Comments on: New Moon Brings a New Dawn in Hollywood

By: a little twilight « words kill, words give life

a little twilight « words kill, words give life — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:39:45 +0000

[...] To read how “New Moon” might be a good thing for women in Hollywood, see New Moon Brings a New Dawn in Hollywood. [...]

By: j.osborn

j.osborn — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:33:28 +0000

Who exactly should care about feminism but feminists?. There is a lot of complaining about twilight so the criticism is not made out by the media to make Meyer look bad. There’s people who just think it’s lousy writing(which she has gotten from professional writers as well).

Is only natural that the mainstream media picks up that criticism.

So is sexism ok as long as is made for women?. Because that would justify every romantic comedy cliches ever made.

The only thing different about twilight is the level of obsession of some of the fans but i dont think thats something that should be encouraged, specially if it involves controlling manic depressive vampires that later rape the heroine.

By: Melissa Silverstein

Melissa Silverstein — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:04:44 +0000

Just so I am completely clear – there are two different things to think about with Twilight- the content which people can have issues with regarding it’s lack of feminism and it’s success at the box office. I also think it’s funny and ironic that now people care about feminism in a film when no one gave a carp about it before.

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:39:47 +0000

Everything I could say about the feminist bittersweet victory that was New Moon has already been said, but I would like to throw in that Taylor Lautner is only 17 years old, and therefore to be disturbed by his objectification is certainly appropriate.

By: Thomai in L.A. (it rhymes)

Thomai in L.A. (it rhymes) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:18:24 +0000

@ Alison,
No, it’s not a feminist film, yes it does prove that there is a female audience who will spend more than the male audience.
There is the triumph, not so much the content but the sheer numbers of females spending money on the movies.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:05:05 +0000

On the one hand It’s a genuinely good thing that we’re possibly getting back to the period where ‘women’s pictures’ stood equal at the box office with movies that had a male character at their centre. The problem, having seen NEW MOON, is that ultimately I genuinely hope that in the future when another mega success comes the movies are alot better.

Though some of the TWILIGHT bashing from my fellow men/boys is sexist based the issue is that, at some point, nearly all the major women breakout movies are nothing more than, at best, guilty pleasures and disposable. Male oriented franchises like Nolan’s Bat Films or LOTH were/are critically acclaimed just as the likes of TRANSFORMERS isn’t.

Again and again the female oriented movies breaking records all seem to fall into the latter category and until we get back to the days of GONE WITH THE WIND, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, THE WIZARD OF OZ etc where the product isn’t just seen as some fad then there will be a cause for celebration.

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:14:33 +0000

Apparently, some don’t think the film is a feminist victory:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-spillar/new-moon-same-old-sexist_b_367925.html

By: Kim D

Kim D — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:58:56 +0000

I was listening to a reporter talk about New Moon on NPR yesterday, and he sounded utterly shocked at the numbers. Why is it so hard for men to fathom that we are 50% of the population? Art or crap, New Moon cracked the door open a few more inches. From what I’m hearing, I’m fairly certain that I would find this movie ridiculous (and probably a little offensive), but no more ridiculous than any of the male-oriented crap this town churns out to make a buck. The point is to prove that female-oriented work CAN make a buck. I’m doing a little happy dance tonight.

By: Lou

Lou — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:38:36 +0000

I was coming in to express shock at the double-standard inherent in the complaints that New Moon objectifies men, and that there is still a need to prove that women are an audience (that Hollywood even needs proof is depressing). But instead I’m going to express shock that someone said Mamma Mia isn’t GOOD! Mamma Mia is brilliant fun!! And why the hell shouldn’t that be considered “good”?? I’m as big of a film snob as the next person, but Mamma Mia is so much fun I will happily watch it again and again and again – and not for lack of alternatives.

And even if these films aren’t “good”, 95% of the Hollywood films made for men are absolute shite so shouldn’t we as an audience be able to celebrate mindless fun in cinemas too?? (though again, I insist that Mamma Mia is a brilliant film! Well, in a certain kind of way…) Having big, visible, in-your-face, mainstream, money-making films about women and with women involved in key behind-the-scenes roles is most definitely a great start.

By: MarianK

MarianK — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:39:08 +0000

During Hollywood’s so-called Golden Era in the 30s, 40s and 50s, ‘women’s pictures’ were well up there on the box-office A-lists. The decline in the status of the women’s picture from the 60s onward seems to have operated in inverse proportion to the rise in women’s social status.

It’s not just a matter of female box-office bums on seats. Until Hollywood gets over its celluloid castration anxiety, it will always find a way to keep doing what it does best – subsuming female audiences into male fantasy.

By: Thomai in L.A. (it rhymes)

Thomai in L.A. (it rhymes) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:54:35 +0000

Tammy, that was my point, exactly-
that the female audience spends more money than the male audience, so I’d like to know what the effe the reason is that so few female character driven films are made….and few female directors, writers, etc.
Being a woman who writes and directs in this male dominated industry that has forever used the BS excuse that it’s about money, well, I’m just calling BS with numbers to back me up this time.

By: Julia S.

Julia S. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:40:53 +0000

I’m glad a movie that was immensely popular with women and girls, and not very popular with boys and men, has done huge boffo box-office.

I wish said movie weren’t a creepy love letter to passive aggression, obsessing about virginity, stalking, and suicidal acting-out.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:20:19 +0000

Of course, I would prefer it if “The Gloria Steinem” story made 140 million dollars over the weekend, but I’ll take what I can get.

By: julie

julie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:50:24 +0000

It’s a bitter half-victory when a franchise that is as BAD for women as Twilight “proves” female power at the box office.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:22:28 +0000

Whether the movie is good or not is irrelevant. It shatters the perception that female driven films can’t make money. Studio execs do not understand anything other than the bottom line and this speaks their language.

By: Thomai in L.A. (it rhymes)

Thomai in L.A. (it rhymes) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:02:37 +0000

So, are you saying New Moon made more than Transformers?

New Moon & Transformer fans have both been identified as not the sharpest tools, not the most discerning audiences-
but one audience is decidedly female and the other male.
The female audience spent more money.
Wasn’t Titanic mostly a female audience as well….and Mamma Mia, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, etc. ,etc. ?!?

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:35:22 +0000

I’m sorry, I just can’t be excited that a movie that sounds as dumb and boring and sexist as New Moon does was successful. I’m glad to see proof that women and girls are a viable audience and that if you make movies with female leads people will see them – but let’s be honest, SATC, Mamma Mia! and New Moon are not “good”. Women see these movies because we have no alternatives. And I suspect their success will not prompt studios to make lots of movies about women with varied and interesting stories, but instead to continue pumping out sexist, pandering movies with weak stories and two-dimensional characters.

By: paperandglue.net » Blog Archive » twihard i am not.

paperandglue.net » Blog Archive » twihard i am not. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:25:49 +0000

[...] what Melissa Silverstein at Women & Hollywood had to stay on the subject: It seems to me that while Hollywood felt comfortable dismissing Sex and [...]

By: New Moon Brings a New Dawn in Hollywood | Women & Hollywood | Myusasite-Entertainment|hollywood|gossip|Humor

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:18:15 +0000

[...] View post: New Moon Brings a New Dawn in Hollywood | Women & Hollywood [...]

By: Hannah Robbins

Hannah Robbins — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:18:04 +0000

About twenty minutes ago, I got out of the New Moon screening and am pissed off for a number of reasons! First, I have a 12 year old sister who went to a friend’s birthday party (the friend is also 12) at a rented out movie theater to see the Twilight sequel. One mom there had seen the first movie 26 times. My mom told me after she saw this second film, she became a fan. This surprised me, but I thought if my mom likes it, surely it must be good. Tonight I went to see it, and I was very disappointed. All I saw was an 18 year old anorexic girl who can only be with her boyfriend by trying to commit suicide, and only finds her friend beautiful after he tears off his shirt. What my little sister can learn from this is that if you are skin and bone, depressed (well, maybe not when she’s lying in the water like a corpse), have no girlfriends, cut yourself, kill yourself, sell your soul, you can have the man of your dreams. What kind of message are we sending to young girls?! Even women my mother’s age? This is crazy!

I mean no offense to the actors or anyone else involved in the making of New Moon, but it saddens me that these are the kind of messages the media is giving females of all ages. Is this really what women want from Hollywood?