Twilight Advance, advance ticket for opening day of Twilight, the long-awaited film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s young adult hit series, image © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Twilight opened at midnight last night, and I imagine theaters everywhere were filled with teenage girls dressed in black. My teen didn’t make it; today was a school day.
But guess who has a ticket for a showing tonight? Yep. The way I see it is, these are the things that eventually become memories when today’s kids get to be our age. Standing in line for over an hour to get a good seat in the theater on opening day of Twilight, or sitting two rows from the front of the screen and being unable to straighten your neck when the movie ends. Sweet.
I don’t remember standing in line as a kid to be among the first to see a movie or to buy a book. Maybe life was simpler then and less sales-driven. Or maybe my parents just wouldn’t stand for such nonsense.
I’m pretty sure it’s the deprived child in me that now indulges my daughters and last year endured the torture of standing—or, rather, leaning—in line, half alseep at one in the morning, so I could fork over $24.99 to a testy cashier and get Dee’s copy of the long awaited Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
What did we have that was even slightly similar? My older sisters swooned over The Beatles and Elvis, although I don’t think they ever made it to a concert. Jim remembers going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey on his 13th birthday, although it wasn’t opening night. “Nah, we never went to openings when I was a kid.” And in general, we still avoid the crowds that come with any opening night.
Although, Em reminded Jim that we all went to see Wall-E the first night it opened this past summer. We were in Taos for the Taos Solar Festival, and on a whim the Friday night we rolled into town, we decided to go see Wall-E. We sashayed on in, bought our tickets, and sat smack dab in the middle of a mostly empty theater. We couldn’t believe our luck. No way we would have ventured to an Albuquerque theater for opening night of any movie, not even a Disney Pixar one.
But some people love the excitement of being among the first. It’s kind of like making history. Or, like I said, making memories.
How about you? Do you move with the throngs or do you hang back until the crowds thin?
-Related to posts My Kid Got Bit By Stephenie Meyer and Stephenie Bit Me, Too!
I’m kind of crowd-phobic, so I try to avoid those. Maybe it’s because when I used to work as a sales associate during the winter holidays. Whew! So much shopping, so many faces and especially rude customers!! And the other part is that I’m always shy and reserved, so I don’t do so well in front of large gatherings. It makes me feel like a trampled ant, so it kind of makes sense when people say I’m soft-spoken. AND sometimes it’s kind of hard being 5′. People don’t take you seriously at times and treat you like a kid!!
Although I love the saturated feeling of excitement around me and sometimes I wish I could experience opening nights that pertain to entertainment, I am just simply happy to experience it all afterwards when the crowd thins a little. It’s less of a hassle and doesn’t increase stress (I really don’t need more right now)!! And speaking of crowds, say, is anyone planning to go shopping when Black Friday comes after Thanksgiving?
Oh, and of course, when I think of entertainment, I think of leisure, so I try to avoid crowds and anything that causes such hassles (or take preventative measures). I mean, one still enjoys a good movie even weeks after the opening night (or at least I do)! Leisure activities should be relaxing. Americans don’t need any more stress (now that we got the economic stress in the front of our brains).
Maybe one of these days I’ll go to opening nights of a movie, concert, etc.. For now, I’ll enjoy carnivals, poetry readings, etc. where there’s lots of people, but at least I don’t have to deal with long lines, rude “crazy” people, terrible parking areas, etc..
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If it’s a film I really want to see, or event, I try to go straight away, I’m impulsive and a real rusher at things……not always a good trait.
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Full report on the evening please! I would be very interested in your response to the film.
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For me, no. For the kids, yes.
I remember standing in line with my son who was then in high school to see a midnight showing of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. It was a school night but how many times was he going to see the premiere? We had a blast waiting in line with impromptu lightsaber fights in the parking lot.
My girls and I also stood in line to see three of the Harry Potter movies when they first came out; midnight shows.
The atmosphere on opening night is electric at these events.
Now I’m too old to do anything like that. The stuff I would want to see my kids don’t any more and I won’t go alone so I stay home.
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When “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” opened in 1978, they made it “special” by only opening in New York city and Los Angeles. I went with friends to NYC, the Zeigfield Theater, and a bunch of us rented a hotel room and sent emissaries down to stand in the long line to buy tickets. It was a friendly crowd, no yelling or shoving. Everyone wanted to see the kind aliens. I saw it 8 times. I still remember many lines. Like Francois Truffaut said about the people who felt pulled by some invisible magnetism to see the spaceship, “They have been invited. They belong here more than we.” He had a deep French accent. I can still hear him say it. Actually if I rent the movie, I really could hear him say it.
Jerry Waxler
Memory Writers Network
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Eight times, Jerry?? You definitely had what I call movie infatuation syndrome with that one. 8) That was a great movie, although even with that one I don’t remember standing in line when it opened.
Corina, that’s really cool that you did the midnight releases with your kids. I imagine there is an electric atmosphere, certainly moreso than the midnight book releases, which, judging from the one I’ve been to was more a case of trying to keep people entertained with silly games while waiting for the clock to strike midnight.
Oh, your comment about the electric atmosphere reminded me of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is probably the only midnight movie I’ve ever been to. And that was a long time ago, but what a blast it always was to stand in line with my friends and to see all the people in costume.
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OK, Deborah, I will give you a blow-by-blow of my daughter’s drop off and return from the movie, as I didn’t join her this time. 8) She went with a group of girls from her section (her school is broken into cohorts, so some kids from their section planned to go to the opening together.) I dropped off Dee at 5p for a 7:10 showing. She and her friends had about the tenth spot in line, and Dee said that within minutes the line grew by 100. So, it sounds like they stood in line for almost two hours, but got great seats.
Dee loved the movie—Jim picked her up and she came floating into the house, dreamy and giddy, although they showed an R-rated trailer that scared her. She was critical of some changes—one old man in the book, I don’t know who it was, who was a gentle, kind character was transformed in the movie into more of a gangster type.
Also, she loved the main actors. I don’t know if anyone has heard, but the English actor tapped to play Edward was initially rejected by some of the Twilight series fans. Apparently they didn’t think he was handsome enough. (For those who’ve seen the Harry Potter movies, the same actor who played Cedric Diggory was tapped to play Edward.) My understanding is the fans came to accept this actor, but it was a long haul getting there.
Anyway, Dee loved the movie and by now pretty much expects that most movies will veer from the book.
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jo, yeah, I know that trait. Especially dangerous when it comes to making big purchases (paintings and other art, in particular). 8)
A~Lotus, ah, Black Friday?! Well, first, I really do feel for folks who work in retail sales over the holidays. People *are* rude and messy and, man, the crowds. I can’t take it. Re: Black Friday, I never have once ventured out there, although my sister always does. She targets where she goes by scanning the ads first, and then she and her two kids (they comment here once in a while) are very tactical about it. They hit the places where they can get electronics at very low cost, get there early enough to make the first 100 cut-off or whatever. If I have anything I really want, I give her my list and then she tries to it for me. So, it’s kind of nice having someone in the family who will do this, but it ain’t me. 8)
My mom has never like crowds—verging almost on a slight phobia, I think. Not quite, but definitely she has avoided the crowds all her life. So, we did crowded events with Dad, and I tend to be OK if I need to. For example, I would go to the Inaguration of Obama, not that I will, but if I had a chance to, tickets, etc., I would brave the crowds for that event. But it’s got to be something I just absolutely need to see, else I’ll wait until the crowds are gone.
Your overall view of crowds seems healthy to me, A~Lotus. It’s smart to keep away from stressors, especially as you say with all that’s going on right now economically.
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I haven’t attended an opening night of a movie since I was a teenager. When Romeo & Juliet came out in the 70’s, my mother was kind enough to take me & 4 of my friends. We needed an adult to accompany us due to a naked butt scene. The only other one I saw first night was A Clockwork Orange.
I avoid large crowds at all costs. Though if I had the opportunity I would also attend the inaguration of Obama!
I have some of my Christmas shopping done. The rest will happen on Black Friday from the comfort of my own home. On line shopping! Can’t beat it! Free shipping & no crowds!
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Growing up in Silver City, population about 5,000 – 7,000 in the 60’s and 70’s, we used to do the Saturday matinee at the Gila Theater on Bullard St. Sometimes there would be a line 20 deep in preteens. That was big line back then. Not much else to do back then; not too many color TVs in our neighborhood, cable TV had 10 channels, and of course the Internet was years away.
Movies were usually Disney like “The Computer wore Tennis shoes” or “The Love Bug”, or when I got a little older, Westerns like “A Fist Full of Dollars” or “The War Wagon” then there life influencing movies like “Dirt” or “On Any Sunday”.
BTW I saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” when I was 13 as well. It must have been a second release. I saw it in the theater because we read the book in my 8th grade Literature class and the teacher wanted us to see the movie…maybe she arranged the movie for us…I don’t remember. At 13 it was hard to understand. I watch it now on DVD and I really enjoy it because now I understand the symbolism and visuals.
Now I usually wait till a movie has been out for a couple weeks or I will wait for the DVD. Sometimes I never get around to seeing a movie I wanted to see. But certain movies I’ll go see in the theater just for the experience of seeing on the big screen and eating popcorn with a large Pepsi. I’ll probably see the new James Bond movie next weekend or the weekend after that.
MM
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I generally hang back until the crowd thins, but there have been a few opening nights. The last one was quite memorable as it took me a few days to recover. I took my youngest son to a marathon session of The Lord of the Rings movies, with the third being shown at midnight because it was opening night for Return of the King. The first two were shown in extended versions. It started at 1:00 in the afternoon and we got home around 4:00 in the morning. The only available seats left when we got to the theater were in the front row. Ugh!
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I seldom go to movies, a crowd and dark thingy, so first showings would definitely not be something I would manage.
It really frustrates everyone I know, though, because all my kids have worked in the same theatre (starting in 1997 and still continuing without a break) and I could get in free plus have free drinks and popcorn as an employee’s mom.
My youngest worked the midnight showing for Twilight – said the crowd was friendly and really excited, very “jabber-y”. And polite, even as they crammed as many snacks into their arms as they could before going in to see the show.
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yb, I have a total aversion to theaters in general because I have to have silence. I love movies and have respect for people paying outrageous prices to get in and like me, actually like to hear the dialogue as it was written.
Where I live, the tickets are 11 bucks and no matter where I sit, or how evil I glower…I ALWAYS get “The talker”. My husband took me last night to see Quantum of Solace because I LOVE JAMES BOND. He waited until it had been out a week because he knows I will freak out, scouring the audience for “The Talker” while my blood pressure rises. We sat at the very top, in the very last 2 chairs, and luckily it was loud enough to blast away any popcorn munching, loud paper rattling, shriek giggling, cell phone blabbing, idiot.
I remember one woman at a British Period piece telling her neighbor her china was identical to the one on the screen and then proceeded to tell us all it’s make and manufacturer. I wanted to bludgeon her with a tea cup. I moved LOUDLY.
Hot tip, If you see the sign with the “Ear” in the pay window, they have earphones. Blocks out even the most obnoxious sounds…but sadly, can’t do a thing about the “head swayers”. That require a pea shooter.
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ybonesy, love the ticket scan. That looks so cool. I’m one of those people who hangs back until the crowds thin. Though as a teenager I was more adventurous and was first in line to see The Exorcist and The Godfather.
BTW, I think I mentioned in the comments on Bob’s post that the cast from Twilight were at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota last week. I looked up some links and you wouldn’t believe the screaming going on. I’ll add them here for anyone who wants to check it out.
In the NPR story, Stephenie Meyer said she didn’t set out to be a writer. This all came about from writing down a dream she had. Note to self: keep a notebook by the bed. 8)
Twilight Cast at Mall of America – handshot video with lots of screaming kids and members of the cast talking to the crowd (LINK)
Twilight Tour — MOA – WCCO Coverage of Event with Interviews with teenagers and why they go to these movies (LINK)
Twilight Cast Appearance At Mall of America website – Guidelines and perks of showing up at MOA that day (LINK)
NPR Story On Stephenie Meyer – ‘Twilight’ Author Pens Other-Worldly Romance with Excerpt from The Host (LINK)
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Isn’t that amazing, QM? And the way she talks about it, it seems to have been fully formed, beginning to end. And then she just sat down and out it came. You gotta marvel at the process and outcome whether you like the writing or not.
Oh, QM, I could never have gone to see The Exorcist at the theater. Yikes. I actually don’t think I’ve ever watched it in one sitting. That movie really scared me, just the thought of it. It came out when I was at an impressionable age and really worried that if I opened up my mind to allowing that such a thing could happen, that it would happen. So I just stayed away. Plus, I kept hearing about the pea soup ejectile vomit scene, and my vomit phobia would never have allowed me to see a movie knowing there’d be a vomit scene. (Of course, I’m more mature now and can watch movies with vomiting.) 8)
Bo, Dee and her friends had French Fries at the movie—I never knew you could get French Fries. And then popcorn and a coke. So nutritious. (Jim made us a big batch of popcorn today, as we’ve been lazying around the house; the girls watched one of the Star Trek movies.)
Robin, couldn’t even imagine watching all three Lord of the Rings in the front row. Talk about a neck crick. Ouch.
diddy, A Clockwork Orange was a strange movie, wasn’t it? I should rent that one and watch it again.
Hey, if you find great bargain shopping sites online, let me know. 8)
MM, your small town upbringing sounds charming. Really. Being able to go to the movies and see most the kids from town, or so I imagine that’s how it was.
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QM, wanted to let you know that the scanned movie tickets, the first one, was an accident. I was going to change the size or something, and I hit the wrong button. The whole thing inversed the white and black. I liked it that way so I kept it.
I can’t believe how expensive movies have gotten. And what kills me is the food and drink. I usually bring drinks and candy from home—my poor girls have gotten used to popping their cans of soda when the lights go out. No matter how hard you try, you can’t ever really mask the sound of an aluminum can being opened. But I do like the taste of movie theater popcorn, so I’ll spring for a serving of that.
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yb, A Clockwork Orange is not what it would have been in the 70’s, if you know what I mean. I saw it again later in life & it just wasn’t the same. Oh well. So cool that your daughter got to go, though opening night should have ben on Friday. I mean, what’s up with that? I watched some of the madness on tv about the opening on Thursday. Ah, to be that young again!
I took Brant & E. Elise to see Kung Fu Panda during a matinee showing. They each were allowed a small soda & a candy bar. The cost? $13.00! That was more than the price of our combined tickets to see the movie! D
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The only movie I can remember standing in line for was “Little Big Man” Of course, that was on a date so I didn’t care where we were standing..I thought I was in love. 🙂
Now I can’t remember the last movie I went to see at a theater. We used to go to blockbuster..now we wait until they are on Satellite. :O Needless to say, we are way behind.
What do you expect from a hermit island dweller though!
I too, would like to hear your review of this movie. I love vampire movies!!
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I just read an article that Stephen King said, “Stephanie Meyer can’t write a darn!”
Wow. I’m always surprised when an author will do this so publicly to another writer. I still haven’t read the Twilight books. Now I really want to.
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I read Stephen King’s On Writing on my last trip to and from Vietnam (I know you read it, too) and I was struck by how he sometimes got personal in talking about good versus not-so-good writers. But he’s a no-holds-barred type of guy.
I finished the first Stephenie Meyer’s book, Twilight, and it was fine given the target audience. It’s a young adult book. I looked forward to reading the first 10 or so chapters, and then after that it got a bit repetitive. But I finished it in less than a month, and that’s saying something. (And I finished it while reading another book that was competing for my attention.)
I don’t know—her books are a commercial hit. Was it just dumb luck? Was her audience not discerning enough? I don’t think so. I think she wrote compelling stories.
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I remember being a bit shocked about how King talks about other writers in On Writing. It was also refreshing to read someone who took a stand. Good: here’s why. Bad: here’s why.
There is still a huge waiting list for Twilight at the library. I guess I can wait.
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What great timing on the Stephen King comment. I started reading Lisey’s Story this week. Liz came home from the library with one book, one book on tape. She’s listening to it in the car; I’m reading it. We like to do that and compare notes. 8)
I’ve been wanting to do more reading for pleasure, where I’m not thinking about dissecting the writing or the writers. Mysteries do that for me, and King is one of my favorite mystery writers. I think he’s a good writer all the way around. I read On Writing years ago and loved it. At the time I was reading so many different books about writing and I remember how much his stuck out as being right-to-the-point honest.
That kind of honesty seems like part of his style. You know what I’ve learned about writing and writers though, is how subjective a person’s opinion can be, whether kudos or criticism. And what writer or person becomes famous doesn’t always hinge on good writing; good writers don’t always become famous. King’s one of those guys who’s never made apologies for anything he’s said. At the same time, he was just as honest about himself when he wrote about his life, the accident, and the impact on his writing.
When I talk to other writers, it seems like they have very strong opinions about what they like and don’t like but might never say those things publicly. Yet I’ve heard many famous and semi-famous writers throw their opinions around about other writers. It is a good question about why that might happen. Confidence? Jealousy? None of the above. And should we listen to the critics? More to ponder.
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Gosh, I really am surprised by the comments by Stephen King. I shouldn’t be, as I do think it is just part of his personality.
I also enjoy Stephen King novels. The Stand, being my all time favorite! Have read it several times. I seriously doubt that he made the comments out of jealously or confidence. I am sure what he said is his simply his opinion.
However, that being said, I never listen to critics. Let me be the judge of what I do or do not enjoy.Be it books, movies, whatever…
Stephenie Meyer’s books have certainly become popular. I doubt that I will ever read one, though, as it just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea. I probably should. Then I could decide for myself. D
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Does Stephen read Lisey’s Story himself? I’d like to hear him read one of his own books.
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Teri, I had to ask Liz who narrated Lisey’s Story. She said it’s Mare Winningham. It looks like she’s also narrated another of his books, The Gingerbread Girl. And quite a few others, too. I haven’t heard her voice reading the book yet, but I’m engrossed in my hardcopy. Lisey’s Story is about a famous writer, told through the lens of his widow, also a writer, who has not made it big. I’m already wrapped up in it and have not even made it through Chapter 3. Oddly, the character development reminds me of Ann Patchett’s The Magician’s Assistant. I don’t know why that is. I think because it’s mostly about one main character and you are reading what’s going on in her head. King is a master at that.
Some of my favorite Stephen King mysteries are the ones where a writer is the main character. Thad Beaumont is an author and recovering alcoholic in The Dark Half, one of the coming out books of Richard Bachman, King’s pseudonym. It was released back in the late 80’s when I was reading a lot of King and a lot of books on writing. I remember I actually went out and bought the pencils he mentioned in The Dark Half. I think it was the Mirado Black Warrior. But I’d have to check to make sure. 8)
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Teri, I forgot to mention, I think it’s hard to find novels narrated by the actual author. Have you found that to be true? I think the last one I listened to was one of Louise Erdrich’s and she had narrated it. But it’s been a while. It’s so pleasing to hear the author read his/her own work. But imagine what it must take to read a whole novel on tape or CD. Patience, for sure. But I bet it’s kind of a Zen thing to do, kind of like slow-walking through one of your own books, way after the time you wrote it.
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I agree; it seems a surprising number of writers *don’t* narrate their own books. Of course, not everyone has the voice for it…it’s probably best to hire an actor in many cases.
I read the entire interview by Stephen King, and Stephenie Meyer was amongst a group of several authors he dismissed as bad and successful. Just for fun, I’ve put books by all those authors on hold at the library. I won’t necessarily read their entire book, but I may spend time reading a chapter or two. I’m curious now.
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Teri, where was the King interview published? Or you might have said and I missed it. I’m curious as to which other authors he didn’t care for. So much of criticism of the Arts is subjective. But I do think that most of us think some writers are better than others. What makes them better? That’s always the question I look to hear answered.
Hey, remember that Nikki Giovanni even mentioned the Twilight Series when we saw her at the Fitz. It’s so huge, I’m guessing you can’t escape having an opinion on it.
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The other writers Stephen King doesn’t approve of include: James Patterson, Dean Koontz, and Erie Stanley Gardner.
I Googled “Stephen King Twilight” and found the article somewhere.
He does, incidentally, think J.K. Rowling is sensational.
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What did Nikki Giovanni say about the series? And I believe Ann Patchett mentioned it, too, in an essay she wrote re: the recent uptick in readers of fiction.
I thought about this conversation yesterday. I finished the first book, Twilight. I actually did something kind of sneaky, which was, I read ahead—in advance of my reading aloud to Em—to the end once we got to the final chapters. But last night I re-read a chapter to Em, being as how she hasn’t finished the book. As I was reading for this second time, I was more tuned into noticing sentences where the writing was slightly cliche. For example, something like, “He dropped his hand from my arm as if he’d been electrocuted…”
Now, mind you, I’m not say that’s poor writing. Again, the writing is geared to a young adult, and clearly it meets its mark. But yeah, it’s not as sophisiticated as the other book I just finished, which is by Michael Chabon and won the Pulitzer Prize. But still, there were times I was more compelled to read Twilight over Chabon’s book, even though I finished Chabon’s first.
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I just finished reading the fourth of four books written by a writer (who shall for now remain unnamed) recommended to me by a writing friend. Actually, she recommended his third book (a masterpiece) that became a best-seller and rightly put him on the novelist map.
His other three books took effort on my part to plow through, a fact I reported to my friend after I finished each book. I wondered where the editor had been, why she hadn’t made him trim 100 pages of endless details and auxiliary characters.
This same friend recently sent me an email with a less-than-favorable report about a novel set in her home state. She gave up on the poor writing.
After I sent her my last book report on the four-novel-guy, I realized I’m doing what Stephen King did–on a smaller, private scale. Is that any better?
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