Amymarissa's Journals

'New Moon': An Honest Movie Review

"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home..." Actually, all I had on my mind was how much I missed my friend who I had seen Twilight (which we mark as the anniversary of said friendship) with and how much better the movie would have been with her there. But, besides the silly quote, I'd like to tell you the movie was a flop and that everything you saw on the many, many trailers for the film was pretty much what happened, but there was much more in between. I'd also like to tell you that I wasn't disappointed in some parts of it, but I was, of course, though I knew what would happen in the first place. Instead though, I'll tell you how much I honestly enjoyed the movie. [cut=Read more...] Well, maybe not every minute, but the majority of it other than KStew's plenty and unnecessary shaky, loud breathing, and incessant blinking which was quite annoying. This review isn't so much for anyone in particular, Twi-hards or the Anti-Twilight crew, but just for anyone in general who'd like to see what someone thinks who isn't quite sure where they fit into that equation themselves(even though I am on Team Jacob, at least, until Breaking Dawn. Ugh)

For anyone who has been following my Twitter, I went through five or six tweets, I believe, documenting from the time I arrived at the theater and when the movie started. Last night, actually, longer ago than that, I had been planning to go early so as to get a good seat and not have to be distracted by high school kiddies who decided they wouldn't play hooky. I debated whether or not to get anything to munch on or to drink, but I thought it best not to elevate reasons to need to run to the restroom. The first time I did that, even before the previews started, someone took my seat. Oh, well, I actually got up closer than before and I was grateful, that no one sat in the row that I did. I'm just not a fan of people I don't know from Adam's house cat whispering beside me. But anyways, I was relieved when the previews started after sitting for at least 45 minutes, watching the same, ridiculous and boring ads over and over with nothing to do but study walls and dirty floors(theater floors really are gross). The first preview, which I wasn't too surprised to see, was Remember Me, a film Robert Pattinson also stars in. And I have to be completely honest, the movie actually looks rather intriguing and RPattz is much more attractive as that character rather than Ed Cullen, but I'll elaborate more on that later. Then there were a few more I don't really remember, and finally, the movie started...

The first image we see is a very, very slowly changing moon which is sort of a bronze color and then fades out, revealing the title of the film. You could nearly feel the giddy energy flowing throughout the room when the name popped up onscreen. It's hard for me to remember exactly how everything began, but as far as I can remember, you see Bella Swan running through Volterra for a few seconds and then she magically ends up in the meadow made famous by the first book and movie. She appears to be looking for Edward, whom she's trying to save from getting himself killed by the Volturi but then sees her "grandmother" on the other side of the meadow, who has the same expression on her face. If you've read the book, no doubt you have and possibly more than once, you know what happens. They make the same movements; Edward appears, sparkling much more noticeably than in the first film, blah blah blah, then she wakes up. The film carries on almost exactly like the book for several scenes, with only very tiny changes. Though, one thing I noticed while comparing New Moon and Twilight in my head is that former has much more comedy and playful banter which makes it easier to enjoy than the book, by far. It's obvious that with a new director for this film, the quality, flow of the plot, and especially wardrobe has made some notable changes which are both good and bad(at times very bad), which I will, again, elaborate on later.

So, then, after going to school on her birthday and constantly telling those around her not to celebrate her b-day or give presents, a party at the Cullen's happens, she gets the dreaded paper cut(which seriously...has anyone had a paper cut which has bled THAT much? me thinks it ridiculous, but I digress) and Jasper goes bonkers, attempting to get past his "brothers" and then has to be taken outside. And, speaking of Jasper and the others, I feel I must make many comments on wardrobe and makeup changes this time around. Possibly my biggest pet peeve is the contacts used to get that "liquid topaz" effect and honestly, I couldn't keep my eyes off of...well, their eyes and not because they were beautiful or anything, but instead, they were anything but. In the first movie, I liked the contacts used much more than in this film because they looked somewhat natural, but this time, goodness gracious, it looks like their eyes are about to pop out of their heads and those things looks awfully uncomfortable to be wearing for hours at a time. They were gross, tbh.

Anyways, though. Besides that, it was all good other than Jasper Cullen's, erm, hair. No, just, no. And then, I'm compelled to mention something about Edward. Yes, as far as the book goes, he is described as slender, more so than the other males in the Cullen tribe, but did anyone else feel that RPattz might need to start eating more, like, seriously, get that man a pint of Ben & Jerry's? Or two? Or maybe it was just after seeing Jacob Black so much, shirtless of course, anyone else looks a little peaked in comparison? Idk, but the aforementioned character was rather hard to ignore throughout the film and I found myself, several times, being confused and angry that Bella could possibly prefer Mr. Cold, Dead, and Sparkling over Mr. Tall, Dark, and Ripped over there though I know that's how it's supposed to turn out anyway. Even character Mike Newton looks less like a suffering emaciated cancer victim than dear, 'ol Ed. Which reminds me! How great was the theater scene with Mike and Jake? That was definitely one of my favorite scenes for comedy as well as complete ADORABLENESS coming from Jacob, who, only gets more adorable and irresistible as the story goes on. If you get to see the movie in the near future, you just might be screaming at Bella for wanting to just be friends with Jake like me, well, in your head anyway.

I know you're probably bored to death with my lame commentary, but it's your fault for opening this anyway, right? But one other thing that I find to be a major redeeming point and something that overshadows the faults of this movie is how much more professionally done it seems than the last. It's already known that Catherine Hardwicke was a little spazzy when it came to how she organized doing scenes and just about everything else, as we've learned from several cast members commenting on it. But with Chris Weitz at the helm, this motion picture isn't awkward or jerking from scene to scene like Twilight, but I guess having a much larger budget helps, too. The script is better, the acting is better, and the color is better, much more vibrant than the washed out look the previous film had. I also noticed that this time around, Kristen Stewart seemed to have a much better handle on her character, who was just a tad bit less fumbling and bumbling than before and was given a bit more backbone and fierceness than in the past.

So, now, I close with this: even if you aren't really into the books or even the last film, go and see this one. You might not completely like it, but hey, seeing Taylor Lautner many, many times shirtless onscreen might be some incentive, right?

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"Ba da ba ba da ba ba ha!"

Hey kiddies, it's been a long time since I've been on here and it sucks. Actually, it really really sucks when you don't have a computer. Well, I do, I just don't have a way to get it plugged in at the moment, so, I'll be utilizing what time I have now.

Everything has been a little crazy but it's finally starting to die down. Moving was a hassle and traveling 1800 miles just isn't pleasant at all. Epecially when you have to ride through Nebraska. That state has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in it. Just miles and miles and miles of nothing and grass and dirt. Oh, well, it's over now and I don't plan going through there again, if I can help it that is. Other than that, the trip was pretty fun. I got a taste of what it would be like to be a nomad, or something like it. Got to eat some great bbq, see some great sights, and otherwise, it was just great. It's also the first time in a while that I've been with my family for 24/7, so that's always fun, right? Well, somtimes...haha. But now, I'm back in the east and I don't plan on going to the west anytime soon, at least, not for a while and only vistiting, I'd never want to live there again if I can help it. I'm a fan of trees, grass, and tons of rain so good thing I'm in North Carolina. It isn't quite home to me, but it's close enough.

This past week, along with getting the house put together, has shown me a lot of things: humans are not clean. No, actually, they are disgusting and I hate it. I'm not exactly clean freak myself, but when people have dirt, literally DIRT on walls smeared up to nearly the ceiling, that's rediculous. Did they have a mud slinging party or something? Idk, but it's all gone now. Another thing I've learned is that you can't count on people either, no matter how hard they try to convince you, sometimes, you just can't. Out of all the people I've known in my life, I've been able to trust my parents, my grandparents, and just a few others, but that's just about it. And I'm not good at accepting that I can't trust people because I want to be able to, but you just end up getting hurt that way, more often than not, I mean. That's okay though because I know I have a good head on my shoulders and that I'll learn from my mistakes, I always do.

So, on a more positive note, I was able to get my copy of Paramore's 'brand new eyes' last week which totally made my week and this week too. I think it's the first time I've actually gone out the day an album comes out and went and bought it but it makes it all that much more special. Anyways, this album is absolutely fantastic. I'm not going to write a review right now or anything, but I might when I get the time to really work on it. But I can honestly say that this album is not disappointing in the least. Every track is amazing and the band has matured so much in their talents. Hayley's vox are rediculously good and Zac's drumming is getting so intricate and great. I'm proud to call Paramore my favorite band. Oh, and I'm sending good thoughts Hayley's way. Loosing your voice sucks so bad and if you have to perform, it's even worse so I hope things heal up well and quickly for her. And hey, maybe I'll get to see them this fall, even if I have to go alone.

Well, that's all for now. I need to go grab something to read. Smell ya later, buzznet!

NEWSFLASH: Hayley Williams Isn't Perfect, OMG!

You know, we see the articles all the time: Stars Without Their Makeup! Looks Like So-and-so Needs To Work On Their Cellulite! But when celebs see the articles and tend to get a little upset about it, they go to their blog, if they are indeed the blogging type. And, yes, I could be talking about anyone, but this time, it's Hayley Williams of Paramore. I don't think this is the first time the media has commented on her skin, but honestly, it's like a shocker when someone isn't perfect. In the firey red-head's own words: NEWSFLASH EVERYONE: Hayley Williams does not have perfect skin!

Hayley, as not one to not speak her mind, of course, while lurking about Paramore's LiveJournal message board, found an article from Germany which called her out on a common skin problem. As if millions of us don't have the exact same problem, the article made it sound like she was digusting for going out in public with less than perfect skin. OMGZ, call the police because a normal 20 year old female does not have flawless skin! She should be totally ashamed of herself for letting people see her like that, right? Well, enough of me and let's hear what she had to say about it.

BRAVO CAN SUCK IT!

In light of a very disturbing article which was published about me in Bravo Magazine (Germany)... I've decided to write an open letter. This isn't a total walk in the park for me. But I think it needs to happen. The disturbing part is not that the article was untrue. It's that what was written was so completely unnecessary, and just plain shitty. NEWSFLASH EVERYONE: Hayley Williams does not have perfect skin. She's got flaws! *Gasp*. Oh well, I guess it's better than reading another article about me being pregnant.

Check out the article here: http://community.livejournal.com/paramoremusic/8567909.html?page=1#comments (P.S. This is pretty embarrassing. And I'd like to add that I don't go out anywhere with a "bloody" face. Chick was buggin').

Below is my response:

Dear Bravo Magazine and some apparently flawless chick named Juliane,

A recent article of yours was published about me and my less than perfect skin. I don't read Bravo... but a scan of the column was posted on our message board. Naturally, I saw it. First, I'd like to say thanks. Thanks for actually printing something honest. I do, in fact, have acne. It doesn't always look bad but it's there. There are many magazines that would never go out of the way to print something so truthful as this... so kudos, you clever bitches. Second, if this article actually accomplishes anything, I hope that it makes people feel good about themselves. They don't have to be perfect. And no one ever is. I'm a real person... with millions of flaws. Most of which don't show on the outside for you and your magazine to judge. I don't do interviews or TV appearances or meet and greets in order to prove to the world that I'm beautiful. I don't have to prove that to anyone. My heart is in my music, anyway. That's where you should be casting your eyes and ears. Judge that. I welcome you to. Lastly, I'm sorry, but who is Juliane?

Smell ya later.

Hayley Williams

Kudos, Hayley, for sticking up for yourself and letting us know that we have a right to be okay with our flaws. I know it's totally cliche, but I always love it when famous people write about stuff like this because it makes me feel like they're not trying nor are they perfect and no one else has to be either.

Pete Wentz Is A Huge Beatles Fan Underneath It All

I suppose everyone is a fan of The Beatles at least one time in their life. But Pete Wentz admits to loving their melodies for nearly all his life. And with The Beatles:Rock Band coming out soon, it's got him talking about the quartet that he claims will always be the only one of their kind. [cut=Read more...]

When Pete was just a little tot back in the 80's, he remembers listening to Lennon, McCartney, Starr, and Harrison, probably via his parents' record player. Now that he's all grown up and in a band of his own, he still gets down with "Strawberry Fields Forever".

"I remember listening to 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand,' and I didn't know it was a Beatles song at all; I just liked the song a lot when I was a little dude," he told MTV News. "I missed out on it in my teen years, when I was really too 'punk rock' to be listening to the Beatles ... and got into it later. 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun' is probably my favorite Beatles song ever. Obviously, that's one of those bands that will never be around again. There will never be a band like that, where all four guys could be frontmen. A thing that [Fall Out Boy lead singer] Patrick [Stump] said to me — that I totally agree with — is that there are a few artists, like the Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson and now Kanye West, I think, where you're forced to react to them. Love them or hate them, they made such a huge impact on pop culture that you're forced to have a reaction."

I'm not quite sure if I agree with him on Kanye yet, but MJ and Elvis are definitely also some of the biggest acts to ever grace the planet. And the quartet had also inspired another certain (once)four member band, ahem, Panic! At The Disco.

So, if you're a Beatles fan or just love Rock Band, you can pick up your copy of the video game on September 9th.

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Relient K's New Album Tracklisting and More Revealed

After having released the dates for their upcoming "Three Hour Tour" with Barcelona and Copeland, Relient K, easily one of the best known Christian pop-rock bands, lets us know a little more about their new album, Forget and Not Slow Down. [cut=Read more...]

And here is the cover art. Very Mid West-esque, no?

Through a soon to be seven album journey, Relient K is no stranger to trying new sounds. The older albums mainly have a punk vibe and clever, catchy lyrics. Newer tracks still have those same punk undertones but you can definitely tell a difference in last year's double EP, The Bird and The Bee Sides which having half of the album being new tracks and the other being never before released demos and acoustically revamped songs shows a great deal of variety in exploring the sounds of folk and ska.

Now, onto what you wanted to know in the first place. The new album, which has been confirmed to release on October 6, has been named Forget and Not Slow Down. And, just recently, lead singer Matthew Thiessen messaged AP.net with some essential info.

"Hey AP.net readers. Thanks for being nice to us. Here's the track list, high res cover, and press pic for Forget and Not Slow Down (our new record). It's a bit weird because there are some untitled outros and intros throughout the album. Basically, if the track list skips a number, something is up. There are eleven songs, but the whole thing runs about 43 minutes. We can't wait for October sixth to get here."

Hmmm, sounds promising, Matt. And here's the tracklisting:

1. Forget and Not Slow Down

2. I Don't Need A Soul

3. Candlelight

5. Part Of It

7. Therapy

8. Over It

9. Sahara

11.Savannah

13. If You Believe Me

14. This Is The End

15. (If You Want It)

So, like he said, some tracks may seem to be missing but it's supposed to be that way, so no worries. And, don't forget to check out the tour dates for this fall.

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Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Vs. Perez Hilton: Twitter, Round One

It seems like there's nothing potentially controversial Perez Hilton won't post on his blog, including things that may or not be true. Of course, we know it's gossip, but some people don't think it's funny at all, especially when the one they love is messed with. And Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is no exception. [cut=Rawr!]

Over the weekend Fall Out Boy was in Chicago for a concert for their tour with Blink 182. After the concert Pete Wentz also celebrated the one year anniversary of his bar Angels & Kings and was playing DJ. Seems like a perfectly normal night, right? Well, according to "The Queen of All Media", things got a little crazy. His "multiple sources" revealed that Pete's wifey was a little worse for wear, or in other words, completely trashed. Supposedly he heard from these sources that Ashlee "came up completely wasted and yells at him to leave. They fought, she told him he was horrible in front of a whole group of people and made him leave his own party early. So they make a scene and leave the bar."

But it didn't stop there. When they left the bar, Ashlee continued to yell at Pete and then when someone tried to photo op the ordeal "she CHASED him down the street and made him erase the pictures."

Now, this isn't the first time Perez or any other celeb gossip site has run this sort of story, whether true or not. Remember when Ashlee and Michelle Trachtenberg supposedly got into a fight because Ash got out of control with her drinking? Well, those rumors were dispelled too, just as well as this one. But instead, Ashlee took to her Twitter to defend her hubby and herself instead of releasing a statement. Or at least it just hasn't happened yet.

“My husband is an amazing dj and was dedicating songs to me. We were just having fun,” she tweeted to Perez. “Our love is amazing. Get ur own life. When all you do is make up untrue stories—look in the mirror. Do you even feel human?? Karma is a b****. Your story is WAY off.”

Well, he might feel human, but he sure doesn't look it sometimes. And just to make things fun, who do you think would win in a fight?

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Paramore's "Ignorance" Music Video Released Today!

You might have to wait until September 29th to get your copy of brand new eyes, but lucky you, the music video for Paramore's first single premieres today! [cut=Read more...]

If you've already seen the sneak preview that was released a few days ago, you probably have an idea of what you'll be seeing. I feared that the entire video would be in that cramped up room with Hayley Williams taking the phrase "in your face" quite literally, but no worries, there's plenty of variety and finger pointing to go around. And just to warn you, it is, in my opinion, rather different than any other video they have made so far. It sort of captures the whole idea of the album which is Hayley calling the guys out on all their crap, so to speak.

Oh, and uh...I think I sense a little bit of homage being paid to another female frontwoman? You'll see what I mean. Go here to view it and then, let us know what you think.

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Dane Cook Kinda Sorta Doesn't Apologize For Joke

If you watched the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, then you probably already know what I'm talking about. The comic who will now be known for making the super-uncomfortable comment during the awards ceremony, Dane Cook, has addressed the joke he aimed towards High School Musical star, Vanessa Hudgens. You'd think he'd apologize for the embarrassing call out, but of course, being the gusty man he is, he didn't. [cut=Here's what happened...]

Okay, so before we go any further. Let's get the story straight. At the Teen Choice Awards, Cook, who hosted the show three years ago, was chosen to present the Choice Hottie awards (which, of course, went to Robert Pattinson and Megan Fox). Before he started to read the nominees, he began to tell a "joke" that he thought would be "funny".

He scanned the crowd for Vanessa so that it would take full affect and then proceeded to embarrass the girl out of her skin. "Before I do the Choice Hotties, can I just say what everybody in the room is thinking but nobody has said? Girl, you gots to keep your clothes on! Phones are for phone calls, girl," he said with a laugh and a lisp, or whatever you wanna call it. Vanessa kept a smile on her face but it was easy to see that she was uncomfortable and probably wanted to jump up on stage and claw his eyes out. Well, that's what I'd be doing. Anyways...

Now, you probably know why he made the joke. Vanessa who is Disney-bred and used to be expected to reflect that image has had two nude photo scandals, so it's not completely unexpected that someone would poke fun. But I really don't think the best place to do that would be at a Teen Choice Awards show, in front of hundreds of people and not to mention the millions watching at home. And plus, it was Dane Cook who honestly, just isn't that funny.

But to get to the point, Dane decided to "take the hit" for his attack and doesn't feel he needs to apologize for it. "Mostly I just wanted it to be funny. That's the best part about being a comic, when you go, 'Maybe I can say the thing that everybody is kind of feeling and nobody [is saying].' The elephant-in-the-room moment. So, I'll take it, I'll take the hit. It's OK. I planned it about 20 minutes before I went out there. Because I like to be on the cusp of fear. My fans are very young as well, and everybody's very opinionated. You gotta keep it classy."

Um, there are so many things wrong with what he said, IMO, but I'm going to let you guys hash that out in the comments.

Did you think his joke was uncalled for?

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Cobra Starship's 'Hot Mess' Full Album Streaming Online!

If you don't want to spoil the surprise on August 11th then don't read further. But for those of us who'd like a little preview, read on. Most of you have already heard "Good Girls Go Bad", "Hot Mess", and "Pete Wentz Is The Only Reason We're Famous" (yes, that really is a title if you didn't know already). Now, you can hear the entire album and get a feel for what you may or may not be purchasing in just 7 days! [cut=Party!]

If you love your techno with a little hip hop and a dash of cockiness thrown in, then you'll definitely love Cobra Starship's Hot Mess. Just from what I've heard my favorite tracks are "Nice Guys Finish Last" which differs a bit from the rest of the album with a touch of swing that'll make you wanna dance. And then the B-side "I May Be Rude But I'm The Truth" is another that I'm fond of at the moment which is a little funky but oh, so fun. Also on the album are two remixes of the song "Good Girls Go Bad".

You can go here to have a listen, if you'd like to. And feel free to let us know your favorite track in the comments below, kiddies.

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Spencer Smith Explains The "!"

Remember when Panic! At The Disco had been promoting Pretty.Odd. and there was just a little something missing from their name? It sort of seems silly but it sure was and still is a big deal to the fans. So, to finally explain the whole deal, Spencer Smith has the floor. [cut=Read more...]

When the guys decided to take out the "!" last year, we never quite knew the exact reason why and they never got asked why it was there in the first place. So, now, they've chosen to bring it back for a medley of reasons.

"It's amazing because we never necessarily got asked about it that much when it was in there," drummer Spencer Smith told MTV News. "And then all of a sudden, we decided to take it away for Pretty. Odd., and we were asked about that in, I think, every interview for a couple months."

As well as wanting to bring back memories, this switchback is also a way of saying that even after the band's split, the half that is still there is going strong.

"For me and Brendon, there were aspects of our first album that did sort of go away on Pretty. Odd. that we'd like to bring back to our band. There's some theatricality and some different styles of music, and we want to make a record that is drawing from both our previous albums. And it just seemed like it would be a fun thing for our fans. Hopefully, there's less of a big deal [made] about it coming back than there was about it going away. It seems like a new chapter, so having that as part of the band seemed like something we could bring back ... to reinforce that Panic! at the Disco is not breaking up, it's still going."

To also reinforce that Panic! is still going strong, there's also their first single "New Perspective" which is very appropriately titled. The music style of this song goes back to A Fever You Can't Sweat out which still seems to prove that Spencer and Brendon prefer this sound over the sound of Pretty.Odd.

"It is a side of the new songs we're doing. It's nice to bridge the gap between what we were doing and the music we'll hopefully put out in the beginning of next year," he explained. "We're sort of figuring out what we want our record to be. We've demoed 10 or 11 songs, and it's everything from sort-of Frank Sinatra-style songs to, like, some of the electronic stuff we had on our first record, and, you know, the theatrical stuff, sort of like Queen, and then there's rock and roll stuff, too. Stuff like the Who. We're sort of figuring out what Panic! at the Disco is with me and Brendon."

So, to sort of finally answer the question, why was the "!" in the band's name after all?

"I think Ryan may have brought it up, I don't remember, it was a few years ago. Ryan had put it on our PureVolume site — before we got signed, before Pete heard any of our songs — he typed it that way on the site, saying, 'Oh, that would be a cool thing,' and it completely stuck," Smith laughed. "I always thought it was a cool thing, but I think he always had a thing where, like, it wasn't actually supposed to be part of the name, so maybe it was him who brought up losing it. I don't know. Hopefully people won't freak out about it again."

Funny how something that might have been a simple mistake or thought has made such a big deal.

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