Excuse me while I whine a bit . . .
When did the holidays become all about being busy? The reason for the season is Jesus, not endless parties, concerts, rehearsals, cleaning, cooking, shopping . . . .
But somehow, all of these things have become part of Christmas; overshadowing Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love to shop, to visit, to attend parties, to sing in concerts, etc. But at some point we have to say STOP!!!! ENOUGH!!!!! I can not cram one more minute's worth of stuff into December.
Is this why people have begun putting out the Christmas stuff in October? Is it so we can try to fit everything in? But who really is thinking of preparing for Christmas when we're still running around in shorts?
How big can everything get before the pendulum swings the other way? Or will it not swing like a pendulum? Will the event simply make a drastic change? Or, worse, will it continue to grow until the Christmas season starts at the beginning of October and goes through January?
Thank you for allowing me to rant and whine. You may continue with your over overly busy schedule.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friendswood Mustangs vs. Pearland Dawson Eagles - State Quarter Finals 12/5/09
Today at the Galena Park ISD Stadium, the Friendswood Mustangs took on the Pearland Dawson Eagles in the state Quarter Finals. It promised to be a good game. The last time Pearland Dawson lost a game, it was against Friendswood in the regular season (10/16/09). The last time Friendswood lost was the week before (in a nail biter against Santa Fe). Pearland Dawson came out looking for revenge against Friendswood. Friendswood was hoping for revenge next week against Austin Lake Travis. Unfortunately, Friendswood will have to wait another year for that revenge.
In my humble opinion, the Friendswood Mustang offense may have peaked last week during the first half of the game against Beaumont Central. During that half, our offense was unstoppable. They could do no wrong. This week, however . . . .
Even during the second half of last week's game, while our starters were still playing, we didn't look as good. I wondered at the time if the coaches had told the players to ease up and save it for next week. After all, the score at halftime last week was 30-10 Friendswood. The final score last week was 44-22. We scored 30 points in the first half and only 14 in the second. Our backups didn't start playing until the 4th quarter of that game.
Now, I think I was right last week. Our offense was just not "on" today. Quarterback Pete Maetzold usually had plenty of time to throw the ball, but few options on who to throw it to. Pearland's defense covered our receivers well. Even when they didn't intercept the ball, they did a good job of preventing us from catching. And then, even when the ball was thrown right into the hands of the receiver, they dropped it too many times. Sometimes, it was good that Maetzold's aim was off today, him under or over throwing his receivers prevented more interceptions.
Our defense did a GREAT job today and played most of the game. Those poor guys barely had enough time to catch their breath before they were back on the field again, sometimes they were only off the field for one play. Yes, they made a few mistakes, but who wouldn't if they had to play full out that long. One great bragging right, every interception Pearland Dawson's quarterback, Darian Lazard, has thrown this year, has been caught by a Friendswood Mustang. Pearland was able to move down the field very slowly (when the officials weren't giving the yards to them), and had very few break aways. The defense can lose a game, and they can win a game, but they can't win a game if they are on the field almost the whole time, and the offense doesn't score when it is on the field.
The real difference in this game was the officials. I have never seen that many blown calls (and that says something, since I've been following high school football since I was three years old.). I'm sure that even the Dawson fans would agree with me that the officials made several mistakes. I'm sure that affected the mental aspect of the game. When officials are moving the ball/line of scrimmage, in favor of the other team, refusing to call penalties against one team, and making up penalties against the other team, it has to effect the players. Usually, that kind of thing makes our players play harder -makes them want to win in spite of the officials, but today, when it was so blatant, obvious and wrong . . . .
For example, did anyone else notice that the play clock would only start after Dawson's offense was on the line of scrimmage and set. Only twice did I see it move before hand, and one of those times, Dawson called a timeout when it appeared that the play clock was at zero. This was not true for Friendswood. The play clock was always ticking when we were on offense. Here's another one. The last time I checked, the horse collar was around the neck, not the waist. So why did we get a horse collar penalty when we tackled the player around the waist. OR when our player was tackled after he caught the ball, but it was ruled an incomplete pass. And what's even worse for that call, the receiver was facing our stands when he caught it. Oh, and did I mention the fact that they ignored Dawson's players grabbing the hands of our receiver? Isn't that pass interference?
My husband wondered aloud if Dawson was the refs' ride home after the game. It appeared to be that way. During the second half, the officials kept the yellow flags in their pockets more, but then they just weren't really calling anything. Pearland was able to get away with everything. Of course, we got away with a few things, too.
It reminds me alot of a game we played early in the season (I'll have to look it up to see exactly which game it was). The refs threw yellow flags all over the field in the first half of that game, always against us. But let almost anything go in the second half. I wonder if it was the same refs. If I remember correctly, that was a pre-season game against a 5A team, but don't hold me to that. Is there a set of refs that doesn't like Friendswood for some reason.
All that being said, Pearland Dawson really did play better this afternoon than they did in October. I'm looking forward to reading the write up in The Galveston County Daily News (www.galvnews.com) to see all stats for the game and the season.
I would like to see UIL do a better job of holding officials accountable. This game MIGHT have had a different outcome if the officials had been FAIR. I really don't think it's too much to ask for to have fair officials. Do you?
In my humble opinion, the Friendswood Mustang offense may have peaked last week during the first half of the game against Beaumont Central. During that half, our offense was unstoppable. They could do no wrong. This week, however . . . .
Even during the second half of last week's game, while our starters were still playing, we didn't look as good. I wondered at the time if the coaches had told the players to ease up and save it for next week. After all, the score at halftime last week was 30-10 Friendswood. The final score last week was 44-22. We scored 30 points in the first half and only 14 in the second. Our backups didn't start playing until the 4th quarter of that game.
Now, I think I was right last week. Our offense was just not "on" today. Quarterback Pete Maetzold usually had plenty of time to throw the ball, but few options on who to throw it to. Pearland's defense covered our receivers well. Even when they didn't intercept the ball, they did a good job of preventing us from catching. And then, even when the ball was thrown right into the hands of the receiver, they dropped it too many times. Sometimes, it was good that Maetzold's aim was off today, him under or over throwing his receivers prevented more interceptions.
Our defense did a GREAT job today and played most of the game. Those poor guys barely had enough time to catch their breath before they were back on the field again, sometimes they were only off the field for one play. Yes, they made a few mistakes, but who wouldn't if they had to play full out that long. One great bragging right, every interception Pearland Dawson's quarterback, Darian Lazard, has thrown this year, has been caught by a Friendswood Mustang. Pearland was able to move down the field very slowly (when the officials weren't giving the yards to them), and had very few break aways. The defense can lose a game, and they can win a game, but they can't win a game if they are on the field almost the whole time, and the offense doesn't score when it is on the field.
The real difference in this game was the officials. I have never seen that many blown calls (and that says something, since I've been following high school football since I was three years old.). I'm sure that even the Dawson fans would agree with me that the officials made several mistakes. I'm sure that affected the mental aspect of the game. When officials are moving the ball/line of scrimmage, in favor of the other team, refusing to call penalties against one team, and making up penalties against the other team, it has to effect the players. Usually, that kind of thing makes our players play harder -makes them want to win in spite of the officials, but today, when it was so blatant, obvious and wrong . . . .
For example, did anyone else notice that the play clock would only start after Dawson's offense was on the line of scrimmage and set. Only twice did I see it move before hand, and one of those times, Dawson called a timeout when it appeared that the play clock was at zero. This was not true for Friendswood. The play clock was always ticking when we were on offense. Here's another one. The last time I checked, the horse collar was around the neck, not the waist. So why did we get a horse collar penalty when we tackled the player around the waist. OR when our player was tackled after he caught the ball, but it was ruled an incomplete pass. And what's even worse for that call, the receiver was facing our stands when he caught it. Oh, and did I mention the fact that they ignored Dawson's players grabbing the hands of our receiver? Isn't that pass interference?
My husband wondered aloud if Dawson was the refs' ride home after the game. It appeared to be that way. During the second half, the officials kept the yellow flags in their pockets more, but then they just weren't really calling anything. Pearland was able to get away with everything. Of course, we got away with a few things, too.
It reminds me alot of a game we played early in the season (I'll have to look it up to see exactly which game it was). The refs threw yellow flags all over the field in the first half of that game, always against us. But let almost anything go in the second half. I wonder if it was the same refs. If I remember correctly, that was a pre-season game against a 5A team, but don't hold me to that. Is there a set of refs that doesn't like Friendswood for some reason.
All that being said, Pearland Dawson really did play better this afternoon than they did in October. I'm looking forward to reading the write up in The Galveston County Daily News (www.galvnews.com) to see all stats for the game and the season.
I would like to see UIL do a better job of holding officials accountable. This game MIGHT have had a different outcome if the officials had been FAIR. I really don't think it's too much to ask for to have fair officials. Do you?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Differences between New Moon, the movie and New Moon, the Book Chapter Three: The End
Chapter Three is the pivotal chapter which sets up the rest of The Twilight Saga. This is when Edward leaves Bella. Every Twi-Hard knows this scene, probably by heart, and the actors, producers,crew, and everyone else involves in making this movie, knew they had to get this scene right.
I would have preferred to have seen this scene lifted directly from the pages of the book and displayed on the screen. While the movie version is very close, it's not exactly the same.
Here are the differences I found between the book and the movie for chapter three.
1. In the book, chapter three begins with the morning after the birthday party. Edward had spent the night with Bella. She comments that his face was smooth and remote as he kissed her forehead before ducking out her window. In the movie, he goes home after driving her home from the birthday party and doesn't spend the night.
2. In the book, Edward stays for three days after the party, never skipping school. Bella grows more and more concerned as Edward becomes more remote with each passing day/hour. In the movie, Edward ditches school the day after the party, and leaves that day after school.
3. In the book, Bella has used an entire roll of film between the time she receives the camera and the day before Edward leaves. By his last day, she as developed the pictures, placed them in her scrap book and put the duplicates in an envelope to mail to Renee. In the movie, we see her print one picture of her and Edward (on the printer in her room - which doesn't exist in the book) from the party and put it in the scrap book.
4. In the book, Bella's camera has film that must be developed. In the movie, she has a digital camera.
5. In the book, Edward has, at some point, snuck into Bella's room and hidden everything that might remind her of him. In the movie, we see him in her room, while he's ditching school (again, not in the book), and looking at the photo in the scrap book. Later, if you look at the background in Bella's room, you can see that the pictures of Edward are missing.
6. During the days that Edward is brooding, he tells Bella - only when she asks - that Alice has left with Jasper. This is left out of the movie (again, three days shortened into one).
7. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I'll mention it again. In the book, Bella has a part time job at Newton's. In the movie, she doesn't.
8. The scene with Edward and Charlie watching SportsCenter and then Bella/Charlie/Edward taking pictures in the living room is missing from the movie.
9. The break-up scene is shortened. The movie does a good job of portraying this scene, but of course, the book is better. It's longer, and more heart-wrenching.
10. The scene where people are searching for Bella in the woods is shortened. In the book, she hears other's searching for her, but is too stunned to respond. In the movie, the first thing we see after she falls is Sam in wolf form.
11. The conversation between Sam and Charlie when Sam brings Bella to Charlie is left out of the movie.
12. In the book, Billy and Jacob Black are not present when Bella is found. Charlie calls Billy later to ask about the bonfires.
13. The bonfires, and the phone calls about the bonfires, are left out of the movie.
14. In the book, there is a scene in the Swan living room after Bella is found. Bella is awake, but mostly out of it for this. Paul and Jared are there with Sam. Dr. Gerandy is there, along with Mr. Newton and his son Mike Newton. Mr. Weber is also there. Dr. Gerandy looks Bella over, and ascertains that she is physically unharmed. There are conversations here about why she was in the woods.
15. There is a second scene that takes place in the Swan living room that is left out of the movie. In this scene, only Charlie and Bella are present. They discuss how Charlie knew to look for Bella in the woods, and where the Cullens had told everyone they were going. This is when Bella runs to her room to find that everything that might remind her of Edward appears to be gone. She believes that he took it all.
Of course, simply saying that scenes were shortened is an understatement. each scene was so well written in the book that leaving anything out alters the scene.
Watching the movie, you might not notice that scenes are missing. But anyone who's read the book will wonder why we jumped over them. As I have said before, many things were cut in order to get the movie to two hours. In my humble opinion, the movie was too short. When it ended, I was surprised that I had been sitting for 2 hours, and was not ready for the movie to be over. Most of the people I've talked to have felt the same way, though I don't know of anyone besides me who is willing to sit through a six hour New Moon movie. If you are out there, please let me know.
Until next time.......
I would have preferred to have seen this scene lifted directly from the pages of the book and displayed on the screen. While the movie version is very close, it's not exactly the same.
Here are the differences I found between the book and the movie for chapter three.
1. In the book, chapter three begins with the morning after the birthday party. Edward had spent the night with Bella. She comments that his face was smooth and remote as he kissed her forehead before ducking out her window. In the movie, he goes home after driving her home from the birthday party and doesn't spend the night.
2. In the book, Edward stays for three days after the party, never skipping school. Bella grows more and more concerned as Edward becomes more remote with each passing day/hour. In the movie, Edward ditches school the day after the party, and leaves that day after school.
3. In the book, Bella has used an entire roll of film between the time she receives the camera and the day before Edward leaves. By his last day, she as developed the pictures, placed them in her scrap book and put the duplicates in an envelope to mail to Renee. In the movie, we see her print one picture of her and Edward (on the printer in her room - which doesn't exist in the book) from the party and put it in the scrap book.
4. In the book, Bella's camera has film that must be developed. In the movie, she has a digital camera.
5. In the book, Edward has, at some point, snuck into Bella's room and hidden everything that might remind her of him. In the movie, we see him in her room, while he's ditching school (again, not in the book), and looking at the photo in the scrap book. Later, if you look at the background in Bella's room, you can see that the pictures of Edward are missing.
6. During the days that Edward is brooding, he tells Bella - only when she asks - that Alice has left with Jasper. This is left out of the movie (again, three days shortened into one).
7. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I'll mention it again. In the book, Bella has a part time job at Newton's. In the movie, she doesn't.
8. The scene with Edward and Charlie watching SportsCenter and then Bella/Charlie/Edward taking pictures in the living room is missing from the movie.
9. The break-up scene is shortened. The movie does a good job of portraying this scene, but of course, the book is better. It's longer, and more heart-wrenching.
10. The scene where people are searching for Bella in the woods is shortened. In the book, she hears other's searching for her, but is too stunned to respond. In the movie, the first thing we see after she falls is Sam in wolf form.
11. The conversation between Sam and Charlie when Sam brings Bella to Charlie is left out of the movie.
12. In the book, Billy and Jacob Black are not present when Bella is found. Charlie calls Billy later to ask about the bonfires.
13. The bonfires, and the phone calls about the bonfires, are left out of the movie.
14. In the book, there is a scene in the Swan living room after Bella is found. Bella is awake, but mostly out of it for this. Paul and Jared are there with Sam. Dr. Gerandy is there, along with Mr. Newton and his son Mike Newton. Mr. Weber is also there. Dr. Gerandy looks Bella over, and ascertains that she is physically unharmed. There are conversations here about why she was in the woods.
15. There is a second scene that takes place in the Swan living room that is left out of the movie. In this scene, only Charlie and Bella are present. They discuss how Charlie knew to look for Bella in the woods, and where the Cullens had told everyone they were going. This is when Bella runs to her room to find that everything that might remind her of Edward appears to be gone. She believes that he took it all.
Of course, simply saying that scenes were shortened is an understatement. each scene was so well written in the book that leaving anything out alters the scene.
Watching the movie, you might not notice that scenes are missing. But anyone who's read the book will wonder why we jumped over them. As I have said before, many things were cut in order to get the movie to two hours. In my humble opinion, the movie was too short. When it ended, I was surprised that I had been sitting for 2 hours, and was not ready for the movie to be over. Most of the people I've talked to have felt the same way, though I don't know of anyone besides me who is willing to sit through a six hour New Moon movie. If you are out there, please let me know.
Until next time.......
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Differences between New Moon, the movie, and New Moon, the book - Chapter Two: Stitches
In New Moon, the movie, Chapter Two: Stitches is severely condensed. Here is my comparison.
1. In the book, Edward assumes a defensive position over Bella after she falls into the glass table, holding his breath and prepared to defend her from his family. In the movie, Carlisle rushes to Bella's side. Edward becomes stoic in the middle of the room.
2. In the book, Esme holds the back door open, and holds her hand over her nose and mouth while Emmett and Rosalie wrestle Jasper to get him out. Esme is apologizing as she leaves. In the movie, Emmett drags Jasper out while everyone else walks calmly out.
3. In the book, Edward and Alice stay with Carlisle and Bella for a time. Alice, Carlisle and Bella convince Edward to go check on Jasper. Then, Alice apologizes with her face, no words, before stealing out the back door.
4. The conversation between Carlisle and Bella is seriously condensed. Carlise never tells Bella the story of Edward's parents or of finding Edward.
5. In the book, Carlisle confesses that he and Edward are the only family members who believe God exists, and he is the only one who believes that they still have their souls. In the movie, Carlisle agrees with Edward.
6. In the book, Edward spends the night with Bella the night of her birthday, leaving when she first wakes up the next day for school. In the movie, he drives her home, talks for a few minutes, kisses her and leaves.
7. In the book, Edward doesn't leave until three days after the party, and he never skips school during that time. In the movie, he skips school the next day, then leaves that day.
8. In the book, Bella runs to her room, after being catatonic on the couch for several hours, and looks for her photos of Edward and other reminders, finding nothing. In the movie, we see Edward looking at a photo. Then later, if the viewer is paying attention, you see that the pictures that were on the wall are gone.
9. In the book, Bella's new truck radio is never turned on, and Bella and Edward have an argument of sorts as he drives her home. In the movie, "Satellite Heart" plays on the radio and they ride in silence.
10. The conversation between Bella and Edward in the truck once they arrive at Bella's house is altered.
11. In the book, Edward gives Bella a CD of him playing the piano for her birthday. Bella "allows" this because it's a homemade gift, and not something bought. The first song on the CD is Bella's lullaby (which I feel the composer did a disservice to in the Twilight movie), and the second is the song Edward wrote for Esme and Carlisle. Edward later hides this along with all her other birthday gifts. In the movie, this CD does not exist.
12. The fate of the gifts Bella recieves from the Cullens is never mentioned in the movie.
That's really all I have for Chapter Two: Stitches. Again I know I'm being nitpicky, but these are all the differences I've seen.
Please don't take this to mean that I don't like the movie. I really do. But it could never live up to the book.
Stay tuned for Chapter Three: The End
1. In the book, Edward assumes a defensive position over Bella after she falls into the glass table, holding his breath and prepared to defend her from his family. In the movie, Carlisle rushes to Bella's side. Edward becomes stoic in the middle of the room.
2. In the book, Esme holds the back door open, and holds her hand over her nose and mouth while Emmett and Rosalie wrestle Jasper to get him out. Esme is apologizing as she leaves. In the movie, Emmett drags Jasper out while everyone else walks calmly out.
3. In the book, Edward and Alice stay with Carlisle and Bella for a time. Alice, Carlisle and Bella convince Edward to go check on Jasper. Then, Alice apologizes with her face, no words, before stealing out the back door.
4. The conversation between Carlisle and Bella is seriously condensed. Carlise never tells Bella the story of Edward's parents or of finding Edward.
5. In the book, Carlisle confesses that he and Edward are the only family members who believe God exists, and he is the only one who believes that they still have their souls. In the movie, Carlisle agrees with Edward.
6. In the book, Edward spends the night with Bella the night of her birthday, leaving when she first wakes up the next day for school. In the movie, he drives her home, talks for a few minutes, kisses her and leaves.
7. In the book, Edward doesn't leave until three days after the party, and he never skips school during that time. In the movie, he skips school the next day, then leaves that day.
8. In the book, Bella runs to her room, after being catatonic on the couch for several hours, and looks for her photos of Edward and other reminders, finding nothing. In the movie, we see Edward looking at a photo. Then later, if the viewer is paying attention, you see that the pictures that were on the wall are gone.
9. In the book, Bella's new truck radio is never turned on, and Bella and Edward have an argument of sorts as he drives her home. In the movie, "Satellite Heart" plays on the radio and they ride in silence.
10. The conversation between Bella and Edward in the truck once they arrive at Bella's house is altered.
11. In the book, Edward gives Bella a CD of him playing the piano for her birthday. Bella "allows" this because it's a homemade gift, and not something bought. The first song on the CD is Bella's lullaby (which I feel the composer did a disservice to in the Twilight movie), and the second is the song Edward wrote for Esme and Carlisle. Edward later hides this along with all her other birthday gifts. In the movie, this CD does not exist.
12. The fate of the gifts Bella recieves from the Cullens is never mentioned in the movie.
That's really all I have for Chapter Two: Stitches. Again I know I'm being nitpicky, but these are all the differences I've seen.
Please don't take this to mean that I don't like the movie. I really do. But it could never live up to the book.
Stay tuned for Chapter Three: The End
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Differences between New Moon the movie and New Moon the book - Chapter One Party
Yes, I'm being nitpicky, but here we go . . .
1. Edward calls to Bella in the book, in the movie he is silent in the opening dream.
2. Charlie brings Bella's gifts to her room when she wakes up, not in the book.
3. In the book, Edward and Alice are waiting for Bella in the Forks High school parking lot. In the movie, she arrives first. Edward arrives alone after Bella takes a picture of Jessica, Mike, Eric and Angela.
4. There's a long conversation in the parking lot concerning Bella's birthday party in the book. In the movie, a small portion of this conversation takes place in the hallway with Jasper present. In the book, Jasper has already graduated.
5. In Chapter One of the book, we first learn of Bella's part time job. In the movie, there is no part time job.
6. In the movie, Jacob Black appears in the school parking lot and gives Bella a birthday gift, In the book, he apologizes later for missing her birthday. (Chapter Five - Cheater)
7. In the book, we are reminded of the real relationship between Alice and Edward. This is left out of the movie. If someone only watched the movie he/she might assume that Alice and Edward really are brother and sister.
8. The conversation where Edward sets up the new stereo for Bella's truck is omitted.
9. We never see the outdoor decorations Alice set up for the party, nor hear Edward ask Bella to behave during the party.
10. In the book, the stereo is a gift from Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. In the movie, the stereo is from Emmett and Rosalie gives her a necklace.
11. A scene that was left out of Twilight, the movie, is included during the party. It's edited of course, but Bella finally sees the painting of the Volturri.
12. In the movie, Edward and Bella watch Romeo and Juliet in English class with their classmates, and Edward reveals his contingency plans during the movie. In the book, they watch it at Bella's house after school, Edward recited Romeo's lines, and reveals his contingency plans as the movie ends.
13. The conversation about the Volturri is edited.
14. We don't see Bella's conversation with Charlie before she goes to her party.
15. In the movie, we don't know that Emmett and Rosalie have been gone.
16. The dialog in the party is altered. We don't know how Emmett feels about Bella.
17. In the book the papercut occurs when Bella is opening the gift from Edward and Alice. In the movie, it's Carlisle and Esme's gift.
18. In the book, Bella lands on a glass top table. In the movie, it's a wood table with glass candle holders on it.
19. In the book, we know that six of the vampires appear ravenous. In the movie, all but Jasper freeze.
20. In the book, Edward tried to talk Bella into letting him buy her a new car. This is not in the movie.
A large piece of the backstory is missing. You almost need to watch Twilight to understand what's going on. Reading the books is even better.
I will compare Chapter Two - Stitches tomorrow.
Stay tuned . . .
1. Edward calls to Bella in the book, in the movie he is silent in the opening dream.
2. Charlie brings Bella's gifts to her room when she wakes up, not in the book.
3. In the book, Edward and Alice are waiting for Bella in the Forks High school parking lot. In the movie, she arrives first. Edward arrives alone after Bella takes a picture of Jessica, Mike, Eric and Angela.
4. There's a long conversation in the parking lot concerning Bella's birthday party in the book. In the movie, a small portion of this conversation takes place in the hallway with Jasper present. In the book, Jasper has already graduated.
5. In Chapter One of the book, we first learn of Bella's part time job. In the movie, there is no part time job.
6. In the movie, Jacob Black appears in the school parking lot and gives Bella a birthday gift, In the book, he apologizes later for missing her birthday. (Chapter Five - Cheater)
7. In the book, we are reminded of the real relationship between Alice and Edward. This is left out of the movie. If someone only watched the movie he/she might assume that Alice and Edward really are brother and sister.
8. The conversation where Edward sets up the new stereo for Bella's truck is omitted.
9. We never see the outdoor decorations Alice set up for the party, nor hear Edward ask Bella to behave during the party.
10. In the book, the stereo is a gift from Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. In the movie, the stereo is from Emmett and Rosalie gives her a necklace.
11. A scene that was left out of Twilight, the movie, is included during the party. It's edited of course, but Bella finally sees the painting of the Volturri.
12. In the movie, Edward and Bella watch Romeo and Juliet in English class with their classmates, and Edward reveals his contingency plans during the movie. In the book, they watch it at Bella's house after school, Edward recited Romeo's lines, and reveals his contingency plans as the movie ends.
13. The conversation about the Volturri is edited.
14. We don't see Bella's conversation with Charlie before she goes to her party.
15. In the movie, we don't know that Emmett and Rosalie have been gone.
16. The dialog in the party is altered. We don't know how Emmett feels about Bella.
17. In the book the papercut occurs when Bella is opening the gift from Edward and Alice. In the movie, it's Carlisle and Esme's gift.
18. In the book, Bella lands on a glass top table. In the movie, it's a wood table with glass candle holders on it.
19. In the book, we know that six of the vampires appear ravenous. In the movie, all but Jasper freeze.
20. In the book, Edward tried to talk Bella into letting him buy her a new car. This is not in the movie.
A large piece of the backstory is missing. You almost need to watch Twilight to understand what's going on. Reading the books is even better.
I will compare Chapter Two - Stitches tomorrow.
Stay tuned . . .
New Moon Review - Spoilers
I have now seen New Moon four times. So now for my review . . . .
New Moon, the movie, is 1,000, no 1,000,000 times better than Twilight, the movie.
New Moon was much closer to the book than Twilight. Much of the dialog from New Moon was taken directly from the book, but not always delivered in the same tone of voice indicated in the book. Still there is not a single scene that is lifted directly from the pages of the book. I wish there had been. I know that Stephenie Meyer is quoted as saying that if they had literally put the book on screen, it would have been a six hour movie. My only response to that statement is, I hope the theater sells a bigger bucket of popcorn. 2 hours was too short for this movie. The basic story elements were there, but so much was cut in order to get to 2 hours.
All of the vampires looked better in Twilight. Especially Esme. In the voting scene, Esme's eyes look like yellow golf balls. They're HUGE. Rosalie's hair is so obviously a wig. I've read what the treatments did to her hair in Twilight, so I understand why she wanted to go with a wig for New Moon and Eclipse. But they really should have continued searching for a better wig. I hope that's not a sign of things to come for Bella's wig in Eclipse. And Edward's hair is the wrong color in New Moon. In the books and in Twilight Edward's hair is bronze, but in New Moon it's a dark brown. And don't even get me started on the Volvo.
The werewolves are AMAZING!!! They look so real. Especially the scene in which Jacob chases Victoria and she jumps off the cliff. Jacob, in wolf form, is standing atop the cliff and the wind is blowing his fur. It's wonderful.
A side note - Taylor either had a better wig in New Moon than in Twilight, or he is more comfortable with it. If you didn't know that it was a wig, you would have thought he'd grown his hair out.
And I didn't even notice any painted on werewolf abs.
While much of the dialog is taken from the book, there are many lines that were added in an effort to add some comic relief. During my second viewing, I commented that the book was not a comedy. But the wisecracks are necessary in order to prevent the audience from crying through the whole movie. My favorites:
Edward: "You can't trust vampires. Trust Me."
Alice (in response to Bella asking if she's coming back): "As soon as you put the dog out."
Jessica (talking about Eric and Angela): "He's just trying to get lucky."
Jessica (in Port Angeles about the guys on the motorcycles): "Well, they're great."
Bella (talking about Jacob, at the movies with Mike and Jacob): "You're so hot.. . . It's like you're running a fever."
I did not like the way Robert Pattinson portrayed Edward for most of the hallucinations. I understand why Chris Weitz went with visual hallucinations instead of auditory ones, but in the book, Edward was usually angry at Bella for doing things that are stupid and reckless. And then, during the scene with Laurent in the meadow, Edward is growling in her head. That was left out of the movie.
And what was with that CHEESY vision Alice showed Aro?!?!?!? I'm sure there was a reason that she showed that particular vision to him, but I have no idea what it is. If anyone knows, PLEASE tell me.
It should be noted that it was during the fourth time I saw the movie that I started to pick it apart. This is something I usually do during the first time I see a movie that was adapted from a book I have read. That is a huge compliment to this movie.
This is a movie for Twilight fans. Twilight fans will love the movie. If you're not a Twilight fan, well, you might be entertained.
I'm going to write another blog of all the differences between the book and the movie. That will be a LONG blog. I may have to go chapter by chapter to keep it at a manageable length.
New Moon, the movie, is 1,000, no 1,000,000 times better than Twilight, the movie.
New Moon was much closer to the book than Twilight. Much of the dialog from New Moon was taken directly from the book, but not always delivered in the same tone of voice indicated in the book. Still there is not a single scene that is lifted directly from the pages of the book. I wish there had been. I know that Stephenie Meyer is quoted as saying that if they had literally put the book on screen, it would have been a six hour movie. My only response to that statement is, I hope the theater sells a bigger bucket of popcorn. 2 hours was too short for this movie. The basic story elements were there, but so much was cut in order to get to 2 hours.
All of the vampires looked better in Twilight. Especially Esme. In the voting scene, Esme's eyes look like yellow golf balls. They're HUGE. Rosalie's hair is so obviously a wig. I've read what the treatments did to her hair in Twilight, so I understand why she wanted to go with a wig for New Moon and Eclipse. But they really should have continued searching for a better wig. I hope that's not a sign of things to come for Bella's wig in Eclipse. And Edward's hair is the wrong color in New Moon. In the books and in Twilight Edward's hair is bronze, but in New Moon it's a dark brown. And don't even get me started on the Volvo.
The werewolves are AMAZING!!! They look so real. Especially the scene in which Jacob chases Victoria and she jumps off the cliff. Jacob, in wolf form, is standing atop the cliff and the wind is blowing his fur. It's wonderful.
A side note - Taylor either had a better wig in New Moon than in Twilight, or he is more comfortable with it. If you didn't know that it was a wig, you would have thought he'd grown his hair out.
And I didn't even notice any painted on werewolf abs.
While much of the dialog is taken from the book, there are many lines that were added in an effort to add some comic relief. During my second viewing, I commented that the book was not a comedy. But the wisecracks are necessary in order to prevent the audience from crying through the whole movie. My favorites:
Edward: "You can't trust vampires. Trust Me."
Alice (in response to Bella asking if she's coming back): "As soon as you put the dog out."
Jessica (talking about Eric and Angela): "He's just trying to get lucky."
Jessica (in Port Angeles about the guys on the motorcycles): "Well, they're great."
Bella (talking about Jacob, at the movies with Mike and Jacob): "You're so hot.. . . It's like you're running a fever."
I did not like the way Robert Pattinson portrayed Edward for most of the hallucinations. I understand why Chris Weitz went with visual hallucinations instead of auditory ones, but in the book, Edward was usually angry at Bella for doing things that are stupid and reckless. And then, during the scene with Laurent in the meadow, Edward is growling in her head. That was left out of the movie.
And what was with that CHEESY vision Alice showed Aro?!?!?!? I'm sure there was a reason that she showed that particular vision to him, but I have no idea what it is. If anyone knows, PLEASE tell me.
It should be noted that it was during the fourth time I saw the movie that I started to pick it apart. This is something I usually do during the first time I see a movie that was adapted from a book I have read. That is a huge compliment to this movie.
This is a movie for Twilight fans. Twilight fans will love the movie. If you're not a Twilight fan, well, you might be entertained.
I'm going to write another blog of all the differences between the book and the movie. That will be a LONG blog. I may have to go chapter by chapter to keep it at a manageable length.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Meeting Alex Meraz and Kiowa Gordon - Part 2: The events
Yesterday, I got to take my VIP pass to Nordstrom's and meet Alex Meraz and Kiowa Gordon during a quick meet and greet. I had my picture taken with them, welcomed them to Texas with one sentence, then was shooed out for the next person in line to have her turn. I am looking forward to seeing the photo that was taken and the autographed photo frame.
After the meet and greet, some new friends and I made our way to the public q & a session. We had to wait an hour and a half there, sitting on the floor like kindergartners, but it was well worth it. We had great seats.
The Q&A was rather comical. As you can imagine, as soon as they took the stage, the screaming began. It was quite deafening. Alex was trying very hard to listen to the questions and answer them. However, Kiowa was goading the audience. Everytime Kiowa did something, the audience screamed so loud that no one could hear Alex.
One thing Alex did manage to say, He said that the cast called Kiowa "Sweet Cheeks" behind his back during filming. Apparently, his butt cheeks wiggled during their workouts, and the other wolfpack members thought it was funny. Kiowa vehemently denied the nick name.
It was a great evening spent with new friends. I wish I could have taken my oldest daughter. I promised her that if they do this again for Eclipse (please, please, please) I will take her with me.
After the meet and greet, some new friends and I made our way to the public q & a session. We had to wait an hour and a half there, sitting on the floor like kindergartners, but it was well worth it. We had great seats.
The Q&A was rather comical. As you can imagine, as soon as they took the stage, the screaming began. It was quite deafening. Alex was trying very hard to listen to the questions and answer them. However, Kiowa was goading the audience. Everytime Kiowa did something, the audience screamed so loud that no one could hear Alex.
One thing Alex did manage to say, He said that the cast called Kiowa "Sweet Cheeks" behind his back during filming. Apparently, his butt cheeks wiggled during their workouts, and the other wolfpack members thought it was funny. Kiowa vehemently denied the nick name.
It was a great evening spent with new friends. I wish I could have taken my oldest daughter. I promised her that if they do this again for Eclipse (please, please, please) I will take her with me.
Meeting Alex Merax and Kiowa Gordon - part 1:spending the night at the Galleria
Yes, I spent the night in the Red Garage at the Houston Galleria, and I had a great time doing it. On October 30, 2009, my friend, Heather, and I arrived at the Galleria around 7pm. We looked around the mall for a bit before we went to get in line on the sidewalk outside. There were two lines, one for the event at Hot Topic and one for Nordstrom's. By the time we were allowed into the parking Garage, the Hot Topic line had approximately 600 people in it, and the Nordstrom line had apporximately 50. Heather and I were lucky, we were numbers 10 & 11. Nordstrom's had an area blocked off for us in the garage, so once we were counted, we were able to move into the baracaded area, set up our chairs and such, then move about. Nordsrtom's brought out donuts and hot coffee for us as well as TV's and a DVD player. We watched Twilight (of course), Transformers and The Break up (which I learned was a fairly pointless movie). I felt bad for the people in the Hot Topic line, they didn't have as much freedom to move around as we did. I was proud of myself, when we had to pack up and get ready to go inside the Galleria, I had stayed awake all night (and froze while doing it. It got down to 48 that night - rather chilly for Houston). We moved into the Galleria at 6am and were greeted by Hot chocolate, more donuts, coffee and free make-overs. Two more hours, and we finally got to go shopping!!! I had no trouble spending the required $75.00 in the bp department at Nordstrom's.
After we finished shopping, it was time to take Heather home, then for me to drive another hour to get home and get a nap before the trick-or-treating. I was proud of myself. I made it 31.75 hours before I fell asleep. I could have made it longer, as long as no one asked me to do anything that required thought. This was excellent practice for my trip to Salt Lake City to attend the Twilight Mom's and Twilight Lexicon opening weekend events! And I got to make some new friends who are also Twilight fans! Great way to spend the night. :)
After we finished shopping, it was time to take Heather home, then for me to drive another hour to get home and get a nap before the trick-or-treating. I was proud of myself. I made it 31.75 hours before I fell asleep. I could have made it longer, as long as no one asked me to do anything that required thought. This was excellent practice for my trip to Salt Lake City to attend the Twilight Mom's and Twilight Lexicon opening weekend events! And I got to make some new friends who are also Twilight fans! Great way to spend the night. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)