Twilight

Hands down the worst Vampire movie I've ever seen.

I don't like anything to do with vampires anyway, boring to me and having cut my teeth on Bran Stoker's Dracula, it was all down hill from there. But. DAMN. This movie bites.

So the film, obviously targeting the heaving bosoms of 15 year old girls, projects a fairly strong female character in mutual thrall to a handsome, mysterious boy-at-school who happens to be a 'good' vampire. Jesus.

There is stalking language and behavior, Mixed signals of rejection and desire at the beginning, confusing the girl, who does a lot of unnecessary, gentle, gasping type breathing in just about every scene.

Then dude just uses his super vampire powers to show up in her bedroom, eventually saying something like "I can't stay away from you anymore" in a ominous voice

Mild scenes of irrational jealously from vampire dude, a I'm incredibly stronger and smarter than you, you SHOULD be afraid scene (She says, "I don't care, I know you won't hurt me" oh, puke) A rape attempt in the evidently obligatory dark alley where the girl is saved by the increasingly possessive vampire. He just happens to be around.

Then magic scenes where he flies her around all this gorgeous scenery. Since they can't have sex without him loosing control and harming her, the movie discreetly shows them "talking" --This is a good vampire dude, and has inhuman self restraint --you can't hear what they're saying. Another evil vampire dude at the end with in a scene with a lot of sexual tension even though he evidently just wants to suck her blood and kill her.

The ultimate guide to stalking and grooming all wrapped up in a super natural love story. Isn't that nice?

In case anybody is interested in why I watched, it's because my youngest daughter came over and told me several of her friends said "It's, like, SUCH a good movie, better than "Interview with a Vampire". Yes I knew better. I didn't think it would actually suck so bad as a movie, I expected the desirable vampire dude.

She hated it, but didn't understand my outright offense until she realized the potential target audience-- young girls. Then she understood. (She's 22 and is the type of neo hippie that dresses in multiple colors and layers, her friends, both male and female dress similarly. God I love that kid)

seen the movie, and only tried to read the first book in the series (without success). Aside from the fact that the first one is badly written and derivative of things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's relationship with Good/Celibate!Vampire Angel, I picked up some nasty anti-feminist vibes from it. I also think the relationship described (in the first book, anyway) is co-dependent and neo-Victorian. In other words, messed up.

...to hear that good old fashioned stalking is still being shown in it's true light. As the super cool, mysterious way to get the girl--and they REALLY dig it. You can tell because when they confront stalker boy, they seem more turned on than pissed off--and they sound all breathy and stuff.

:eyes:

Reminds me of the films of my teens and early twenties.

I'm sure you remember them. Not only was stalking shown as the way to "win over the one you love" but "women REALLY want to be overpowered and raped....cause it's HOT...and they haven't had it in sooooo long." This charming message was usually accompanied by a storyline featuring a "rapist on the loose." He rapes and he kills(cue scary music).

The "good guy" of the story is somehow 'mistaken' as the "rapist" and much of the plot line involves the ever so elaborate processs of clearing his name, while catching the real killer rapist before his next attack.

This usually consisted of a few key scenes:

1. The neighbor lady who's heard of the "rapist on the loose."
Is she cowering and hiding in her home, door locked and chained upon learning it may be her neighbor? Hell no! She's donned her slinkiest number and is chilling the wine coolers. She's shown casually greeting him in their common hallway (in black, flimsy negligee)--flirting with him, hoping he'll bring some of that rape and violence her way.

2. A,"trap the real rapist" scene. Complete with the attractive (but not fancy) girl next door type getting all "sexified" and ultra fancy to "intice" the killer rapist her way. Complete with a line from her about the lead "not thinking she's sexy enough" to get the guy to attack her. :eyes:

3. Several scenes showing what the (now dead) girls were up to BEFORE they were attacked, raped and killed. How they were being all hawt, puttin' on a show at the local bar, dancin' on tables, makin' super sexay spectacles of themselves....which of course MAKES the killer rapist WANT to rape and kill them. No way he would have noticed them if not for the way they put themselves out there...How could he help himself?


:puke:

No, I made none of this up. Everything I said is based on movies (tv and film) I saw as a teen, young adult.

Starting with Fatal Attraction to the many clones it spawned, jilted women are a fearsome nightmare. And in pretty much all movies, merely being single and childless automatically means that a female character is desperate and a little bit psycho.

...and a great point, which i'm reminded of daily wth the hideous, trite ads for the 'are you obsessed' movie...the latest piece of garbage hollywood has churned out in an efort to pit women against each other. worse, 'let's pit a black woman against the evil stalking, white woman, hell bent on stealing her man...' racial competition....yay. (not):eyes::puke:

...but i digress, and i don't want to thread jack. again, nice point, hello kitty. :hi:

and everyone is going nuts over these books. They are almost blatant propaganda for gender roles, with stalking somehow being cool, jealousy being romantic, possessiveness being a sign of love, and Bella is ready to abandon her entire life and throw at this guys feet.

I haven't seen the movie. I probably will, just to see the comparison. But if the movie is even half as bad as the books then it has to be pretty sickening.

I imagine the movie must be even worse. It's easy for an author to try to mask and rationalize the sexism in a book. In a movie, a stalker is a stalker is a stalker. And a creepy possessive date isn't going to look cool no matter what the book says.

If you have only experienced this series of books by seeing this first movie though, be warned, the later books get far worse and far more blatant. :(

(I have three) I found out is a big fan of the books. She was very disappointed in the movie. If you see it, it's painful, trust me. She went to a midnight showing, and her and her boyfriend were among the oldest there, most being teenage girls. She's 24, the youngest is 22.

I don't like the whole vampire deal, it's almost inherently sexist. I'm thinking about reading the books just to see how irritated I get. But then I think, why bother?

I have a ten year old grandson who is at that magical age where he wants to talk to me. He eyes are so intent on what I say, Thomcat, the responsibility of influence is an incredible honor. Anyway, sometimes I think the most positive thing I do is talk to this little boy about gender, and gender roles in words he can understand. Including things like "Twilight"

My daughters understand, the oldest thinks as I do, My son roles his eyes in the midst of female angst, but he "gets" it. He just doesn't always care, because he doesn't have to. He listens though.

(BTW, and Off topic, last night my grandson brought up "Gay people" He said "you know what I think about Gay people? I think So what if they're Gay" I simply had to redirect his wording, he used "choice and Lifestyle"--Picked it up from the media, or other family, but he meant it in a positive manner. The whole topic came up because of his Catholic cousins, who evidently told him being Gay was "evil" My SIL is trying to get him to agree to a baptism. He didn't really want to do it in the first place and the hateful attitude helped solidify his position. We would have let him choose if it was something he really wanted to do.)

good lord the movie was dreadful. Aside from massive jumps in logic, too much slow-motion stuff, no character development, atrocious acting, it was good for a drinking game though.

I read a review that Bella was made to be so bland so every female tween (and older ones) could easily imagine themselves in the middle of a "I'm so alone, I am special, no one understands me except this really HOT dude who stalks me and saves me and luvs me forever" fantasy.

I wonder if it's becoming popular with fundy girls because of the abstinence angle.

In spite of that ridiculous bit about the young girl getting preggers by a vampire. :wtf:

And it deserves a kick right now because I am so sick of hearing about this idiotic book and movie series I could scream. So nice to teach young women that sex = death and a guy loves you by stalking and talking down to you. Sounds like the perfect "fantasy" for the religious right.

Sick crap and I am more than tired of this phenomenon.

Vampires are gross, the whole idea behind them is weird. Some of the books and characters are great, of course, but Twilight, like you say, goes beyond simple horror or comedy or culture creation and lands smack into the world of extreme sexism justified.

Sometimes I think that the whole phenomena of Vampirism is, at best, is the outcome of some sort of Male Menstrual Envy.

...male menstrual envy. ha! :spray::rofl:

there are a few animators i suspect have some version of this syndrome. as they have way too many "jokes" focused around 'menses'--menstruation, sanitary napkins, etc. you name it, they've worked it into their cartoon. it's always struck me as odd especially after the tenth or so time(clearly someone has an issue at that point).

but back to the topic at hand...
the best i've seen 'the vampire' thing done, was the buffy series (as in the vampire slayer)--penned by a man with a feminist mother.

please don't get me started on the 'anne rice's books.' (bleh)

i'm thinking the popularity of these movies is at least in part based on the fact the series (and it's spin off, 'angel') are no longer on the air. they knew how popular it was, and wanted to capitalize on it, but repackaged it for a younger audience (and of course, made it far less pro-woman). :eyes:

Excellent!