Countdown Part 3: The Parodies

View my outline for this "countdown" here, Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.


I've mentioned how much I like The Hillywood Show. If you don't believe me, here is a picture of the corner where my desk is:

Yes, above my shelves of textbooks and notebooks, to the left of my stickie notes of Latin grammar leftover from the last two years, and to the right of my calendar (yes, it says October: this picture was taken a month ago) are three autographed Hillywood Show pictures and an autographed prop (Ron's sling from their Harry Potter Friday Parody). I just love to support them.

The focus of this post is on their three Twilight parodies. Though each one is around ten minutes long, I like it when I can take the time to watch all three in one sitting. This was a big time for The Hillywood Show: Twilight Parody was the first of their videos to reach a million hits. This was also the time that they made major headway in makeup, costumes, and locations (not that these weren't always good: they just got even better). I remember all the excitement waiting for New Moon Parody: it was as much as for the movie itself, some people even said they were more excited for the parody than the movie. By the time Eclipse Parody came (along with a helpful new HD camera), their work truly (if anyone had any doubts before) moved into the realm of professional (what does professional even mean?).

Does any of that story sound familiar? Isn't that a lot like what happened with the movies? Catherine Hardwicke liked the story of Twilight and made sure it got made and was as good as she could make it; this ultimately led to the indie movie's mainstream attention. New Moon, then, had a great deal of hype set up around it--and a more reasonable budget to work with. For Eclipse, people began to forget that these ever were supposed to be small movies.

But there is more than that. When The Hillywood Show parodies, they really get into the tone of the movie and what makes it what it is. So while there are already significant stylistic differences between the Twilight parodies and the Harry Potter or Vampire Dairies videos, the three individual ones are also unique. Twilight Parody is light-hearted and fun, relying on blue and white colors. New Moon Parody is rather pretty: you notice such things as cinematography and warm colors. Eclipse Parody is sleek, with flawless hair and makeup, going a little edgier. These all reflect the movies on which they are based.

There are even unconscious, probably coincidental things. Twilight Parody has something almost impromptu in its feel that matches the movie. New Moon Parody has potential pacing issues: it's the longest of the three and can start to drag slightly three fourths or so in; similarly, I think the movie does have pacing issues, including some rough cuts between scenes. And while Eclipse Parody is, well, sleek, it doesn't feel like it offers much we haven't seem before (I'm thinking about how MTV called this video a little predictable, as compared to New Moon Parody, which they praised highly). So very interesting!

But let me say it again: I love The Hillywood Show. I love that I found out about them through Twilight. I love their work, and I love their style.

Now the only thing left in my countdown is to read Breaking Dawn again. I'm disappointed I haven't been able to start it yet. But somehow I shall find the time.

Countdown Part 2: The Soundtracks

View my outline for this "countdown" here and Part 1 here.


I have really enjoyed what the Twilight movies have done with their soundtracks. The first one allowed me a way to get back into the mood of the movie while I waited for the DVD--it's impossible to listen to a song like "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," for instance, without picturing the scene it's featured in. Now, I know that listening to a movie score can do the same sort of thing, but it's different to listen to a score than a soundtrack. When you listen to a score, you are hearing point per point (or note per note, as the base may be) what you hear when you watch the movie. That helps to picture the movie, but I think it can also ultimately take away from the affect the score has on you when you actually are watching the movie. You start to get used to the music, so to speak, and it no longer can so powerfully set the tone of the scene. But with the songs on the soundtrack, you never hear the whole song in the movie; the only time you may hear the whole thing will be in the credits. So if you listen to that song over and over, you're not really spoiling the affect it has on you in the movie.

But besides this ramble, I love that these soundtracks have gotten me to listen to new music. I was introduced to Paramore through "Decode" and Florence + the Machine through "Heavy in Your Arms." Even for some of the artists whose other albums I have not bought, I still love what they bring to the soundtrack. Sia's "My Love," Blue Foundation's "Eyes on Fire," and Sea Wolf's "The Violet Hour" are some of the songs that come to mind as ones that I simply like listening to. I like that, in general, the three soundtracks mix classical music, pop music, and indie music--not only does that mean that there are favorites for everyone, but also that it gives us a chance to listen to things we might not have approached on our own.

To me, the Twilight soundtrack is raw--you can feel all of what it's bringing. New Moon gave a more somber tone, as fits the subject matter; as a whole, I think it is my favorite of the first three. Frankly, the songs in Eclipse start to drag after a while and not to distinguish themselves enough from each other, in my view.

The way that Twilight incorporated the songs into the movie was interesting: sometimes you didn't even realize these were separate songs instead of just parts of the score. The bit of "Eyes on Fire" that we hear in the movie doesn't include any lyrics, so you have to hear the whole song by itself to recognize it in the scene. This works to an advantage: the movie doesn't get weighed down by too many songs in addition to what the score brings.

New Moon has some of my favorite song moments (even while it has some very iffy score moments). "Slow Life" and "Hearing Damage" are two notable ones: they make their scenes perfect.

For Eclipse, I felt like the soundtrack was trying too hard. It seemed like we were constantly getting two seconds of a song just so that it could be in the movie just so that it could be in the soundtrack, like the bit that plays when Edward drops Bella off with Jacob. That isn't to say there weren't moments I did like; "My Love" and "Rolling in on a Burning Tire" I did. Could it also be that this soundtrack had less of an indie feel than the other two? I don't listen to a huge amount of popular music, so I hesitate to consider this too much. But if it's true, maybe that's why I feel a little lukewarm about this soundtrack.

Anyway, Breaking Dawn has the chance to include aspects of all the previous three soundtracks. There are joyful moments like in Twilight, sad moments like in New Moon, and tense moments like in Eclipse.  From my two listens (which I already feel is too much before seeing the movie), it seems like these are all there. It's hard to resist, while listening, guessing about which scene everything will go in. In fact, it doesn't seem too hard to do: all the songs have a definite tone. It seems like there is a varied mix in the type of song, as well. And listening to the new version of "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" and the song from Carter Burwell's score was emotional: it's good to have some hearkening back to the beginnings. The movies really aren't, up to now, very musically linked; that's regretful to me. So I'm excited to see what Carter Burwell does with the rest of the score.

And that's really all I have to say for now: the Breaking Dawn soundtrack proves to be at least on par with the others, with the songs seeming as fit for particular scenes as they have been previously.

Countdown Part 1: The Movies

As previously outlined, I will now proceed with Part 1 of my countdown to Breaking Dawn and briefly talk about the first three movies. Note that I am not reviewing them; I am only giving random thoughts about them as a pre-Breaking Dawn exercise.

Each of these three movies is very different, and each one scores in different ways. As much as I would love to have all the positives put together and to have everything work perfectly in one movie instead of just some things, that is asking much for any book to movie adaptation. What I am slowly learning is that movies can only score so much for deep fans of the books from which they derive. So with Twilight, I have tried to sit back and enjoy the different pieces each movie brings for each segment of the series: if one doesn't give me something I want, at least I know that another probably does. And we all know that Summit did a pretty good job of assigning directors to the right movies. Catherine Hardwicke was the one to launch the project and to prove what it could be. Chris Weitz was willing to take the story where it needed to go, despite what critics would (and did) say. David Slade let us enjoy the action bits and just have fun with it before the story gets heavy again.

What I loved about this latest movie viewing of mine (I watched Twilight Tuesday night, New Moon Wednesday night, and Eclipse tonight) were the reminders of the good things in these movies. When I write posts on them, I try not to dwell on the negatives: is there any real point in doing so? I am never writing professional critiques of them and no one of import is reading my thoughts (meaning someone who would consider my opinions and apply them to the making of the next movies). Focusing on the negatives would only frustrate me, and I don't want to associate frustration with something I like (although I do feel the need to say that, yes, this is a situation where I would say I like the movies because I like the books first).

Watching Twilight, I was reminded of how much the tone of that movie matches the book. Although it probably isn't the closest adaptation, the tone is what I enjoy most in the books, so it is one of the most important things for the movies to get right. I can't thank Catherine Hardwicke enough for what she brought to this series.

New Moon has cinematography that is sheer perfection, isn't it? There are the shots we're meant to notice, like the ones of Victoria running or Sam cliff-diving. But even in the "normal" shots, there is such a coherency and artistry. This is a lovely movie to watch. And I always thought it evident how much Kristen Stewart put into her performance for this one; she doesn't care what she looks like, but what Bella is thinking. The score, though pretty, I felt from the start sets the wrong tone most of the time, yet there are wonderful moments with the soundtrack. But I'm supposed to have a separate post about soundtracks, right?

Eclipse is the most removed from Bella's mind and the most like a standard, Hollywood movie (which makes it easier for some people who are most used to standard, Hollywood movies). I have a hard time moving away from Bella's perspective (which is, again, one of the important parts of the story for me), yet I enjoy the scenes with Riley and Victoria in Seattle. I also love the three flashback scenes with Jasper, Rosalie, and the Quileutes. The action bits are fun, though I wonder if it isn't emphasized too much sometimes--if it's only action I crave, there are other places I can go besides Twilight.

Where does that leave us for Breaking Dawn? Cautious.

I like to assign these personal journey stages to the four books, respectively: innocence, initiation, chaos, and resolution. Since Breaking Dawn is like its own sequel to a trilogy, it manages to contain all the stages clearly inside of itself, even if resolution is the main one. Twilight's focus on the falling in love certainly fits in with the innocence side. New Moon's expression of sadness does initiation justice, and the action bits and such in Eclipse showcase chaos well enough. But Breaking Dawn will be in two parts, thus tearing its emotional journey apart into two pieces. I will talk more of my thoughts on this popular trend of splitting later, but for now I'll say that I wonder to what degree we can keep the theme of resolution when only telling the first half of the story.

I haven't been watching interviews or reading much more than headlines, for fear of spoilers. Rather than getting pieces one at a time, I prefer to wait to see everything in its proper place and put together as it is meant to be watched. But there are two things I have heard about Breaking Dawn that are worth noting. Robert Pattinson said that it returns to the tone of the first movie, about which he is glad--if there is one thing I could ask for this movie to do, that's it. I'm trying to not get to excited over this, though, lest I set up expectations. The other thing comes from the Twilight Lexicon's supposedly "spoiler free" review, which I just read minutes after watching Eclipse tonight, of an early screening. To call it the best book adaptation of the four is very big. It leaves me with hope.

It would be wonderful if Breaking Dawn could take all the best parts from the previous three movies: the tone of Twilight, the artistry and boldness of New Moon, and the appeal and polish of Eclipse. Honestly, I don't think it is too much to ask.

San Francisco Chocolate, Colds, and Parodies

I was in San Francisco this weekend, getting back home Sunday night at 1:00. This really would've only been an hour late for me, except that I was getting sick. So I decided to sleep through all my classes on Monday, taking my first sick day since fourth grade. But at least I am now well, except for the longer-lingering cough.

What was I doing in San Francisco? Attending the Fall Luxury Chocolate Salon, of course, and otherwise looking for chocolaty experiences. (Look for my write-up of the event and the chocolates I picked up on Chocablog). Here are two pictures, one from Saturday morning and one from Sunday evening, taken along the coast.

An interesting city, architecture-wise, if a little chaotic as far as street-navigation goes.

And one more thing, which I meant to post about a week ago. The Hillywood Show, of whom I am a great fan, released their Eclipse Parody on Thursday. Makeup and choreography have blown me away yet again, and this video parodies more than anything they have ever done. Just watch it and see if it doesn't make you laugh, too.

Eclipse Rundown

Time to give my opinion on all things Eclipse.

First is Stephenie Meyer's new The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella. One word best describes it: perspective. From the perspective of a minor (very, very minor) character in Eclipse and only lasting a couple hundred pages, this novella offers an entirely new look at things we've seen before. (It also gives us some things we don't previously know -- that's why it's its own book, after all). The second to last line, in particular, is amazing. It's a line from Eclipse, but the emotion it holds is so different because it is Bree, not Bella, hearing it. Poor Bree: I really do feel sorry for her now. The book was available to read online for a month, but now you'll have to buy it if you want to read it. Short as it is, it's completely worth it.

Now the soundtrack for Eclipse. When I listened to it before the movie, it was a surprising take: I had expected the songs to evoke more of the chaotic sense I get reading the book, but these were slower-type songs. Even after the movie, I wasn't convinced this one beat out the New Moon soundtrack. So many songs on there made the scenes they were in. "Hearing Damage," "Possibility," "Rosyln," "Done All Wrong," "Monsters," "Shooting the Moon," "Slow Life." I didn't initially get that sense this time.

However. Once I start the list, the evidence is against my assumption. "My Love" is perfect for the proposal scene, "Chop and Change" makes an interesting/not-what-anyone-was-expecting start to the movie, "Rolling In On a Burning Tire" is great for Victoria and Riley, "Life on Earth" made the right soft atmosphere, "Ours" and "Neutron Star Collision" are subtle but tact additions, and I love "Eclipse (All Yours)" starting off the credits. What's that? There are seven songs in each list? Well, maybe I do like the Eclipse soundtrack, after all. It just may be working up to my favorite to listen to apart from the movie, as well.

Now the movie companion. I said before that I thought the companion for New Moon was more informative than that of Twilight. The Eclipse one seems the best yet. It got very technical (though not in a way I couldn't understand) at times, really explaining what work went into the movie. As I've said, I really like behind-the-scenes of movies, so when something like this tells me things I don't know already, it makes me happy. Interesting was the way the actor quotes were worked in. Instead of threading them into the regular text, each actor had his own page with his thoughts on the movie. It's much simpler, in a way, and allows you to go quickly to your favorites. This book wasn't shy on the pictures, either, offering both stills and behind-the-scenes.

Last year, I made a list of "New Moon Musts." This year, I decided to make a less specific, more informal list. Three things I find in Eclipse the book: chaos, choice, and backstories. The choice was definitely in the movie, particularly with Jessica/Anna Kendrick's wonderful graduation speech (I don't mind that screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg chose Jessica instead of Eric to give the speech . . . I really prefer it this way). The backstories were there. They're some of my favorite parts in the book, so I was pleased that the same went for the movie. Nikki Reed really showed us Rosalie this time around (I could never decide before whether I liked her approach or not; now I do). Jasper/Jackson was great. This was almost the first time we saw Jasper, and I loved it. The Quileute bit was a refreshing change of scene, amazingly detailed.

But the chaos? I didn't expect a problem with this, but walking out of the first viewing, I didn't feel I'd felt it enough. Everyone is at each other's throats in the book, including Edward and Bella at certain points. It's not the same in the movie, yet I think the audience still gets the clue. We already saw Edward and Jacob almost fight at the end of New Moon . . . we know there is tension. So it isn't a major deal.

Things I liked: Jodelle Ferland was perfect as Bree, though I wish the "Don't watch" line hadn't been ommitted and all of Edward's lines concerning her given to Esme. The fight-training scene was another of my favorites (did I forget to mention its song?), loved almost everything about it. The Florida bit with Renee was slightly tweaked, yet I found it a very sweet moment. Bryce Dallas Howard as Victoria, Xavier Samuel as Riley, Charlie Bewley's hilarious expressions and stances as Demetri, Maria. Howard Shore's score was probably the strongest yet, though most of the pivotal moments he didn't get to write for since soundtrack covers those.

Lastly: the "big three." I really, really liked what Kristen Stewart did for New Moon -- this time, I felt like the script didn't give her much to work with. The focus wasn't on Bella as much. It was on the newborns, the backstories, and even Jacob. The "you'd be better off dead" scene felt slightly off to me until I realized that it's more Jacob's perspective than Bella's. Now, Jacob. It may just be me (I'm not Team Jacob, after all), but I feel like Taylor's interpretation of the character is a little different from the book Jacob. Any minor problems I have with movie Jacob aren't with Taylor's acting, just some of the choices he or the director made. Then Edward. I've liked the way Robert Pattinson has handled the character before, and Eclipse only added to that. My favorite line he delivered was the "I might actually like you" one. It included every nuance of the Edward/Jacob relationship. That scene, as well, was perfectly handled in general.

My final thougth: I saw the movie first in a regular theatre, then in a Harkins Cine Capri, then in IMAX. The sound of IMAX is superior and the bigger screen helped with the vampire-speed effect, but my conclusion is that the Cine Capri was best. It's big without being exaggerated.