It’s finally time to discuss what might be the most lovably hated movie franchise ever: THE TWILIGHT SAGA. In this episode, which covers the first three films in the series, topics of discussion include: the chaotic aesthetics of the late 2000s, chosen one narratives, cultural appropriation, the false allures of choice feminism, and why 12-year-old Marin was a Twilight book purist who rejected these movies altogether. (We also talk at length about the 2010 Robert Pattinson vehicle REMEMBER ME, so if you don’t want to know about its baffling plot twist, avoid 39:44 to 46:21).

Special thanks to Lindsey for providing this episode’s Juvenalia Encore!

Email your own musings and questions to tellmeimsorry@gmail.com

Follow us:

Instagram: @tellmeimsorry

BlueSky: @tellmeimsorry.bsky.social

Maggie’s Instagram: @_saint_margaret_

Join our book club:

See the links in our social media bios or copy this link to your browser: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6062997/join/e74d1c

Secondary texts referenced:

Adventureland (2009) dir. Greg Mottola

Remember Me (2010) dir. Allen Coulter

Good Will Hunting (1997) dir. Gus Van Sant

“No, feminism is not about choice” by Meagan Tyler (published in The Conversation)

Chanlee Luu—poet, friend, and author of The Machine Autocorrects Code to I—joins the podcast to discuss Zhang Yimou’s HERO (2002), the wuxia classic that’s full of stunning martial arts sequences, gorgeous colors, and timeless questions about truth, narrative, and political sacrifice. We also use the film as a springboard to discuss Chanlee’s own writing, her background in science, and poetry as archive, comfort, and resistance.

Email your own musings and questions to tellmeimsorry@gmail.com

Follow us:

Instagram: @tellmeimsorry

BlueSky: @tellmeimsorry.bsky.social

Maggie’s Instagram: @_saint_margaret_

Join our book club:

See the links in our social media bios or copy this link to your browser: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6062997/join/e74d1c

Secondary texts referenced:

The Machine Autocorrects Code to I by Chanlee Luu, available wherever books are sold. Visit bookshop.org to order a copy from your local bookstore!

“50 Years of HOPE and HA-HAs,” a Vietnamese American art exhibition in DC which features one of Chanlee’s poems

We’re discussing a monumental film this week: Céline Sciamma’s PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (2019). Yes, it’s romantic and poignant and emotionally and intellectually rich, but it also features really direct communication between its two lovers—and that might be the hottest thing of all. We discuss myth-making, companionship as the bedrock for romance (also hot, Marin argues), the Green World Archetype, and, most importantly, which scenes make Maggie want to puke because they’re so good.

This episode’s Juvenalia Encore is a poem written and performed by Rachel Anne! Follow them on Instagram: @cairnradesign

Email your own musings and questions to tellmeimsorry@gmail.com

Follow us:

The podcast’s Instagram: @tellmeimsorry

Maggie’s Instagram: @_saint_margaret_

Join our book club:

See the Linktree in our Instagram bio (@tellmeimsorry) or copy this link to your browser: https://bookclubs.com/clubs/6062997/join/e74d1c

Secondary texts referenced:

The World to Come (2019) dir. Mona Fastvold

In Secret (2013) dir. Charlie Stratton

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma on her ravishing romantic masterpiece” by Emily St. James (published in Vox)