New Moon

I can't help it. I'm excited about this....




However, I am NOT excited about this...



Robert Pattinson ... Edward Cullen

Ashley Greene ... Alice Cullen

Peter Facinelli ... Dr. Carlisle Cullen

Nikki Reed ... Rosalie Hale

Jackson Rathbone ... Jasper Hale

Dakota Fanning ... Jane

I did NOT like Nikki Reed as Rosalie. Her acting was fine. But the most beautiful woman in the world? NOT. EVEN. CLOSE.

And no cast choice disappointed me more than Alice's (Ashley Greene). The worst acting in the entire Twilight movie (and that's saying a LOT). I really hope she has taken some acting lessons since Twilight. She has the look, but she blew it as soon as she spoke.

I am bummed about Robert Pattinson as Edward. I guess it would have been a stretch to change the actor at this juncture (although they pulled it off with Batman, like four times!). It's not that he's a bad actor. But he pulled some really weird faces in Twilight. The bigger problem is that he's just NOT good looking enough. Or manly enough. Or buff enough. My husband, who, bless his soul, brought home Twilight to watch the other day--OF HIS OWN FREE WILL AND ACCORD, with no suggestion from me--said right off the bat about Edward, "Could they have picked anyone faggier?" I think they could have. I can think of a few faggier choices. But Robert Pattinson just doesn't cut it in my book. Hopefully he'll stop being so brooding in this movie (what little he's in it.)

I could NOT buy Peter Facinelli as Carlisle. He was handsome enough. But he looked about 20 years old! Just way too young to be a doctor. Unless this is a sequel of Doogey Houser M.D. I wish they had changed him. He had such a small role that no one would have minded, I'm sure.

Jackson Rathbone did a fabulous impression of Edward Scissorhands in Twilight. Unfortunately, not so good as Jasper. Stiff, mechanical, robotic, blank-faced....YACK! And since he said maybe 5 words during the whole movie, I know he would not have been missed. Why, oh WHY did they keep him??

And finally we come to the most puzzling choice for the New Moon cast. Dakota Fanning as Jane???? Um, Dakota Fanning turns 15 this year. Did anyone get the impression from New Moon that Jane--powerful, vicious, cold-hearted vixen--was 15? And a cutesy blond? How they are going to pull THAT one off is beyond me.

I am, however, pleased to see a few people back: I really liked all the high school friends' actors. They're keepers. I liked the choice for Charlie, I liked Jacob, I liked Emmett and Victoria and Laurant. And I even liked Bella. There was a bit more stuttering and sighing than I thought necessary, but I thought overall that Kristen Stewart did a good job.

I'm also excited to see what director Chris Weitz (Director of About a Boy, American Pie and The Golden Compass) will do with it. I think the directing was one of the biggest problems with Twilight. Hopefully Chris can pull some better performances out of Jasper and Alice. (And let's all pray that the budget is big enough to make the special effects less absurd.)

What about you guys? Any thoughts on these actors, the upcoming movie, or your expectations for how this second book in the set will turn out on film?