kym struggles with her past and Rachel struggles to keep Kym and herself happy on what should be the happiest day of her life.  Although it is Rachel’s day, Kym finds herself in the spotlight, not unknowingly, a few times.  The sisters’ loves, hug, battle and at times loathe each other.  Their father tries to keep the peace but always seems to side with the youngest, Kym.

            Rachel Getting Married is a very emotional film taking you from tears, to shock, to chuckles.  Family fights reveal secrets and strangers lend new insight.  Every emotional thread will be pulled.

            As a low budget indie film you can expect elements of the movie to be outside mainstream Hollywood.  The beginning of the movie is occupied with long following shots that have made me a little dizzy at first, but I eventually got used to.  The score of the film is also all in real time.  The wedding band is on site for the backyard wedding at all times rehearsing.  I found that to be a very unique feature of the film.

Rating: 4.5 ★ stars (out of 5)

Recommendation:  It’s an excellent film with great casting a real homey feel.  It’s not a must see but for anyone who is wondering if it’s any good, it is!

Quantum of Solace

Flashes of fancy cars and amazing coastal scenery grace the opening scene as Bond tries to escape assailants.  Traffic, police, and dangerous roads threaten to foil Bond.

Daniel Craig stars as agent 007 for the second time in this 46-year-old franchise.  Can you believe it?  46 years!  Not only that, but Quantum had the highest grossing opening weekend of any bond raking in $70.4 mil.

Originally, Daniel Craig was met with adversity when producers announced that he would be the next Bond, but the dollars show that he is now a welcomed member of the Bond family.

Quantum of Solace has a lack luster plot that is filled with action from start to finish.  The film follows Bond as seeks to find those who were behind the death of his girlfriend Vesper.  In his search he finds the terrorist organization “Quantum”, who aren’t so much terrorists but severely unethical businessmen with scary cronies. The characters aren’t developed the same way that they were in the first film.  Bond is Bond, and M is trying to rein him in, to keep the trust.

The plot, however, can’t take anything away from the action sequences.  Rarely are there back-to-back scenes without some sort of explosion or gunfire.   My friends joked about there being negative dialogue.  That’s when the explosions outweigh the actual dialogue, and they were right.

The new Bond films break away from tradition.  Bond is still smooth in his own way, but he relies less on gadgets and more on his pure awesomeness to get stuff done.  The Craig films are more “real” than their predecessors, and contain more emotion.

Rating: 3.75 ★ Stars (out of 5)

Recommendation:  You don’t have to be a Bond fan to appreciate these new Bond films.  It’s action packed and full of beautiful people.  I think anyone can find enjoyment in this movie.  I say – Check it out!

Until next time…Entertain Your Soul

~ Rachel

PS – I love discussions.  Tell me what you think constitutes someone as being a “Bond Girl”.  Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Here's the trailer

The Beginning - What it's all about

Life sucks sometimes. Period.  We all need an escape.  Is it any wonder why a girl will sit in front of a television screen, watch The Notebook and pig out on ice cream when she gets dumped?  Or how about, when guys get together and pop in scrubs and watch it for hours on end?  Movies, books, and television allow us to escape, to feel, to wonder.

I love all of these things (books most recently).  I love how a good book can make you think differently, how a great movie can help you appreciate what you are seeing just a little more, and how a favorite TV show can capture a culture.

I would love to turn this passion into a career someday (directing, editing, writing, whatever) but for now I will keep it as an amazing hobby.  In this blog, I will review movies, books, and sometimes give you a smidgen of my life.  The movies/books that I review may or may not be current; it just depends on when I see them. 

Each movie will have a star rating attached to it.  I have decided on a 6 star system.  Why?  Well, because I think nowadays 5 stars are being given out way too often, so I have reserved the 6^th star for the truly unique.  It is just like the 5 star system we know and love, so forget about the 6^th star until/if it shows up.  If you see a 6 star anything (Which will look like this - 6! Stars (out of 5)), don’t hesitate, go out and see it/read it!

My first review will be coming up and it will be the latest installment of James Bond.  That’s right, Quantum of Solace.  Also be on the lookout for Rachel Getting Married and Twilight!

Until next time…Entertain Your Soul

~Rachel