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New Moon -The Missing Moments

November 23, 2009

Chris Weitz and Summit Entertainment have struck gold with Twilight Saga New Moon. Frankly, any regular ManicDDaily reader could have predicted this:  while Kristen Stewart manages to embody both the ordinary and heroic—a combination of qualities that many young girls envisage in themselves, Robert Pattinson embodies (literally) what many young girls envisage for themselves.   And then there’s the extra set of muscles, bright smile, and uncannily canine shagginess of Taylor Lautner.

Where the movie fails, though, is in targeting the needs of tweens, a core fan group, for quirky scenes, lines and gestures which can be repeatedly replayed  (i) in their heads, and (ii) on their downloaded versions of the movie,  (iii)  preferably, at a slumber party.

The first movie, Twilight, had an abundance of these quirky, (one might  say) goofy, moments.  They were camp, but could somehow bear the weight of repeated viewing:  (i) RPatz’s shaken/frozen face after he stops the careening car; (ii) “I’m a killer, Bella,” (iii) the whole “you shouldn’t have said that,” “spider monkey,” thing (iv)  the first kiss;  (v) the second kiss; (vi) the third kiss.

New Moon has remarkably few of these quirky moments —moments that one can imagine young girls watching again and again in giggles and pajamas.   In my pre-vcr/dvr youth, this need was filled by our actual re-enactment of scenes.  My personal favorite was Olivia Hussey’s death scene in Zeferelli’s Romeo and Juliet, which I performed with great gusto and convincing gasps on numerous all-girl occasions.   “Oh happy dagger, this is thy sheathe.  There rust and let me die.”   (Yes, I was a weird kid.)

But what would a weird kid re-enact in New Moon?  All I can come up with (and these are no match for Hussey) are (i)  Bella’s single-arched-browed “kiss me,”,  and (ii) Dakota Fanning’s smiling “this may hurt a little.”

So, will this lack of re-enactable scenes translate into a lack of repeated viewings?  A drastic downfall in ticket and DVD sales after the initial hot weekend?

I doubt it.  The film still has a lot of Rob Pattinson abs.   (Apparently, even 109 year-old  vampires have adopted modern low-rise fashions.  Who knew?)

And, then of, course, there are kisses 4, 5, 6, 7…. But who’s counting?

Categories: New Moon, Robert Pattinson, Twilight Saga
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New Moon – Seen and Ponderous

November 21, 2009

New Moon has now been seen and pondered.  This is easy to do as it really is pretty ponderous.  (Yes, Bella is depressed, nearly catatonic,  but do we have to be?)

The music is particularly unfortunate.

As are the costumes.  Whoever came up with Edward’s robe with the Voluturi, which looks, at times, as if he were a Las Vegas crooner in drag, must be the same person who came up with Carlyle’s weird pale sweater set with the ascot type muffler.  Oh, and also the knickery vest shirt and shepherdess dress outfit.  (Don’t want to spoil this one.) And  Edward in the blue silk pajama top.  Unfortunate.)

The actors do the best job they can (which is not bad.)  Their eyebrows and lips work very hard to convey depth beyond the sometimes goofy script.  The actual lines don’t help much;  these feel endless and redundant in the Jacob/Bella scenes; clipped and overly-compressed in those with Edward/Bella.  (You can see which team I’m on.)

Also, though the movie promised a lot of Robert Pattinson (in all the ghostly Edward images), there really is not enough.  What’s especially lacking is any exposition of why Bella is so crazy about Edward.  Pattinson’s looks and innate charisma go a long way, but, if you had not read the books and/or were not already fascinated by Edward, it would be hard to understand Bella’s ongoing loyalty.  Their relationship is simply not fleshed out—where are all the “sleepovers”?   While both Kristen Stewart and Pattinson are more openly emotional in this movie, the script keeps them in a narrow channel.   (Bella’s relationship with her father, played by the wonderful Billy Burke, has more nuance.)

Partly this is a problem of a sequel.  Several sequences seem like much ado about nothing, simply because the background story is not really introduced.  (The repeated screaming in the sleep, the skipping chase scene with Victoria.)

Perhaps that unfortunate sound track is supposed to set a greater emotional context, but it mainly conveys that someone in the sound crew loves soupy scales.  (It’s like elevator music that actually goes up and down.)

I felt sorry for Rachel LeFevre (Victoria), who was much more angular, red, and menacing in this film (and will be replaced for the next.)

The audience very much appreciated Jacob’s bulked-up shoulders; Pattinson’s every entrance was greeted with glee.  An amazing number of men were in the audience;  men towed along by girl friends.  These guys were generally very well-behaved, although in the movie’s moments of greatest longing, loss, and/or romantic reconciliation, distinct guffaws echoed through the aisles.

In short, a bit of a disappointment, and yet, well….I may just like it better second time through.

Categories: New Moon, Robert Pattinson
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Summit Doubles Up On Pattinson

November 19, 2009

Just in case we could forget Rob Pattinson this week, Summit has released the new trailer for Pattinson’s next film, Remember Me.  (Remind me to buy some Summit stock soon.  Oh wait, it’s probably too late to buy Summit stock.  Darn.)

It looks good (if you’re stuck on RPatz.)  It looks like a part/movie Pattinson genuinely believes in.  (It’s always hard to believe that he likes either the Twilight Saga or Edward Cullen all that much, although he does seem to try.)

The movie appears to feature an angry, sullen, somewhat belligerent, soon-to-fall-in-love, wealthy teenager.  Although Rob does sullen and wealth well, he doesn’t really look physically belligerent, i.e. tough;  even in the fight clips cut for the trailer, it’s hard to believe he’s hitting anyone.  (One can almost trace the arc of fist bypassing chin,  like two actors on the stage managing a fake slap.)

And the made-up bruises/cuts manage to leave the chiseled line of his face remarkably unswollen.  But no one, it seems, will complain about this bit.

Categories: Robert Pattinson
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Robert Pattinson On David Letterman – Cryptic Re Robsten?

November 19, 2009

Robert Pattinson on David Letterman – young, sweet, cute, diplomatic.  His reply on the question of his relationship with Kristen Stewart– a mumbled something about his having given cryptic answers to that question all tour–seemed eminently NOT cryptic, but politic, dutiful, even gentlemanly.   It also seemed a definite ‘yes’, especially when combined with what a wistful glance at the magazine cover, shown by Letterman, of himself and Kristen.    I say all that it my own politic and dutiful way as a fan.  There did seem to be a genuinely gentlemanly aspect to Rob’s answer, but I’m also guessing Summit, the studio in charge of the Twilight franchise, has a stake in keeping the controversy alight  (Team Jacob plus the hype of speculation).

Ah.

The pleasures of pop culture in difficult times:  Robsten now makes me think of my mom in the 30’s, deeply loving Shirley Temple, Gone With the Wind, Errol Flynn.

Okay, that’s an excuse.  It’s not just the difficult times that explains the fascination–how about charisma?  Good looks?  Charm?  The love of fantasy?

Ah again.

Other seeming proof of Robsten relation (sorry, non-fans), Rob says, not on Letterman, that Kristen cooks a mean spam.   Come on!

Categories: Robert Pattinson, Robsten
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What To Do When RPatz Just Doesn’t Cut It Anymore–(I’m Not Talking About His Hair.)

November 13, 2009

What to do when the fascination for Robert Pattinson finally runs dry?

Maybe it’s the conclusive evidence of handholding.  (See Robsten photograph, November 10th or so, Le Bourget, France.)

Or maybe the realization that he really is just a young, charmingly goofy but nonetheless, movie star.

Or the news that he wears hair extensions for parts of the new movie.

Or all the Veterans Day celebrations, the tragedy at Fort Hood, the seemingly irresolvable situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the endlessly debated and diluted health care bill, the continuing rise in joblessness, and its concomitant psychological, physical, economic toll (the fact that these are real people’s lives).

Whatever.  Somehow you’re just not so interested anymore.  You haven’t even glanced, walking by, at the Vanity Fair cover.  (Okay, maybe you’ve glanced,)

Even re-reading a Twilight book provides no more escapist zing. (Ho-hum, there’s Edward again being handsome, sweet, overbearingly controlling.)

Fine.  But the problem is what do you do now? With all those spare moments of restlessness, disgruntlement, intermittent despair, which, for the last few months, have been pleasantly occupied by dark smoldering eyes tortured by paparazzi?

1.  Take up computer bridge.  Or better yet, poker.  Even better, scotch.

2.  Sleep.  (This five hours a day business seems to be showing on you.)

3.  Blog at least twice rather than once a day.  (No.)

4.  Finally read Marcel Proust’s The Remembrance of Things Past.

5.  Clean out your closet.  (Yes, your dog likes to make a little bed among the rumpled piles, still, there may be some good clothes down there.)

6.  (Do I have to?)

7.  Actually read the details of foreign policy decisions.  And the health care proposals. And the initiatives to create jobs.

8.  (Are you serious?)

9.  Go see the new movie, New Moon, as soon as possible.

10. It opens only one week from today!

Aha!  A plan!

Categories: Robert Pattinson, Robsten, Stress
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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it…. Robsten?

November 11, 2009

Spotted at Le Bourget–Paris Airport.

Caught on film!

An amazing photograph bouncing all over the internet is found to prove, nearly definitively, the existence of a phenomenon that has been the subject of long and intense worldwide speculation.   Is it:   (a) the Loch Ness Monster?  (b) Big Foot? (c) a new moon of Jupiter (wink wink nudge nudge).

Or are we talking about the existence of a love affair between two nearly teenage movie stars (who are super-attractive, thrown constantly together, play fantasy lovers,  and would  have no reason not to fall in love with each other)?

You guessed it.

They were caught holding hands.  In Paris.  (OMG!!!)

As one blogger reported, this wasn’t the first time they’d held hands, but the first time there was photographic proof of it.

High sums are now being paid for photographic proof of other important phenomena such as:

1.  Rob and Kristen playing footsie. (Hopefully, in Rome.)

2.  Kristen wearing an oversized sweater.  (Hopefully, in the early morning.)

3.  Rob eating from Kristen’s dessert plate.  (Hopefully, something chocolate.)

4.  Or vice versa.  (Still, chocolate.)

5.  Rob and Kristen holding hands and playing footsie on a UFO.  (Hopefully, within HD range.)

Why all the effort?  Why do people care?

(Maybe because there’s something more hopeful about it than real news these days.  Or maybe just, well, the “super-attractive,” “nearly teenage,” “fantasy” part.)

Hmmm…..

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A Real Rob Pattinson – Kristen Stewart Day

November 8, 2009

I had a real Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart day today.  This is not to say that I:

1.  Googled their names;
2.   Checked any other sources of current “news” about them;
3.   Looked at any Twilight or New Moon trailers;
4.   Caught sight of any super handsome male or hot chick in my apartment.

Nope.   What I did do was spend most of an incredibly beautiful day indoors.  In my case, this had nothing to do with the adulation of millions of fans, or the doggedness of  hundreds of paparazzi, but simply the press of work that needed to be done on a computer.  I told myself repeatedly I should do my work while my energy and resolve were strong.  Nonetheless, as the sun moved across the sky (outside my window), I grew grouchier and grouchier, more and more depressed.

Finding lovely patterns of light on my floor did not make me feel better; even sitting in those spots of light did not do the trick.

I finally gave up/gave in/succumbed, stepped out into a brilliant day.  Light bathed the New York Harbor, the horizon literally glowed.  No one, running through a fountain, screamed for me to stop.  I kept my shirt on.  My shoes are not brown.

Despite my lack of brown shoes and six-pack, despite my lack of long curly dark hair, for that matter, I thought of Rob and Kristen.  What I thought of was all those days when they weren’t filming New Moon and Eclipse and felt stuck in their respective luxury hotel suites (or same luxury hotel suite.  Whatever.)   Not able to go out into the sunlight—not because of the Volturi, but the vulturi–all those nonstop camera clicks.

It made me sympathetic with Kristen’s recent explosion, even of all the f-words, and Rob’s occasional surliness.   Yes, they’re both making tons of dough; but the value of a quiet walk on a public riverbank on a beautiful sunny day is pretty hard to calculate, and must be very hard to give up.

Categories: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Robsten
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Robama

November 3, 2009

Approximately a year ago, with the U.S. election, and the opening of a certain film, two figures vaulted onto the very epicenter of the world stage.  Although both had been known to the world for some time, November 2008 catapulted them to a completely different level of attention.

Their lives were transformed; from that point on, they both needed, unfortunately, constant security.  Neither could make a single move, not even to take a loved one out for a simple dinner date, without the intrusion of the press.  Any statement, whether a self-deprecating joke about grooming, or a remark about basic fairness, was dissected and promulgated worldwide, becoming a basis for rumor, ridicule, and non-stop commentary.

Surprisingly, perhaps, these two figures have much in common.

The obvious:

1.  They were both born on islands.

2.  They are both approximately 6’1″.

3.  They are both slender, and said to be losing weight due to the stress of their positions.   ( Supporters are concerned.)

4.  They both like baseball caps, have trouble with smoking, have distinctive,  likeable, smiles, and were notably young to be thrown into their respective limelights.

The less obvious:

1.  While some absolutely opposed their initial assumption of their roles, many others have been willing to stick their necks out for them.

2. Others would still happily throw them to the wolves (or the Volturi.)

3.  They each have strong female figures in their lives, who had strong careers before they did, but whose fame has both been strengthened and eclipsed by theirs.

4.  Sorry for that last.

5.  They’ve both made the best of roles that had aspects with which they were frankly uncomfortable (Edward Cullen’s resemblance to a raincoat model, the U.S.’s complete financial collapse and two ongoing wars).

6.  They both won prizes that they did not seek (Rob – sexiest man on the planet;  Barack- Nobel Peace Prize), and which countless sniped that they did not deserve.

7.  They both have three sequels in the works (the next three years.)   (Hurrah!)

Categories: Obama, Robert Pattinson
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Important Update Re Robert Pattinson

November 1, 2009

Yankees' Fan (Guess Who)

This just out re Robert Pattinson:  He was spotted leaving LAX airport and arriving at Tokyo’s Narita Airport wearing…. a New York Yankees’ baseball cap!

OMG!!!  RPatz and the New York Yankees–combined!  Has he been reading ManicDDaily?????

If so, Rob, sorry for any/all jokes at your expense.  (Also sorry for the bad picture.  At least I wasn’t chasing you with a flashbulb.)

Go Yankees!

Categories: Robert Pattinson, Yankees
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Hey Rob! Hey Kristen! The Jury’s In Session!

October 26, 2009

I’ve always thought that one of the biggest difficulties faced by any celebrity is the inability to spend time peacefully and quietly in public.

Robert Pattinson (surprise!) is an obvious case in point.  This, in fact, is one of the main reasons I am so interested in him.  (NOT because of his chiseled good looks, his self-deprecating charm, any confusion I have between him and Edward Cullen, the sweet, rich, loving, handsome vampire he portrays.  Not even his hair.)

No, I find Rob fascinating simply (okay, partly) as a study in modern day fame:  the poor guy’s life has been upended.

Sure, there’s been good stuff—movie contracts, money,  a possible love relationship with Kristen Stewart.

But look at what’s come along with all of that—virtual (in all senses of the word) non-stop surveillance.

Rob may be fairly private in his hotel room (maybe), but he cannot do anything in a public space without the constant click and taunt of paparazzi–paparazzi, combined with the more welcome, but undoubtedly wearing, attention of fans.

What’s a teen idol to do?

Jury Duty!

I have recent first hand experience of jury duty (if not, of actually serving on a jury), so I feel quite qualified to make this recommendation.

Think about it, Rob.  Jury duty has not even been that bad for me, who, despite my persistent blogging, does not have either name or face recognition.  For someone like you, who could not film Remember Me on the streets of New York this past summer without (a) a security detail, (b) a Pattinson “lookalike” (or at least “dressalike”),  (c) a 7ft. high wooden box to stand behind; and (d) a gang of paparazzi, jury duty could be a real godsend.

Here’s why:

1.  Photographic devices are not allowed into most court facilities.  (Which is great news for the media-pressured; the soft shushing of colored pencils is a lot more soothing than camera clicks.)

2.  There are loads of law enforcement officers in courthouses either (a) enforcing the law, or (b) under indictment.  Either way, they will not take kindly to paparazzi pulling out their iPhones for a sneaky snap.

3.  The jury areas  (at least in New York County) are quite pleasant, especially if you avoid the relative comfy seats in the main windowless jurors area, and go for the uncrowded wooden benches in the outside hall where large, south-facing, windows give sunny views of downtown Manhattan.  (It’s almost like a spa!  With benches!)

4.  Okay, the pay’s a six or seven digit cut from your current wage scale, but jury duty offers a young actor a great opportunity to study human nature in all its varieties and vagaries.  The emotional gamut runs from bored, to worried, to bored, to scared stiff, to bored, to deceptive, to bored, to confessional, to bored, to greatly greatly relieved, to very very sorry.

5.  Not only no paparazzi, no werewolves.

6.  And, hey, Rob, if you’re enjoying the peace and quiet, you can  volunteer for a three-month trial.  (They may even let Kristen serve too!)

For more Rob, Kristen, Robsten, Twilight,  and other silliness of many descriptions,  check out other posts  from my homepage –  https://manicddaily.wordpress.com.

Also, if interested in children’s books, check out 1 Mississippi, by Karin Gustafson, at link on homepage, or on Amazon.

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