The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
26. Jun, 2010 
10 Comments
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
- ISBN13: 0025192058158
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
In the second chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series, the romance between mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) grows more intense as ancient secrets threaten to destroy them. When Edward leaves in an effort to keep Bella safe, she tests fate in increasingly reckless ways in order to glimpse her love once more. But when she’s saved from the brink by her friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella will uncover mysteries of the supe
Rating:
(out of 479 reviews)
List Price: $ 32.99
Price: $ 13.49
Sherlock Holmes
- ISBN13: 0883929086566
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
The hangman did his job, Dr. Watson declared the condemned man dead…yet Lord Blackwood has emerged from the tomb to assert his deadly will over 1890 London. Is he in league with the forces of hell itself? Is the whole Empire in peril? It’s a mystery macabre–and only Sherlock Holmes can master it. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law put memorable imprints on Holmes and Watson in this bold new reimagining that makes the legendary sleuth a daring man of action as well as a peerless man of intellect.
Rating: (out of 308 reviews)
List Price: $ 28.98
Price: $ 9.50
Review by E-Transitions for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Rating:
WARNING: This edition DOES NOT contain all the special features available with the New Moon release. Summit did an evil, evil, manipulative thing with this DVD release and divided up the special features among multiple retailers.
On Amazon you have just the standard discs with a limited number of extras.
If you buy your version at Target, you get an extra disc with Deleted Scenes, Interview with the Volturi, Fandimonium, The Beat Goes On: The Music of Twilight, and Frame by Frame: Storyboards to Screen.
If you buy at Borders, you get extras including Extended Scenes.
And if you buy at Walmart, you get a Sneak Peek at Eclipse (which includes an Eclipse scene), Team Edward v. Team Jacob, Becoming Jacob, Introducing the Wolfpack, Jacob Fast Forward, Edward Fast Forward, and Shooting in Italy.
Summit’s hoping you buy THREE copies so that you can get to see all the special features they divided up. Don’t give them the satisfaction! Buy one and call it a day!
Review by Closet Twilighter for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Rating:
Let me say, I LOVE the “Twilight” books. Like, REALLY LOVE them. I love to read, and I usually read the classics. I’m a Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bronte Sisters kind of girl. My friend insisted for two years that I should read “Twilight”, but I kept thinking, “Teen vampire romance? Not my kind of book.” Finally, this 29-year-old mother of three was on a flight by myself with some time to read, so I bought “Twilight”. I absolutely DEVOURED it–I read one book a day until I had finished the entire saga in four days. Luckily, “Breaking Dawn” had just been released, so I didn’t have to wait. The “Twilight” books are my absolute FAVORITE guilty pleasure–I love the fluff, the cheesy dialogue, the LOVE–all of it.
For me, “New Moon” really needed to redeem all that was wrong with the “Twilight” movie. After watching “Twilight” last year, I was SO disappointed. Catherine Hardwicke had just taken our beloved series and turned it into a made-for-TV movie. I laughed at all of the wrong places. How Bella and Edward fell in love was completely rushed. I could go on. Melissa Rosenberg butchered the book and everything that made me obsessed with it. Sure, “Twilight” was fun to watch because it was “Twilight”, but the portrayal was so, so, so wrong on so many levels. My favorite book had been reduced to lines like “spider monkey.”
WELL, “NEW MOON” JUST MADE UP FOR EVERY CATHERINE-HARDWICKE WRONG! FANS OF THE BOOK WILL ADORE THIS MOVIE. Edward actually smiles! The acting was SO much better, the visuals were stunning, and the dialogue was much, much improved over “Twilight”. I honestly didn’t want it to end. It stayed so true to the book we all love, and the little additions were perfect. I really felt like I was watching Bella on screen–Kristen Stewart was spot on. Every expression, every sad word was perfect. AND THEY SAID, “I LOVE YOU,” something that was blaringly absent in “Twilight”. Chris Weitz has made a stunning, gorgeous film that lovers of the book will adore! **I secretly wish he could remake “Twilight”. This is what “Twilight” should have been!** This closet Twilighter was pleased beyond belief.
It seems like most of the critics’ negative reviews have problems with the plot, the story, etc. Well, if you like the book and, therefore, like the plot and the story, you will love the film because Chris Weitz is true to the book beyond what I could have imagined or hoped for. This movie felt like it was made for the fans, so I can understand that if you’re not a fan of the series how it may feel like a laboured effort to watch “New Moon”. But if you love Bella and Edward **and even Jacob–Taylor Lautner was FANTASTIC in this!**, you will leave wanting more!
Chris Weitz for “Breaking Dawn”!
Review by E. Irwin for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Rating:
I wasn’t expecting to like it very much but I found New Moon to be very nearly perfect, however I cannot speak to how the movie comes off to those who did not read the books. This movie is a gigantic improvement on Twilight. Thank you Chris Weitz! Can we re-do Twilight now?
This assessment includes, of course, accepting that the movie was 2 only hours long. We can argue around in circles whether the movie should have been longer, but in the standard 2 hours that it had, the movie covered everything that had to be covered. If you found yourself wanting more of a scene or an extra scene, what would you have cut to include it? I would have liked to see Edward smile more, see his sense of humor, and to have been reminded of how happy he and Bella were together up until the fateful birthday party, but alas there was no time. I will be very irritated though if we don’t get a longer director’s cut on the DVD.
My assessment also includes an acceptance of the source material as it is. The plot is the plot and if it’s boring on screen to those who haven’t read the books, I understand, but as a visual representation book, the movie was terrific. Also, as intriguing as Stephanie Meyer’s characters are, there is sometimes a lack of depth to their thoughts and motivations which readers fill in for themselves. I thought that the actors did a great job filling in the details with the scenes that they were given which, in part, goes back again to the time restriction issue. Bella in the books is, to some degree, a blank canvas. While Bella describes Edward’s every facial expression and tone of voice, she does not delve too deeply into herself as far as how others might see her. This is a choice that the author made and we are left with only what thoughts Bella chooses to share with us as readers (And I don’t think that she shares everything with us). Kristin Stewart manages to give Bella three-dimensional life in this movie just as she did in Twilight. Kristin’s Bella might not be the Bella that you have in your head but she creates a viable version of the character.
I, for one, did like the minor changes to the plot that were made. Most of them were done as necessity to summarize the plot, and I thought that they were well executed. One change in particular, however (the secret twist at the end) was a departure from the book, but I thought that it fit exactly with the direction that the story is going in. I actually thought (yes, this is blasphemy) that the end was an improvement on the book and a better set up for what is to follow in Eclipse.
Overall, the acting was much improved. Bella was still Bella, Edward was no longer shy and creepy, and our little Jacob was all grown up. Taylor L. was wonderful and captured Jacob’s transition from a happy boy to an intense werewolf very convincingly. I was looking carefully for over acting from the three main leads but I didn’t find any. At least nothing that was outside of the over sappiness of the books themselves. I actually found the blush worthy things that Edward says more palatable coming out of Rob’s lips than I had when I had read them to myself. Here again is an actor breathing life in to a character and making those corny lines sound believable.
The supporting high school cast was still a bit silly but I think that the movie was playing to the younger crowd with them. There were things to laugh at but most were intentional and the book had it funny moments as well. However, the little house on the prairie scene (Alice’s vision) should have been re-thought. That was painful and it didn’t convey what it was supposed to convey anyway unless you happened to notice Bella’s newly golden eyes.
Aro and Jane were great and Felix gets a bit more action than in the book, but overall the Volturi were not well-developed. The Cullens were barely seen and I didn’t like Jasper’s new hairdo but the story’s not about them anyway.
I didn’t like how the soundtrack was used in the movie except for a few songs that were well placed, like Possibility. Most of the others were fuzzy background pieces. And as a HUGE fan of DCFC and was very unhappy that their wonderful song was relegated to the second song over the credits. In my mind this song needs to be played dramatically as Bella runs wildly through the woods after Edward: EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING ENDS (Sing it with me folks).
The visual effects were great, not revolutionary but believable and that’s fine by me. My only requirement was that the effects did not distract from the movie as they did in Twilight. This is not an action film.
So, in my opinion, the movie was well worth seeing.
Review by Crys for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Rating:
One: The wolves could have been BETTER!! NO the wolves SHOULD have been BETTER!!! Where’s the guy who did the wolves from Underworld. Hell i’ll settle for the guy who did the wolf in Harry Potter!!
Two: The soundtrack for this movie……REALLY? Did you NOT HAVE ANY idea of what songs to pick for this movie. (i will say that out of all the songs i ONLY LIKED TWO songs. that’s it(Rosyln & Possibility))
Three: The Quileute Pack…. Those boys/men (especially Jacob & Paul) could not have been any better. Although i never made above there chest, sooooo.
Four: The scene with Bella and Alice in the Yellow Porsche (which was vital in the book), was just plan sad. Well the part where she is SUPPOSED to be driving crazy fast, is just sad.
Five: Chris Weitz should have known that he was out of his league for CERTAIN parts of this movie and just been a man and asked for help. I mean when your out of your league, then your out of your league…..simple.
Six: I only went to see this movie ONCE, i figured i would just wait for it to come out on dvd, instead of wasting money in the theatre to see it. In other words i went to see avatar about 5 times instead of going to see New Moon. I thought it would have been the other way around.
Seven: I personally would have liked to see more scenes strait from the book. I did like how they added to the movie, which kind of made up for the lack of cgi(i mean really? i can’t get over the wolves). The Volturi was pretty dead on, especially compared to the book. They added a little, but overall, not bad with the Volturi.
Eight: You are NOT going to like the ending. IT IS NOT HOW THE BOOK ENDS. Chris should have stuck to New Moon’s (THE BOOK) ENDING NOT HIS!! Again, why Chris Weitz? Why?
Nine: OVERALL!!
I am a fan of the series therefore i support the movies even if they are not the best. I just hope Eclipse is better. I am the same way about the Harry Potter books and movie. I was disappointed with The Half Blood Prince, but i still bought the movie. It is vital when you have already started buying the series (movie or book). I feel the same way here. I loved Twilight, New Moon was OK, which means Eclipse better be AMAZING or at least GOOD.
Review by Kevin Rusnak for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Rating:
Amazon only sells the Blu-Ray 1-disc “Special Edition,” with very limited special features – if you want deleted scenes and more, you must buy the 2-disc “Deluxe Edition” from Target! If you’re just a casual movie watcher (and this review isn’t for the movie, but rather the Blu-Ray disc package) and are just interested in seeing the film, with some “making of” and music video-type extras, this edition is just fine. However, if you are (or are buying for) a more devoted Twilight fan, you will definitely want to purchase the “Deluxe Edition” with the second disc that is (to the best of my knowledge) only available at Target stores. It includes all the bonus stuff found on the Amazon version, along with these 2nd disc extras: Deleted Scenes; Introducing the Volturi Featurette; Frame by Frame: From Storyboard to Screen Featurette; Fandamonium: A Look at the Die Hard Fans; and The Beat Goes On: The Music of New Moon Featurette. The Amazon Special Edition has none of those, but costs $5 less. The “Deluxe Edition” also has a collectible film cell. I made the mistake of pre-ordering from Amazon without knowing that there would be two versions, so am forced to return mine to get the better version for the Twilight fan in my family.
Review by Jason A. Bengtson for Sherlock Holmes
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After reading the reviews from some of the critics I was surprised by how many of them talked disdainfully about this movie as a divergence from the source material. I’m assuming many of them were relying on the old Basil Rathbone movies to color their interpretation of Holmes. They seem to overlook the fact that in the actual novels and stories penned by Doyle Holmes was an artistically tempermental, manic depressive, physically powerful individual who annoyed Watson by conducting experiments in their shared flat. He had been a prize fighter under another name, he was a cocaine addict and, according to “the Adventure of the Empty House” he was skilled in one of the earliest “mixed martial arts”, Bartitsu (misspelled by Doyle as “Baritsu”). Watson was a formidable former Army doctor discharged due to complications from a shoulder injury sustained in heavy combat while serving in Afghanistan. In many ways their depiction in this movie is much closer to their depiction by Doyle than what we’ve seen in the past. I am especially gratified that they finally did away with the ludicrously out of place deerstalker cap that became a staple of the Holmes movies due to one of the original Padget illustrations and which made no sense for the character when he was in an urban setting.
Review by Jody for Sherlock Holmes
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From the opening when horses seem to be galloping from the back of the theater, through the gray skies and industrial grime of the exteriors and the dinginess of most of the interiors, relieved occasionally by gorgeous jewel toned luxury, this Sherlock Holmes is grittier and much more raw then its predecessors–a Holmes for the millenium.
Robert Downey’s Holmes is a brilliant brat. He borrows Watson’s clothes without permission, insults Watson’s fiance at their first meeting, and drives Mrs. Hudson to her wits’ ends, but he’s also a guy who knows his way around a boxing ring and the one you want on your side when facing doom in the form of Lord Blackwood, an executed murderer who resurfaces at the head of a black magic cult bent on world domination.
Jude Law’s Watson is an understated sidekick to the flamboyant Holmes, but their relationship is more of a partnership than in typical Holmes/Watson duos. It’s fun to watch the verbal sparring and exasperation which underlying affection makes sparkling rather than mean. The supporting cast is excellent, as well. The movie plays fair with the viewer. When Holmes explains how the crimes were carried out, we realize we saw the same clues at the same time he did. No deus ex machina here–it’s all elementary.
This Sherlock Holmes is neither Jeremy Brett nor Basil Rathbone. Viewers who expect to settle into a predictable detective yarn will be disappointed. This Holmes is edgy, action packed and slightly uncomfortable, but more believable because of it. It’s smart and atmospheric, and well worth seeing.
Review by Leif Sheppard for Sherlock Holmes
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First of all, as of this writing, Amazon still states that this item is a three disc set, but this is not the case. The DVD and digital copy are included on the same disc, while a second disc contains the Blu-Ray version. This isn’t an issue, of course, just a small clarification. Speaking of which, I’ve seen a significant number of complaints regarding the inclusion of the DVD/digital copy in the Blu-Ray version, with many complaining that they want neither and it’s needlessly driving the cost up.
A simple comparison of this item against other Blu-Rays on Amazon proves this title costs no more than any other new release, and the DVD/digital copy is actually a very nice bonus for those who buy the film early. I, for instance, plan to loan out the DVD to friends who don’t own Blu-Ray players. The digital copy is nice, I suppose, but I’ve never been bored enough to want to watch a film on my iPod or laptop. Besides which, like all digital copies, it expires a year from now. I’m actually glad it’s included on the same disc as the DVD, because all other digital copies included on a separate disc I’ve ended up tossing out.
Upon loading the Blu-Ray into the player three trailers will run. This is, of course, typical practice. The irritating part is that the disc will not allow the user to access the menu from the trailers, and the user is forced to manually fast-forward through each trailer. A minor complaint, to be sure, but irritating nonetheless. The film runs 02:08:24 and the Blu-Ray includes ten bonus features (the DVD doesn’t contain a single special feature). The included audio tracks and subtitles are in English, French, and Spanish. The first eight features are all collected in the “Focus Points” section and consist of eight 3-5 minute featurettes exploring a specific facet of the film (there is a “Play All” function included). Most of the titles are rather self-explanatory, but here’s a complete rundown of the featurettes:
1) “Drawbridges & Doilies: Designing a Late Victorian London” (5:00) – This feature highlights how the production designers suffused life into their vision of Victorian London with an acute attention to detail.
2) “Not a Deerstalker Cap in Sight” (4:15) – This feature explains how the filmmakers decided to take the Holmes character back to his roots in the original Arthur Conan Doyle tales and compare the Downey interpretation against past cinematic versions of Holmes.
3) “Ba-ritsu: A Tutorial” (3:58) – This feature explores how the filmmakers blended various real-life martial arts into the fictional version featured in the film, along with explaining how Holmes was a former fighter well-versed in martial arts in the original Doyle stories.
4) “Elementary English: Perfecting Sherlock’s Accent” (4:04) – This feature explores how American Downey refined his English accent for the film. Director Guy Ritchie observes that he preferred an American because it gives the Holmes character an “international” flavor.
5) “The One That Got Away” (3:44) – This feature delves a bit into the psyche of Holmes, particularly his stance on love and his relationships with women.
6) “Powers of Observation & Deduction” (4:01) – This features Lionel Wigram (writer & producer of “Sherlock Holmes”) explaining why he was attracted to the project, along with what makes Holmes such an enduringly fascinating character.
7) “The Sherlockians” (3:03) – The feature explores the diehard, borderline obsessive Holmes fans who organize annual meetings to discuss Doyle’s life and works.
The ninth feature is included in the “Behind the Movie” section and is called “Sherlock Holmes Reinvented” (14:06) – This is a more involving feature which functions as an extension of the other featurettes. The filmmakers discuss why they felt attracted to the project and how they desired to stay true to the source material, as opposed to the cinematic versions of the past.
The most celebrated special feature here, prominently featured in the television ads, is the “Maximum Movie Mode”. This is a sort of interactive film commentary with director Ritchie (running slightly longer than the film itself) that includes picture-in-picture still images, behind the scenes videos, cast and crew interviews, technical details of the film, and of course Ritchie’s commentary. It’s this sort of feature that truly makes a Blu-Ray special, aside from the enhanced high-definition image, of course. A typical film commentary simply has the director talking over the film, which can be informative but distracting. The “Maximum Movie Mode” is a much more entertaining commentary that even includes the option for user interactivity.
The content of the film itself is highly subjective, particularly with a character as famed and revered as Sherlock Holmes, and I don’t feel particularly compelled to add my thoughts. As a Blu-Ray release, however, this title is every bit as impressive as it should be. I particularly appreciate how the special features didn’t just shed light on the filmmaking process, but spent ample time discussing Doyle’s stories, the various interpretations of the Holmes character, and the lasting legacy of it all. I’m proud to include this film in my collection. Five easy stars.
Review by Severinwolf for Sherlock Holmes
Rating:
Ok. For all those who are saying. “If you are looking for a faithful version, adaptation, etc look elsewhere…” I ask you: Have you actually read Sherlock Holmes or are you basing that statement on your image of Sherlock Holmes as has been portrayed in the past?
Where in all of the stories does it state that Holmes wears a deerstalker hat and walks around with a Calabash pipe? Sidney Paget, who illustrated the stories for The Strand magazine, interpreted the descriptions in the stories. That was his version of what Holmes might look like.
This new version is Guy Ritchie’s interpretation and it is quite refreshing. In the stories, Holmes is a boxer, bare knuckle fighter, marksman, swordsman and an accomplished martial artist in addition to being brilliant at deduction and a master of disguise. There was only one woman whom Holmes was impressed by in his life -most of these qualities are portrayed in the new film so how is this “not faithful”? If anything, it is one of the most faithful movies to deal with Holmes that I have ever seen.
I will admit that for “classic” Holmes there is no better than Jeremy Brett in my humble opinion. His performance will never be matched. However, that is an entirely different interpretation of the character. I approached this new film with an open mind and was very pleasantly surprised.
Robert Downey Jr. is, in my opinion, a perfect fit for this role. His ability to reflect the intelligence, physical prowess and sardonic wit of Holmes was dead on. Jude law was exceptional as Dr. Watson. Not some bumbling, moronic sidekick of the past but a true companion possessing formidable skills of his own. Just as in the stories.
Downey and Law’s performance was a pleasure to watch and they have great chemistry on screen. I was also very impressed by 19th century London. CGI has come a long way.
The main reason that I do not give this movie 5 stars is due to the plot itself which I will not go into here. (I don’t like SPOILERS) I will just say that though we are most likely being set up for a sequel I felt the story could have had a little more meat on it’s bones. Overall though, I thought it was extremely entertaining.
I still do not understand why there are so many saying that this new film is not faithful. Is it a word for word adaptation of the stories? No. The worst that could be said is that like Peter Jackson did with Lord of the Rings, Guy Ritchie has maintained the true “spirit” of the Holmes character -though I would say he has done much, much more.
Review by B. Merritt for Sherlock Holmes
Rating:
There aren’t many movies around that dare to reinvent something both literary and cinematic that is beloved by readers and movie-goers alike, but action director Guy Ritchie has dared in a big way …and succeeded beyond my expectations.
When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes (A Study in Scarlet, 1887), he made Holmes a roughshod, drug-addled genius with keen deductive powers. This made him a person that lay-readers could identify with. A man with problems, but with unique abilities that were much in demand. Coming off the heels of the Victorian era, too, Holmes was – in a very real way – a person coming out of that stuffy time period and into the more loose and modern one. Again, something readers of the time could identify with.
Although the books live on in perpetuity, most of the population over the age of 40 are probably more familiar with director Roy Neill’s television series starring the estimable Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson (if you’re under 40 you’re probably hooked on the hit TV series House M.D. which has more than just a passing familiarity with Doyle’s character). Basil recreated the character of Holmes and also cleaned him up quite a bit. No drugs. Clean shaven. A real gentleman. In Doyle’s literary works, however, this is far from the case … which brings us to this new manifestation: the 2009 cinematic work starring Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder) as Holmes and Jude Law (REPO MEN) as Watson.
Downey Jr. is one of our great new actors. He is a chameleon in every sense of the word. Which is why I found his Holmes to be extremely well played. From his migraines to drugging Watson’s beloved dog, Downey Jr. truly encompassed everything that Doyle wrote about. He’s both brilliant and prone to folly; seeks a new case that’s semi-interesting but is just as likely to seek out a new drug to make him feel more interested; and only has eyes for one woman, the lovely Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams, The Family Stone) who is just as much trouble as any drug or migraine.
This film is, hopefully, a reawakening of the Sherlock Holmes mystique; but a reawakening with Doyle’s truly flawed character and not some scrubbed clean version. The ending of this movie certainly leaves open the possibility of a sequel. Let’s hope that happens.
One final word of warning in case you didn’t get what I was saying: this isn’t your grandmas Sherlock Holmes. If you want Rathbone, go watch him. If you want Doyle’s Holmes, check out Guy Ritchie’s newest (and more accurate) interpretation.