Down in Front intervention

there's some method behind Apple wanting Flash to just die

Hmm... I'm usually willing to separate my disagreements with the morality being promoted from judgements of quality. I didn't stop reading the comic Cerebus  regularly when the author became a woman and gay hating religious nut, but when 'Ricks Story' just became bad. I don't have to agree with my entertainment, in other words I can understand you personally not wanting to watch a movie with those themes but they in themselves don't make it bad. Dealing with them badly, however...

There are two things that bug me about Twilight. The first is this trend that has been cropping up in recent years for a film to spend the first hour or so setting up characters and shit and then giving them a story, motivations, etc. A lot of 'studio' movies are doing that now. I wouldn't mind it so much if the characters were well developed and had arcs, but most of the time they're cliches or just boring characters who don't change in any way by the end of the film. Twilight is probably the most blatant example of that trend.

The other thing is more to do with 'teenager' films than Twilight specifically. Children's films usually have characters who learn a valuable lesson or 'come of age' or whatever. Adult films usually have characters who have a set of principles which are challenged and it forces them to reconsider their actions or ideals. Films that are targeted at 'young adults' and teenagers tend to have selfish asshole protagonists who don't learn anything or change in any meaningful way.

Teens are usually the center of their little world and don't generally give a shit about anyone else. Movies made for them tend to reinforce this notion by creating a world where the main character really is the only thing that matters. Their friends - who they treat like shit - will do anything for them. Their parents will bend over backwards to help them, no matter what. Their teachers will single them out as the best student, or the one with the most potential (if their grades suck and they have to be coached into succeeding). It goes on and on. Everyone totally fucking loves the main character. The only person in these movies who doesn't think the protagonist is the best thing ever is usually the antagonist, which is why they're the antagonist. In the end the protagonist wins the day and everyone is happy for them, regardless of how that person might have fucked over half the other characters to get to that point. So long as the protagonist gets ahead, that's the only thing that matters.

Shit like this only makes me want to apologize to my parents for being such an insufferable prick when I was in highschool.

Last edited by Squiggly_P (2011-02-25 00:20:54)

Morose women who were lonely teens have long written about lonely and morose teens for lonely and morose teens.

I hate them so much. Let's not let them sit next to us at lunch.

Last edited by Zarban (2011-02-25 05:27:39)

Why not just watch it again?

LOL!

I can't comment on Election, since I've not seen it, but Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a movie worth decoding a bit in this context. Ferris is exactly the sort of selfish asshole that a lot of these movies have. He screws just about everyone and ends up golden at the end of the film. I would most definitely not want to be his friend were I in highschool with him. He'd just take advantage.

However, Cameron's character arc is really the soul of that flick, and probably the reason it's become as popular as it has. Cameron has some pretty heavy issues to deal with, and Ferris unintentionally sets him down a path where he basically has to deal with this stuff he's kept bottled up for a long time. Ferris doesn't really give a crap, tho. He just wants to not get screwed at the end. The fact that he may have just emotionally destroyed his friend - or possibly helped him a lot - is totally inconsequential to him. He just wants to make it home before his parents.

I think if Twilight had had some kind of subplot involving one of the characters being forced to confront something they'd been avoiding, it probably would have made for a far more interesting film, and added something that might have been more worthwhile that just seeing vampires fight or having to endure a bunch of gooey romance bullshit.

I think a lot of the comments the guys made during the commentary about how they'd 'fix' the movie (really, totally changing the movie) were pretty spot on. The basic idea of Twilight isn't that bad, it's just sad how completely shallow the story ended up. You could add so much interesting character shit to a story about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. What you get instead is basically some really over-blown Anne Rice fan fiction that somehow ended up making a bajillion dollars.

Sidenote: I'm totally going to write a book about a highschool girl who falls in love with the 17 year old antichrist.

Really enjoyed this commentary, because it backs up so much stuff that I've been trying to convince teenage girls of for quite some time! (I worked as a summer camp counselor for several summers in a row.)

Especially loved the comments about the kids would love Edward even if he was played by a mop. I have long believed this, particularly because I find Robert Pattinson incredibly unattractive.

For the record, Stephenie Meyer has gone on record saying that in her head, Edward looked like Henry Cavill (specifically from his scenes in "The Count of Monte Cristo").

See, THAT Edward, I get.

Right? Me too. I remember the first time I saw that movie and immediately afterwards, noting who played the character and hoping to see more of him.

Here are Stephenie Meyer's cast selections from 2007 ... Ellen Page as Bella would've been a lot more fun. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/movie_archives.html

(And gotta add that Girlfight is one of my favourite films of all time. I rented it years ago because I thought it looked kinda interesting, sat down and watched it, then immediately rewound (it was on VHS) and watched it again. Awesome movie.)

I like that K-Stew isn't in the most popular suggestions or even in Meyer's own wishlist to play Bella. R-Patz is for Edward, though (though, not in Meyer's list).

Ellen Page or Danielle Panabaker would have been a better Bella. At least Page's Bella would have been likeable.

Ha,  yeah, I hate it but I'm using it in a mocking way. Plus, it is quicker than typing his full name.