Tag Archives: movie

Breaking Dawn – My Take on the End of the Twilight Saga

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First of all, I’d like to announce that this here post is number 300!  Which means that I’m pretty verbose.  And that, if you’re still here, you’re awesome.  If you’re new, welcome!  You’re also awesome.

Okay.  Now on to today’s post:

A friend posted the following comment on my Facebook page yesterday: “What did you think of the ending of the twilight saga? I’m itching to know!!”  Well, how can I spout off about Breaking Dawn in that teeny, tiny comment window on my FB page?!  If you’ve been around since post #1, you should know that I always have more to say about a book than that.  Trying to fit it all in that comment window is futile.  So I told her I’d write today’s blog post about BD.

Breaking Dawn

This book pissed me off.  Honestly.  It’s 754 pages.  NO ONE DIES IN THE END.  Oh, except for that Irina chick who just seemed like she would be annoying anyway, so no loss there.

I realize that this sounds like a strange reason to be mad at the book, but it’s not.  I’m a writer.  I’m currently pimping a book out to agents, and I have a few more in the works.  I know what it’s like to get attached to characters.  I also know what it’s like to KILL them.  I’m not afraid to kill off a character (or five) if the story needs it.  Sometimes people die.  Sometimes they get their heart broken.  Sometimes they face a huge coven of vampires or get vaporized by aliens.  Deal with it.

After I read Breaking Dawn, I jumped on author Stephenie Meyer’s website and read the FAQs for the book.  One of the questions addressed the fact that there was a huge (754 page) buildup to a fight that ended up being a battle of wits and nothing else.  Her answer? “…If the fight had happened, it would have ended with 90% of the combatants, Cullen and Volturi alike, destroyed…”

I fail to see a problem with 90% of the people getting killed.  Life isn’t all happily ever after, so why should a story always be?  If I were to rewrite the book, the following would happen:

Alice would see what was going to happen, so instead of trying to rendezvous with Bella, Edward, etc in the glen, she would have taken Jasper and the others with her to where Jacob and Renesmee were and they’d hightail it out of there.  Bella and Edward would probably survive and later meet up with Alice and crew. 

Esme would die - she’s too soft.  Carlisle would be killed too; he’d probably let Aro and the others kill him rather than fight his old friends, or he’d die trying to protect Esme.  Some of the other auxiliary Cullen allies would get killed off, but whatever.  Kate would be okay, and Garrett would survive.  Zafrina would probably be good too.  Rosalie would get hotheaded and get maimed and/or killed.  Emmett would make it through because that’s how he rolls.  Aro would live because his minions would keep him safe.  Dimitri and Felix would probably make it.  Caius would be toast. I bet most of the mob the Volturi brought with them would have just run off.  Some of the wolves would have gotten killed too.

You wouldn’t actually have to take it to that extreme of a conclusion either.  You could just kill a few off, injure a couple of the vamps…for the love of the literary gods: something!

The other issue I have with the book is the whole Jacob imprinting on Renesmee thing.  I think Meyer did a good thing when she put “Book 2″ into Jacob’s voice because we realize that his imprinting isn’t a sexual thing, but it’s still freaking weird.  Talk about your awkward family situations.

I think Meyer should have stopped with Eclipse.  Write the wedding scene in as the Epilogue and call it good.  Readers could have dealt with the fact that Jacob was left alone, because when an author writes it, the reader doesn’t have a choice.  We could have dealt with no honeymoon scenes – the fire was suddenly gone once Edward and Bella jumped in the sack anyways.  Remember my post on conflict in books?  Yeah, the tension was ZAPPED once Edward slipped that ring on her finger and she said “I do.”

And finally, my other big beef with the book is that Alice and Jasper – my favorite Twilight couple – are largely non-existent in the book.  I missed them.  I wanted Jasper’s expertise in pre-battle strategic meetings.  I wanted Alice’s quirkiness and wit.  But no, we were left with Rosalie and Jacob bickering like a couple of Real Housewives, Esme simpering around about the situation, and Mr. Pouty aka Edward. 

And that is why I’m displeased with Breaking Dawn.  A whole lot of buildup for a big FAT NOTHING.  754 pages people, 754 pages.  Am I still going to see the movie?  Yeah, I am.  It’s kind of a tradition now – my friend Lisa and I have seen every movie for the past 3 years.  Plus, there’s RPatz ogling to be done – it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it. ;)

The Numbers Game, or: Turning 30

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Recently, a friend asked me how old I am.  I answered that I’m 29.  He then replied that he thought I was somewhere around 25 (God bless him!).  I smiled and thanked him, mentioning something about the number 30, looming on the horizon.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he offered with a shrug.

Only, I kinda thought it would.  Or, think it will…or used the think that it will.  Wow.  Crazy English languange.  You know what I mean.  

Anyway, a conversation then ensued, in which another friend joined in and agreed that it was the 29th birthday that bothered them, not the 30th.  And once I started thinking about it, my 29th birthday did seem terrible.  I was all, “This is my last 20′s birthday.  Ever.  How does that even happen?!”  I kinda didn’t want to talk about it; wanted to leave it alone, pretend it wasn’t happening.  You know, pull one of those “If I don’t think about it, it’s not happening” mind tricks full of denial.

Then, a few days after my convo about turning 29/30, a 20-something friend of mine groaned that she’ll be thirty soon (in about a year and a half, mind you), as if her life would be over by then.

And you know what?  It just all of a sudden sounded ridiculous to me.  It was like I was having an out-of-body experience, or hearing myself on a recording and thinking, “THAT’s what I sound like?!”  It really seemed so silly.

Why are we obsessing about a number?  I mean, if you look at it, I’m technically IN my thirtieth year…you’re not 1 at birth, but celebrate your first year of life with your first birthday, after all.

Oh wow.  That just kinda hit me.  Okay, breathe….

Just kidding.

I realize that “30″ is scare for a lot of people, and for different reasons.  For me, I don’t think it was a matter of turning 30, but a matter of the goals I’d set for myself when 30 seemed a long ways off.  I turned 29 and realized I hadn’t done anything and my twenties were almost over.  But, that wasn’t really true.  The real issue was that I hadn’t done certain things and was hitting 29 and basically just beating myself up over it. 

But, after hearing my friend moan and groan over a number, I decided that it doesn’t matter what I’ve done or haven’t done by the time I turn 30.  It just doesn’t matter.  We can’t beat ourselves up over hitting another decade mark.  We can’t compare ourselves to our friends or acquaintances who have “done” more than we have.  They haven’t done more, they’ve just done differently. (I’m guilty of this particular no-no, so that’s why I mention it)

So today, I declare that a number will not restrict me.  It will not define me.  I’m going to LOVE my thirties. 

In the first Sex and the City movie, Carrie says that your twenties are for having fun, your thirties are for learning lessons and your forties are for buying the drinks.  I certainly hope not.  I’ve learned a ton of lessons in my twenties that were anything but fun.  I look forward to having fun in my thirties, loving who I am, and what I’ve done, not what I think I should have done. 

After all, it’s all about where you’re going, not where you’ve been!

The SUN is warming up?!

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Have you seen this movie yet?

If you haven’t, you seriously don’t know what you’re missing.  Megamind has quickly become one of my favorite movies.  It certainly is my favorite animated flick, by far.  With music from Ozzy and Guns n’ Roses, and the comedy of Will Ferrell, I promise you every single person in your household will LOVE this movie.  I just picked up the DVD this weekend and we watched it Friday night.  It’s hilarious!

Here’s one of the trailers. 

Go rent/buy this NOW!  (Oh, and today’s post title is a quote from the movie.  Megamind’s fish friend “Minon” is warming up a ray gun powered by the sun, and Megamind misunderstands him when he says the gun is warming up, thinking the sun is what’s warming…which is silly, since it’s the sun.)  Anyway, enjoy the flick; it’s great!

#24 Supermassive Fave

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As if the post title didn’t give it away, here’s another of my favorite songs:

#24 Supermassive Black Hole, Muse

Okay, so maybe Muse is on your list of favorites.  Maybe you don’t care for conspiracy theorist, British rockers.  Or, maybe you’re wondering why on earth I’m bringing Greek mythology into my list of faves. 

(((crickets))) 

Greek mythology.  You know.  The muses?  Ba-da bing!  Er, nevermind.

So anyway, Supermassive Black Hole wasn’t the first Muse song I ever heard, but it was the first Muse song that I ever heard, knowing that it was Muse that was playing it.  Does that make sense or am I blogging in circles again?  Let’s recap: Had heard Muse songs before.  Didn’t know they were done by Muse.  Supermassive Black Hole sought out because it was done by Muse = my official introduction to the band.

Actually (and you’re going to cringe), Supermassive Black Hole was sought out by myself because I’d seen the list of songs for the very first Twilight movie soundtrack online and had no idea what the song sounded like.  Needless to say, I was curious.

I found it easily on their Black Holes and Revelations album, and once I downloaded it, I was over the moon at how different and how ground-breaking they were (and still are).  Supermassive Black Hole quickly became one of my favorite songs, and though I’ve listened to it a ba-zillion times, it still never ceases to disappoint me, and it’s one of my favorite songs to rock out to.

What is one (or some) of your favorite songs?

P.S. Don’tcha love music videos that look like the band was on an acid trip?  Bizarre…