Twilight

Before I saw this movie, I had already written the review I wanted to post: "If I ever see this movie again, I'm going to need two tickets. One for me, and one for the man with a gun to my head. And hopefully he's paying."

But after actually watching "Twilight," I can't say that, because the movie is good. And I want to emphasize, the movie is good. Not the acting, not the script, not the story, not the special effects. Bella and Edward weren't the greatest actors. Bella, though, had a certain indefinable quality that made her appropriately cast: she's fairly normal looking, but a viewer can comfortably look at her for long periods of time. Edward is, frankly, not too easy on the eyes, which is for me a significant problem. But this critic's lady friends inform him that Edward is in fact hot. So I guess for the target audience, Edward was appropriately cast as well.

I attribute everything good in the movie to the director, Catherine Hardwicke. She made "Thirteen," and the better parts of "Twilight" brought to mind that film, such as the realistic, poignant drama between Bella and her father. For me, the most memorable parts of the movie were when Bella and Edward were with each other (and they weren't called on to act too much, which spoiled some scenes). With the tone set by New Age-y, angsty, emo music (in case you can't guess, I have no idea how to describe the music, but it was good), the camera lingers on them, and they sigh and fail to complete their sentences and stare at each other. Just when things start to heat up, the camera drifts away before things get too saucy. As far as content goes, it's a soft PG-13, but it's sexier than a few R-rated Alyssa Milano films I've seen. And overall, I think it captures very well the world of teenagers and at the same time creates an escapist fantasy out of all the problems teenagers face.

The bottom line is, I will not read the books, and if Hardwicke does not direct the sequel, there's a good chance that the review I wanted to write for "Twilight" will be perfectly appropriate for that movie.