there was a bit of an internet kerfuffle the other day regarding twilight and comic-con that got me thinking about that wretched film. yes, i have seen it. and yes, it’s frickin’ terrible. i won’t go into the issues of feminism and glorifying abusive relationships, or the creepy mormon undertones, or the fact that technically speaking, edward cullen is a pedophile. others have done a lot better job at that than me.
it’s just poorly made. the dialogue is unrealistic and terribly delivered, the directing is first-year film school at best, the cinematography is some of the most annoying i’ve ever scene (“hmm, how about we make every shot a push-in for no reason whatsoever?”), and the special effects are of smallville quality, which is to say, “not good.”
so i went on a quest, polling my female friends, some of whom like twilight and some of whom don’t, to see what the hell the big deal is. here’s a smattering of the responses:
“You’ve clearly never read Tiger Beat or drawn the floorplan of your dream house with Eric Nies. Girls just wanna have fun, Sean.”
“so they aren’t technically good, sometimes a person doesnt want to think so much.some of us with brains enjoy corny once in awhile.”
“for girls, we pick apart the points in the movie that we like, wish our lives were like that, then ignore everything else that doesn’t apply.”
so i guess i have to be a girl to “get” twilight? i call bullshit. there’s something else at play here that i can’t quite crack, but i weep for the generations of young boys that have to deal with all the girls that grew up on this tripe and now expect every boyfriend to be edward cullen because their sexually-frustrated mothers were too busy getting caught up in it as well to stop and think that maybe theses things aren’t setting the best examples for their daughters.
me, i hope i have a daughter so i can feed her a healthy stream of ripley, buffy, starbuck, janeway, and other strong female sci-fi characters and keep her away at all costs from “i’m completely helpless and alone without my boyfriend, the abuse prick that only likes me cause i smell really good and i’m a virgin” bella.
-srd
38 responses so far ↓
vu // July 13, 2009 at 1:24 pm |
twilight ftw!
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 2:21 pm |
anyone out there looking for a new bff? i’m in the market…
vu // July 13, 2009 at 5:03 pm |
never!
Julie Anne // July 13, 2009 at 1:54 pm |
I do feel incredibly sorry for those poor young boys that will have to live up to an unrealistic expectations. I mean, women have NEVER had to experience that. Ever. In the history of ever.
That being said, I agree. The whole virginity-sparkling-smelling-kidnapping thing is…odd. And unhealthy. And really not a game plan for any relationship or even a passable movie. But is any movie or any book a really great blueprint for life? Or entertainment, for that matter? I honestly don’t think so.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 2:21 pm |
sure, cause you’re logical. but look at all the women who use sex and the city as a blueprint for life, or douchey guys with entourage. people are dumb, hence, twilight’s popularity.
Julie Anne // July 13, 2009 at 3:16 pm |
Okay, fair enough, I hear you on the Sex and the City and Entourage fronts. It’s a completely acceptable argument. The women in your life are, by and large, fairly logical people and I doubt they’ll be pushing this “fairytale” on their children as some sort of ideal And to those who do? Well – I guess you just have to let them.
BTW, Let the Right One In was wonderful.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 3:18 pm |
see, THAT’S how you make a movie about young vampire love.
vu // July 13, 2009 at 5:02 pm |
should i not mention that you’ve made an attempt at emulating what’s-his-head from gossip girl?
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 9:30 pm |
i just appreciate his fashion sense, not who he is.
Jenn Kriscunas // July 13, 2009 at 2:09 pm |
I love how riled up this gets you.
(Also, 2 points for the Smallville burn. I often refer to bad dialogue and one-liners as, “Man, that was totally Smallville.”)
However, I’m sticking to my belief that “Twilight” is totally an escapist fantasy. Good on you for showering your future daughter with nerdy goodness and powerful female figures. Still, I’m a girl who’s read all the classic feminist manifestos and still thought to myself: “Damn, getting schtupped by a vampire is kinda hot.”
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 2:18 pm |
you’re also 25, not 14.
Jenn Kriscunas // July 13, 2009 at 2:35 pm |
I guess I’m not a good example. I spent bible study hour trying to find the erotic psalms and read “Forever” by Judy Blume when I was 10 because they “did it.”
Jenn Kriscunas // July 13, 2009 at 2:39 pm |
I guess my point is, I’m sure I was exposed to a bunch of misogynistic shit when I was younger, but I think I turned out okay? Question?
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 2:51 pm |
right, but never legitimized BY women on this type of scale.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 3:21 pm |
it’s also the fact that i want to expose her to quality film-making as well.
Jenn Kriscunas // July 13, 2009 at 4:26 pm |
I think Twilight’s complete lack of regard for the principles of good film-making is what really offends you. I understand. It’s how I respond to people who love Nickelback. I get all angry because they are offending me with their bad taste.
How do you get all your comments all nested (nestled?) up like this? Plug-in?
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 4:32 pm |
that’s the main thrust of my argument, but people who aren’t film nerds or don’t take film as seriously as i do brush that off as being snobby or whatever. so i attacked it from another angle as well.
there’s a setting somewhere under comments that’ll let you do nesting. but i host my blog on wordpress.com, so your mileage may vary.
kelly // July 13, 2009 at 2:39 pm |
I do have a daughter, but even my three year old who has seen parts of Twilight knows that it’s just a movie and that it’s not real. Just as she’s seen Harry Potter and I don’t really expect her to run out and think that magic is real or that she should be scared of giant snakes or bad wizards. She’s also seen every Disney Princess movie and plays with Barbies, two things I was always avidly against, but she will never think she can grow up to be a princess or a woman with impossible measurements because of how she is raised not because of what she thinks is entertaining to play with/watch.
In my opinion, people are reading too much into a teen novel and a movie. I’m honestly just glad that it got million of preteen girls noses back into books.
Yes, young girls are very impressionable. Yes, Bella is not exactly the role model I would want my daughter growing up to want to be like. But she is a FICTIONAL character. The problem isn’t the novels or the movie, it’s the woman in the girls lives not giving them the tools to know that it’s just a movie/novel. Edward Cullen is never going to come whisk them away and protect them, they don’t need him to.
As I previously said “some of us enjoy corny once in awhile,” it doesn’t mean I’m not going to make Stein, Wolf, Dworkin, or Freidan readily available for my daughter when she’s old enough. They are all on the shelf right next to my entire Twilight collection.
It’s all a matter of reality vs. the real world. Like julie.anne. said it’s not a blueprint for life. I’m way more worried about all the real people who are out doing damage to the feminist movement then someone who doesn’t exist.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 2:49 pm |
“The problem isn’t the novels or the movie, it’s the woman in the girls lives not giving them the tools to know that it’s just a movie/novel.” that’s exactly what i’m saying. there’s no one telling these girls that this isn’t how you should be treated by a boyfriend because the moms are swooning over it too. so moms are setting just as bad an example.
twilight, in general, makes your gender look bad, just like the REAL people out there like sarah palin. have some higher standards, is all i’m saying. harry potter is at least well-written, and the movies are really well done.
kelly // July 13, 2009 at 3:23 pm |
it’s not about standards i won’t argue that harry potter is WAY above and beyond the quality of twilight. I’m just saying that this is almost as stupid of a debate as to whether or not Harry Potter is teaching kids to be followers of black magic. It’s a book/cheesy movie. Monica and I swoon. But it’s all in fun, and last I checked we are both intelligent women. Beatrix and Eva will never think that Edward Cullen and Bella have the picture perfect relationship.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 3:32 pm |
then you’re being good parents. but i think it’s a safe assumption that most people aren’t (good parents) and rarely take the time to sit down and discuss things with their children. and you know how kids work, their friends opinions are more important than their parents.
but really, there’s two issues here: the general lack of quality of the material and the message that material sends. that’s why i often say that twilight offends me on two levels: as a movie nerd and as a human being.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 2:52 pm |
also, did you read that article i sent you on twitter?
http://www.doublex.com/section/arts/vampires-and-sluts-and-virgins-who-love-them?page=0
kelly // July 13, 2009 at 3:26 pm |
i did. I have to work now or I would get into the things that I have to comment on that.
DaveyK // July 13, 2009 at 2:49 pm |
Wait…Twilight ISN’T about gay vampires?
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 3:12 pm |
no, just ones that SPARKLE LIKE DIAMONDS in the sunlight rather than burst into flames. i almost forgot about that bullshit.
skunk // July 13, 2009 at 4:35 pm |
aggressive.
disclosure: i haven’t seen twilight, mostly b/c it has been so panned by feminists that i decided i won’t support the franchise. maybe i’ll watch a bootlegged copy or something. this is all based on what i’ve heard and read. you can stop reading this comment right now if you wish.
in defense of those who like twilight, i can see the appeal. sounds like a pretty good epic love story — classic romeo and juliet, except instead of class and family feuds, the guy wants to eat the girl. on the surface, it’s a lot like the love story in buffy, which is probably the reason i liked buffy so much.
but then twilight goes off the rails with its obvious stupid opinions on sex, virginity, and sluttiness. and it also seems to condone abusive relationships. in fact, bella is pretty much useless. i don’t expect every female character out there to be gloria steinem in a hoodie, but there are degrees of anti-feminism i can take, and twilight seems to offend so many sensibilities at once, rendering it unwatchable. i’m not that distressed that twilight exists, but i do find it worrisome that so many people (women) don’t seem to care particularly about the abusive undertones. more of an indictment about how society doesn’t seem to take abuse very seriously, but perhaps i’m making generalizations.
ps: i don’t think i’d want my child to be like starbuck. what a mess.
srdailey // July 13, 2009 at 4:43 pm |
god, i was waiting for you chime in, ali. i think you’re dead on. on the surface, it does seem alluring. but in practice, at least in terms of the movie (i haven’t read the books, but i’ve heard they’re not much better), it fails miserably on all fronts.
ps: i wouldn’t want my daughter to be like starbuck, but i’d at least want her to have her strength.
my favorite feminist chimes in « my ironic mustache // July 13, 2009 at 4:50 pm |
[...] 13, 2009 · Leave a Comment i nominate ali for best comment on my twilight rant, pasted [...]
jon // July 13, 2009 at 8:19 pm |
I’ve seen some of it, I walked away after a while. I have to agree with all of your points on the movie making front, there is nothing good about it. Poorly lit, confusing angles and camera movement, bad acting, worse script, sub-par settings and wardrobe, etc…
That out of my way, my point;
I’m really confused by the large number of girls I know and respect as both strong willed and intelligent who are all defending this shit as if it deserves to exist. It’s the same debate every time, too. When I ask a girl why she likes it, she tries to appease me by saying she knows it sucks, but she just wants to use it to escape. Ok, so I heard that once or twice, but when seemingly every woman I know is saying the same thing, I’m becoming skeptical. How can everyone agree to that lack of a stance, that refusal to even think of a better reason?
The comparison to Harry Potter is getting old too, by the way. Harry Potter was a fantasy story for children, marketed as exactly that, and with it’s great success, grew up along with the children. Young teenagers aren’t going to watch Harry Potter and all run out and pick up sticks trying to see what the hell their patronus animal is, because that’s obviously fantasy. They will however, acknowledge the fantasy in this vampire story, and subtly allow the characters to sink in, as they idolize the pretty people on the big screen. It’s completely different.
The next girl who calls me chauvinistic for hating Jane Austin novels, but then tells me she likes Twilight is getting a book thrown at her. Pray it’s after I finish rereading the Harry Potter books in light of the movie coming out, I bet those things would hurt.
jon // July 13, 2009 at 8:27 pm |
…oh.
And the Harry Potter movies kick ass. Amazing cinematography, special effects, settings, lighting, music, costumes, choreography (for the fighting, flying, etc), and the characters, while pretty one dimensional and caught in a very simple conflict, ARE stand up role models.
monica // July 14, 2009 at 1:51 pm |
Yes, Edward Cullen IS a creep. Yes, the movie leaves a lot to be desired special effects-wise and dialogue-wise- but so does every movie in the Evil Dead series and I still love those movies. There is a difference between Twilight worship (which is what you’re complaining about, and ITA) and enjoying a cheesy franchise despite- or even because of- its faults.
These books were the stepping-stone for preteen K beginning to read longer books (Harry Potter was just not interesting to her, unfortunately) and not complaining about it. And we did have discussions about fantasy vs. reality and why Edward would not be a good real-life boyfriend, and whether Bella could have made different choices and what that might have changed about the story- because that’s what good parents do. I am thankful that K went from a reluctant reader to an avid reader unafraid of 500+ page books because of Twilight.
They are a guilty pleasure, nothing more, in my opinion, and the fact that so many people enjoy them can’t be discounted- there’s something there to like, despite the crazy amount of negativity that you and everyone else can point out about them.
srdailey // July 14, 2009 at 1:58 pm |
but what is it about it specifically that you like? i’ve yet to hear that from anyone.
monica // July 14, 2009 at 3:03 pm |
I like vampires. Can’t it just be that simple?
Ok, and I like their crazyass superpowers (sparkling notwithstanding) and their struggle to be “good” even when their appetites are begging them and teasing them with a whole high school full of delicious teenagers to succumb and be “bad”. Last but not least, I like the normal-girl-gets-unattainable-hot-boy aspect, which is what I think most women respond to on a basic level with regard to this story. Wanting the boy you can’t have in high school is a nearly universal experience.
srdailey // July 14, 2009 at 3:07 pm |
and thus, i will never understand women.
Jenn Kriscunas // July 14, 2009 at 3:15 pm |
“I like the normal-girl-gets-unattainable-hot-boy aspect, which is what I think most women respond to on a basic level with regard to this story. Wanting the boy you can’t have in high school is a nearly universal experience.”
Thank you, Monica.
SEE, DAILEY, I TOLD YOU.
srdailey // July 14, 2009 at 2:00 pm |
also, wolverine x-men: origins made $178,000,000 at the box office. doesn’t mean it’s any good.
monica // July 14, 2009 at 3:05 pm |
I never said it was good, I just said there was something people like about it.
Isn’t there anything comparable in your pop-culture wheelhouse that you like even though you know it sucks?
srdailey // July 14, 2009 at 3:15 pm |
i’m trying to rack my brain. troll 2? the room? but those are awesomely bad movies that are fun because they’re so terrible. i think the VAST amount of twilight fans aren’t enjoying them ironically. again, i’m not talking about the books. whatsoever. i’m talking about the movie, which is arguably pretty damn terrible.
point break and tombstone are the obvious analogs from my list of favorites. but those are still well made movies that happen to have some cheesy dialog or silly scenes.