‘New Moon’ Opens Everywhere Tomorrow
by Big Hollywood–
Bad dialogue, like bad news, doesn’t get better with age. This movie moves like the line at the post office. “Twilight” — that culture phenomenon that resembles “Star Wars” much as the prime minister of Belgium resembles the president of the United States (respective box office ranks of these two films in their respective decades: 71, 1) pushes its leads apart with thin contrivances that set up predictable last-minute rescues.
Also: Christian Toto interviews some of the actors here.
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84 Comments
My wife and her gaggle of friends have been droning on about this movie for months. I can't get my head into it. Max Schreck was a vampire. Edward Cullen would be afraid of Max Schreck.
I just lost 15 IQ points watching the preview. And that's on top of the 5-10 that went away while I attempted to read Twilight at the request of a female friend.
My heart (and neck) go out to Mr. Stoker, Mr. Matheson, Mr. King and Mrs. Rice, just to mention a few…. Here's hoping Ms. Meyer and her emo machine doesn't destroy the legacy they created.
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I was just thinking 'where are all the vampire movies these days?' and here comes along this film…
and about 20 other films that have been coming out. Seriously, any other ideas.
why would you ever, in a million years, put star wars and twilight int he same category? thats extremely offensive D:
unless its the newer star wars "trilogy"
then you can bash it all you want.
Sorry Cullen bashers. The Twilight movie is a great flick for teens. It's theme is abstinence. Now where in Hollywood do you get a teen flick that has a theme like that?
I'm a die hard action movie guy. God, guns, and football, are my life. However, I was totally surprised by 'Twilight.' As a high school history school teacher, I can say "Of course these kids do act a little more mature than your average teen!" But it's a movie! It's fun. And it has a good, positive, message: A young man who's a monster and struggles not to be, the whole idea of conquering oneself. "I give it a thumbs up" and I can't wait to see 'New Moon.'
WHERE'S NOSFERATU WHEN YOU NEED HIM?! DX
My wife too. Ugh, any movie where vampires twinkle in the sunlight instead go up in a firey pillar with the death and the screaming and the "Curse you"s is just silly.
Emo machine, priceless.
I miss good zombie flicks. The last good one was the remake of Dawn of the Dead. The last good vampire movie I saw was… OK I give up, it's been a while.
Your Man card has just been revoked. : )
LOL "the absence of him is everywhere I look" – cut to Bella screaming in agony over the end of her high school romance. Melodramatic much?
Please don't think all women like this crap. Vampires don't sparkle!!!
Seriously? Real live adult women watch crap like this? I am sure at 13 I would have dug it, but at 43, Uhm, no.
It also advocates stalkerish behavior among young men. I for one don't want my daughter to think it's okay for a guy to sneak into her room so he can watch her while she sleeps.
That theme of abstinence….have you read the other books?
Oh, you have no idea. My husband works with grown women who go out in groups to see "Twilight" and make it into a party. Talk about arrested development. What was it Clint Eastwood said about our nation becoming more juvenile…?
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick with my Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel DVD's. I miss Spike.
The really odd thing about this series is the level of obsession this Bella girl has for the Edward "King of the Eyebrows" Cullen fellow. Is it really worth attempted suicide to have hallucinations of a pasty white brooder?
I dunno…Louis in "Interview WIth A Vampire" was pretty emo, only we didn't call it that 25 (!) years ago when it came out…her vamps were broody and sexy, but the books were "grownup," we just snuck them as teens. If you want Big Girl vampire books, you should be reading Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse and Laurel Hamilton's extremely trashy, graphic Anita Blake novels. (It took me reading 4 or 5 before realizing how trashy they were!)
Your comment made me laugh so hard!
One of the few funny things I've seen on Conan lately is the brooding teen vampire guy he hired as his personal assistant, and whose angst caused him to run out into the sunlight, where he didn't "twinkle," he burned to a crisp.
I love vampire movies even when they are bad. Have since I was a kid. But I've never seen a single episode of Twilight. Just the ads for the show make it seem like a Goth Girl/EMO Chick take on the whole thing. At least True Blood has an element of DANGER to it. Twilight seems like all drama and romance.
Gary Oldman was a dangerous vampire. Every filmmaker interested in making a vampire film should try to top that… and good luck, because Oldman is a genius actor. Sid and Nancy, anyone?
Hee-hee! If I had been able to put up with the movie until then, that crystal sparkling thing alone would have pushed me over the edge.
Superficially, I suppose, yes, you could make that argument about the "Twilight" series. If I had kids, I'd much rather have them seeing this than a number of other movies airing. But as National Review said in a commentary on last year's movie, is this really the message we want to be sending to children? You should embrace the abnormal stranger without a moment's hesitation, and it's society, not he, who's bizarre and forbidding? (Which it sometimes is, but by comparison…) On a non-philosophical level, the movies are just one melodramatic cliche after another. Also, it made me really hate 12-year-old girls, and the friend of mine who dragged me into seeing it.
I'm preparing for fan girls to love it and anyone with half a bit of taste to vomit upon seeing the opening trailer.
There's a reason vampires are in horror movies, not sloppy teenage romance movies…
I'm a 20 year old girl, and I would pretty much stab myself in the eyes before watching this trash.
I have and Bella and Edward are abstinent until they are married. So I'm not sure what you are driving at.
Sure they kiss, but that's really about it because that's all that Edward can handle anyway – without devouring Bella literally.
And no, I'm not a Twihard. I read the books, they are like Harlequin romance novels only cleaner and they were good, "bad" fun. IMHO, of course.
However, if no one else likes them, I could care less. It neither picks my pocket nor does me harm.
My husband liked the Twilight movie as well (I'll never get him to read the books though), but for different reasons – he liked the Native American background in it and he pretty much likes almost any movie he sees. He's easily entertained. So no one can go by him. He has an extensive "B" movie collection, but quite frankly, some of them are "C" and "D" movies, IMHO.
I don't think your Man card is revoked.
You are right there are some good aspects to it for young kids (although some think that Edward is abusive, but I don't buy it – I think they are reading too much into it).
Anyway, to each their own, right?
Yup, that's my problem with twilight. I have a problem with creepy stalkers. Edward's a stalker, Bella's obsessive. I like the abstinence theme, but do we really want young girls to think that *THIS* is a healthy relationship?
I have a few friends who tried to get me to read the books in high school but I was too busy reading victorian fiction. (Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray). When I start something, I get really into it, so I thank God I dodged that bullet.
The chin. It haunts me. I really can't see what these girls see in him
I don't know that that is exactly the message. That's not what I got out of it anyway. I didn't see as her society as bizarre and forbidding, just that Bella simply didn't fit in with humans, although Meyer didn't write it well enough IMHO. So it made sense for her to bond with the vampires. Just like Harry Potter didn't fit in with the Muggles – he was a wizard and was home at Hogwarts.
Melodramatic? Of course, but it was also an escape for me (as much of my reading is; but that's just me.
You had me at vampires don't sparkle.
I have no interest in personally watching these movies, but it seems like good clean fare to me and so I encourage all of YOU to go watch it!
Ooh, I've been thumbed down. Apparently there are some Twilight fans who take offense at being called juvenile. You do realize this is teen fiction, don't you?
Lol! Sparkly vampires are so wrong on so many levels.
Love Charlaine Harris. I do book reviews and she actually hooked me up with a publicist who sends me the review copies. She's a doll.
I agree on you take on Rice's vampires too. I think she was going for gothic but romanticized the monster along the way. I think the "Twilight" derivatives that are so popular today were written by authors weaned on Rice.
I know, right? When I think "sparkly" my first thought isn't of menacing vampires. I'm thinking ponies and rainbows.
What was the last vampire movie that was actually GOOD? Vampires no longer frighten me, but I will acknowledge that they have a lot of untapped potential as JC Penney's catalogue models.
I think there was an anime character… Ah yes, Major Armstrong from Full Metal Alchemist whose sparklies have been passed down the Armstrong family line for generations!
The vampires in the original "Lost Boys" scared me, but that was the last one I saw that really got me. And I watched in high school when it was more fun to be scared. 8>)
Vampires wear capes!
Everyone knows that!
; )
Jeez, relax everyone! It's just a movie! My 20-year-old daughter was obsessed with the books and we saw the movie together. I have read all four books. While I think the writing is just okay, and the story could have been told in 3 books rather than two, it is still great to see the average-looking girl get the guy. Maybe that's why it appeals so much to teens and young women.
My kids went to junior high and high school with Taylor Lautner, so our whole town is in a frenzy. He is as much a draw in this movie as is Rob Pattinson.
The actors will make this film a smash – not the book. I've read all four 'Twilight' books. The first one was mediocre writing at best but the next three books were disasters. The fourth book – 'Breaking Dawn' – was so atrociously written that the only purpose it served was to answer the question 'what's the worst book you ever read?'
No, the actors will make this film a smash. I predict an $80+ million opening. I'm serious.
I think this bit from TVTropes explains it:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Bishie...
Oh, is that frowned upon?
Aw, loosen up, baby. Get with the trend and have a blast.
Can I still drink beer?
No, I have not read any of them. I was just comenting on the movie 'Twilight.' And since I saw 'New Moon' last night, it seems to still be the case for the movies at least. I just thought it much better than the usual " all teens have sex" movies.
I did however, read an interesting commentary in Touchstone, a conservative Christian magazine on the Mormon(Stephanie Myer, LDS member and BYU grad) themes within the book series. I am not LDS and do not believe in in their theology, so I do not know if I will take the time to read them. So many others on my reading list.
As for the stalking behavior, Edward Cullen is a vampire, a monster. I'm being a little facetious here but, would you deny your daughter watching Snow White where a young woman moves in with seven bachelors?
Cullen admits his weakness, he hates what he is, and warns Bella to stay away. A stalker does not do that. IMHO there is a lot more good in this movie than what other things can be read into it.
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Whatever happened to watching movies just for the entertainment? Methinks too much "philosophizing." I personally believe that idf we raise our children properly and support them in their life they will more than not make the "right" decision. Just MHO.
Right!
And thank you for returning my Man Card. ;o)
Good points!
Sorry but the Buffy series started out good then it sucked. However it cannot compare to the movie. ;o)
I agree. And I don't like how every new vampire movie or bok changes what the original vampires were, what protected you from them and what killed them. Sorry, I'm a "traditionalist." ;o)
I believe there is nothing new under the sun (or moon for vampires) so each generation of author feeds off those that came before. I'm just not impressed with the newest editions like Twilight, and True Blood on cable. These tales make a comeback every few years, and they seem to be lacking in tension and drama I associate with vampires and/or horror in general. I was weaned on Dan Simmons, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, and even a bit of Anne Rice so screaming in a high register when Edward shows his abs on screen is not my thing. It also probably doesn't help that I'm a straight guy, but you get the idea.
And after reading some of the other replies, I think maybe I'm just being a grumpy old man and should at least be praising Twilight for generating a buzz (romanticized or not), much in the same way Harry Potter did, that actually pulls kids in to reading instead of playing video games and trolling the mall.
The only vampire films I like are the ones with Abbott and Costello in them.
I actually had a conversation with a psychologist that deals with young women who have abusive boyfriends and she summed up the "Twilight" issue fairly well…
In the end, vampires aren't real, but teenage girls are, and Twilight, given the volume of girls, is producing young women who think stalkerish behavior or overbearing older patriarchal boyfriends are perfectly acceptable and the definition of an ideal romantic partner. I've talked to so many younger women about Twilight and they see nothing wrong with a boy who loves your smell so much he comes into your bedroom at night to watch you sleep. Hello? No.
I agree wholeheartedly with her that "Twilight" isn't something that we're "reading too much into." It's a symptom of a larger problem that won't be addressed as long as mom thinks Edward Cullen is dreamy too.
If anyone had actually read Dracula, the basis of much modern Vampire storytelling, vampires don't "burn to a crips" in the sunlight. Yes, they don't "sparkle" either, but they don't die. They become weak with at best the strength of a normal human. Just saying.
Wow, there is a lot of angst and hostility evident against this movie and franchise. Interesting, considering that the books were written by a relatively conservative person. You would think this was some socialist or communist anti-American propaganda film. I am not saying that the series is that good or that there aren't problems with the writing and characters. Perhaps equal hatred for Twilight can finally bring conservatives and liberals (who argue the same points) together.
I understand the concern, and I agree that mom should have a "level head." My point is that if parents are "level headed" and have raised their children according to their belief system, their kids will more often than not, be able to distinguish the fantasy from reality. Just MHO.
I think you are confusing Twilight (a book series and now two feature films) with Vampire Diaries (a book series and television show on CW). I have never seen the tv show but can tell you that there is some elements of danger in Twilight although it is mostly drama and romance.
I have read all the books as well. Definitely not the best writing. I don't go as far as to call them the worst books I have ever read though. Maybe that just tells you that I have read some pretty badly written books. You should read the partial book she has online though. It is much better than the others. The fourth books was really bad though. In my mind there was a lot of potential and so much of it wasted.
Despite Edward's stalkerish behaviour, if you read all the books he isn't a classic stalker. So I won't have a problem with my teens reading them because I will teach them that boys coming into their rooms isn't okay. But I will appreciate when they read them I will not have to worry about their minds filling up with pornographic content. That is one of the major draws for me.
That and the books are really just escapist fun. I don't think they were ever marketed as anything else though. That goes for the movie too. I really think the actor playing Edward and the one playing Jacob are good looking and that helps as well.
The man card thing was a joke, but I do not see any entertainment value in it. I think it is like watching something off of the Nick Teen Channel, with all of the teeny-drama and over-emotional "why won't he talk to me? why does he hate me?" stuff.
Word.
Bram Stoker was not a good writer. If anyone spends more than a few sentences describing the weather, then you are not for me. Plus the pleasantries between the characters of the book were just disgusting.
If anyone is a true Vampire aficionado would remember the short-lived series known as Kindred the Embraced. That was cool Vampire action. Thats how Vampiring should be. <twinkle> <twinkle>= thumbs down
I know it was a joke;o). Did you see my first response to the "man card" joke? I wrote, "Can I still drink beer?"
I understand your point. It is rather interesting though how a lot of people who would otherwise not see this stuff, myself included, would find it entertaining.
"Louis in 'Interview WIth A Vampire' was pretty emo, only we didn't call it that 25 (!) years ago"
What did you call them? Dandies? Fops?
"I think maybe I'm just being a grumpy old man and should at least be praising Twilight for generating a buzz (romanticized or not), much in the same way Harry Potter did, that actually pulls kids in to reading instead of playing video games and trolling the mall."
How utterly sad that we have to stoop to thanking the Lord kids read anything, rather than reading something worthwhile. The best I could manage as a kid was "Great Expectations," but mostly it was sci-fi/fantasy or whatever other pulp that happened to pass by. It wasn't until high school, at least, that I read anything worthwhile, or anything that I'd care to go back and read again (aside from Dickens, of course). I curse the heavens that I didn't read more of substance when I had the opportunity. What a waste is youth!
Heh. I think it was just "sensitive."
"or overbearing older patriarchal boyfriends"
That's reading into it abit much. Vampires are usually old, yes. But they portray him, as far as I know, like a slightly more mature teenager. And the fans certainly think of him as just another teenager, aside from the sucking blood and sparkling in the sun thing.
"I've talked to so many younger women about Twilight and they see nothing wrong with a boy who loves your smell so much he comes into your bedroom at night to watch you sleep."
If you can point to instances where this actually happens (not girls who accept domineering, stalkerish boyfriends, but ones who do so in any measure because of "Twilight"), I'll eat my hat.
Which is not to say, by the way, that kids shouldn't spend (/waste) time reading Harry Potter or Twilight. Just that we shouldn't pat them on the head for reading at all. Simply reading doesn't amount to much. They do that in public school and on the internet, and look what it gets them. Not much.
"Plus the pleasantries between the characters of the book were just disgusting."
That is a strange comment. Do you think they're historically or regionally innaccurate, or do you just hate pleasantries?
"If anyone had actually read Dracula, the basis of much modern Vampire storytelling"
Yes, it is the basis of much, but Stoker didn't invent vampires. And there's always been a strong connection between them and fear of being out in the day, up to and including being burnt to a crisp.
"The actors will make this film a smash – not the book."
You do realize the books were smashes, too, before the movies ever came out.
I don't exactly have statistical data, but I think it's a valid observation (that I quoted from another source). The point is that it's disturbing behavior that young women are seeing portrayed as harmless. It's a tad naive to think that pop culture isn't going to affect the way young women see romantic relationships.
From the volume of comments you have on this thread, I'm guessing you're a big fan.
"The point is that it's disturbing behavior that young women are seeing portrayed as harmless."
Here's what I think the problem is. The author obviously intended the characters and the love story to be relatable, and there is indeed that one solid hook–i.e. the power of teenage lust and the danger of the consequences of teenage sex–that fit perfectly with chosing to write about vampires. However, vampires are monsters, and no matter how fully you humaize them, they still do bad things. Because otherwise they wouldn't be vampires, and if you humanized them too much, it'd defeat its own purpose.
That's where you run into trouble. The analogy to a teenage love affair can only take you so far. Sooner or later readers have to deal with the fact that he's really old, he has this weird power over her, he's violent, and his lust is little more in fact than him wanting to literally devour her.
That's the risk you run in transvaluating monsters. You grab for the power and mystique, but you're stuck with the ugliness. That's why I like more traditional vampire stories.
"I'm guessing you're a big fan."
Lord, no. I just got in a posting mood, I guess.
"From the volume of comments you have on this thread, I'm guessing you're a big fan"
No, just in a posting mood, I guess.
"The point is that it's disturbing behavior that young women are seeing portrayed as harmless"
Here's the thing, I think. The author wants the story to be relatable and representative of all teenage romance. But when you use monsters, eventually the logic breaks down. Surely, vampires are mysterious, powerful, and timeless. But they're also old, violent, and bloodthirsty. They have a knack for developing a hold over their victims, which is that "stalkerish" quality people talk about.
That's the risk you make trying to transvaluate monsters. Ultimately, monsters are monsters. Vampires are killers, not to mention dead (eww). I prefer the old-fashioned tales.
It was the cultural norm at the time I am sure, but they were so… over the top. Example: Char 1:"May I beg your utmost undivided attention, and if it pleases you, speak with you for a few moments?" Char 2: "Of course you may, my most wonderful friend and companion."
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