fans Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Do We Owe 'Twilight' Fans an Apology?
Filed under: Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Remakes and Sequels », ComicCon »
Well, we've all had our fun and made our jokes, but I think that the fans of the blockbusting vamp romance Twilight have had just about enough of us. At least, that seems to be the case in an editorial titled Enough with the 'Twilight' fan-bashing media antics already, over at The Examiner. The editorial was a response to a piece on The Frisky about Twilight conventions that was full of the usual cheap shots and snark that accompanies all Twilight news. But The Examiner isn't the only one defending the Twi-hards -- here's an editorial from our own Erik Davis over on Movies.com about how Twilight actually saved fandom.
I'll be the first to admit that, yeah, I was one of those people taking cracks. I made jokes about toothless sparkly vamps, and all the rest. But I've started to wonder if us writers have crossed the line of gentle teasing and into 'bullying'. So what makes Twilight jokes any different than cracks about Trekkies or a geek who lives in their mom's basement? For me, it was the idea that these girls (or women) were just silly little hormonally charged chicks looking for a glimpse of Robert Pattinson rather than honest to goodness fans of the series (however flawed it may be).
When it came to Twilight, it seemed that the general consensus was: Girls like it, so it must be stupid. Well, I've had enough conversations over my lifetime about how something is a 'dude thing', that I'm fully versed in the idea that certain stories appeal to men and women sometimes. But what has me ticked is the idea that when you pull the dude card, it's in a tone that says, "You just don't understand, it's a dude thing". Whereas when it comes to us girls, it's more along the lines of disdain as in: 'Eww, that's a chick thing".
After the jump: will I mend my Cullen-bashing ways?...
There's a 'Twilight' Sex Toy?!?
Filed under: Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom »
The world of mainstream and 'adult' entertainment occasionally cross paths in lots of different ways. Sometimes, there are your highbrow experiments like Soderberg's Girlfriend Experience, and then there is The Vamp, courtesy of Tantus Direct (be warned, this site is definitely NSFW). Now when it comes to Twilight marketing, we've already come across harmless trinkets like body glitter, candies, and board games -- but this time we've got a little something for the Twi-hard who's over the age of consent, because The Vamp is what you might call a "personal massage device" that is being marketed to the 'Cullen' crowd. The product is not endorsed by anyone even remotely associated with the vampire franchise, but after all, thanks to Meyer's creation, there's money to be made and isn't that usually where the adult industry really shines? If you had any doubts about who this product is being targeted to, though, look no further than Tantus' ad copy with chuckle-inducing descriptions like: "Don't let this eclipse pass into the breaking dawn", or that they promise a realistic 'Sire' skin tone. But the highlight has to be that the -- *ahem* -- device sparkles in the daytime. For obvious reasons I couldn't include a picture of the product in question, but I'm sure you can take a ball park guess about what you will get for your $39.99.
It's almost funny if you think about the fact that most of the time Twilight is accused of being anti-sex and here's a company that's gone and done the exact opposite. So while this one might seem to be a bit out of place when it comes to all the different Twilight-related merch, keep in mind that if the franchise is nothing but a big commercial for abstinence then maybe The Vamp makes perfect sense after all.
SDCC: The Podcast Wrapup
Filed under: Comic/Superhero/Geek », ComicCon »
Comic-Con 2009 has come to a close, and we've already begun the countdown to next year. But what were some of the highlights and lowlights? Cinematical sent three writers to cover the Con this year, Elisabeth Rappe, Todd GIlchrist, and myself, and we all three had very different experiences: Todd was locked in Hall H for most of the show watching the giant panel presentations, Elisabeth spent time moving from the floor to the press area to smaller panels, and I was upstairs covering video press lines and interviews, so we all saw a very different slice of the Con.
Listen to the podcast embedded below to hear what we thought of the Con, what our favorite moments were, and what kind of swag we went home with. It's probably a very different experience than that of a regular fan attendee, and we're very envious of the people who were able to attend for fun and not work. But enough of my yakkin'. Give a listen and chime in with your own Comic-Con thoughts below.
And check out the rest of our Comic-Con coverage over here
SDCC: We Talk To The Costumed Fans!
Filed under: Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », ComicCon »
One of the most impressive parts of Comic-Con are all of the fans who dress up in costume and walk around the show floor. It's like attending a normal trade show where everyone is dressed up in suits, except in this case the suits are Spider-man and Supergirl outfits. That's some hardcore fandom right there. It takes guts (and in some cases these comic fans have an ample supply of those) to wear spandex and walk around like that in public, and these video interviews are a salute to you.
Our own Elisabeth Rappe is no stranger to dressing up and walking the floor, as she's done it for the last two years. Her account of dressing up as Lara Croft last year and showing off her guns (and pistols, as well) can be read right here. You can also see her interviewing two very lovely Age of Conan costumed girls from Florida right here. Our friend Chris Glenn joined us for interviews on Sunday, and you can watch all of those out after the break. We spoke to everyone from Wonder Woman to Waldo, so be sure and check it out!
Who Wants to Tour The 'Twilight' Set and Stalk the Cast?
Filed under: Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels »
By all appearances, it looks like the gouging of Twilight fans is going to continue unabated. There I was thinking that $255 to attend a fan convention was a steep price, but as it turns out it can get much, much, worse -- because if a weekend talking Twilight just isn't enough, now you can get your own Twilight-themed vacation courtesy of Vancouver Twilight Saga Set and Sightseeing Tours. Their tag line is: "By Fans...For Fans," and if you believe their website, Twihards willing to make the trip to Vancouver are going to get an awful lot for their money. The tours are run by self-proclaimed fans who will pick you up in a luxury car and take you on tailored excursions to relive moments from the film, visit sets from the latest installment, New Moon (just as long as you book your tour at the right time and aren't hauled off by security for trying to cut off a piece of Robert Pattinson's hair), or help you camp outside the cast and crew's favorite bars and restaurants for a photo op. They even guarantee that they will refund your money if you don't get to meet the star of your choice. Personally I would want to score a minute with Michael Sheen just to ask why exactly he agreed to be in this film, but that's probably just me.
So how much will all of this Cullen-goodness run you? Well, there is a sliding scale on the price tag, and it can get as cheap as $60 an hour or you can go for the Cadillac of tours and shell out two grand for a custom designed trip. With a price tag like that, you can guarantee that only the dedicated will be attending. But, at least unlike some other movie vacation-destinations, the Twilight fans don't have to schlep all the way out to New Zealand for their fan fix.
Ian Fleming's Beloved Goldeneye To Be Turned Into Tourist Trap
Filed under: Action », Fandom », James Bond »
If you are a die hard fan of everything Bond, it would probably thrill you to walk in the footsteps of Ian Fleming and frolic in the surf footsteps where Roger Moore hopped over those crocodiles. USA Today reports that Ian Fleming's famous Jamaican retreat, Goldeneye, where he dreamed up his lady-killing secret agent, will now become something much more impersonal...the Bond aficionado's ultimate vacation destination. Fleming owned the retreat in St. Mary Parish, Jamaica in the mid-forties and the area is rife with Bond history; both Live and Let Die and Dr. No were filmed nearby. One of the stranger factoids about the retreat was that another former owner was reggae legend Bob Marley, who sold the property to current owner Chris Blackwell.
Hotelier Jason Henzell is involved in the project and said that Blackwell was looking to "develop a new niche in Jamaica called residential tourism, where people buy land, visit and ultimately promote the island." The spot is also home to plenty of Bond memorabilia from Fleming's personal items and the various film productions. The renovation is set to begin in June, but there was no word on cost for the entire project. I would think that a total revamp on 100-acre property isn't going to come cheaply. For the truly devoted though, no price tag could keep them away. Oh well -- so much for Fleming's untouched paradise.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
