I love Black Friday. I really do. I go out shopping every year. And not to any old store—I go to the King of Prussia mall. A shopping mecca so large that Wikipedia claims it’s the biggest in the country.
I usually go with my mom and my sister. And the weirdest part is that none of us is shopping for anything in particular. I mean, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. We haven’t had much time to contemplate what to buy those on our lists. We just like the crowds, the sales, and—quite simply—the shopping.
You see, you know how Oprah talks about “eating her feelings”? Well, I could easily shop my feelings. I enjoy looking at pretty things. I feel happy when I buy something (on sale!). And I love wearing a new outfit for the first time.
This isn’t to say that I’m financially irresponsible. I have zero credit card debt. That’s because I don’t fulfill my shopping cravings as much as I’d like. But man, if I ever win the lottery….the things I’d buy.
This is why I don’t begrudge Sarah Palin on her wardrobe. How many times do you get to run for Vice President? If the RNC let me loose with $150,000 in Neiman Marcus, I’m sure I could spend it just as fast. It’s not hard if you consider that one pair of Christian Louboutin shoes costs more than $1,000.
So, I go out annually on Black Friday and covet. And now, I also go to the movies. My mom, sister and I are proud to admit that we were the oldest people in the theater during the 11am showing of Twilight (though not as proud as the men who were also there).
And not to delay the suspense any further, here are my thoughts:
I liked it. I didn’t love it, and it certainly wasn’t as good as the book, but it was well done. Definitely worth the money if you’re a Twilight fan. If you haven’t read the book, I can’t imagine it would have the same appeal (seriously, drop me a comment if you fall into this camp, I’m curious how it comes across to newbies).
Things I loved:
-Kristen Stewart. She was the perfect Bella. She was witty, and not nearly as needy as the character seems in the book. And I loved how you could hear her breathing heavy every time Edward was near.
-Edward in sunglasses. I wish this scene was longer, because it was a great look for him.
-Esme cooking Italian food. I thought this was a cute added scene to give us a sense of the Cullens. And the house they live in is sick.
-Cam Gigandet as James. I thought this guy was PERFECT. Very creepy.
-The Kiss. It was different than the book, but better in that the film version was more passionate. It gives me hope that if more movies are made, we’ll see more on-screen sparks (for example, the love scene that was yadda yadda’d over in Breaking Dawn).
-The Ballet Studio scene. Well done! I even loved the montage of Bella’s life flashing before her eyes. I also loved the unexpected graphicness of the big fight (like the sound of bones cracking—nice touch).
-Edward Sparkling. This is a cheesy thing to capture on film, and I think the director did as good as could be expected. It was kinda like a “Dancing with the Stars” sparkle on crack.
-The Baseball Game. I loved Alice’s pitching and Emmett’s fielding. Nice Cullen moment.
Things I have mixed feelings about:
-Robert Pattinson. I hate to say this. Because he’s hot, and he definitely looks the part. And he was excellent as the brooding, moody Edward. But I didn’t believe him when he was trying to play “angry.” The scene where he smells Bella for the first time didn’t seem threatening at all; I barely felt anything from him. And other scenes, like rescuing her in Port Angeles, seemed rushed and over-the-top.
-The Courtship. This moved WAY too fast. All their interactions felt chopped so short that it was hard to believe it was “true love.”
-The Editing. It felt like MTV edited the first half of this movie (this ties into my complaints about the courtship). It felt as if Bella and Edward would say three lines to each other and then—POOF—new scene, new day! I think the movie could have benefited from a slower pace in the beginning. Maybe cut the amount of location changes, and extend some of their dialogue so the romance would evolve more naturally.
-Edward jumping/running. Someone needs to hire the special effects people who did the X-Men movies, because Edward’s super powers could use some work. Moviegoers were actually giggling.
-Their skin tone. I know the Cullens are pale, but wow. If someone with Carlisle’s skin tone was walking around in the real world, he’d be undergoing medical tests for a vitamin deficiency. Their paleness was so extreme, it was sometimes distracting.
-Jasper. What was up with him? He had a freaky, silent Edward Scissors Hands vibe that I don’t remember from the books.
So, that’s my take. Did any of you guys see Twilight? What did you think? Share some thoughts if you’re so inclined.
