Before I start, I should’ve mentioned that during a play, I go MIA. Yup. Alice in Wonderland opens on Dec. 11 and closes on the 14th. I may not be back until after that.

I’ve been to two movies in the past two weeks. That doubles the number I’ve been to all year. Yes. Really. I never go to the movies anymore. And what brings me forth into the dark? You can’t guess? Bond and vampires.

I really dug Quantum of Solace. The reboot of Bond has done, in my opinion, wondrous things for a franchise that had become a mockery of itself. Daniel is my kind of 007 – charming, but more importantly, lethal. Daniel Craig’s Bond actually looks like he could, physically and emotionally, kill somebody. And I really like that he occasionally looks like he got the crap beaten out of him. On a lighter note, read the cast list at the end… you’ll find Ms Fields’ first name.

Twilight… was… better than I expected it to be. Except for (a)this completely retarded sequence in the forest (the “reveal” scene) which involved lots of jumpy cameras, actors in slow motion angst, and the most craptastic special effects I’ve seen since the early 90s and (b)these god-awful sepia-toned “backstory” shots, which made me laugh, and not in a “good job with the funny” sort of way. The script, for the most part, was pretty good, and the leads were fine. I even liked Cedric Diggory, who I was completely not convinced about going in. Although, and this is my other beef with the film, Pattinson looks nowhere in the vicinity of 17 years old, and seriously, what male who died in 1918 would have hair even vaguely resembling that, oh, and what color is his skin? Is it French Revolution powder white or normal tan or… whatever that color is in this scene? Pick one. And then there was Carlisle, who looked like he was dipped in a vat of talc. However, Pattinson pulls the role off with a nice panache and a subtle/campy sense of humor that tempered the ever-present angst very nicely. It might be possible that I liked him better in the movie than I did in the book. Oddly enough, I think my favorite part of the movie was Charlie. He didn’t look at all like the Charlie in my head, but the way they pulled off his adoration of his daughter without ever having him say it outloud, was really cool.

So… goods and bads. I’m kinda hoping that with another go ’round – I’ve heard rumor they’re filming New Moon and Eclipse back-to-back, and with Pattinson not getting any closer to 17, I think that’s a good call – they’ll nail it a little more solidly. I think they can.

I think I’m the last vampire afficionado in America (and possibly the English speaking world) to read Stephanie Meyer’s YA opus about blood and love in Forks, Washington. I’ve had the book for months now, but anticipating a fun read, I waited until summer vacation to read it when I’d have time to sit and enjoy. My analysis? Bella is a whiny twit and Edward is a dreary ponce, and their relationship shoves some religious and gender views that I really don’t agree with down the reader’s throat. And yet… I immediately bought the next two books (the third one in hardback, and I never buy hardback) and read all 1600 or so pages of the series in less than a week. I went to Meyers’ website and read the first chapter of Midnight Sun, her new WIP telling Twilight from Edward’s perspective. I checked out the imdb website to see if the actors matched the characters in my head (so-so… I’ll wait until it comes out to judge). The whole thing totally sends me. How does that happen?

I dunno. I’ve been thinking about it, trying to figure out where the magic comes from when I spend a large chunk of the series irritated at the narrator for being so single-mindedly dependent on her boyfriend, unnecessarily guilt-ridden, and occasionally stupid as a box of cookies. Is it because I love the way Edward and Jacob Black fight? Now those are some dern funny scenes. Does it come from how much I adore Jake? Maybe. He’s cool, and Bella frequently becomes much more like someone I can respect (minus the listening to voices) when she’s around him than she is with her “true love” Edward. But I’m easy on writers, and I’m rooting for Edward like I’m sure I’m “supposed to”. And I really want them to succeed. Seriously, why is that? Is it because, like with Princess Bride, I secretly want some brilliant, powerful man to “save” me even though my rational soul revolts against the idea? I don’t know. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about the book that I love, but I’m excitedly waiting for the fourth title, and I’m sure I’ll pick it up in hardback as soon as I can.

The mysteries of art and our psyche. So… Twilight, the final verdict? Utterly against my will, I love it muchly.