This past week at the San Diego Comic Con, fans of Twilight got a treat with a panel that featured author Stephenie Meyer, and cast members including Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Ashley Green, Jackson Rathbone, and new to the cast Mackenzie Foy. During the panel they introduced footage from “Breaking Dawn Part 2”. Included in the footage was Bella (Stewart) dealing with being a vampire and the bloodlust that comes with it. She also hunts down a mountain lion.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the Twilight series and while it has had a positive effect of bringing vampires back in the spotlight, these are not vampires in any classic sense of the word. They go out in sunlight (and sparkle), have reflections, and none of the classic weaknesses (ugh). Pardon the pun, but the vampires of Twilight are completely toothless.
Thankfully we do have reasons to care about vampires again! With Twilight going away, the doors will be open for some good vampire movies and fiction to return.
It’s funny how easily it is to forget that Shia LaBeouf is actually a good actor. The three unwatchable Michael Bay Transformers made him into a laughable caricature of himself, but this is the same kid who starred in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Disturbia, and Holes. He has talent, he just isn’t able to show it that much. Hopefully Lawless changes that trend.
In the movie, based on the book The Wettest County in the World, LaBeouf co-stars with Tom Hardy as the Bondurant Brothers. The brothers are two bootleggers in Prohibition-era Virginia who are threatened by authorities who want in on their profits. The movie’s awesome cast includes Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, and Guy Pearce.
In addition to Lawless, Shia LaBeouf also has an illustrated book of poetry called Let’s Fucking Party. With no more Transformers in his future, let’s hope Shia is able to rebuild his credibility.
