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Twilight Fans: Do You Care About the Victoria Recast?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:30:30 -0700

The news that Rachelle Lefevre will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria in the third Twilight movie, Eclipse, was followed today by a bit of a debate over what happened - and why. Lefevre claims she wanted to continue playing the role and expressed surprise and dismay at being recast. Meanwhile, Summit Entertainment has stated that Lefevre accepted another job that conflicted with the production schedule for Eclipse, so the filmmakers had to find someone else.

It's interesting to know that Lefevre would have gladly continued to play Victoria. Do you wish she could? Or will it probably not matter that someone else will be playing Victoria?

Summit Hires David Slade to Direct Eclipse

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:00:48 -0700

After the intense Hard Candy, starring Ellen Page, and the vampire thriller 30 Days of Night, director David Slade will soon add Eclipse to his résumé. Summit Entertainment announced today that Slade will direct the third installment of the Twilight saga, which is set to open June 30, 2010. In the press release, Summit's President of Production, Erik Feig, states:

Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse is a muscular, rich, vivid book and we at Summit looked long and hard for a director who could do it justice. We believe we have found that talent in David Slade, a director who has been able to create complex, visually arresting worlds. We cannot wait to see the Eclipse he brings to life and brings to the fans eagerly awaiting its arrival in summer of 2010.

30 Days of Night scared the living daylights out of me, so I'm guessing Slade's take on Eclipse will have less sparkle, more sheer terror. I'm actually excited to see what he does with the material. If nothing else, this should be interesting!

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Dakota Fanning Indeed Set For New Moon

BuzzSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:30:40 -0700

Turns out the rumors are true about Dakota Fanning's involvement in the next Twilight movie, New Moon. Back in January, EW reported that Fanning had been offered a role, and now it's official: Fanning will play Jane, "a sinister vampire with an angelic exterior who works for the Volturi." I wonder if this means they'll be beefing up the Volturi sequences in Italy for the movie, which I think might be a wise choice.

For some reason, as I read New Moon I kept picturing Kirsten Dunst's little vampire role in Interview With a Vampire as Jane. But Fanning is certainly good at angelic and sweet-seeming. I bet she'll have fun with this role. Thoughts, Twilight fans?

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Buzz In: What Did You Think of Twilight?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:30:03 -0800

One of the biggest movie events of the Fall has arrived, and while you've read some of my initial thoughts on the movie adaptation of the popular books, I'm curious what you all thought of the Twilight movie.

For those of you who've read the books: Is it what you imagined it would be? Did it satisfy you? Do Rob and Kristen manage to properly embody the lovebirds? What about the rest of the Cullens?

If you saw it but didn't read the book: Were you entertained? Does it make you want to read the books now? Or are you baffled by all the hype?

Chime in below!

Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Twilight: A Star-Crossed Lovers Tale That Lacks Bite

BuzzSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:30:03 -0800

Love for the sake of love is a story as old as the hills, but I couldn't help wondering if it might be a bit misplaced in our modern times as I watched the screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's popular young adult novel Twilight. In this story's world, if you're the first girl the gorgeous, brooding guy across the cafeteria is suddenly interested in, you've accomplished something worth celebrating. You should not ask why, and you should return his desire for you with a devotion so intense you're even willing to risk death. It's all very dramatic and smacks of an old-fashioned tale of romance and danger. But rather than seeming antiquated, this kind of earnest, obsessive love story manages to be more or less universal enough for today's savvy audiences.

Director Catherine Hardwicke (who knows from movies about teens, having directed Thirteen) smartly casts her leads with talented young actors (Kristen Stewart as the mortal teenager Bella Swan and Rob Pattinson effortlessly playing the self-loathing vampire, Edward Cullen) and centers her film on the slow, boiling passion that builds between them. However, Hardwicke is woefully negligent when it comes to special effects and seems hindered here by a tiny budget. In Meyer's books, the intensity of Edward and Bella's love for each other is matched by the amount of danger that one or both are in due to the vampire stuff. In this movie, the love soars while the supernatural intrigue never gets off the ground, and action sequences land with a hard, laughable thud, making for a somewhat schizophrenic viewing experience. To see what I mean, read more.

After her mother remarries Bella leaves sunny Arizona for a soggy, tiny, town in the Northwest. Bella's a sullen, shy girl, but that doesn't put off the local teens at her new high school who bounce around her like excitable puppies. The boys want to date her, the girls befriend her - it's an easy transition overall. On her first day, Bella notices the Cullen brood enter the building in slow motion while her new friend Jessica explains that they are a mysterious family who only ever hang out with each other. Bella can't help but be transfixed by the show stopper of the bunch: Edward (Judging by the frantic, high-pitched screaming of the youngsters in my screening you may want to bring your earplugs for this scene with Pattinson's entrance). Ultimately, Bella catches on to Edward's secrets, which only make her want to get closer to him. He relents, admitting that the scent of her blood is "like heroin" to him. After revealing the whole truth about his family, he tries to make clear to her that they're loathsome creatures doing the best they can to be good (not kill people), and hunt animals instead.

I'm thankful they dispensed with the book's incessant worship of Edward's physical appearance (no need for that anyway, as Rob radiates a heartthrob-y charisma). I just wish there was a bit more explanation as to why Bella is willing to cross over into the dangerous and uncharted territory of canoodling with the undead. Despite all that, I like the movie's Bella better than the book's Bella. Stewart infuses the young woman with an inner strength and gravitas that makes her more of a likable tomboy rather than a helpless teen with low self-esteem. Even quite seriously hindered by funny pasty make-up, Pattinson makes his Edward far less bossy and overbearing than the book's, and has more of a "misunderstood bad boy" vibe going.

For the uninitiated, there's a lot that goes unexplained. For example, one of Edward's "brothers," Jasper, looks like he's perpetually enduring an enema which caused laughter from the audience each time he was on screen because we all knew he has a harder time than most resisting eating people. If you haven't read the book, you'll just laugh at this ridiculously stiff, stunned-looking actor. But there are moments in the movie, like when Bella and Edward are lying in a field together, where the visuals are so lovely and the look of it so lush, it's impossible not to get a little swept away in the transcendence of young love, whether you've read the book or not.

But for every little moment in the movie that gives it some universal charm, there's something hilariously, well, bad that happens. Like a cheesy flashback. Or crazy bad special effects. Or laugh-out-loud pasty makeup. Still, it's clear the filmmakers did what they could with the source material being what it is and the budget they had. The truth of the matter is it's a fun - sometimes funny, sometimes stirring - ride and at the end of the day, I was entertained. It may baffle some but fans most likely won't be disappointed.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Should Young Adult Authors Be Careful With Their Messages?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:30:36 -0700

Now that the Twilight series's popularity has reached a deafening pitch with the release of Breaking Dawn, there is starting to be a bit of blowback, particularly concerning the messages it might be sending to young, female readers. Many have noted Bella's low self-esteem, stating that she may not be the best role model for the young tweens captivated by this tale of vampire love.

But Twilight is not the first young adult series to cause a stir. C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia books were often accused of having heavy religious undertones, while Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (which includes The Golden Compass) has weathered the opposite criticism as a purportedly negative portrayal of organized religion.

Do you think young adult authors have a greater responsibility to their readers when it comes to messages they might be sending? Or is the simple fact that they get kids reading good enough?

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Buzz News Roundup, 8/4

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:30:01 -0700

Stephenie Meyer's final installment in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, sold 1.3 million copies in one day, the AP reports.
The new Metallica album, Death Magnetic will be released on a Friday - September 12 - rather than on a Tuesday, which is the norm, writes Billboard.
Stephen Root of Office Space and NewsRadio is joining Pushing Daisies for four episodes as a character with connections to both Ned's dad and Chuck's dad, Entertainment Weekly reports.
According to ComingSoon, Universal Pictures will make an action-adventure Island of Lost Souls, an adaptation of the Danish film De fortabte sjaeles o.
So You Think You Can Dance has been officially renewed for a fifth season, Variety reports.
Zap2It has the news that Robert De Niro will join Mel Gibson for the dramatic movie Edge of Darkness.
E! reports that, according to Shonda Rhimes, the rumors that Izzie will have a brain tumor on Grey's Anatomy are totally bogus.
Billboard reports that James Taylor is covering songs from the '50s, '60s and '70s for an album put out by Starbucks' music label.

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Another Look at Twilight: Are You Even More Excited? Or Deflated?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:30:48 -0700

In my heart of hearts, I want this movie to be good. While I haven't read the books (yet!), I like vampire-y love stories as much as the next girl. And from what I've learned about the books and the author, the whole thing is pretty intriguing.

So this second look at the Twilight movie confuses me a little bit. As someone who's looking at it without the background of having read the books, the whole thing still has a made-for-TV quality about it. It isn't stirring or taunting, and the supposedly evil one is so not scary. So what's the deal? Why aren't they luring us newbies in with mystery, dread, a sense of longing, and that heady feeling of teenage lust? This trailer should make our romantic bubbles boil while scaring the bejeezus out of us.

Is this what you were expecting? Or are you a bit underwhelmed? The good news is, we have quite some time to be enticed by probably countless more trailers and clips before the movie opens December 12.

To see this new one for yourself and let me know what you think, read more.

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First Look: Twilight

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:30:40 -0700

Based on the popular young adult book series by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight is one highly anticipated film, especially on the part of MTV which has been reporting on the film's production a lot. Catherine Hardwicke, director of Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown, seems to be familiar with stories of teenage life, though vampire kids might be new territory for her. IMDB describes the plot thusly: "A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire."

Though the new teaser trailer looks a little like something you'd see on the CW Thursday night lineup, I have to say I'm loving the color palette of it - all the chilly, mistiness of the forest shots, and the mysterious cloudy-gray overall tone.

Any fans of the Twilight books out there? What do you think about this project? Does the teaser make you want to see the film? We've got a while to wait, as Twilight doesn't hit theaters until December 12. To check out the teaser, read more.

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Twilight Will Descend on a Theater Near You

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:28:56 -0800

From the Buzzworthy young adult novel challenge, I know many of you are huge fans of the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series, so this news might interest you. The first of the series will be adapted for film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke (writer/director of Thirteen), and will star Kristen Stewart (Into the Wild, In the Land of Women) in the lead role. Variety continues:

The film... centers on a 17-year-old girl who moves to a small town to live with her father and becomes drawn to a mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. Their unorthodox romance puts her in danger when his nemesis comes to town.

It's nice that they're going with a relative unknown for the lead role in this dark tale, and after seeing Into the Wild, I think Stewart appears to have the depth to play such an intriguing character. What do you think? Is this a good book-to-movie idea, or do you not want the novel possibly tarnished by a film adaptation?

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