In this Unabridged episode, we give listeners a sneak peek into some of the content that we share on Patreon each month. In this one, after our bookish check-in, we share Jen and Sara's book-to-film adaptation discussion of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. Don't miss the fun trivia! Stick around for the give me one where we share the best concerts we've ever attended!
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Brandy Colbert’s The Voting Booth
Jen - Nadia Hashimi’s The Pearl that Broke Its Shell (@readwithtoni buddy read; check out our episode with Toni)
Sara - Lamar Giles’s Not So Pure and Simple
Mentioned in Episode
Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight and the film adaptation
The Lost Boys
Our Unabridged Podcast Patreon Page - patreon.com/unabridgedpod
Give Me One - Best Concert We've Attended
Ashley - U2 (with Nelly Furtado as the opening act)
Jen - Goo Goo Dolls / No Doubt / Bush
Sara - Goo Dollsv/ Bon Jovi
(A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashtag.)
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
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Jen 00:34
Hi everyone and welcome to Unabridged. We are here for Episode 140. This is our Patreon preview. Before we get started, I just want to let you know that we are launching a new program a new free program called Unabridged Ambassadors. If you are interested you can go to unabridgedpod.com/ambassadors.
Bookish Check-in
All right before we get started talking about Patreon we are going to do our Bookish Check-in. Ashley, what are you reading?
Ashley 01:02
One of the things I'm reading right now is Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth, and this one I'm listening to you on audio. Thank you to Libro FM for the amazing program they have on there-- the ALC program, which is really great. If you ever want information about that listeners and how to plug into that let us know because we all enjoy that program very much. But anyway, I've been listening to this audio and I absolutely love it. I love her works. I loved Little and Lion by her. But I think that why this one is so amazing right now is because it is really focused on two 18-year-olds, Marva and Duke and their journey toward being voters. And so Marva is really passionate about voting. She had been campaigning to make sure that people are registered to vote and doing all that kind of stuff leading up to the election. Duke, we find out early on, has a brother who has died who was also very passionate about voting but he himself is not as passionate about it, but of course plans to vote. And then it is the journey of him not being able-- having some problems with voting the day of the election. And what I loved about it is I think it is great for young people because it highlights the importance of youth going out to vote. And certainly that's something that we want to encourage. But also, she really explores in the book, a lot of the barriers toward voting that are so important to be discussing in our country, and how those barriers can prevent people from getting to cast their vote and how that can really shape the way an election turns out. And so I love how-- I think it is a light and fun, young adult book that really can reach readers. But also she's hitting on some pretty profound issues within the American voting system that certainly we are seeing play out in our elections, and so I love it. I think it's really well done. And I'm always interested in novels--I think I've learned that I'm interested in two different kinds of novels one, I have started reading more epics that span really large spans of time. And then I also love novels that look at a very short period of time. So, this entire book moves over the course of the election day. And I think that is just really interesting, as a way to tell the story. But I, again, I can't recommend it enough. I think it's a great read. And I think it is absolutely pertinent right now leading up to our election and just remembering that people's voices matter and that it is important for us to think about how we do have a part in democracy. So again, that is Brandy Colbert's The Voting Booth.
Jen 03:44
Yeah, I love that book. So much. So good. Okay, Sara, how about you? What are you reading?
Sara 03:50
So, I just started Lamar Giles's Not So Pure and Simple. So, I'm literally in the first chapter. So, I don't have a ton to say at the moment, but it is basically a book about Dell and Kiera. Del has had a crush on her for a very long time. And he basically, she's always had a boyfriend and then in his junior year of high school, she becomes available. So, he kind of pursues her. And I have not--this is coming from the dust jacket because I haven't gotten this far. But basically, what it appears that happens is that he goes to a church event that she's involved in and somehow between him liking her, he makes a purity oath. And hence the title Not So Pure and Simple. So, that's kind of the premise. I don't have a ton more to say about it because I just started it but I think it sounds very compelling. The cover art is gorgeous. When I bought it, I was like, "Oh, my gosh, this cover art is so beautiful." And then it just sounds really compelling. And it sounds like something that is going to be really relatable for young adults, which is who it's written for. So, I'm very excited to dig in. I think it's going to be a quick read. So I'm excited about it.
Jen 05:15
That sounds so good.
Ashley 05:16
I love his work. I'm excited to read that one.
Sara 05:20
What are you reading Jen?
Jen 05:22
So, I am reading and this is another buddy read. So I'm up to the first reading assignment which is about a quarter of the way through.
Sara 05:29
Can we just say that Jen is a buddy read queen?
Jen 05:32
I have a lot of buddy reads going on right now. Fortunately, they're all good books. So, it's really bad when you get in the buddy reads and you're like, "Oh, no. I don't want to read this ," but this is another good one. So this is Nadia Hashimi's The Pearl That Broke its Shell. This is a @readwithtoni buddy read. As always, check out our episode with Toni. So, this one takes place in Afghanistan in 2007, and it has two-- the primary story is in 2007. But then there's also another story that's a flashback. So it's alternating between those two time periods. The more modern time period, the protagonist is Rahima. She is one of five girls in a family. Their father is addicted to opium. And their mother is sort of at her wit's end as to how to make their lives work, because she wants to send the girls to school, but they are facing constant harassment on the way home. She wants to be able to send the girls to the store to help her, you know, just get through her every day and she can't. So she takes advantage of this custom that I had never heard of called Bacha Posh. I'm not sure how to say it, because I'm reading the ebook. And that is when-- you decide for a while-- when a family decides for a while-- that one of their girls will act as a boy, and so Rahima is the one she because she is-- I think she's nine at the beginning of that part--and so they cut her hair, they start dressing her as a boy, they call her Rahim. And then everyone knows that this is happening and just accepts it. And also is giving her all of the privileges that a boy in the society would have. It's really interesting. The way it all comes about. And the alternate storyline is about Rahima's ancestor, Shekiba, who is in a horrible accident when she's very young and half of her face is burns. And the burn is so severe that it's paralyzed. And because of that, she is an outcast from her family and she never really sees anyone. And there are certain parallels in her life to what Rahima is going through. So it's just this great--the story of Shekiba, Rahima's s aunt is telling her and her aunt is also an outcast because she has a limp. And so there's all this discussion of the way that when people talk about her, the fact that she has a limp as part of her name. It's just like becomes this defining characteristic. And that had happened with Shekiba as well. And so yeah, I am really enjoying it Hashimi is a great storyteller, and I love the stories within stories. And I'm learning--I'm learning a lot, so it's a great, great read so far. I feel like Toni has a great touch with picking books that are going to be good for discussion. So, that's been fun.
Sara 08:32
I just realized, I have that on my shelf.
Jen 08:34
Really? Wow.
Sara 08:35
Well, because I was like, "Oh, that sounds really good." And then I saw the cover and I was like, "Oh, that looks familiar." And I had done a subscription box a year or two ago. And they sent me three books. And I was like, "Oh, it's on my shelf. That's why it looks familiar."
Jen 08:52
That's really funny. Well, yeah, so that is The Pearl that Broke Its Shell and someone in our buddy read was saying that she had found on all of these books at this used bookstore and the covers are all lovely, and I realized that I have another one of them. So, I had a similar experience. I was like, "Oh, that's why her name sounded familiar."
Ashley 09:09
It's funny. I almost talked about Tayari Jones's An American Marriage for a Bookish Check-in, but that--I've already finished it. But that was another one that @readwithtoni did as a discussion. And in addition to her buddy reads that I think are amazing. She's also doing the read to learn, buddy reads right now. So they're single time discussions, but a lot of them are, you know, it's supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and exploring a lot of books by Black authors. But anyway, I just wanted to say that that was a really great discussion experience as well. And another great book discussion. I mean, just a phenomenal. I absolutely loves that book.
Main Discussion - Patreon Sneak Peak! The Twilight Book-to-Film Adaptation Episode
Jen 09:46
Yeah, that's great. All right, well, we are going to move on to the main part of our episode, which is going to be a little bit layered. So, we wanted to talk about Patreon and everything that we have going on there. We are really excited about our Patreon content. There are a lot of levels, but we kind of have two tracks. So, we have a track for teachers where you can get a lot of good teaching materials. And then we have just a bookish track. And then we have a good one for people who are both bookish and teachers, which I think is a lot of people. So, everyone should really good for that one. Yes, it is the highest level. Okay. So, we have some audio content. So each month, Sara and I are recording Book to Screen Adaptation episodes. So, we're picking either a TV show or a movie that is adapted from a book and just chatting about it. And we've been all over the place there. And then Ashley and Saraa are doing Unabridged Off Topic episodes, and those are actually non-bookish episodes. So, they're just about random things that they want to talk about. I have to say, I think these are all really fun. I have a lot of fun recording them and listening to Ashley and Sara's and, so I think you would enjoy those and just get to know us a little bit more.
Sara 11:03
And the really cool thing about those episodes is that you can put in a private RSS link into your podcast catcher and they will come right in as a podcast in your...whatever app you're using. So, if you do sign up and you have trouble with that, just email us or message us on social media and we can help walk you through that if it's unclear to you when you get started.
Ashley 11:28
And they're a lot of fun for us because they are a little less formal, and we have a little bit more control over who is seeing them and so it's easier to just be a little more relaxed, which is really fun.
Jen 11:39
I think it's a great way to get to know us. So another great way: we also have host spotlights each month where we share a little bit about ourselves just as just as people, just as hosts of Unabridged. We have book talks about different levels. So we do children's lit, middle grade lit, and YA lit, we have some other teaching materials that people can get for free. I will say a lot of those would also be good just if you have a book club. So even if you're not a teacher, you might want to take a look. So yeah, we just have a lot of content that we're putting in there each month. So if you like what you're hearing and seeing on Unabridged it's, it's worth your while to check it out. The address, we'll put this in the show notes, is patreon.com/unabridgedpod, and you can get all the details. I will say I think it's a great deal, but I might be slightly biased.
Ashley 12:27
Well, and yeah, I wanted to just add on that we really appreciate your support because while it is a low cost for you, having Patreon supporters really enables us to continue bringing you the content and supporting the cost. We're looking to cover the cost of what it takes to just keep the podcast going. And so your support means a lot to us and the the financial aspect of it just helps us to cover some of these costs that we incur so that we can bring you great content which we love doing.
Jen 12:56
So to give you a little taste of what you might get If you decide to support us on Patreon, we wanted to share one of our Patreon episodes. And this is one of Sara and my--and Sara's and my--book-to-screen adaptation episodes. It is about Twilight. And I have to say this was a hoot because . . .
Sara 13:14
Oh, it was a hoot.
Jen 13:15
I had not watched Twilight in a very long time. And so much . . . so many of the emotions that I felt when I was reading the Twilight books, and when the movies were first came, coming out just came flooding back. And I'll let you interpret that however you want, for better or worse, I felt a lot of things I felt when I was reading Twilight for the first time, man. It was . . . Yeah. And we dug in. There's some great trivia about the making of the Twilight movie that we really dug into. So you want to get a little bit of a deep dive into the background of Twilight.
Sara 13:52
It's so much fun. I really . . . I look forward to recording these episodes on Patreon because we get to touch on two of my most favorite things, pop culture/movies and books, and then with off topic, we get to talk about the things that we love that have nothing to do with either of those things, or maybe sometimes pop culture. But most of the time, we get to talk about other interests that we have. Because sometimes I think it's that . . . it's kind of like when you teach and your kids think that you like live in your classroom under the desk, they're like, you go to the movies, oh my gosh, you go, don't . . . you know. And I think that sometimes we because we talk about books so much, which we all love, that becomes this defining characteristic. So it's really nice to be able to share other parts of our life with you and also to be, just like Ashley said, a bit, a bit more off the cuff and a bit more relaxed and a bit more conversational. So I look forward to recording those episodes. Yeah, they're really fun. All right. Well, without further ado, we will let you listen to our episode about Twilight, and then we'll be back after for our Give Me One.
Jen 15:03
Hey everyone. Welcome to our Twilight book-to-film adaptation episode for Patreon. Sara and I are here to talk about the cinematic masterpiece that is Twilight. So as always, we are going to start with just our overall impressions of Twilight.
Sara 15:24
I feel like that's complicated. So I . . . so this is definitely . . . this is like my third or fourth watching of Twilight, the movie, and when I first watched it, I think I actually watched the first movie before I read the books because I had a friend who just kept saying about these books, they were so awesome and they that I had to read them, and so the movie, the first movie came out, and I watched the first movie, and I was like, ooh, all this teen angst and vampiry romance. Thank you, I like this a lot. So I, so I watched the movie, and I liked it. And then I read the books. And I mean, I devoured them. And again, I mean, I know that they are not this standard in literature, but I thought that they were compelling. And I just was, and there are things that I just do not like about them. And even when I read them, I was like, this doesn't seem great, but I still could not get enough of them. And I really enjoyed them. And I like the movies. So so I want to say that about my first watching. How . . . I do think subsequent viewings have made me feel like it's a little more like, I think the further I get away from the books and that experience reading the books, the movie seemed, especially the first one, the first one seems very, like overly dramatic and very, like kind of hokey a little bit. And I do think like, you know, in this age, in 2020, when we have these amazing special effects in movies, when you watch Twilight, you're like, Oh, I can tell that this is pretty dated. But I mean, still overall, I enjoy the experience of watching it, I think, um, I think . . . I mean, I enjoy it. I enjoy the stories even though I do have some critical things to say about some of the other some of the casting and all that, but I do think like, overall I enjoy it. I think it is . . . I think that for the audience it's intended for and I'm sure it's captivating, so I really, I mean, I find it enjoying . . . an enjoyable cinematic experience. What about you, Jen?
Jen 17:35
Yeah, I'm similar like . . . I sat down the other day to watch it. And I thought every single thing anyone has said is wrong with this movie is right, and I do not care. I love it so much. I'm just there is something in it like, I mean, I love it now. If I had been in high school when this came out, I would have been full-on obsessed because it's just like I read all the vampire stuff. Like I read Anne Rice, but I also read The Vampire Diaries, which actually came out in the 90s, the books came out. It took me a long time to realize this show was actually based on those books. And then I went back and read them, which was a bizarre experience. But yeah, I just . . . I love that kind of thing. And so, yeah, like you were saying, I read them because in my classroom, I used to go around the room at the beginning of the year and have all of my students tell me their names or what they wanted to be called and what they were reading or a favorite book, and like, half my kids were reading Twilight, and I had never even heard of it, and I was like, Well, I guess I got to go get this thing. So I went to our local bookstore, picked up Twilight and, first week of school, --this was a very bad decision--first week of school stayed up till like one in the morning reading that book. And then I went back to the bookstore the next day and bought the rest of the books. I think the fourth book wasn't out yet. There's just something, like you said, even though my brain knows there are things wrong with it.
Sara 18:57
Mm hmm.
Jen 18:58
I mean, the sparkly skin scene.
Sara 19:01
Oh lordy.
Jen 19:02
I just remember, my husband kindly went to all of the movies to see all the movies in the theater with me.
Sara 19:08
Mine did too.
Jen 19:09
I love it. And then I remember this sparkly skin scene in the movie theater. I thought he just looks really sweaty, like, yeah, this is not appealing. So like, like you were saying about the special effects and, and this one just takes itself so seriously. I just . . . I just love it. There's something in the storytelling that I think is so, like you said, there's the angst. It's very romantic. It's so compelling. I do think it tries really hard to be serious and to show Bella as this intellectual equal for this vampire who's lived for however long--I should do the math, but I won't. I mean, the whole . . . I wrote this down because I thought it was so funny when she's like, "Why are you telling me the square root of pi?" And he says, "You know that?" Like this is how we prove our intelligence. It just so many silly things. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. We were kind of tossing around the idea of doing ratings, and I have no idea how I'd rate this because my brain says something entirely different from my heart. And from the way I get swept up in this story, so, yeah, it was definitely a nostalgia trip because I haven't watched it. I've watched it I think I've watched it twice. I watched it in the theater. And then once after, but I haven't watched it for a long time.
Sara 20:28
It's funny before we decided to do this for books-to-film adaptation, I . . . it was they were all on Netflix. And one night, my family was in bed and I was like, I haven't watched this in, you know, since the first time and so I watched it. And it was so funny because I watched it on my husband's like account that he has, and so I watched it, and then the next day was like, you might like Breaking Dawn or New Moon, and he was like, why is all this on my recommendations? And I said, Well, I watched Twilight last night, so, so I mean, yeah, I agree. I think it, I don't know. The . . . the effects don't hold up, and as I like, you know, woman, I feel like there are some problems, but like just as entertainment value and being swept up in the story, I think it does a good job.
Jen 21:18
Yeah. I mean, there was a teacher at my school who was like, I hate these books with every fiber of my being, and I am going to devour every one until the end. I mean, it's just that like you said there . . . there are some really problematic tropes of the yeah, of the man and the woman, and yeah . . .
Sara 21:38
I think our very own Ashley feels that way. I think that she has some serious reservations. I think she probably had more reservations than I did, especially when I read the book because I was just like, I mean, you know, I was teaching at the time, and I just wanted to . . . I wanted to see what my kids loved, and then I got swept up in it, and so . . . but I mean, and Ashley will even say she got swept up in the story and plowed through the books.
Jen 22:02
Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, we've talked about a little bit of this, but what what works for you in this story?
Sara 22:08
Okay, so I think . . . so I enjoy the love triangle in the story. Like I mean, I definitely think in Twilight is not as pronounced, but it sets up for this love . . . this triangle whose resolution, I will say, was not my favorite. But I do, I enjoy a love triangle. I love that, I love the, you know, kind of playing back and forth and that type of thing. I thought the, I thought some of the casting was really good. I liked Taylor Lautner as, in terms of a teen movie, like I'm not saying that these people are these amazing actors. But I thought Taylor Lautner for Jacob, I felt like he was close to what I pictured when I was reading the books and I I thought Robert Pattinson was a good Edward. I always . . . I do think like his acting got better as the series progressed. I do think he felt very dramatic in this one, and just some of the . . . and I don't know if it was directing notes or whatever. There's like a lot of smoldering and like . . .
Jen 23:21
I will say, he does give good smolder.
Sara 23:24
But I thought that was good, and I mean, I, I enjoy . . . I thought that the the way that they adapted the story that was in the book, I thought it was pretty good. Yeah, there were things I would have changed. And I thought . . . I did. Well, that'll be back, what didn't work, but I did think that the story adaptation was good. And it, you know, I thought that it really set us up well for the following movies.
Jen 23:48
Mm hmm. Yeah.
Sara 23:49
Yeah. So what worked for you, Jen?
Jen 23:52
Yeah, I mean, I think it's really, it's so atmospheric. I think it does a great job of showing what Forks is supposed to be like, and you get this real sense of the setting mirroring Bella's emotions and . . . And I just have to say I love Charlie so much. I think Billy--is his last name Burke?--I think. I'm looking on IMDb. Billy Burke. I mean, I think he's probably the best actor in the movie first of all.
Sara 24:26
That's not . . .
Jen 24:27
I know, right. But I think . . . and I've liked him and other things, but I just think I just love Charlie because you can tell how much he loves Bella. But he doesn't say it. He's one of those dads who does it by like getting her new tires, by getting her this truck. He's just . . . I just love her dad so much. And so then I think that sets up well like her anguish at the end when she has to pretend to be so hateful to him and to use the words that her mom used when he left him to let him think that she's leaving again. I just think all of that works really well because of the strength of Billy Burke and of Charlie.
Sara 25:08
Yeah.
Jen 25:09
So that's one of my favorite things about the book. And I just think I buy . . . I mean it's, people have said, and I agree it's a little tough to believe that this hundred-plus-year-old vampire would be attracted to this kind of gauche girl. But I think . . . I think you can buy it. I was . . . this is dipping into what didn't work. I will say the scene where she steps in front of the fan and her scent wafts over to him, and he recoils is like really bizarre and not sexy or swoony or anything at all, and I know we're supposed to be you know, then believe . . .
Sara 25:48
Well, and then the fact that she likes smells her armpits.
Jen 25:52
Which I feel like would be the natural reaction.
Jen 25:54
It is really anyway, but yeah, so I think . . . I think it does a good job of tapping into all of those romantic tropes. And I do agree Pattinson gets better, but like, I love him in the Harry Potter, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And so there was a lot of nostalgia there for me that may not have been about this movie, it's just that I like him. But I think he does a good job with a character . . . I mean, when you think about it, Edward's kind of a thin character.
Sara 25:54
I know.
Sara 25:58
Yeah.
Jen 26:23
And so I think he does a good job building that into something that we can believe would be appealing.
Sara 26:30
Yes, I agree.
Jen 26:32
So all right. Anything else you want to say about what works? Because . . . yeah.
Sara 26:36
No.
Sara 26:37
Okay. So what didn't work for you, Sara?
Sara 26:40
Like, I felt like there were some super cheesy lines that took me out of the story. Like one of them is, well, it was not only the line, but also just the scene when they are running through the trees and he's like "Climb on spider monkey," or whatever. And then they are running and I'm like, this looks like I could have done this with a green screen. But I mean, I know that like we are way further in like what we can do technologically with movies now, but I mean when I watch it now I'm just like, Oh my gosh, I feel like I could do this with a green screen. Our friend Tim, I feel like he could recreate that better. So, I don't know.
Jen 26:51
That's what we should do this summer.
Sara 27:24
We'll try to recreate Twilight.
Jen 27:26
For sure. In quarantine.
Sara 27:30
But I mean, I just . . . so I there are just . . . and like the sparkly vampire thing when they do that, I'm just like, oh my goodness. Well, and also I'm a child of like, the 80s and 90s, so the vampire you know, OG vampires are The Lost Boys, and I mean, they are quite different from the Cullens. I just remember watching that movie and being so transfixed on the, you know, Kiefer Sutherland, and, you know just the whole vampire, you know, thing. And I mean, they were pretty bad . . . they were like the bad boys, and then when when Edward Cullen goes up into in the sparkling, I'm like, this seems weird. So, I mean, some of those things really took me out. But I so that those are some of the things. There are others, but I'm gonna let you go.
Jen 28:20
Yeah, I mean, I would say that whole scene, which is meant to be the . . . Okay, I'm glad that she figured it out because I am . . . That whole thing of like people being stupid, too stupid to figure out what it is when everybody's . . . I mean, of course you don't believe that's in real life, but in the world of this movie and film, I'm glad that she figured it out. That whole scene when he's like, "Just say . . . I need you to say it out loud." And then he's trying to scare her off by running in trees really fast, and then the sparkly moment is like, that is the apex of what does not work for me because it is supposed to be this moment of just like she would be so attracted to him, and it's really bizarre, it's just really . . . And I and there's tinkling, there are tinkling chimes. And I'm like, I feel like there are other ways that could have made this work better that . . . yeah, there's a different kind of sparkle that we could have had that would have been more attractive.
Sara 29:23
I agree.
Jen 29:23
And not so off-putting.
Sara 29:24
I did I was listening to a podcast recently where they were talking about tropes and books that work, and one of the . . . what you were saying about like, when there there's this thing that is between all the characters and some . . . one character just needs to say the thing and then everybody--because like, it's like saying that your characters aren't smart enough to figure it out on their own, especially after she gets the book and is doing the research and all that stuff. Yeah, I agree with that. That is really frustrating. So I am glad that that that was out of the way at that point because it is frustrating as a viewer, and if you're reading too.
Jen 30:03
I also think when she, when Bella and her friends go to get prom dresses and go to the bookstore, and Edward saves her from all the guys because he can hear what they're thinking. Or, yeah, that is again that is the epitome of the problem that any feminist would have with this movie, which is here's this helpless little female who's going to get into trouble by being kind of clueless, and Edward has to swoop in and stop it.
Sara 30:35
And he's also basically stalking her. I mean like that's the other thing . . . and also that's
Jen 30:39
Oh my gosh! The bedroom.
Sara 30:43
When he like it's after that when he's like appearing in the bedroom. I will have to say watching it this time, having a daughter of my own, and I'm like, hmmm. Is this what we want teen girls, like this is the this is the goal romance with this man, this guy's sneaking into your room and like staring at you.
Jen 31:03
When he says, "I like to watch you sleep."
Sara 31:06
Yeah.
Jen 31:07
Boundaries, Edward, boundaries. There's a reason vampires should have to be invited into your house.
Sara 31:15
Lost Boys reference because that was that was the case.
Jen 31:21
Anyway, sorry, I jumped in.
Sara 31:23
No, no, no.
Jen 31:23
Did you want to talk about the bedroom? Or . . .
Sara 31:25
No, that's a great point about the bedroom, but I was also gonna say like when she is . . . when the guys are surrounding her. Of course you want something to happen so that something bad doesn't happen, but like, Edward tearing out of like in this like race car thing. And it's like screeching tires. I mean, like, why is that happening? I mean, why does he have to pull up like a race car, Like, you know, racecar driver? It's so bizarre.
Jen 31:50
And like, almost run over the guy. Like they're so frightened of him because he looks mean and scary. I guess they're just supposed to sense something in the pheromones, but yeah . . . That whole part is really, so yeah, there are like the scenes that I feel like are supposed to be the best scenes in the movie, like the most powerful scenes in the movie, and for me, they're the worst. It's like this misjudgment. And then there are other scenes that are just small that I appreciate much more.
Sara 32:19
Yeah, I agree.
Jen 32:20
It's almost like the understated is is better than these big, melodramatic, super serious.
Sara 32:28
Well, and I think to a lot of those scenes also have this bizarre like choice of music that makes some very like melodramatic and like this big thing. And and I think as, especially as adults watching it, you're like, they're making this seem very dramatic. When it's not this, you know, I don't know. I think that's part of it, too. For me.
Jen 32:52
I agree. All right. Do you have? Or, sorry. What did you say?
Sara 32:56
I said, like the tinkling.
Jen 32:57
Oh, no, I mean,
Sara 32:58
. . . the sparkles.
Jen 33:00
It's like Tink . . . uh, yeah, it's really a very strange choice. Do you have a favorite scene?
Sara 33:07
Oh, so . . .
Jen 33:09
I should have thought about this more. I don't know that I have one in my head.
Sara 33:12
I tried to figure out how to say this without seeming really pervy.
Jen 33:18
Go for it, Sara.
Sara 33:19
I do like that angsty, the bedroom scene when they are. . . I think they're . . . I mean I think they do, I think both of them, both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, they have like this electricity between them that really like builds up all this tension. And it's like, sort of like that Romeo, like the star-crossed lovers thing, like they shouldn't be together. But here they are together. And I mean, there's just a lot of tension built up in that moment. And I I think like as, I mean, as a woman, as an adult watching it, I mean, I recognize the issues, but I mean, I feel like as if I would have been a teen girl, I would have been swoooon.
Jen 33:57
Oh my gosh.
Sara 33:58
And I would have had Edward in my, you know, posters in my room and all that stuff. So. So I think that I think that is a testament to the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson because even though I don't love Kristen Stewart, I think like, throughout the series, I mean, they were a couple in real life.
Jen 34:16
Yeah.
Sara 34:16
I think, I think that they are able, it is clear that they have this chemistry between the two of them throughout the series. So I like that. I like it when you can feel that and like you buy that relationship. So I like that. And I enjoyed any scene when all the Cullens are together. So like the, I mean, even though the baseball looks really like this, the special effects are not great, I like that scene when they're all together. I think it's really interesting. So I like it. How about you?
Jen 34:50
Yeah, I think I was gonna pick, for the same reason, the first time that Cullens come into the cafeteria, and there's just I mean, I'm a big fan of that anyway. Like I love a Western, I love it when the, you know, the gun fighters are walking down the street of the town ready for the gun fight. I just think there's something about that energy, the team energy that I really like. And so that, and you get there's something about that entrance that you can see why everyone in the school is drawn to them, that they feel like they're on this other level, you get a sense of their personalities, which in this movie are not well drawn out. I mean, they're very much each filling this sort of stereotypical role. But I also think that works for the type of movie this is. So yeah, I really . . . I think that's a great entrance, and then you can see how drawn she is to Edward from the beginning. That all works for me. Oh, yeah, he's not there at the beginning anyway, but yeah, the first time . . . when is when is the first time she sees Edward?
Sara 35:51
No. Well, he is in the cafeteria. It's that weird scene where Anna Kendrick's character--I can't remember her name--but she's your foster children.
Jen 36:03
Jessica.
Sara 36:03
But they also . . . that Dr. Cullen is a matchmaker.
Jen 36:10
That's right. I forgot that. Yes. So that I love that team sense. And then you know, every time they're like lurking in the parking lot, and they look just unbearably cool. And yeah, I think all that works really well. I had forgotten that Anna Kendrick was in this movie. Yeah, she . . . she is very good at the role she is given. The character is pretty thin, but she is right funny.
Sara 36:34
Yes.
Jen 36:35
All right.
Sara 36:36
She does provide some comic relief.
Jen 36:38
I mean, the scene when they're trying on the prom dresses, and she's talking about how great her boobs look, and then later at the dance with when Kristen Stewart, when Bella is giving her like the thumbs up. She's like, I know! Yeah. It's really funny. All right, well, I wanted to share some trivia, so I ended up, because this is no longer on Netflix, I ended up buying or renting this on Amazon Prime, which has this great X-ray feature that it connects to all the scenes and gives you these little, these little trivia moments. And there are some good ones. So, all right, I thought this was really interesting, so we've just gotten the news that Midnight Sun is going to be finally released after. So it was supposed to be released a long time ago, and then it leaked, and Stephenie Meyer got really angry and decided not to release it. But there is a line from Midnight Sun about . . . that Jessica speaks in the movie, Jessica says that the guys are treating Bella like she's a shiny new toy, the toy that they're fighting over. And that was originally from Midnight Sun, and Edward thought it.
Sara 37:40
Oh, yeah, that is interesting.
Jen 37:44
Mm hmm. Yeah. I wonder how Stephenie Meyer thought about that, because she was pretty protective of that manuscript. So I'm assuming she shared it with Catherine Hardwicke, the director, I don't know.
Sara 37:54
I don't know.
Jen 37:55
The other Stephenie Meyer fact. Okay, so two more. Henry Cavill was Meyer's first choice for Edward.
Sara 38:05
That would have been a very different movie. Or a different . . . not a different movie maybe but a different aesthetic. I think.
Jen 38:11
Uh huh. For sure. Yeah, he is very different type than Robert Pattinson. So the other, I'll just go ahead and do this, the other people who were considered for that role . . . so Jackson Rathbone, who plays Jasper, was actually a finalist for Edward.
Sara 38:27
Oh, wow. That's crazy that he was a finalist. And then he's Jasper. And I mean, Jasper doesn't have a ton of speaking roles. I mean, speaking parts.
Jen 38:36
Yeah, he said very little.
Sara 38:38
Yeah, he just kind of is there.
Jen 38:40
Yeah, I thought that was interesting.
Sara 38:42
That is interesting.
Jen 38:43
And then the other two names that were mentioned, and I had to look up both of these actors, Ben Barnes, who then I did recognize, and Shiloh Fernandez were considered. Ben Barnes was in . . . I just looked at this and now I forget already, but Ben Barnes was in something that I recognized. Anyway. So for Bella, the number one name that was mentioned was Lily Collins.
Sara 39:09
Hmm, that's weird because she didn't she played Clary in the Mortal Instruments adaptation.
Jen 39:15
No, she is in. . .
Sara 39:18
No, Cinderella. Lily James. She was the new Cinderella, like the live action.
Jen 39:22
Lily Collins.
Sara 39:24
No, Lily Collins was Clary.
Jen 39:26
No she's not. She is . . . Oh yes, she is! And she is also in that other, um . . . There's another YA series that they made into a movie, the southern Gothic one. I'm wildly scanning through IMDb.
Sara 39:45
They you know, that The Mortal Instruments series, I was so excited for the adaptation, and I did not love that.
Jen 39:52
I watched the series, and the series was better than the movie. It got better.
Sara 39:58
Okay, so was the movie, yeah, I only watched the movie, and I did not love it.
Jen 40:04
Oh my gosh, where is it? Okay, I'll have to look it up. Maybe . . . maybe I'm thinking the wrong person. Okay, so Lily Collins, and I don't know what I think about that.
Sara 40:13
I don't know that that. Like, I don't know that that's an upgrade. I think it's a lateral move.
Jen 40:20
Okay, now here's a name. Ready? Jennifer Lawrence. Because I feel like she would have brought a different energy to that role that might have changed.
Sara 40:32
Yeah, I mean . . .
Jen 40:33
I don't know.
Sara 40:34
I think she is definitely a better actress. I do, I think. I think it is hard to say because of the chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
Jen 40:45
Right. Yeah, I'm not sure they would have matched as well.
Sara 40:48
Yeah. So that I think that's, I think that is, I think that is one of the reasons that the movies were so successful and, like, have such a following is because of the . . . and I also thought that, like Taylor Lautner fit nicely in that triangle, too. Like I thought that that it was a good, like even what I said about Kristen Stewart, I thought that the chemistry between the three of them, and like the even the antagonistic energy, between, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. I thought all that was really strong. So I feel like if you take one of those out, it's hard to say who . . . like what, what the movie would be.
Jen 41:25
Yeah, and I think too, like, like Henry Cavill I can see matching better with Jennifer Lawrence than with Robert . . . or with um. I'm blanking on her name.
Sara 41:36
Like Kristen Stewart.
Jen 41:38
I had Emma Stone in my head for some reason. I have no idea why. She is not, she was not considered. I just have her in my head. So other people: Michelle Trachtenberg, who I only know from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And Sara Paxton, who I had to look up, I don't really know her.
Sara 41:54
Yeah, I yeah, I don't know her. I recognize that name, but I don't know. I'm not sure who she is.
Jen 42:01
And then Cam--I'm not sure how to say his last name--Gigandot. I'm sure it's French. But anyway, who plays James, the villain, was originally going to be Emmett but preferred the other role and asked to be moved.
Sara 42:16
I . . . we didn't talk about the villains, but I do think that Victoria and James and what's the other guy's name?
Jen 42:25
I'm gonna look, um . . .
Sara 42:26
I think, but um, I think that in terms of their villainry, or if that's a word, I think that they are fantastic.
Jen 42:34
I do, too.
Sara 42:35
When they show up on the boat.
Jen 42:38
Oh my gosh.
Sara 42:38
. . . to kill Charlie's friend. I mean, . . .
Jen 42:42
Laurent.
Sara 42:43
Laurent. Yeah, I knew it was something like . . .
Jen 42:46
Yeah.
Sara 42:46
. . . French or . . . That is . . . I mean, they are . . . they just dominate, and I think that that, and I think Victoria is a fantastic villain through, I mean, just the way she appears and all that. I think she totally sells it. I love it.
Jen 43:02
I know, it's so bizarre to me that they recast her for the subsequent movies because I do I agree she was great.
Sara 43:09
I know, that would be an interesting tidbit to try to find out why they recast, if there was a reason, you know, if there was a reason, or they just didn't feel like she encompassed the role, but I thought I thought that she did.
Jen 43:20
Yes, she is quite menacing. And just she is more of the typical vampire. They are more the typical vampires like The Lost Boys and stuff. I think that is more consistent with that portrayal.
Sara 43:31
Yeah.
Jen 43:32
And I do think like when they come up on that baseball game, that is such a great, that's a great scene.
Sara 43:39
Yeah. Yeah, I yeah, I mean, like, the more we talk about the more I'm like, yeah, I like it. It's very entertaining, the movie.
Jen 43:48
It is very entertaining. All right, so there's a line that Stephenie Meyer fought to keep in verbatim, and it's the one when the scene that we have disparaged, where they are finally getting together, and they . . . the lion fell in love with the lamb line. Stephenie Meyer really wanted that to be in there exactly.
Sara 44:09
But, and it was in there, so.
Jen 44:10
Yeah. I mean, that's a good line.
Sara 44:13
Yeah.
Jen 44:14
Okay, random contact news. So Kristen Stewart wore contacts through the whole movie to match the eye color in the book. Her eyes are actually green. And she wore brown contacts, which I thought was bizarre, like why does it matter?
Sara 44:26
Yeah, I wouldn't have remembered that.
Jen 44:28
No. And I guess if I were a teenager who had pored over it like multiple times, maybe? Even then I just don't think I I just don't care about things like that. But the red contacts that the cannibalistic vampires--I guess they're not cannibals because vampires are different species--anyway, those are hand painted by the director. Catherine Hardwicke hand painted those red contacts for them.
Sara 44:48
Oh my gosh.
Jen 44:50
Yeah.
Sara 44:51
I hope she used non toxic paint.
Jen 44:55
It's gonna be like Wizard of Oz . . . So Robert Pattinson had to learn to drive for the movie.
Sara 45:02
Oh, wow.
Jen 45:03
Which I thought was interesting. I mean, I'm sure there was a stunt person driving during a lot of that. But yeah, I thought that was interesting. Okay scenes that they had to film multiple times: when they're in the cafeteria the first time, the Cullens, they had to film that over and over because the actor who plays Emmitt kept accidentally eating. I thought that was so funny. I can see if it's just sitting there and you're bored, because . . .
Sara 45:30
I feel like that I would do that.
Jen 45:32
I know! Well, he doesn't have much to do. He's just back there. And that would be a natural thing. The other scene that they had to keep reshooting was the one where she drops the apple and Edward picks it up, and it's supposed to match the cover, and they apparently had to film that one many, many times to get it right, which I can see. Seems like it might be tough.
Sara 45:53
Another scene where the our technology from today would have been helpful.
Jen 45:59
No doubt. So in the scene when Bella goes to the Cullens house for the first time, and she reveals that she's already eaten dinner and Rosalie get--Rosalie, why does that sound funny? That's right, right.
Sara 46:13
Rosalie.
Jen 46:13
Okay. Gets really mad and breaks the bowl. The first time they shot that, she cut her hands. So then she has to wear gloves for the reshoots.
Sara 46:24
Oh, interesting.
Jen 46:26
Like, how did you not plan for that? That feels like a pretty easy thing to predict.
Sara 46:31
Yeah, that seems like bad props.
Jen 46:36
So Robert Pattinson actually plays the piano for Bella's Lullaby.
Sara 46:41
He sang in it as well.
Jen 46:43
Yeah. And that was from like, so apparently they kept like he would record music, and they kept trying to get him to show it to the director. And when he finally did, she agreed that he could say on the soundtrack, so . . .
Sara 46:56
That's really cool.
Jen 46:57
I thought that was cool. Okay. Last random fact. Most expensive wardrobe piece in the movie is Edward suit at prom.
Sara 47:06
Oh, wow.
Jen 47:07
And it's a good suit. I will say he looks good in that suit. Bella's dress is was only $20.
Sara 47:14
Wow, that's a great fact. They didn't say how much his suit was?
Jen 47:18
It did not. I bet we could uncover that fact. But I did not dig deeper.
Sara 47:23
That's awesome. Those are great facts. I love it.
Jen 47:26
Yeah. So I'm like, I need to rent the Amazon version of all of the movies that we do for this because yeah, they were really . . . and I do think, like I said, a lot of them are on IMDb, but I thought those are cool.
Sara 47:36
Yeah, that's awesome.
Jen 47:38
And it also has this week--I'll just do the ad for Amazon right now--and it also has this feature like if you like the fact, you can click and it'll take you to that scene. So you can then watch it like because I just viewed them all at the end. So I thought that was neat if I wanted to check it out. And they had continuity errors too, like the deer at the beginning is two different species of deer. Yeah, anyway. I did not point out all the continuity errors, but there were a number of problems, as there are in any movie but . . .
Sara 48:05
Ah, that's awesome. Great facts.
Jen 48:07
Yes. All right. Well, anything we have not covered that you want to cover?
Sara 48:10
I don't think so.
Jen 48:12
All right. Well, thank you everybody for joining us, and we have not decided on our movie for next month, but we'll put that out there on social media so you can watch ahead and listen with us. All right, thanks so much.
Sara 48:25
Bye, guys.
Jen 48:29
All right, well, we hope you enjoyed listening to that episode. If you enjoyed our discussion of Twilight and want more content like that, again, we hope you'll check us out at patreon.com/unabridgedpod where we're putting out more content just like that every month.
Give Me One - Best Concert
Jen 48:45
To finish off this episode, we are going to do our give me one, and the topic today is best concert you've ever been to. So Sara, what what's your give me one today?
Sara 48:57
Well, true to my nature. I have two listed. I'm trying to decide between the two, but I am going to stick to . . . I'm going to stick to one maybe I can use the other one for another time. But I am going to go with: my sister several years ago, before I ever had kids but I was married, so at least 12, 13 years ago, my sister got me Bon Jovi tickets for my birthday, so that my husband and I and then some of our other friends went, and we all went in a minivan someone borrowed from their parents to this Bon Jovi concert. It was so much fun. And the icing on the cake was that the Goo Goo Dolls opened for them, which they have been one of my favorite bands for a very long time. So I got to see the Goo Goo Dolls who sang--because they were opening, they sang all their very best songs. And then Bon Jovi gave an awesome concert. It was so much fun. We had the best time. I will say it was on a Sunday night, and I had to work the next day, and the people that we were with--I had no adult beverages, but some of the people we went with did have adult beverages. And then they wanted to like take out a hibachi and grill after the concert. And so I had to regulate that, but otherwise--and I wasn't very nice about it either.
Jen 50:18
That sounds fair.
Sara 50:20
It was so good on all seriousness, it was so much fun, and they both, like both the bands put on a great concert, and I always love going to concerts where I know the words to so many songs, and I knew so much of those, and even my husband who did not, was not really a Bon Jovi fan, he liked Goo Goo Dolls, but he had the best time. It was just so much fun, and it was just such a special time. I got to go with my husband and then my sister and then our friends, and it just is one of my favorite moments, my favorite memories from a concert. So that's mine.
Jen 50:53
That's awesome. All right, Ashley, you're up.
Ashley 50:56
So for me, I often have trouble deciding, too, Sara. But for this one, it was very clear for me, and I think it's because a lot of the people I listened to and have seen in concert I love, but the one like I chose U2. And the reason I chose U2 is because they, far and away of all the concerts I've been to, put on the best show. And so I think that's why, like, for me, it was really easy to decide on this because I was just completely blown away by how phenomenal the performance was. And I do think it's because there are other people whose music I love more, who I've seen, and I've loved it because I love their music so much. But it was just such a phenomenal show. It just showed me why they've been so wildly successful for so long because I love their music, but again, it's not they're nowhere near my most favorite band. For sure, hands down, best concert I've ever been to. So and I have totally forgotten until you said, but Nelly Furtado opened for them, and she was great, and that was when she was not famous at all, and I really enjoyed hearing her sing too, so, anyway yeah, hands down best concert for sure. What about you, Jen? What's your pick?
Jen 52:07
Yeah, so I debated doing something that has been more recent. And like you said, Ashley, like maybe that more reflects my musical tastes, what I listen to now, but the the first thing that popped in my head when we came up with this topic was a concert that I saw when I was in college. So it's all the nostalgia. So we saw Bush, and opening for them: Goo Goo Dolls and No Doubt both opened for Bush. And that was just, I mean, two amazing opening acts. But that was when I was obsessed with Glycerine and was like playing it non stop from morning till night, and maye a little bit with Gavin Rossdale at that time, just I mean, just a little bit. Definitely. But anyway, so I just that
Ashley 52:49
I can relate to all those things.
Jen 52:50
Yes.
Ashley 52:50
I was in high school. I imagine when this was happening. Yeah, yeah.
Jen 52:54
Yeah, cuz Yeah, I went with, yes, my friends in college, and I had not really been to a lot of concerts concerts before I went to college, so it was just . . . it was really just a great time. It was a great concert. It was so so so much fun. So.
Jen 53:09
All right, everyone. Well thank you so much for joining us. I just want to remind you again that we have the Unabridged Ambassadors Program going on. That one you can find out more about it Unabridged . . . [laughter] Unabridged. Again, words. Oh my gosh. At Unabridgedpod.com/ambassadors, you can find out more information. Thanks so much for joining us.
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