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THE AISLE SEAT - by Mike McGranaghan

"NEW MOON: 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION DVD"


 
The whole Twilight phenomenon seemed to kick into an even higher level with last year's release of the movie New Moon. (One local 12-screen multiplex sold out seven whole auditoriums for a single midnight showing.) The sequel is being released on DVD on Saturday March 20 - to allow tween girls to stay up for those night-before release parties - in a 2-disc special edition.

I'm not going to re-review New Moon; you can read that here. The DVD is tailored to the fans, and on that level, it delivers. Disc one contains the film itself, presented in widescreen format. This is, naturally, the part of the saga where vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) leaves his true love Bella (Kristen Stewart) because he fears that his presence in Forks, Washington is only putting her in peril. Bella pines incessantly for him, while also ramping up her friendship with suitor Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Oh, and Jacob happens to be a werewolf. Then there's that pesky vampire sect with its own reasons for wanting to harm Edward. The picture ends with a cliffhanger to be resolved with the release of Eclipse this summer. You can watch New Moon itself, or with optional audio commentary from director Chris Weitz.

Disc two is where you will find most of the goodies, beginning with a six-part documentary, "The Journey Continues":

  • "Life After Twilight" interviews the actors, who talk about the first movie's success and how they have dealt with sudden fame. All of them seem truly overwhelmed by the intensity of the fan reactions.

  • "Chris Weitz Takes the Helm" focuses on the director, who took the reins from Catherine Hardwicke. Weitz talks about trying not to radically change too much about the tone or visual style, since it had clearly been so successful. The cast members also offer thoughts on their new leader, and it's clear they have great respect for him.

  • "The Subtle Details" provides thoughts from the set and costume designers, who discuss how they strove to have their departments capture the essence of the characters in a way the audience would approve of.

  • "A Look at Production" is the longest section, running a full 30 minutes. It focuses on the shooting of the movie, particularly emphasizing the way the action scenes and stunts were accomplished. This is a lot of fun, especially the part revealing how a cool shot of Jacob turning into a werewolf (while jumping over Bella) was pulled off. Hint: the use of cardboard wolves was essential.

  • "It's Not Magic" goes into the visual effects department to show how CGI was used to pull off some of the most notable scenes.

  • "Ready For the World" is all about the editing, and it gives you a nice sense of how crucial the right choices can be in maintaining the story's mood and emotional content.

    The one thing I thought both Twilight movies got absolutely right was the music. Each film had a terrific soundtrack that utilized some really hip artists. The New Moon DVD has a whole section devoted to the music, starting with the video for "Meet Me On the Equinox" by Death Cab for Cutie (one my favorite bands, by the way). The video incorporates film clips along with the band performance. So does the video for "Satellite Heart" by Anya Marina, which is also included here. Although used in the first film, we also get a clever video for Mute Math's "Spotlight," in which the band performs in the back of a moving van. Finally, there is rehearsal footage of Muse (another personal fave) performing "You Belong To Me," from New Moon. Because it's rehearsal footage, you don't get to hear the full song, which is kind of weird. But hey - two minutes of Muse is better than no minutes, so who's complaining?

    Perhaps the best feature is one that you must buy separately, the 84-minute documentary Twilight in Forks, which looks at the town that inspired - and has been rejuvenated by - Stephenie Meyer's novels. Read my review of that film here.

    I've fully admitted on more than one occasion that I am not in the target audience for the Twilight phenomenon. That said, I think the DVD release of the first movie was solid, and so is the DVD for New Moon. You can't deny that the franchise has many, many, many hardcore fans. If you are one of them, you aren't going to be disappointed by the well-produced 2-disc set.

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