Twilight

K: 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.

J: First, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I am a “Twilight Virgin”! These books have been floating around just off my radar while every tween-age and young teenage niece I have has spent the summer with them tucked securely under their arms. Very possibly because I am now old and cynical and haven’t believed in young love since, well I guess since I was young enough to think about it but not yet old enough to know it doesn’t really exist! While I was growing up, little girls were still told that Prince Charming would come riding up on his white steed and whisk them away. How fascinating that the 21st Century’s Prince Charming is a vampire! But I guess in a way it fits perfectly. Who better to appeal to a generation of alienated young people than a vampire! How dark and wonderfully Goth. After all, isn’t Dracula the original Goth?

I have always been a horror fan – both book and movie genres work for me. So I’m not unfamiliar with all the vampire lore; historical, literature, and cinematic. And I think for me that was the most entertaining part of the movie. I liked the spin Stephenie Meyer put on the vampire mythology. The consideration that vampires could live along side humans somewhat peacefully is fascinating. Yes, there would be “bad” vampires just like there are toughs and hoodlums in bad neighborhoods. But I thought the Cullen family was charming and very pretty; albeit a bit pale!

What I found most pleasing was the way she chose to explain why they wouldn’t go out in the sunlight. Because these vampires can go out in the day, no coffins in the basement of the beautiful Cullen home. I won’t say more than that because if there happens to be another poor human out there for whom this is a first taste of “Twilight” then I won’t spoil the moment. I also loved the baseball thing – it’s nice to know vampires think about something other than sucking blood.

The only downside of this movie would be the overly long longing glances between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, which amounted to the cinematic version of overwrought prose. I had to keep reminding myself this book and movie was definitely meant for a more giggly type of movie-goer and when I forgot, there were plenty of giggly tweens in the audience to remind me.

What interested me, however, was the number of women around my age that were doing a good deal of giggling and sighing – and they weren’t in the theater enduring the movie for their daughters. Maybe, secretly, they wish that pesky Prince had been a bit darker too. I can make no pronouncements about faithful storytelling or taking scenes from other books to bulk up the action – virgin, remember? But I can say that I did enjoy this movie for what it was. And if I wake up in the middle of the night and briefly think that Edward Cullen is watching me sleep, well all the better for me. By the way, Edward, do feel free to stay!

K: I would like to disagree with my PIC about her so-called downside of "overly long longing glances." This is a very passionate relationship that's fairly puritan in nature. They barely touch and there's only one brief kissing scene - forget about anything even loosely related to sex! This is due to Edward's extreme attraction to Bella's blood and his willpower to control himself. She is his exact brand of heroin after all, and how many of us could resist our own exact brand of heroin? There really isn't any other way to portray this kind of intense love (not lust) on the screen except through the longing glances. So there.

Quantum of Solace

J: Ok, I’m a believer! Yes, I’m one of those really stubborn and obnoxious movie fans that says, “There is only one James Bond and that’s Sean Connery!” Yes they were sexist – what would you expect from an Alpha Male like 007. But they were also witty and inventive, something that has gotten difficult in this high-tech world of special effects. So I was curious but ultimately never saw “Casino Royale”. I now deeply regret that mistake because watching Daniel Craig fill those tricky shoes as 007 is a pure joy. He is as close to the type of uber-male destined to be MI6’s top operative as there has been in 20 years. I always found Roger Moore to be far too giddy a spy. And I felt Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan were too slickly packaged. Daniel Craig returns us to the dangerous 007 and it is a joy to watch.

"Quantum of Solace" very literally takes your breath away. There were several times during the chase scenes when I had to remind myself to breathe! Everyone stand up here and say it with me….”Welcome back Aston Martin!” Of course, during the initial chase scene, which rivals some of the best I’ve seen, it’s a bit tricky to keep your eye on the cars because they quickly become jump-cut blurs. But Daniel Craig’s Bond remains steely-eyed and determined. In fact, if I had to boil his characterization down to one word it would definitely be “determined”. His gaze never waivers and Oh Mama, those blue eyes! Paul Newman’s successor is here (but don’t tell my mom I said that!).

This movie could have quickly devolved into a dueling bad accents mess but the plot is pretty straight forward, with a nice twist, and very Bond-like so if you’re a fan you won’t be disappointed. The only thing I lost by not seeing “Casino Royale” is the back-story for Giancarlo Giannini’s character who Bond turns to for help. I was never clear about whether he was a good guy or a bad guy and I have a feeling that was important. I was also glad to see a Felix Leiter back for this movie. This Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, clearly is not happy with his government or his boss and he shows it. Everything else could well be inferred so I was never really lost. My Movie Mate K, however, didn’t get to enjoy some of the homage’s to original Bond films such as the reference to “Goldfinger” so she was in for a few eye-roles from Yours Truly but I did ultimately share. There is nothing I like more than a little wink shared between fans of established franchise films. It makes you feel like you’re in a special club – No Boys Allowed!

I have heard some criticism that this Bond strays a bit too far from the expected Bond conventions, which I didn’t find. But in one place, I would have liked the old stand-by, “shaken, not stirred”. Instead of that particular Bond-ism a carefully calculated, overly complicated drink order was substituted and it really stuck out. Please, some things are definitely better left alone. One change I did think was welcome, though, was that this Bond was far more bent on getting the job done than he was in bedding every Bond Girl that came within three feet of him. Even the relationship he has with this movie’s Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko, was more of a partnership than dragging a fawning female along for the ride. And speaking of Bond Girls, Kudos to the newest one, Dame Judi Dench as the new “M” was fabulous and her relationship with Daniel Craig’s Bond was interesting and a fresh take on that part.

Of course there is the globe-trotting that you would expect from a Bond film; check in that box. But, oh my, the gadgets! The new Bond is definitely a 21st Century Bond, complete with touch-screen computer terminals and PDAs. Bond is never far from the Mother Ship but always seems to know exactly how to disconnect and get lost in the crowd. In all, this is a very satisfying new chapter in the venerable Bond franchise and Mr. Craig has sealed the deal as the New Bond! Looks like “Casino Royale” is now on the J list of movies to catch up on!

K: Unlike my PIC, I am not a fan of the Bond movies. They were always all flash and no substance until these recent two with Daniel Craig, who is an phenomenal actor. It seems like they revamped the franchise and actually put a little thought into the scripts and the casting. I'm totally digging the new Bond. You owe it to yourself to check this one out.