I’m writing this a few hours after leaving the midnight screening of Eclipse! Keep in mind, I also saw it the night before at a special sneak screening. I don’t tell you this to brag, but so you know (if you don’t already) that I am a HUGE Twilight fan. You need to know this before you read my review. I write this review not as someone who makes a living critiquing movies, but as a fan of the Twilight books as well as the movies. Since most of the reviewers I saw at the screening were older men, I’m guessing they’re going to hate it. A few of them even laughed in places that weren’t supposed to be funny. People who “don’t get” us Twi-hards, will never understand the obsession and that’s fine. Just let those of us who do love it, enjoy it, and not care about all the details that movie reviewers are paid to care about. Bottom line for us…Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

That said, onto the movie. No surprise here…I absolutely loved it! The feedback I’ve been hearing from other people and from Twitter and Facebook, is that people are loving it and think it’s the best of the series. After sitting in the theater for 7 1/2 hours last night to check out The Twilight Experience (all three movies including the midnight premiere), I would have to say that while I believe the quality of the movies has evolved, I do have a special place in my heart for each one of them. I’m guessing it’s kind of like not being able to pick which one of your kids you love the most!

The details… I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll be careful about what I say, but here’s what I believe to be the good and the bad of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

What I loved:

The chemistry between Edward and Bella is as beautiful and passionate as ever. I always say that every woman wants their man to love them as much as Edward loves Bella.

Jacob Black is HOT! No doubt about it, Taylor Lautner has a lot of women defecting from Team Edward to Team Jacob. Bonus: he spends most of the movie shirtless! Edward actually makes a funny comment about it!

The Tent Scene – This is the one scene I was looking forward to the most and it did not disappoint! Jacob has a classic line that will make you laugh and cheer, and the conversation in the tent between Edward and Jacob makes you love Edward even more!

Charlie – He isn’t one of the “Holy Trinity” as I call Kristen, Rob and Taylor, but Charlie is one of the best characters in the movie. Billy Burke is PERFECTION!

Emmett and Bella – There are only a few exchanges between them in the movies, but I love the digs he takes at Bella. Very cute!

Back stories – I love that they show you the history of Rosalie, Jasper, AND they get into the story of the werewolves. Awesome!

Anna Kendrick – She is just so cute, and she is such a scene stealer. I love her, and she was great in Up in the Air. Can’t wait to see what else she’s in.

Fight Scenes – This is what’s going to draw some guys to the theater, and they really are great! I also loved seeing Jasper in a slightly bigger role as the “instructor” for the battle.

Riley – Xavier Samuel is incredible as Victoria’s “puppet” Riley. They made a great choice in Samuel, and as a woman, I love that they’ve added a little more eye-candy!

What I didn’t love:

Victoria – I’m sorry. I watched her on the Jimmy Kimmel/Twilight special and she was really sweet and nice. I wanted to like her, and love the fact that she’s a Twilight fan, but she is no Victoria! I REALLY missed Rachelle Lefevre, who was the original Victoria. All I kept thinking was how much I would have loved to have seen what she did with the role.

Wigs – It’s really insignificant, but some of the wigs are just really bad! Not enough to screw up my enjoyment of the movie, but every once and a while, I would think to myself, “Damn, that is a horrible wig!”

I think that may be it! I loved Eclipse, and I’m excited to see it for the third (today) and fourth (tomorrow) time! I know that reviewers are going to rip the movie apart, but we Twi-hards need to stick together and let them know that their opinion doesn’t mean crap to us! We love our Edward, Jacob and Bella and no matter what they say, we’re always going to love them!

My prediction…between $170 – $180 million! Twilight made $70 mil, New Moon made $140, and with Eclipse coming out in IMAX and the appeal for guys, I think it will break the New Moon record. Cross your fingers!

Have you seen Eclipse?  What did you think?  Do you think it’s the best of the series?  What were your favorite parts?  Leave me a comment, I would love to hear your opinion.

Just my humble opinion…

Pebbles

I’m one of those people who hates doing things just because everyone else is doing it. It’s both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it’s kept me from succumbing to many peer pressure situations in my life, and a curse, because it’s kept me from doing some awesome things because I didn’t want to go along with the crowd. This weekend, I went to see Avatar, and I am SO glad that I did!

My boyfriend and I were both of the same mindset that we had no desire to see, what is now on track, to be the highest grossing movie of all time. I was freaked out by the “blue people,” and didn’t really care about all the ground-breaking technology that was being used in the movie. Then I saw a special on some of that ground-breaking technology, like the special cameras that allowed director James Cameron to shoot the actor in front of him, but see them as their character through this camera. It was amazing! Then I kept hearing, not critics (because I rarely listen to them), but people I love and trust, talk about this movie like it was the greatest thing they’ve ever seen.

It made me think. Was Avatar going to be my next Titanic? To explain, one of my great regrets in life (as stupid as it may be) is that I never saw Titanic in the theater. I waited for it to come out on DVD because I refused to give in to all the hype back then that was around it. The very first time I saw it at home, regret set in and I still haven’t forgiven myself for it. Ironically, that was James Cameron’s other huge hit that holds the record that Avatar is on pace to beat.

Avatar is worth all the hype it is getting and more. It’s a very long movie, over 2 1/2 hours, but the movie has you so wrapped up in it’s beauty that you don’t mind. It is visually, one of the most stunning movies you will ever see. There were times that I was so caught up in what I was looking at that I missed out on some of the dialogue. I almost immediately lost my “freak-out” factor with the blue people, and was so intrigued by them. The look in their eyes, their expressions, and especially the way they moved were all mesmerizing.

The storyline was interesting, and I’m sure people will pull various messages from it, but it’s the breathtaking look of the movie that should drive you to the theater if you haven’t seen it yet. Do yourself a favor, make sure you see it in 3D. What an experience! I’m actually going to see it again with the whole morning show in IMAX. That’s going to be phenomenal! I saw I Am Legend at an IMAX theater, and can’t even imagine how this will compare.

So if you’re like me, stubborn, and keep saying you have no interest in Avatar and don’t care about all the hype? Don’t be ridiculous. You will be missing out on an incredible experience. I don’t want you to have “Titanic regret” like I have and years later wish you had seen it.

Once you have, let me know what you think.  Leave a comment!

Just my humble opinion…Pebbles