Thursday, March 26, 2009

Girl Talk Thursday: Twilight

What you should understand before you read my opinions about Twilight is that what I do for a living is critically analyze the way that writers have put together words and concepts, and then offer suggestions for improvement. This makes enjoying the Twilight series difficult for me, honestly, because the narrator thinks in purple prose and most of the characters act like 40-something Mormon ladies that have been forcibly stuffed into glittery/furry skins.

These aren't errors, per se, and I understand that being a slightly unromantic 26 year old, I'm not quite in the demographic that this sort of thing is meant to appeal to. But as an editor it kills me that no one ever found some chocolates and some tissues, took Meyer gently by the shoulders, and suggested that perhaps the series would read less like a self-indulgent personal fantasy and more like a real story if she just wrote it in the 3rd person.

I offer, as evidence, the Twilight movie! I'm not saying it's high-quality cinema -- I'd place it somewhere between Bring It On and Josie and the Pussycats on a list of films I probably wouldn't publicly admit to enjoying (nobody reads this blog, right?). But it's cute and sweet, and has genuinely intentionally funny moments, and the actors bring out Bella & Edward's desperate and stifled attraction. Not having to look at everything through Bella's mopey, self-deprecating head makes everything approximately 219% more realistic and sympathetic.

All that being said, yes I read all 4 books as quickly as I could get ahold of them, and talked to everyone including people who didn't care about what this and that character had said and done, and went and saw the movie on opening weekend with my best chick friend. Partially 'cause I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, partially 'cause I like keeping up with trends in youth lit and expressing righteous indignation about trends I dislike, and partially 'cause somehow, something about Meyer's story grabbed me by the ovaries and wouldn't let go. In a fun way, not in a creepy supernatural fetus way.


[I wrote about this for Mommy Melee's Girl Talk Thursday! From what I understand you can clicky the thing and read other ladies' opinions about this and other girl topics! And pass me a margarita while you're at it? Go Team Margarita Girl!]

Friday, March 13, 2009

mid-sized pimpin' (I am the honda accord of pimpin')

I have friends with talents! Gaze upon them, be amazed, and do some shit for them:

Juliana Finch writes folk-rocky songs and then plays them, sings them, and records them! You can listen to some of her music here, and if you like it, maybe you'd like to preorder her upcoming album? It would help her actually make the album happen.

Mike Ricca takes pretty photographs of people and things in San Francisco! You can look at some of his pictures here, and if you like them, maybe you'd like to go vote for him in this comptetition he's entered? It would help him go more places and take more pictures.

Adam P. Knave writes a lot of bizarre stuff! You can find lots of blog entries and lists of other stuff he's published here, and if you like his words, maybe you'd like to buy some of his books or read his webcomic Things Wrong With Me? It would help him eat more burritos.

ALSO, my friend Maria sometimes plays Halo and breastfeeds her 3-month-old at the same time. While you can't do anything in particular to support this, I do think you should be reading her blog, and if you're a mama lookin' for reviews of baby & lady products, you should check out Your Mama Reviews.