But are you going to squeal?

I don't think I could if I wanted to.

I suspect I'll go to a matinee. Mayhap fewer tweens, since going to an afternoon movie would be LAME.

I really want to go see it with a bunch of buffistas and snark and laugh.

It wasn't until reading E's review that I realized that sparkly is literal.

I'm sure there will be snark when I go.

Oh yeah-- one of the reviews I read called it a cross between being dumped on by a truckful of glitter and a mob armed with Bedazzlers.

I have seen it and i did not like it. there is this one scene where Edward is telling Bella the history of his family coming to Forks and they cut away to a flashback. i thought i was going to pee my pants i was laughing so hard. if i had had some of the hardcore fans around me, i'm pretty sure i wouldn't be typing this now.

I'm going in about 75 minutes, because pre-noon movies are half price ($6) at the AMCs in NYC. I'll get back to you. I've even read the books.

So I actually kind of liked it. It's pretty rare that I find myself nodding along with Entertainment Weekly reviews, but I thought many parts of this one were spot on, especially the praise for Hardwicke's "treat[ment of] teen confusion without a trace of condescension." I actually thought it did a good job of acknowledging that the angst-level was completely ridiculous, while also acknowledging its importance to the characters and helping us respect that.

The weak points of the film (ignoring, for the moment, the ridiculous and disturbing "I like to watch you sleep" plot points that must be blamed on the book) are the pacing - it's often pretty glacial, then skims right past some of the most promising things - and Pattinson (or at least his direction.) I mean, I get that Edward is brooding and angsty and all, but he's also supposed to be HAPPY occasionally, at least once he gives into his So-Pure Love. Bella never smiles, either - she's about as "Cheer Up Emo Kid" a character as ever written/performed - but Stewart manages to let happiness shine through her eyes and awkward gestures and occasional tiny half-smile anyway. Actually, I was really impressed with Stewart's performance, especially given how much I dislike Bella in the books. Somehow, I felt a lot more sympathy for her issues in this version. (Admittedly, it probably helps that I actually get to see her, and she's totally pretty - very much my type. Which may explain why most of my audience compatriots didn't seem at all disappointed by Edward.)

The supporting cast is also pretty excellent. The Cullens are exactly as weird-looking as they should be, though I wish I had seen more of them, especially Alice. Bella's school friends are well-cast, too, if astonishingly diverse for a high school in Forks, Washington, which I expect is actually pretty darn white. I adore Anna Kendrick from Camp (and a 13-year-old Tony nom for High Society) and Michael Welch from Joan of Arcadia, so it was great seeing them again, and young Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob, really appealed to me as well. If they somehow manage to make the second movie not totally suck, it will be because of him. Finally, I really liked Billy Burke as Bella's dad - he totally sold the part.

So in sum: I liked it a lot more than the book. There's still a little ick-factor there, and the glowing is still silly, but the movie glossed over it pretty well and let me enjoy my silly-teen-angst-true-love-melodrama without worrying about it.

Carole Lombard retrospective in NYC.

Ple, the article includes a particular appreciation for Nothing Sacred.

Emmett and I saw Quantum of Solace yesterday. I enjoyed it and didn't have too much trouble following the plot. I am really enjoying how they're playing up the relationship between Bond and M. Craig and Dench have tremendous chemistry together and it's smart of them to exploit that.

I hate hate hate steadicam action sequences. I grew up on some of the most spectacular action sequences in movie history (Indiana Jones, Road Warrior, To Live and Die in L.A., even the Roger Moore Bond movies had some amazing bits) and despise directors who substitute jostled cameras for building an action sequence, with pace and editing and its own dramatic narrative.

::gives Paul Greengrass the stinkeye for general steadicam ruination::

Ultimately I enjoyed the movie because I love Craig as Bond. However, it didn't feel that much like a Bond movie. I don't need gimmicky spy gadgets, but I expect something more fun than a giant iPhone powerpoint presentation.

And, as has been noted, it's become a rather joyless Bond universe. I'm hoping the next one has a bit more joie and a bit less grim, and a whole lot less Bolivia (not an exotic place I need on my Bond travelogue).

I saw the OTHER teen vampire movie this weekend, Let the Right One In. [link]

It was amazing and wonderful. It's Swedish and the whole film takes place in a hushed snowy landscape, which adds to the generally melancholic atmosphere. Beautifully shot and directed--some of the images just hypnotize you. You should all defintely go!

We are watching The Mist.

There are really two strategies for disaster zombie/swarm/monster coping in the movies. Either "we have to get the hell out of here" or "we need to stay here and dig in".

I am definitely a "dig in" person. Especially if you're holed up in a shopping mall or supermarket.