The Twilight Saga Film Series

[Spun Lepton]

Twilight is set to be a staggering success, despite my best efforts to jinx it using voodoo.

My question is this: Will Twilight's success have an impact on the horror genre in general? Or will they see it as a success for teen fiction?

In other words, will we be smothered with PG-13 teen-angsty vampire movies for the next ten years? Will we have to suffer through a redux of the Anne Rice weepy vampire movie? (Obviously, I'm biased, heh.)

Or will we start seeing EVEN MORE teen fiction adaptations?

Let's hear your predictions.

[Winston*]

Is it strange that the only place I've heard of this Twilight thing is Match Cut?

[Spun Lepton]

Is it strange that the only place I've heard of this Twilight thing is Match Cut?

Turn on a TV and you can't get away from the adverts, they're everywhere.

[dreamdead]

Teens control the marketplace. It's no surprise that Hollywood will gear their films even more exclusively to that market.

When Twilight succeeds, it'll generate more industry buzz that the film companies need to tap into this teen (fiction) market, whereupon it'll be like Harry Potter redux, with waves of semi-to-uninspired film trilogies like Narnia and Eragon and The Golden Compass that will crest and then fade away, to await the next trend.

[Spun Lepton]

Teens control the marketplace. It's no surprise that Hollywood will gear their films even more exclusively to that market.

When Twilight succeeds, it'll generate more industry buzz that the film companies need to tap into this teen (fiction) market, whereupon it'll be like Harry Potter redux, with waves of semi-to-uninspired film trilogies like Narnia and Eragon and The Golden Compass that will crest and then fade away, to await the next trend.

True, teens do dominate the market. Twilight is specifically geared toward teenaged girls. I can't imagine any (hetero) teen boy is going to find anything to like about it. Ah, but who knows, right?

This would be my preference, obviously, but I do fear that it will have a major impact on the way Hollywood sees horror. Instead of endless remakes, we're going to see endless teeny-angst emo horror.

Emo Horror. God ... just the thought makes me vomit a little ...

[Dead & Messed Up]

Horror was already headed that way with kiddy-safe remakes like The Fog, Pulse, and Prom Night. Creative execs have known for the past couple of years that the demographic with the most fluid cash is now pre-teen and teen girls.

What we're seeing right now is continuation, not the start of something (apart from a few inevitable sequels). This decade's best horrors have come from first-time directors, indie auteurs, and foreign markets.

EDIT: Consider the continued success of Saw as another sign of interest in adult horror flicks (if not necessarily good ones).

[Watashi]

You should read interviews from the cast. They are scared shitless by the Twilight fanbase. A 7 year old girl came up to the lead star and asked him to bite her.

Hell, even Kirsten Stewart admitted she thought Twilight was a silly book and is probably unsure she will be comitted to the sequels now.

[D_Davis]

Twilight is the future. Embrace it, and all will be good.

[DavidSeven]

The 80s called: they want their trends back.

http://www.hotmoviesale.com/dvds/21544/1/Teen-Wolf-Teen-Wolf-Too.jpg

[Ezee E]

How did that movie manage to cast every character with someone I'd like to punch in the face?

[number8]

The vampire trend is already starting.

Commence narcissistic self-quoting:

Another Teen Vampire Franchise on the Way (http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/4310-another-teen-vampire-franchise-on-the-way.html)

Those Vampires. They're So Hot Right Now. (http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/4289-those-vampires-theyre-so-hot-right-now.html)

[Spun Lepton]

Hell, even Kirsten Stewart admitted she thought Twilight was a silly book and is probably unsure she will be comitted to the sequels now.

:lol: And when the monster paycheck for Twilight II is waved under her nose, you know she'll pass on it.

[Spun Lepton]

What we're seeing right now is continuation, not the start of something (apart from a few inevitable sequels). This decade's best horrors have come from first-time directors, indie auteurs, and foreign markets.

This was my initial thought, actually. They're *really* not advertising it like a horror movie. It doesn't stop me from wondering if its success will be detrimental to adult horror. We'll see, I suppose, but I hope you're right.

[Watashi]

Girls are already camping out. (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/twilight-fans-line-up-day-before-premiere/)

[EyesWideOpen]

My wife's friend who is also a teacher is calling out sick for work on friday to see the first morning showing. She is in her 40's.

[D_Davis]

It's Star Wars for girls - and in a way that is very, very cool.

[Watashi]

It's Star Wars for girls - and in a way that is very, very cool.
Not even close.

[MadMan]

I'm surprised at the lack of vampire oriented puns in this thread. No "Someone put a stake in Twilight's heart" type jokes?




Hmm, maybe that's for the best. Maybe.

[Sycophant]

That I can look forward to threads without fucking awful jokes like that is one of the things I usually enjoy about Match Cut.

The mania surrounding this series (particularly with the author being Mormon) is something that has nearly killed a friend of mine who worked at a book store in Provo, Utah. I've actually dodged the circus, myself.

If it's as big a success as some people seem to suggest it's going to be, then yeah, we can expect it to be held up as a model for Hollywood producers. All similar young adult properties will be optioned and we'll be dealing with adaptations of such material into 2016.

One thing that could be good, that D kind of touched on, is we could be seeing a film market that might be more vigilant in courting the female consumer. That could be a resonating effect that may impact the Hollywood in a major and lasting way.

What's really tragic is that Catherine Hardwicke will continue getting high profile directing gigs.

[D_Davis]

Not even close.

Very close.

Except now that I think about it, it's probably written better than Star Wars.

[DavidSeven]

It's Star Wars for girls

Pft. Star Wars is Titanic for boys.

[MadMan]

Star Wars prequels can only be compared with Twilight in terms of quality (aka, bad). But if Davis is actually comparing the emo vampire series to the old Star Wars trilogy, well then I think we all have a right to question his sanity.

[Sycophant]

Demographic appeal, dude.

[MadMan]

Demographic appeal, dude.If he is indeed trafficking in that area, then I can see his point.

[D_Davis]

Star Wars prequels can only be compared with Twilight in terms of quality (aka, bad). But if Davis is actually comparing the emo vampire series to the old Star Wars trilogy, well then I think we all have a right to question his sanity.

Not talking about quality.

I'm talking in the way they appeal to their corresponding demographic.

[Watashi]

Girls enjoy Star Wars too. A lot of them.

Guys don't enjoy Twilight.

[D_Davis]

Guys don't enjoy Twilight.

Really?

So all the dudes reading it on my bus are doing so because they hate it?

Some of them hate it so much that they're actually reading the entire series!

[Watashi]

Really?

So all the dudes reading it on my bus are doing so because they hate it?

Some of them hate it so much that they're actually reading the entire series!
They're gay.

All of them.

[Sycophant]

The unwillingness of men to accept female-targeted media makes me kind of sad.

[Watashi]

Davis, I think you actually need to read what the book is about and how Meyer using Bella as her own twisted sexual fantasy.

Vampires sparkle and a werewolf has sex with a newborn baby.

[Watashi]

The unwillingness of men to accept female-targeted media makes me kind of sad.
Read what the book is about.

[D_Davis]

And besides Wats, whether your Star Wars dream girl is real or not, that franchise, in all of its capacity, is primarily marketed towards and enjoyed by boys. That is an undeniable fact. Sure, some girls dig it, just as some dudes dig Twilight.

When I was camping out for prequel tickets, I would bet dollars to spacetime donuts that 90% of the line was made up of dudes, and 9% of the chicks there were girlfriends or wives resupplying the Mt. Dew and Cheetos.

[Sycophant]

Read what the book is about.

I was kind of musing generally.

[Watashi]

If anyone wants a more female-power oriented vampire tale, there's the excellent Buffy series. So, no. I'm not unwilling to accept female-targeted media. Twilight is just shitty writing, no matter what the demographic is.

[D_Davis]

They're gay.

All of them.

Are all chicks who dig martial arts films lesbians?

Don't be stupid.

I have many problems with grown men reading books written for tweenage girls, but questioning their heterosexuality is not one of them.

[Watashi]

And besides Wats, whether your Star Wars dream girl is real or not, that franchise, in all of its capacity, is primarily marketed towards and enjoyed by boys. That is an undeniable fact. Sure, some girls dig it, just as some dudes dig Twilight.

When I was camping out for prequel tickets, I would bet dollars to spacetime donuts that 90% of the line was made up of dudes, and 9% of the chicks there were girlfriends or wives resupplying the Mt. Dew and Cheetos.
I can name at least 10 girls at my work who are big Star Wars nerds. Nothing dream-related about it. Star Wars is not a male-dominated fanbase as the media makes it out to be.

[Watashi]

Are all chicks who dig martial arts films lesbians?

Don't be stupid.

I have many problems with grown men reading books written for tweenage girls, but questioning their heterosexuality is not one of them.
I'm not just throwing out blind statistics out of my ass. I've read articles and watched interviews. Twilight is strongly embraced by the gay community.

[D_Davis]

If you fail to see that the Star Wars franchise - with its games, toys, posters, books, and all - is not one predominately targeted towards males then you are being purposefully obtuse in trying to make some point.

Yes, some girls like Star Wars- but they are not the target market.

[D_Davis]

I'm not just throwing out blind statistics out of my ass. I've read articles and watched interviews. Twilight is strongly embraced by the gay community.

So that means that:



They're gay.

All of them.


Every guy reading Twilight is gay?

Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys are two bands embrace by the gay community, and yet I know at least three straight, male match cutters who like them.

OMG!

[D_Davis]

The unwillingness of men to accept female-targeted media makes me kind of sad.

Well, we wouldn't want to turn gay for reading a book now would we?

I knew I felt odd that time in the book store when I read through the first few pages of Twilight. A handsome, I mean a cool looking male employee asked me if he could help me with anything and my penis started to stiffen! I put the book back on the shelf and quickly ran to get a copy of FHM.

[Watashi]

C'mon D, you know what I'm getting at.

There are better alternatives than Twilight. Just the fact that people had never heard of this phenomenon until a few months ago admits that it's just a fad that will die down until the new hip things starts.

I already said that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a much better vampire-centric series for the female crowd that males can enjoy due to the strong storytelling and excellent characters. No werewolves impregnanting babies there.

[MadMan]

Not talking about quality.

I'm talking in the way they appeal to their corresponding demographic.Alrighty then. Good. I'll find other ways to question your sanity then :P

And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I prefer zombies to vampires. That's just me, though.

[D_Davis]

There are better alternatives than Twilight.

Of course there are.

But this is not what we are talking about.

I've already argued THAT point about Twilight and Harry Potter. It does (as a book snob :) ) bother me when I see so many adults embracing genre fiction written for children.

That is a point I've made many times before, but that wasn't the intent of my original statement.

Here I am purely talking about how Twilight is being marketed, and by how the fans are reacting to it. Girl fans of Twilight are acting just as crazy and just as passionately as the guy fans of Star Wars.

Remember Star Wars kid? Well I've already seen videos of crazy Twilight fangirls doing stupid shit.

They are similar in how rabid their fanbase in and in how they are being marketed to.

I am not making a judgment call on either the fans nor the films/books.

[Winston*]

Dudes could be obsessing over better things than Star Wars.

[D_Davis]

Dudes could be obsessing over better things than Star Wars.

It actually couldn't get much worse, IMO.

[Winston*]

It actually couldn't get much worse, IMO.

Have you read the latest Joe Pitt book yet? Shit's going down.

[D_Davis]

Have you read the latest Joe Pitt book yet? Shit's going down.

No - I still need to read the last one as well.

Thanks for reminding me!

[thefourthwall]

I was going to comment that plenty of guys enjoy Twilight, but that fight has already been fought.


Just the fact that people had never heard of this phenomenon until a few months ago admits that it's just a fad that will die down until the new hip things starts.

I've been aware of this series and the mania for years--there've been midnight release parties at stores near me for the last two books in the series. It's hardly a blip.

I'm only 2/3rds of the way through the book, so I don't want to comment yet, but I'm curious how many of the people here have actually read the book?

[Ezee E]

I can name at least 10 girls at my work who are big Star Wars nerds. Nothing dream-related about it. Star Wars is not a male-dominated fanbase as the media makes it out to be.

And how many black friends do you have?

[thefourthwall]

Also, is this really a part of the horror genre? What constitutes this? I would think this would be more fantasy/supernatural than horror.

[eternity]

I read all four of them and I hate them more than anyone possibly could.

But they're just so damn hilarious. It's without any intended hyperbole one of the biggest trainwrecks I've ever read in Times New Roman.

[Briare]

I read all four of them and I hate them more than anyone possibly could.

But they're just so damn hilarious. It's without any intended hyperbole one of the biggest trainwrecks I've ever read in Times New Roman.

So you've read... thousands of pages of text because you hated them? ...Okay then.

Why has every message board I visit decided to ride this anti-Twilight bandwagon? I finally watched the trailer and I really don't see what exactly is so different about this film that it warrants so much hatred? The trailer reminded me of The Invisible from last year, a supernatural tale of teen angst. Nothing new. I almost wonder exactly what the big deal is.

Whatever the case, I'll probably end up seeing it to be honest.

[D_Davis]

I'm only 2/3rds of the way through the book, so I don't want to comment yet, but I'm curious how many of the people here have actually read the book?

I've read enough and know enough about it to know that I would rather spend my time devoted to genre fiction on other better books and authors.

Every minute spent on Twilight could be spent with Lovecraft, Cisco, Ligotti, Smith, Poe, Hodgson and so on.


Also, is this really a part of the horror genre? What constitutes this? I would think this would be more fantasy/supernatural than horror.

Yeah - it's probably more supernatural romance, a genre enjoying a tremendous amount of popularity right now, and has been for quite a few years.

[Grouchy]

Wow, I wasn't aware until this thread about any of this. The book series, the fandom, the people camping out.

It's scary, but lately I've been very out of touch with the nerdworld.

[megladon8]

I seriously doubt that this movie/franchise will have any lasting effect on the horror universe at all.

[Qrazy]

Are all chicks who dig martial arts films lesbians?

Don't be stupid.

I have many problems with grown men reading books written for tweenage girls, but questioning their heterosexuality is not one of them.

It's true, their sexual preference doesn't matter because they aren't having any sex anyway.

[Ezee E]

I read all four of them and I hate them more than anyone possibly could.

But they're just so damn hilarious. It's without any intended hyperbole one of the biggest trainwrecks I've ever read in Times New Roman.
Are you a glutton for punishment? Why'd you read all four?

[Grouchy]

Well, I read all of Narnia and I don't like it very much.

[number8]

Haha @ South Park last night.

[eternity]

Are you a glutton for punishment? Why'd you read all four?

They're so fucking hilarious.

*holds ticket for Twatlight in hand while typing with the other hand*

[Skitch]

Are all chicks who dig martial arts films lesbians?


I demand you show me where these mythical creatures live.

[dreamdead]

They're so fucking hilarious.

*holds ticket for Twatlight in hand while typing with the other hand*

See, here's the problem. You type that, but your avatar exposes an appreciation for a similarly "fucking hilarious" film.

[eternity]

See, here's the problem. You type that, but your avatar exposes an appreciation for a similarly "fucking hilarious" film.

:crazy:

[Grouchy]

See, here's the problem. You type that, but your avatar exposes an appreciation for a similarly "fucking hilarious" film.
Heheh, no.

Brick is both fucking hilarious and brilliant writing.

[number8]

Brick's hilarity was obviously intentional. Duh.

[eternity]

Brick's hilarity was obviously intentional. Duh.

There's a few scenes of comic relief that are yes, pretty humorous.

But otherwise, no.

[Grouchy]

There's a few scenes of comic relief that are yes, pretty humorous.

But otherwise, no.
The language itself gave me the laughs in some "serious" scene.

Like number8 says, I bet that's intentional.

[MadMan]

I demand you show me where these mythical creatures live.In a magical place where the bashees dwell and wine flows like the rivers.

[eternity]

The language itself gave me the laughs in some "serious" scene.

Like number8 says, I bet that's intentional.
There's a lot of subtle humor going on, all the Brad Bramish/Kara stuff, the ridiculous nature of the Pin/Tug's order and drug hierarchy, the little nods to "Why the hell is this Brendan kid talking like this?".

But I'm thinking that these "intentional" dialogue related laughs that I'm hearing about are not.

[Winston*]

eternity thinks Brick is a srs movie to be taken srsly.

[D_Davis]

I demand you show me where these mythical creatures live.

If you're ever in Seattle, gimme a ring.

[Grouchy]

There's a lot of subtle humor going on, all the Brad Bramish/Kara stuff, the ridiculous nature of the Pin/Tug's order and drug hierarchy, the little nods to "Why the hell is this Brendan kid talking like this?".

But I'm thinking that these "intentional" dialogue related laughs that I'm hearing about are not.
Ok, then it sucks and I've been wrong all this years.

I will destroy my DVD with an axe. A very large axe.

[D_Davis]

Speaking of Seattle,

I'VE STAYED IN THE TOWN THAT THIS FRANCHISE IS SET IN!!!!!!!11!1111!

:pritch::pritch::pritch::pritc h:


I've ACTUALLY BEEN TO FORKS!!!11!! OMG!1!1!1!11!111!!!!11!!

:pritch::pritch::pritch::pritc h:

I used to really like it there!

[number8]

...the little nods to "Why the hell is this Brendan kid talking like this?".

Isn't that what we're talking about? The movie is a noir mystery that works on its own, but the homage-y language is intentionally woven in to lighten the film up, otherwise it's a Private Eye-Against-the-Mob story set in high school, which in inherently ridiculous. When Brendan tells the Vice Principal that he takes Accelerated English, it's implied that he's conscious of his own weird and poetic way of speaking.

Come on--"Good thing I brown-bagged it.", "You were a freshman... once.", "The Pin, he's supposed to be old... Like, 26."--These are self-referential and self-mocking. It's funny.

[eternity]

Isn't that what we're talking about? The movie is a noir mystery that works on its own, but the homage-y language is intentionally woven in to lighten the film up, otherwise it's a Private Eye-Against-the-Mob story set in high school, which in inherently ridiculous. When Brendan tells the Vice Principal that he takes Accelerated English, it's implied that he's conscious of his own weird and poetic way of speaking.

Come on--"Good thing I brown-bagged it.", "You were a freshman... once.", "The Pin, he's supposed to be old... Like, 26."--These are self-referential and self-mocking. It's funny.
Well, yeah, that's the characters being deliberately sarcastic.

[Spun Lepton]

Well, yeah, that's the characters being deliberately sarcastic.

I'd rather not derail the initial discussion, but I'll chime in that I detected a subtle comedic note running through all of Brick. Even the "serious" scenes had a kind of wink-wink feeling to them, which I appreciated.

Anyway, Twilight is generating ire from me because I HATE weepy, emo vampires. Oh, waahh, I'm immortal, WAAAAHH!! Anne Rice can SUCK IT. :|

[Grouchy]

We're discussing an entirely moot point about Brick. It'd be more useful to destroy stuff with axes.

Getting a little back to vampires, I think the definitive statement on weepy, emo undead is that Preacher issue where Cassidy meets the "wanker" vampire in New Orleans who bases his entire existence on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Glorious stuff.

[eternity]

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/8892/marysuebl4.jpg

[Sycophant]

That's freaking hilarious. If that's your handiwork, you get rep.

[Watashi]

That's freaking hilarious. If that's your handiwork, you get rep.
It's not.

[eternity]

Pluckylump did that at RT, Syco.

[eternity]

So this is all I wrote down as I watched, spoilerific, but who cares:

-Awful jumping from plot point to plot point. Exposition is completely forced and arbitrary, and the introduction of characters and their own introductions to Bella make absolutely no sense.
-The shaky cam in scenes with no need for it are insane.
-All flashbacks, especially historical, are incredibly cheesy and filled with horrid visual effects.
-So much hilarity that seems to be intentional, as if the first half of the movie plays itself off like a comedy and/or a spoof.
-Edward is absolutely hilarious. Meanwhile, these special effects that are being thrown in for no reason, vampire speed, etc., are worse than crap television.
-Every time Bella needs help, Edward is magically there, his car maneuvering around like he is the goddamn Batman.
-Edward is just how Pattinson described it, a manic depressive 108 year old virgin.
-Stewart and Pattinson are both so self-aware during all of this that makes the film look awesome at one moment and then when it goes into melodrama, it's completely juvenile the next. Everything falls flat.
-Edward is always stoned or constipated, and he acts like it more than he looks like it.
-He is a 108 year old Stewie Griffin in a 17 year old's body.
-The "almost gang rape" scene is so hilarious in Bella's perceived naive idiocy. She's completely oblivious to the fact that she's gonna get rapte'd and yet Edward keeps saying it. She literally never listens to a word he says.
-Everything is told not shown, and even then, Bella's horrid narration doesn't even tell anything. It just jumps around.
-There is no tact here once so ever. None.
-Flashbacks and montages over her realization of Edward being a vampire is like three kids in a media class screwing around with random B-roll and adding effects in iMovie. Pattinson dressed as Dracula is like something you'd see in a spoof or a slapstick comedy.
-Gratuitious slo-mo that goes on for an insanely long time.
-Hardwicke really can't direct.
-The sparkling is even better than you could possibly imagine. It's like he's crusted in diamonds. Oh, and might I mention all the insane money shots.
-Every Cullen character walks in with an audience screaming ready money shot.
-Flying is hilarious, Edward's rants that Bella disregards are even moreso.
-I WANT TO KILL YOU SO BADLY! SERIOUSLY, I WANT TO EAT YOU BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY! Bella then says, I don't care, you're hot and stuff.
-Your scent is like a drug to me. Like my own personal brand of heroin! I don't think I can control myself with you!
-Bella, stupid whore.
-Still no development, things just happen. If they weren't so simple and idiotic, this film would be unfollowable.
-The score for the film is out of place, literally ruins scenes with random musical selections and orchestra that doesn't fit. At all.
-This is literally defying rationality at this point.
-Mute Math is incorporated into an actual background score, completely ruining the scene and the cinematography.
-The film's plot and entire comic relief is all because of very close up zoomed in eye shots.
-Super serialness and comic relief are blended together to when after a while, you can't tell what is actually intended to be funny or not.
-Random shot of Edward running around his car at super speed, which shows just how bad the sfx are in this film.
-The Cullen family is naturally hilarious.
-HORRIBLE Stephenie Meyer cameo. Crowd erupted with applause.
-Bella magically out of nowhere has vampire powers and throws Edward across an entire room, it is then never mentioned ever again.
-Montage of them talking without the sound of their voices, just a terrible score. Like the end of a newscast.
-Supermassive Black Hole by Muse is playing in the least fitting way imaginable, as the Cullen's play baseball in a scene that makes Zack Snyder's direction in 300 look like Tarkovsky in smoothness. Uber fastness and slooooooo-mo abound. Wire work of Cullen's jumping up and catching the ball running into each other and colliding, terriblay.
-Pitching is in slow motion with the same shot literally used four times, just repeated, and it looks ridiculous each time, as the one girl pitches the ball.
-Everyone has close ups of their faces randomly cut in with hilarious odd expressions.
-THEN the bad vampires show up out of the fog in a perfectly staged new money shot. Now all the vamps are growling at each other in the field.
-Scenes that take place in Phoenix are clearly not Phoenix. It looks like Vancouver. Because it is Vancouver.
-James and Bella Make a Porno.

Now, I must separate the mirror scene and everything that happens after it:

-Edward magically shows up despite being hours away when this vamp is beating Bella ****less. The wirework in the process is hilarious as their bodies are stiff bags of sand being moved across the air.
-THE GLARING SOUNDTRACK GETS LOWER AND PLAYS SOFTER WHILE THERE ARE SOUND EFFECTS HAPPENING, AND THE COMBINATION IS AWFULLY MIXED. IT'S SO APPARENT AND SO MINDNUMBINGLY AWFUL YET NOBODY THOUGHT OF FIXING IT? THE SOUND WORK IS INCREDIBLY BAD.
-The stunts, the wires, everything, are just embarrassing.
-This action set piece is unlike anything I've seen before. Hardwicke is such a horrible director.
-Cullen's all show up, they take the main villain and the girl snaps his head clear off of his body and they light him on fire.
-Even worse montage of visual effects as Bella is getting the "vampire venom" sucked out of her arm.
-Jacob and Edward share one hugely hilarious stare at each other.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THE MOVIE IS THE END:
-They're dancing in the gazeebo and that's where the book ends, but Hardewick decided to change the ending just slightly. The girl, Victoria, who was the villains girl who just "ran away", yeah, she's watching Edward and Bella dance, and then she turns around and gives the Anthony Perkins Psycho look to the camera, and then the credits roll. It is literally one of the most abrupt, pointless, nonsensical changes to an ending, or just an ending period, I can think of.

[Sycophant]

Between the clip that accompanied Stewart's appearance on Dave last night and the audio clip on Morning Edition this morning, both of which just about killed me, I think I'd rather gargle cleaning solution than watch this thing.

EDIT: Just read Ebert's review. I liked this line: "Twilight will mesmerize its target audience, 16-year-old girls and their grandmothers. Their mothers know all too much about boys like this."

[balmakboor]

I'll be seeing this in an hour and a half so I can write a review for the paper. I'm of the mind to take it for what it is. The reviews around here are already rolling in strong from teenage girls. My 12-year-old has been planning a movie outing and sleepover with her friends for over a month. Gotta love these critic proof franchises.

I do plan to read the first book once I can pry it away from my older daughter. I was just skimming through New Moon and found the writing pretty ridiculous. Meyer must think her target readers have mighty low literacy levels. With so many great writers out there struggling to get published, why do so many hacks become millionaires?

[Sycophant]

Let's try rearranging your sentences a little to answer your question.

With so many great writers out there struggling to get published, why do so many hacks become millionaires? Meyer must think her target readers have mighty low literacy levels.

[thefourthwall]

I finished reading the book two days ago and saw the movie yesterday. It was okay. I think it did a fairly intelligent job of adapting the book, playing up the minimal conflict from the book, the only real flaw was how quickly the romance developed it lacked the actual passion from the book.

I think the story aspires to being a Romance in the way of Wuthering Heights. If Wuthering Heights is whole milk, and most YA fiction is skim milk, I'd say that Twilight is 2% milk. It has traces of greater things not normally found but it isn't anywhere near Monumental or Important. This is the book; the movie is back down to skim milk.

However, I think it will score a hit with its intended audience, which is clearly not primarily the people at this forum, so eternity's stream of conscious bile seems a bit unwarranted. I like that both the book and the movie focus on teen issues rather than making teens play at being adults, like most other popular teen fiction like Gossip Girl. If I had teen or tween daughters, I'd much rather they be reading/watching/loving this than many other things on the market currently.

[Amnesiac]

I'm starting to find everything about this movie annoying. The fandom, sure. The trailer, yeah. Those weird pictures of the dude playing Edward, yep. What I know about the ways in which the book and film merrily trample over predominant vampire mythology, yeah.

But, there are also the people who have leapt forward like frothing maniacs (sort of like the way Edward seems to be leaping forward from tree to tree in that trailer) onto the hate-bandwagon. Exhausting their free-time this weekend to not only go see the movie but write lengthy diatribes about why it sucks. The hate-mob seems to be almost as groan-inducing a 'trend' as Twilight fandom itself is. This post aside, I'm also hoping another trend doesn't crop up based around people who adamantly dislike Twilight, Twilight lovers, and Twilight haters alike.

And I think I've even spied a few Buffy fans calling the movie out for having weird character names. I guess Bella and Edward sound weird. But, even so, Buffy is the crown-jewel of quirky character names. And I believe some Buffy fans are even playing the 'Edward is a pedophile' card. But Angel was okay? Isn't the age difference even wider when it comes to him and Buffy?

I hope this wave, both of fandom and hate, washes over really quickly. Bring on Benjamin Button, already and let's infuse the fall movie season with some quality.

/rant-over.

[Robby P]

This movie was ridiculously awful. It felt like it was three hours long, due to its glacial pace and inane navel-gazing narrative. Just pure emo-angst drivel that tries way too hard to project some false sense of relevance or romanticism.

[eternity]

Okay — I saw it. Not of my own free-will, necessarily. In line with my comments a post back, I'll keep this short rather than churning out an obsessive diatribe of hate:

Pattinson's performance was mostly off. He couldn't adequately sell intensity, only a hammy approximation of it. His conflict-constipation expression was unintentionally awkward. His 'humorous' lines poorly delivered.

Stewart was better. But she missed the mark at certain points, most notably during her desperate plea at the end of the movie.

The use of Radiohead's 15 Steps was, more or less, the most agreeable part of the movie. I like that song.
That's the reason why his performance is fantastic. That IS Edward Cullen, and in interviews Pattinson has expressed that which you described is exactly what he was going for. And it's perfect.

[Morris Schæffer]

75-80 million for the weekend! That's impressive.

[number8]

I will never see this movie.

One of you must hold me accountable if I ever did. Seriously. Promise to mock me endlessly and viciously if it happens.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'm fairly certain I'll see this at some point, as my wife went to the midnight show and loved it (she recognized the flaws, but just didn't care because she loves the books), so I'm sure she'll purchase the DVD and I'll end up seeing the entire film in the span of a year or so by coming into the room and sitting down for random 15 minute clips.

[number8]

My wife thinks the books are the most retarded things in the world, so I'm safe on that front.

[eternity]

IS that Edward Cullen?! Oh my. Perfection.

Not.Edward is hardly perfect, despite all the fans and the author swooning over him.

He's as Pattinson puts it, an 108-year old manic depressive virgin who's incredibly clingy and even abusive. He does that perfectly.

[megladon8]

A couple of pre-teen girls came into the bakery today and were talking about Twilight.

I guess I should take what this demographic says with a grain of salt, but is it true that Kristen Stewart refused to even work in auditions with anyone other than Robert Pattison, because she thinks he's "so hot" she would only do kissing scenes with him?

If so, holy crap, she's a little young to have such a big head and such ridiculous demands.

[Kurosawa Fan]

A couple of pre-teen girls came into the bakery today and were talking about Twilight.

I guess I should take what this demographic says with a grain of salt, but is it true that Kristen Stewart refused to even work in auditions with anyone other than Robert Pattison, because she thinks he's "so hot" she would only do kissing scenes with him?

If so, holy crap, she's a little young to have such a big head and such ridiculous demands.

No. That's not true. I read an article in EW that says she's had the same boyfriend for 3 years and that she lobbied for Pattinson because she thought he was the best actor she auditioned with.

Now, she did refuse to say certain lines of dialogue in the film because she said they were awful and too cheesy to say with a straight face. That's pretty commendable.

[megladon8]

No. That's not true. I read an article in EW that says she's had the same boyfriend for 3 years and that she lobbied for Pattinson because she thought he was the best actor she auditioned with.

Now, she did refuse to say certain lines of dialogue in the film because she said they were awful and too cheesy to say with a straight face. That's pretty commendable.


OK, that's good to know because the few things I've seen her in, I thought she was all right.

I have zero interest in this, though. I'm not on the hate-wagon, I'm just not interested.

[eternity]

Yes, I read the interview where Pattinson boldly declared he would take that approach. I can actually give him credit for questioning the inconsistency of Meyer's vision (even though his 'manic-depressive' approach may not have aligned with her conception of Edward), like when he asked her why Edward would care about being in style when he's this paragon of interior-suffering, etc. And, I get that he's one unstable pseudo-vamp. That point was kind of hammered in, but it doesn't meant that it was hammered in well. His portrayl of that instability came off awkward and put-upon rather than natural and believable. It's the type of performance that invites eye-rolling incredulity rather than credulity. Constipation face, bulging eyes and static stares do not a make for a nuanced, believable performance. For me, those are not the pieces to a fantastic 'manic-depressive'. Did I want it more understated? More over-the-top? Acted by James Franco? I'm not exactly sure, but I certainly didn't like what Pattinson handed out. He wasn't thoroughly atrocious but... most annoyingly, it all seemed far too calculated. That goes for his co-star, as well. And too many hanging moments where Pattinson looked like he didn't quite know what to do with Edward's face.

After my first viewing, I'm not quite ready to accept that this was all according to Pattinson's brilliant acting strategy. But, hey, good thing he said that was his strategy because now anything weird/under-whelming in his performance can be swept under the 'deliberate-manic-depressive' rug! :lol:

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/5f4aa900-9e28-4adf-a6a3-afa5261ed237/pattinson.jpg?size=l

Additionally, it was horribly histrionic and defunct. Horribly, as in the wrong kind of histrionics. In the campy sort of way -- because yes, manic-depressive kids would be histrionic, but his performance was missing something (pathos and gravitas?) that would make him believably 'manic-depressive'. Instead it just seemed like Pattinson awkwardly mugging for the camera. And hopefully we won't be hearing overly self-assured remarks like 'But Pattinson meant to suck!' until the sequel pops in. And if that is the case, I hope those spewing such remarks will flock away from online fora and put their fever to good use by joining Stephanie Meyer's Oscar campaign for Pattinson.

Eh, as I read the book, Edward was exactly that, awkward. Awkward and dare I say it...funny. The entire Cullen family is rather funny within itself, their personalities, etc. and the movie pulls it off perfectly. What your problem with Edward's portrayal is ultimately why I love it so much. But we both are seeing Pattinson's portrayal the exact same way, just reading it differently, at least.

[Amnesiac]

The entire Cullen family is rather funny within itself, their personalities, etc.

I'll agree there. That baseball game was ridiculous.



Now, she did refuse to say certain lines of dialogue in the film because she said they were awful and too cheesy to say with a straight face. That's pretty commendable.

Ha. I would like to know what lines those were.

Her performance was sort of interesting, actually. I couldn't really get a hold on her character psychology. All I could come up with was, here is a girl whose marginalization from the 'in-crowd' is almost entirely self-induced... and, in addition to that, she's prone to unreasonable, head-over-heels infatuation.

[EyesWideOpen]

I will never see this movie.

One of you must hold me accountable if I ever did. Seriously. Promise to mock me endlessly and viciously if it happens.

Your rebel act is getting old.

[Dukefrukem]

Holy Shit! (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/2nd-update-for-the-twilight-zone/)

[number8]

Your rebel act is getting old.

Nonsense. If rebels had given up and saw Twilight, John McCain would be President.

[Skitch]

I think this flick looks awful, but Tumbleweed has dollar margaritas today. I will be loaded, and diving on this emo grenade for everyone. I think I may be making a scene later today...

[D_Davis]

There seems to be quite a few people who are seeing this not of their own free will.

What gives?

If you have seen it, or are going to see it, own that shit. Stand up and proclaim, "I'm fucking watching Twilight, dammit."

Don't blame your friends, or booze, or your wife or boyfriend.

No one can force you to watch a film. By blaming someone other than yourself, it makes you look weak.

Be proud. Be strong.

See Twilight, or don't see Twilight, but take some responsibility for your actions.

[Skitch]

I understand what you're saying, but that sincerely is not the case with me. I just am craving a trip to the theater.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm seeing it of my own choosing, and no one is forcing me, and I have no excuse for my actions.

[Malickfan]

I agreed to see it with my gf. Better than when I saw August Rush with her last year.

[Ezee E]

I like davis' callout on this.

Unlike Sex & The City, which was all girl, pink, and shoes, this one has a horror element to it. It has violence and blood. The girls that adore these books think that the guys may actually like this one, and have them come along, instead of having a "girls night out" like they did at the beginning of the summer.

[Kurosawa Fan]

There seems to be quite a few people who are seeing this not of their own free will.

What gives?

If you have seen it, or are going to see it, own that shit. Stand up and proclaim, "I'm fucking watching Twilight, dammit."

Don't blame your friends, or booze, or your wife or boyfriend.

No one can force you to watch a film. By blaming someone other than yourself, it makes you look weak.

Be proud. Be strong.

See Twilight, or don't see Twilight, but take some responsibility for your actions.

Nope. If my wife doesn't buy the DVD and watch it endlessly (which I'm fairly certain she'll do), I wouldn't watch one millisecond of this.

[D_Davis]

What? I'm thinking this is meant to be only half-serious...


You are correct.

:)

[Grouchy]

What? I'm thinking this is meant to be only half-serious but I'll take it seriously anyway.

I take my girlfriend to movies she has no interest in all the time. She ends up liking a lot of them, but that's besides the point. I owed her one. If it had not been for her, I wouldn't have seen it. And if I had refused to see it, I would have been a selfish dick. Which isn't good. It's as simple as that. But, yes, as I already conceded: I saw Twilight. I just wish it could have been another movie. :P
Wimp.

[Robby P]

No one can force you to watch a film.

Yes, they can. They are called "women".

[Skitch]

Well folks, I'm sorry, but I failed. After thirty minutes, we left to go watch Bolt. It started thirty minutes after Twilight, and it was great.

The first thirty of Twilight was surreal. I felt like I was in the twilight zone.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

*kills self*

[balmakboor]

I wrote rather unkindly of this in my review for the paper. My 12-year-old daughter has forgiven me -- she thought the book was a lot better -- but her friends are still giving me evil stares.

[Dukefrukem]

ohhhhs noezzzzz... i hotlinked!

http://www.aintitcool.com/images2009/NewMoon2.jpg

[Wryan]

How did this thread get sidetracked when we all could have just as easily called Brick "really great" and been done with it?

I won't even close this by re-railing either.

[Ivan Drago]

...I saw Twilight a couple months back. For two reasons 1) So I could have an opinion on it and argue with the nerds on my then-dorm floor and 2) Hey, a single cinema major has to meet hot chicks in SOME way, right?

It was not as bad as I thought it was gonna be though. Sure the direction isn't the greatest, it's full of cardboard characters aside from the two leads, and I won't even begin to DESCRIBE the baseball scene, but the romance between Edward and Bella was told well enough and progressed well enough to keep me interested.

[number8]

That poster just screams anal massage.

[eternity]

...I saw Twilight a couple months back. For two reasons 1) So I could have an opinion on it and argue with the nerds on my then-dorm floor and 2) Hey, a single cinema major has to meet hot chicks in SOME way, right?

It was not as bad as I thought it was gonna be though. Sure the direction isn't the greatest, it's full of cardboard characters aside from the two leads, and I won't even begin to DESCRIBE the baseball scene, but the romance between Edward and Bella was told well enough and progressed well enough to keep me interested.
"Hey, you always act weird around me and run away from me. I love you forever and ever."

"I want to eat you, so me too?"

"ETERNAL LOVE OMG."

There was really nothing more to that "love story" than these three lines of dialogue and lots and lots of slow motion shots of hair blowing.

[lovejuice]

That poster just screams anal massage.
and the worst thing about it is we all know it sells the tickets.

[eternity]

My spoiler filled review:

http://thetwilightfansite.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/new-moon-trailer-screenshots-47.png

Before I begin writing any sort of review for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Chris Weitz, 2009), I would have to give my history with the franchise. I was peer pressured to read the entire series just when it started to become popular, and as I finished the first novel, I was floored by how soul-crushingly awful it was. I think Stephenie Meyer and the way she glorifies her insanely warped views on relationships, sex and most of all just general human decency are disturbing, especially because of how her words and beliefs as defined by what she was written in these overlong messes of novels have become accepted by literally millions of females young and old. When I read New Moon, it seemed like it became even worse; the big bag of psychological disorders (Edward Cullen) who constantly wants to kill you and eat you, the abusive angry jerk (Jacob Black) who constantly wants to smash your face in, and the bothersomely vapid girl who everyone thinks is perfect and amazing (Bella Swan), loving the idea of either treating her like some sort of secondhand citizen and most of all, a rapedoll. You could read lots of essays and analyses about how the Twilight novels pretty much spells the end of feminism as we know it, so I'll save you the time.

The first Twilight film earned a 2/100 from me. Catherine Hardwicke, who has directed some pretty effective work in the past, most notably Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown, had created a teen film that was so uneffective in every way that it was embarrassing to see that while it would make more money in a day than the rest of her films ever made, it might as well have been the end of her career. Every problem present in Meyer's literary abortion was just amplified by the film being an absolute mess. The production values, from the special effects to the score (we know this isn't your fault, Carter Burwell) to even the simple stuff like a sound effect were abysmal. Fans attributed this to the film being "low-budget", but considering what the film required and the $37 million they had to spend, there were better production values when Danny Glover was in that very laughable car chase in James Wan's first 'Saw' film. The film was an unwatchable mess that benefitted so much from the midnight showing that I attended, it was a step away from witnessing The Room, except instead of throwing spoons we had a bunch of overweight insecure teenage girls wetting their pants at the times that fans of the Tommy Wiseau film would have screamed "BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN!"

This transitions us into Chris Weitz' New Moon, which starts out in this really awkward void. A large moon takes up the screen, and slowly fades away to reveal the title, which happens so slowly, it was evoking a bit of a 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe. Bella is running through a sea of red robed men and has a really vivid dream of Edward approaching her in a field where she turns into an old woman. This shot, and many more to come, are actually rather beautiful. But as far as I knew at this point of the film, it was still as awful as ever, and of course I was cracking up (only one to be doing so, naturally) every time Eddie sparkled all over his nearly naked body. It's funny, it will always be funny, but it's not like it is a hole that any filmmaker can dig out of at this point.

Then once the initial fifteen minutes of Bella whining to Edward and the Cullen's of how she is growing up and wants to be a vampire so badly, the film does something that I never would have expected in a Twilight film. It takes every single complaint and joke made in a thread like the New Moon and Twilight threads in General Discussion at Rotten Tomatoes and makes it well aware that they know what is up. Edward is a 109 year old man who lurks high school for tail; this was on the mind of nearly everyone of my ilk, and now it's been addressed. It was far more sugarcoated in the novel, and from that point on, the film manages to take it's full stride.

Bold hyperbolic statement time: The film works very well for what it is and is still godawful if you view it the way Stephenie Meyer would want you to. But watching it for what it is, it is a lesser, more ambitious take on Hal Hartley's Trust. A love story (or in this case, triangle) of some very screwed up people, and on top of that, these "perfect" characters are now nothing more than very immature, very angsty teenagers, and the film goes out of its way to show that. It's safe to say that Chris Weitz has singlehandedly reinvented Twilight. That itself makes it clear that New Moon is nothing less than extraordinary. It takes an abymsal series and alchemises it into a cinematic silver medal. The film goes into business for itself, and when Weitz claims that this is supposed to be his signature piece after the studio-mangled bomb The Golden Compass, I believe him. He used this as an outlet for the film he wanted to make, and I feel confident in saying that Eclipse and Breaking Dawn won't have this level of auteurism. And yes, I did call a Weitz brother an auteur. Shoot me.

When Edward finally breaks up with Bella because of Jasper's little CAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE moment and the fact that she's just a dumb loonie (but let's face it, so is he), the film goes almost completely into self mockery, and through that self mockery it becomes a double edged sword. As the camera goes into 360 while Bella stares out the window, the months progressing, the sheer ridiculousness of her behavior is nothing short of hilarious, yet the cinematic effectiveness of it all makes even its most funny moments more emotionally effective and provocative than anything in the Twilight novels or the first film. It flat out criticizes all the behavior that is considered angelic by the fans of the series, yet does it in such a way to where fans can pull a completely different message from it. It is just as emotional as the most die hard fans think it is.

The tonal issues that Twilight had are fixed in a splendid way this time. All the times where Twilight was accidentally funny have been made to be hilarious to its own credit. The high school friends are now made into real people, while them and the rest of the high schoolers of the last film were nothing but grossly offensive carichatures. It gives talented actors like Anna Kendrick room to breathe and really put a nice edge to the film. The high school in the first film was one of the worst I've seen in a film; now it works better than it even needs to. That said, the Cullen family has been far reduced, and while they were by far the best thing about the first film, the entertaining and interesting nature of the film is reduced to one scene. It is mostly replaced with a greater focus on Jacob Black and his family, which I will get to later, but let's get this out of the way, they're awful. Edward is awful and all, but I would call myself "Team Cullen" only because "Team Black" is a bunch of annoying twits that deserve to be mauled by dogs...spoiler alert.

A long lull in the film that gives stuff a little time to breathe yet also pads the runtime too much for its own good comes from the development of Bella and Jacob as they bond and become this cutesy little almost-couple as Bella is constantly having nightmares and making hell for her father (Billy Burke), who in just about every scene has a big wide face that screams "My daughter is such a derpderp." As Jacob becomes an outlet for Bella to get over Edward, Jacob gets drawn in by the always shirtless, airbrushed ab-showing fatties of his indian community. He cuts his hair, gets a tattoo, and suddenly threatens to beat the crap out of everyone, including our dear friend Mike, in one of the truly hilarious scenes of the film. Another bold statement, but only for me: Face Punch is the funniest movie within a movie since The Flower That Drank The Moon.

A big flaw of the book still present in the movie is that sideplot that brings our pseudo-villains from Twilight back into the action, Victoria and Laurent (sp?), who are boring, not theatrening at all, and serve as nothing more than a boring distraction. This dragging subplot serves as nothing more than a distraction to move some things along, and give us more opportunities for some absolutely awesome shots and scenes that have very little to do with the film itself, and show more of the stamp of the filmmakers doing what they wanted with the material. It's too pretty, it's too witty, and too insightful on its own vapid subjects where as I've stated and will continue to, I'm shocked how this film actually worked.

That said, the film has some serious third act problems. The whole Volturi subject, which are supposed to be the "villains" of the series, are both incredibly tacked on and are portrayed as some really nice, cool yet evil dudes. Michael Sheen and co. only really have one and a half scenes, but Sheen, who I've never seen not be great, seems to have so much fun with the role that with a some more screen time, he could absolutely steal future films from any director or actor. But, a line that comes towards the beginning of his performance, "Such a waste." that he says in passing is pretty reflective of his role. It's a tacked on annoyance that makes all this screentime left to those annoying werewolf boys fall flat. Edward's stupid little suicide move leads us to the film's one token action scene, which is anticlimactic but is about 200x better than one of the worst action scenes I've ever seen, from Twilight. An underplayed shot of a tour group being lead in by a hot vampiress in Italy to the room of vampires, who devour them all, is something that borught a huge smile to my face. This family of royalty is incredibly sinister and evil, and Weitz plays that well, but these are supposed to be the villains of the series, and I'm pretty sure that Stephenie Meyer does not want virgin viewers of the films wanting the Volturi to kill the shit out of Bella and Edward. Because I sure did.

And then...it ends. Jacob tries to blackmail Edward and treats Bella like she owns him, Bella finally takes a stand for once in her life and tells Jacob to GTFO, and then Edward asks Bella to marry her before he turns her into a vampy. It is made soul crushingly obvious that "being the one to turn her" is just a thinly veiled metaphor for losing your virginity, which in Meyer's books, is treated like 1. something that someone like Bella desperately needs and 2. something that will cause you to suffer immeasurable pain the rest of your life. Spoiler alert for Breaking Dawn: holy shit is #2 true. I don't need to spell it out, but this series is going to be really awesome when it gets to that point and if Lars Von Trier, David Cronenberg or Richard Kelly don't get offered it, bring Weitz back. It is clear that he understands rapewolves and "when she's 7, she'll look 17" and "he eats her because he's hungry", and that is why this film works. It eviscerates Twilight and while it probably will not be recognized by ANYONE as the game changer that it is, this may have saved the Twilight franchise from being a tremendously shitty fad a la Hannah Montana. I love the Harry Potter books, but New Moon is a better film than Half Blood Prince. Despite it being a tremendously flawed film, New Moon is probably the biggest surprise of the year. It took something I hate and floored me with it's willingness to show just as much disdain for the characters as I have, some fantastic cinematography, and also a willingness to take itself seriously in a very mature way. The cliffhanger is almost as stupid as the one at the first Twilight, but instead of some flashy credit sequences with Radiohead's 15 Step, it is Alexandre Desplat's score set to some very shadowy yet classy text.

Hate the film as you might, and probably should because the source material is so awful (if you haven't read it, don't), you can't deny that this is both a massive step up and far different from the first film. Actually, you could deny the former, but the latter, nah.

TEAM TYLER'S VAN!

7/10

[ledfloyd]

you spent way too much time writing that.

[Spun Lepton]

The image you chose stretches beyind the borders of my monitor at 1280x1024, so in order to read your extra-long review, I would need to constantly scroll back and forth, back and forth.

It ain't worth it for New Moon.

[Raiders]

The image you chose stretches beyind the borders of my monitor at 1280x1024, so in order to read your extra-long review, I would need to constantly scroll back and forth, back and forth.

It ain't worth it for New Moon.

Or you can turn the image re-sizer on in your user options.

[Spun Lepton]

Or you can turn the image re-sizer on in your user options.

Image resizer is on, always has been. Image wasn't resizing last time I checked the thread, though it is now.

[Raiders]

For New Moon??? :rolleyes:


:D

For all images on the board.

[Spun Lepton]

For all images on the board.

See my edited response.

Seems that if the image loads before I open the spoiler tag, it will not resize. If I open the spoiler tag before the image reloads, it will resize just fine.

Just so I didn't come here to bash, I read the review. The movie is definitely not for me.

[BuffaloWilder]

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9525/39089656.jpg

[Sxottlan]

Every problem present in Meyer's literary abortion was just amplified by the film being an absolute mess. The production values, from the special effects to the score to even the simple stuff like a sound effect were abysmal. Fans attributed this to the film being "low-budget", but considering what the film required and the $37 million they had to spend, there were better production values [than] that very laughable car chase in James Wan's first 'Saw' film.

My second cousin worked on the budget of the first film. She told me Summit watched every nickel and dime spent and the budget was more in the ballpark of $15 M.


that is why this film works. It eviscerates Twilight and while it probably will not be recognized by ANYONE as the game changer that it is, this may have saved the Twilight franchise from being a tremendously shitty fad. It took something I hate and floored me with it's willingness to show just as much disdain for the characters as I have, some fantastic cinematography, and also a willingness to take itself seriously in a very mature way.

While I like the idea of the movie hating its own characters, it's not enough to make me see it. I haven't read the books (I'm glad considering the criticisms I've seen) and what I've seen of the films have made me want to gag. I'm also just getting sick of vampires in general and how they've been so completely watered down. Not just these films, but trailers for that Vampire's Assistant movie made it look like becoming a vampire was like turning into a freakin' superhero.

As a result, these have been the first major franchise films that I'm not bothering with and I really don't feel like I'm missing anything.

[B-side]

My second cousin worked on the budget of the film. She told me Summit watched every nickel and dime spent and the budget was more in the ballpark of $15 M.

If he's talking about the original film, then he got that number from BoxOfficeMojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=twilight08.htm).

[balmakboor]

"Edward is a 109 year old man who lurks high school for tail; this was on the mind of nearly everyone of my ilk, and now it's been addressed."

Hah! That's awesome. Try to tell all the girls who love the books that they're about a dirty old pervert.

[eternity]

I saw Robsessed at Target yesterday. Lord only knows how much I wanted to buy it.

[Henry Gale]

Biggest opening day ever!
(http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2009-11-20&p=.htm)
:cool:

:cry:

[angrycinephile]

Good news. Hey, as long as TF2 isn't the highest grossing film of the year I'll be happy. I'm just hoping the Twilight-fans will see it again and again so New Moon can bring down Bay's film from the throne.

[eternity]

Good news. Hey, as long as TF2 isn't the highest grossing film of the year I'll be happy. I'm just hoping the Twilight-fans will see it again and again so New Moon can bring down Bay's film from the throne.

It's better to line Michael Bay's pockets than Stephenie Meyer. No matter how much credit I give this film, the source material and messages people take from it are nothing short of frightening.

[Henry Gale]

I think for me it comes down to the fact that in its first day it made nearly fifteen times the total amount of Moon and four and a half times the final gross of Adventureland, too. The only comparisons being the title for the first and the Kristen Stewart factor of the other, but mainly the fact that they didn't make much despite being two of the best films of the year and much more deserving of success.

They can only make two more of these... right?

[BuffaloWilder]

I don't know, look at how they're expanding The Hobbit into two films.

[number8]

This Stephenie Meyer quote makes me laugh.


I actually did have a dream after Twilight was finished of Edward coming to visit me — only I had gotten it wrong and he did drink blood like every other vampire and you couldn't live on animals the way I'd written it. We had this conversation and he was terrifying.

[Henry Gale]

This Stephenie Meyer quote makes me laugh.

Wow, it's like von Trier with the foxes... except way sadder.

[eternity]

This Stephenie Meyer quote makes me laugh.
It would actually bring me relief if she wasn't alive anymore.

[number8]

This guy should be my friend. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX-wBa-UJVw)

[megladon8]

This guy should be my friend. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX-wBa-UJVw)


A friend of mine was oblivious to the fact that this guy is American and doing an over-the-top accent.

She thought all Asian people (yes, I'm serious, people from every country in Asia) talk like that.

[MadMan]

Meh. I don't really give a shit about all this, and I have no desire to see the movie. People have always gone to crappy movies, and this will never change. Not much I can really do about it.

[Spun Lepton]

This guy should be my friend. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX-wBa-UJVw)

:lol:

[Sycophant]

I saw this on opening day with a bunch of friends. I had no real desire to, but what the hell? Hanging with friends.

One of my friends dressed up as "Edward," with slicked back hair, white face paint, an obscene amount of body glitter, and grotesquely large vampire fangs. Another friend went as Bella. The friend who went as Bella was mistaken for Jacob by a lot of people. Several girls stopped "Edward" to get their pictures taken with them. Others secretly snapped pictures of him. It was fun.

This movie's shit, btw.

[Spun Lepton]

Somebody needs to dress up like Unknown Hinson and go see the movie. Watch the kiddies freak out.

http://www.free-times.com/Image/22_07/Unknown_Hinson.jpg

[number8]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb0mti_twilight-sucks_shortfilms

[ledfloyd]

michael phillips and a.o. scott both gave this 'see it'. scott compared it to bright star and phillips said it was better than bright star. are we living in a parallel universe?

[greyhaven]

I read the first book back in 05 and to this day I have a love/hate relationship with these stories.

Here's the simple version about New Moon (the movie). It's a better movie. There are still really sappy moments and laugh out loud scenes that really shouldn't be laughed at. But it's a better movie.

Does it still have Bella wallowing and unable to stand on her own? Yes. Does Edward still sparkle? Yes. Is the werewolf pack overly objectified? Probably. But it's for teen girls and they like to squee...a lot.

Most of those issues are straight from the book, so the movie really couldn't deviate from that. I could write pages on the unhealthiness of SMeyer's themes. But she believes in true love/soulmates and I don't.

But the movie is fun. Better than the first and worth seeing if you want to just get sucked into a world that's filled with romance, angst and very nice abs.

[number8]

I've been thinking... isn't this movie kind of going against the book? Meyer is all about repression and her writing tends to shy away from any description of sexual desire. But the movie has them ripping their shirts off, obviously as fanservice. When you count in the reaction the male characters—the actors, as well—receive, it seems like the movies are being more of a tease than the books would be comfortable with.

[Mara]

I've been thinking... isn't this movie kind of going against the book? Meyer is all about repression and her writing tends to shy away from any description of sexual desire.

Um... huh? Her books are chock-full of sexual desire. They're choking on it.

[Rowland]

Yeah, I've read that while the lead female character gets next to no physical description or psychological traits (the better for angst-ridden teenage girls to relate), the male objects of desire are detailed to an almost fetishistic degree.

[number8]

Really? Nevermind, then. I read parts of the last book, and was tickled by the timid skipping of Bella and Edward's honeymoon sex. It almost showed a lack of understanding of sex.

"Huh? Feathers?" "O ya btw I bit the pillow." "You pillowbiter, you!" "I also broke the headboard." "RUFF SEX FTW."

[number8]

Also, silly article I wrote today. (http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/6186-recreating-qnew-moonq-what-i-watched-instead.html)

[lovejuice]

teen harper is doing series on twilight-related classics which consist of Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet. the covers are twilightish with catchy phrases like "Bella and Edward's favorite book."

http://ewshelflife.files.wordpress.co m/2009/09/twilight-bronte-covers_l.jpg

i am torn. after all isn't this a point of teen read? to inspire people to more mature book. on the other hand, i am curious about -- and a bit afraid of -- how those demographic group will find these books.

[Adam]

That's the same dilemma that runs through my mind when I see Oprah has recommended a legitimately good book to her audience

[thefourthwall]

teen harper is doing series on twilight-related classics which consist of Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet. the covers are twilightish with catchy phrases like "Bella and Edward's favorite book."

i am torn. after all isn't this a point of teen read? to inspire people to more mature book. on the other hand, i am curious about -- and a bit afraid of -- how those demographic group will find these books.

Wow. That's crazy. Reminds me of when MTV adapted Wuthering Heights and then put out a version of the book, which contains "A Note from the Star" in which the lead actress tries to give insightful thoughts about the novel. Moving in a good direction, but it seems very strange.

http://www.whiterose.org/pete/blog/images/wuthering.jpg

[number8]

"The book Jacob reads while doing business in the woods!"

[lovejuice]

http://www.whiterose.org/pete/blog/images/wuthering.jpg
crazy, indeed. especially with wuthering heights, i'll say. the novel is nothing like what many people expect.

[lovejuice]

Also, silly article I wrote today. (http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/6186-recreating-qnew-moonq-what-i-watched-instead.html)
seriously dude, based on this article and some of your comments, you seem like a very well-versed, closet fan of the saga.

[number8]

Haha. I'm a very good researcher.

[greyhaven]

I felt ill the first time I saw those covers for Wuthering Heights, but it's true. It might get some kids who've never read the classics to read them.

I didn't like Bowie until I heard "Golden Years" in the movie A Knight's Tale. So, sometimes pop culture sometimes brings in real culture. :)

[Dukefrukem]

F me. I didn't know they were still going on this...

http://s3.amazonaws.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/1849/original/breakingdawn1sheet.jpg?1306279 819

[number8]

You didn't know that they're going to turn every Twilight book into a movie? Are you serious?

[Ezee E]

You didn't know that they're going to turn every Twilight book into a movie? Are you serious?
I'm guessing he didn't know there were remaining books left. I wouldn't either if I didn't already hear of the movie being made.

[Dukefrukem]

You didn't know that they're going to turn every Twilight book into a movie? Are you serious?

There's more than 3?

[Raiders]

There's more than 3?

Here (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=twilight+book+series).

[Dukefrukem]

So there's four.

[Mara]

So there's four.

Oh yeah, the fourth one is the best one! Wicked childbirth scene.




I mean... um...

[Dukefrukem]

People already lined for the Twilight panel

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2011/07/TwilightSDCCLine0719111-thumb-500x372-66958.jpg

[number8]

I am so glad they put that shit as the first panel of the first day.

I'll be watching Captain America with Chris Evans while that's going on.

[number8]

This is awful.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/twilight-fan-dies-after-being-struck-by-a-car-at-comic-con/2012/07/10/gJQAQ6mGbW_blog.html