Sitting here thinking about writing this review actually makes me feel quite unsure and confused. I don't know whether it's the fact that I went to bed at 3am after watching the midnight premiere. Maybe it's due to the fact that I went to bed at 2am for the past two nights in a row, and could barely sleep more than 5 hours last night.
I don't know, my tiredness may be contributing to my rather spacier-than-normal state. Just a theory.
However I will try to recall what I can, and perhaps a follow up review will have to ensue when I watch it again.
Bestie Red, her sister and I left home about 9-ish, knowing full well that a long line to watch the movie would be expected if we left it too late. Luckily, we were fortunate to be the second group waiting in line outside Cinema 8, at the wee hour of 9:30pm. The movie was at 12:01am.
Ugh!
It turned out that the cinema we were waiting in front of was already occupied, with Twi-hards currently watching a back-to-back of Twilight and New Moon. One of the ushers told us that the current inhabitants would be made to leave when the 2 films were over, in order to allow the cleaners in, which made us feel momentarily guilty about all those fans having to get out and line up BEHIND all of us as we got first dibs on seating, but that feeling soon vanished at the prospect of getting good seats.
As per usual it didn't feel like we were waiting that long, as we talked a-plenty about life, love, inspirations, dreams and hopes. Our talks can tend to go in the direction of all things meaningful and metaphorical about life, which is nice. Every once in a while, it's nice to just stop and observe, be aware of all that is going on and has been going on, and also to re-evaluate where you are. And every so often, our discussions were dotted with mentions of the time, Eclipse, the Twilight books and the long, LONG line that was developing behind us.
We strategically got ourselves ready earlier: bought all our food provisions (Eclipse themed with a drink bottle nontheless!) and made sure we were all refreshed so that the second the theatre was emptied out of it's occupants and cleaned, we would be ready to roar.
Red had peeked around into the theatre while it was getting cleaned, and she said that there were still a lot of people in there, occupying mainly the middle to top of the cinema mid-section of seats. So it seemed the cleaners hadn't been able to kick them out.
Oh well Plan B. We had decided that were it to come to this point, that the 3 of us would rush into the cinema in 3 directions: one to the far left, one to the middle and one to the far right, and the one with the best 3 seats would quickly claim them and hail the other 2 over.
That had been my suggestion. The measures we go to for the love of Twilight.
Everyone who had been sitting outside the cinema behind us, reading and talking amongst themselves, was now standing up, eagerly anticipating the "let-in." I was feeling nervous, thinking that once we got the go-ahead to go in, that the girls behind us would push and shove and trample all over us like the doors opening at 9am on a Boxing Day sale.
One of the tall ushers who had been milling around in and out of the cinema, was at once standing in front of the open doors. He looked over at us, hesitated ever so slightly and then, without a word, gestured with a wave of his hand as if to say "after you."
We took the cue, quickly.
As we walked/ran in, some of the existing girls in the cinema said "run, quick!" Ha ha so NOT funny.
We got good seats, in the middle section right below the half-way mark, we were practically in the MIDDLE. So it was kewl.
During the ads and previews, I was anxiously wolfing down popcorn, much like I had been while outside waiting in line. It was just the nerves, the anticipation was getting to me. I wasn't even hungry.
Everyone got a scare though, as during the Harry Potter film trailer, suddenly the image was only on the top-half of the screen, as if the projector had been nudged upwards. Girls around us started complaining and yelling, and one ran down to let someone outside know: conveniently there were no ushers around when it happened. It was fixed, but then ended up happening again, during the trailer for the new Cruise/Diaz flick. This was getting us all nervous now. I would rather they have stopped it and fixed the problem, rather than keep showing the previews and risk the next scene change being 'The Feature,' and still having a half-screen image. Luckily, it was fixed, and then right on time too.
It began.
You know what, I can't even remember a lot of it. Which is why I need to watch it again. I think this may be due to the fact that I am in the last 270 pages of Breaking Dawn, and seeing as soooo much happens in the last two books, I actually had to remind myself to go back a book, step back in time, and not think about what was currently happening in the last installment.
So firstly. The whole story with the newborns being created by Victoria, that was done better in the film. I mean, depending on whether you don't mind the 'spoil' factor. With the book, we don't actually know what is going on as we are only reading Bella's perspective, however we can safely make assumptions seeing as more often than not Bella is the last to work things out, whether a deliberate choice by Stephenie Meyer or not. We have the newborn, Riley, being created at the beginning of the film, and then we see the progression of newborns as the film continues. It's much smoother, much more integrated and just generally ties in better together with the other aspects of the film. Quite simply, it's done the way a movie should be done. You don't go through a good film, and then have some unexpected theme introduced, much like the first Twilight book where half-way through Bella learns of the Cullens' efforts to ward off the red-eyed vamps. In the book, you can see how this could be forgiven, but even so, my analytical opinion is that even the first Twilight book could have done it better. But that's another argument. Yes, there are movies that often throw unexpected events or themes at you, but if it is a good film it will have been done so in the most appropriate way in line with the narrative itself.
Much more violence in the third film, than in any other Twilight installment so far. And although the opening scenes of Riley being attacked were a bit full on, I liked it. I mean, come on, this IS a vampire story, and in line with that you need to see a bit of violence, danger, and you want to see the Cullens absolutely ripping each other to shreds when they play fight in front of the werewolves. It makes the fantasy more interesting, intriguing. More plausible. :)
So violence = tick.
Another stand-out scene was when the Cullens minus Edward were chasing down Victoria, at the very beginning of the film. Those scenes were fantastic. The chase, the close-calls, the werewolves chasing in parallel - very action packed. And of course as we didn't read about it in the book, given Bella didn't know about Victoria returning at the very beginning, we weren't to know about the chase sequence. So again, different perspective = good narrative tie-ins.
When I read Eclipse, and came across Rosalie's and Jasper's back stories, I soooooo much wanted them to be portrayed in the film. I love the back story concept so much (as I've discussed in another blog) and was happy to see it had made the cut. As per usual, I did think they could have gone into a bit more detail in regards to Rosalie's story, but then again, with a good chunk of the book being cut, you could understand why they would have skimmed over a lot of the details. Rosalie returning for revenge on her fiance, in a wedding dress, was AWESOME! Just like I pictured it. And I loved Jasper's story too, in particular seeing a bit more of the relationship he has with Alice, that was really lovely, very sweet.
I can't think of a lot more specifics. I know that the story progressed at a really fast pace. I understood it all, but couldn't help wondering how Hubbie would take it when eventually we watched it together, and whether he would understand it as well as I did seeing as he hasn't read any of the books. The way the book progressed, was like counting to 10, but going as slow as counting 1/4s, 1/2s, and so on. For example, 1, 1 and 1/4, 1 and 1/3, 1 and 1/2, 1 and 3/4, 2, etc. However the film, although exploring all the main key concepts, sort of went like this: 1, 2, 2 and 1/2, 4, 5, 7, etc. Although you can follow, a lot of the little details, the things that enrich the book so much, were left out. And again, I will say in this review like I did for my New Moon one, is that when you have a book hundreds of pages long, and when you are in Bella's head, reading her thoughts as much as you do, translating all of that into a 2 hour movie is just impossible. It simply cannot happen, and expecting anything more is not only unrealistic but detrimental to your subjective view of the film. There's no chance but to only be disappointed if you walk into it expecting that.
Having said that, I do believe that there is no way that the final installment can be stuffed up in any way.
I say that because I've heard the last book will be done in 2 parts (because there's no bloody other way they could do it!) and there is so much action, and plot changes, that they cannot be omitted in any way. Omitting them would be narrative murder, it just can't happen, for the sake of the story and the flow of it. Removing it would be criminal. It's just not possible. So I do have high hopes for Breaking Dawn. :)
One thing I particularly liked at the end of the film: when Bella and Edward are sitting in that beautiful field of flowers, after the whole Victoria/Volturi event, Bella says (whether to Edward or in her head I can't remember) that it was never a choice between Edward or Jacob. It was never about who she loved more, or who she should choose to be a permanent figure in her life, because she always loved Edward more, and there was no question about that. It was more of a decision between the old Bella, and the new one. Remaining as Bella Swan, or taking on that new neverending life as Edwards eternal partner. I really loved that quote, how she explained her unfaltering love for Edward. Especially as I was sooooo furious when in the last chapters of Eclipse, she "realised" she loved Jacob too (I was considering ripping those pages to pieces, to forever erase the memory and evidence of her words about him!) and was feeling torn between them. I hated that sooooo much! How could she be so obssessed with Edward, from the moment she saw him, to putting herself in life-threatening situations just to hallucinate over him after going through the greatest depression of her life after he left her, and then proclaim that apparently she also loved her best friend? Argh!!!!!!! Such hipocrisy I couldn't stand it! And my opinion on that is that it is not possible - at all - sorry Jabob fans, but that storyline was only written in to keep you temporarily happy and hopeful. That is all. It's always been Bella and Edward :)
I could be shooting myself in the foot here, I still have 270 pages to go in Breaking Dawn ;P
But I did love the way Bella brought it all together in the film with that quote. It made me happy and easy with the whole triangle thing.
So yes, all in all, those are my thoughts. And once again as with New Moon, I woke up the next day thinking "I have to see it again!" Which I will, hopefully sooner rather than later. It was a great experience, and I did enjoy it. But I will constantly reiterate: I need to watch it again, when I'm not enveloped in a cloud of sleepiness and high on a concoction of sodium stuffed popcorn and sickly sugary-sweet lemonade.
I think the thing I have to remember is not to compare the book too much against the film. I can't help it though. My habitual over-analytical media mind kicks in, and I end up sitting in the cinema, hand frozen and hovering over the popcorn in my lap, other hand resting on my chin, my eyes scrutinizing every little word, detail and action.
However, in the midst of this whole review, I've come across an absolutely hilarious article/comic, written by a guy going by the name of The Oatmeal. He is an absolute genius. Within moments of reading it I was almost crying from laughter. He explains why the whole Twilight series works, and breaks the story down into a formula, accompanying his theories with some very amusing comics. AWESOME!
If you are a hardcore Twi-hard, don't go further than here. However, if like me, you like to poke fun at things, most importantly your own obssessive interests, then click here:
http://theoatmeal.com/story/twilight
You'll be smiling at first sight :) Enjoy!
Showing posts with label New Moon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Moon. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
Part 2: my very LONG (but fantastic and in-depth!) New Moon Review
When we were finally allowed back into the cinema, instead of filing in in a single line, it was like lines of 6 and 7 merging together to squeeze into the gap commonly known as the doorway.
My bestie rushed up to our seats and everything was as it should have been: everything was in place, cardi, jacket, bag, mags, refreshments, and THOSE notes. Lol.
As all the Twilight watchers found their seats again, another girl now, also representing the cinema, came in and thanked us for our patience and co-operation. She said that we had been MUCH better than the other cinema-goers. Well of course we had, as more than half of the people in our theatre had already had seats, whereas the other cinemas showing New Moon had people coming in fresh, so they would have been frantically rushing and pushing in to get good seats.
Pat on the back, go us.
We then watched, amused, as all the 'new-comers; practically sprinted in, running to random seats and frantically asking "is this seat taken?"
And we sat, relaxed, awaiting the next couple of hours. So glad we watched Twilight first!
Since it had taken so long to seat everyone, the previews started late, and by this time, I'm sure everyone was hoping to have seen the first half hour of New Moon rather than still be watching film previews.
Every time a preview finished there was an anxious hush of silence. When another movie classification came up, you could hear the frustrated sighs run across the theatre, followed by "geez," and "come on."
"THE REVIEW"
It was all VERY exciting. Once the movie began, after repeated moments from me and bestie of "oh my gosh I can't believe it!' followed by high-pitched "woooooohhhh!" -s, the familiar Summit logo loomed before us and gave us the indication that something great was about to begin.
First the opener. Loved the full moon turning into a new moon to uncover the film title. That was a great effect.
The start was good: hearing Bella open with the Shakespeare quote about "these violent delights have violent ends..." that we first read in the book. Like in the Twilight book, where Bella talks about dying for the one she loves, and in the film, where instead of reading that scene we hear her future thoughts, we also have the opening and pivotal scene in New Moon of Bella rushing through the square towards the Tower to save Edward, much like it's narrative version.
And staying true to the book, we have Bella's dream in which she sees herself as her grandma, the beginning of her ongoing obsession with aging.
The moments I most loved about the film, occurred primarily in the beginning.
I was soooo looking forward to how, and if, the film would portray OR accurately portray the passage of time starting in October that is presented to us in the book by simply stating a month per page, showing us how basic, empty and quick the time has passed for Bella without Edward.
I was moved to tears in the film, I thought it was done brilliantly. The background song "It's a possibility..." looping round and round, as the camera circled her, accompanied very nicely by her emails to Alice, a screen addition that was able to show us Bella's thoughts in another way, was particularly FANTASTIC. I think it showed us her pain really well, along with her screaming nightmares.
When Edward first breaks up with Bella, and then she begins walking around in the forest, finally tripping and staying on the floor of the forest, as again the camera circles in an aerial view from above, although for some viewers I think this would have seemed like a pointless exercise and a bit monotonous, I believe it accurately portrayed how dizzying her world was becoming, and how things were now spiralling out of control. It was a nice metaphor.
The heavy-breathing effect, as Sam emerged from the darkness of the forest carrying Bella: LIKE.
The awkward 'date' with Bella, Jacob and Mike was HILARIOUS. Especially in the cinema, with the guys open and ready-waiting hands on either side of Bella: it was done to true form.
The climactic showdown between Edward and Felix, as Felix attempted to take him down in Volterra in front of the Volturi, was an interesting addition, and definitely added some action that I believe generally lacked in the narrative.
Victoria's run through the forest, coming into a gridlock with Harry Clearwater and then running from the wolves and jumping into the sea, that was good. It paved the way nicely for Bella's own jump, showed the wolves in action as well as the men's hunting, while providing the scene for Harry's heart attack. Applause for the combining of several storylines.
I also loved the little glimmer of the future through Alice's mind, where Aro saw Edward and Bella as vampires. THAT was great! I guess not knowing how things turn out, it was especially exciting for me!
I didn't mind the ending: the showdown between Edward and Jacob, and the way that it appropriately ended with the cliffhanger "Will you marry me?"
What DID upset me slightly in this ending was not the way that it ended, but in the way practically all the teeny-boppers in the cinema reacted: with disappointed and anxiety-riddled excited sighs and screams.
I KNOW that I am in the minority by having only read the first 2 books of the series to date, but I will safely presume that 99.9% of the people in there will have read all of them. So if you know what happens, why are you reacting so strongly? I mean, even with having read the end of New Moon, where the marriage proposal comes earlier in Bella's room and she declines it, I can safely assume I know what happens. (Please don't kill me with spoilers!) Why this blatant and ridiculous display of idiocy and drama from the other girls watching I can't understand!
Now, on the other hand, there was a feeling between our group there, sort of an undefined feeling, but nevertheless a feeling, once the film finished, of "oh."
And it's the same problem that you find with many book to film adaptations, of the film not quite living up to the book in some respect. Now I guess the main problem we saw with the film was that it couldn't quite show the development of the characters relationships: Bella's and Jacob's; Edward's feelings after Jasper attacked Bella; Edward and Bella's subsequent make up; and Bella's fallen out friendships during her hole-in-the-stomach period. This was going to be difficult to do anyway, given the length of time we are reading Bella's thoughts, AND given the length of the book in comparison to the film. Considering the difference, the film did do a good job, it's just so hard to separate the two when you are expecting so much on screen and you keep referring to what you've read: it makes it impossible not to compare as you watch.
I did not particularly like the way Bella jumped on the motorbike of one of the wild guys in Port Angeles: I didn't feel this accurately portrayed her. Yes, she was seeking a thrill, but I found it a bit of an extreme act considering she'd just discovered her adrenaline rush-producing hallucinations.
I see why they did it, with lack of time and all and in line with the general re-shuffling of some scenes and key points, but I didn't expect Bella and Edward to make up so quickly in Volterra. I guess it just came to be what I expected from the film. And I soooo much wanted Edward to breathe "Carlisle was right," when Bella jumped into his arms! But, alas it didn't happen. Much like the line I so much wanted to hear in the Twilight film that came towards the end of the book, after Edward had saved Bella from James, and after sucking out the venom, was now carrying her. I can't remember the exact line, but Edward expressed his love for Bella, and she replied, exhausted by the whole ordeal, simply with "I know." It was so hilarious, simple but poignant, but it missed the book to film translation.
As did the scene in Bella's room in New Moon, where Edward appeared after the Volterra ordeal and she burst out crying, believing she was dead, despite his reassurances of life and love for her. It was so desperate, sad, funny and touching, but something like that, a gem, all those narrative gems, you wonder how they could ever accurately translate into a film, when so much relies on passage after passage, chapter after chapter, continual story build-up, of heartache, desperation and nerves.
I guess there wasn't any real point of disappoint, in terms of a let-down scene, one that not quite lived up to the book, it was just a general run-through of knowing and seeing that the film couldn't keep up. Generally, a book can't provide you with the little details, set you up again and again by keeping Edward away from the action, and give you that incessant feeling of "what is going to happen next? where is this turning point I'm waiting for?" that the book provides. I hear so often of people when having read New Moon for the first time, of being so frustrated, in constantly wondering where Edward was, and always expecting him to turn up and save Bella, without ever doing so.
Although the film shows us the same scenarios, there is the difference in that in the film we do SEE Edward, in Bella's hallucinations. In the book, we can only imagine him, and although it may not seem like much of a difference, it makes us that much more separated and distant from him, makes us long for his character to return even more, and makes us feel as empty and desperate as Bella. Even as a Team Jacob fan, you would be constantly wondering if/how/when Edward was going to return and you'd be second-guessing everything.
I guess New Moon had such a build up and such huge advertising leading up to the premiere, that it was going to be hard, harder for it than for it's predecessor Twilight, to live up to all it's expectations. And that is a problem generally with sequels, none more so than New Moon. Although there was hype with the first film, especially with the die-hard fans of the book, once that became such a box office success, you could almost see the pressure and (unrealistic) expectations already mounting on all the remaining sequels.
The acting was spot on, absolutely superb. Kristen was looking better, more polished, I found Carlisle and Charlie to be so endearing, I love the way their characters are portrayed. Alice is so charming, and Jacob, despite myself being a Team Edward fan, I found really really good. Dakota Fanning as Jane: oh my gosh. Words cannot express how incredible I thought she was, she took on such a different role to others she's had in the past. She's so grown up, and she has fulfilled the role in every possible way, better than expected. Incredible she was.
Despite some of the failings, it doesn't make me love the film version any less. In fact I woke the day after watching it, unable to stop rambling about it to Hubbie, and insisted we must watch it, which we ended up doing a few days ago. My final verdict is: I love it. I guess time has helped me to understand the difficulty of translating text to screen, which I accept more freely now. It was harder to do that in first watching it, after midnight, after such a long anticipating wait and build-up to the main event! I also believe that New Moon is the book in the series that sets a lot of things up: Jacob is a werewolf, we know Edward is a vampire, Bella wants to be a vampire, and there are all sorts of vampires after them for various reasons. I belive there will be a lot of action in the final 2 books, which is why New Moon generally lacked a lot of action. Not having read the last 2, I can't safely presume this, but to me it seems to be the way it's heading.
In case you were wondering.... Hubbie liked it! He hasn't read any of the books, and perhaps because of that, he's liked both without having any problems with the translation of it. I've suggested that he start reading the next two, so that we can argue and debate the whole Twilight series together. I would definitely LOVE that!
Out of 10...... I'd give it an 8. In comparison to the book that is. I still need to watch it at least once more, with my bestie in Gold Class, so I can experience the joy (and sadness) of Bella/Edward/Jacob with refreshments!
However, ideally I'd like to watch it 4 times in total, so I can make it a Full Moon.
LOL. I had to put it in there.
My bestie rushed up to our seats and everything was as it should have been: everything was in place, cardi, jacket, bag, mags, refreshments, and THOSE notes. Lol.
As all the Twilight watchers found their seats again, another girl now, also representing the cinema, came in and thanked us for our patience and co-operation. She said that we had been MUCH better than the other cinema-goers. Well of course we had, as more than half of the people in our theatre had already had seats, whereas the other cinemas showing New Moon had people coming in fresh, so they would have been frantically rushing and pushing in to get good seats.
Pat on the back, go us.
We then watched, amused, as all the 'new-comers; practically sprinted in, running to random seats and frantically asking "is this seat taken?"
And we sat, relaxed, awaiting the next couple of hours. So glad we watched Twilight first!
Since it had taken so long to seat everyone, the previews started late, and by this time, I'm sure everyone was hoping to have seen the first half hour of New Moon rather than still be watching film previews.
Every time a preview finished there was an anxious hush of silence. When another movie classification came up, you could hear the frustrated sighs run across the theatre, followed by "geez," and "come on."
"THE REVIEW"
It was all VERY exciting. Once the movie began, after repeated moments from me and bestie of "oh my gosh I can't believe it!' followed by high-pitched "woooooohhhh!" -s, the familiar Summit logo loomed before us and gave us the indication that something great was about to begin.
First the opener. Loved the full moon turning into a new moon to uncover the film title. That was a great effect.
The start was good: hearing Bella open with the Shakespeare quote about "these violent delights have violent ends..." that we first read in the book. Like in the Twilight book, where Bella talks about dying for the one she loves, and in the film, where instead of reading that scene we hear her future thoughts, we also have the opening and pivotal scene in New Moon of Bella rushing through the square towards the Tower to save Edward, much like it's narrative version.
And staying true to the book, we have Bella's dream in which she sees herself as her grandma, the beginning of her ongoing obsession with aging.
The moments I most loved about the film, occurred primarily in the beginning.
I was soooo looking forward to how, and if, the film would portray OR accurately portray the passage of time starting in October that is presented to us in the book by simply stating a month per page, showing us how basic, empty and quick the time has passed for Bella without Edward.
I was moved to tears in the film, I thought it was done brilliantly. The background song "It's a possibility..." looping round and round, as the camera circled her, accompanied very nicely by her emails to Alice, a screen addition that was able to show us Bella's thoughts in another way, was particularly FANTASTIC. I think it showed us her pain really well, along with her screaming nightmares.
When Edward first breaks up with Bella, and then she begins walking around in the forest, finally tripping and staying on the floor of the forest, as again the camera circles in an aerial view from above, although for some viewers I think this would have seemed like a pointless exercise and a bit monotonous, I believe it accurately portrayed how dizzying her world was becoming, and how things were now spiralling out of control. It was a nice metaphor.
The heavy-breathing effect, as Sam emerged from the darkness of the forest carrying Bella: LIKE.
The awkward 'date' with Bella, Jacob and Mike was HILARIOUS. Especially in the cinema, with the guys open and ready-waiting hands on either side of Bella: it was done to true form.
The climactic showdown between Edward and Felix, as Felix attempted to take him down in Volterra in front of the Volturi, was an interesting addition, and definitely added some action that I believe generally lacked in the narrative.
Victoria's run through the forest, coming into a gridlock with Harry Clearwater and then running from the wolves and jumping into the sea, that was good. It paved the way nicely for Bella's own jump, showed the wolves in action as well as the men's hunting, while providing the scene for Harry's heart attack. Applause for the combining of several storylines.
I also loved the little glimmer of the future through Alice's mind, where Aro saw Edward and Bella as vampires. THAT was great! I guess not knowing how things turn out, it was especially exciting for me!
I didn't mind the ending: the showdown between Edward and Jacob, and the way that it appropriately ended with the cliffhanger "Will you marry me?"
What DID upset me slightly in this ending was not the way that it ended, but in the way practically all the teeny-boppers in the cinema reacted: with disappointed and anxiety-riddled excited sighs and screams.
I KNOW that I am in the minority by having only read the first 2 books of the series to date, but I will safely presume that 99.9% of the people in there will have read all of them. So if you know what happens, why are you reacting so strongly? I mean, even with having read the end of New Moon, where the marriage proposal comes earlier in Bella's room and she declines it, I can safely assume I know what happens. (Please don't kill me with spoilers!) Why this blatant and ridiculous display of idiocy and drama from the other girls watching I can't understand!
Now, on the other hand, there was a feeling between our group there, sort of an undefined feeling, but nevertheless a feeling, once the film finished, of "oh."
And it's the same problem that you find with many book to film adaptations, of the film not quite living up to the book in some respect. Now I guess the main problem we saw with the film was that it couldn't quite show the development of the characters relationships: Bella's and Jacob's; Edward's feelings after Jasper attacked Bella; Edward and Bella's subsequent make up; and Bella's fallen out friendships during her hole-in-the-stomach period. This was going to be difficult to do anyway, given the length of time we are reading Bella's thoughts, AND given the length of the book in comparison to the film. Considering the difference, the film did do a good job, it's just so hard to separate the two when you are expecting so much on screen and you keep referring to what you've read: it makes it impossible not to compare as you watch.
I did not particularly like the way Bella jumped on the motorbike of one of the wild guys in Port Angeles: I didn't feel this accurately portrayed her. Yes, she was seeking a thrill, but I found it a bit of an extreme act considering she'd just discovered her adrenaline rush-producing hallucinations.
I see why they did it, with lack of time and all and in line with the general re-shuffling of some scenes and key points, but I didn't expect Bella and Edward to make up so quickly in Volterra. I guess it just came to be what I expected from the film. And I soooo much wanted Edward to breathe "Carlisle was right," when Bella jumped into his arms! But, alas it didn't happen. Much like the line I so much wanted to hear in the Twilight film that came towards the end of the book, after Edward had saved Bella from James, and after sucking out the venom, was now carrying her. I can't remember the exact line, but Edward expressed his love for Bella, and she replied, exhausted by the whole ordeal, simply with "I know." It was so hilarious, simple but poignant, but it missed the book to film translation.
As did the scene in Bella's room in New Moon, where Edward appeared after the Volterra ordeal and she burst out crying, believing she was dead, despite his reassurances of life and love for her. It was so desperate, sad, funny and touching, but something like that, a gem, all those narrative gems, you wonder how they could ever accurately translate into a film, when so much relies on passage after passage, chapter after chapter, continual story build-up, of heartache, desperation and nerves.
I guess there wasn't any real point of disappoint, in terms of a let-down scene, one that not quite lived up to the book, it was just a general run-through of knowing and seeing that the film couldn't keep up. Generally, a book can't provide you with the little details, set you up again and again by keeping Edward away from the action, and give you that incessant feeling of "what is going to happen next? where is this turning point I'm waiting for?" that the book provides. I hear so often of people when having read New Moon for the first time, of being so frustrated, in constantly wondering where Edward was, and always expecting him to turn up and save Bella, without ever doing so.
Although the film shows us the same scenarios, there is the difference in that in the film we do SEE Edward, in Bella's hallucinations. In the book, we can only imagine him, and although it may not seem like much of a difference, it makes us that much more separated and distant from him, makes us long for his character to return even more, and makes us feel as empty and desperate as Bella. Even as a Team Jacob fan, you would be constantly wondering if/how/when Edward was going to return and you'd be second-guessing everything.
I guess New Moon had such a build up and such huge advertising leading up to the premiere, that it was going to be hard, harder for it than for it's predecessor Twilight, to live up to all it's expectations. And that is a problem generally with sequels, none more so than New Moon. Although there was hype with the first film, especially with the die-hard fans of the book, once that became such a box office success, you could almost see the pressure and (unrealistic) expectations already mounting on all the remaining sequels.
The acting was spot on, absolutely superb. Kristen was looking better, more polished, I found Carlisle and Charlie to be so endearing, I love the way their characters are portrayed. Alice is so charming, and Jacob, despite myself being a Team Edward fan, I found really really good. Dakota Fanning as Jane: oh my gosh. Words cannot express how incredible I thought she was, she took on such a different role to others she's had in the past. She's so grown up, and she has fulfilled the role in every possible way, better than expected. Incredible she was.
Despite some of the failings, it doesn't make me love the film version any less. In fact I woke the day after watching it, unable to stop rambling about it to Hubbie, and insisted we must watch it, which we ended up doing a few days ago. My final verdict is: I love it. I guess time has helped me to understand the difficulty of translating text to screen, which I accept more freely now. It was harder to do that in first watching it, after midnight, after such a long anticipating wait and build-up to the main event! I also believe that New Moon is the book in the series that sets a lot of things up: Jacob is a werewolf, we know Edward is a vampire, Bella wants to be a vampire, and there are all sorts of vampires after them for various reasons. I belive there will be a lot of action in the final 2 books, which is why New Moon generally lacked a lot of action. Not having read the last 2, I can't safely presume this, but to me it seems to be the way it's heading.
In case you were wondering.... Hubbie liked it! He hasn't read any of the books, and perhaps because of that, he's liked both without having any problems with the translation of it. I've suggested that he start reading the next two, so that we can argue and debate the whole Twilight series together. I would definitely LOVE that!
Out of 10...... I'd give it an 8. In comparison to the book that is. I still need to watch it at least once more, with my bestie in Gold Class, so I can experience the joy (and sadness) of Bella/Edward/Jacob with refreshments!
However, ideally I'd like to watch it 4 times in total, so I can make it a Full Moon.
LOL. I had to put it in there.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
My New Moon Review!
Only a week after the world premiere of one of the most highly-anticipated movie sequels of all time, and only hours away from watching it again with Hubbie (!), I now give you my New Moon review.
Well, part of giving you my review would be setting the scene, and explaining to you what happened that night. So first things first.
Last Wednesday at 9.15pm, we set off to first watch Twilight. As we arrived in the cinema, already you could feel the anticipation. There weren't a lot of people just yet, but you could see that something was brewing. There was a merchandise stand set up on one side, selling all these Twilight-themed items, from tops, bags and bookmarks. Girls were milling around the stand and excitedly pointing things out.
We wanted to get into the cinema early, in order to secure a good seat, especially after I found out that we would be watching New Moon in the very same cinema.
We came at a good time, we were lucky. We were positioned up the back, off to the left side of the centre seats, without being too far left in the left LEFT seats.
The cinema filled up a substantial amount, it was mad. A girl representing the cinema even came out to introduce herself and thank us for coming. She said that while New Moon was playing in the same cinema we were seated in, that we would need to leave momentarily while they cleaned the cinema between movies. However we could leave something like a jacket behind, to save our spots.
As the previews started, and then finally Twilight began, and the opening scene, it was all-too-familiar for everyone there in the cinema, and people were clapping, cheering even, and it wasn't even the main feature!
The one thing that stuck out to me heaps was that I kept turning to my bestie and saying "I love this part!" It happened A LOT. I think that just shows how well Twilight has done in comparison to the book, how the scenes, either the same or different, compliment perfectly.
We had a whole plan for what we would do after the film ended. We were secretly petrified that upon re-entering the cinema, someone would have stolen our seats and thrown our items on the floor, claiming that the cleaners did it. So we hatched an idea.
Once the Twilight credits started rolling, and everyone started leaving, my bestie and her sister left, and left me behind. I wanted to be the last one there. I arranged our cardigans/jackets over the four chairs (her boyfriend was joining us for New Moon), made sure our drink cups were in the appropriate seat cup holders, alternated our special edition popcorn with my friends empty handbag and our free Twilgiht limited edition Girlfriend mags on the seats. AND, I placed in the centre of each seat, a handwritten note that my bestie had scrawled in the dark, on 4 separate pieces of paper:
"Seat taken."
Ha ha. We were prepared. Desperate, crazy, some might say. But we were determined not to let our seats go.
Once there were only 10 ppl left in the cinema (and I did count, there was 10) the cleaners came in, and announced that we needed to leave momentarily while they cleaned. What they also said was that we were to go into a special line on the left of the cinema, for people who were re-entering the theatre, as opposed to the line on the right, which was for people just arriving to watch New Moon. Apparently we were going to be let in first, before the newcomers.
Phew.
As I left, I asked one of the boys if all our items would stay as is, including our drinks and popcorn, etc. He replied with what I wanted to know, and I left, knowing full well I had done the best I could to preserve our seats.
Well, the lines were long alright. The line on the right was growing increasingly fast and exiting the cinemas. I was sooooo glad we had decided to watch Twilight first, otherwise we would have been one of the poor buggers in that line.
Once I reunited with my group, plus the new addition of bestie's boy, (he'd had a Twilight ticket but decided last minute against 4 hours of squealing girls, opting only for 2 hours of squealing girls, so no, we did not sneak him into the cinema, he had a valid Twilight ticket!) we waited in the left line (oh, left never sounded so good) anticipating what was coming up ahead and simply observing the hysteria around us.
It was mad. The word 'Beatlemania' kept popping up in my head, I never experienced that particular music movement so I don't know how to compare, but I kept thinking, if this is how people are reacting to the premiere of a movie, where they are watching their idols/heroes/objects of affection on screen, how would they react to see them in person? Crazy.
Part 2 coming soon....
Well, part of giving you my review would be setting the scene, and explaining to you what happened that night. So first things first.
Last Wednesday at 9.15pm, we set off to first watch Twilight. As we arrived in the cinema, already you could feel the anticipation. There weren't a lot of people just yet, but you could see that something was brewing. There was a merchandise stand set up on one side, selling all these Twilight-themed items, from tops, bags and bookmarks. Girls were milling around the stand and excitedly pointing things out.
We wanted to get into the cinema early, in order to secure a good seat, especially after I found out that we would be watching New Moon in the very same cinema.
We came at a good time, we were lucky. We were positioned up the back, off to the left side of the centre seats, without being too far left in the left LEFT seats.
The cinema filled up a substantial amount, it was mad. A girl representing the cinema even came out to introduce herself and thank us for coming. She said that while New Moon was playing in the same cinema we were seated in, that we would need to leave momentarily while they cleaned the cinema between movies. However we could leave something like a jacket behind, to save our spots.
As the previews started, and then finally Twilight began, and the opening scene, it was all-too-familiar for everyone there in the cinema, and people were clapping, cheering even, and it wasn't even the main feature!
The one thing that stuck out to me heaps was that I kept turning to my bestie and saying "I love this part!" It happened A LOT. I think that just shows how well Twilight has done in comparison to the book, how the scenes, either the same or different, compliment perfectly.
We had a whole plan for what we would do after the film ended. We were secretly petrified that upon re-entering the cinema, someone would have stolen our seats and thrown our items on the floor, claiming that the cleaners did it. So we hatched an idea.
Once the Twilight credits started rolling, and everyone started leaving, my bestie and her sister left, and left me behind. I wanted to be the last one there. I arranged our cardigans/jackets over the four chairs (her boyfriend was joining us for New Moon), made sure our drink cups were in the appropriate seat cup holders, alternated our special edition popcorn with my friends empty handbag and our free Twilgiht limited edition Girlfriend mags on the seats. AND, I placed in the centre of each seat, a handwritten note that my bestie had scrawled in the dark, on 4 separate pieces of paper:
"Seat taken."
Ha ha. We were prepared. Desperate, crazy, some might say. But we were determined not to let our seats go.
Once there were only 10 ppl left in the cinema (and I did count, there was 10) the cleaners came in, and announced that we needed to leave momentarily while they cleaned. What they also said was that we were to go into a special line on the left of the cinema, for people who were re-entering the theatre, as opposed to the line on the right, which was for people just arriving to watch New Moon. Apparently we were going to be let in first, before the newcomers.
Phew.
As I left, I asked one of the boys if all our items would stay as is, including our drinks and popcorn, etc. He replied with what I wanted to know, and I left, knowing full well I had done the best I could to preserve our seats.
Well, the lines were long alright. The line on the right was growing increasingly fast and exiting the cinemas. I was sooooo glad we had decided to watch Twilight first, otherwise we would have been one of the poor buggers in that line.
Once I reunited with my group, plus the new addition of bestie's boy, (he'd had a Twilight ticket but decided last minute against 4 hours of squealing girls, opting only for 2 hours of squealing girls, so no, we did not sneak him into the cinema, he had a valid Twilight ticket!) we waited in the left line (oh, left never sounded so good) anticipating what was coming up ahead and simply observing the hysteria around us.
It was mad. The word 'Beatlemania' kept popping up in my head, I never experienced that particular music movement so I don't know how to compare, but I kept thinking, if this is how people are reacting to the premiere of a movie, where they are watching their idols/heroes/objects of affection on screen, how would they react to see them in person? Crazy.
Part 2 coming soon....
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
New Moon.......It's coming......
I sit here at work, anxiously observing the time on the computer. Every few minutes I look at my watch.
I preview the work I should be doing. Nothing interests me today. I'm nervous, excited and impatient.
Tonight, at midnight, I'll be one of the first amongst many, who will watch the first screening of the second installment of the Twilight Saga series: that is, New Moon.
The hysteria begins.
I preview the work I should be doing. Nothing interests me today. I'm nervous, excited and impatient.
Tonight, at midnight, I'll be one of the first amongst many, who will watch the first screening of the second installment of the Twilight Saga series: that is, New Moon.
The hysteria begins.
Friday, November 13, 2009
They will not control us, we will be Victorious!
From Muse's new song, 'Uprising,' such an awesome title, comes a fantastic chorus:
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Ahh, such powerful lyrics, sung with such gusto. I love it, this is a song that has to be played LOUD.
A worthwhile mention to another fave at the moment. Actually, it's a little part of Fall Out Boys' new one, 'Alpha Dog.'
You're not the first, or the last, but you're possibly the prettiest.
It's great. Often it's not the words that are said, but how they are delivered that produces the meaning. That's true in all of life, not just for music.
AND, continuing from my recent all-things-Twilight theme (as there are only 6 DAYS TO GO! to New Moon) I firmly believe that Muse's uprising is a definite New Moon song, and deserves its place on the soundtrack despite the fact that it is not there. It astounds me that a song by Muse, the band that has been mentioned by many sources if not also by the person herself, Stephenie Meyer, that they are an inspiration to her in her writings, and then a song such as that should appear and not be on the soundtrack despite its clear connection the the movie! Come on, it is so clear!
Uprising? Lyrics like
and hope that we will never see the truth around;
and endless red tape to keep the truth confined;
we should never be afraid to die.
Yes, I realise what Muse are really referring to, but interpretations are unique, meaning you can read it in a number of ways, including from a Twilight-themed perspective. This song could have sooooo been utilised in a much better way.
(So come on!)
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Ahh, such powerful lyrics, sung with such gusto. I love it, this is a song that has to be played LOUD.
A worthwhile mention to another fave at the moment. Actually, it's a little part of Fall Out Boys' new one, 'Alpha Dog.'
You're not the first, or the last, but you're possibly the prettiest.
It's great. Often it's not the words that are said, but how they are delivered that produces the meaning. That's true in all of life, not just for music.
AND, continuing from my recent all-things-Twilight theme (as there are only 6 DAYS TO GO! to New Moon) I firmly believe that Muse's uprising is a definite New Moon song, and deserves its place on the soundtrack despite the fact that it is not there. It astounds me that a song by Muse, the band that has been mentioned by many sources if not also by the person herself, Stephenie Meyer, that they are an inspiration to her in her writings, and then a song such as that should appear and not be on the soundtrack despite its clear connection the the movie! Come on, it is so clear!
Uprising? Lyrics like
and hope that we will never see the truth around;
and endless red tape to keep the truth confined;
we should never be afraid to die.
Yes, I realise what Muse are really referring to, but interpretations are unique, meaning you can read it in a number of ways, including from a Twilight-themed perspective. This song could have sooooo been utilised in a much better way.
(So come on!)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Billboard of Desire
When I first started reading Twilight last year, I was trying to complete it before the movie came out. I was working on a tight shift, as I was working full-time and trying to organise my wedding at the same time. But I was managing to squeeze in a chapter a night.
As I was reading it, and as the movie premiere approached, a certain billboard came up. On my way into work, in the city, in a regular billboard poster spot, a Twilight poster had been placed up. The regular poster that you usually see associated with the movie, with Edward and Bella. I used to look up at that poster everyday on my way in to work, wondering how the book would conclude, and wondering if and how the movie was going to live up to the books' expectations.
After I finished reading it, and the movie came out, and I watched it (several times!), the billboard eventually came down, replaced by another one. I actually saw the 'billboard' men removing it, the day it was replaced, and thought "noooooo! Not Twilight!"
Months passed, and I wondered if when New Moon premiered at the cinemas, whether the Twilight poster saga would return to its rightful place in the city centre.....
And so, as I started reading New Moon only months earlier now, I started to wonder, and look up at that same spot every single day.
I finished New Moon, and still, I observed the billboard space, watching as they changed from promoting, drinks, lingerie and other random items, of which I can barely remember because they were not INTERESTING.
New Moon is only a week away from its premiere. And today, as I turned the familiar corner into this main city street, I glanced up, only a block away to the huge building that housed the billboard spot.
And I could see it was different.
The traffic distracted me from a moment, but not for long. Through the oddly bright yet cloudy morning sun, I could see those words. That font.
New Moon.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I was sooooo excited! I didn't even really know for sure if the billboard would go up in the same spot that the Twilight one did, but after months of staring at that spot, and only ever thinking one thing "Twilight, twilight, twilight....." it's actually happened. Such a minor thing it may seem, but it has made not just my day, but my month, possible MONTHS, depending on how long it'll be up!
So happy!
It's like being a kid again. Hoping against hope that I'd get that barbie caravan, Wishing, hoping, praying and waiting all that time to Christmas. And then BANG! I got it!
Christmas has come early for me :)
The countdown is on. 7 days to go.........
As I was reading it, and as the movie premiere approached, a certain billboard came up. On my way into work, in the city, in a regular billboard poster spot, a Twilight poster had been placed up. The regular poster that you usually see associated with the movie, with Edward and Bella. I used to look up at that poster everyday on my way in to work, wondering how the book would conclude, and wondering if and how the movie was going to live up to the books' expectations.
After I finished reading it, and the movie came out, and I watched it (several times!), the billboard eventually came down, replaced by another one. I actually saw the 'billboard' men removing it, the day it was replaced, and thought "noooooo! Not Twilight!"
Months passed, and I wondered if when New Moon premiered at the cinemas, whether the Twilight poster saga would return to its rightful place in the city centre.....
And so, as I started reading New Moon only months earlier now, I started to wonder, and look up at that same spot every single day.
I finished New Moon, and still, I observed the billboard space, watching as they changed from promoting, drinks, lingerie and other random items, of which I can barely remember because they were not INTERESTING.
New Moon is only a week away from its premiere. And today, as I turned the familiar corner into this main city street, I glanced up, only a block away to the huge building that housed the billboard spot.
And I could see it was different.
The traffic distracted me from a moment, but not for long. Through the oddly bright yet cloudy morning sun, I could see those words. That font.
New Moon.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I was sooooo excited! I didn't even really know for sure if the billboard would go up in the same spot that the Twilight one did, but after months of staring at that spot, and only ever thinking one thing "Twilight, twilight, twilight....." it's actually happened. Such a minor thing it may seem, but it has made not just my day, but my month, possible MONTHS, depending on how long it'll be up!
So happy!
It's like being a kid again. Hoping against hope that I'd get that barbie caravan, Wishing, hoping, praying and waiting all that time to Christmas. And then BANG! I got it!
Christmas has come early for me :)
The countdown is on. 7 days to go.........
Monday, October 12, 2009
I finished New Moon!!!!
Just thought I'd share that with you all :)
Now I have a dilemma. It's about 5 weeks until I see the midnight premiere of the movie at the cinemas with some friends. Ideally I'd like to start reading Eclipse after I've watched New Moon. But apparently, as filming has already begun on Eclipse, and spoilers are being released, I'm worried that I'll accidentally become exposed to something before I read it! So I need to spend the next few weeks aggressively avoiding magazines and the internet, which will be VERY hard especially with the net. I check my daily news on the net!
How am I supposed to avert my eyes when I see Rob Pattinson, that's impossible! I'll go "mmmm that's Rob," and then BANG! the Eclipse spoiler will hit me.
Ahhhhhh!
But I'll do it. For the love of the Twilight series, damn it I'll try!
As soon as I see New Moon, I absoultely have to get through the last 2 books pronto!
Now I have a dilemma. It's about 5 weeks until I see the midnight premiere of the movie at the cinemas with some friends. Ideally I'd like to start reading Eclipse after I've watched New Moon. But apparently, as filming has already begun on Eclipse, and spoilers are being released, I'm worried that I'll accidentally become exposed to something before I read it! So I need to spend the next few weeks aggressively avoiding magazines and the internet, which will be VERY hard especially with the net. I check my daily news on the net!
How am I supposed to avert my eyes when I see Rob Pattinson, that's impossible! I'll go "mmmm that's Rob," and then BANG! the Eclipse spoiler will hit me.
Ahhhhhh!
But I'll do it. For the love of the Twilight series, damn it I'll try!
As soon as I see New Moon, I absoultely have to get through the last 2 books pronto!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sun is shining.... the weather is sweet....
Oh what a gorgeous day it is today. Real spring weather, it is. Although this whole week has been a repeat of our brilliantly freezing icy cold winter, and there are a few remnants of that season in our evenings and mornings, I've just come back to work from morning tea outside, and oh my gosh. The sun is blinding. The sky is blue without a cloud in the sky.
Think of all the cliches, and that's what today is. Perfect :)
My body is aching to be out of this place, to experience the crisp spring air, bathe in the warm sun, sit and finish my New Moon..... LOL
Speaking of, I've been reading a chapter each night, in order to get through the book before it comes out in the cinemas. Which is an easy feat as 1) it's not hard to read when you're obsessed with the story and 2) I'm up to the last chapter before the epilogue, and seeing as the movie is released over a month from now, it will be done by then.
But last night my parents visited, and we all talked and watched Hey Hey's reunion on TV.
Harry Connick Jr and Jackson 5 wannabees??? That's a WHOLE different blog.
But by the time they left I didn't wanna rush my reading experience and so I left it for one night.
And going to bed I felt..... incomplete. It sounds soooo silly, I even feel like an idiot writing it, but because I've been doing a chapter a night, and when you read, you're playing out the scenarios in your mind and seeing them like a show, it almost becomes LIKE a show you're watching, and I was left thinking "Hmmmm, I wonder what happened to Bella and Edward tonight?" Yes, that makes NO sense, since I am the one in charge of running the show, but still it left me going... "must.... read..... every.... night."
LOL
Obsession with New Moon. And I just KNOW there are those out there who will be like "You're still reading New Moon?"
My retort to them is: Try planning the wedding of the decade, work full-time and research EVERYTHING wedding related, go on a European non-stop sight-seeing holiday for 5 weeks after that, come back to an empty house and start the process of refurbishing your new home with everything from furniture to furnishings and dishes and everything in between, constantly try to move things over from your parents home and find spots to put them in (WHEN THERE IS LIMITED STORAGE SPACE) go through the month of August which is filled with not only your birthday but EVERYONE IN YOUR LIFE YOU KNOW (many parents have had fun during the Christmas periods) be invited everywhere and have people constantly coming over to your house because they want to catch up with you after your wedding/holiday, and on top of that maintain a clean spotless home, cooking and organising.
What's that I hear? Hmmmm, right. Silence.
'Nuf said.
Go New Moon!
Think of all the cliches, and that's what today is. Perfect :)
My body is aching to be out of this place, to experience the crisp spring air, bathe in the warm sun, sit and finish my New Moon..... LOL
Speaking of, I've been reading a chapter each night, in order to get through the book before it comes out in the cinemas. Which is an easy feat as 1) it's not hard to read when you're obsessed with the story and 2) I'm up to the last chapter before the epilogue, and seeing as the movie is released over a month from now, it will be done by then.
But last night my parents visited, and we all talked and watched Hey Hey's reunion on TV.
Harry Connick Jr and Jackson 5 wannabees??? That's a WHOLE different blog.
But by the time they left I didn't wanna rush my reading experience and so I left it for one night.
And going to bed I felt..... incomplete. It sounds soooo silly, I even feel like an idiot writing it, but because I've been doing a chapter a night, and when you read, you're playing out the scenarios in your mind and seeing them like a show, it almost becomes LIKE a show you're watching, and I was left thinking "Hmmmm, I wonder what happened to Bella and Edward tonight?" Yes, that makes NO sense, since I am the one in charge of running the show, but still it left me going... "must.... read..... every.... night."
LOL
Obsession with New Moon. And I just KNOW there are those out there who will be like "You're still reading New Moon?"
My retort to them is: Try planning the wedding of the decade, work full-time and research EVERYTHING wedding related, go on a European non-stop sight-seeing holiday for 5 weeks after that, come back to an empty house and start the process of refurbishing your new home with everything from furniture to furnishings and dishes and everything in between, constantly try to move things over from your parents home and find spots to put them in (WHEN THERE IS LIMITED STORAGE SPACE) go through the month of August which is filled with not only your birthday but EVERYONE IN YOUR LIFE YOU KNOW (many parents have had fun during the Christmas periods) be invited everywhere and have people constantly coming over to your house because they want to catch up with you after your wedding/holiday, and on top of that maintain a clean spotless home, cooking and organising.
What's that I hear? Hmmmm, right. Silence.
'Nuf said.
Go New Moon!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Bridal Shower presents and Matron-of-Honour stuff....
Well the conclusion to my whole "will there or won't there be an appropriately priced gift left on the bridal shower registry" saga is, YES, there was a few gifts left!
I put a few items together, to add up to the approximate total that my bestie and I were intending on spending... and pleasantly enough when I purchased the items they were LESS than I thought. However our sister's friend, the recipient, won't know we got the items on sale, and will assume we got them at full price.
Cool, huh? Yet I still feel slightly guilty, thinking, "oh gee, if only she knew!"
The other bit of information that put me in a super-duper GREASH FLANTASTIC mood yesterday afternoon was a conversation that occurred with my bestie during the bridal shower.
We were much too wrapped up in talk of watching the midnight premiere of New Moon at the cinemas when it comes out, as well as random offerings of wedding talk on her part, which is nothing surprising, seeing as a lot of close family and friends suspect she will get engaged soon, only how soon we don't know. And her boyfriend is constantly hinting at things, like engagement rings and proposals, but simultaneously promising her that he will shock her with the way he does it.
So in amongst all this wedding talk, of what style of ring she wants, and what colour dresses her bridal party will have (ah, such girls, planning weddings that don't even have a set date yet! - royal purple, by the way :) )she told me that because I'm married, rather than put me as a bridesmaid and have me paired up with a guy when I already have a hubbie, she's going to place me as matron-of-honour!
I was soooo excited! But a bit unsure of what to say. I mean, it's not an official invitation yet, because she isn't getting married, but then again it's a promise of what's to come, and what's to come looks awesome!
I've only been flower girl before, so the thought of being an ADULT in a grown up bridal party role, that I will be able to remember (when you're a kid things just wizz by you) is super-exciting! But I can't get too excited, I wanna save it for when the day really comes.
But I'm also so touched. I mean, with the family and friends that I have around me, a lot of them don't generally do the matron-of-honour thing, just because it's not customary in their religion/tradition. My sister had one for her wedding. And I just recently had my sister as MY matron-of-honour, because she was married and I so desperately wanted her part of my big day, in an official way. However, I know how it is, because there were some amongst my entourage that questioned my choice, wondering why you would have a married woman in your bridal party, simply assuming that bridal parties were only for unmarried people. When you need to explain to someone the role of a matron-of-honour, especially in our modern day and age, it feels like we haven't moved forward much in society and the world as a whole. Some people are that closed-minded that they don't see the world for all the possibilities out there, rather they assume that what they know and what they have lived is the only way. And that shits me. And shitted me, mostly during my getting-married period.
So I know it may be similar for my bestie. My experience may be similar to hers when she begins planning her wedding. And despite that, she is still willing to create a 'role' for me, despite how unorthodox it may be in her traditions, and despite the questions she may receive. That's how much she wants me as a part of her day.
Now that's what you call friendship :)
Now I just need her boyfriend to propose soon. I wanna be a matron-of-honour!
I put a few items together, to add up to the approximate total that my bestie and I were intending on spending... and pleasantly enough when I purchased the items they were LESS than I thought. However our sister's friend, the recipient, won't know we got the items on sale, and will assume we got them at full price.
Cool, huh? Yet I still feel slightly guilty, thinking, "oh gee, if only she knew!"
The other bit of information that put me in a super-duper GREASH FLANTASTIC mood yesterday afternoon was a conversation that occurred with my bestie during the bridal shower.
We were much too wrapped up in talk of watching the midnight premiere of New Moon at the cinemas when it comes out, as well as random offerings of wedding talk on her part, which is nothing surprising, seeing as a lot of close family and friends suspect she will get engaged soon, only how soon we don't know. And her boyfriend is constantly hinting at things, like engagement rings and proposals, but simultaneously promising her that he will shock her with the way he does it.
So in amongst all this wedding talk, of what style of ring she wants, and what colour dresses her bridal party will have (ah, such girls, planning weddings that don't even have a set date yet! - royal purple, by the way :) )she told me that because I'm married, rather than put me as a bridesmaid and have me paired up with a guy when I already have a hubbie, she's going to place me as matron-of-honour!
I was soooo excited! But a bit unsure of what to say. I mean, it's not an official invitation yet, because she isn't getting married, but then again it's a promise of what's to come, and what's to come looks awesome!
I've only been flower girl before, so the thought of being an ADULT in a grown up bridal party role, that I will be able to remember (when you're a kid things just wizz by you) is super-exciting! But I can't get too excited, I wanna save it for when the day really comes.
But I'm also so touched. I mean, with the family and friends that I have around me, a lot of them don't generally do the matron-of-honour thing, just because it's not customary in their religion/tradition. My sister had one for her wedding. And I just recently had my sister as MY matron-of-honour, because she was married and I so desperately wanted her part of my big day, in an official way. However, I know how it is, because there were some amongst my entourage that questioned my choice, wondering why you would have a married woman in your bridal party, simply assuming that bridal parties were only for unmarried people. When you need to explain to someone the role of a matron-of-honour, especially in our modern day and age, it feels like we haven't moved forward much in society and the world as a whole. Some people are that closed-minded that they don't see the world for all the possibilities out there, rather they assume that what they know and what they have lived is the only way. And that shits me. And shitted me, mostly during my getting-married period.
So I know it may be similar for my bestie. My experience may be similar to hers when she begins planning her wedding. And despite that, she is still willing to create a 'role' for me, despite how unorthodox it may be in her traditions, and despite the questions she may receive. That's how much she wants me as a part of her day.
Now that's what you call friendship :)
Now I just need her boyfriend to propose soon. I wanna be a matron-of-honour!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Fluro-coloured glasses and how they trick us
The grass is always greener isn't it?
You could be eating some fantastic noodles (as I was a few nights back) and suddenly your partners freshly made salad sandwich looks sooooo good. Funnily enough, he was eyeing my noodles.
Why do we do this?
You know why? Because when we look at others lives, we see them through our fluro-coloured glasses, making everything seem, well brighter. And more spectacular.
We need to take those fluro glasses and turn them inward, so that when we look at our own lives we see how lucky we are.
Instead of envying the girl whose sporting the latest season's jacket, remind yourself that you have killer legs a model would die for.
When you see that guy, carrying on like no tomorrow and making the whole room laugh, being the life of the workplace, remind yourself that when you go home, someone who loves you is waiting for you, and is happy to see you.
Now, this is not about comparing yourself to others and putting yourself on a pedestal above them. It's about remembering that EVERYONE has something going for them. Yes you too.
Just yesterday I was wishing I had more time. It's the constant struggle of our lives, isn't it, constantly wanting to do more than what we are capable of. I was thinking how I'd love to be able to get home earlier from work, so that I could cook and then be free to do whatever I wanted... whether it was finish New Moon (yes I'm still reading it, I only just got married people, so don't badger me!) or catch up on True Blood eps, or clean up the bloody upstairs rooms from all our wedding presents!
I was thinking how nice it would be to work a shorter day, or how nice it would be if I didn't spend 2 hours of my day driving to and from work.
However today, I'm being shouted lunch, from my great boss.
Now, how many people can say that about their work life? Really, just look at that simple sentence..... I may spend many hours at work, and I may spend hours driving due to it, however my rewards for it come in other forms.
And everyone has a sentence like that, somewhere in their lives. Only thing is, if we view our OWN lives with those fluro-coloured glasses, we'll find that there are more sentences like that in our lives. We'll see we have more than that other person, who suddenly, is standing on a bed of faded yellow-green grass.
It's all about perception. That's the beauty of it. Things around you change when you do.
Now I know this has gone from a "the grass is not always greener" clarification to one about life and choices.
But they're connected.
Now I'm off to lunch.
You could be eating some fantastic noodles (as I was a few nights back) and suddenly your partners freshly made salad sandwich looks sooooo good. Funnily enough, he was eyeing my noodles.
Why do we do this?
You know why? Because when we look at others lives, we see them through our fluro-coloured glasses, making everything seem, well brighter. And more spectacular.
We need to take those fluro glasses and turn them inward, so that when we look at our own lives we see how lucky we are.
Instead of envying the girl whose sporting the latest season's jacket, remind yourself that you have killer legs a model would die for.
When you see that guy, carrying on like no tomorrow and making the whole room laugh, being the life of the workplace, remind yourself that when you go home, someone who loves you is waiting for you, and is happy to see you.
Now, this is not about comparing yourself to others and putting yourself on a pedestal above them. It's about remembering that EVERYONE has something going for them. Yes you too.
Just yesterday I was wishing I had more time. It's the constant struggle of our lives, isn't it, constantly wanting to do more than what we are capable of. I was thinking how I'd love to be able to get home earlier from work, so that I could cook and then be free to do whatever I wanted... whether it was finish New Moon (yes I'm still reading it, I only just got married people, so don't badger me!) or catch up on True Blood eps, or clean up the bloody upstairs rooms from all our wedding presents!
I was thinking how nice it would be to work a shorter day, or how nice it would be if I didn't spend 2 hours of my day driving to and from work.
However today, I'm being shouted lunch, from my great boss.
Now, how many people can say that about their work life? Really, just look at that simple sentence..... I may spend many hours at work, and I may spend hours driving due to it, however my rewards for it come in other forms.
And everyone has a sentence like that, somewhere in their lives. Only thing is, if we view our OWN lives with those fluro-coloured glasses, we'll find that there are more sentences like that in our lives. We'll see we have more than that other person, who suddenly, is standing on a bed of faded yellow-green grass.
It's all about perception. That's the beauty of it. Things around you change when you do.
Now I know this has gone from a "the grass is not always greener" clarification to one about life and choices.
But they're connected.
Now I'm off to lunch.
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