Twilight

I was impressed by the Twilight movie. It stayed true to the book and successfully carried the characters we all know and love onto the silver screen. Before the movie I wasn't sure if I liked Kristen Stewart as Bella; Kristen seems so aloof in interviews it didn't seem like she had enough energy to put into a major movie role. But soon after the movie started I knew the casting crew got the absolute perfect actress. She got Bella's disaffectedness as well as her desperate need to break through it.

I was also afraid that Robert Pattinson was just a pretty face and didn't have the acting chops to pull off the depths of Edward's character. I'm so pleased to have been so wrong! Robert got all the little nuances of Edward and made it fun to watch his character's transformation. Also, a nod to Robert for writing that nifty piece of piano music for the movie. I will be looking on line for the sheet music in the very near future.

Much of the book, especially the first half if I remember correctly, takes place in Bella's thoughts. The movie makers didn't seem to have any difficulty in getting everything across to the viewing audience. I like the first scene in biology class where we see wings behind Edward from a stuffed bird, which was a nod to Bella's description of Edward in the books as an angel. The choice to cast all unknown actors made it easier to slip into the world of Forks, Washington and the secret subculture that lurks beneath the surface. And, of course, I love all the Cullens - even snotty Rosalie. They made me want to be a Cullen vegetarian vampire too! Ok, I wanted to be one since way back when I was reading the books, but now I want to be one even more!

It's a good movie. If you have any interest at all, and can maybe stand a few giggles and gasps from fan girls during the movie, I recommend you see this one.

All A-Twitter

So my brother's been hounding me for a while now to get on Twitter. I keep asking him what the point of it is and he never gives me an answer (because there is no point). The best I can get from him is that it's Web 2.0, whatever that means. So I created an account a couple days ago figuring that some meaning or purpose would eventually surface after I tried it out. Nope. I feel no need to post the minutiae of my day to no one in particular. Nor is it interesting in the least to follow other people who are equally as boring but try to hide it by posting lots of meaningless garbage. The only thing that could salvage this is if I could find some some smart alec who can make me laugh. But so far no dice.

Quantum of Solace

I'm not a fan of the Bond franchise, but I really enjoyed Quantum of Solace. The Bond movies have always been all flash and no substance until the last movie, Casino Royale. It seems like they revamped the franchise and actually put some thought into the movies and the casting. The scripts are better, but I think the main difference is that Daniel Craig is an exceptional actor that can bring some depth to the character for once. And, of course, Judy Dench totally ROCKS as M. If they keep this up I might actually have to call myself a Bond fan.

To read a more in-depth review check out http://jandkatthemovies.blogspot.com/.

Kindle

I got a Kindle from Amazon two weeks ago and I'm totally hooked! I didn't think I'd love this device as much as I do. There are over 180,000 books available to be directly downloaded onto the Kindle (no computer is needed). I chose to download the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon as my very first Kindle books. I'm really enjoying re-reading them while I play with all the features on the unit, the best of which is the built in dictionary which is quick and helpful. The screen isn't back lit, and therefore doesn't hurt your eyes. It's actual ink that electronically rearranges when you "turn" the page so it reads just like a book. Also, there are six different font sizes from size 7 to size 20 that you can choose at any time. You can place bookmarks, make annotations, and "clip" pages. Check out the Amazon website to learn all of the super-cool things it does. If you are an avid reader I highly recommend getting one of these.

Underworld / Underworld Revloutions

My friend is big fan of the Underworld movies so he loaned them to me to watch this weekend. They weren't very original but as a sci-fi buff I enjoyed watching them. They're full of action, special effects, and vampyres - totally up my alley. The main story centers around a centuries old feud between vampyres and werewolves with a heaping dose of betrayal mixed in to stir up the plot lines. They aren't must-see movies, but give them a try if you like this sort of thing.