"Eclipse:" Third time's a charm

I went to the midnight show of Eclipse last night (early this morning, rather), and it was well worth my sleepiness at work today. I remember seeing Twilight at midnight in 2008, and it was on in like one theater, and we rolled up at 11:30 and still got a good seat! Those days are long gone. The film was showing in several different theaters all the way to 12:40 and many were sold out.

The third novel of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga has always been one of my favorites - yes, I know there are only four novels, but it still ranks at the top of my list. There's plenty of romance and action, and at the end, Team Edward wins once and for all sealed with a vintage diamond ring.

David Slade did an excellent job directing this film. Melissa Rosenberg's scripts have improved, too. Some very important back stories from the book, such as the Quileute legends and Jasper and Rosalie's previous lives, were incorporated wonderfully. I think that Twilight and New Moon were lacking a lot of the smaller but important details from the books.

The actors have also gotten much better. Robert Pattinson as vampire Edward Cullen is gorgeous and brooding as ever. Kristen Stewart is Bella Swan to a tee. Taylor Lautner is also getting better as werewolf Jacob Black - if only we could get him to reach Jacob's 6'5" he'd be good to go.

There were some great and well-delivered lines in the film, such as when Edward says to Bella about the seemingly always shirtless Jacob, "Doesn't he own a shirt?" Newcomers Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria and Xavier Samuel as Riley were also quite good. It was nice to see Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) get to say more than a few words so that we could finally see that Southern gentlemanly side of his we'd read about.

Some critics are being hard on this film even though I don't know how they can deny that these movies are continually improving. Since Breaking Dawn will be two films, I think they'll just keep getting better and better. I will be taking a second look at Eclipse this weekend, and I can't wait.

Eclipse soundtrack

I finally received my Eclipse soundtrack in the mail last week after pre-ordering on Amazon what seems like ages ago. I like it so far. I don't know that I like it as much as the Twilight or New Moon soundtrack (yet, anyway).

Here's the track list...

1. Eclipse (All Yours) - Metric
2. Neutron Star Collision (Love is Forever) - Muse
3. Ours - The Bravery
4. Heavy In Your Arms - Florence + The Machine
5. My Love - Sia
6. Atlas - Fanfarlo
7. Chop And Change - The Black Keys
8. Rolling In On A Burning Tire - The Dead Weather
9. Let's Get Lost -Beck and Bat For Lashes
10. Jonathan Low - Vampire Weekend
11. With You In My Head (Feat. The Black Angels) - Unkle
12. A Million Miles An Hour - Eastern Conference Champions
13. Life On Earth - Band Of Horses
14. What Part Of Forever - Cee Lo Green
15. Jacob's Theme - Howard Shore

Obviously there's a Muse song on there. "Neutron Star Collision" is very dramatic and rock-operatic. The "our love would be forever" lyrics are very appropriate for the Eclipse.

My other favorite songs include The Black Keys' "Chop and Change" (my only qualm is that the song is too short - just when I'm dancing and singing along, it's over!), The Dead Weather's "Rolling In On a Burning Tire," Vampire Weekend's "Jonathan Low," and the soothing Band of Horses' "Life on Earth." I also dig Cee Lo's song "What Part of Forever." He whistles in it!

"Jacob's Theme" by composer Howard Shore is quite beautiful. Shore had big shoes to fill after Alexandre Desplat's "New Moon (The Meadow)" and Carter Burwell's "Bella's Lullaby" from the two previous soundtracks.

The album is selling for $9.99 on Amazon now. I love getting the soundtrack before the film is out then recognizing the songs in the movie. C'mon June 30!

Love triangle?

It's hard to believe that Eclipse, the third film in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, is out in theaters on June 30. The trailer was released today. I thought it was going to premiere on the New Moon DVD, but I guess it snuck out somehow as these things tend to do.

The trailer touches on the love triangle between Edward, Jacob and Bella. Eclipse always makes me think of the "personal space heater" scene. Also, the Volturi and Victoria make a cameo. It's strange seeing Bryce Dallas Howard as the new Victoria (although she does look eerily similar to Rachelle Lefevre, a.k.a. Old Victoria).

I thought I would dislike each film having a different director, but I think I actually like it. The different looks that the directors give to the films and their interpretations of the novels makes it exciting. David Slade (Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night) directed Eclipse.

Robert Pattinson's new film Remember Me is out tomorrow night. Then the New Moon DVD is released on DVD on March 20.

New and improved: Twilight Saga's "New Moon"

I saw the midnight showing of New Moon last night. They added shows every 15 minutes up until 12:45, and they still sold out. I've you ever heard of such - what a phenomenon!

The film was fairly true to the book. Melissa Rosenberg wrote the screenplay again. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) did an excellent job. It had a completely different look from the Catherine Hardwicke-directed Twilight. Don't get me wrong, I really did like Twilight, but any fool can see that this film had a bigger bankroll.

New Moon is probably my least favorite book in the saga because it's so sad. However, I really enjoyed this film. Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan really are perfectly cast. I also think that Charlie (Billy Burke), Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) and Emmett Cullen (Kellan Lutz) are also exactly as I imagined them in the novels.

Here are a few of my favorite things about the film...

-Edward Cullen. No one does tortured yet heartbreakingly gorgeous like Pattinson.

-Bella's birthday scene. I thought this infamous scene (where Edward decides to leave Bella) was very well done. When Jasper tries to kill Bella at her birthday party in the stunning, candlelit Cullen home after she gets a papercut, the drama ensues as Edward defends her.

-Jacob. Hello abs. It was evident that Team Jacob was in the house last night. Every time a shirtless Taylor Lautner graced the big screen there were collective screams. No, he's not quite a pro actor yet, but we sure do appreciate his strenuous workouts.

-Soundtrack and score. I was very in tune to the songs in the film, since the soundtrack has yet to leave my CD player since I bought it. The score by Alexandre Desplat was also beautifully done.

-Volturi scenes. The scenes in Italy with the Volturi are very cool. Michael Sheen was great as Aro - just as I imagined him. Dakota Fanning was good as the pain-inducing Jane too.

-Bella saving Edward in Italy. Having Bella run through a sea of red festival-goers in slow-mo to save Edward from showing his true self in the sun was a great touch.

-Werewolves. I was worried how this whole werewolf thing would pan out. The special effects were incredible - when Jacob changes into a werewolf mid-air to protect Bella from Paul, you just about get chill bumps. There's also a great scene where the wolves fight off the vampire Laurent.

-Time passing. One of the interesting things that Stephenie Meyer did with New Moon, was leaving pages blank with only months after Edward leaves Bella. I wondered how they would do it in the film. Weitz had the camera pan around a heartbroken Bella as the seasons changed outside - very clever, indeed.

Spoiler alert:
-The ending. As you know, Bella wants to become a vampire, and at the very end, Edward gives her an ultimatum. He'll do it if she marries him. Swoon.

Since Eclipse has already wrapped, we don't have long to wait until the next installment - June 30 to be precise.

'New Moon' premieres in L.A.

[Getty Images]

Last night was the premiere of New Moon in L.A., the second film (and novel) in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Tons of people were live tweeting from the event, so that was fun to watch. Twi-hards (like me) are getting excited for the film's release on Friday.

Robert Pattinson looked gorgeous in a simple black Gucci suit. Taylor Lautner wore a navy suit with a skinny tie - I'm digging that retro look. Kristen Stewart channeled her inner princess in a lovely strapless Oscar de la Renta gown with a bit of an edge. Robsten kept their distance from each other on the red carpet though.

Jackson Rathbone in a classic tux and tie, Ashley Greene in a red Prabal Gurung cut-out dress and Kellan Lutz sans tie posed together on the red carpet. Elizabeth Reaser in a Hervé Léger dress and a dark-haired Peter Facinelli (aka Esme and Carlisle Cullen) posed together. Nikki Reed in Burberry, Dakota Fanning in Valentino, Michael Sheen, Anna Kendrick and the rest of the film's stars also hit the red carpet.

A lot of people have mentioned the absence of A-list celebs at this premiere. Duh, who in their right mind would want to compete with the stars of this movie? They wouldn't stand a chance! After the premiere, the stars hit up the after-party. Check out Popsugar.com for more event pics!

Robert Pattinson does Vanity Fair

[VF.com/Bruce Weber]

Robert Pattinson is featured on December's cover of Vanity Fair. Bruce Weber has posted the first of four slideshows of outtakes featuring Rob doing various things from reading to eating to looking stressed out. I love the corn/lobster one and the piano and beach. Swoon! That man sure can work a camera.

Evgenia Peretz interviewed Rob in a piece entitled "Twilight's Hot Gleaming." She compares his fame to Leonardo DiCaprio circa Titanic proportions. I definitely agree on that. He talks about being cast for Twilight, not being cut out for a franchise, and his self-consciousness (awww, God bless him).

He talks about his relationship with co-star Kristen Stewart here...

Pattinson, for his part, says of Stewart: “She’s influenced how I’ve done all the Twilight stuff. It’s quite nice to have someone who is genuinely indifferent to the whole spectacle of everything.” For the record, however, Pattinson says the rumors of a love affair are false: “It doesn’t make any difference what you say [to the tabloids]. I’ve literally been across the country [from Kristen], and it’s like ‘Oh, they were on secret dates!’ It’s like ‘Where? I can’t get out of my hotel room!’ ” Stewart is even more emphatic: “It’s so retarded,” she says. “We’re characters in this comic book.”

Check out the slideshow here, and read the feature here. The issue hits stands on tomorrow, November 4. Also, New Moon is in theaters on November 20.

"Breaking Dawn" movie: parts I and II?

[VF.com]

My favorite gossip columnist of The Awful Truth, Ted Casablanca, on eonline.com has reported that Melissa Rosenberg is confirmed to write the screenplay for the fourth film in the Twilight Saga. However, it is still unclear at Summit whether or not Breaking Dawn will be one film or two. It looks like all of the cast is a go for the film though - thank goodness!

reaking Dawn is one of my favorite books of the series. It's definitely the most risque of the books. Edward and Bella get married and go on their honeymoon. She later finds out that she's pregnant. The baby is destroying her since it's part vampire. In order to survive after the baby is born, she must be changed to a vampire to survive. Another interesting twist is that part of the book is also in Jacob's perspective.

I'm all for a part I and II of this movie. It's such a lengthy book at over 700 pages. I think it would do a disservice to fans to leave out any important details. I can't wait to see what Summit decides to do. The way they're cranking out these films, we won't have to wait very long to find out.

InStyle.com: Designers sketch Twilight Bella's wedding dress!

[InStyle.com]

In Style asked some of their favorite designers to sketch Bella Swan's wedding dress for the upcoming film Eclipse. As all good Twilight fans know, Edward Cullen and Bella get engaged (after much reluctance on Bella's part) in the third novel. Alice Cullen picks out her dress for a classic 1918 wedding to match the antique engagement ring that belonged to Edward's mother. Author Stephenie Meyer describes her dress as looking like Anne of Green Gables.

I like Lela Rose's and Erin Fetherston's designs the best. The creamy ivory color of Rose's design (top) and the lace on the high-neck and train are gorgeous. Fetherston also went with a high neck. The strong shoulders are what I would envision being in style in 1918. The embellished two-tiers are also lovely.

I can't wait to see what they pick, and if they will actually choose to show the gown in Eclipse as they do in the book. Perhaps they'll decide to wait until their actual wedding in Breaking Dawn to unveil it?

Check out the rest of the designs here including Max Azria, Zac Posen, Christian Siriano and more.