50 Shades - Great, or the Greatest?

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  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    Am I the only one who enjoys violence in a book? Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had two violent scenes, one of which was very satisfying.

    Actually I loved that series.

    sometimes hard to read- but they are very good.


    also- this is a good read

    http://m.tickld.com/x/many-women-do-not-agree-with-me-on-this-subject-but-its-important


    Here's the buzzfeed thing about the secretary
    http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/reasons-to-watch-secretary-before-you-watch-fifty-shades

    Thanks! I'm gonna check it out.

    I will check out trapped also. I'm on my phone right now.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I'm just glad I've never read it. I almost picked it up out of curiosity and a sense of missing a cultural phenomenon. Now, I'm glad I didn't waste my time.
    If you ever get curious enough, the audio books are on YouTube. They are unintentionally ridiculously funny to listen to.

    I listened because I knew it needed to be criticized but I didn't feel comfortable doing so without reading them and there was NO WAY I could have gotten through reading them. Plus, I didn't want to give any money to the people responsible and I couldn't find anyone to lend the books to me and our library won't carry them.
  • Kelli8885
    Kelli8885 Posts: 13 Member
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    Fairly simple question. I've never seen a work of fiction so thoroughly explore women's issues. Can't believe they're making it into a film, considering Hollywood's penchant for populist pandering. Hard to believe that they'll tackle the hard issues like identity and sexual politics, and womens liberation -- all themes masterfully explored in the series.

    You are amazing.
  • liftmeup1
    liftmeup1 Posts: 373
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    You mean it isn't just a book that women get their stuff off to?....lol
  • kendall916
    kendall916 Posts: 4,222 Member
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    I'm so glad I watched Secretary before I picked up the 50 shades book. I'm already dreading the movie I have a feeling it's going to be another Twilight bust.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Yes. Glorifying sexual abuse is fantastic. It should be more mainstream.

    The series is an insult to the BDSM community and to those of us who have had to live through abuse.

    Also, you do realize that the series started life as an online Twilight fanfiction, right?
  • Gmtribble90
    Gmtribble90 Posts: 463 Member
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    I have no intention of seeing the movie, nor have I read the book. It's basically going to be (as a male friend of mine called it) "Porn: The Movie". It makes me sick that movies like this and Don Jon (one my bf saw and I got REALLY irked...poor guy didn't even know what it was and couldn't leave the room because his father picked it for a "family" movie for them to watch together, along with his sis and stepmother...weirded me out and was worse when his sis said it wasn't that bad, but eh...guess I'm old-fashioned) are even made. I say it should be boycotted, but that's just my opinion...
  • kendall916
    kendall916 Posts: 4,222 Member
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    Yes. Glorifying sexual abuse is fantastic. It should be more mainstream.

    The series is an insult to the BDSM community and to those of us who have had to live through abuse.

    Also, you do realize that the series started life as an online Twilight fanfiction, right?

    I agree!

    If you're curious/open minded about BDSM or the 'kink' lifestyle I'd recommend those to watch the movie Secretary first before watching the movie!
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
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    I've heard a lot of ignorance regarding the books and now the coming movie, but this thread takes the cake. Holy crap, does it ever take the cake.

    I heard there was cake here.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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    I saw the movie Secretary and the Maggie Gyllenhaal character in a dysfunctional family, psychologically destroyed, cutting herself, and was institutionalized - - all at the beginning of the film. But then James Spader swoops in and saves her with discipline and sex?! Treats her like one of his orchids. At least the protagonist of 50 Shades was treated as a human.

    Some people want to be outraged for the sake of it. By all means do that but don't deprive anyone else access to good solid scholarship on the basis of simple anti-populism.

    The whole "I liked BDSM before it was cool" thing is just so hipster.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I have no intention of seeing the movie, nor have I read the book. It's basically going to be (as a male friend of mine called it) "Porn: The Movie". It makes me sick that movies like this and Don Jon (one my bf saw and I got REALLY irked...poor guy didn't even know what it was and couldn't leave the room because his father picked it for a "family" movie for them to watch together, along with his sis and stepmother...weirded me out and was worse when his sis said it wasn't that bad, but eh...guess I'm old-fashioned) are even made. I say it should be boycotted, but that's just my opinion...

    Did you actually watch Don Jon? It was about how the porn and film industry have given people unrealistic expectations of what an "ideal" relationship / "ideal" sex should look and be like. It is pretty unrelated to a book series that glorifies abusive relationships.
  • kendall916
    kendall916 Posts: 4,222 Member
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    sometimes hard to read- but they are very good.


    also- this is a good read

    http://m.tickld.com/x/many-women-do-not-agree-with-me-on-this-subject-but-its-important


    Here's the buzzfeed thing about the secretary
    http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/reasons-to-watch-secretary-before-you-watch-fifty-shades

    OMGosh thank you for these links! :happy:
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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    I have no intention of seeing the movie, nor have I read the book. It's basically going to be (as a male friend of mine called it) "Porn: The Movie". It makes me sick that movies like this and Don Jon (one my bf saw and I got REALLY irked...poor guy didn't even know what it was and couldn't leave the room because his father picked it for a "family" movie for them to watch together, along with his sis and stepmother...weirded me out and was worse when his sis said it wasn't that bad, but eh...guess I'm old-fashioned) are even made. I say it should be boycotted, but that's just my opinion...

    Did you actually watch Don Jon? It was about how the porn and film industry have given people unrealistic expectations of what an "ideal" relationship / "ideal" sex should look and be like. It is pretty unrelated to a book series that glorifies abusive relationships.

    To use someone else's comparison earlier in the thread, the Saw film franchise doesn't glorify devious traps that require people to harm themselves and/or others in order to escape. It's like saying world war I glorified war - it just was what it was, in all its ugly reality.
  • lafilleavectoi
    lafilleavectoi Posts: 125 Member
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    The book is garbage.
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
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    I'm sorry, but I found the books horribly written and stupid, as well as promoting an abusive relationship.

    I have no intention of seeing the film.

    SAME. Bleh.
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
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    Too much fuss over a book. It wasn't that 'bad'. And Grey sure was such an over jealous abusive *kitten*.. O.o I found the second book to be the best one though, never finished third one (was bored already...)
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
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    r u for real? btw the trailer looks like a higher budget skinemax movie.

    Please note I haven't seen the film. If it's half as thorough as the texts, it will likely become a classic; perhaps studied in college courses devoted to the subject matter.
    As an English major, who studied the likes of Bronte, Austin, and even some Cixous, and Showalter, I truly hope you're being sarcastic. I tried reading 50 shades, and believe me I love my guilty pleasures (because as a HS teacher I really wanted to know what all the hype was so I read the Twilight series); however, to think 50 Shades, which was like truly like the soft porn version of Twilight, is a classic is at the very least laughable IMHO.
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
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    Appalled at the closed-mindedness. It's like 1692 in here.

    Think so? I happen to write erotica and have had some things published. Difference is I write GOOD erotica.

    Proof or gtfo!

    www.smashwords.com I won't put my name because MFP guidelines forbid it, but the title of one is called Trapped.

    will find later- love reading good erotica.
    I like watching bad porn too- but reading good stuff- is fun. :D

    Seriously- I think we were talking about this when the trailer first came out.

    The problem is not that we are close minded- it's that we are actually open and aware of what real BDSM culture is like. I'm pretty vanilla for them- but I'm at least AWARE.

    The book/movie are as follows
    A.) vanilla
    B.) written for bored house wives who don't know what porn or BDSM are- and are scared of it
    C.) Does not accurately represent the safety/trust/consensual acts that happen between two people who enter into a dom/sub relationship.
    D.) sh*tty insipid writting

    these are not pick one- it's ALL of those things.
    I pick C. and D.--hmmmm, How many bored housewives will be in attendance on opening night?
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    it's all garbage, but then I think about their bank accounts $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    wish I'd thought of it .......

    :sad:
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
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    I saw the movie Secretary and the Maggie Gyllenhaal character in a dysfunctional family, psychologically destroyed, cutting herself, and was institutionalized - - all at the beginning of the film. But then James Spader swoops in and saves her with discipline and sex?! Treats her like one of his orchids. At least the protagonist of 50 Shades was treated as a human.

    Some people want to be outraged for the sake of it. By all means do that but don't deprive anyone else access to good solid scholarship on the basis of simple anti-populism.

    The whole "I liked BDSM before it was cool" thing is just so hipster.
    I have no idea of what you're trying to say with this.

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