Posted on 11/23/2009 5:35:21 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" features long, steamy, smoldering gazes by handsome, shirtless young men who are vampires or werewolves.
Despite those lingering, lustful looks the film includes only four kisses and not a single sex scene.
Women and girls, who made up 80 percent of the opening weekend audience, said that is one reason "The Twilight Saga" appeals to them.
"I actually like that, the fact that they don't have bedroom scenes or anything," Gabrielle Rivera, 15, said.
Clearly the storyline is working. In the first three days, the box office raked in $140.7 million, according to studio estimates.
That places "New Moon" third behind "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3" on the highest-earning films for an opening weekend on the domestic charts.
The movies are based on the "Twilight" books, written by Stephanie Meyer.
Meyer, a Mormon, wrote her lead character, Edward, to be a chaste and noble protector of his love interest, Bella.
This may explain why the movie is a hit among so-called "Twilight Moms" who have described Edward as "the perfect man."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
i think alice is cute. i really try not to pay attention to what goes on in their private lives. in the books, bella is described as not really very pretty, very clumsy etc. and that’s part of why she can’t believe that Edwards loves her, because she sees him as so far out of her league. My daughters can’t stand Stewart. and have you heard of pattinson’s hygiene issues, how he doesn’t bathe regularly etc. It is beyond disgusting! i manage to suspend real life and just enjoy the escapism that the movies provide. I am also not 100% convinced that Robert Pattinson is hetero, despite all the stories of he and Kristin Stewart supposedly dating in real life.
My simple take is-— These movies with this vampire drek are moronic and making unhealthy fantasies for young people especially girls. Instead of wallowing in this supernatural crap go to church or synagogue. Yeah I’m old school
The Harry Potter stuff was similarly retarded
UK has such low church attendance but millions of Potter fans
i can’t really do much about how other people raise or fail to raise their kids, but i agree with you it’s a major problem. i have long said that if you don’t fill your kids with morals, the popular culture will do it for you. i don’t fear the popular culture influencing my kids because i know i have done my job and done it well. i say again, to each his own : )
My opinion of her in the role - primarily. I was disappointed when I saw the first movie and that was who they chose.
My opinion of her overall - no. As a woman, her appearance has no real impact on my like or dislike of her overall. While the grunge thing is something I really don’t get; her snarly attitude is why I dislike her overall. If you hate having fans, and a lack of privacy, perhaps acting isn’t the best career choice, especially acting in tween romance movies.
OK
How did he become a vampire?
Her mannerisms (Alice’s) crack me up. I don’t know much about the actress who plays her, but she is cute.
Aside from the grungy appearance, I think sometimes Kristen Stewart’s “clumsiness” is poorly acted. But that’s just me. As I said, I don’t really care for her, but it is nice to escape into a movie, especially with all the nonsense in Washington these days.
(I don’t really care much for Pattinson, but I think in this movie he did a better job than in the first as Edward. I do think the guy who plays Jacob is perfectly cast, though.)
his mother begged the doctor, Carlisle, to change him so that he didn’t have to die at such a young age, it was her dying wish, as she herself was dying. Carlisle is the “father” figure who wanted to be “good” and has overcome his bloodlust to be able to actually practice medicine and save lives. The Cullen family satisfy their need for blood by hunting animals, never humans.
A teenage girl will read it at a friend's house if she wants to read the book. Get back to me when she's a teenager. I've been there.
I don’t think he actually died, but was about to die, when Dr. Cullen “changed” him to prevent his death, IIRC.
Good on ya! I would like to think I have as well. We just have different ways...cool.
I think we can agree on many things,(I mean we both are here on Freep) we can agree to disagree about these books, no biggie.
Being the ‘mean mommy’ sometimes does pay off in the long run.
I’m sure you’ve had your moments under that mantle. ; )
Your younguns will do great with a passionate strong mommy like you!
I agree with you about the need for escapism for sure. I have Michelle Malkin’s book and Sarah’s book on my bedside to read, i read mostly non-fiction Tudor history, also as an escape. Twilight was perfect mindless beach reading. i read each of the books in about a day. I have never before felt the need for escapism, but i find life far too distressing these days. i live and work in Washington, DC : )
An Amazon review:
133 of 154 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage..., July 12, 2008
By Audrey
The reviews for this book were many and varying, but the majority gave high ratings. Twilight was given to me as a gift from someone who had not read it but thought I might enjoy it after reading such glowing reviews. Now, the thought that they paid actual money just to give this to me, and with only the best intentions at heart, makes me feel tremendous guilt. You know who you are, and if you come across this, I’m sorry. However, I feel no guilt in telling exactly what I thought about this story.
I am deeply offended. Not only at the author for penning such a thing, but most especially at the publishing company for allowing it to be printed, for this story lacks any imaginative or enjoyable storyline, contains only one-dimensional characters, and scenes and a narrator so ridiculous as to be stomach-churning. The entire book felt like one tremendously bad joke and not even a funny one.
Everyone knows what this is about. The main character, Isabella Swan, moves to live with her father in Forks, Washington, and, there, meets and falls in love with fellow classmate-and vampire-Edward Cullen. This is tagged as a dark fantasy/romance, and really, after reading it, I would not call it that; this is nothing more than a romance with a really pitiful excuse for vampires, and just because it has the author’s version of vampires doesn’t mean it should be pinned as a dark fantasy. Ooh...the sparkles...
I had no feelings whatsoever for the main characters. Edward was extraordinarily unlikable. There was no quality in him that was humorous, kind, or sympathetic. He came across as irritatingly moody and brooding and very controlling. He often told Bella what to do, and was the boyfriend equivalent of a bully; and, of course, spineless Bella (yes, I’m coming back to this) went along every single time. The entire story he was either ordering her around (he was constantly telling her to eat or drink), telling her who was allowed to say and do what and when, and basically controlled their entire relationship (I cringe at calling it even that, as terming it such also offends). All of the things mentioned in the previous sentence (not to mention his weird and unromantic stalking) remind me of the warning signs of a possible abuser. Other than his constant warnings for her to avoid trouble and that being with him was dangerous, he was incredibly boring and had no other qualities. Also, the more Bella oozed about his exquisite body—as he continued to be as boring as paste (Seriously; the guy has no personality. What’s to like???)—the more I disliked him. He was supposed to be older than a century (don’t remember the exact age but basically...he was old), and he came across as nothing more than a moody, moping teenager. Well, let’s not insult the teenagers; better yet, like a guy on PMS. The author did not pull his age off.
Now, Bella, the spineless wonder, had me cringing with embarrassment. She was conveniently clumsy, and such clumsiness (which I would preferably call idiotic behavior, despite the author’s terming) consistently almost got her killed, thus thrusting her in the path of danger and allowing Edward to save her numerous times. She did nothing for herself. The entire story, Edward was looking after her. Also, during the span of 498 pages, her focus was set solely on Edward. She had no dreams (other than those about Edward...), no personality, no hobbies...Every thing, including nearly every obsessive sentence, was about Edward. If he failed to come to school, she would be moody, incredibly rude, and basked in her own boring despair. And when not in his presence she actually used such words, usually better left for describing mourning. Yes, she mourned the dude when he was away. She was rude to everyone but Edward and almost completely ignored her father instead of strengthening their relationship. I disliked Bella immensely. She was self-centered, vapid, helpless, mean, unbearably whiny, and childish. Her character, based upon her treatment of others, her intense obsession with physical beauty (what kind of message is the writer sending with this?), her dislike of those who were unpopular and/or not as attractive as others, her constant moping, and selfish behavior were almost unbearable. I disliked the fact that the author replaced character personalities with beauty. It’s like saying you can have the ugliest personality in the world and still be the most beautiful, desirable person that ever lived...The author also seemed to vindicate lying, vanity, and stalking. There was no quality in either main character that was admirable, and, honestly, I would feel shame if I knew a person like Bella.
The book was literally overflowing with descriptions of Edward’s beauty, which, with the exception of something quickly tossed in near the end, stood in for the majority of the plot. It was constant; there was either something about his flawless face or model-like beauty every time Bella was in his presence. I was disturbed by her obsession with him, and this obsession only made her seem mentally unstable (cough separation anxiety). If the explanation that this is one badly written and characterized book were taken away, I would call her a psycho. Well, he’s a stalker and she’s crazy...And here I will add direct quotes from the story that really take the cake...
Edward grins at her and she goes, “I looked away before I could start hyperventilating”(219). No girl hyperventilates if a dude looks at her. That is just stupid...and kind of hilarious.
After being around him she was “Afraid I might stumble in my woozy state”(225). I laugh at the utter ridiculousness.
She sees Edward and the result, “I couldn’t imagine how an angel could be any more glorious”(241). I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...
“He was too perfect, I realized with a piercing stab of despair”(256). She then proceeds to mope.
“I tried to keep my eyes from his perfection as much as possible, but I slipped often. Each time, his beauty pierced through me with sadness”(257). Look, this one is almost identical to the previous pages’ moping. My response: I try to keep myself from hurling as much as possible. Also, I find this wildly hysterical. How can I possibly take such things seriously?
I did not make up a single quote. Each was really written by the author. Unbelievable? Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. My point is the entire book is like this, all 498 pages of it! I question how and why this book was ever published. How is this enjoyable? It is insulting to my intelligence, and it is also insulting to every reader, male or female, but especially to females, who, following Stephenie Meyer’s characterization of Bella, should wilt and wither and fall into abject despair if their man leaves for even five seconds. Seriously, if he leaves...just fall over dead. We should all worship such beauty, and any man who has a wonderful personality, who actually has a sense of humor, who isn’t insanely obsessed with us, and who isn’t absolute perfection...isn’t worth the time of day. (...Note the sarcasm)
Bella was also very dumb about the very real danger Edward posed. She never had a single qualm, just the usual, I must-be-with-you, I-would-kill-myself-before-I-ever-hurt-you, type of thing. Edward even likens having to abstain from feeding off of her to an alcoholic surrounded by alcohol or a heroin addict in a room of heroin. Again, Bella’s reaction: you’re beautiful...I don’t often say this, though I sometimes get an intense urge, but Bella was just TSTL (too stupid to live). Thank God she’s fictional...I also haven’t really brought up much about the writing, but...it’s terrible. It’s about as bad (or even worse) than the main characters.
And my opinion of this incredibly popular story: complete and utter garbage. The people who published this book should be ashamed for giving girls such a role model and for having such low standards. Here I was thinking it was only movies that had spiraled off into disaster. What does this say about the literary world? I read to find beautiful, wonderful, imaginative stories full of flawed, sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful, sometimes plain, but, always, fantastic, strong, and unusual main characters. I read to find wonderful, imaginative stories to get lost in. Why are these things becoming so hard to find? I would never, ever recommend this book to anyone. This is not quality. It is a mindless romance, devoid of certain elements so that it can masquerade as a book for teens. And while it is devoid of these things, it is also without substance or depth of any kind. What an incredibly shallow story, in all aspects. Even pointed out as what it really is, it insults romance. This isn’t love; it’s lustful obsession. I thought it was even less than a waste of time: it is a waste of words, a waste of money, and a waste of paper...Hopefully, this will save others from wasting their time as well. You deserve better, and so do I.
I know we agree, i just find the “if i don’t like it, it must be crap” mentality a bit annoying on FR! My husband and i are both lawyers, my kids are raised in an atmosphere of fierce debate on all issues, they are politically and morally well prepared for life. They have all gone to Catholic school, the oldest is in a conservative authentically catholic college.
Mean mommies are good! I am sure you are doing a great job. my kids were really the only ones among their friends who couldn’t see PG 13 movies before they were 13. I won’t let the 15 yo sleep over at friends houses where i have not met the family etc. The 18 yo and 21 yo have not given me any reason to doubt them, and believe me, as i have always told them, i am going to think you are doing stuff even if you aren’t, so don’t think you can pull the wool over my eyes.
as i have said repeatedly, TO EACH HIS OWN. if you don’t like it don’t read it. but just because you don’t like it or someone else doesn’t like it, doesn’t mean that it’s crap and everyone else who enjoys it is a moron etc. good grief.
Really! everyone is entitled to raise their children as they see fit, but hard to listen to the mother of a 7 mo old try to tell those of us who have raised children to adulthood how one does it! LOL!
Hey XS
I loved Host. I’ve re-read it several times already. I’m planning on seeing New Moon on the 30th. I’m taking an extra day off for the Holiday. I figure everyone else will be at work. :-)
RS
EXCELLENT! Same rules here. We need more Mean Mommies in the world.
Oh man, you can’t stop teens from reading books, esp. the ‘good’ parts! When I was in middle school, we passed around a copy of one mom’s book, Wifey (Judy Blume). Not one of our parents knew we had it but certain pages were dog-eared from being folded over for the ‘dirty parts’. Lol, just remembering. That was only one book of many we shared.
And you know what? It didn’t make any difference in what we grew up to become. We had a majorly big 25 year reunion this year. All of us, average American citizens, married, raising families, working, just being good people. It’s silly to think that reading something in your teen years is going to change *who* you are.
Actually, as a conservative, I believe there are standards beyond like/dislike. Character development may or may not be found in a book, and finding it is good. Dialog can be realistic or not. The former is good. If the protagonist spends her time obsessing over a boy, and that is accepted as love, then the book is bad.
It is like when a movie substitutes sex for love, or action for suspense - it may make it popular, but it doesn’t make it good.
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