The Twilight Debate

A few days ago, I read some comments by a couple of my friends about Twilight, the movie that has taken the world by storm, particularly teenage girls who are either in love with Robert Pattinson's good looks or die hard fans of the book. These two friends of mine didn't like the movie very much, for various reasons.

As a movie reviewer, and one who actually was able to appreciate this film fairly, I feel like I should stand up for it a bit. Not to say that I'm a fan of Twilight, I'm no Twilighter mind you. I'd just like to give my opinion on some of the stuff they said about it.

Here we go:

- The romantic relationship between the main characters is very superficial and not based on anything except good looks and mystery.
My friend argues that Edward is merely handsome and mysterious, and there's no reason for Bella to fall for him other than being intrigued. He comes off as rude and complicated, and she still wants him. The thing is, Edward was nothing more than a distraction for Bella, until the day he saves her life, not by simply pushing her out of the way of a speeding car, but darting across the parking lot at lightning speed and stopping the car with his bare hands! Now, if that doesn't interest anyone who is saved that way, I don't know what will. Naturally, Bella wants to know who he is, and more importantly, how he did that. And isn't that how most love stories begin? By curiosity about the other person? Even if in this case, it's not just about what they like or who their family is, but what they essentially are as a person. And he did save her life, so she has a somewhat good reason to like him.

- In "Twilight", Edward faces the remorseless choice of either turning his love into a vampire, letting her die, or CURING HER COMPLETELY.
So where's the drama in this, my friend asks. He was probably thinking, there's no sacrifice in this, so what's the big deal? Well, I think Edward had those choices to make and he had to do it instantly, and the second choice was obviously out. The first one is possible, but in Edward's eyes, it would not have been good. If you saw it to the end, you'll know that Bella wouldn't have minded at all being a vampire if it meant she could stay with him forever. But for Edward, turning her into a vampire may be risky. What if she couldn't be a vegetarian like him? What if she became wild because she was unable to control her thirst the way the Cullens have for years? And by being a bloodsucker, she'd have to leave her family behind. How would she explain to her father of what she has become? Bella wouldn't weigh so much on this perhaps, but Edward might have thought of it, being a vampire after all these years. It's probably not as pleasant as one might assume.
Which leaves the third choice, which Edward was wary of making, because it was a risk as well. If he goes too far in sucking her blood to save her, he might lose control and turn into the same kind of vampire he was fighting earlier. It wouldn't do him any good, nor his family or his love. It's that fear that highlights the tragicness of this scene, although I agree that some more mature viewers would say it's still superficial.

- Neither of them dies in the movie, so there is no particular kind of hurt either. The only kind of hurt seems to come from the fact that the girl eventually faces mortality.
There's only one reason they don't die. And that reason is sequels. Stephenie Meyer probably wouldn't be much of a writer if she killed them off so easily. Sure, she could have killed one of them and introduce new characters to fall in love with, but it may or may not have worked. But on to the hurt. The question about Bella's choice of wanting to be like Edward, and not getting it yet might put their relationship in jeopardy in the future. But stories like these tend to focus on the here and now, and not the eventual future. There was a potential hurting moment when Bella lies to her father and leaves him in order to save him, but they somehow resolved it at the end without touching on it, so that's a beef I sort of have with Catherine Hardwicke on that.

- Vampires here have no fangs, sparkle in the sunlight and actually walk outdoors in the day
Yeah, okay. It's kinda lame to have vampires who not only NOT burst into flames when they are exposed to sunlight, but they actually sparkle too. However, this story is targeted at a certain demographic. Like Harry Potter is aimed at kids with big imaginations, Twilight is targeted at young girls who love to look at the weird good looking guy at school. And if he's a vampire, even cooler. And in order to keep within the PG rating for stories like this, you'd have to make these vampires a bit more appealing on the outside and not so dark on the inside. What can I say? It sells, doesn't it? It's not going to attract people who've been fed on Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Blade, Buffy and Thriller videos, but it'll give a whole new perspective to the younger generation who want some light fantasy thrown in.


I know how this movie will not appeal to those of us who want our stories a little darker, a little meatier and a little more complicated. But for me, as I've said in my review for this film on the other blog, it was entertaining. The story was given enough time to develop, and it wasn't dull at all. It obviously couldn't avoid being cheesy at some point, and it borrowed a few elements I've seen in other films, but all that wasn't enough to spoil the fun. It had a good soundtrack to support it, and the scenery was very nice too. It's by no means a perfect film, but it doesn't have to be.

I do agree that too much attention has been showered on the books, the film, the upcoming sequel and Robert Pattinson too. I know how all the girls just love him. As a guy, I don't see the big deal about him. I know how you feel, my friends. I do think that he's not superbly good looking. When I first saw him in Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire, I thought "Man, he looks so gay" LOL. And in Twilight, he looks even whiter than he already is. That, added to the supposedly cool looking messy hairdo, makes him look more strange than handsome. Ah, but then again, he's eye candy for the ladies, not me.

To summarize, I'll say that Twilight is a good way to spend time at the movies. It isn't worth so much of the hype it's getting (I'm still wondering how it won so many MTV Movie Awards, and yet lost Best Song to Miley Cyrus???), but it's memorable. I'll still look forward to New Moon in November, and from what I've seen in the trailer, it should be darker this time around.


P.S.: If you want a really dark vampire story set in the modern world, watch HBO's True Blood. It's awesome.

Show And Tell

I'm doing a show and tell today, but it's not like the usual thing they do in school. Here, it's 'Show' followed by something completely different in 'Tell'.

My 'Show' is the poster you're looking at, the first teaser poster for New Moon, the sequel to Twilight. They got the mood right, but somehow it looks weird. All three characters don't seem to be looking at the right direction, especially Bella. Some say this picture is photoshopped, and I think they're right.


Now for 'Tell'. I went over to the Movie Carnival today. It's an annual thing where an online magazine organises a promotion on films and offers bargains and prizes. This year, it didn't seem too exciting. It looks bigger, but it didn't feel better. There weren't many things to be given out, and I think there weren't too many people paying attention to what's happening there. That's too bad, as I was looking forward to winning some freebies. But they just had a shooting game for kids, to win a toy gun no less. They need more merchandise giveaways, or I'm not coming back next time.

As you've read my last post, you know how insane the world is. There was an incident a few days back where someone was attacked by Manchester United fans because he was a Barcelona fan, right after Barcelona beat the Devils in the Champions League final. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought football violence only happens in Europe, not here. You Man U fans should be ashamed of yourselves.

Want more insanity? The news reported three guys being chained in captivity like dogs by money lenders because they couldn't pay. This is probably the worst thing I've seen happen thanks to loan sharks. My advice is to never trust a loan shark. Sometimes I still wonder why people do that. I know that there are times when we need money, but going to a loan shark to solve your problems is like digging a grave and jumping in yourself. Please don't do it.

How about tragedy? I got some. Well, it's more like a lesson on safety. A toddler was killed when he was run over by a reversing car. The driver? His mother. Damn.
A terrible tragedy, the one kind we'd hope to avoid from ever happening. This is the kind of tragedy, which if it happened to you, you'll never forgive yourself for, no matter how much time has passed. So the lesson is: be careful when it comes to kids. Their hyperactivity is difficult to handle, and if ignored, could be fatal. But that of course, doesn't mean you have to watch over them like a prisoner.

OK, time for something a little more positive. It turns out that Marit Larsen's new album The Chase is being marketed outside of Norway. So it's not really a miracle that I found it the other day. There have been local reviews about it, and they haven't been too great though. One reviewer actually said that somewhere Marion must be laughing. I wouldn't have been that hard on Marit, though. But I do disagree with this reviewer's comment that Marion wanted to be Norway's answer to Britney. Dude, they're so different that putting them in the same sentence is a sin.

By the way, I've been listening to Lady GaGa's music, and it's actually pretty damn good. I'm not a fan of dance music to be honest, but her material has got me hooked. Take a listen to it, if you haven't.

Before I go, I've got one last thing for 'Show'. Check out the following video. If you can actually remember this, then you're old like me :P Have a great June.

Hot, Crazy and Dangerous

I don't know about you guys, but May is one hot month for me. It's scorching hot in the afternoon, and it carries on all day, right through the night. I start sweating even as I step out of the shower. It's insane, and it's not right. It's probably the global warming everyone's talking about these days. The end may come sooner than we think. I sure hope not.

The world is crazy as it is hot. Some Arsenal football fan in Kenya hung himself after his favourite team lost to Manchester United recently. Sigh. Someone who feels so passionate about football should hone his skills in it as a tribute to his team, not give away his life over a game lost.

And then there's the dangerous part. If you're a Malaysian, you'd probably heard about two snatch thefts occuring in a matter of two days, which took the lives of two pregnant women and their unborn child. This unfortunately, is the way things are over here. This is how crime does its worst and the innocents suffer. Sometimes taking precaution isn't enough, because shit happens and there are times when we're not ready for it, or the steps we took weren't enough to protect us from harm. These are the moments when I wonder if God had a reason for these things happening, and what it may be.

Lots of things to ponder and mull over, but I admit I don't really have the time for it. I can't let myself get distracted too much. I just wish the world would learn to get along and stop thinking of themselves or be so selfish all the time. Then maybe I'll get some peace.

In other developments, I've been looking high and low for TV boxsets for Dexter, but I just can't find any. I wouldn't have to do this if the local TV channel didn't suddenly decide to air Dexter at midnight on a weeknight. Morons. Do they actually think that people would sacrifice an hour's worth of sleep, or more depending on when your bedtime is, just to watch a TV show, if they needed to work the next day? Put it on a weekend night, is that so much to ask???

Oh, I wanted to tell you this earlier, but....I got Marit Larsen's second CD! Whoo! Imagine my surprise when I saw it at the record store last week. I was like, no way! I purchased it immediately, and now it's mine. I admit, I haven't played it yet, but only because I already have all the tracks on my computer (if you're reading this Anouk, thanks again!). I still want this CD though, it's like having a piece of Marit all for yourself. I just wish she would team up with Marion again and make another record. But those days may never come again.

I think I'll go watch some wrestling. Tomorrow it's a trip to the temple, and Sunday I'm going where no one has gone before, on Star Trek that is. Enjoy your weekend, and don't forget to celebrate your mothers while you're at it.

What's On TV: True Blood

I had previously mentioned that I would talk about the stuff I've been watching on television in recent weeks. Today I'll start with the show I've just picked up last week. The subject: vampires.

Vampires have been talked about so frequently and featured in entertainment many times, yet the idea never gets stale. We've learned so much about them, but the air of mystery still surrounds their existence, and I think that's why making a story out of them always seem to work.

We've seen vampire stories revolve around teen angst and the collision of good and evil (Buffy, Angel), pure action and violence (Blade), tales of love and immortality (Interview With The Vampire) and modern day sleuthing (Moonlight). Vampires have also been portrayed as sleek killing machines (Underworld), campy bloodsuckers (From Dusk Till Dawn) and vegetarian types (Twilight). Though the last one isn't really about vegetarian vampires, it's a teen love story between a vampire and a mortal.

Which brings us to True Blood. What if vampires were allowed to live among us? That's the background of this series, where the Vampire Rights Act has been passed, which puts vampires on equal terms with humans. This is possible because the Japanese have successfully created a synthetic version of human blood, called Tru Blood. So vampires need not feed on people anymore, they can just buy this stuff at the store.

But of course, like real world racism, just because an act has been passed, doesn't mean the world readily accepts it. There is still debate on the whole idea. True Blood focuses on the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, in the deep south, where Sookie Stackhouse lives. Sookie is a waitress blessed, and maybe cursed by the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Every day she hears the ugly and sometimes demented things that goes through the heads of the people around her. Which is why, when vampire Bill Compton walks into the bar where she works one night, her life changes forever.

See, Sookie can't hear Bill's thoughts, which makes him unique to her. She considers him a godsend, if you will. The two are attracted to each other, and begin an uneasy relationship after Sookie saves Bill from a nasty couple harvesting his blood for medicinal purposes, and he in turn saves her from the same couple a night later. Sookie likes him, but soon fears him when she learns about his darker side, and the things he is capable of doing. At the same time, she has to contend with a serial murderer running around town, since her dumb ass brother Jason becomes the prime suspect.

Oscar winner and X-Men star Anna Paquin puts on a very convincing performance as Sookie, which earned her a Golden Globe. British actor Stephen Moyer is perfect as the brooding Bill Compton. Other key characters besides the above two and Sookie's brother Jason are Sookie's best friend Tara (who is as annoying as hell), Sam Merlotte, Sookie's boss and Adele, her grandmother.

What I like about it is the premise of the show. It presents a different view of vampires, and yet seems familiar. The love story might remind you of Twilight, but the whole idea of two different races living together under uneasy circumstances reminds me more of Alien Nation, an old TV series about a race of aliens arriving on Earth and living among humans, creating prejudice towards themselves for their differences.

Trying to get used to watching the Southern way of life on TV might be tough though. Southerners are portrayed to be loud, brash, unrefined and nosy in this series. But I think that setting is just the right one for the vampire-human premise. Sookie herself isn't that likeable to begin with, but she grows on you after a while.

Watching this hasn't been easy, since it comes on at the same time with some of my other favourite shows. Catching the reruns haven't been easy either, but so far I've been keeping up as best I can. If you have this show in your country, give it a try, especially if you like dark stories.