Twilight

This afternoon I took the girls and a friend to see the movie "Twilight" and was pleasantly surprised. I have heard so many women, and I mean full grown, mature women, not fourteen year old girls, gush over the books... in fact I know one woman who just named her newborn daughter Bella because she loved the series so much. So I read all four books, and while it was an engaging story, I just didn't see what the hype was about.

One of the things that bothered me most about the book is that it is set in two states that I know well, Arizona, where I grew up, and Washington, where I now live. Both are incredibly unique and scenic states that suffered from a complete lack of description in the book. Arizona was "dry and hot" and Washington "Wet and cold". The movie didn't suffer this problem because the photography was just gorgeous. The aerial shots and use of natural scenery throughout the whole film helped to round out a story that had been lacking descriptive depth.

It's still a romance and the female lead is still under-developed. I still felt the need to talk about independence and self respect... because I really do have a problem with girls thinking that a woman in love should be willing to do anything, including give her life, for a man. But, in comparison to the other romantic films targeted to the teen market, this one is pretty darn tame. Plus, I had the rare and valuable opportunity to have a great conversation with my daughters. It was a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.