The trouble with "Twilight"

by Beth Hammarlund, A Tiny Machine • 11/18/08 • I wanted to like Twilight. I hadn't heard much of the books, but once the movie buzz began I decided to give the series a try. Now I'm as into hot marble-bodied vampires as much the next girl, but wow, I hated that book. Don't get me wrong, I finished it in like a day and a half. It's a pretty addicting read. But I found the writing juvenile, the story tired, and the message entirely anti-feminist. Needless to say, I won't be seeing the movie or finishing the rest of the series. There was something else about the novel that I found a bit unnerving, and now that Robert Pattinson (the hot British Cedric Diggory actor who plays sparkly love vamp Edward Cullen) has commented on it, I know I'm not alone.

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"When I read it I was convinced Stephenie was convinced she was Bella and it was like it was a book that wasn't supposed to be published. It was like reading her sexual fantasy, especially when she said it was based on a dream and it was like, 'Oh, I've had this dream about this really sexy guy,' and she just writes this book about it. Like some things about Edward are so specific, I was just convinced, like, 'This woman is mad. She's completely mad and she's in love with her own fictional creation.' And sometimes you would feel uncomfortable reading this thing." That and the fact that the author is already claiming that Pattinson's performance is Oscar-worthy (and I don't think the actor would take that compliment seriously either), and I'm starting to think she's a wee bit off her rocker. So in the interest of celebrating movies that don't feature clumsy self-absorbed damsels in distress, here's the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. An extended Watchmen trailer has also been released. There are a couple of things that I find a little odd (in particular Roschach referring to the Watchmen, even though that term is never spoken in the book), but I'm still optimistic. And the reviews from the pre-screen earlier this fall were extremely positive. If you haven't read Watchmen yet, I cannot recommend it enough. Considered a literary classic, this Alan-Moore-penned graphic novel is one of the best works of fiction of the 20th century. So if you're still trying to get past the comic book stigma, this critically acclaimed graphic novel is a great introduction to the genre. And if you just want to watch pretty perfume commercials, here's a link to the video for the Miss Dior Cherie television spot shot by Sofia Coppola.