Why Women Love Edward Cullen and Jacob Black

With the release of Breaking Dawn pt 1 just over 24 hours away, I thought I'd educate people (at least people who have never read the books) why the series has captured the hearts and minds of tween girls (and their moms) everywhere. For those of you who read this, if you plan on judging me, you can eff off now. People everywhere enjoy judging these books and judging the people who read these books, but unless you have actually read the books, I don't give a damn what your opinion is. You're just being a judgmental pricks. Since I have read the books, I am entitled to critique the novels.

Now, if you're still reading this and you haven't been put off by my slight bitchiness, allow me to shed some light. Bella Swan is a typical female character in that she is average. There is nothing about her that is extraordinary. She's plainly pretty, semi-smart, and a bit clumsy. Enter Edward the vampire. When they fall in love with each other, he constantly tells her how he loves her exactly the way she is. She doesn't have to change to fit what he wants. She is exactly what he wants. She is amazed why someone like him would love her, but he does and his love is unwavering. And that is why females everywhere read these novels and picture themselves as Bella Swan. She's average. And there is not a single woman out there that hasn't at some moment of her life thought she was ugly, clumsy, or awkward (pardon my awkward double negative). But all women want is a man to be with that will accept them for everything they are. And that is why women, no matter the age, have read these books and fallen for Edward. Because he is the epitome of what women want. Not hotness (aka RPattzness), not physique. A guy who accepts every part of you for what you are and loves you anyway.

Now, onto why there is a Team Jacob. Jacob is the antithesis of Edward because while he loves Bella for who she is, he challenges her to become more. He knows that sometimes Bella will settle for the easy option, but he pushes her to be more. Jacob is the epitome of a comfortable relationship. The ease of everyday life. Everyone wants their significant other to be their best friend. As his wolfy character is often described, he's warm. Safe. So that's how the two camps separate. On one side, Edward is special and more than Bella believes she deserves. And on the other side, Jacob is the safe environment that is comfortable and someone you can tell anything.

So there you go. The break down of why two characters have most the female population all twitter-pated. Because they easily represent what women want from their significant others. While I do appreciate the want of a man who wants you the way you are, let me make it perfectly known I think Meyer's writing is as juvenile as the age group for which she's writing. I could keep going, especially on how you can't compare it to Harry Potter, but that's another blog for another time.

500 Film Festival

I love movies. Seriously. I invest way too much money in buying movies I want/like. So I figured, "Hey, why not write about movies in my blog?" Not necessarily in the sense of a movie review only blog, but review some films. I am going to try and stick with films I'm seeing for the first time but I do own several films so I am sure I'll dabble into those at some point. DVD is primed, popcorn is buttery, let's do this!

#1: 50/50
I saw this yesterday in theaters and wow. It was getting amazing reviews and now I know why. Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is an average guy living an average life. But when he finds out he has a rare cancer, his life is shaken. His girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), his best friend (Seth Rogan), and his mother (Anjelica Huston) are trying to handle the news and as the movie unravels you see who can handle it and who can't. My favorite character is Katherine (Anna Kendrick) who is the assigned therapist for Adam. She's got the book smarts telling her how to handle patients but not the experience and as she gets to know Adam, he helps her as much as she helps him. It's a moving film with a beautiful soundtrack, that I'll probably be buying soon or putting on my Christmas list. I give the film 9.5 out of 10 stars. I deducted .5 because I cried a lot. It's the kind of film that makes you want to call everyone you love and say "If you f*cking get cancer, I'll freak out man."

#2: the Black Dahlia
Based on the book by James Ellroy, it features a true murder with fictionalized characters. Since I had just finished reading my copy of the book, I wanted to watch the film. Set the late 1940s, the real murder of Elizabeth Short is the centerpiece of the film as two cops, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett), get enthralled with solving the case and possibly ruining their own lives in the process. The film features several other large names including Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank as eye candy and romantic interests. I give the film 7.5 out of 10 stars. The film was well done as a noir, but true to form it doesn't stand well for the book. Bits and pieces were left out that in my opinion could easily have been added. A good noir film if you like that genre, but lackluster in comparison to the book.

#3: X-Men: First Class
I love comic book movies. Comic book movies got me into reading graphic novels and comic books. So I was bummed when I didn't have the time to catch this one on the big screen. First Class begins at the beginning of Professor X and Magneto. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) star well as the younger versions of beloved mutants (well beloved might stretch a bit far for Magneto). You get to see their stories from the beginning as well as how they come to form their beliefs about their mutant states. The story features the Hellfire Club run by Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) and his right hand gal Emma Frost (January Jones) which was an arc in the comic I wanted to know more about. The film features some well known mutants in their younger times, such as the Beast and Mystique, but also some mutants not yet featured in the films, like Havok and Banshee. Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars. Well done as an action film, but not being read in the comics I couldn't tell you what is missing. Certainly entertaining, but only slightly more entertaining than other comic books films. Nothing too extraordinary. The standout for me was Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique. Being a fan of The Hunger Games, I was wary when she was cast as the lead, but after viewing this I think she will be very good as Katniss.

So there's my first three films. Overall, for three movies in one day I think I picked some good ones. Butter your popcorn and swirl your slushies! More coming soon!