"Heaven." Another blog about New Moon.

I continue to be completely captivated by New Moon. Which is kind of ironic considering New Moon was my least favorite book in the Twilight Series. I guess I can best describe my feelings for the book by comparing it to a love-hate relationship. While I hated the fact that Edward leaves and remains absent for much of the book, I love that he makes a triumphant return in one of the greatest endings to a book I have ever read. And while I missed Edward terribly, I was able to relate to Bella on a very emotional level. I know all to well the severe pain of heartbreak. I felt and could relate to every aspect of her pain. I like to joke that I slipped into a deep state of depression while reading New Moon. I tell people how it was almost like I myself had been left by my one true love. I was experiencing such intense feelings of loss. It was completely insane and yet, I loved every minute of it. It is such an amazing experience to read something so palpable and understand it down to your core. Edward's absence and Bella's depression throughout the book make for such an emotional and powerful moment when they finally come together once again. It is without a doubt my favorite moment in the book. And now, it is my favorite moment in the movie. My words could never do justice to the moment when Bella jumps into Edward's arms and Edward whispers, "Heaven" into her ear. I love that quote. It will probably go down as my favorite movie quote of all time. I love it for so many different reasons. In that one quote, the movie captures what being with Bella truly means to Edward.

And Edward's love for Bella is what captures me and makes these books mean so much to me. Everyone wants to know why. Why is there such a frenzy surrounding these books and movies? Why do people love them so much? What is the secret? It is different for everyone. People connect to the story in numerous ways and on many different levels. However, for me, it has always been Edward's love for Bella. It isn't the fact that he is a vampire. Or that he is strong and almost indestructible. It isn't the fact that he always seems to say the perfect things. Or even because of his perfect appearance. My love for these books comes from the idea that one individual can love another so completely. It is something that I want more than anything in the world, to be loved, exactly as I am. And it is for this reason that Bella and Edward's story is my favorite love story of all time and why, even after all the hype, Twilight remains my favorite book.

Twilight came to me during a very difficult time in my life. A time in which I loved someone who did not feel the same about me. A time when I lacked self-confidence and self-worth. A time in which I felt hopeless and very much alone. It allowed me to escape and brought me hope. And even still, in times when I feel like I'll never be good enough, like no one will ever love me, I think about Bella in all her imperfections and how Edward loves her so completely.

The Twilight Series will always hold a special place in my heart. Even years from now, wherever life finds me, when the hysteria has died down and a new phenomenon has swept over us all, I will think back upon this time and be grateful that I could experience something truly special.

New Moon

"Don't make me choose, because it will be him. It has always been him." Bella

Clearly, I am on Team Edward. I would also like to add that New Moon is my least favorite book in the series. With that being said...

The film adaptation of New Moon was amazing! It was everything Twilight should have been and more. It is astonishing what a bigger budget and a qualified director can do. The acting was better. The make-up was better. The script was better. The camera angles were better. Everything was better. This is the movie that Twilight fans deserve.

Thank you Chris Weitz (Director) and Melissa Rosenburg (Screenwriter) for respecting the story and the fans who love it. Thank you for caring enough to get things right. Thank you for not ruining the parts of the book that made it great. Thank you for presenting Jacob and Bella's story in the way that it truly was. Thank you for keeping Edward present even though he was a world away. Thank you for a beautiful film.

And a very special thank you to Chris Weitz for doing NOTHING like Catherine Hardwicke did and for directing Kristen Stewart in such a way that her acting wasn't too painful to watch.

The film version of New Moon is a wonderful adaptation of the book. It is what the fans deserve. It still breaks my heart that the film version of Twilight will forever be ruined. However, New Moon brings a new hope to the films to come.

In closing, I would like to thank the wonderful people at the University Mall Cinemark for being more than prepared for all us Twi-Hards and for making my 9 hour wait outside in the cold a little less painful.

To my dear friend and movie companion for life, Lacey, we survived the cold, the Team Jacob fans, and the Liberals in line behind us. Another great night that I will remember forever. Thank you.

And lastly, I have a message to the all the members of Team Jacob. You lose. Bella chooses Edward. It will always be Edward.

This made me smile.

I hope it does the same for you.

(500) Days of Summer

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.

"(500) Days of Summer" is something seldom seen, an original romantic comedy. This movie is all about love. But not the kind of love with a happily ever after, instead it is about a love that is real and filled with the dizzying highs and weeping lows of a passionate entanglement.

Tom is a frustrated greeting-card writer who longs to be an architect. He is a hopeless romantic who believes that he will only be truly happy when he meets his one true love. After many days of monotony Tom meets Summer, a free spirit with a "have fun now" attitude. Summer doesn't believe in love and thinks that relationships bring nothing more than strife and heartache. Tom is determined to prove her wrong. And so begins the narrative that hopscotches around the 500 days of their relationship. A relationship that is filled with love, heartbreak, and every emotion in between.

I admire the way that love was presented in this movie. I can relate to it on so many different levels. I have experienced this kind of love. Love that you give all of yourself to. Love that you live for. Love that you believe will last forever. Love that ends. Then it becomes love that made you stronger. Love that helped you to grow. Love that made you better. Love that had no happily ever after.

Watching this movie brought to the surface life lessons that I have been learning over the past few years of my life. Lesson 1: Being completely in love with someone, doesn't mean that they will feel the same about you. You can't make someone love you in the way that you love them. Lesson 2: It is possible to overcome even the most crippling pain of heartbreak. Days pass uncontrollably, and little by little, you heal. Lesson 3: If it is meant to be, it will be. Be yourself. The person that is right for you will love you exactly the way that you are. Lesson 4: As hard and as lonely as the journey is, remain hopeful of the destination.

"(500) Days of Summer" is intelligent and emotional. It navigates the tightropes that link thoughts and feelings, and it does so with heart and humor. This movie is amazing from start to finish. I loved every minute of it.

Harry Potter 6

Where to begin...

Last night was the premiere of the sixth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. I was lucky enough to attend a midnight showing of the movie with my good friend and movie buddy, Lacey. We had the greatest time! Here is a rundown of the night's events...

My Harry Potter movie story all begins with a scarf. I was online talking with my friend Stewart and I mentioned that I wish I had a scarf to wear with my super sweet Harry Potter t-shirt. Being the amazing guy that he is, he immediately got on the phone with local businesses in search of the Gryffindor scarf that I greatly desired. Within minutes I recieved a message from Stewart telling me to put my shoes on and come get him. When I questioned him, he simply said, "There's a scarf in it for you." I was so excited! We made our way to Tailor Made in Provo. They had a ton of Harry Potter memorabilia. Instead of a scarf, I decide to get a Gryffindor tie. Stewart tried to talk me into getting Lacey a Slytherin tie. I had to explain to him that only boys like the bad guys. Lacey, like me, would be wearing a Gryffindor tie. Stewart was nice enough to tie the ties for us. He had to tie them a couple times...I was being a tad picky.

When Lacey arrived at my house, we squealed in excitement. She had made herself a cute t-shirt that had MUGGLE across the front in Harry Potter letters. In our Harry Potter themed shirts and ties, we made our way to the bathroom to apply lightening bolt tatoos to our foreheads. Pleased with our appearance, we decided to have a what-do-we-remember-from-the-6th-book pow wow. Shortly after, we left for the theatre.

We had decided in advance to see the movie in Sandy. The theatre is 45 minutes away, but has reserved seating. After the Twilight line jumpers, we decided the drive was worth it to have guaranteed good seats. The drive ended up being more than worth it for so many reasons. The Mega Plex had been transformed into a Harry Potter Hogsmead Festival. They had Maurader's Maps that showed the location of every event taking place. It was a Harry Potter fan's dream. The festival had:

Gringott's Wizard Bank
The Leaky Cauldron
Divination (Fortune Telling)
The Three Broomsticks Inn (Butterbeer and Cauldron Cakes)
Honeydukes Sweets
Potions (A wizard was mixing different things together. It was cute.)
Ollivanders (People were selling hand carved wands.)
Platform 9 3/4

There were also numerous trolley carts selling chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts every flavor beans, and every other candy you could get on the Hogwarts Express. They also had a young man who looked a lot like Harry Potter available to take pictures with. I really wanted to do this! Lacey and I stood there for a long time while I tried to decide if I was going to do it or not. Ultimately, I decided not to do it based on my tight budget situation. However, I did buy a button that said Seeker on it which I am happy about.

I think the most exciting thing about the night, apart from seeing the movie, was all the people wearing costumes. I shouted out loud and pointed in excitment when I saw: Dobby, Mad Eye Moody, Professor Trelawney, Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, and an entire Quidditch team. There were also a ton of Harry Potters and people just dressed as wizards and witches. It was such an amazing thing to see.

Before we knew it, we were in the theatre waiting to see the movie. Our seats were awesome and the excitment was papable. The lights dimmed and we all screamed. Cheers echoed through the theatre again when the movie title appeared and the Harry Potter theme was played. The movie was amazing. It is by far the best Potter film ever made. Everything about the movie worked and was well done. I walked out feeling like the people involved in making the movie not only cared about the story, but also cared about the fans of the book. I plan to write a more detailed blog on the movie after I see it again. I already have tickets for Friday. I also plan to read the 6th book again.

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince is a movie about having the courage to fight for good, no matter how scary it may be. A movie about growing up, relationships, and facing the ultimate evil of Lord Voldemort. Go see this movie. You will love it!

Marry Me Tom Fletcher

Enjoy my latest discovery, British rock band McFly. In an effort to see more of Star Trek's Chris Pine, I decided to watch romantic comedy Just My Luck. As part of the plot premise, Chris Pine's character manages an up and coming band. The up and coming band is McFly. I was immediately captured by their music and began searching YouTube and iTunes for more. And so began my first blonde boy crush, Tom Fletcher (pictured above).

Below is a video of Tom and Danny, the two leader singers of the band, performing an acoustic version of McFly's song Everybody Knows. It is one of the most beautiful vocal performances I have ever heard. I hope you will watch it and swoon along with me. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of my blog and turn off my player before watching the video. Enjoy.

Second Chances

It is very often depicted in movies, people getting second chances. Someone (usually the leading male character) screws up in some monumental way. And suddenly everything feels hopeless. Then it happens, an epiphany. The person realizes that they made a huge mistake that they must make right. The person starts running, running to find the person that they did wrong. After an out pour of apologies and uninhibited emotion, the two people embrace and all is forgiven. Happy Ending music ensues.

Now I love a happy ending just as much as the next hopeless romantic; However, I feel its constant depiction leads us into a false sense of security. It is possible that at some moments in life, second chances do not exist. Sometimes you only get one chance to do right by someone. Perhaps they have already reached their limit of giving second chances. Or maybe they have just been so hurt in the past that giving second chances just isn’t an option for them. Whatever the reason, sometimes you mess up and that is the end. You lose that person forever and never get a second chance to make things right.

If you love someone, treat them in such a way that you will never need a second chance. This is not to say that people can be perfect or never make mistakes. But don’t do something in which there is no possibility of ever coming back from. If you truly love someone, you know what that something is.

And if you are lucky enough to receive a second chance, odds are there will not be a third, don’t throw it away.

“What we feel isn't important. It's utterly unimportant. The only thing that is important is what we do.” – Professor Rohl in The Reader

“Stop talking about love. It means nothing. What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you say you love, that's what matters. It's the only thing that counts.” – Stephen in The Last Kiss