Opinions Are Just That: breaking dawn

Showing posts with label breaking dawn. Show all posts

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Movie Review of Breaking Dawn Part Two

I went to see the movie of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two on opening night and it is fabulous! That is to say it is by far the best movie of the series, but it is possibly the best movie I’ve ever seen! I thought I’d never love a movie as much as The Notebook, but Breaking Dawn Part Two blows that out of the water!

The special effects were perfect! They weren’t overdone and things really looked realistic. I was impressed.

The fight scenes were intense and even my son and his friend were on the edge of their seats.

The love scenes were tastefully done and left plenty to the imagination. They were not overdone the way some movies are.

Pretty much all of the new vampires were well-cast and I particularly loved Garret and Benjamin, and the Amazons! I have some previous blog posts that share more information about those characters that I’ll link to below.

One thing that took me by surprise was how much I laughed! There were so many one-liners that weren't necessarily in the book! The same information was portrayed; in fact, the movie followed the book quite well. It was just done in a way that brought humor in.

Then I cried…and cried out along with the rest of the theater patrons…when some of our favorite characters were…hurt. I can’t even tell you how many times the whole lot of us yelled at the screen “Noooo!!! They can’t doooo that!!!” and cried…and cried. We cheered for the good guys, and sometimes the bad guys, and sometimes it was hard to remember who the good guys were and who the bad guys were.

And the final scene of the movie, oh, wow, there are no words. Even if you don’t like Twilight…this is a must see!

Now I need the soundtrack!

Here are some of my blog posts about the new vampires!

Exploring the Egyptian Coven

The Romanians

Alaskan Coven (the Denali Sisters, Carmen & Eleazar, and Garrett)

All about the Volturi Guard!

Journey to Ireland!

If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Movie Review of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part One

It is the wee hours of the morning as I write to share my opinions and a movie review of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part One based on the bestselling novel Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. A group of my friends, along with several thousand of my fellow Twi-hards, have stayed up late to watch the Midnight premier of this much anticipated movie event.

It's the final book of the Twilight series and they've broken the book into two movies. In this first movie Bella officially marries her Edward. They honeymoon on Esme's Island and it is paradise. I have envisioned what this island would look like in my mind for so long, and they painted my picture perfectly! I think someone should use that island and put a nice bed & breakfast there and rent it out as a vacation package! It's amazing! I hated Bella's white bathing suit though, ugh! Also, Edward didn't seem to sparkle at all the whole time they were on the island. Aren't vampires supposed to sparkle in the sun? For the most part, the honeymoon scenes were tastefully done as honeymoon scenes go. Didn't really need to see the bed breaking...but I know there are millions of screaming Twilight fans who disagree with me!

I think Taylor Lautner deserves an Academy Award for his performance when he learns that Bella has 'died' and for the scene where he imprints. It was my favorite part of the movie, by far.

Other thoughts: I wasn't impressed with the casting of the Denali sisters. They didn't fit what my mental picture held, and Bella's wedding dress was way too modern. I thought it was supposed to be from the early 1900's. I liked the lace, but that was about it. I loved seeing Stephanie Meyer smile at Bella as she walked down the isle! That was priceless. I didn't like all the references to drinking. That was not in the book, and I don't think it was what Stephanie would have wanted. I don't know...maybe that's just my prudish ways!

I can’t believe we have to wait until next year to see Part Two! If it’s as good as Part One, it’s going to be amazing! What's your opinion?

I look forward to the release of The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion coming on December 13th, 2011. It can be pre-ordered here on Amazon!

If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Continued Look at the Nomads in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Check it out! The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion is now available for pre-order! It will be released December 13th 2011.

If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Complete Book Reviews of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Our trip around the vampire world in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide continues on to Ireland. Siobhan is the leader of the Irish coven and takes on a motherly role to both her mate Liam as well as Maggie, the young vampire she created out of sympathy when she and Liam found her nearly starving from lack of food. When Siobhan met Liam he was a newborn vampire and quite uneducated. She took him under her wing and they quickly became inseparable.

As we have found with many of the other vampires, Liam was changed to a vampire during a war. He was a fighter in the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Because so many people die during war time battles, they are a favorite situation for traditional vampires who want to feed without restraint. Liam was created by accident when a vampire came across him and a group of other soldiers. Because he was bit but not killed, his transformation was purely by accident. He met Siobhan during his first six months of vampire life and was attracted to her because of her strength and beauty. He was less than thrilled when Siobhan decided to create Maggie.

Maggie was born in Ireland in the 1840’s and abandoned there when her family immigrated to America during the great famine in the 1840’s. Maggie had a strange way of knowing when someone was lying and always pointed it out to those around her. For this reason her family was embarrassed of her and wondered if her abilities were demonic. The situation reminds me of how Alice was treated. When Siobhan came across Maggie nearly dead from starvation, she could tell that she had a special gift and decided to end her hunger. Maggie agreed to join their coven and never looked back. With time, the three did quite well due to Maggie’s gift.

Have you started reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion? -Julie

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction

If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Monday, April 18, 2011

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

I’m learning a lot about the Volturi vampires. Most of the details in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide are available in the Twilight Saga, yet even having read the book series well over ten times (I lost count a long time ago) I’m learning so much. There are some more minor characters like Charmion, who goes by the name Chelsea, who I vaguely remember from the books and now I feel as if I really understand who she is and why she’s important to the Volturi.

Breaking Dawn in particular throws so much information at the reader in such quick succession that it’s difficult to keep up! It’s hard to remember who the bad vampires are, who the good vampires are, who would be a bad vampire if they weren’t friends to the Cullen’s, etc.

One tidbit I just found interesting while reading about the Volturi guard. Did you know that Demetri was actually created by Amun, from the Egyptian coven? Weird. When Aro found out about Demetri’s tracking capabilities, he raced right down and recruited him. It wasn’t easy but he had Chelsea to help him! If you remember, she has the ability to dissolve bonds between members of a coven and bind them to the Volturi. Poor Amun.

Okay, Heidi. Remember Heidi? She’s the tall, beautiful member of the Volturi guard who goes out “fishing” for humans to bring back to Volterra? Well, she was created by a vampire named Hilda who drew attention from the Volturi because she had such a large coven. Well, the Volturi decided they needed to be eliminated so they destroyed all but two of Hilda’s coven. The one they kept was Heidi. The one that got away was…wait for it…Victoria!

Have you started reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion? -Julie

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction

If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

How to Read Eclipse and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner at the Same Time

Do you love Twilight beyond reason? Have you read every book in the series multiple times? Here’s a lesson on how to read Eclipse and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner at the same time.

First, you have to do a little work. Grab yourself a red or blue pen and get ready to mark up your books. I know, sacrilegious, but get over it. This is not a perfect system, and maybe someone else would choose completely different locations to flip back and forth. Although the newborn vampires were created many days before the story starts, I’ve started the system about the time that Bree learns what is really going on in her new world. Near the time when the Newborns reach the clearing, you’ll be flipping back and forth every couple of pages. Pay attention, because not all of the references start “at the top of the page”; many start in between two paragraphs. Warning: do not try to read the books back and forth until you have made all these notes in both books. Have fun!

Let’s start with Eclipse. Turn to page 267, the beginning of Chapter 12: Time. Write at the top of the page “Go to Page One of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner” (for now, let’s shorten this to “Bree”). Next go to page 310, the beginning of Chapter 14: Declaration. Write at the top of the page “Go to Page 76 of Bree”. Go to page 383, the beginning of Chapter 18: Instruction. Write at the top of the page “Go to Page 83 of Bree”. Turn to page 461, Chapter 21: Trails. Write at the top of the page “Go to Page 112 of Bree” Turn to page 537 and draw a small arrow in between the sentence “I scowled in Seth’s general direction.” and the beginning of the next paragraph that starts with “The newborns have reached the end of the trail…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 127 of Bree”. Next turn to page 567 and at the bottom of the page below the three stars, write “Stop. Go to Page 143 of Bree.” Now turn to page 570 and insert a small arrow in between the paragraph near the bottom of the page that starts and ends “My heart burst into a sprint…I couldn’t see anything past the thick pall of smoke.” and the paragraph that starts with “After a second of fruitless searching…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 157 of Bree.” On the next page, 571 after the second paragraph that starts and ends with “I stared at her…mirror of my future.” and before the paragraph that starts with “Then Carlisle and Jasper began…” draw a small arrow and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 163 of Bree.” Flip the page to 572 and draw a small arrow between the second paragraph that starts and ends with “Jane’s gaze moved slowly…the newborn had her head in her hands again.” and the next paragraph that starts with “I don’t understand…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 164 of Bree.” On the next page, 573 after the first paragraph, which ends with “…They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle.” and before Carlisle’s response “Eighteen, including this one.” Draw a small arrow and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 165 of Bree.” On the very next page, 574 after the first one-line paragraph “Jane’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to the girl beside the fire.” Draw a small arrow and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 167 of Bree.” Turn to page 576 and find the one-line paragraph “Bree stared at her, not comprehending.” Draw a small arrow between that and the paragraph that begins with “Jane looked at Carlisle…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 169 of Bree.” Next go to 578 and find the words “Don’t watch,” Draw a small arrow below this and before the paragraph that starts with “I was only too eager to follow…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 173 of Bree.” On the opposite page, 579 at the close of the chapter write the words “Stop. Go to Page 177 of Bree.” That’s it for Eclipse.

Pick up your copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and turn to page 76. In between the paragraph that starts and ends with “Abruptly Diego looked away from me…and I saw what had startled Diego.” and the paragraph that starts with “Four figures were crossing the open field…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 267 of Eclipse.” Now flip to page 83 and find the paragraph that starts and ends with “Diego disappeared into the trees…Nothing out of the ordinary.” Draw a small arrow in between that and the paragraph that starts with “The sound of the thudding music…” and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 310 of Eclipse.” Now turn to page 112 and draw a small arrow just above the last paragraph which starts with “In the end, watching was boring…” Write “Stop. Go to Page 383 of Eclipse.” Next find page 127 and draw a small arrow in between the first and second paragraph just above the words “There are so many things you have yet to learn…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 461 of Eclipse.” The next page to turn to is page 143. Near the bottom of the page draw a small arrow in between the paragraph that begins and ends with “And then I heard the snarling…Maybe I could still save him.” and the paragraph that starts “I smelled the smoke…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 537 of Eclipse.” Now turn to page 157 and draw a small arrow between the paragraph that starts “You’d better open your eyes…searching for the danger hinted at in his tone.” and the paragraph that starts with “One whole field of my vision was obscured…” and write the words “Stop. Go to the top of Page 566 of Eclipse.” On page 163 after the one-line paragraph “Or did he mean this mysterious Volturi?” draw a small arrow and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 570 of Eclipse.” Turn the page to 164 and draw a small arrow just above the word “Hmm,” after the paragraph that ends in “As I hesitated…whatever was coming.” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 571 of Eclipse.” On the next page, 165 just before the last paragraph that starts with “The small vampire who led the dark cloaks…” draw a small arrow and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 572 of Eclipse.” Turn the page to 167 and find the paragraph that starts and ends with “Jane smiled…They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle.” Just below that, before the paragraph that starts with “She spoke of jobs and professionals…” draw as small arrow and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 573 of Eclipse.” Turn the page to 169 and find the paragraph that starts and ends with “Whoever the vampire was…I would still owe him.” and draw a small arrow just above the one-line paragraph “Jane turned to stare at me with narrowed eyes.” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 574 of Eclipse.” Flip ahead to page 173 and draw a small arrow between the paragraph that starts and ends with “Still pretending I was Kevin…as if I were too stupid to understand.” and the paragraph that starts “Jane looked at Carlisle…” Write the words “Stop. Go to Page 576 of Eclipse.” Turn next to page 177 and draw a small arrow just above the last paragraph that starts with “This would be it…” and write the words “Stop. Go to Page 578 of Eclipse.” Sadly, we are at the completion of Bree’s story and thus her short, second life. On page 178, write the words “Go to Page 580 of Eclipse” and enjoy the continuation of Bella’s story.

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction

Other books and music that you’ll want to own:
Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Pre-order here now! Release date April 12, 2011)
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga Eclipse DVD