What was your favorite scene in Breaking Dawn Part 2? If we don’t list yours, leave us a comment!
Poll: Favorite Scene in Breaking Dawn Part 2
November 16, 2012
Poll: How does Breaking Dawn 2 Rank In The Saga?
November 16, 2012
Poll: Which New Coven/Vampire Did You Enjoy Best?
November 16, 2012
Poll: How are you seeing Breaking Dawn part 2?
November 15, 2012
Bill Condon on the Challenges of Breaking Dawn Part 2
November 15, 2012
The Huffington Post has a great interview with Bill Condon about the difficulties he faced in bring Brekaing Dawn part 2 to the big screen. He also talks about why he took on the project and where he think Rob, Kristen, and Taylor’s careers are headed. Read the whole story here.
You’ve been with this franchise for a few years now. What was the biggest surprise you encountered?
I had never done a big visual-effects movie. There are twice as many visual effects in the second film — there are over 2,000 shots — than there were in the first. We started cutting that when the first movie got released — so, a year ago. I didn’t know how intense that process would be. We were just finishing up a few days ago. It feels like being in production for an entire year. There’s such a big pile of work to do. It’s long days and six-day weeks. The thing I learned is movies like this get made more in post-production than they do in production.
The other tricky thing is that today’s audiences are conditioned to spot bad effects. I imagine that makes the task even more difficult?
There are so many shots where there are five different vendors working on it at the same time. Guys are putting in wolves, other people are putting in Bella’s power, other people are putting in background and snow. It’s crazy. Also, doing some beauty work on some of the actors. It’s unbelievably intricate. The thing that sort of kept haunting us was the fact that you just know when something doesn’t feel right. You can get 1,900 shots right, but if a few really stick out, people will say, “Oh, it had cheesy effects.” You don’t really get a pass too much. Again, because this is really different in scope and style to the other movies — this really is a full-on action movie — I think the pressure was on to really step up our game.
You also had to rapidly age Mackenzie Foy, who plays Renesmee.
It’s exponentially harder, because this is a character who every time she goes out of the room and comes back, she’s grown a few inches. It’s all these subtle changes. Then imagining what Mackenzie Foy would look like at age 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Also, it’s not just that it’s Mackenzie — she’s playing a creature that’s half-human and half-vampire. So, adding that aspect to it. She’s not an entirely real person. And anybody’s face changes from shot to shot based on the angle. People’s faces — what we know about them — evaporates quickly. So, doing all that an applying it to an imaginary person who then has to emote and connect and speak — it was the next-level kind of challenge.
When you’re working with such an effects-heavy film, is it hard to get the performances you want from the actors?
Luckily, they’ve been doing this for a while. But, their character have powers in this film. There’s a beautiful idea in here that the reason Edward was interested in Bella in the first place was that he couldn’t read her. She’s a mystery, in other words. Which is what draws us to people, you know? But that quality she had becomes more developed when she becomes a vampire: she has an actual shield around her, and she’s able to project it to protect other people from bad powers. So, something like that, it’s just counting on Kristen to suggest that the shield is being pushed out and the other actors giving a sense of where it is. It’s all about having actors so good and committed, who really worked hard at making it feel real.
Video: Footage from London Premiere
November 15, 2012
The London premiere for Breaking Dawn Part 2 took place last night. Here is footage of the tio at the event.
Breaking Dawn 2 Reviews: A second… and third opinion
November 15, 2012
I, Lori Joffs, had the opportunity to FINALLY see Breaking Dawn Part 2 last night. This is my site and even though we already posted an “official” review, I feel I can take the opportunity to voice my own opinon. Since I don’t want to spoil anyone too badly, I will keep this as spoil free as possible!
First, did I like it? No… I LOVED IT! The film has a very different feel from other films in the saga, but then so did the book! Bella is a vampire from start to finish of this film. Her relationship with Edward is different. Her relationship to pretty much everyone is different! She herself is different. Kristen Stewart has never looked more beautiful or had such a strong presence than she does in this film. She has truly transformed. Seeing the world through her vampire eyes transforms the film. So if you have grown worried from reading reviews that say this film lacks the ansgty romantic tension of the other films… well yeah! Bella and Edward are both vampires and they are married. The tension in the film comes from a different place, just as it did in the book.
The best compliment that I can pay the film is that I feel it’s the best adaptation from page to screen. When the film finished I literally had to stop and think through the book to figure out which pieces were missing. There were things that were left out, but not much. What actually happens is that less time and attention are given to certain things in the film than in the book. For example…
(MINOR SPOILER LOOK AWAY IF YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW!)
The J. Jenks sequence is cut down to one short scene rather than a long drawn out process with a couple of visits and phone calls as it is in the book. Did I mind? No. Will you mind, probably not.
(END SPOILER.)
What we get in place of those somewhat missing moments are a whole bunch of extras! Most of these extras involve the Volturi, which I adored being the Aro fan girl that I am. But there is also one extra with Jacob that Taylor fans will go nuts over! Trust me. It’s one of the best scenes in the film.
So much has been made over the “twist”. Yes, there’s a twist! And it was AMAZING! And that’s all I have to say about that. Ahem!
The last thing that I took away from the film was the attention to detail. I understand that the film has to be made so that people who haven’t read the books will understand it. But as someone who has been tossed deep into the Twilight universe, I always want more. The subtle nuanses and line deliveries from characters like Alistair, Garrett, Amun, and the Romanians (Oh… how I LOVED the Romanians!) were indiaction to me that the actors and films makers had done their homework. In fact, one of my favorite moments and lines come from Marcus – yes, MARCUS of all people, for the sheer fact that someone who isn’t familiar with his backstory won’t fully understand the line! Even the non-verbal communication between the wolves showed the film makers had a “dialogue” going on behind the scenes. Its those details that make the film really shine.
Lastly, I just want to say thank you to Bill Condon for the ending. It’s always obvious to me which films are make by directors who are fans of films rather than those who just MAKE films. Given the way this one ends, it was proof that Mr. Condon was not only aware of the fandom viewing his film, but that this film was part of a whole saga. He pays tribute to the saga as a whole. As someone who has been engulfed in this saga for nearly seven years, it was touching and poinent and meaningful… and yes, it made me cry.
But don’t just take my word for it! Here is what one reviewer from the San Jose Mercury News said of the film:
Fans of the “Twilight Saga” can breathe a sigh of relief.
I just got back from a Wednesday night screening of “Breaking Dawn — Part 2” and can unequivocally say you’re in for a real treat. While my full review of the film won’t post until Thursday morning, here’s a little something to tide you over — answers to a few questions about the eagerly anticipated finale.
Is it the best ‘Twilight’ yet? Without a doubt. Director Bill Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg strike the perfect “Twilight” tone, playing up the campy humor while turning up the erotic heat on the romance.
Are there surprises? A couple, and even if you’re a huge fan of Stephenie Meyer’s books you’ll be astonished by how well they This film image released by Summit Entertainment shows, from left, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Peter Facinelli, MyAnna Buring, Casey LaBow and Christian Camargo in a scene from “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.” (AP Photo/Summit Entertainment, Andrew Cooper) ( Andrew Cooper )work. But be wary of spoilers since the tweaks are certain to turn into a hot social networking topic.
Who gives the best performance of the trio? Robert Pattinson. He’s swoon-worthy, and has consistently been the strongest. But don’t dismiss Kristen Stewart. She’s impressive here as a tougher, more confident Bella. Even Taylor Lautner shows improvement. It helps that he’s given some funny material.
Speaking of Lautner, does he keep his shirt on? Most of the time…However.
Will the movie appeal to non-fans? I expect so. This is a highly entertaining, suspenseful finale that satisfies on many levels.
Melissa Rosenberg Talks Difficulty of Adapting Book to Screen
November 15, 2012
Collider has an interview with Melissa Rosenberg were she discusses some of the difficulties she had in adapting the second half of Breaking Dawn into a two hour movie. She talks about the need for special effects as well as writing for thirty new characters, all with deep backstories, who only get about a minute or two of screen time. Read the whole interview at Collider.
Were there any of those new vampire characters you wish you could have explored more? ROSENBERG: Oh, all of them! Absolutely! For the very smallest characters, Stephenie has this very complex, rich history, for each one. Any one of them, for me, were so cool. There just wasn’t the time [to tell all of their backstories]. Pacing dictated what stayed in and what didn’t. Did you catch yourself writing too much for any of the characters, in particular? ROSENBERG: Yeah, the character of Garrett. I wanted to write more for Garrett and Kate because I love that relationship, and Alistair. I had more for the Amazons because Stephenie has such a complex backstory for them. I love those guys. They’re women of few words, but who doesn’t love an Amazon? How challenging was it to add all of these new characters without overshadowing the main story? ROSENBERG: The challenge was bringing in all of these characters and not leaving any of them out. You’re introducing each one and, in many cases, I had to just [give their name]. You have to keep the drive going, which is that the bad guys are coming, so you have to fight them off and find an army. It was a very tricky balance between those two. Was it exciting to see all of the vampire powers brought to life, from off of the page? ROSENBERG: It all has to be written, and that was something Bill was very helpful with. It has to be on the page. How do you show Bella’s shield? That was the hardest thing to do, from a writer’s standpoint. In that case, it was making suggestions, and then Bill and the special effects guys had to figure out what that actually looked like. I wrote, “She’s standing there and puts a shield over Edward. We see a little ripple in the air.” But, it’s very hard to imagine. I’m not sitting there with effects people. I’m just sitting there with the black page and going, “What does that look like?!” So, I did my best, and then Bill and I went back and forth while he talked me through his vision. And then, the special effects guys got ahold of it and I was like, “Okay, now I see it!”
Video: Michael Sheen and Aro’s Insanity
November 15, 2012
These interviews are from the press junket and both feature Michael Sheen dishing the motivation behind Aro’s laugh and over all behavior. I have a sick place in my heart for Aro, and I figured others might as well!
Need a Twi-Laugh? Next Movie to the Rescue!
November 14, 2012
Providing us with content that has NOTHING to do with any interviews or whos-wearing-what, Next Movie has rolled out a series of humorous posts. First up are the Twilight inspired Garbage Pail Kids. For those of you born in the 1980’s, you will remember gagging over the grossness of the cards. Next Movie offers six new ones including Rabid Renesmee and Charred Charlie. Here’s Belching Bella as a sample:
They also have a series of freaky face mash ups where they swap the faces of the actors in the shot. There are seven total mash ups at this link. Take a look at Bella and Edward hunting.
They are also asking you to “EFf, Marry, or Kill” Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Billy Burke. It means exactly what it sounds like! Which one would you pick to kill? You can vote at this link.
Finally, they have a video of all of RObert Pattinson’s most intense looks! Not just from Twilight but from all his films. Funny stuff!
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