Review: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson Rock "Twilight"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Twilight (2008)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality
DIRECTOR: Catherine Hardwicke
WRITER: Melissa Rosenberg (based upon the novel by Stephenie Meyer)
PRODUCERS: Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian, Mark Morgan, and Karen Rosenfelt
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Elliot Davis
EDITOR: Nancy Richardson

DRAMA/ROMANCE/HORROR

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Gigandet, Ashley Greene, Christian Serratos, Anna Kendrick, Nikki Reed, Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz, Jack Rathbone, Michael Welch, Gil Birmingham, Justin Chon, José Zuniga, and Edi Gathegi

The 2008 box office smash, Twilight, is based on the 2005 novel of the same name written by author Stephenie Meyer. Twilight is the story of an outsider girl who falls for a chivalrous vampire.

Isabella (prefers “Bella”) Swan has always been a little bit different and has never cared about fitting in with the trendy girls. When her mother and her new husband move to sunny Florida, Bella returns to the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, to live with her father, Police Chief Charlie Swan (Billy Burke). Surprisingly, Bella does make a few friends at the local high school, but she finds life dull. Then, Bella spots the school’s strangest students, the Cullens, but she is most captivated by the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a boy unlike any she’s ever met.

After he saves her life, Edward is forced to reveal to Bella that he is a vampire, but he doesn’t have fangs. His family is unique in that they choose not to drink human blood. The intelligent, sly, and witty, Edward sees straight into Bella’s soul. Her mere presence drives him crazy, and their passionate romance is as thrilling as it is unorthodox. They’re soul mates. However, the arrival of a small pack of vicious vampires threatens the peacefulness of Forks, the Cullens’ way of life, and Bella and Edward’s happiness.

I think the secret of Twilight’s success as a film adaptation of a (wildly) popular book is that it captures the essence of The Twilight Saga (which is composed of four books – for those not in the know). Twilight may have vampires, but it is unequivocally a romance. The birth of Bella and Edwards’ love and its continual growth is so powerful that it permeates Twilight and spills over into the readers’ imaginations. These are captivating characters. Bella is an independent girl, who keeps her own counsel. Edward is chivalrous and is something of a Byronic hero.

The success of Twilight as a movie, separate from the Twilight Saga, depended on how the film depicted the intense romance of Bella and Edward. First, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg did a fantastic job adapting Twilight for the screen. Rosenberg is near-perfect at trimming the novel, creating new scenes that are true to the original text, and keeping pretty much everything from the novel that really encapsulates this story. Director Catherine Hardwicke has this deft touch at getting to the heart of what makes this story work, and she is especially good at capturing the magic of Bella and Edward as a couple. The best example of Rosenberg and Hardwicke’s storytelling is a magical sequence in which Edward puts Bella on his back and takes her on a journey through the lush forests surrounding Forks via the tree tops.

However, the biggest reasons for Twilight’s success are actors Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward. Stewart, who seems to have the makings of an exceptional actress, embodies the moodiness and independent streak of Bella that define the character. Kristen makes Bella seem like a real person even in the midst of Twilight’s fantastic scenario. Pattinson is simply a beautiful man, and he channels his acting through a passion for his craft; maybe, that’s why Edwards is so fierce and intense. Here, Pattinson is pitch perfect at playing the sly, tormented bad boy.

Stewart and Pattinson are so good that they are this movie. Simply put, Twilight is a winner.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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Twilight News: Editor Art Jones out on "Eclipse"

EW.com's Hollywood Insider is reporting that Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the Twlight film series, is replacing editor Art Jones with Nancy Richardson who edited the first Twilight.  Apparently Jones' edit of Eclipse was "very good," but still needed to be stronger.

Hmmm.

Twilight's Robert Pattinson to Appear on "The Daily Show"

Robert Pattinson, the wildly popular young actor who portrays dreamy vampire Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" movies will be in New York City next week.  Pattinson will visit several talk shows to promote his new film, Remember Me (March 12, 2010).  This is, of course, all subject to change:

March 2: The Daily Show
March 2: The View with Remember Me costar Emilie de Ravin
??? Jimmy Kimmel

"The View" is broadcast on ABC affiliates in the morning, while "The Daily Show" appears on cable channel Comedy Central, 11 p.m. Eastern and 10 p.m. Eastern, but check your local listings.

Burger King and Summit Entertainment Continue Twilight Cross Promotion with "Eclipse"

Burger King Corporation Teams with Summit Entertainment for the Studio’s Upcoming Film ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’


MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the heels of its highly successful “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” in-restaurant promotion, Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) announced that the brand will sustain momentum with Summit Entertainment and sponsor the third installment in the Studio’s film series, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” Fans of the hit “Twilight Saga” film series can expect more exclusive access to the property from Burger King Corp. in conjunction with the theatrical release of the movie on June 30, 2010.

“‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ promotion was a tremendous success, with our guests eager to get their bite of the property through exclusive merchandise offered at BURGER KING® restaurants,” said Cindy Syracuse, senior director, cultural marketing, Burger King Corp. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Summit Entertainment for the third film, ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.’”

Burger King Corp.’s multi-faceted “New Moon” promotion, which began on Nov. 16, included a special “New Moon” fan pack, a series of limited-edition "New Moon"-themed BK® Crown Cards, “New Moon” water bottles and much more. Stay tuned for additional details about Burger King Corp.’s promotion of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” is directed by David Slade from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner will reprise their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.

In “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, Bella is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.


ABOUT SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Summit Entertainment, LLC is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The studio handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit Entertainment, LLC also represents international sales for both its own slate and third party product. Summit Entertainment, LLC plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.

ABOUT BURGER KING CORPORATION
The BURGER KING® system operates more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and in 73 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. In 2008, Fortune magazine ranked Burger King Corp. (BKC) among America's 1,000 largest corporations and in 2010, Standard & Poor's included shares of Burger King Holdings, Inc. in the S&P MidCap 400 index. BKC was recently recognized by Interbrand on its top 100 "Best Global Brands" list and Ad Week has named it one of the top three industry-changing advertisers within the last three decades. To learn more about Burger King Corp., please visit the company's Web site at www.bk.com.