Bitter Pills, Breathing Spaces

The same group of friends I mentioned above also know that I'm a fan of Robert Pattinson circa Vanity Fair days. I'm not a full-on Rob fan girl. If I see him in person, I'd probably not faint. I think I'll even manage to shake his hand, get an autograph and our picture taken, and ask how his day was. When rumors about incorporating a "force ghost" Edward to heighten Bella's hallucinations further, I was really worried. New Moon is a Bella/Jacob book. The relationship between both characters developed in this part of the series which will pave way for the love triangle in Eclipse. I find it odd that they had to resort to that tactic in order to keep the fans in. After seeing what the "force ghost" look like in one of the promotional trailers made for New Moon, it made me remember what was discussed during the lastest episode of the Danag Podcast: that scene really looked like a race game, e.g. Gran Turismo, and you get points for every marker crossed or completed. Oh well. Next on my hit list is...

Since fans have helped transform the Twilight franchise into Hollywood's shiny new toy, you know what comes next: paparrazi! When principal photography started last March 2009 in Vancouver, Twilighters were getting their fill of all possible gossip and spoiler-filled pictures. Therefore, you can just imagine the fandom explosion when this picture on the left appeared.

Was it hot? Scorching! Was it romantic? Kilig factor up! Was it accurate? A big flat NO! Why, you might ask?

This liplock should happen when both Bella and Edward have returned to Forks. Sure, Edward kissed Bella in Volterra but never on the lips! Both characters were uncertain what would happen to them, if and when they manage to walk away alive from the Volturi -- which they did after Alice allowed Aro to read her thoughts. The separation killed them, put them in too much pain. Both characters were gauging each other on their trip back to Forks. It was during the conversation in Bella's room -- in which their feelings for each other were reinforced despite the separation -- when Edward passionately kissed Bella on the lips. I'd like to think that this change is necessary for the adaptation. Therefore, I decided to look at other aspects of the production and I saw this...

Every Twilighter knows that the Cullen's eyes turn golden when they've fed, black when they're hungry. Bella noticed that Edward's eyes were black and had dark circles when they, as well as Alice, were sent to the reception area to wait for further instructions after their freedom has been granted by the Volturi. Bella even suggested to Edward that he should go and eat despite her own feelings of not wanting him out of her sight/reach.

Apparently, this bit got lost in adapation. The picture on the left is a screenshot of the latest promotional installment for the movie: the Meet Jacob Back featurette that was shown before Bandslam in the U.S., which is another Summit Entertainment production. Now, if you'll look closely, Edward's eyes are golden! Does that mean he was able to feed himself before he was tortured by Jane? Canon-wise, I don't think so.

I could cite a few more reasons that scare me about New Moon's adapation, such as Chris Weitz's vision of the Volturi or the insertion of about two or three scenes that weren't in the book. The latter makes me weary. More weary than Chris Weitz's version of the Volturi. Still, it doesn't lessen the frustration that I feel.

Since New Moon will be released in a few months from now, all I can do is to start lowering my expectations. I sincerely hope that I won't nit-pick the movie when it hits the cinemas.