The new movie in the “Twilight” series came out today. I thought I’d tell you why I hate the Twilight series. (I’ve read the first 3 books. Don’t need to read the 4th.)
Bella Swan is a Mary Sue (perfect character. no flaws.)
Edward Cullen is a stalker.
The vampires SPARKLE.
Edward is abusive.
Bella is annoying.
Stephenie Meyer spends every other page describing how hot Edward is. We get it already.
The books tell girls it’s ok to get pregnant at 18, drop out of school, and give your baby to your male “best friend” who apparently “fell in love” with your baby.
Vampires are supposed to be infertile. Because they’re DEAD.
The “love story” between Bella and Edward is entirely superficial. Bella loves Edward because he’s hot, Edward loves Bella because she smells nice.
If Bella is so awkward and clumsy, why does she get so many guys giving her so much attention at her first week of a new school?
Emmett Cullen only turns teenagers to vampires. Creepy?
The werewolves aren’t actually werewolves. They’re more like shapeshifters. Werewolves only turn at a full moon.
Only two characters die in the whole series.
The crazy fangirls. I am a fangirl. I am not militant or crazy. Take notes.
The best characters are given no development and are ignored. (Alice, the Volturi)
There’s probably more, but this is good for now. Long live Harry Potter.
From Facebook group "Lord Voldemort is pure Evil. He turned Cedric Diggory into Edward Cullen."
Once again, I’ll do a review of both the book and the movie.
The novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker is a classic. It’s written in a journal form, with the narrative voice passing from person to person. The characters are likeable enough, although the sexism in the book kind of took me off guard. (I’m no femnist, but why can’t women help hunt for a vampire, or hear stories about vampires?) Any scene that Count Dracula appears in can get very creepy. Actually, any scene with any vampires can get creepy. There are scenes of death, of love, etc. This book has it all. Its a fantastic novel, although sometimes it can be very slow moving and hard to get through. But stay with it, and you’ll enjoy it.
It begins with Jonathon Harker on his way to the Castle Dracula in Transylvania. He notices how superstitious the Transylvanians are, and it begins to make him uneasy. Upon reaching the castle, and meeting the Count, Harker’s tension and uneasiness heighten. After being held “captive” for around a month, Harker learns that Dracula is unnatural, perhaps a vampire, and also meets 3 female vampires, who actually nearly drink his blood. Upon returning to England he is placed in a hospital for a mental breakdown. His fiancee goes to visit him. After this, this pair and a group of their friends become involved in a mission to destroy Dracula, before he can destroy them and all they love.
The movie “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” isn’t really that great. I wouldn’t recommend it. The only reason I watched it was for Anthony Hopkins (who did pretty good) and Gary Oldman (who kind of let me down). Keannu Reeves as Jonathon Harker made me uncomfortable with his horrible, HORRIBLE British accent. I’m not even putting a trailer on here. It’s just not good.
I’m doing a review of both the book and the movie. I’ll start with the book:
Written by Kazuo Ishiguro, its about a butler named Stevens who is totally devoted to his employer Lord Darlington, and sometimes his devotion is to a fault, because he misses the chance for love in the housekeeper, Miss Kenton. The story is written as a narrative of Stevens in the 1950′s. He reflects on the past, namely the 1930′s (pre World War II).
The story begins in the 50′s, with Stevens serving his new employer, Mr. Farraday. Farraday is a rich American who purchased Darlington Hall following Lord Darlington’s death. Farraday is a man with a sense of humor, and Stevens’ “sense of humor” (if you can call it that) does not match Farraday’s. So we see throughout the book Stevens trying to gain a sense of humor, and is constantly worrying about trying to match his employer’s sense of humor.
Farraday is taking a trip back to America to fetch his family, and suggests that Stevens take some time off while he is gone to see the country. Stevens is torn about leaving Darlington Hall, but his mind is made up when he receives a letter from Miss Kenton, where she gives some hint about wishing to return to service, because it seems that her marriage is not in a good state. Because Stevens is looking for a housekeeper, he decides to go and “see the country” and also see Miss Kenton, to see if she would like to work at Darlington Hall again.
On his trip he remnisces about the former “glory days” of Darlington Hall, and also of Miss Kenton. I won’t give all of the examples of his memories, but it is easy to see that though he has a cold demeanor, Stevens is in love with Miss Kenton. It is also easy to see that Miss Kenton most likely loves him too, however neither one of them actually voice their feelings. Miss Kenton is married to a man in the village, and she moves away to the West Country, leaving Stevens behind. The years pass, and they eventually lose most contact.
When Stevens gets to meet with Miss Kenton, she says that although she was thinking about returning to service, her marriage is not in such a bad state, and she has moved back in with her husband. While she is saying this, Stevens confesses that his heart was breaking.
In the end of the book there is a touching scene where Stevens confesses his feelings to a former butler he had just met on a pier. If you want to read this book, be warned that sometimes it seems like a bit much to take in sometimes. You need a stomach for reading this kind of literature, because it doesn’t have the “happy ending” or huge love scenes. Its very British.
The Movie:
Remains of the Day is a Merchant/ Ivory production (see Howard’s End, Room With a View). It stars Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton.
The movie follows the book fairly well, although for brevity some characters have been changed or gotten rid of. Hopkins and Thompson do a wonderful job, as well as the supporting cast which includes James Fox, Christopher Reeve, and Hugh Grant. The music in this film is beautiful as well, with the woodwinds playing low, flowing music and the violins and flutes playing longer notes over the top. Its wonderful. I love this movie, it’s definitely one of my favorite movies. Here is the trailer:
