Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II (have there really been five movies?) wasn’t as bad as it might have been, but it’s not for everyone. What it boils down to is it’s a well-done adaption of a novel with some serious plot issues. See my full analysis at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
Michael Sheen chews his way through every scene he’s in–the evil comes off him in waves. He is ultra creepy and scary–in a group of vampires! He can truly act, whether in a genre film (Underworld, Twilight) or pure drama (Frost/Nixon, Midnight in Paris). His presence elevates these films.

My review of the first four films can be found here.

Twilight
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Twilight: New Moon
Director: Chris Weitz
Twilight: Eclipse
Director: David Slade
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I
Director: Bill Condon

Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer (novel)

Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, Taylor Lautner, Sarah Clarke, Matt Bushell, Billy Burke, Gil Birmingham, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Chaske Spencer, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Welch, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Cam Gigandet, Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Christopher Heyerdahl, Rachelle Lefevre, Bryce Dallas Howard, Edi Gathegi, Anna Kendrick, Ty Olsson

Good gods–did I really spend over twelve hours watch Twilight movies?

For those of you wondering, yes, I am a masochist. I read the books a long time ago, but I still remember not thinking they were anything special. Here goes nothing . . . .

Twilight has a decent enough beginning, with a voiceover by Bella (Kristen Stewart). It sets the tone for the whole series: too much tell, not enough show.

I remember what it’s like moving into a new area, starting at a new school–the kids are never as nice as Eric (Justin Chon), Mike (Michael Welch), Jessica (Anna Kendrick), and Angela (Christian Serratos). Yet Bella ignore their friendly overtures (and attempts to date her) to obsess over Edward (Robert Pattison), who won’t even speak to her at first. What’s up with that?

Once Edward decides he likes Bella, he turns into a stalker. He chases her down to tell her they shouldn’t be friends, then leaves, only to find her again to tell her that if she was smart she would stay away . . . but he keeps seeking her out. “I like watching you sleep” is downright creepy.

Too, despite being from a larger city (Phoenix), Bella goes into Port Angeles at night and doesn’t know enough to avoid walking through lonely alleys by herself. She went into Port Angeles in the first place to buy a book she found via the internet. Once she brings the book home, she flips through it briefly to find search terms she can google. What’s up with that? I preferred the book version, where Jacob told her the legends while they walked on the beach.

In the first film, I still felt sorry for Bella, who was a normal seventeen year old, and only wanted a normal relationship, but fell in love with Edward, who couldn’t give it to her.

She puts her trust in the vamps to protect her, then slips away from them to meet James (Cam Gigandet) as soon as he threatens her mother. Does she really believe he’ll let her mom go?

I understand why Belle is emotionally immature–she’s seventeen. For real. But why does Edward (emotionally) act like he’s seventeen, too? He’s 109. Has he learned nothing in all that time? Bella is already talking about how “People die a little bit each day . . . ”–she’s obsessed with her physical appearance, looking older than Edward–she is very, very shallow. Also a bit suicidal it seems.

The Cullen’s house first appears here, and it is nicely replicated from the book, down to Edward’s room having no bed. It’s both isolated and beautiful.

The vampire vs. vampire fight scene is well-handled. People, vampires, and stuff gets destroyed.

The awkwardness of a human in the group of vampires is well-handled, particularly by the actors playing vampires: Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), Rosalie (Nikki Reed), and Emmet (Kellan Lutz).

Billy Burke does an excellent job as Bella’s father Charlie–the best scenes in Twilight are those between him and Kristen Stewart. The running gag about the pepper spray is entertaining, as are his references to being a cop and having a gun throughout all the movies.

Alice (Ashley Greene) comes off as suitably odd and vulnerable, and her boyfriend Jasper as appropriately protective. They make an excellent onscreen couple. James is very threatening, you believe in his ruthlessness and ability to kill.

New Moon also has a nice beginning–the dream sequence plays on Bella’s obsession with getting old, just as she’s about to reach ancient eighteen.

Kudos to Jacob (Taylor Lautner) on how much more buff he is. There’s a huge transformation described in the books, and he mirrors it nicely.

The Volturi are introduced in this movie as refined, elegant, patrons of the arts, and deeply respectful of vampire laws. Also very powerful and not to be messed with. Then you meet the head Volturi Aro (Michael Sheen), who is Evil with a capital “E”–just a glance from him makes me shiver.

Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl) and Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower) are also members of the Volturi but they barely have anything to say. They do look impressively scary, though.

Note to Edward (who should know better): the best way to get a teenager to do something is to tell them not to do it. Go ahead and tell Bella not to do anything reckless . . . .

Note to everyone: Jake is Bella’s best friend, she finds him attractive, he can lift a dirt bike, he’s totally into her, and Edward (who pushes her away every time they kiss) has left her. Why doesn’t Bella just date Jake? Other than the series would be very short. Never mind–Dad likes Jake, so he’s totally unacceptable.

Once Bella is in on the whole werewolf thing–her give and take with Jacob is great: “I’m not the right type of monster for you?”

I know James was a super-tracker, but he found Bella’s address in Phoenix by looking at her school records in Forks. If he could do that, why can’t Victoria find her address in Forks?

By the end of New Moon, you would think Bella would be crippled, given the amount of damage she’s taken.

Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) shows his creepiness here–very nice performance. The actor can do an amazing amount just with his eyes.

Eclipse opens with the Cullens and the werewolf pack failing to catch Victoria, who is still at large, because they can’t cooperate with one another. Tension between the two groups is high, and the slightest border infraction leads to a major tussle.

The increased vampire activity is causing more and more of the indians to turn into werewolves.

Jacob explains about the mental bond shared by the pack, and concept of “imprinting”–that the proper mate triggers a kind of love at first sight. This will, of course, be important later.

Meanwhile, Bella has convince Edward to turn her into a vampire. He only agrees if she will marry him first.

Deaths in the woods that appear to be animal attacks are actually the work of newly made vampires. Bella convinces the Cullens and werewolf pack to work together to protect her and Charlie from the increase threat. There is a great training sequence showing everyone how to handle fighting the newborn vampires (the younger a vampire is, the stronger they are).

Jake, Bella, and Edward in a tent in the snow–Bella falls asleep, and Jake and Edward have a heart-to-heart about her. She sleeps through it?!? Sure. Of course, no one expected it would be cold and brought extra blankets, either. Winter in the mountains, whoda thunk it?

Bella is fine once she’s awake–dashing through the snow without a jacket.

The battle is well staged–starting with the attacking vampires walking through a body of water, not swimming. The cuts are a little fast, but this isn’t an R-rated movie and that holds down the details. The violence of the attach comes across well, as does the speed and power of the vampires and the werewolves, and some really nice maneuvers.

You know, it’s a good thing vampires are so incendiary. Poof!

The flashback showing Jasper’s history is insightful and well-done–I’m liking Jackson Rathbone more and more. There’s a bright point.

Bella’s mom seems overly pleased that her eighteen year old daughter is getting married, but she’s always been a ditzy character. The vampires at the wedding are very pretty–and the other guests actually notice!

I’ve never been to a wedding where so many people got to make speeches–very odd. The dancing was nice and inconsistent, like a real event.

Bella as a character failed for me yet again on the Alice packed her suitcases and she was surprised that the contents were not what she wanted. Has Bella met Alice?

The pacing for Breaking Dawn Part I was surprisingly well done–it kept building. Since I wasn’t sure there was enough material there for two movies, I was pleasantly surprised.

These movies are for fans of the Twilight series. All others need not apply.

At least I have fulfilled my angst quotient for the next twelve months.

Stephenie Meyer got a producer credit on Breaking Dawn Parts I & II. Is there anything she can’t do?

The setup: via car, train, and taxi–my friend Kait and I made our way to Times Square in Manhattan on Monday night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Blue Oyster Cult. We even arrived at the venue early enough to pop in across the street to Carmine’s for a light supper (baked clams or portobello mushrooms parmesan) and a drink (single malt scotch neat or bourbon on the rocks).

I had a family event that conflicted with the original date for the concert, but Hurricane Sandy caused the concert date to be moved back by a week. I found out that tickets were available for the new date just a few days before the show, when Eric Bloom posted about it on his facebook page. I scrambled for someone to come with me–I was nervous about going down to Manhattan by myself. My friend Kait agreed to come, even though we’d only met previously via email while negotiating about her new maine coon kitten.

I’ve written about Blue Oyster Cult before–they’ve been my favorite band since I first saw then live at the Nassau Coliseum in the early 1980s.

This show was special for two reasons–it was the band’s fortieth anniversary, and Columbia Record’s was releasing a boxed set of 16 CDs/1 DVD of all the Blue Oyster Cult recordings on their label. To join in the fun, the original five band members were planning on playing together again . . .

They got the band back together. Sweet.

Through dumb luck, and the fact that I wanted the box set, I ended up with VIP tickets. What did the VIP tix include? The box set, fourth row seats, a commemorative poster signed by the band, and a quick “Hi”/photo op With. The. Band. Before the show. Photographic evidence above (as Amanda Palmer would say “Pictures or it didn’t happen”). Totally worth it. Eric even liked my hat.

The band entered the stage to the theme from the HBO series Game of Thrones (these guys are so cool–they are geeks like us!). They were dressed mostly in black, a bit more formal than usual–maybe a holdover from last week’s show in Port Washington? Or maybe they discovered that they liked the more elegant look. Not too cookie-cutter, though–and Jules (the drummer) was wearing a black vest over a gray t-shirt. He usually sweats up a storm over the course of the show. Buck looked understated in a black shirt, Eric was in a black leather jacket, Richie in a black blazer and black pants that laced-up the sides (nice!), and Kasim in a black-on-black blazer that looked like burnout velvet–I’ll take that, please.

Richie (as usual) was so energetic that I got tired just watching him. He was bounding all over the stage. Buck played countless short solos, all excellent–I could listen to him all day. About six songs in, Richie’s jacket came off, and he and Buck both did great guiter work on “Then Came the Last Days of May.”

Bruce Kapler (from Paul Shaffer’s band) played sax on “Shooting Shark,” and he added real dimension to the song. Kasim was exuberant as hell here, too. The bass work on ME262 and Godzilla were also outstanding.

Eric was in a talkative mood again, sharing tidbits of the band’s history. Apparently, this was the first time they’ve played “Death Valley Nights” live. Albert Bouchard came out to sing it, and he really got into it, although he did slip a little on the words to one of the verses–despite that, awesome.

The week before was the best performance of “In Thee” I had ever heard. This concert, they played it again with the song’s writer Allan Lanier performing with the band, and managed to do even better. One of the evenings high points.

The return of the old lineup to play a few old songs was nothing short of magical. By that part of the evening, I was “in the zone”–totally entranced by the whole experience. They ended the night with everyone (old and new) performing “Reaper”–with Albert on the drums, Andy Ascolese on the tambourine and *both* Jules and Kasim banging away on cowbells.

Truly a magical night to remember. The concert of the century.

Kait and I are now best friends for life.

Set List:
[Musicians: Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Richie Castellano, Jules Radino, Kasim Sulton] – current BOC lineup
This Ain’t the Summer of Love (Agents of Fortune)
Golden Age of Leather (Spectres)
Burnin’ for You (Fire of Unknown Origin)
Harvest Moon
ME262 (Secret Treaties)
Then Came the Last Days of May (Blue Oyster Cult)
Lips in the Hills (Cultosaurus Erectus)
Shooting Shark (The Revolution by Night) [guest sax player Bruce Kapler]
Godzilla (Spectres)
I Love the Night (Spectres)
***the next several numbers are acoustic***
[Musicians: Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Richie Castellano, Jules Radino, Kasim Sulton, percussionist Andy Ascolese]
Harvester of Eyes (Secret Treaties)
Astronomy (Secret Treaties)
Gil Blanco County (Soft White Underbelly St. Cecilia)
Death Valley Nights (Spectres) [guest vocalist: Albert Bouchard]
In Thee (Mirrors) [guest: Allan Lanier]
***end of acoustic***
Summa Cum Laude (from the movie Teachers)
~~~I think this is the end of the first set–my notes are unclear~~~
Arthur Comics (Soft White Underbelly St. Cecilia)
Black Blade (Cultosaurus Erectus)
[Musicians: Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Allan Lanier, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard] – original BOC lineup
OD’d on Life Itself (Tyranny and Mutation)
Career of Evil (Secret Treaties)
The Red and the Black (Tyranny and Mutation)
[Musicians: Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Richie Castellano, Jules Radino, Kasim Sulton , Allan Lanier, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard, Andy Ascolese ] – everybody past and present
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Agents of Fortune)

Best Buy Theater Marquee

Buck Dharma

Richie Castellano

Eric Bloom

Allan Lanier

Kasim Sulton

Bruce Kapler

Jules Radino & Albert Bouchard

Albert Bouchard

This weekend there was Philcon. Before Philcon, there was the early matinee of Skyfall, the latest entry in the fifty-year-old James Bond franchise. From Daniel Craig’s first outing as Bond in Casino Royale, he has reinvigorated the series, bringing Bond back to his hard-hitting roots.

Skyfall gives us more character info, a deeper look into the workings of MI6, and some new characters to watch for. There are twists and turns and chases and crashes. Bullets fly. What more could you ask for?

My full review is up at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
Skyfall delves into the background of both Bond and “M”, filling in the bits and pieces and giving some of the motivation behind what makes these characters tick.

There are plots within plots within plots. In other words, a pretty standard Bond story.

Just so you’all know–I went to my annual eye doc exam (I’ve been having some issues, but it was time for my checkup anyway), and I’ve been diagnosed with cataracts in one eye.

What does this mean? In a few years, when they get worse, it’s back to laser surgery and I’ll get fixed up. In the meantime, more glasses with a stronger prescription–which I don’t get for a month, as I need to see once more doc to figure out things, and he isn’t available until then.

Oh well.

Philcon is this weekend!

When I’m not scheduled for programming Friday and Saturday, look for me in the lobby, shilling for the Masquerade, which is 8pm Saturday.

FRIDAY, 9 November
pre-con 12:15pm – AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 – Skyfall (hey – I’m reviewing it for buzzymag)
No scheduled programming

SATURDAY, 10 November
4pm
Plaza IV (Four)
My Best Quickie . . . Costume
[Panelists: Kimberly Ann Kindya (M), Lisa Ashton, Amy Fass, Elektra Hammond]
Our costume panelists talk about (and show pictures) of their best QUICK costumes, and talk about their shortcuts and what you could do at home to look great—for little money and time! Think thrift stores, yard sales, Grandma’s closet, and you’re there

8pm
Grand Ballroom A
Maquerade
[I’m the Assistant Director of the Masquerade this year, learning about how things run . . . ]

SUNDAY, 11 November
11am
Plaza IV (Four)
Steampunk, From Inspiration to Creation
[Panelists: Elektra Hammond (M), Robert Himmelsbach, Matt Black, Thomas Willeford]
Make outfits from scratch, or dress up thrift store clothing; what is the Steampunk dynamic for dress? Is it all about the hats, the gears, the accessories, or is a true Victorian profile a must? What historical eras are appropriate fodder? Is a persona necessary? What if you just want to dress up and have cool goggles?

12noon
Crystal Ballroom Three
A Song of Ice & Fire: The Fan Speculation Panel
[Panelists: David M. Axler (M), Elektra Hammond, James Harper, Andrew C. Murphy]
George R.R. Martin’s great fantasy series has complex characters and a tangled plot, both of which mean that there are plenty of fan theories about some things… Jon’s parentage, the fate of Benjen Stark, Young Griff’s background, and the plots of the Tyrells have all generated theories that range from the likely to the “needs-a-tinfoil-hat-to-believe”. We’ll talk about what some of the more interesting fan ideas about the series may be.

I went out to see The Man With the Iron Fists (presented by Quentin Tarantino), and was ultimately pretty disappointed. It was a little too gory, and the plot wasn’t enough to carry things through. My full review is at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
The main character is the blacksmith, who exists at the center of a conflict in Jungle village. There is a promising voiceover to start: “When you forge a weapon, you need three things. The right metal. Temperatures over fourteen hundred degrees. And someone who wants to use it to kill.”

Philcon is this weekend!

When I’m not scheduled for programming Friday and Saturday, look for me in the lobby, shilling for the Masquerade, which is 8pm Saturday.

FRIDAY, 9 November
pre-con 12:15pm – AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 – Skyfall (hey – I’m reviewing it for buzzymag)
No scheduled programming

SATURDAY, 10 November
4pm
Plaza IV (Four)
My Best Quickie . . . Costume
[Panelists: Kimberly Ann Kindya (M), Lisa Ashton, Amy Fass, Elektra Hammond]
Our costume panelists talk about (and show pictures) of their best QUICK costumes, and talk about their shortcuts and what you could do at home to look great—for little money and time! Think thrift stores, yard sales, Grandma’s closet, and you’re there

8pm
Grand Ballroom A
Maquerade
[I’m the Assistant Director of the Masquerade this year, learning about how things run . . . ]

10pm (This one is likely to change–or I may not make it at all due to the Masquerade)
Plaza V (Five)
Cosplay on a Budget: Using Discount Stores and Creativity
[Panelists: Elektra Hammond (M), Stephanie Burke, Rebecca Robare]
It doesn’t matter if you can’t afford custom shoes and corsets – this panel is about using the resources within your budget to achieve awesome effects. For example, using costume pieces double as clothes you can wear to work.

SUNDAY, 11 November
10am
Plaza IV (Four)
Steampunk, From Inspiration to Creation
[Panelists: Elektra Hammond (M), Robert Himmelsbach, Matt Black, Thomas Willeford]
Make outfits from scratch, or dress up thrift store clothing; what is the Steampunk dynamic for dress? Is it all about the hats, the gears, the accessories, or is a true Victorian profile a must? What historical eras are appropriate fodder? Is a persona necessary? What if you just want to dress up and have cool goggles?

12noon
Crystal Ballroom Three
A Song of Ice & Fire: The Fan Speculation Panel
[Panelists: David M. Axler (M), Elektra Hammond, James Harper, Andrew C. Murphy]
George R.R. Martin’s great fantasy series has complex characters and a tangled plot, both of which mean that there are plenty of fan theories about some things… Jon’s parentage, the fate of Benjen Stark, Young Griff’s background, and the plots of the Tyrells have all generated theories that range from the likely to the “needs-a-tinfoil-hat-to-believe”. We’ll talk about what some of the more interesting fan ideas about the series may be.

Philcon is weekend after next, but programming isn’t out yet. Darkovercon is my “home” con, and I’ve got my schedule, so I’ll post it now so you’all will know where to find me. I will also be at SMOFcon, likely day tripping. Darkovercon is November 23-25 (Thanksgiving weekend). I’ll be down in Timonium starting Thursday . . .

Here’s where you can find me:

FRIDAY, 23 November
6pm
Alternate Programming
Out of Control Characters
[Panelists: Elektra Hammond, Alanna Morland, Warren Rochelle, Jan Whiteley (M)]
What to do when your characters start acting like real people, and won’t do what you want them to do.

7pm
Main Programming
Sign of the Times
[Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Elektra Hammond, Debra Killeen, Diana Bastine (M)]
This past year has seen a lot of harsh novels written in seemingly-hopeless post-apocalyptic worlds. Is this a trend, a cycle or a reflection of difficult and depressing times?

SATURDAY, 24 November
4pm
Main Programming
Autograph Session
[Panelists: All Guests]
Not really sure what I’ll do here . . . .

5pm
Alternate Programming
The SF or Fantasy movie I’d like to see made
[Panelists: Elektra Hammond, Tim Liebe, Don Sakers, Debra Killeen (M)]
Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars movies have shown us that we now have the technical ability to make most Fantasy and Science Fiction books into a movie. Our authors discuss what they would like to see made, and why.

6pm
Alternate Programming
What Comes After Zombies?
[Panelists: Meriah L. Crawford, Scott MacMillan, Mike McPhail, Elektra Hammond (M)]
First it was werewolves, then vampires, and now zombies, as the cool monster to be. What is the next up and coming monster?

SUNDAY, 25 November
10am
Main Programming
The Romance of Steampunk
[Panelists: Diana Bastine, Elektra Hammond, Kevin M. Houghton, Tim Liebe, Melissa Scott, Carl Cipra (M)]
What is it about this genre and time period that is so appealing? Is it the machinery? The celebration of intellect? Or is it the clothes?

1pm
Alternate Programming
Small Print Press
[Panelists: D.H. Aire, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Elektra Hammond, Debra Killeen, Don Sakers (M)]

2pm
Main Programming
Questions and Answers
[Panelists: Everyone, Jennifer Heise (M)]
Come and ask questions of your favorite authors who are here this year.

Manny the buffalito in his 3D glasses

Lawrence M. Schoen’s tales of the amazing Conroy and his buffalito Reggie are always fun to read. This latest entry in the series is a collection of shorter works, including new novella “Barry’s Tale.” Prepare to be amazed and entertained as you follow along his adventures. Read the full review at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
Let me introduce you to the Amazing Conroy, interstellar hypnotist and buffalito wrangler. What’s a buffalito? I’ll tell you. They’re an alien lifeform that look just like tiny buffalos–what’s more, they can eat absolutely anything, and then they fart it back out as oxygen. This makes them an incredibly valuable commodity.