Review for the Anti's...

...and those of you who like Twilight, but know that it isn't exactly the best written series in the world.

I'd like to introduce you all to Nightlight: A Parody.

Yes, it's a parody of Twilight.

Written by the National Lampoon, Nightlight tells the story of Belle Goose as she arrives in Switchblade, Oregon, looking for adventure in all the wrong places. On her first day of school, Belle comes across Edwart Mullen, a boy with "reddish, blonde-brown hair that was groomed heterosexually" (13). After a few strange events that really aren't that strange (Edwart won't eat his potatoes at lunch, he saves her from a flying snowball), Bella believes that she is absolutely certain of three things:

First, Edwart was most likely [her] soul mate, maybe.

Second, there was a vampire part of him--which [she] assumed was wildly out of his control--that wanted [her] dead.

And third, [she] unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogenously, gynecologically, and disreputably wished he had kissed [her]

-Chapter 6

This book is an easy read, only 154 pages, and had me laughing from the first page onward. I honestly believe that people who despise Twilight will like this book, and people who like Twilight will like this book because it is just THAT funny!

The writers take everything that was a bit off in Twilight, like the fact that every boy who meets Bella falls in love with her, and take it to the extreme. Belle Goose believes that every boy who talks to her, gives her mail, looks at her, or runs her over MUST be in love with her.

And Edwart Mullen? Isn't a vampire at all! He's a nerdy human boy who has issues with germs and girls, but is (oddly enough) very good looking. These quirks naturally make Belle Goose curious, and without a second thought she assumes that Edwart must a vampire and hilarity ensues.

The writers even go so far as to joke about what happens in New Moon.

"Isn't it a little soon to cut yourself off from the rest of your peers, depending on a boyfriend to satisfy your social needs as opposed to making friends? Imagine what would happen if something forced that boy to leave! I'm imagining pages and pages would happen--with nothing but the names of the month on them" (Charlie, Ch 6).

And of course they use adjectives excessively, which is one of Stephenie Meyer's faults in the Twilight Saga.

I absolutely adore this book, and would highly recommend this to anyone regardless of whether or not they're Anti-Twilight or a full blown Twilight fanatic. It's just pure fun and good for a few laughs. Honestly, even if you're having a bad day, this book will crack you up and bring a smile to your face. It's truly brilliant and comedy at it's best.

-Buffyrules01

The Chamber of Secrets

The Chamber of Secrets is the second installment of the Harry Potter series and is also the second and last Harry Potter movie that director Chris Columbus ever did.

These two films are also, in my opinion, the closest any of the movies get to the novels. Chris Columbus knew what he was doing when he made these movies, and it shined through in both. He was dedicated to making the Chamber of Secrets as close to the book as he could get, and I think he really achieved it.

But enough about the movie for now, I must talk about the story itself.

The Chamber of Secrets takes place in Harry's second year at Hogwarts when he is 12 years of age. He's survived his first encounter with Voldemort since he was a baby, but he can't survive living at home with the Dursley's. The Dursley's are as cruel as ever and lock Harry up in his room after the house-elf Dobby shows up and dumps a cake on some very important Muggles after Harry refuses to stay away from Hogwarts.

The Weasley boys; Fred, George, and Ron come to save Harry from his bedroom in their enchanted flying Ford Anglia and take him to the Burrow where he stays with them until it's time to head off to Hogwarts. Before Harry can even get to Hogwarts though, he must ride the Hogwarts Express, which has been mysteriously barricaded from entrance. Not knowing what else to do, Harry and Ron fly the Ford Anglia to Hogwarts and crash it into the Whomping Willow, which then results in Ron's wand snapping.

More mysterious events unfold as Mrs Norris is petrified and found hanging from a torch underneath the words "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware."

The Chamber of Secrets has a similar formula to that of the Sorcerer's/Philospher's Stone. Something is amiss and it's up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to find out. The only problem is, the whole school thinks that Harry is the one petrifying the students after he keeps showing up at the scene of the crime. It's a tough year for him at Hogwarts when everyone has turned against him, and it is only when Hermione is petrified that his classmates start to lighten up a bit.

This novel, while it may seem like not a whole lot is going on (other than a murder mystery without the murder), is actually very informative and has key components that help explain things later on in the series. We find out in Chamber of Secrets that Harry is a Parseltongue, something that only Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin can do, and that Tom Riddle was actually Voldemort's real name back when he looked like a normal person.

It turns out that Tom Riddle was going to school back when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened and that he was the one who opened it in the first place.

In order to go back again and finish what he started, Voldemort actually puts a bit of himself into a diary (which we all now know is a horcrux) and uses his Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy to set it all up so that the diary could fall into the hands of innocent Ginny Weasley and she could bring the diary back into the school.

Naturally, at the end of the story, Harry and Ron figure out what has been petrifying the students, cats, and ghosts of Hogwarts: a Basilisk, which is simply the giant serpent that when seen with the naked eye, can kill a person instantly. They find the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in a girl's bathroom and set out on a rescue mission after Ginny has been taken. It is in the Chamber itself where Harry discovers Tom Marvolo Riddle has escaped the diary using Ginny's life source.

Up until this point, Harry has believed that Tom was a hero at Hogwarts, but the tide soon turns when Riddle admits that he opened the Chamber of Secrets before. He then baits Harry by asking him how he, a mere baby, could've defeated the greatest wizard of all time, and then reveals that TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE when switched around spells out I AM LORD VOLDEMORT (JK Rowling is so clever)

In the end, Harry destroys the diary by stabbing it with a the fang/venom from the Basilisk, after nearly being killed by the thing-thank goodness for phoenix's and their healing tears-and all is right in the world again.

Like I said before, the movie gets about as close to the book as you can get and retains that magical essence each installment contains. What's also so special about the film Chamber of Secrets is you get a glimpse at Daniel, Rupert, and Emma growing up. You can really tell the difference in Dan and Rupert's voices in this one, and I love seeing them in the "in-between" stage of puberty.

Well, there you have it! The Chamber of Secrets and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone are probably the only two Harry Potter books that really belong in the Children's Book genre. After this, the characters mature and the stories become a lot darker.

As for my opinion? I do not love or hate this book. It has parts I like to skip over and parts I think are so important on figuring out why Harry is the way he is and what happens in the rest of the novels.

-Buffyrules01

Deathly Hallows...a little too hallow?

When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out on July 15th, everyone I talked to about it were singing the films praises. They were unanimous in the love that they had for this last picture and were all planning on seeing it again.

I didn't get to see Harry Potter the day it came out, but I was able to see it the next day, and I have to honest with all of you. When I came out of the theater I wasn't in complete awe of what just happened, or bawling my eyes out like I thought I would. Instead...dare I say it...I was disappointed.

Now, this could've been due to the fact that I had just finished reading the Deathly Hallows two days prior and the book was still fresh in my mind. But after a week, I saw it again today and I still didn't get any overwhelming sensations.

It could be that my expectations were exceedingly high for this movie. I mean, after all, it was the last one of the series and they did separate it into two movies to get as much of the book into the films as possible. Or it could've also been that with everyone's talk of its greatness I was anticipating being blown away by the movies end.

This is where I must put up my spoil alert for those who haven't seen the movie. Although, for those of you who have read the books, there's really nothing to spoil. For those of you who have seen the movie, but haven't touched the books, I BEG of you to go do it as soon as possible. Honestly, Deathly Hallows Part 2 did not do the last part of the book the justice it deserves. I also must put up a spoiler for you lot as well, for I will be going over parts in the book as well.

The beginning of this movie started off well; right where we left off in the last movie. Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk to Griphook about their plan to break into Gringotts to get a horcrux, and they speak to Ollivander about Wand Lore. This is where the movie doesn't stray all that much from the book and I really enjoyed myself through this bit of footage as the gang make their way through the vaults, find the horcrux, and then escape the hoards of goblins coming for them with the help of a blind dragon.

Once they apparate to Hogsmeade though...it's like Steve Kloves just threw the book out the window and wrote his own version of the rest of the novel; the "What If?" version.

Honestly, I understand that when books are turned into movies, not everything can go in, that liberties must be taken. This has happened with every Harry Potter movie and I've been fine with it because the essence of the book still lived within each movie. But this?!

The movie starts off with them going to Gringotts and goes on from there, which is the last 205 pages of the book. That's it. 205 pages. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone was 309, that's about 100 page difference. And at 130 minutes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is actually the shortest HP film ever. The longest is Chamber of Secrets at 161, so why couldn't the filmmakers bother making this movie just a little bit longer in order to add a bit more of the book to the movie and give the HP films a proper send off? Why did they need to change/get rid of the best parts of the book and add in new stuff that wasn't needed?

Harry and Voldemort going off of a cliff and taking a joy ride through Hogwarts before crashing into the entrance to the Great Hall? Not needed

Harry, Ron, and Hermione weaving their way through the stairs while they try to kill Nagini with Basilisk fangs for a good few minutes? Not needed. In the book it was just a simple Neville-takes-sword-out-of-hat-and-slices-off-Nagini's-head. A little can go a long way.

And the biggest disappointment of all, the scene that I was looking forward to the most and seriously thought there couldn't be any way they could change it: the final battle between Harry and Voldemort. The movie completely destroyed this scene. What was supposed to be Harry's triumphant "Ah ha!" moment, where he completely psychs out Tom Riddle as they circle around each other in the Great Hall like vultures as everyone looks on, gone. People were fighting in the Great Hall all right, but Harry and Voldemort were just outside attacking each other with red and green streams of light until the moment they both realize the last horcrux is gone. Then, Harry just simply overpowers Tom's "Avada Kedavra" and Voldemort disintegrates into flesh confetti.

And the next scene? Harry just walks into the Great Hall and everyone acts like nothing happened.

...What?!

No!

Harry was supposed to explain to Voldemort why the Elder Wand wasn't working for him. It's probably one of the most intense scenes in the book. Just picture Harry and Voldemort circling each other-even if it's not in the Great Hall, but outside like in the movie-and Daniel Radcliffe says this:

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. The wand chooses the wizard...The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him it's allegiance...The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy" (pg. 742)

The first time I ever read this in the novel, I had to stop and put it down for a second to take in this revelation. You realize before Voldemort does that Harry disarmed Draco, that he is the owner of the Elder Wand. Now, picture Daniel Radcliffe saying this to Lord Voldemort and tell me that you get chills down your spine reading this:

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does...I am the true master of the Elder Wand" (pg 743).

Are you getting chills? I do every time I read this bit, it's absolutely brilliant and they didn't put it in the movie!

Other scenes that they completely took out or changed: No Ravenclaw Common Room and Harry's lack of Invisibility Cloak usage.

Again, these were parts in the novel I was most excited to see! When Harry and Luna sneak into the Ravenclaw Common Room using his Invisibility Cloak in order for him to get a proper look at what the lost diadem looks like. One Carrow is attacked, another tries to break in, and Harry reveals to everyone that he is back when one of the Carrows spits in Professor McGonagall's face and Harry knocks him out with a spell.

Simple, would've only taken a few minutes, they could've easily shortened Harry's scene with Helena Ravenclaw in the movies. Having Harry chase Helena around trying to get her to tell him where the diadem is hidden? Waste of perfectly good minutes.

The other scene again involves the final battle scene, but this one is just prior to Harry and Voldemort dueling. It's when Harry is pronounced dead and Riddle is mocking everyone.

In the aftermath of Neville killing Nagini, Harry (in the book) covers himself with his Invisibility Cloak and protects his fellow classmates unbeknownst to Voldemort. It is after Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange, and Voldemort tries to kill her that Harry puts up a shield between him and once again reveals to everyone that he is back.

Then the circling of vultures begins...why couldn't the filmmakers include this? Why did Molly's duel with Bellatrix have to be some random short scene? While it was enjoyable and I will always applaud Molly Weasley for saying those memorable words (which I won't put here in case of younger children, but you all know what she said), that scene could've been above and beyond amazing.

Phew, I think my rant is over. Any of you still with me?

Do not worry folks, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While I will always be disappointed that those scenes weren't put in, there are some very important, heart-wrenching scenes that were left in the movie. Scenes that I am grateful for and are probably what saved this movie for me (besides the amazing acting, special effects, and score of course. Those are a given in every Harry Potter film).

The Prince's Tale was both sad and moving (although it didn't bring me to tears, it was still sad). I think Severus Snape is one of the most complex characters in this series (he's up there with Dumbledore). JK Rowling really knows how to take you for a ride and I seriously believed in my heart that Snape was a bad guy and irredeemable for killing my beloved Professor. To find out that he was in love with Lily Potter, and always had been...blew me away. I was not expecting that at all in the book and I really liked how the movie added in it's own piece to the tale: Snape visiting Godric's Hallow after the incident and holding Lily as he and Harry both cry in the room (see I like some of the liberties they take!).

The other, like the final battle scene in the book, gave me chills, but for a very different reason. The Resurrection Stone scene. I get emotional every time I read that passage, and in the movie that was the only scene where I had to keep myself together and hold back the tears. Harry asking Sirius if it hurts to die and that LINE!!! The line that even now I cannot write because it makes me so emotional and I won't do it justice. Every.Single.Time. I read the book, I have to stop at this. These lines are so endearing and so sweet, I could see a five year old Harry saying something like this. I can't even-it's just-you know?

If they didn't put this into the movie, I would've left the theater right there in then with the rest of the people heading for the door. There's no way anyone could leave this out, and I am so thankful that they kept this in. This scene in the Forbidden Forest was perfectly done, word for word from the text.

I am almost done (some of you are probably rejoicing, I know this is very long and I apologize), but I have to say, that if you have not read the book-again I BEG YOU-PLEAD WITH YOU-do it! I know it may seem daunting, but you will thank me when you finish. You'll find out more about Dumbledore and get the epic battle scene you missed. And-for those who have seen the movie-you'll find out how Fred met his end and you'll be introduced to Teddy Lupin who sadly was only mentioned for a second on the screen.

Thank you all for staying with me. I hope this all makes sense when I post. Please feel free to discuss and argue with me in the comments. I look forward to it! :)

-Buffyrules01

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Review

The last time, I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was when I was in seventh grade which was about nine years ago. The first time I read it was when I was in the fourth grade. I’ve watched movie countless times but it is really, truly, magical to reread the first book that introduced me to my friends from Hogwarts. For those of you that have not read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, or even watched the movie, the next little part will have a bit of a spoiler. But, if you have read the book and seen the movie - I hope I give the book the justice it deserves.


We first meet Harry when he is dropped off at number 4 Privet Drive to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. These are his only living relatives. We learn that his parents were killed when the most powerful, and most feared, wizard - Lord Voldemort - came to their house in Godric’s Hollow. We don’t learn, until later books, the reasoning behind the decision to kill Harry and his parents. After killing parents, first his father then his mother, Voldemort turned to kill Harry. The curse failed. We later learn that the reason the curse failed to kill Harry has something to do with the fact that his mother died protecting him. Her love for her son, somehow, protected him. Time passes, as it always does, and we meet up with Harry again ten years later. He’s the black sheep of the family. His aunt and uncle use him as a servant basically and get very upset when things happen that are not normal. Eventually, Harry receives his letter to Hogwarts when Hagrid delivers it to him in person. Hagrid and Harry then go to Diagon Alley where Harry gets his books and supplies for school. The real fun starts once Harry arrives at school. During Halloween a troll gets into the school, Harry and Ron run-off to inform Hermione, who had been in the girl’s bathroom, that there is a troll in the school. They come across the troll and lock-it into a room. When they hear a scream Harry and Ron realize they locked it into the girl’s bathroom and they rush to save Hermione and, through teamwork, they come out unscathed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are officially friends. During Christmas, Harry receives his father’s invisibility cloak. Around the same time, Hagrid comes into possession of a dragon’s egg and Malfoy finds out about it. Thankfully, Harry and Hermione are able to help Hagrid send the dragon, named Norbert, off to Ron’s brother Charlie in Romanian. However, the trio gets caught by Filch and they lose 150 points for Gryffindor - Neville also gets caught. Along with the lost points they are given detention that is served in the Forbidden Forest. Fast forward to the end of the term, once they have finished their exams, and they realize that Professor Snape is going to be going down the trapdoor that is guarding the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry, Ron, and Hermione head off to try and keep Snape from getting the stone. Ron is injured in a game of wizard chess. Hermione helps Harry get through Snape’s protection detail on the stone before going back to help Ron and send word to Dumbledore. And, Harry goes on to find the stone without his friends. The shocker, at least for Harry, is that it isn’t Professor Snape that went after the stone. It is Professor Quirrell. We also learn that Lord Voldemort is alive, but just barely. He only has form when he shares another’s body and he is strengthened by unicorn’s blood. Harry ends up defeating Professor Quirrell and Lord Voldemort leaves Professor Quirrell to die. Dumbledore saves Harry. And, Harry comes to in the hospital/infirmary at Hogwarts. He is able to heal fully enough to attend the End of Term Feast where Slytherin is celebrating their House Cup victory. Dumbledore, however, gives some last minute points and Gryffindor wins the House Cup. Harry, Ron, and Hermione then go home and promise to keep in touch over the summer while Harry plans ways to tease/torment Dudley, his cousin, who doesn’t know he is not allowed to use magic outside of school.

The movie version, which came to theaters in November 2001, follows along with the basic plot. The acting is very good and I enjoy watching it to this day. My only complaint about the movie though is the fact that Daniel Radcliffe was cast as Harry Potter. Before you all jump to conclusions it should be mentioned that I love the acting done by all the actors and actresses. Why then do I wish Daniel Radcliffe hadn’t been cast as Harry Potter? Well, from sixth grade to eighth grade I had the unfortunate nickname of Harry Potter. Apparently, there was a very close resemblance between me and Daniel Radcliffe in our facial structure and voice. I could even pull off a British accent and quote the movie, at least Harry’s lines, word-for-word. It was great! Among friends and family. Then I entered high school and my peers grew up… somewhat. Now, you might be wondering why I’m telling you this… honestly, it makes me laugh now but when I was a middle-schooler it was hard to deal with especially considering the fact that I was, and still am, a girl. But, now… it’s just funny. Especially when you consider the fact that now Daniel Radcliffe and one of my brother’s could be twins, or at least siblings. Actually, scratch that… it’s just weird.

Because of the fact that our very own buffyrules01 did a 7 books in 7 days, I am going to include the time it took me to read this book - 3 hours 28 min. - as well as the other books in the series.

Until next time.

-scarc91989

Reviews

I would first like to apologize to our loyal readers. I have not been putting up any posts lately and I am deeply sorry for it. But, I'm sure that many of you can understand that school needs to come first. So, my next bit of information is I'm DONE - until the fall. Yay!
Okay now, I have two reviews for you loyal readers. The first is in regards to "The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide" and the other is in regards to "Water for Elephants" (the book and the movie).

I have been waiting for this book since it was announced that it would be coming out. I love reading character backgrounds and that was one of the major points for the book. It has other interesting features including: a timeline, an interview with Stephenie Meyer (I must admit that I only glanced over this section), and information regarding the cars in the series and the music Stephenie Meyer used as inspiration. There are other features as well and I'm sure you can look up the book to find out more. But, my review of the book is that it's interesting and better written then the books themselves - I agree with buffyrules01 that the books are lacking in grammatical correctness and a lack of explanation for literature, but it's an interesting story to me and I tend to ignore grammatical errors while I'm reading because I'd rather just enjoy the book. My review for this book is to check it out if you are even remotely interested. It's interesting and it helps clear up some of the confusion that present themselves in the book.

I read the book "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen before I went to see the movie. I wanted to see the movie because I wanted to watch Robert Pattinson in something besides "Twilight" - I think all of the Twilight actors and actresses do better work in movies other than Twilight. My review for the movie... eh, it wasn't terrifically awesome but it wasn't horrible. Although, at one point in the movie I wanted to desperately leave because it was boring and wasn't following the book well. I suggest reading the book more than I suggest seeing the movie. But the choice is up to you.

Those are my reviews and while they might seem a little vague they are what I think. Until next time loyal readers....

-scarc91989



Reviews

Hi everyone! ~waves excitedly~
Once again, I apologize for the time between posts... hopefully buffyrules01, randomfandom89, and I will be able to get together and decide what the schedule for the blog will be, but until then... I do have some reviews to give.

The first review is of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 - or as I call it Harry Potter #7.1. I know that Harry Potter isn't vampire-ish, but it does have vampires in it (at least mentioned in the books). Anyways, my review of Harry Potter #7.1 is better than what I thought of Harry Potter #6 - I did not like that movie because I felt it didn't stay close to the books. Harry Potter #7.1 was good and I'm very glad that they are making it into two movies because there is NO WAY you can accurately put that much information in Harry Potter #7 (the book) into one movie. NO WAY! The acting was great and the movie stayed close enough to the story that I wasn't too upset with it (like I was in Harry Potter #6). I must also say that the three main characters/actors (and actress) are hilariously funny when they are together. The movie had several laughs, a few scary parts, and at least one sad part - if not a couple more.

*Funny story... (possibility of a SPOILER) the first time I saw Harry Potter #7.1 (I've seen it twice) was with one of my nieces and two of eight nephews. Just before the part where Harry and Hermione get attacked by the snake in Godrick's Hallow I had my 8-yr old nephew come sit on my lap so that I could cover his eyes during the snake part. After that part he stayed on my lap for the rest of the movie. The funny part about this is, when Harry Potter started to strip to his underwear to go save the sword of Gryffindor from a pond, my nephew covered my eyes. It was funny (to me at least).

My next review is of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse DVD. I ended up dragging my oldest brother to Wal*Mart at midnight to get it and, as an 'I'm sorry that I won't be home for Christmas' gift, he bought it for me. I still have to watch the movie with another commentary, but I found the commentary with Kristen Stewart (Bella) and Robert Pattinson (Edward) hilariously funny and I enjoy the fact that neither of them like to fill the movie with "initial" mindless chatter (they did start talking about something from the movie which led to other discussions, but it was okay because those discussions were so off the wall that they made me laugh). Also, the documentary of how the movie was made was pretty cool and filled with funny parts... like seeing Taylor Lautner in a spandex suit/sweatpants for a wolf part.

That's basically it. Oh! For the Harry Potter series, I'm Team Ron and Team Dobby (both of them are funny and cool). Twilight saga, I'm Team Switzerland in arguments (it annoys people) and Team Edward (generally).

-scarc91989

Review with a Vampire Slayer

Eclipse. Yes, that is what ScarC and I were sent out to do last week. Random ordered us to go see it, and write a review (ScarC saw it three times-my goodness)

Now, before you Twi-Haters start clicking the "X" at the top of your screen, just stop and listen to me for a second. As many of you know (or have guessed by my name) I am a Buffy fan, a Buffy loyalist, whatever you want to call it. I'm sure some of you reading this are too, so don't feel like I've betrayed you in some way because I have not. I loved vampires before Buffy, after Buffy, I used to draw vampires in elementary school for crying out loud. The reason why I say I'm a Buffy loyalist is because Buffy was the first form of media I ever saw that had my beloved vampires in it. Sure they were being slayed by a petite blonde, but I loved the characters, I loved the vamps, and I loved the show.

It wasn't long after Buffy season 7 had ended, that I came across Twilight while perusing a bookstore (which I later worked at for a year). Back then, there were less than a dozen copies of Twilight on the shelves. New Moon didn't exist yet, Twilight hadn't exploded into the crazy thing it is now, and TwiHards were few and far between. I read the book, I liked the book, and I admit I was excited when I found out there was going to be a sequel to it. So, I guess you could say I'm an original fan, but that's all I am. I'm not obsessed with it, I don't have Rob posters plastered on my wall. I just enjoy the story and the characters. I've only read through each book twice and that's it.

Why am I going through all of this in a movie review? Because I want you to understand where I am coming from, and because I want you all to know that my review for Eclipse is genuine. It's not biased in anyway. It's pure and honest truth.

So as you all now know, I was asked to go see Eclipse and write a review. Now I have to be honest, I can't stand the first movie of the series: Twilight. I had such high hopes for it, I even saw it twice in theaters just to see if the second time around would be any better...it was worse. No offense to people who love Kristen Stewart, but she just could not act in that movie! All the twitching and eye blinking (seriously if you don't believe me, look it up on youtube.). I thought the special effects were bad, the directing, the music, it just wasn't good! And I was taking a film class in college during this time, so I knew what I was talking about. The only thing I liked about that movie was the baseball scene (you can't go wrong with a MUSE song in the background), and the Cullen Family. The Twilight movie actually awakened my love for Jasper. I was intrigued by him in the books and LOVED his relationship with Alice, but it wasn't until I saw him in Twilight that I started to get all twitterpated.

With New Moon things got a little better. I had lower expectations for that movie because New Moon is my least favorite book in the series and I already experienced Twilight, so I was ready for anything. New Moon was definitely a step up from Twilight. With a new director, and more money to spend on special effects, the movie just felt better. The only issues I had were the cheesy scenes here and there (Alice's vision? I mean, come on), Kristen's acting (no surprise there), and the make up for Edward (in the words of a friend who saw it with me, "I'm trying to check out Edward, but all I can see is his lips") a little too much red on the lips there.

This brings us all to June 6th, the day I saw Eclipse (not at midnight, I saw it during the day). The movie opened with Bella and Edward sitting in their meadow, Bella is reading something for English while Edward is distracting her; asking her if she will marry him, to which she still replies with a "no". One thing I do in every Twilight movie is stare at Kristen Stewart's eyes, waiting for the extreme blinking and twitching to occur. It didn't happen at all in this movie. That was when I realized Eclipse was going to be different from all the others.

Eclipse is actually my favorite book in the series, but regardless, I went to the theater on my guard. I didn't want to have high expectations for it like I did with Twilight, only to be greatly disappointed, so I went in with a neutral air about me. Seeing Kristen Stewart's lack of blinking and twitching gave me hope; could this movie possibly be what Twilight should've been? It was. One should call Eclipse the Redeemer of the Twilight Movies. I was almost on the edge of my seat when the Cullen's starting chasing after Victoria through the woods. I knew they wouldn't catch her, but it was amazing to watch all the same.

The only issue I had with Eclipse was the lack of emotion from Kristen Stewart. Sure her blinking had stopped, but she was still bleah in the rest of the acting department. Her deep voice drives me nuts. Honestly, with Rob and Taylor constantly glaring at each other and wanting to fight each other, you could hardly tell she was there. Other than that though, I couldn't find anything wrong with this movie. Compared to the two before it, it was phenomenal. It was funny, it was intense, it was romantic. If I could see it again I would. Mostly because of one individual in particular:

Jasper

HO-LY-DANG! If I hadn't given my heart to Angel(us) long ago, I think Jasper might've taken it during the movie. When he took Emmett down (the strongest of the Cullen's) my heart was all a flutter. There's nothing I love more than watching a vampire beat the crap out of another vampire just on shear skill. Angel does the exact same thing and it's one of the many reasons for why I love him so much.

BEST SCENE EVER: Other than the tent scene and Jacob getting punched in the face (which were both hilarious), I have to say watching Alice and Jasper fight each other. It was the scene I was waiting for and it didn't disappoint at all. I so love their relationship, the fact that the only person who can take down Jasper is his wife, to me, is the sweetest thing ever. Behind every great man is a great woman, and Alice is definitely that.

A close second would have to be the fight scene. I never pictured the newborn vamps' faces breaking like porcelain when they were punched. Amazing visual, Jasper was a beast, need I say more?

I'm glad Eclipse didn't turn out as awful as I had thought, but the Twilight movies still need a lot of work. I mean, when you look at the Twilight movies and then you look at Harry Potter and how the kids who played Harry, Hermione, and Ron started out acting...they were still better than these twenty-somethings running around.

I'm trying to be optimistic about the movies, really. It's just sad that it had to take three movies in order for the saga to at least be decent on screen. I don't think it's the director's fault either, it's got to be the screenwriter.

Anyway, if you want my score on the Twilight Saga movies this is how they go in my opinion:

Twilight: D
New Moon: C
Eclipse: B+

Oh and JASPER JASPER JASPER

Eclipse Review

Hey everyone! This is Scarc91989 reporting from the confines of her bedroom... must love laptops.

Anyways, I'm here to give you (my lovely readers) my quick review of the movie Eclipse. Simply put... I've seen it three time and plan to go see it again, that should say something. All-in-all though my overall rating for Twilight Saga: Eclipse is an A- or a B+. The reasoning is below. Warning... this might contain spoilers, you have been warned.

There are several reasons why I'm not giving it a solid A and those reasons are: I think they could have done a better job making Edward and the other vamps sparkle, Jasper's uniform could have been more realistic, and they could have made one of the scenes with Kristen Stewart (Bella) not look like a little kid.

There were moments in the movie when Edward and other vamps did not sparkle in the sunlight. One moment being in the last scene in the meadow when Bella and Edward are discussing the wedding plans. Jasper's uniform is supposed to have a yellow sash instead of a red sash and there are minor errors made to the pants and collar. (My brother, Daniel, who I dragged to the movie with me, pointed out these errors. He is a Civil War buff.) And, as for Kristen Stewart looking like a little kid - I think she looks twelve and I blame it on the costume and wig she is wearing. (The picture on the right is the only picture that I can get that shows what I'm talking about... it's not the best example, the best example is when she's using her blood to "mark" the tree while leaving a path for the newborns - at least when the camera backs away and shows her leaving the tree. No copyright infringement intended, all rights belong to their rightful owners in regard to this picture.)

My favorite parts, or scenes you should say, of the movie are: the fight scenes, the tent scene, when Bella punches Jacob and the subsequent exchange with Edward/Jacob & Charlie, "the talk" scene, and the wolves - in general. All those scenes I believe were done exceptionally well by both the actors/actresses involved and the CGI crew.

Now... I must leave you my lovely readers. My personal thought... go watch the movie. If you love it, sweet! If you hate it, at least you can say you watched it. And if you are in the middle, once again... at least you can say you watched it. For the guys, as my brother, Daniel, said 'It's good except for the romantic crap.'

- Scarc91989