(no subject)
Feb. 7th, 2009 07:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
clo_againToday, on a total whim, I went to Lancaster to see Twilight. I started out thinking maybe I'd see something Oscar-nominated like ...Benjamin Button but Twilight's down to just the weekend showings now and I figured I might not get to see it cinema-ised if I didn't go now. Besides, how can I mock with authority if I haven't seen it?
I really enjoyed it. More in hindsight, because while actually watching it I kept going "WTF?!! No one talks like that!" but I keep thinking back and giggling because Edward Cullen is essentially a giant dork who can kill you while Bella wasn't nearly as much of a snot as she was in the book and Charlie was adorable.
Several things annoyed me though. Repeatedly. ...the voice-over. I'll be the first to admit I can struggle with show-don't-tell but christ, even I was coming up with five different ways to show what Bella's voice-over was telling us. Half of which we didn't need and was patronisingly annoying. Kill itwith fire before the next one! Which is apparently slated to be fast-tracked for the end of 2009/early 2010 which bodes... not well.*
Second annoyance: the camerawork. Good grief, did they hire the Torchwood film crew? You know it's bad when Cloverfield didn't so much as make me blink but halfway through Twilight I was thinking nauseously of taking contracts out on people who can't use a steadicam properly. Seriously. What the hell? Was it just to push those of us who don't find Robert (...I typed that 'Rupert' first. His name isn't Rupert. ...Is it?) Patterson (Patterson?! Pattinson? IT BEGINS WITH P ALRIGHT) distractingly omgsocute! enough and are already turning green from the teenage squeals around us, over the edge? (that sentence has a structure at some point, I think). Anyway, it was terrible. Note for the next one: if your Steadicam operator says they need a bathroom break, let them go before the scene. That's the only explanation I can think of for why they were jiggling up and down the entire movie.
Oh and the music. 88% of the time it was like being hit repeatedly over the head with a cymbol and the times when it slipped over into 'pretty' just served to illustrate the heavy-handed approach the rest of the way through. Who scored this? Because seriously, they need a new hobby.
BUT. Those complaints aside... I enjoyed it so much more than the book. The sparkling didn't look as bad as I thought it would (picture them dippingRupertRobert Pattinson that guy in glue and rolling him in gold glitter; that's pretty much the mental image I had), the odd little moments of humour made me reluctantly warm to Edward after rolling my eyes at him for the first forty minutes and I had no expectations of loving it before I went in, so enjoying myself was a surprise. I'll definitely go to see the next one - again, expecting nothing. I can let them get away with bad montages and cheesy lines and bad music if I don't expect anything, because then I can focus on the bits that do work. Which were surprisingly easy to be drawn in by.
* Apparently the director of this one protested the fast track and wants nothing to do with the next one. Initially I was "Yay! Maybe they'll fix the music/camerawork/voiceover!"
And then I read that Chris Weitz, director of The Golden Compass is taking over. Anyone who's spoken to me in the last year knows my feelings on that... adaptation (I use that term lightly and with contempt). Possibly I should lower my expectations. Hm. What's lower than nothing?
Oddly enough, although I didn't find...fine I'll fucking Google it ROBERT PATTINSON all that attractive most of the time (his hair was too hilariously distracting and his makeup too hilariously pale but the dorky humour moments were sweet), I did find myself thinking of Julian from LJ Smith's The Forbidden Game. I guess there are similarities but I totally wouldn't have pegged RP as my mental Julian (oh for them to make that a movie... *wistful*). Also Jenny gets way more points in the awesome stakes than Bella. Actually now I;m drawing parallels with Labyrinth... is there a trend these days that heroines once would've told the good-looking demons/vampires/bad guys where to stuff their undying love but now we're getting the "Oh I will love your undead ass forever!"?
Odd thought. I think I'll contemplate my book/DVD collection later.
Anyway, after Twilight I ambled around Lancaster to pick up everything I needed, like a collar & nametag for Casper so when he inevitably gets lost when we let him wander, whoever finds him can call us to give him back *touch wood*. When looking for a collar I tried a shop that I avoided like the plague for three years of university. It sells things for pets, like beds and dog leads etc. but... well, it has a giant stuffed horse in the window and I wasn't really expecting much, except I could see they had collars and leads hanging up so I thought I'd give it a shot.
On asking for cat collars I was presented with a whole basket of choice, in an entire rainbow of colours complete with rhinestones, holographic silver patterns and frilly edges. In the entire basket there wasn't one collar that Casper wouldn't have suffocated me in my sleep for making him wear and they were £10 each. I've never backtracked out of a shop so fast in my life.
I eventually got him a pretty, stretchy, safety-clasped red one from an actual pet shop. He is of course entirely ungrateful for it and spent all of Demons attempting to scratch off the bell and, when that failed, walking over my laptop keyboard as payback. Don't let anyone tell you cats are not evil.
~
It's decidedly odd being back in Lancaster though, especially on my own because it just doesn't feel like I'll be coming back to Ulverston instead of my room on campus. However, I think I mentioned before how beautiful the train ride to Lancaster from here is and this morning, with thick frost and the sun rising (it was half eight. I know, on a Saturday; don't die of shock) it was... gorgeous.
So gorgeous in fact that I tried to take pictures despite only having my terrible cameraphone and the train windows being dirt-encrusted. Then it was so pretty that I got carried away and
I upped the contrast and sharpened a couple to compensate for my shitty phone camera but that's it. This is possibly the most beautiful train route ever, especially on the right day and when the tide's in, it's like Spirited Away because all you can see on either side is water. My only regret with these is that my phone is too crap to show the snow-covered mountains in the distance clearly.
At Grange-over-Sands station there's tall, arched windows that look out over beach and sea and mountains. It looks like a mural painted on, something out of Narnia. My picture didn't come out and you really have to see it to believe just how incredibly weird it looks. I'll have to stop one nice day and take a proper photo because really... how many train stations overlook beach and sea and mountains? Crazy.
However, after a really fun and pretty day I ruined the benefit of all the walking I did by caving to the lure of a Mint Choc cupcake from The Yummy Cupcake Company. So much for being good. *woes* I bought it from the market stall but that website just told me there's a shop now! That's top of my visiting list for the next Lancaster trip then. (Ooooohhhhhh... check out the flickr gallery. o_O)
ALl in all, a good - if uh, bad calorie-wise - day. Yay! And wow, this got kinda long. x_x Sorry y'all.
I really enjoyed it. More in hindsight, because while actually watching it I kept going "WTF?!! No one talks like that!" but I keep thinking back and giggling because Edward Cullen is essentially a giant dork who can kill you while Bella wasn't nearly as much of a snot as she was in the book and Charlie was adorable.
Several things annoyed me though. Repeatedly. ...the voice-over. I'll be the first to admit I can struggle with show-don't-tell but christ, even I was coming up with five different ways to show what Bella's voice-over was telling us. Half of which we didn't need and was patronisingly annoying. Kill it
Second annoyance: the camerawork. Good grief, did they hire the Torchwood film crew? You know it's bad when Cloverfield didn't so much as make me blink but halfway through Twilight I was thinking nauseously of taking contracts out on people who can't use a steadicam properly. Seriously. What the hell? Was it just to push those of us who don't find Robert (...I typed that 'Rupert' first. His name isn't Rupert. ...Is it?) Patterson (Patterson?! Pattinson? IT BEGINS WITH P ALRIGHT) distractingly omgsocute! enough and are already turning green from the teenage squeals around us, over the edge? (that sentence has a structure at some point, I think). Anyway, it was terrible. Note for the next one: if your Steadicam operator says they need a bathroom break, let them go before the scene. That's the only explanation I can think of for why they were jiggling up and down the entire movie.
Oh and the music. 88% of the time it was like being hit repeatedly over the head with a cymbol and the times when it slipped over into 'pretty' just served to illustrate the heavy-handed approach the rest of the way through. Who scored this? Because seriously, they need a new hobby.
BUT. Those complaints aside... I enjoyed it so much more than the book. The sparkling didn't look as bad as I thought it would (picture them dipping
* Apparently the director of this one protested the fast track and wants nothing to do with the next one. Initially I was "Yay! Maybe they'll fix the music/camerawork/voiceover!"
And then I read that Chris Weitz, director of The Golden Compass is taking over. Anyone who's spoken to me in the last year knows my feelings on that... adaptation (I use that term lightly and with contempt). Possibly I should lower my expectations. Hm. What's lower than nothing?
Oddly enough, although I didn't find...fine I'll fucking Google it ROBERT PATTINSON all that attractive most of the time (his hair was too hilariously distracting and his makeup too hilariously pale but the dorky humour moments were sweet), I did find myself thinking of Julian from LJ Smith's The Forbidden Game. I guess there are similarities but I totally wouldn't have pegged RP as my mental Julian (oh for them to make that a movie... *wistful*). Also Jenny gets way more points in the awesome stakes than Bella. Actually now I;m drawing parallels with Labyrinth... is there a trend these days that heroines once would've told the good-looking demons/vampires/bad guys where to stuff their undying love but now we're getting the "Oh I will love your undead ass forever!"?
Odd thought. I think I'll contemplate my book/DVD collection later.
Anyway, after Twilight I ambled around Lancaster to pick up everything I needed, like a collar & nametag for Casper so when he inevitably gets lost when we let him wander, whoever finds him can call us to give him back *touch wood*. When looking for a collar I tried a shop that I avoided like the plague for three years of university. It sells things for pets, like beds and dog leads etc. but... well, it has a giant stuffed horse in the window and I wasn't really expecting much, except I could see they had collars and leads hanging up so I thought I'd give it a shot.
On asking for cat collars I was presented with a whole basket of choice, in an entire rainbow of colours complete with rhinestones, holographic silver patterns and frilly edges. In the entire basket there wasn't one collar that Casper wouldn't have suffocated me in my sleep for making him wear and they were £10 each. I've never backtracked out of a shop so fast in my life.
I eventually got him a pretty, stretchy, safety-clasped red one from an actual pet shop. He is of course entirely ungrateful for it and spent all of Demons attempting to scratch off the bell and, when that failed, walking over my laptop keyboard as payback. Don't let anyone tell you cats are not evil.
~
It's decidedly odd being back in Lancaster though, especially on my own because it just doesn't feel like I'll be coming back to Ulverston instead of my room on campus. However, I think I mentioned before how beautiful the train ride to Lancaster from here is and this morning, with thick frost and the sun rising (it was half eight. I know, on a Saturday; don't die of shock) it was... gorgeous.
So gorgeous in fact that I tried to take pictures despite only having my terrible cameraphone and the train windows being dirt-encrusted. Then it was so pretty that I got carried away and
I upped the contrast and sharpened a couple to compensate for my shitty phone camera but that's it. This is possibly the most beautiful train route ever, especially on the right day and when the tide's in, it's like Spirited Away because all you can see on either side is water. My only regret with these is that my phone is too crap to show the snow-covered mountains in the distance clearly.
At Grange-over-Sands station there's tall, arched windows that look out over beach and sea and mountains. It looks like a mural painted on, something out of Narnia. My picture didn't come out and you really have to see it to believe just how incredibly weird it looks. I'll have to stop one nice day and take a proper photo because really... how many train stations overlook beach and sea and mountains? Crazy.
However, after a really fun and pretty day I ruined the benefit of all the walking I did by caving to the lure of a Mint Choc cupcake from The Yummy Cupcake Company. So much for being good. *woes* I bought it from the market stall but that website just told me there's a shop now! That's top of my visiting list for the next Lancaster trip then. (Ooooohhhhhh... check out the flickr gallery. o_O)
ALl in all, a good - if uh, bad calorie-wise - day. Yay! And wow, this got kinda long. x_x Sorry y'all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-07 10:31 pm (UTC)I went to Twilight expecting to walk out complaining that I've completely wasted 2 hours and $15. God help me, I loved it. Bella didn't seem as clingy and whiny, Edward didn't seem as over protective and the whole thing didn't have me sitting there muttering "Oh what the FUCK?"
no subject
Date: 2009-02-08 01:40 pm (UTC)I'm ashamed to admit that I'll probably buy the DVD. I might hold out from paying full price but at some point... it will be on my shelf. I mourn for my sanity.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-07 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-08 01:44 pm (UTC)We should totally meet up in the Yummy Cupcake Company Shop sometime, because it looks gorgeous. I'm sad I didn't know it was there before yesterday.