Are The Twilight Movies Really As Bad As People Say?

Spoiler alert: The answer is NO.

credits: hdwallpaper

Ah, The Twilight Saga, or should I call it my tween obsession. The five movies in the saga are based on the novel Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. These movies have been quite a conversation starter for a decade now, and almost everyone claims they “hate” these movies, and they are so “cringe”.

First of all, that’s rude. Second, you may be right. Even someone as obsessed with the movies as me can agree they are pretty cringe-worthy. However, what do you expect from a vampire love story? Especially one that was marketed towards the tween/teens of the 2010s.

Movie Titles:

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn part 1 & 2

The films star Kristen Stewart who plays Isabelle Swan, Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen, and finally Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black. The series has gained over $3.4 billion worldwide. The first movie, Twilight, was released on November 21, 2008. The second movie, New Moon, followed close behind on November 20, 2009, breaking box office records as the biggest midnight screening and opening day in history, grossing an estimated $72.7 million

Facts aside, I may be very biased since I loved the books, but I really don’t think the Twilight films deserve the hate they continuously get.

You better hold tight, spider monkey. We’re about to branch into a few reasons why this widely hated film series is so great.

(For those who are Twi-Hards such as myself, you would get that reference)

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One of the reasons people seem to hate on the movies is the portrayal of the “vampire”. Meyer decided to make the Cullen clan, as well as the rest of the vampires in the story, have their skin sparkle in the sunlight versus turn to ash/dust. I remember my step-dad making fun of the sparkling bodies relentlessly – like, we get it, they look sparkly and a little stupid, but calm down.

Everyone who writes a story involving vampires, or anything supernatural of that sort, should have the right to create them in their own image and use their own creativity to the full extent.

In all honesty, I think it’s cool to see another variation of the vampire storyline that is vastly different than the usual “sunlight = bad” concept. And, no offence, but just because you’re in your forties (ok boomer) and have watched old *iconic* vampire movies doesn’t give you the right to crap on a new genre of vampires. This movie wasn’t marketed for you - it was meant to be appealing to the teenage audience that already fell in love with the books to begin with.

I also once read somewhere that people were so terribly upset over the fact the werewolves in this story could turn between human and wolf form at will. Now, why is that a big deal? Why are you mad over that? Makes me want to roll my eyes into the back of my skull.

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Meanwhile, the action scenes in the films are actually pretty sick and very enjoyable. Especially in Eclipse and 100% in Breaking Dawn Part 2 – I distinctly remember seeing this in theatres, and when certain things were happening in the fight scenes, the audience were all gasping and yelling together out of shock. You know it’s a good movie when the entire theatre is going crazy.

Another amazing thing about this film franchise is the soundtrack. The songs are so beautiful and fit so nicely with the tone of the movie. The scene where Bella is severely depressed in New Moon plays the song Possibility by Lykke Li, the scene in Breaking Dawn Part 1 where Bella and Edward are going through a rough patch plays the beautiful (yet depressing) Cold by Aqualung and Lucy Schwartz, the scene in Eclipse where Bella and Edward get engaged and share an intimate moment plays My Love by Sia. And that’s just naming a few scenes.

You can’t deny the simple fact that Twilight has one of THE best soundtracks, ever. You cannot, and will not, change my mind.

I sincerely hope that after reading this your mind has changed even just a tad, and you won’t just blindly hate Twilight anymore. For its release time, you have to admit the movies were perfect for what they intended to be: a cringe fest of a love story between human and vampire.

Maybe one day these movies could be your own personal brand of heroin. No?

credits: pinterest

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Madilyn Bailey

I’m Madilyn, a full time student at Algonquin College. I have an addiction to coffee scented candles, enjoy watching anime, as well as making my family fat from all the baking I do.

Why We Don’t Need The D'Amelio Show

credits: disney plus informer

The D’Amelio Show is a reality TV show, similar to Keeping Up with The Kardashians, where it follows sisters Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, and their parents Marc and Heidi, during their sudden rise to fame. It started after Charli became the “queen” of TikTok with her dance moves, gaining her 150 million followers; she became a sensation seemingly overnight. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for some cringe-worthy reality TV – I will admit to watching quite a few seasons of the Kardashians – but this show just seems… unneeded.

A big reason behind why I don’t think this show is a great idea is the fact these girls are so young: Charli being only 17, and Dixie 20. I can understand them having a very popular YouTube channel or something, but a whole damn reality show recording their every movement? Doesn’t seem to be the right move, especially considering Dixie’s mental health state.

In one of the aired episodes, it showcases Dixie having a full breakdown over the hate comments from trolls online. I sympathize, truthfully, because no one deserves to be hated for being human and looking human. That part was definitely hard to watch, as I’m sure we all have been there when it comes to dealing with anxiety and overthinking, which makes the scene even more difficult.

Now I can (kind of) understand how it would be good for some people to see how open she is with her mental health struggles, but it just doesn’t feel right to watch such a young girl sob in front of the camera.

Charli has also said how much she hates being watched, people knowing what she’s doing all the time, and she was very upset over having such a public breakup, which she then proceeds to talk about on her show. With that in mind, care to explain why they agreed to have a production team literally follow them 24/7? I’m very confused.

“A constant terror: people watching your every move. That’s a lot of pressure on me” - Charli D’Amelio

Another thing that really bothers me is the trailer. While I was watching it, there were so many comments that really didn’t make sense. Their parents, Marc and Heidi, kept saying things like “They’re normal kids, we want them to stay that way,” as well as asking, “will she have time to be a kid?” during what I’m assuming to be a meeting regarding Charli’s hectic schedule. Not to sound rude, but you sign your kid up for a TV show, so many events, photoshoots, campaigns, etc., and then you’re surprised she doesn’t have time to be a normal 17-year-old?

They even moved them all the way from, and I quote, their happy life in Connecticut, to move to the hustle and bustle of LA. It’s just incredibly hypocritical that the parents keep saying they want their kids to stay normal, but then move them from their normalcy and stick them in the influencer populated toxicity that is Los Angeles.

You see, the funny thing is I haven’t even watched any of the episodes due to my inability to care enough to watch these girls get exploited. They may be agreeing to this, but that doesn’t mean I think it’s the best idea. And with their rating on the IMDB scale being a whooping 2.6/10, I don’t think a lot of people disagree with me.

Oh, and they got renewed for a second season. Yay!

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Madilyn Bailey

I’m Madilyn, a full time student at Algonquin College. I have an addiction to coffee scented candles, enjoy watching anime, as well as making my family fat from all the baking I do.

Romantic Comedy Cliché: He's Just Not That Into You

Credits: fanart.tv

This movie, seemingly a Valentine’s Day twin, has some very well written romantic plots… all minus one. He’s Just Not That Into You follows interconnecting story arcs as they go through the struggles of dating in their 30’s. Storylines such as not wanting to get married, having an affair, never getting a call back, and loving someone while they’re only using you for your affection.

There’s only one storyline that really rubs me the wrong way. And that’s the storyline of Alex and Gigi (pictured above).

Their “love story” doesn’t make an ounce of sense; if you really watch the movie and pay attention to their characters from the beginning, you would automatically think “they don’t belong together”. I’ve watched this movie too many times to count - call it my guilty pleasure - and the fact that Alex’s character completely changes gets my blood boiling.

Now, for some context, here’s the official storyline of the “love birds”: Alex and Gigi.

Gigi is the movie’s main character: the movie follows her through her endless suffering of waiting for the guy to call back. She goes on date after date, only to never hear from the guy again. In the beginning, it can be seen as relatable, so they get brownie points for this. Then, during one of her “stalking nights,” where she casually goes to the bar her last date said he likes going to, she runs into bartender Alex who promptly tells her the hurtful truth…

HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU!

Cue shocked noises.

With this revelation, Gigi slightly changes up her game plan. Alex remains a friend in her life, telling her MORE THAN ONCE, and I quote, “if a guy wants to date you, he’ll date you. There’s no mixed messages”.

Alex is someone who is looking for a more casual thing, open to the idea of a relationship but isn’t heavily pursuing one. He’s a great friend to Gigi; giving her advice and not sugar-coating the truth. The only feeling he’s shared regarding Gigi is FRIENDSHIP.

credits: tumblr

Later on in the movie, Gigi decides that Alex is sending her mixed messages! He’s totally in love with her, I mean you can’t ignore the signs… in reality, she’s taking his friendly advances and turning it into a whole “he loves me” mess. Alex then hosts a party and asks Gigi to come, which she misinterprets as an invitation to co-host. She goes around the party implying this, which is embarrassing to the audience as you see how obsessed she’s getting. Once the party is done and everyone is gone, Gigi throws herself at Alex and is professing her love.

Alex, who is rightfully confused, gets up and is seen to be very annoyed. He’s annoyed at the fact she is now ruining their friendship while blatantly ignoring what he’s been saying all throughout the movie… if a guy wants to be with you, he’ll be with you. Gigi goes on some long rant, claiming he’ll never be happy, and runs out of the apartment.

Now, normally this would be the end of the situation. But for some reason, the writers thought it would be a great idea to turn Alex into the male version of Gigi. He keeps calling her, is overthinking about her, then shows up to her apartment professing his love and saying she is the one! After that, the movie is basically over.

How come the writers thought it was totally okay to change the character’s mindset? They turned him into a completely different person. It would be different if he showed a little bit of interest in Gigi, but he didn’t! He was nothing but a friend to her. This also shines a bad light on different gendered friendships; the fact a guy and a girl can’t just be friends without one of them catching feelings.

Overall, this movie has some great plot points, and I do find myself enjoying every other storyline. It does well in the Rom-Com genre but really fails at Alex and Gigi’s story. It doesn’t make sense - will never make sense to me - and it should’ve been cut from the movie altogether.

I guess I’m just not that into the movie, huh?

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Madilyn Bailey

I’m Madilyn, a full time student at Algonquin College. I have an addiction to coffee scented candles, enjoy watching anime, as well as making my family fat from all the baking I do.

5 Anime’s I’d Recommend to Beginners

Want to start watching anime, but don’t know where to start?

When you start watching anime, sometimes your hardcore anime loving friends can overwhelm you with the number of great shows they’re recommending. Some saying “start with the OG ones!”, when those OG anime’s in question being ones like One Piece (currently ongoing with over 950 episodes), Naruto (also ongoing, filled to the brim with filler), the Dragon Ball series (too many to name, too little care), etc.

As a newcomer these numbers can seem daunting, and you don’t necessarily want to start off with a long show that will take up all your time, especially if you aren’t sure anime is your thing. You want something short and sweet to taste test first.

So, sit back, relax, and look over my top 5 anime’s for beginners:

1) Any Studio Ghibli Movie

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The Studio Ghibli movies, although aren’t a show, are great anime movies that anyone can enjoy. I can safely say they are some of my favorite movies. They’re all very unique, so you won’t find yourself getting bored while watching any of these.

Now, if you’re looking for romance, I recommend Howl’s Moving Castle. Finding independence? Kiki’s Delivery Service. Wholesomeness? My Neighbour Totoro. The list goes on, people.

2) Maid Sama

Maid Sama is one of my favorite “slice of life” anime’s. It is a love story between Ayuzawa Misaki and Usui Takumi. Their love isn’t one that gets right to the point; it’s slow burning. Misaki is the student body president by-day and a part-time waitress at a maid cafe by night.

She runs the school with an iron fist. She is never seen as weak, fragile, or too feminine. That is, until, Usui sees her working at the cafe. He knows her secret, but keeps it to himself rather than tell the whole school because, and I quote, he is “enjoying his little secret”.

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3) Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is a show about, you guessed it, demon slaying.

In actuality, this show is about a brother, Tanjiro, protecting his recently turned-into-demon sister, Nezuko, after a tragic family accident. Tanjiro is doing whatever it takes to become a high-class Demon Slayer in order to avenge his family, and somehow cure his sister.

This show is very heart warming; seeing the love between brother and sister, and how they would do anything to keep each other safe. As well as the 26-episode series, there was a movie that came out recently.

Series + movie = worth the watch.

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4) Jujutsu Kaisen

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In this show, Itadori Yūji eats a cursed finger and becomes cursed himself. The finger belonged to famous cursed spirit Sukuna, and therefore Itadori becomes his vessel. He enters a shaman’s school to learn more about cursed spirits, how to exorcise them, and what to do about being the King of Curses vessel.

This show is jampacked with action, exciting new themes, and some have strong fascination for one of the main characters, Gojō Satoru (if you know, you know). It’s an excellent show to start if you’re looking for some cursed adventure.

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5) Attack on Titan

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Last, but certainly not least, we have Attack on Titan. A show where I can’t say too much without spoiling. This show is a bit longer, with four finished seasons, but it’s one of the best show’s I’ve seen.

The show is about a civilization where giant humanoid Titans have brought humanity to the brink of extinction. Eren, the main character, goes through a traumatic experience and then purses a life of working in the Survey Corps; the ones who go out and protect people against the titans.

That’s all I can say about this show, honestly. With the plot twists and the way it keeps you on your toes, this show is an absolute 10/10, and I recommend it to anyone I know.

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Madilyn Bailey

I’m Madilyn, a full time student at Algonquin College. I have an addiction to coffee scented candles, enjoy watching anime, as well as making my family fat from all the baking I do.