'New Moon,' 'Twilight,' Bella Swan, and me

.As a seventy year old grandma I saw the movie and also Twilight with my twelve year old grand daughter. I loved the movies .I had bought and read all four books. Lets face it every movie is not going to be an oscar nominee. These were tough books to screen play. I felt it was a movie for the young,or Young at heart. I was especially pleased to see so many of our First Nation youths included in the cast.Judging by the hoots and hollers of the young women in the audience when the hunky shirtless boys came on the screen they were not dismayed. It was a happening and a lot of fun!!
sincerely
.Lola……..

What I find interesting is that some of you are complaining about what a whiny and weak character Bella is, and she can’t do anything for herself…and yet here you are listening to a movie critic and caring about what she says. It’s her opinion. Have a mind of your own. I never listen to critics because I rarely agree with them. There have been many “Best Picture” nominees and winners in the past with glowing reviews that I thought were just awful. And, there were some movies that overall critics hated, that I liked just fine. It’s very simple – if you want to go see it then go see it. Form your own opinion. I personally don’t like either critic for EW, Lisa or Owen. I hardly ever agree with them. But, that’s MY opinion. I’m sure Lisa won’t lose sleep over that.

I can’t put my finger on why the Twilight books are so appealing, but I confess that they are — still, the most irritating thing about them is the fact that Bella isn’t as independent as she should be in this day and age. Clearly, Bella’s intelligent, but in New Moon she doesn’t use any of that native intelligence to start coping better. Then again, who of us at 17 finds it all that easy to cope with being abandoned by our first true love? I remember being pretty feisty and unwilling to take any crap from guys (I take even less now, which is to say none, and no prisoners, either), yet I can’t believe how much leeway I was willing to give the guy I loved first, nor how long it took me to get over it. Hormones and eye candy are hard to fight, even with experience (but that’s what brains are for). Too much drama! We all do it, at some point, then we learn from bad experience and hope not to do it again — and for Bella, it was her first serious affair. Sure, we want her to snap out of it; but if she did that too easily, it wouldn’t be the great love it’s supposed to be, now would it?

I should also point out that author Stephenie Meyer is a nice Mormon wife and mother from Arizona, not a career woman or modern-day feminist manning the barricades for progress between the sexes; what did anyone expect?

Bella is a conundrum. While in Arizona, she took advanced placement coursework in high school, and she shows it in biology class when she meets Edward; yet in New Moon, there’s no sign of the brainy side of her at all, and that’s not credible. but at least in the book, she and Edward argue at some point about Shakespeare, specifically Romeo and Juliet. It’s not a discussion worthy of bardologist Harold Bloom, but they’re not embarrassed to be discussing it — which is more than you can say about most teens today. One wonders if they read Shakespeare at all, let alone for fun. And New Moon the movie doesn’t do anything to flesh out that intelligent side of Bella. Disappointing. Very.

I have to wonder whether Catherine Hardwicke would have done a better job on that point. I suspect yes, but then Meyer’s book doesn’t give her much to work with, in this case. We have to wait until the later books for Bella’s nerve and insight to surface again. Sigh …

Well, at least with the next film they’re back in the Columbia Gorge again, and with luck, we get to see the luscious Hike House and lovely surrounding area once more.

Lisa – I appreciate you reading and responding to the comments of your review, something your colleague Owen seems unwilling to do. But, this explanation doesn’t clarify your grade at all. You admit the movie was “just ok” and is more a product than art, so what in that justifies a B+? Can’t you say something like – B+ for Twilight fans, C for everyone else? Your review and column here point out that you think the film had way too many faults to have earned the grade you gave it, so I’m still a bit confused.