Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New Years Eve/Year in Review (2008)

Captions and more coming ... watching Back to the Future on my XBOX through Netflix!








Did the opening title's for Hamilton's Spring Drama


The project fell through but it was ultimately good experience.

Half a Man StoryBoards from Antoine Bandele on Vimeo.



Yay! I won an award for my filmmaking! Best Music Video at the Santa Monica Teen Film Festival!

Antoine Bandele's And He Gets The Girl from Antoine Bandele on Vimeo.

I thought I met an awesome friend this year ... (totally wrong)


Some fancy business cards

Good book. First Heroes Book (and only book at this time)

There was this "list" that went around school. Hehe.




Then I lost my little point and shoot. Last year I broke it three times and now I finally lost it. Still haven't replaced it ... which has hurt the blog quite a bit, I must say.

I won an award at Inner-City Filmmakers for best screenplay after graduating Hamilton and then I start college.

Top 5 Films of 2008:
1. The Dark Knight
Commentary: If you have not seen it, drop everything you are doing ... go get a free 2 week subscription to Netflix and rent it ... or better yet, when it come back out in theaters in a short few weeks ... watch it! Twice.

2. The Wackness
Commentary: Critics were very mixed about this one but I loved this coming-of-age story a whole lot. I didn't expect a performance like that from Josh Peck.

3. Wall-E
Commentary: If the first thirty minutes of a film can capture me completely without any dialogue what's-so-ever ... I'm sold.

4. Let The Right One In
Commentary: Please, if you were thinking of going to see Twilight but were on the fence of seeing it at all, go see this film first. You'll have to read some subtitles but it's well worth it ... or you can wake until the American version comes out in two years which is bound to not do this justice.

5. Slumdog Millionaire
Commentary: This film got me really teary eyed at the end of it all. I'm a sucker for a love story (I could call The Wackness a bit of a love story too).

NOTALBLE MENTIONS: Iron Man, Twilight, Cloverfield

Films I Wish I saw:
Be Kind Rewind
Speed Racer
Kung Fu Panda
Traitor
Burn After Reading
Lakeview Terrace
Eagle Eye
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Saw V
Bolt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Doubt
Gran Torino
Seven Pounds
Yes Man
The Tale of Despereaux
Valkyrie
The Wrestler

Films I Wish I didn't see:
Jumper
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Zach & Miri make a Porno

Top 5 Video Games of 2008:
1. Fallout 3
Commentary: I don't usually like RPGs but when action is thrown in I'll eat it all up (i.e. Kingdom Hearts). Plus, Fallout 3 is open-world and you really do live in the world. You could just be starting the game and meet an enemy who three times your level and will wipe you out with one easy shot to the head.

2. Left 4 Dead
Commentary: Best co-op mutliplayer I have EVER played. I really admire a game that relies completely on teamwork. I've played a bit online and you MUST watch each others back to get through each level ... or the zombies will getcha!

3. Grand Theft Auto IV
Commentary: I love the series, it has been getting progressively better. No different here.

4. Super Smash Brothers Brawl
Commentary: I've got to admit I don't play this game much unless it's with friends. Playing online is impossible because the connection falls out every few matches.

5. Rock Band 2
Commentary: I haven't played many games this year so my top 5 is actually really lacking in my opinion. I put Rock Band 2 up as a technicality. I didn't even own this game. Played it once and I really liked it.

Games I Wish I owned:
Mario Kart Wii
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Saint's Row 2
Far Cry 2
Gears of War 2
Call of Duty: World at War
Mirror's Edge
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

Final Fantasy XII is a game I still have not beat

Favorite TV Shows:
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles & Lost

Heroes fell off the wagon for me.

DEATHS
Bobby Fischer
January 17
The great chess player of all time.

Heath Ledger
January 2 (28 Years Old)
The most untimely death.

Bernie Mac
August 9 (50 Years Old)
The most "OMG I don't believe THAT" death. (I was on his show once as an extra).

Isaac Hayes
August 10 (65 Years Old)
Didn't follow him much but I do respect his work.

Eartha Kitt
Dec. 25 (81 Years Old)
Damn ... not Izma! Everyone is dying!


[More to come ... I am way to tired right now]

Peace

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Pretty cool fanfilm trailer


Peace

Thursday, December 25, 2008

XBOX 360 Christmas NIGHTMARE!

This is a cruel joke. No parent should ever put their child through this.


Comment on YouTube:
fuking horrible u people r fuking bitches this is how sereal killers r born they start getting teased then they take there anger out on animals then they start killing people and u fuking dikheads have just made the first step that wasnt even funny it was cruel and horrible

Caption on YouTube:
My mom decides to buy my brother an Xbox 360 for christmas. We leave that night and return the next morning to find he has sneaked a look....just as my mom thought he would, this is the result...and yes he did get the game i will try to post the second video

Peace ...

Fox owns rights to Watchmen

Judge Says Fox Owns Rights to a Warner Movie

Published: December 24, 2008

LOS ANGELES — In a surprise ruling, a federal judge in Los Angeles said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the “Watchmen,” a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March.

The decision was disclosed in a five-page written order issued on Wednesday. Gary A. Feess, a judge in the United States District Court for Central California, said he would provide a more detailed order soon.

Fox has been seeking to prevent Warner from releasing the film. The superhero adventure, based on the “Watchmen” graphic novel, is being directed by Zack Snyder (who also directed “300”) and has shaped up as one of most eagerly anticipated releases for next year.

A Warner spokesman, Scott Rowe, declined to comment on the ruling and the studio’s plans.

At an earlier hearing, the judge said he believed that issues in the case could be settled only at a trial, which was scheduled for late January. On Wednesday, however, Judge Feess said he had reconsidered and concluded that Fox should prevail on crucial issues.

“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture,” the ruling said.

Fox acquired rights to the “Watchmen” graphic novel in the late 1980s for the producer Lawrence Gordon, but eventually dropped its own plan to make a movie from its story, about the underside of life for superbeings.

Mr. Gordon later pursued the project with Universal Pictures, and then with Paramount Pictures, before shooting it with Warner and Legendary under an arrangement that allows Paramount to distribute the film abroad.

In ruling on Wednesday, Judge Feess advised both Fox and Warner to look toward a settlement or an appeal.

“The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review,” he said.

My thoughts: Fox has every right to do what they are doing. I just hope they continue to release the film, even if it's under their name.

How this affects Harry Potter:

So Fox now owns the rights to "Watchmen" the new film adaptation of the graphic novel, which is easily one of the most anticipated comic book movies of next year. To make a long story short, Warner Brothers financed the film and was planning to distribute in March but on December 24th a Los Angeles judge gave the rights to Fox. Essentially, this means Warner Brothers made a free film for Fox to distribute and profit from. How does this effect Harry Potter?

I think this is one of the larger reasons why Half Blood Prince was pushed back because Warner Brothers was anticipating this would happen. They spent a lot of money in "Watchmen" and they will make no profit, now Half Blood Prince will have to make that all up.

Peace! Have a happy holiday!

Merry Christmas!


Peace and much love!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

My First Fan Girl?



The Message:

Hey..i know this is really random...but i looooooooooved you "...And He Gets The Girl Video" I love it so much because its one of my fav songs by Lupe....I'm a Lupe Fiasco fan...lol... But yeah i really like your work... Keep up the great work...

Peace

Sunday, December 14, 2008

New Final Fantasy XIII & Final Fantasy XIII: Versus Trailers!





Stoked for both of these games. So glad they are coming to the 360. I plan on purchasing one in the near future.

Peace

My First Films @ Inner-City Filmmakers

My team and I made these films just as we met. Literally, my first day of ICF was making these two films. It was come good bonding and I think both come out pretty fair :-D

YouTube


Vimeo

Team B's First Project from Antoine Bandele on Vimeo

YouTube


Vimeo

Team B's Second Project from Antoine Bandele on Vimeo.

Peace

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Take On Me: Literal Video Version :-D



Peace

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Heroes: The Plan to Fix the Show

Bryan Fuller talks about his return to the series and how things will change.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

You've got to admire the dedication



Peace

Why Hollywood? Why!?

Entertainment Weekly reports that M. Night Shyamalan has found the cast for The Last Airbender, the live-action adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon anime-inspired series Avatar.

Karate star Noah Ringer (discovered in a Texas open casting call) will play Aang, the Avatar (the spirit of the planet manifested in human form), the last surviving Airbender and a monk of the Air Nomads, a race of people with the unique ability to manipulate the air around them. He is assigned with the task of keeping the Four Nations at peace.

Jackson Rathbone (Twilight’s Jasper Hale) is in talks to play Aang’s friend Sokka, a warrior of the South Pole’s Southern Water Tribe, a race of people who can control and manipulate water.

Nicola Peltz (Deck the Halls) has been cast as Sokka’s fourteen-year-old sister Katara, the last remaining Waterbender of her entire Tribe.

Pop/R&B singer Jesse McCartney is in talks to play the Fire Nation’s evil prince Zuko. Exiled from the Fire Nation by his father, Zuko is sent to capture the Avatar in order to restore his honor and right to the throne.

The Last Airbender is being targeted for a July 2nd 2010 release.

Original Source: /film

My commentary: What's wrong!? Do Asian actors just not exist? First Dragonball, now Avatar. And I might be late with this news but why was M. Night Shyamalan picked to direct? First, this isn't his kind of film and second, he hasn't had a good film out in a decade. At least with avatar they are going for a whole Caucasian cast instead of trying to mix and match like in Dragonball.

Peace

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Terminator: Salvation Trailer



God, this trailer would have been perfect if it were not for Christian Bale's raspy voice. Why is he bringing in Batman's raspy voice into this film?

Peace

Twilight vs. Let The Right One In

A side-by-side comparison of this year's most talked about (for different reasons) vampire movies:

Original Soure: Film-Otaku

THE VAMPIRE

TWILIGHT

LET THE

RIGHT ONE IN

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)

Eli (Lina Leandersson)

Bella: “How old are you?”

Edward: “Seventeen.”

Bella: “How long have you been seventeen?”

Edward: “A while.”

Eli: “I’ve been twelve for a while…”

Undead

Uncertain; Eli says that she is “not dead,” but this likely refers to the unnatural state of undeath

Aloof, detached, cold, cautious, but humane and capable of strong love

Aloof, detached, careless, capable of at least strong affection

Super-strength, super-speed, telepathy (exclusive to Edward and a few other vampires), climbing trees (in film)

Heightened agility, scaling walls, enhanced strength and speed hinted at in final sequence of the film

-Apparently no weakness against traditional anti-vampire measures such as crosses, garlic, sunlight, having to seek permission to enter a home, etc.

-Strong urge to feed

-Can be incinerated by sunlight, must acquire permission to enter a home or be severely hurt, effect of other measures uncertain

-Strong urge to feed

Low scare factor. He can be vicious, but he glitters in sunlight and can be consumed by romance.

Moderate scare factor. She is vicious and makes horrifying sounds while feeding, but she is young for a vampire.


THE MORTAL

TWILIGHT

LET THE

RIGHT ONE IN

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart)

Oskar (KÃ¥re Hedebrant)

Seventeen

Twelve

New student, daughter of police chief, generally well liked, has a circle of friends in school, attracts a lot of boys

Bullied by classmates, generally ostracized, has no friends in school

First reaction to vampire revelation: Shock and confusion that immediately dissolve in love

First reaction to vampire revelation: Shock, confusion, misplaced anger

Absurdly high loyalty to vampire lover. Will do anything and give up everything for Edward without reservation

High loyalty to vampire lover. Will probably do anything and give up a lot for Eli but with reservation


THE MOVIE

TWILIGHT

LET THE

RIGHT ONE IN

Dir: Catherine Hardwicke

Dir: Tomas Alfredson

Source material: Novel by Stephenie Meyer

Source material: Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist

English

Swedish

Teen romance/drama, with a dash of action and comedy

Coming-of-age drama/romance, with a dash of horror

US box office: $119,687,620

US box office: $266,886

Rotten Tomatoes rate: 43%

Rotten Tomatoes rate: 98%

Strengths: Contemporary soundtrack, commendable lead performances, high entertainment value, new twist to vampire mythos, generally loyal to source material

Strengths: Minimalist score, commendable lead and supporting performances, strong script and direction, non-reliance on visual effects, elements of horror, loyalty to standard vampire mythos

Weaknesses: Low-quality visual effects and makeup design, weak supporting performances, weak direction and script, new twist to vampire mythos, generally loyal to source material

Weakness: No new twist on the vampire mythos

Final Verdict: Sappy and uneven but ultimately entertaining, C+

Haunting, affecting, thought-provoking, lingering; A



________

My Consensus: Now I'm not in complete agreement with the side-by-side comparison from film-otaku. By that I mean I just don't agree with the final scores provided. I would have given Twilight an 8/10 which translate to a solid B instead of the C+ they gave. But all the little descriptions provided I agree with, which is why I posted it up here. There are actually a lot of Twilight vs. Let The Right One In sources out there.

Today I went to see Let The Right One In at the Sunset 5. Like the review above I give it a resounding A, boarding the A+ area. It was not perfection but it was damned good. It started a little slow in the beginning but other than its slow pace it was fantastic.

Another point that this side-by-side failed to mention is that both were based on books that were created in the same year (2004). The main difference between their transfer from novel to film is that Stephanie Meyer did not write the screenplay for Twilight the film while Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote both the novel and screenplay for Let The Right One In. While I have not read Let The Right One In (I definitely plan to), I am so glad the the author is the same as the screenwriter because that means what I saw was the author's point of view of how the book should look as a film :-D.

Generaly this is how I feel about both films. I would not recommend Let The Right One In to the demographic behind Twilight and vice versa. Let The Right One In is a much more mature and adult version of Twilight. It is based on the same premise that a vampire falls in love with a mortal, eventhough the vampire thursts for that mortal's blood. Let The Right One In handled the situation in a much more adult manner even though the main characters are far younger than the ones in Twilight (12 year olds vs. 17 year olds). There is a particular scene, a very cute scene, in which the main characters in Let The Right One In tap on each other's walls in morse code to communicate to each other when they couldn't see one another. There was another similar scene when they both consult a rubik's cube. Small things like this is what makes their romance very cute. Also, I must say, unlike with Twilight, I was very afraid when Eli (vampire in Let The Right One In) was anywhere near Oskar (mortal) because in previous scenes we see exactly what she's capable of in a gruesome way. Never once did I feel Bella (mortal in Twilight) was in danger of Edward (vampire) and his fangs accept perhaps after their first kiss when he pushes himself away. The reason I felt this way is because we never see Edward really harm anyone but a deer at the beginning of the film and even then we neither distinctly see him doing the action nor see him sucking the blood.

Now, I'm not knocking on Twilight at all. It's just, in light (or should I say darkness) of Let The Right One In, it is very juvenile in it's execution. But there is nothing wrong with that beacuse that's exactly what Twilight was going for. They weren't going for the adult audience, they were going after the tweens and teens. Only a mature audience can enjoy Let The Right One In and what it has to offer, and by mature I'm not just talking about adults but an audience that can appreciate a story not given to them on a plate. Most the messages of the film are hidden between the lines. It was an extremely visual film with limited dialogue and little explanation. You do actually have to think while watching this film. Everything is handed to you in Twilight and there is not much room for discovery in that film with Edwards endless explanations to Bella. Instead of showing Twilight told and instead of telling Let The Right One In shows.

Peace

Oh, and on a side note Let The Right One In had some of the best bullying scenes I've seen. In most film and television the bullies are so fake and most of the stuff they do and the way they act is not the way a real child would act. In Let The Right One In it felt real, reminded me of times when I was occasionally bullied in middle school, gave me chills. Towards the end it got a bit extreme but that first scene and the few after were really grounded. I commend the filmmakers and the director in particular for that.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Analysis of Catherine Hardwicke's Removal

Catherine Hardwicke (director, Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, Twilight)

Some new articles have come out regarding Catherine Hardwicke no longer taking up the torch of director in the next two films New Moon and Eclipse in the Human-Vampire love story: Twilight. (By the way I'm seeing Let The Right One In tomorrow and I'll tell you how it compares.)

Variety has come out with an article about said subject. Also there has been an official statement from Summit Entertainment. I will analyze both the article and the statement to try and discover the truth, along with the information provided in my last blog. Generally, though, if you don't want to sit through all the rest of this mumbo-jumbo I'll give you the low-down in a short paragraph:

I've lost my faith in Summit Entertainment to carry on the series (and have seriously considered boycotting the next two films but I don't want to pass judgment on something I have not seen). Summit Entertainment was cool for being so unlike the other major studies, staying so true (in my opinion and Stephanie Meyer's) to Twilight the novel in spirit. Stephanie Meyer has expressed that she feared for the book being translated to film when she got back the first script from Paramount Pictures which consisted of JET SKIS! Big no-no. She went to a few other studios but turned them down until she came around Summit Entertainment with whom she was comfortable with. I've hardly seen an author backing a film adaptation and studio so wholeheartedly and I can trust Stephanie Meyer. In trusting her and in trusting Summit Entertainment I can put trust in Catherine Hardwicke and her decisions, especially after I enjoyed the first film so much. So why would Summit Entertainment want to have a parting of the ways with Hardwicke because she wants to develop the story more instead of rushing it to theaters?

Variety Article:
Summit Entertainment has wasted no time moving ahead with the next installment in Stephenie Meyer's bestselling "Twilight" series, "New Moon." But in an unusual move after the successful launch of a franchise that has already generated $138.6 million, the upstart distrib is not bringing director Catherine Hardwicke back to direct the picture. Summit and Hardwicke cite Summit's wish to rush the movie into production as one reason for their split. Summit wants to release the picture, which will demand substantial CGI work, by the end of 2009 or the start of 2010. A former production designer, Hardwicke wanted more prep time.

My Analysis: Note that Hardwicke is "a former production designer." The reason the writer of the article puts this in there is to credit that Hardwicke knows exactly what she's talking about! Summit is solely after the money this franchise can clearly offer them. Why not? It's enticing. What's more, they know they can make a lot of money on a low, shoddy budget. I'll admit, Hardwicke's strongest suit was not on how she dealt with visual effects but man, I think, she handled directing those actors very well. But, for Summit to want to release the film next year is preposterous especially with the shape shifters in the next film. It takes well over a year to get some decent pieces of CGI and Hardwicke clearly understands this but Summit Entertainment just won't listen. Just as the article said, Summit is "rush"ing the film. Rushing anything is always bad, especially a multi-million dollar motion picture. I sure hope Summit can find a hell of a director to achieve something half-way decent within the time constraints.

Robert Pattinson (actor, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, Twilight), Kristen Stewart (actress, Into The Wild, Twilight), Catherine Hardwicke
"Twilight" scripter Melissa Rosenberg handed in a draft of "New Moon" the weekend that "Twilight" opened. Hardwicke wanted more time to work on it; Summit announced it was going ahead with "New Moon" on November 22, with no director attached. Negotiations lasted two weeks before Hardwicke formally passed on the film Saturday.My Analysis: Good job Hardwicke! Pass on a film that would rush the creative process! Again, it is reiterated that Harwicke wanted more time to work on it, this time on script, not just the CGI, which to me, is much more important than special effects and is what carried Twilight even though it had less than spactacular effects.

As word spread through Hollywood agencies that the talks might not result in Hardwicke'sHardwicke, who delivered the biggest opening weekend ever for a woman. (CAA denies that they were soliciting other directors.) The movie is still going strong as the director and cast promote it overseas; it came in second this weekend with $13.2 million, grossing a total $138.6 million return, reports surfaced that Summit was checking out other directors for the "Twilight" franchise while they insisted they were still negotiating with .

My Analysis: Again, Summit is being a big jerk. Going behind Harwicke, looking for other directors, while they were negotiating because they had to get the film out that fast.

The problem that stalled negotiations was that Hardwicke had strong opinions about what to do with the next installment, and so did Summit. The debate was how to focus the adaptation of the second book, which deals more with giant werewolves than vampires, as well as the long depression of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), after her vampire lover (Rob Pattinson) leaves her. One issue was how to get more of teen heartthrob Pattinson into the film. (Rosenberg has figured out a device to achieve this.) But Hardwicke, burned out from her "Twilight" labors, simply wasn't willing to jam this movie with a script that still needed months of development.

My Analysis and Theory: What I think this is implying is that Summit and Melissa Rosenberg have found a way to adapt the novel to the film to give Rob Pattinson (the heartthrob of 2008) more screen time. I think Hardwicke was initially going along with the idea but felt it was underdeveloped. Summit didn't want to hear about it and didn't want to take the time to "develop" it and made the decision to go without Hardwicke and her "high demands". So not only will we have no Hardwicke for the next two films but we may have a crappy adaption because why? Summit is rushing.

"I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct 'New Moon,'" said Hardwicke. "Directing 'Twilight' has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel -- it is a great story."

"Catherine did an incredible job in helping us to launch the 'Twilight' franchise, and we thank her for all of her efforts and we very much hope to work with her on future Summit projects," said Summit production prexy Erik Feig. "We as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created. We are able to pursue an aggressive time frame as we have the luxury of only adapting the novels into screenplays as opposed to having to create a storyline from scratch."

My Analysis: They, Hardwicke and Summit, are trying to split on good terms but I just know it was so heated between them. And I don't buy Summit's explanation that they "have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion" because really they are saying they "have a mandate to rush the installment to theaters so they can cash in quick." God I hate when studios try to play it up all happy-go-lucky. When Warner Brothers announce the push back for Harry Potter they tried to look at the bright side, that we would have a shorter wait between Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part I. This, at least, I can deal with. At least it's not tampering with the direct project, but what Summit is doing with New Moon and Eclipse is just unforgivable (which can only be forgiven by two awesome films which I doubt they can pull off in a year).

Hardwicke has other balls in the air, including two projects in the works with Groundswell Entertainment's Michael London, who produced "Thirteen."

My Analysis: Glad Hardwicke can move on :-D

Summit Statement:
As most of you have already heard, Catherine Hardwicke will not be returning to direct NEW MOON.

Summit and Catherine worked hard to make schedules work, but ultimately the decision to bring the fans the next chapter as soon as possible would not fit with Catherine's schedule.


__________

We will miss Catherine's involvement, but please know that Summit and Stephenie Meyer will make sure the next director to take the reins will have the same devotion and respect for the property and the fans.

It is our priority at Summit to make sure the TWILIGHT saga proceeds with the fans in mind.

We appreciate the overwhelming support you have given us, and look forward to working with you on NEW MOON.

Thank you!


My Analysis: I'm calling B.S. right now! B.S.! B.S.! B.S.! Summit did not work hard to keep Catherine. Obviously since they were looking for directors while they were negotiating! Just because they just had to rush the film so it could be released by next year or early 2010. Lies! Lies! Lies! Summit gets a little money and they begin to act just like all the other major studies! Gargh! It makes me so angry.

Now I'm not angry so much now because they are not continuing the series with Hardwicke, but because they are obviously rushing the series which will suck even more because they have to fill in this new director in three months time before they shoot while they had Hardwicke who was already hardwired into the series.

Peace :(

UPDATE:

Chicago Sun-Times
Hot ''Twilight'' stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are hot under the collar -- unhappy their director, Catherine Hardwicke, won't be back to direct them in ''New Moon,'' the next film based on Stephenie Meyer's second novel in her megabest-selling vampire love story.

''They are both very upset,'' a good Hollywood source told me Monday. ''They are committed to doing at least the next 'Twilight' film -- and probably the one after that -- but they really wanted to do them with Catherine.''

Stewart in particular, is furious about it, reportedly telling a close associate, ''I sure hope they don't f--- it up,'' referring to the "New Moon" movie.

The genesis of the actors' anger comes from a feeling the film studio -- Summit Entertainment -- is far too eager to rush out the second ''Twilight'' flick, without prepping for it properly, as Stewart and Pattinson believed Hardwicke would do.

Already, the ''Twilight'' movie has pulled in nearly $140 million at the box office -- a little more than two weeks after its Nov. 21 release. Snaring $69 million that opening weekend, ''Twilight'' represented the biggest opening for a woman director in history.

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg submitted her draft of ''New Moon'' the weekend ''Twilight'' opened. Summit wanted to start production on the second film early next year. Hardwicke believed more time was needed to carefully adapt the second book.

Summit's production president, Erik Feig, told the Hollywood trades the studio appreciated Hardwicke's ''incredible job'' in launching the film franchise, but ''we as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created.''

Translation: Let's get that cash flowing!

Let's just hope fans of the Meyer books won't be treated to a cheesy sequel.

More articles on the issue from the LA Times: Here and Here