Review 1: Breaking Dawn Part 2 – The Trio

I just can’t stop thinking about it. The it being Breaking Dawn Part 2, naturally. And the majority of stuff that I want to write about has some sort of detail-oriented SPOILING going on. That was your warning.  I’m guessing the majority of people reading this will be fans and have seen the film already.  Because there’s just so much that I want to discuss, I’ve decided to break this review into a few parts. So here is, my gush/review of Breaking Dawn Part 2, the final installment of the Twilight Saga.

This first will focus on the trio (Bella-Jacob-Edward).

As with every Twilight film, the acting of all three main actors (as well as the rest of the cast) has improved. I don’t know if you noticed it, but Taylor Lautner had a tendency of putting too much force behind the serious lines. Not something he does with the comedic cheesy lines–those were delivered with the “I’m only taking this half-seriously” attitude, which worked. In this film, Condon either directed him differently or Lautner learned from his colleagues on other films. The serious lines are said with sincerity, but not with the force of a  high-school student trying too hard. I wanted to cheer for him. Lautner is one actor that I’ve never shook my head at because, even when his line delivery stunk, he was always trying so hard–think about his bulking up to keep the part in New Moon. This improvement helped the film immensely because the audience is not distracted or taken out of the film due to soap-opera line delivery moments.

Edward is–wait for it–allowed to smile in this film because in the beginning of Bella’s life as a vampire, the couple is actually happy and it shows. Robert Pattinson is never more charming than when he’s smiling at his vampire bride and beaming over her strength. I’m still waiting for someone to cast him in a comedy (please???).

Bella–well, K stew is K Stew, but I also believe that her acting has improved in this one…. she’s never been my idea of Bella though, so I tend to largely ignore her. I’ll give her this–I actually believed her as a mother. Which was very bizarre. If I were a mother myself, I might feel differently, but as it is, I am not. The standout example of this is the incredibly sweet moment when she reads Renesmee to sleep.

Renesmee–The trio has become a quartet. I just can’t express the level of my love for Mackenzie Foy. She’s just so beautiful and adorable, I wanted to hug her all the time. As  irresistible charm is a quality of Renesmee frequently mentioned in the books, bravo to the casting department. The special effects on the baby… eh.

The treatment of Renesmee and the lack of development in her relationship with Jacob is the biggest disappointment in the film. Renesmee just isn’t in enough of it. The focus remained on the Bella-Edward story and neglected the focus shift to the daughter.  Yes, her story still provides the catalyst of the plot, but I thought that Bella and Edward spent too much time away from their daughter given that they suspected that they might die in a short time.

As for the treatment of the Jacob-Renesmee storyline, I can only assume that the powers that be feared a negative audience reaction if they showed the imprint-bond as it’s described in the books. Yes, Jacob spends a lot of time sitting near Renesmee, but I don’t even remember him hugging or holding her. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen (if you remember it–please correct me in the comments); my memory could just be boggled by joy and excitement, but I don’t think so. I remember one instance where Jake gives Nessie her Christmas present–a homemade bracelet–and Bella puts it on for her. Then Renesmee tells Bella and Edward how beautiful it is without even looking at Jake.

In the scene where Bella finds out Jake has imprinted on her daughter–more on that magic in a minute–Jacob uses the defense that Renesmee needs to be near him because she is a part of the imprint too, and Bella felt this pull when Renesmee was in the womb. This defense works, but we never really see it acknowledged in Renesmee’s actions toward Jake.

Some of the best scenes include:

~The confrontation following Bella’s discovery of the imprint.  It’s awesome to see Bella essentially beating up Jacob as he tries to explain the bond between taking blows. The true fun comes from the witty dialogue of the observers. Edward is allowed to be funny, making snarky comments when Esme implores Edward to hold Bella back.

~Edward and Bella exploring their cottage–which is incredible, by the way. I want to live there. Bella is excited and Edward clearly enjoys watching her excitement. The cottage itself is packed full of cozy decor. I’m not an interior decorator, so I can’t place any particular style other than simple, which keeps the whole lot of stuff from being too much. Books line the walls and the fireplace mantle, and Renesmee’s room is like a fluffy white cloud.

~Bella’s shield training. Edward is used as incentive for Bella to learn to project her mind-shield, depicted as an elastic haze. Kate’s electric current brings Edward to his knees until Bella is able to project. Pattinson plays the reluctance to be zapped warring with wanting to encourage his wife well, and some funny line exchanges with Kellan Lutz’s Emmett happen here. Kate’s very physical talent is presented in the least… ridiculous way. We can see the current, but it’s white and realistic as compared to other things like Alec’s black mist of blindness. Yes, I realize I’m discussing very fictional vampire talents. It’s all good. On the topic of talents, the other vampires’ skills weave in with the plot seamlessly, so that the audience gets the information it needs without having it shoved down its throat.

~The Jacob-Bella relationship stays intact, but changes, as it should. There is clearly still a connection between the two, seen most in their car trip to Charlie’s  house when Jacob basically tells Bella that he knows she is keeping something from him, but the connection has changed to definite friendship. I put most of that on Lautner’s acting, as Bella’s feelings were set long ago and she hasn’t shown a romantic connection with him since the end of Eclipse, two movies ago.

Did I miss something? My next post will be on the treatment of the Cullens and the Nomads. Then I’ll handle the credits and the “surprise” scene. Comment below to let me know!

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Kristen Stewart Scandal

I know I’ve been absent for a bit. I’ve read some great and not so great books, and seen a bunch of movies, but the thing that has pulled me out of my silence is the recent Scandal that Never Ends surrounding Kristen Stewart, the Bella Swan of Twilight and the (past?) girlfriend of Robert Pattinson who plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight films.

Okay, so here’s the if-you’ve been living under a rock deal. While starring in the film Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart was caught on camera in an intimate embrace with her director, Rupert Sanders. Sanders is married (incidentally to the woman who plays Kristen’s mother–not stepmother– in Snow White and the couple have two children together).  To save you the trouble of Googling, here’s the big photo, this one taken from US Weekly:

Yes, the tabloids went crazy, as did Twilight fans, and the majority of the uproar has been about Kristen’s behavior. The only logical explanation that I can find for such a drawn out name crushing, angry reaction is that people view Kristen as Isabella Swan, the girl with extreme morals who marries Robert–I mean, Edward Cullen.  I’m in no way saying the girl wasn’t wrong in what she did. I’m not saying it wasn’t stupid. …

But she’s a young actress in Hollywood. I can’t even begin to speculate on the sheer number of times that this has happened and will happen–just not everybody gets caught. Then there’s the fact that she is held up to a standard of a fictional character. Not that I’m excusing what she did. I’ve known the cheaters and cheated on and it only hurts people in the end, but she’s twenty-two. Not the wisest time of life, and we’ve already seen her… habit of falling in love with those she works with. She made a stupid, stupid mistake.

That does not mean that there needs to be a witch hunt. Because I feel like that’s what’s happening. There are rumors that K-Stew–the star of a successful movie is kicked off of it’s sequel. Stewart, who never loved the press spotlight to begin with, has withdrawn. Videos appeared on youTube, because, really, how COULD she do that to Robert! Then a few days ago, this appeared from Skreened:

This is ridiculous and uncalled for and unfair. She made a private life-mistake in a public life profession. This t-shirt jumped over the line, because really? It’s not a joke. It’s mean. If teens were to do this to their ex’s new girlfriend, it would be bullying.

The girl has made a mistake. It’s really none of our business. It is the business of these people:

The family–wife and children of the director. The director who, incidentally, also took part in the cheating. There’s been so much poor Rob’s broken heart, but not nearly as much about the poor children of the director who’ve had their father’s betrayal plastered all over the tabloids. I could say it’s because the media is being respectful of the family, but I don’t believe that.

While Kristen Stewart is being vilified, the director is quietly issuing apologies, and that’s it. Why? Why is she, a young woman with no husband or children, getting the majority of the blame for this?  Well, she is the actor and therefore more famous in common gossip circles than a director would be. That’s a given. Then there’s the fact that she plays a very popular book character in a giant movie franchise… and dates/dated the person who plays her on screen love interest.  Okay, but unfair. Is it because she’s the woman, and there’s still a sexist double standard when it comes to affairs–which are wrong regardless? I hope not.

I don’t even particularly like Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan–I think the first time she showed true promise as the character was in Breaking Dawn Part 1. I think she plays certain characters well–antisocial, druggie, quirky, depressed– though she did a better job playing Snow White than I’d like to admit. I think she is unusually large-group socially awkward for an actress, and I have never felt a great love or loyalty toward her. Until now. Unless you’re going to burn Sanders alive as well, how about showing some… humanity and leaving her alone for a while.

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Eclipse Review – part one – First viewing overview.

(Eclipse picture from hollywoodnews.com)

I know I say this kind of thing a lot, which is why you should come back later for the second-viewing review (along with one for The Last Airbender), but Eclipse has Eclipsed all other Twilight films to date. (I knew you’d miss the bad puns, so I put one in for you.)

It seems as if both the actors and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg have kept an ear to fan criticism, because the changes reflected a lot of what didn’t work in the past. Edward’s humour that so many love from the book makes an appearance, and Robert is allowed to try out that crooked smile. I’m not in love with Edward Cullen, but believe me when I tell you: it works.

I think my favorite change is how funny the film is–especially Robert Pattinson’s character, Edward. He finally got some jokes, and not only are they written for him as Edward would say them, but they are delivered well.

In fact, there was more genuine humour in this film than the other two combined, and David Slade knew how to direct his actors to make it work. The humour came at the right times, relieving the audience from extreme tension or overdose of romance.

Speaking of romantic tension–there was a lot of it, partly due to the fact that Kristen Stewart displays great chemistry with both her co-stars. This is the storyline where the love triangle  between Edward, Bella, and Jacob comes to a head, and the scenes were integrated in just the right way to show Bella’s time and devotion split between the boys. Yet, just as it was in the books, it was clear that despite what Team Jacob wanted, Bella would always choose Edward.

In general, all the scenes were balanced like this. Just as we’d get comfortable with romance, the scene would change to show the destruction in Seattle caused by the Newborn army lead by Xavier Samuel’s Riley and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Victoria. Then the scene would change again: Bella with Jacob and the wolf-pack, fitting in as easily as she does with the Cullen clan. Switch again to war training led by Peter Facinelli’s Carlisle and Jackson Rathbone’s Jasper, only to weave into Charlie and Bella moments, including one very funny scene where he tries to give her the sex talk. Did I mention that the scenery and shots are beautiful, and everything is woven seamlessly together?

All in all, worth the $11.00 and an addition to the saga that makes me proud to be a fan.

Special mention, of course, goes to Nikki Reed. She was simply brilliant in the telling of Rosalie’s horrific backstory. There’s no other way to say it. I believed every minute of the beautiful flashbacks, I could feel the dread, the horror, and the breaking heart. The one time when I nearly teared up.

Jackson Rathbone did nearly as well in Jasper’s backstory; part of my issue with it was that not as much of it was included. When Jasper says ‘I could feel everything’ the emotion was there without exaggeration. I believed him. It was painful yet manly. And we finally get to see an Alice Jasper kiss (with tongue!?), although apparently Rathbone had to pay off Rosenberg to get it.

Both scenes were high on my expectation list, and they didn’t disappoint. And the tent scene–well, go see it. Summit did something right in waiting for the release of the film to play that scene. During the entire scene, the gasping, commenting theatre-goers who shared my experience were completely silent–in the right way. The mark of good work and high praise for actors.

Even my picky Twihard friends didn’t have much to complain about. Me? I want to see it again with rational eyes before I delve deeper and write something with actual organization. Speaking of which… I’m off to the theatre.

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Twilight Saga: New Moon, Post-Madness

  Having seen the Twilight Saga’s New Moon for the fourth time, I feel I’ve passed the fangirl stages (Let’s be honest–you don’t go see it four times and would consider going another unless you’re a fan) and am accurately and sanely able to comment.

As I’m guessing the people who read this will be either fans and have already seen it, or haters, and are not going to anyway, this will be full of spoilers. And what with the new year and all the lists it’s spawned (best fashion of 2009, best in entertainment of 2009, most-viewed youTube videos… I could go on forever) I’m going to jump on the overridden bandwagon and make a list myself.

Yes, it’s a little late… a lot late. So here are some reasons to look forward to the March 20th DVD release.

Ten reasons to own New Moon for the purpose of seeing it more than once. And a few other reasons not to.

 THE GOOD

1. Taylor Lautner. Yes, he’s handsome, with his rugged appearance, six pack (or is it eight?) abs, and charming, little-boy smile. In fact, many fans have reportedly switched to ‘Team Jacob’ after the movie’s premiere. I always thought the teams were a waste of time. As Bella says about Edward, “It will always be him.” I do admire the effort that Taylor put into earning the part of Jacob–and he didn’t stop after the recasting. This is the real reason so many people switched, the reason that so many girls have clearly fell in love with Jacob Black as Taylor portrays him: His acting is not perfect, but the major qualms I have are with the writing rather than his delivery. To put it simply, he brings Meyer’s Jacob to life.

A few special scenes come to mind. 1. The montage while Jacob and Bella fix the motorcycles. Despite the scant dialogue, we clearly understand why Bella later calls Jake her sun. He balances the enamored boy and the all-around great guy very well, so that neither is overwhelming. 2. Any scene where Jacob is struggling with his feelings for Bella. You can see the struggle in his body, his breathing, and most impressively, his eyes. 3. The final scene in Bella’s kitchen when Edward calls, leading up to Bella’s exit with Alice. My heart breaks for him every time he leans across Alice to beg Bella to stay.

 2. The Cullens. Yes, I know there really wasn’t that much of them, and it’s a crime, but what I did see, I absolutely adored. The actors have the perfect chemistry; each time they were onscreen, I felt myself wanting to jump into the film and become a part of the family. Whether you agree with the individual performances, the actors manage to produce feelings of camaraderie and familial love that the Cullens represent in the books. Take the birthday scene: Alice is exuberant, Carlisle charming, Esme warm, Emmett hilarious, Jasper aloof, and Rosalie is–herself. For the scene at the end when the family votes, with their few lines, the actors each manage to sum up what we need of their characters to understand the motivations behind their later actions. I can’t wait for Eclipse, where we’ll get even more Cullen action. Let me give a little extra mention to Nikki Reed. I was never a huge fan of hers, and we didn’t see enough footage in Twilight to prove me wrong. Her little speech at the end of New Moon the “I wish there would have been someone there to vote no for me” stuff worked perfectly. It was not so vulnerable that Rosalie lost her witch credibility, but it was the first insight into her character that hints at the stories to come and reveals the reasons for her past behavior. When does Eclipse come out again?

 3. Chemistry. I mentioned the chemistry between the Cullens, now let’s talk about the chemistry between Taylor and Kristen. If you saw the film, seeing the chemistry was inevitable. It actually scared me because there wasn’t quite enough of Kristen & Rob together to counteract the Jake-Bella scenes. When Jake drives Bella home they bleed into each other. The two actors obviously have a good relationship that extends into their scenes. Excuse me while I squeal–I mean, give them a round of applause.

4. The Music. If this doesn’t officially count, I don’t care. I now own both the soundtrack and the score by Alexandre Desplat. The score is much more sophisticated than Twilight’s. It even incorporates ticking noises at points. Now that Bella is under the time crunch imposed by the Volturi as well as her own, the ticking adds a subtle and cool element to the film absorbed as atmosphere but not fully noticed until the score is listened to independently. This is just one small treat. The soundtrack also features some brilliant compositions: Possibility, Satellite Heart, Roslyn, Monsters, I Belong to You (I adore Muse.), and Shooting the Moon… Even the ones I skip over on my playlist are woven well into the fabric of the film itself, from selections softly flowing out of Bella’s truck radio to featured pieces tying together montages (think Possibility’s months-passing scene & Shooting the Moon’s garage montage). The music alone almost makes the DVD purchase worth it–it’d be great to play in the background to as you work.

5. The 1st Movie Scene. Anna Kendrick shows us why she’s been nominated for an oscar. Most people would say it’s a throw-away scene, completely overshadowed by Bella’s depression preceeding it and her motorcycle ride that breaks the Jessica action. However, Kendrick captures everything we hate about Jessica Stanley and Bella — in a completely lovable way. Jessica is completely self-absorbed, yet funny, as she takes as stab or two at Bella. She plays the stereotypical teen perfectly and in an ordinary way rather than completely relying on those stereotypes. The lines are delivered with beautiful comedic timing.

6. The Wolf Pack. Yes, they are lovely to look at, but that’s not what I’ll be discussing here. The chemistry (tell me if I’m overusing that word) between the young men pegs them as the bonded brothers they are portraying. This is best seen in Emily’s house after Jake pounces on Paul. The guys are eating muffins and revealing ‘wolf things’ for the sake of the understanding the plot, but they do it so well, it seems like a natural conversation. I felt like one of the guys sitting in on their teasing.

7. Billy Burke as Charlie. I guess I felt as if he needed his own number…maybe I’m running out fo things to say, but while I’m drawing things out, Billy Burke shines once again as Bella’s dad. He was given a bit more this time, teasing Bella about her birthday and reacting to her depression. The scenes where he sleeps on the couch and jumps up as Bella screams during her nightmare are heartbreaking.

8. Victoria-hunt montage… and her brighter hair. The music, the special effects, and the choice of flow in the scenes fit together perfectly. This is a beautiful scene.

9. Bella-Edward Moments. I chose to clump three together–the one directly following the birthday party, Edward’s desertion, and their first non dream-scene together–in the school parking lot. When Bella & Edward return to her house after Jasper almost eats her on her birthday, she and Edward have a lovely discussion about morals & life. What’s truly beautiful is the shot. There’s a moment where Bella’s face is framed by the truck window that looks picture-perfect. The second scene mentioned–Edward’s departure–is lovely because of both the shots and the acting. Edward seems to tower over Bella as he tells her that she means nothing to him.  Appropriate? More than. Then there’s the pained Edward moment, when we see his true feelings as he kisses Bella one last time. Well done RPatz. My last choice is a happy one. The moment when Edward walks onto school property and over to Bella is  so well done, it makes me want to squeal every time I see it. Of course, I refrain, but can you blame me? Edward is walks into the scene like a hero cowboy walking into town, dull daylight making him into the god Bella sees him as, the wind blowing him all over like a hair commercial, and the smile of love on his face. Bella’s face is similar. When she sees him, I believe with my whole heart that this is a teenage girl in love with the boy she’s staring at. Yay!

 

Honorable Mentions:

-The depression scenes. I loved the way the crew used clothes and hair to make Bella’s depression real. And although it has fans in opposing camps, I thought the Possibility montage was a perfect way to translate Meyer’s empty chapters to the screen.

-Kristen & Rob’s acting improved. There is less breathy line delivery and more genuine acting. Thanks, guys.

-The Volturi. Spooky. Ewww.  The End…Or maybe not. Well done Dakota Fanning. Too bad we couldn’t see more of you. As a doubter of your ability to portray Jane, I formally state that I rescind my former opinions. I was wrong.

 

THE BAD

1. I’m stealing this from the fabulous Twilight podcast, Imprint. (Hey, I noticed the same thing, they just articulated it 1st.) It seems as if Edward’s character is always miserable. Yes, he’s a tortured soul, constantly punishing himself for his life, his inability to keep Bella safe, and countless other things. We get it. But the reason many readers fell in love with Edward Cullen in the first place was his charm and his sense of humour.  If I counted the number of times the phrase ‘crooked smile’ appears in the Twilight novels, I’d… be counting for a while. So where is that crooked smile in the films? Other than a few flashes of humour (‘It’s my job to protect you from everything…except my sister.’) It seems as if Edward is always miserable. How can we be expected to like Rob’s Edward when all the happiness is cut out of the script and all the moodiness left in? We know he’s pretty, but cut the guy a break and give him back a joke or ten. Please, Melissa Rosenberg?

2. I have a feeling I’m going to get a lot of flack for this. But am I the only one who thought the Volturi looked like a bad disco reunion? I was proud of most of  the other costuming & hair choices. Heck, I would love to own a costume piece or two (Can anyone find me Alice’s dress in the birthday scene?) but I felt as if I was in the wrong kind of nightmare when watching the Volturi. Okay, so the hair is a throwback to when we first see them, but add to that the choice of clothes? Together it’s just an unfortunate caricature of a 70’s rerun. And not even the good 70’s.  In the books, the clothes are understated, normal looking and light-colored. I’m not one to ask for direct book-to-movie details, but part of what makes Aro, Caius, and Marcus so creepy is that they appear both restrained and incredibly powerful.  I didn’t feel that this element translated well to the movie, and the costuming contributed to this.

3. Initially this didn’t really bother me, but after the fourth viewing, it got under my skin. Some of Jacob’s lines are awful. A lot of it is in the writing–it’s really hard to make a horrid cliché sound genuine.  Some of the phrasing in scenes such as the one in Bella’s bedroom didn’t help the trite dialogue seem any less soap-opera-ish.

4. The special effects. I’m probably going to be bombarded for this as well, but here goes– I think the sparkle effect actually got worse. It looked less like diamonds and more like Edward had taken a bath in glitter. Don’t get me wrong, I assume it’s a difficult thing to pull off, and I love glitter more than the next girl, but this just looks silly. Add in the slightly softer twinkling noise, and you have an ‘eh’ moment. Another image that caused me to think ‘ew’ was the first shot of the wolf in the woods. perhaps it’s because Sam’s fur is so dark. The lack of shading could take away some of the realism, I suppose. But the first time we see his glowing eyes my mind connected the image to much earlier movies. Like 30 years earlier. I know nothing of special effects, so please don’t take my word for it. That’s just what I thought.

In the end, New Moon is a fan movie. It was made for the fans, to fit their needs. There are several direct or nearly direct quotes and the essence of the book comes across. Kristen Steward does well with her shining depression moment, Taylor Lautner grew up before our eyes, Robert Pattinson looks pretty and tortured and the other actors, director Chris Weitz, and the crew work together to pull off a film significantly better than Twilight. I reserved my copy. Will you be bringing one home?

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Finally Speaking

So…it’s been a while. I promised myself that I would update once a week, but somehow that didn’t happen. Now that I have a spot of time, I have decided to post another book review. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was an accidental find for me this summer. And by accidental find I mean one of those books my friends told me to read but I was too busy reading classics to care.

So when I wanted to construct a summer lesson for middle school and high school students, I googled books about bullying’ and Speak popped up. It’s 1999 release date was far enough away that, when I ran to the local Borders to purchase it, I managed to pick up an special edition containing a forward by the author.

 

Apparently I missed the sensation it caused upon its release, and it’s a shame. I’m sure it deserved much more attention that it actually received.

From the first page, Anderson traps readers in a psychological mystery novel. The narrative resembles stream of consciousness writing; readers follow main-character Melinda as she struggles desperately to come to terms with her past and fit into a high school student body that doesn’t want her. The way it’s written–Melinda’s ‘unedited’ thoughts screaming at you [in 1st person] from inside her head makes the main character instantly likable.

On the surface, Speak seems like any other book about bullying or ostracizing. Melinda, invited as an 8th grader to a high school party, is thrilled. However, the silly girl calls the cops and several students are caught underage drinking. She escapes the police at the party, but not the wrath of almost the entire student body–if they weren’t there, they know someone who was caught. If they don’t know anyone who was at the party, the students heard about Melinda’s treachery and want nothing to do with a squealer. She is spoken at more than to, and somehow her books manage to get pushed out of her hands each time she’s in the halls. It’s also obvious that Melinda is depressed–in the true clinical sense.

Here’s the magic of the book: Melinda’s depression, while clearly overwhelming to the main character, does not overwhelm the reader in a way that encourages him/her to stop reading. Still, Anderson manages to make readers care so deeply in such a short time for her protagonist, that it’s impossible to feel nothing toward her. Shortly after this connection is made, the mystery is introduced. Very subtly, Anderson plants the seed of suspicion. Something happened the night of the party that caused Melinda to call the police, but readers cannot know the secret until farther into the book, because Melinda is unwilling to even think about the topic. The title comes from this dilemma to reveal her secret.

The way Anderson handles the psychology of her character is very personal. Whether the reader is young or old or has been in a situation similar to Melinda’s or not, he/she will feel a connection to the character. The descriptions of high school, the one teacher who takes extra time with her, the students who use her–anyone who has been through a day of high school, or even middle school, should have no problem relating to Melinda. That makes the book pretty much universal. That being said, I would suggest that the reader be at least beyond primary school (age 11+) and preferably a little older.

How did my lesson go? Fabulous. Both the boys and girls were intrigued by the mystery. They could not wait to discover Melinda’s secret. They also immediately sympathized with Melinda and the behavior of the other students spawned good morals & ethics discussions.

Another positive? The book is just the right length. I finished it in a little over two hours. I don’t think I moved the entire time, save to turn the page. After completing my lesson, I gave the book to my mother with the requirement that I needed it back in two weeks. She finished it by the next morning. I have now passed it along to my friends. Out of the 3 who have finished it, not one hasn’t responded fervently (and positively) when I asked how they liked it.

So, I recommend Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson for preteens through adults, students, parents, teachers…. At the risk of sounding cliché, it’s a must read.

As a side note, I managed to procure a copy of the movie made by Showtime in 2004. Interestingly enough, Kristen Stewart plays the lead–she does a phenomenal job capturing the complexity of the character. It gives me great hope for the Twilight film. The movie itself is worth investing in. It’s a made-for TV movie, but I managed to find it on Amazon. However, this does not mean you should watch the film rather than read the book. I recommend both–print before film.

I hope you enjoy–go read it, now!

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