To mindlessly merge a classic horror theme, vampirism, with the vacuous, sickeningly sweet, pink-polka-dotted, cream-puff stuff of romance novels is nothing short of total cinematic blasphemy.
"Twilight" is not only phenomenally popular among the quivering, shivering pre-teen and teen set, but legions of older gals (30- to 60-year olds) are enthralled to no end also.
This is indeed an extremely sad commentary on the quality of life these days as millions of adult American women are so deprived of romance and love that they even line up hours in advance of this movie's showings and often sleep outside like homeless waifs--all to get less than a minnow's mouthful of what they crave so damned badly.
"Twilight" is no more than a snake oil-based salve for a sick society.
In other words, it's like a fictional version of alcohol or a drug. You take a hit of Twilight so you don't have to deal with real life. Daydreaming about half-naked hunks becomes the only high you need.
Of course, you could say this about any fanatical set of fans. But at least Star Trek and Star Wars fans tend to be advocates for science and space exploration. What do Twilight fans stand for...anything?
For more on the subject, see Melvin Martin Reviews New Moon and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.
Below: "We Quileute werewolves just like to fight and hunt. Don't look to our Indian culture for environmental stewardship, a sustainable economy, and other solutions to the world's problems."
"To mindlessly merge a classic horror theme, vampirism, with the vacuous, sickeningly sweet, pink-polka-dotted, cream-puff stuff of romance novels is nothing short of total cinematic blasphemy."
ReplyDeleteA blasphemy that is as old as the hills; almost as old as cinema, almost as long as there have been vampires in movies. Think of the 1931 "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi, with the "romance with Mina" thing going in it. Derived from even earlier alterations of the Dracula story. This ended up so embedded and entwined with 'Dracula' that even the so-called "Bram Stoker's Dracula" movie left this aspect in... despite the fact that it was not present in Stoker's novel.
Rob said: "But at least Star Trek and Star Wars fans tend to be advocates for science and space exploration."
I don't get much of the science and exploration thing out of "Star Wars" fans. Nothing like with the Trekkies.
But by your standard, are the "Lord of the Rings" fans as bad as the Twihards? No science in that fandom, either.
Twilight: New Moon was the THIRD highest debut for a film in history. That's millions of people all over the world watching Indians come out of the woods half-naked. If that's not bad enough, this film is set in our CONTEMPORARY society. The movie-going public writes this off as "fantasy" in films, fine, but for those of us working to show Native Americans on the big screen as "people" who have the same emotional needs and dreams as every other culture in the world this kind of success for twilight is disappointing to say the least. I am used to seeing Indians get shot off horses in the westerns or be half-naked in the docu-dramas on the History channel, but when the same images are brought up to be a current depiction (one of the few to come out of Hollywood)...where is the balance? My daughter, now living in Norway, has met people there who actually didn't believe that American Indians still existed today thanks to all the "historical" images and lack of “modern” representation.
ReplyDeleteI would love to cast (the indian) guys from New Moon in a film where they wear shirts and don't turn into wolves...would the tweens come? Hmmm. I am ready to shoot! I just can't seem to find enough support from the “mainstream” film industry…go figure.
Keep the faith Rob,
Jet
Jetfilm@live.com
Jet: The first "Twilight" showed (albeit briefly) Quilleute leaders cloaked in unaltered animal skins, c. the 1930s. That was rather out-of-date then, as by then the Quilleutes had been wearing contemporary dress for a very long time.
ReplyDelete(Not they ever ran around draped in pelts like that, anyway)