Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.

 Above quote- Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 1, p.11

 Last night, Mia and I went to see twilght.  Ana sat to Mia’s left and Martie sat to my right.  Ana is now reading BREAKING DAWN and in her own words she “loves Edward”.  Martie went because she just wanted to see a movie, although Mia spent dinner explaining the gist of it all to her. Mia gave Martie  background for the movie in such a way that only someone who had read it 5 times could.  So off to the movie we went.  It turned out to be more of a movie experience. 

The above quote is about how I felt at certain moments during the film because I realized that I had never been in a theatre opening night where the average age was 14. The theatre was full but due to good timing and Mia doing some investigating while we got popcorn,  we didn’t have to wait in any lines.  Soon the lights dimmed and previews began. It all seemed typical until the feature film started and as if on cue, so did the squeals.  The swoons crescendo-ed when the 107 year old vampire trapped in a 17 year old beautiful body (Robert Pattinson) appeared on screen. A close second was the moment when Edward arrives at school wearing his Wayfarers (which puts him in company with Audrey Hepburn & Tom Cruise) and slings his arm around Bella. (It is one of the few times Bella is smilling) I think there was a measurable vibration in the theatre at that moment.  Overall, the film itself was fun.  There were a few serious screen moments that were made us giggle, such as Pattinson’s overly brooding look or his hair that ocassionally made him appear as if he had elf ears.  Even the sweet moments, like Edward and Bella’s first kiss were a little marred because we were busy watching the girl in the front row take a picture of the screen. We’re sure it is now her wallpaper on her phone, pc or both.

I had my favorite moment – when Edward takes his “spider monkey” for a “run” in the woods and ends up at the top of a very tall tree looking over the spectrum of green in the amazing Washington state forest.   Not only was that incredibly romantic, for me, it captured the fantasy of the story because it was a moment you would so love to have but know that you never can; in a tree with a really beautiful and say the right thing at all the right moments, young man.

I know now, that I have no glitch in my brain.  I just have an old brain.  One that was glad to, if even for a moment to remember the school girl swoon.  Yes, I had them in my day, Andy Gibb, John Travolta, and an early Richard Gere(circa Am. Gigolo).  It was not long ago that I recall watching a movie and feeling that flutter when HE appeared onscreeen, larger than life.  Now that we are older and wiser, we may be bewildered by such giggling and squeals but take a moment and just find a memory.  It can make you smile if you find one.

All in all it was a movie I enjoyed, mostly because I shared it with Mia. Her ongoing commentary kept me connected to the TRUE story and explained moments that the on-time reader may have forgotten.   Often we share a good book.  We have overlapping tastes in storytellers, not the same.  She has read many of our book club choices and she has shared many of her favorites with me, including TWILIGHT.  I enjoyed the book so much I read the sequel, New Moon, but unfortuntely I stopped there. Mia would tell you that I hated it but that is not true, I just didn’t like it as much as Twilight. Nor could I have possibily liked it as much as she does.  My trust in Mia’s taste will be taking me back to Forks, Washington. Fortunately, Ana is kind enough to lend me her copies    One of the downsides of having a child slightly obsessed with a book is that she doesn’t lend them out, not even her mom, who bought them for her.

I know many of you are reading or have read TWILIGHT, I look forward to a side conversation.  Take a moment to post your thoughts on this phenomenon of a book or if you see the movie, give us a thought.