11.18.2011 3A

1
S omehow stripping the few re- deemable qualities from the final book in Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling “Twi- light” series, “Breaking Dawn — Part 1” cobbles together a tedious, seem- ingly never-ending prelude to what we can only hope will be a more entertaining “Part 2,” which releases next No- vember. The monstrosity that is “Part 1” tells the first half of “Twilight’s” fi- nale: Mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vam- pire Edward Cullen (Robert Pat- tinson) marry, jet off to a South American honey- moon and promptly decide to screw everything up by getting Bella pregnant with some type of vampire-es- que offspring. A typical day in carnal paradise, no doubt. Oh, and there’s the soul-wrenching (if in- evitable) decision by Bella to become undead in the near future. But what should be some of the two-parter’s most serious and tense moments instead leave you laughing at the sheer ludicrousness of it all. Granted, it’s hard not to laugh when resident hunk Jacob Black (Taylor Laut- ner) loses the shirt within 30 seconds of the movie’s opening. Or when Bella pleads for sex from her vampire husband. Or when Lautner tries to cry. Or when Pattinson tries to smolder. You get the point. Still, you can’t blame di- rector Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls”) for all the soapy and unintentionally funny drama. In fact, most of that can be attributed to screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who replaced the tension and angst of the book with a bloodless banality. The Edward-Bel- la-Jacob love triangle leaves you both frustrated and apathetic. And now that we’ve reached the fourth movie in the series, it comes as no surprise that both Pat- tinson and Lautner still have no personality. Pat- tinson actually seems dead, or at the very least bored out of his mind. And Lautner proves he possesses only one ex- pression: an incomprehensible squinting. Stewart did well, however, with her I’m-carrying-a-de- mon-spawn pregnant mother. It’s grotesque in a fascinating way. The C-section later performed by Ed- ward, though — with his teeth, no less — is simply grotesque. At its core, “Twilight” is a teenage love triangle with dashes of angst, sparkles and fisticuffs. But there’s the lack of emotion so prevalent in the books (and, to a lesser degree, in the previous movies). There’s angst and unnatural facial ex- pressions, for sure, but there’s no subtext to go with them. Which is un- surprising for a movie about pretty people doing a whole lot of nothing. It wouldn’t be fair, though, to rant about the failure of “Part 1” without praising the filmography and editing. It really is a beautiful movie, contrast- ing between stark whites and shocking reds and seamlessly transitioning between absurd scenes. Normally, splitting a book of “Breaking Dawn’s” length and noto- riety would be the more prudent choice, at least from the fan’s perspec- tive. Fans want all of the nuance, all of the lustful stares and backstory. But there’s truly no reason “Part 1” warranted 117 minutes of screen time. In fact, a large chunk of it could have been left on the cutting room floor, and both parts could have been combined into one longer movie. (Yes, given the financial incen- tives for Summit Entertainment to be able to sell and market two “Twilight” movies in- stead of one, it’s silly to think that could have happened.) In the end, “The Twi- light Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” will appease its rabid fanbase. And no re- view, no matter how critical, is going to change that. So here’s to hoping that “Part 2” will pump a little blood into this life- less finale. One star out of five. Dominic Baez is the copy editor/film critic for the East Oregonian. Follow his movie blog, Silver Screening, for the latest trailers, clips and extras at silverscreening.word- press.com. You can reach him at [email protected]. At the Movies DOMINIC BAEZ WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY •A Union Pacific Railroad manager at 5:08 a.m. report- ed his employee was assaulted in a company build- ing at 213 S.W. Goodwin Ave., Pendleton. •An employee of Blue Mountain Community College, 980 S.E. Columbia Drive, Her- miston, at 5:57 a.m. reported the theft of the college’s gold 1991 Honda Civic, Oregon plate E178747. •A Hermiston man called police at 10:14 a.m. to report he witnessed an older man steal two large silver cans of beer from Safeway, 990 S. Highway 395, Hermiston. The caller said the thief stuck the beer down front of his pants and went to his half-ton truck that had Oregon plates. He then left northbound on Fourth Street, the caller said. •A Hermiston woman called police at 10:31 a.m. after a man tried to break into her residence in the 1300 block of Southwest Desert Oak Drive. She said the man opened the door and asked, “Are you there?” The caller’s dog then began barking and the man shut the door and took off. She said she was scared and was going to leave the residence. •A Hermiston man at 2:55 p.m. called police to report he had been hit by another man the day before. He said he wasn’t able to report it at the time because he had to work. He asked for an officer to talk to him about the assault. •A woman called police at 5:25 p.m. to report the father of her children bought drugs at about 5:10 p.m. in the parking lot of the Hermiston Walmart, 1350 N. First St. She also said he had taken their children four days ago and she hasn’t seen them since. Police weren’t able to find the man. •A member of the Umatilla County Historical Society at 6:42 p.m. reported damage to three or four of the soci- ety's fence posts and a gate at the corner of Southwest Fourth Street and Frazer Av- enue. The caller also said he found a part of a bumper and a license plate. •A Pendleton woman called 9-1-1 at 7:21 p.m. to report a neighbor threatened to get his gun after she asked him to turn down the music. She said she told the man she would call police. His response, she claimed, was to tell her go ahead, he’ll get his gun. An officer responded, made contact with all parties and got the situation resolved. Friday, November 18, 2011 East Oregonian Page 3A REGION GET RESULTS...WE DO! With 66% saturation of Umatilla County, we’ve got you covered. Let the East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald advertising staff help your business prosper. We have advertising packages to fit all size budgets. You don’t need to have a huge ad to have HUGE success, you just need the right product and our creative team to plan a campaign that will bring traffic to your business. DON’T WAIT...CALL US TODAY TO ADVERTISE 541-966-0812 We use the East Oregonian to ensure that our local advertising dollars are put to good use. We feel that the East Oregonian represents the Red Lion well and helps us maintain our name in the community. Whether you are a large or small account the East Oregonian makes you feel like your advertising dollars are important and helps you get the most bang for your buck! -Red Lion Hotel Pendleton Congratulations on 100 years! 304 SE NYE AVENUE PENDLETON 541-276-6111 MOUNTAINS OF COMFORT ® 4227/0709 Stay Comfortable ® 47974 SKI SWAP SNOWBOARD SALE Outdoor + Winter Clothing, Boots & Gear Friday, Nov. 25 5 pm to 9 pm Saturday, Nov. 26 9 am to 4 pm Sunday, Nov. 27 11 am to 3 pm Road 68, Pasco Information (509)522-1443 www.theskiswap.com 49049 PUBLIC SAFETY LOG MOVIE REVIEW The boring life of vampire lovers “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1” BRIEFLY Police deal with obscene caller HERMISTON — A men- tally challenged man has been harassing Hermiston businesses with obscene phone calls this week, ac- cording to city police. The Oregon Department of Human Services, 940 S.E. Columbia Dr., re- ceived the brunt of the calls. Supervisor Brad Hardie told police the man called 20-50 times Monday and Tuesday. Hardie Thursday morn- ing said the office has taken in-house action to help employees deal with the problem, but he de- clined to comment further, citing confiden- tiality. Acting Hermiston Po- lice Chief Jason Edmiston said he is familiar with the caller, who he de- scribed as mentally challenged. Four businesses or agencies this week have reported the calls to po- lice. Some described the calls as sexually explicit. Edmiston said the caller has done this be- fore, but his mental state presents difficulties to po- lice. “The issue here in deal- ing with a mentally challenged person is there has to be some cul- pability on their part,” he said. Officers talked to the caller Thursday, Edmiston said, and he could face charges of telephonic ha- rassment. — Phil Wright ‘Breaking Dawn — Part 1’ hilarious in the wrong way By KATE WHITTLE East Oregonian Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to family homes. The non-profit Energy Trust of Oregon sponsored a small house design workshop Thursday in the Tamastslikt museum’s cul- tural classroom. Instructor Brian D’Agostine, a design outreach specialist, said smaller homes conserve energy and use fewer materials. In 1900, the average home was about 900 square feet. At the height of the housing bubble in 2004, homes were built at 2,400 square feet. The era of the oversized McMansion is over, D’Agostine said, especially as cus- tomers become more environment-minded. “It’s not going to be anymore, ‘My house is bigger than yours,’ it’s going to be, ‘My house is greener than yours,’” he said. Some radically small homes are as tiny as nine square feet, he said, and designed to be pulled by a bicycle. He’s been dreaming of constructing a 200-square-foot dwelling, which is legally classified as a shed. Houses that small may seem extreme, but for anyone looking to build a more con- ventional home, there are several ways to reduce size, increase efficiency and stay comfy. D’Agostine suggests making sure each room will have multiple uses and not installing guest rooms or bathrooms that won’t see much use. About 12 people from Pendleton and Mission attended the workshop, including housing workers from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. “This is helpful to expand our horizons,” said Marcus Luke, who counsels tribal members for the CTUIR housing authori- ty. He said the reservation is strapped for housing and looking to build more houses. “There were a lot of things here that are nice to know,” he said, “like how to get rid of dead space, make it more practical.” Michelle Goad, who co-owns more than 100 acres of property recently annexed in- to Pendleton city limits, also attended the workshop. Goad said construction will happen on the property, but wanted to stay mum about the details. “It’s been interesting,” she said of the workshop, “But we already have plans.” Workshop shows the value of building a smaller home MISSION Energy efficiency harder to maintain with spare rooms PENDLETON Staff photo by Phil Wright Fight cracks downtown business window A fight between three or four men Thursday at about 11 p.m. outside the Rainbow Cafe, 209 S. Main St., resulted in a broken front window at neighboring business, Ooh La La Salon.

description

EO newspaper - "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1" review

Transcript of 11.18.2011 3A

Page 1: 11.18.2011 3A

Somehow strippingthe few re-deemablequalities from the

final book in StephenieMeyer’s bestselling “Twi-light” series, “BreakingDawn — Part 1” cobblestogether a tedious, seem-ingly never-endingprelude to what we canonly hope will be a moreentertaining “Part 2,”which releases next No-vember.

The monstrosity that is“Part 1” tells the first halfof “Twilight’s” fi-nale: Mortal BellaSwan (KristenStewart) and vam-pire EdwardCullen (Robert Pat-tinson) marry, jetoff to a SouthAmerican honey-moon andpromptly decide toscrew everythingup by getting Bellapregnant withsome type of vampire-es-que offspring. A typicalday in carnal paradise, nodoubt. Oh, and there’s thesoul-wrenching (if in-evitable) decision byBella to become undeadin the near future.

But what should besome of the two-parter’smost serious and tensemoments instead leaveyou laughing at the sheerludicrousness of it all.Granted, it’s hard not tolaugh when resident hunkJacob Black (Taylor Laut-ner) loses the shirt within30 seconds of the movie’sopening. Or when Bellapleads for sex from hervampire husband. Orwhen Lautner tries to cry.Or when Pattinson tries tosmolder. You get the point.

Still, you can’t blame di-rector Bill Condon(“Dreamgirls”) for all thesoapy and unintentionallyfunny drama. In fact, mostof that can be attributedto screenwriter MelissaRosenberg, who replacedthe tension and angst ofthe book with a bloodlessbanality. The Edward-Bel-la-Jacob love triangleleaves you both frustratedand apathetic.

And now that we’vereached the fourth moviein the series, it comes asno surprise that both Pat-tinson and Lautner still

have no personality. Pat-tinson actually seemsdead, or at the very leastbored out of his mind.And Lautner proves hepossesses only one ex-pression: an

incomprehensiblesquinting.

Stewart did well,however, with herI’m-carrying-a-de-mon-spawnpregnant mother.It’s grotesque in afascinating way.The C-section laterperformed by Ed-ward, though —with his teeth, noless — is simply

grotesque.At its core, “Twilight”

is a teenage love trianglewith dashes of angst,sparkles and fisticuffs.But there’s the lack ofemotion so prevalent inthe books (and, to a lesserdegree, in the previousmovies). There’s angstand unnatural facial ex-pressions, for sure, butthere’s no subtext to gowith them. Which is un-surprising for a movieabout pretty people doinga whole lot of nothing.

It wouldn’t be fair,though, to rant about thefailure of “Part 1” withoutpraising the filmographyand editing. It really is abeautiful movie, contrast-ing between stark whitesand shocking reds andseamlessly transitioningbetween absurd scenes.

Normally, splitting abook of “BreakingDawn’s” length and noto-riety would be the moreprudent choice, at leastfrom the fan’s perspec-tive. Fans want all of thenuance, all of the lustfulstares and backstory. Butthere’s truly no reason“Part 1” warranted 117minutes of screen time.In fact, a large chunk of itcould have been left onthe cutting room floor,and both parts could

have been combined intoone longer movie. (Yes,given the financial incen-tives for SummitEntertainment to be ableto sell and market two“Twilight” movies in-stead of one, it’s silly tothink that could havehappened.)

In the end, “The Twi-light Saga: Breaking Dawn— Part 1” will appease itsrabid fanbase. And no re-view, no matter howcritical, is going to changethat. So here’s to hopingthat “Part 2” will pump alittle blood into this life-less finale.

One star out of five.�

Dominic Baez is the copyeditor/film critic for the EastOregonian. Follow his movieblog, Silver Screening, for thelatest trailers, clips and extrasat silverscreening.word-press.com. You can reach himat [email protected] the Movies

DOMINICBAEZ

WEDNESDAYWEDNESDAY•A Union Pacific Railroad

manager at 5:08 a.m. report-ed his employee wasassaulted in a company build-ing at 213 S.W. Goodwin Ave.,Pendleton.

•An employee of BlueMountain Community College,980 S.E. Columbia Drive, Her-miston, at 5:57 a.m. reportedthe theft of the college’s gold1991 Honda Civic, Oregonplate E178747.

•A Hermiston man calledpolice at 10:14 a.m. to reporthe witnessed an older mansteal two large silver cans ofbeer from Safeway, 990 S.Highway 395, Hermiston. Thecaller said the thief stuck thebeer down front of his pantsand went to his half-ton truckthat had Oregon plates. Hethen left northbound onFourth Street, the caller said.

•A Hermiston woman calledpolice at 10:31 a.m. after aman tried to break into herresidence in the 1300 blockof Southwest Desert OakDrive. She said the manopened the door and asked,

“Are you there?” The caller’sdog then began barking andthe man shut the door andtook off. She said she wasscared and was going to leavethe residence.

•A Hermiston man at 2:55p.m. called police to report hehad been hit by another manthe day before. He said hewasn’t able to report it at thetime because he had to work.He asked for an officer to talkto him about the assault.

•A woman called police at5:25 p.m. to report the fatherof her children bought drugsat about 5:10 p.m. in theparking lot of the HermistonWalmart, 1350 N. First St.She also said he had takentheir children four days agoand she hasn’t seen themsince.

Police weren’t able to findthe man.

•A member of the UmatillaCounty Historical Society at6:42 p.m. reported damageto three or four of the soci-ety's fence posts and a gateat the corner of SouthwestFourth Street and Frazer Av-

enue. The caller also said hefound a part of a bumper anda license plate.

•A Pendleton woman called9-1-1 at 7:21 p.m. to report aneighbor threatened to get hisgun after she asked him toturn down the music. She saidshe told the man she wouldcall police. His response, sheclaimed, was to tell her goahead, he’ll get his gun.

An officer responded, madecontact with all parties andgot the situation resolved.

Friday, November 18, 2011 East Oregonian Page 3AREGION

GET RESULTS...WE DO!

With 66% saturation of Umatilla County, we’ve got you covered. Let the East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald advertising staff help your business prosper. We have advertising packages to fit all size budgets. You don’t need to have a huge ad to have HUGE success, you just need the right product and our creative team to plan a campaign that will bring traffic to your business.

DON’T WAIT...CALL US TODAY TO ADVERTISE 541-966-0812

We use the East Oregonian to ensure that our local advertising dollars are put to good use. We feel that the East Oregonian represents the Red Lion well and helps us maintain our name in the community.

Whether you are a large or small account the East Oregonian makes you feel like your advertising dollars are important and

helps you get the most bang for your buck!

-Red Lion Hotel Pendleton

Congratulations on 100 years!

304 SE NYE AVENUEPENDLETON541-276-6111MOUNTAINS OF COMFORT®

4227

/070

9

Stay Comfortable ®

47974

SKI SWAPSNOWBOARD SALE

Outdoor + WinterClothing, Boots & Gear

Friday, Nov. 255 pm to 9 pm

Saturday, Nov. 269 am to 4 pm

Sunday, Nov. 2711 am to 3 pm

Road 68, Pasco

Information (509)522-1443www.theskiswap.com

49049

PUBLIC SAFETY LOG

MOVIE REVIEW

The boring life of vampire lovers

“The TwilightSaga: BreakingDawn - Part 1”

���������

BRIEFLYPolice deal with obscene caller

HERMISTON — A men-tally challenged man hasbeen harassing Hermistonbusinesses with obscenephone calls this week, ac-cording to city police.

The Oregon Departmentof Human Services, 940S.E. Columbia Dr., re-ceived the brunt of thecalls. Supervisor BradHardie told police theman called 20-50 timesMonday and Tuesday.

Hardie Thursday morn-ing said the office hastaken in-house action tohelp employees deal withthe problem, but he de-clined to commentfurther, citing confiden-tiality.

Acting Hermiston Po-

lice Chief Jason Edmistonsaid he is familiar withthe caller, who he de-scribed as mentallychallenged.

Four businesses oragencies this week havereported the calls to po-lice. Some described thecalls as sexually explicit.

Edmiston said thecaller has done this be-fore, but his mental statepresents difficulties to po-lice.

“The issue here in deal-ing with a mentallychallenged person isthere has to be some cul-pability on their part,” hesaid.

Officers talked to thecaller Thursday, Edmistonsaid, and he could facecharges of telephonic ha-rassment.

— Phil Wright

‘Breaking Dawn — Part 1’ hilarious in the wrong way

By KATE WHITTLEEast Oregonian

Bigger isn’t always better when it comesto family homes.

The non-profit Energy Trust of Oregonsponsored a small house design workshopThursday in the Tamastslikt museum’s cul-tural classroom.

Instructor Brian D’Agostine, a designoutreach specialist, said smaller homesconserve energy and use fewer materials.

In 1900, the average home was about 900square feet. At the height of the housingbubble in 2004, homes were built at 2,400square feet.

The era of the oversized McMansion isover, D’Agostine said, especially as cus-tomers become more environment-minded.

“It’s not going to be anymore, ‘My houseis bigger than yours,’ it’s going to be, ‘Myhouse is greener than yours,’” he said.

Some radically small homes are as tinyas nine square feet, he said, and designedto be pulled by a bicycle. He’s beendreaming of constructing a 200-square-foot

dwelling, which is legally classified as ashed.

Houses that small may seem extreme,but for anyone looking to build a more con-ventional home, there are several ways toreduce size, increase efficiency and staycomfy. D’Agostine suggests making sureeach room will have multiple uses and notinstalling guest rooms or bathrooms thatwon’t see much use.

About 12 people from Pendleton andMission attended the workshop, includinghousing workers from the ConfederatedTribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

“This is helpful to expand our horizons,”said Marcus Luke, who counsels tribalmembers for the CTUIR housing authori-ty. He said the reservation is strapped forhousing and looking to build more houses.

“There were a lot of things here that arenice to know,” he said, “like how to get ridof dead space, make it more practical.”

Michelle Goad, who co-owns more than100 acres of property recently annexed in-to Pendleton city limits, also attended theworkshop.

Goad said construction will happen onthe property, but wanted to stay mum aboutthe details.

“It’s been interesting,” she said of theworkshop, “But we already have plans.”

Workshop shows the valueof building a smaller home

MISSION

Energy efficiency harder tomaintain with spare rooms

PENDLETON

Staff photo by Phil Wright

Fight cracks downtown business windowA fight between three or four men Thursday at about 11 p.m. outside theRainbow Cafe, 209 S. Main St., resulted in a broken front window atneighboring business, Ooh La La Salon.