New Moon Movie: The Good, The Bad, The Worst

I have a dirty little secret. I am 32 years old, and I have read the Twilight book series (all of them) and watched the movies. Now, I have a semi-excuse. I am a young adult librarian and service to teens is my first priority. This means I am supposed to know what teens enjoy so that I can use that knowledge to develop programs for them at the library. However, while this explains why I might have read a couple of the books, it doesn't explain why I chose to go see the New Moon movie at midnight this morning.

It was a last minute decision. I didn't have to work today so I thought, why not? Usually the big midnight releases are on Tuesday nights and I have to work in the morning. Plus I happen to live right down the street from a really cool community movie theater. It is quieter than the big cineplexes. I had no trouble getting a ticket at the last minute or finding a seat. They serve freshly popped popcorn, which yes, is a anomaly in the movie theater business.

So here's my reaction to the movie, and I'll attempt to do this without spoilers. Of course, it's pretty hard to spoil this movie when everyone knows the story for the most part.

The Good: The best parts of this movie are when Bella is alone or with Jacob. Their chemistry is real. And why wouldn't it be? Have you seen those abs? Little Jacob looks GOOD in this movie. The man-boy has a temperature of 140 degrees, and I am always cold. And when Bella is Edward-less, Kristen Stewart gives a fragile and sincere performance. I felt the wall she built around herself, and I felt it tumble as Jacob's warmth melts it away. I am on Team Jacob, but no one can deny that Bella and Jacob had a better connection in this movie. Maybe it's because Edward hardly shows up, but it's pretty obvious.

Okay, yes, there are some very cheesy parts in Taylor Lautner's Jacob performance. Couldn't they get him a better wig? But he did what this part required, he looked good (I read today that he had given up ice cream, poor guy) and he had a good combination of anger and brokenness to pull Jacob off. And he loses the wig halfway through.

I also have to say the soundtrack is outstanding. Some great songs, and maybe without the songs I wouldn't have enjoyed the movie so much. The right song can cover up many flaws in a film. I found links to the songs on youtube that were especially good. Hearing Damage by Thom Yorke played over a chase scene, and gave the moment an ethereal quality. The next one was Possibility by Lykke Li, which plays during a rather sad moment in the film. This singer reminds me so much of Julee Cruise (turn this one up, it has a great dance to it, too) who sang many of the tracks off of the Twin Peaks TV series soundtrack. Maybe not the exact sound or timbre, but just the feeling of despair you feel when listening to the songs.

The Bad: The vampires all look TERRIBLE in this movie. At the beginning scenes, Edward looks all right. But the vampires do not look good. I think in general, they have done a horrible job making these vampires look good. Most of the actors are attractive, but the makeup is so bad. They are all pale and frigid looking. The vampires are supposed to be alluring, but it didn't work out that way. When we first see Edward after a long absence, we are comparing him in our minds with the muscular, tan, warm person of Jacob. And Edward and Bella together have no chemistry. They had some in the first movie, but it's gone. Bella doesn't even seem to like Edward's company. And Edward looks constipated the whole time.

Go Team Jacob!

I would say if you are a fan of these books and this concept, you should see the movie. If you have no interest in this series, the movies are not for you. What I want to know is, will it get better or worse? As a Jacob fan, I know I am going to hate the last movie, but the third one could be the best.

What I Have Learned About Men From Dancing

The other day I was looking at the website for a dance studio that is co-run by Eduardo, a salsa teacher that I met at a social dance in Raleigh. It turns out Eduardo has a blog for dancing that is called The Cuban Salsa Blog. He had written an really interesting post about what your dance embrace, or closed position, might be saying about you. In fact, this post is written about a time that he attended a dance with me, and I have a sneaking suspicion he might have been talking about me in one of these internal dialogues (I won't tell you which one.) But anyway, I really enjoyed it, and it made me think about some of the things I have learned from dancing.

I tell you truly, if you want to learn about male/female relationships and how they work best, there is no better representation than dancing. This is life. This is relationships. The things you struggle with in dancing with a person of the opposite sex, may very well be your barometer for what you will struggle with in your relationships. Maybe some of you are saying, "I can't dance." Well, relationships are a dance, and there are rules.

So here are some things I have learned from dance. Not sure if all of them translate into relationships and how, but it's something to think about. These are written from the ladies point of view.

1. Don't be afraid to ask someone to dance. If you see someone across that floor and you like their style or their dancing, muster up the courage to ask them. Maybe they will say no, but at least you know. My 3rd time dancing, I saw this guy (mysterious hat man) and I loved his outfit and the way he was dancing. It took some guts, but I waited for my moment and asked. He looked so happy that someone had asked him to dance.

2. Realize that not everyone will say yes. I have to be honest: not once have I been turned down when I asked someone to dance. So I can't say I have been there. But if someone said no, I think I would say, "Okay, maybe another time then," and walk away. I would never ask that person to dance again, but I certainly won't pout or put on my "mad face," as Eduardo mentions in an earlier post.

3. This is very important. Never turn down a dance unless there are extenuating circumstances. A dance is not a commitment, it is a temporary social contract. Unless the guy is drunk or you know he's a rapist, you can dance with him, even if you are not attracted to him or you know he is a lousy dancer. The more you dance, the more you learn and the more you will be seen on the floor. This makes it more likely your dancing will improve and that you will be noticed. Also, people tend to get a reputation if they are snobby on the social scene. This past week, I danced with more partners than I ever have. Some of them were great dancers. Some of them were beginner. One man was probably in his 80s--no joke! I had just danced with a partner and he approached me and asked me to dance. He was so cute, and he had some moves. Back in the day learning to dance was expected, so you will learn from the older gents, too. As a loophole, if you do say no, always explain and have a good reason. Make sure he knows he is not being rejected. The first time I told someone no, he was asking me to west coast swing. I hadn't learned to do that dance yet, and I know it is complicated. I said, "I would love to, but I don't know west coast swing. Would you dance with me at the next east coast swing number?" When that next numbers comes up, approach him and ask him to dance. If you just say no, he will never ask you again.

4. Be there to dance and have fun, not scope out dates or mates. If your main purpose is to score dates, you will probably be disappointed or avoided, or both. People can see that coming a mile away. So have fun, and make meeting someone your minor goal. At the place I attend, there are several couples dating or married, but everyone dances with multiple partners. They are people that just enjoy dancing as an art form. There are some creeps there just to hook up with girls, but they stand out, because they spend the evening scoping everyone out on the sidelines.

5. This is hard, ladies. You must follow the guy in dancing. He controls everything. You don't take a step unless he says so. Get over it. There is one male that usually asks me to dance once a night. He is a really good dancer. This past week, we didn't mesh for a little bit because he wasn't giving me a rock step. I took a few rock steps that weren't given to me, and it wasn't pretty. In the East Coast Swing class I took, the teacher said, "You always end with a rock step, ladies." Now on this real live dance floor, I had graduated to the time-to-break-the-rules stage. Until I am given that rock step I don't do it. Once I accepted this, we were fine.

6. Your lead does not make mistakes. Of course, he does sometimes, but no matter what, don't acknowledge it. Just keep going and have fun. You would want him to do the same thing when you make a mistake. The dance floor is not the place to give critiques or tips. If anyone wants that, they will attend classes. If he apologizes for a mistake, just pretend it didn't happen or say, "I'll follow whatever you do."

7. Conversely, if you make a mistake, don't be afraid to admit it. I was dancing with a partner last week, and we were dancing salsa, which is one of the dances I don't know as well. This guy likes to do a lot of turns, which is cool, but sometimes I lose my balance. After we had done a certain turn a couple times, he asked, "Are you taking an extra step in there?" I just smiled and said, "Actually I'm not so good at following in salsa yet, so I lost my balance." He looked relieved and then stepped up his lead a little knowing that I needed a little extra help.

8. When you are dancing a new dance or something that isn't quite comfortable yet, tell your partner before you start. Again, this past week, someone asked me to dance the cha cha. I have taken no cha cha lessons, but I was willing to try. I just told him that I hadn't taken lessons but was willing to try. He started me on the basics and then got a little fancy with the footwork. Your partner needs to know that you trust him, and he will take care of the difficult stuff and make you feel comfortable.

So there you have it. So, what kind of dance partner are you, on and off the floor?

A Night at the Elks

A crowded room, the temperature rises
the bodies squeezed in on one wooden square
do the step step rock step
step step rock step
Arms turn, fingers wave
Sugar push sugar push
Zoot zoot a wah wah

I see your form from across that floor
your attire so debonair
the hat on your head so magically stays
as you step step rock step
step step rock step
it defies gravity
how does that hat remain

And then your hand is in mine
your arm is settled so generously
oh zoweeh
the arm raises i turn
and I spin and I stroke
the current is strong
and somehow I don't drown
as we step step rock step
sugar push dowow

Even if i trip don't ever stop-

Even if I fall don't ever stop-

Even if i spin out of this orbit
don't stop the rock stop, the rock stop

the turn the lean the song has ended
and my steps have stopped
but I never stopped spinning


Dancing is a thrill

Movie Review: The Searchers

The Searchers isn't my favorite John Wayne movie, but it was certainly good. The setting is the obligatory open prairie. The music swells in all the appropriate places, and the characters do what needs to be done. The pacing skips back and forth between serious scenes where people are brutalized and then humorous scenes that, to me, got in the way.

There are also some very ingenious scenes. The scene leading up to the attack where the Comanche wipe out Wayne's family is foreboding in every way. The colors of the sky just look evil and without saying much at all, the characters demonstrate the sense of doom and dread they are feeling. The director here is John Ford, of course, and he uses all of the tricks that made him famous in the 1930s. Guess what? They still work in the 1950s and in the 2000s. Sometimes I think we were better off without all the special effects. Ford does certain things very well.
1. Landscape shots--There is nothing more beautiful than a Ford landscape complete with a fade from scene to scene.
2. Economy shots--Ford uses the camera well and uses one shot/take to do many things at once. At the beginning, he introduces all of the characters in just 3 takes. And few words are used. The woman Martha, Wayne's sister-in-law in this film, walks out of the house and watches Wayne approach. Then we see the rest of the family emerge onto the porch. Lastly, they all walk into the house. The only words spoken are "Ethan?", "That's your Uncle Ethan," and "Welcome home, Ethan." Yet we know several things: Ethan (Wayne) and Martha love one another romantically, Ethan has been gone for a long time, the kids are glad to see him, and the brother isn't sure how he feels. Ford does this all with his actors' faces. It's marvelous.

The basics of the plots are that Ethan comes home 3 years after the surrender of the Confederates to the Yankees. He plans to stay with his family until he can set up a place of his own. Then a tribe of Comanche Indians brutally burns his brother's house and kills the couple and possibly the son. The tribe also kidnaps both girls, one a teenager and the other about 8 years old. Ethan is determined to hunt down the tribe that killed his family and rescue the little girl. He is accompanied by his adopted nephew, a boy he doesn't trust because he is partially Cherokee and Ethan is a racist through and through. They search for the little girl FOR NINE YEARS. And when they find her . . . well you'll have to watch it to see. It's a great movie and is definitely worth a viewing.

I Take After My Dad

I had a very wonderful thought today. It is the kind of thought that makes me feel gooey and melted on the inside. I was talking to someone at work about how much I need "kudos"--in other words, words of encouragement, compliment, or praise. When I do something well or with excellence, there is no better reward for me than to hear words of praise. I just beam. It is deep seated and has been there since childhood. I remember that when I was younger I had chores to do like most kids. I had to make my bed, change the sheets once a week, and other things I can't remember anymore. But if I did something extra special like organizing a room or making a special meal, I would go and tell my parents so that they could say, "Wow, good job, Lindsey."

I had to admit, sometimes it can work against me. If the words don't come, I get disgruntled and bitter. I figure I'm not appreciated. I can't expect it of people. I can let others know this is important to me in an open way and without expectations. But I can't let it be my only reason to do things. Otherwise, it's not a gift, it's a way to control people. But when I was telling a co-worker about this, I said, "I wonder where it comes from." On the way home from work I was thinking about this conversation again and realized where it comes from: it comes from my Dad, my Maker, my Father, my Originator. It says in God's word that He made man in his own image. In other words, we are made like him. We have his imprint on us. We all have different aspects of God spirit, but this is one that I have in a big way. God loves praise.

He wants to hear us speak our appreciation and wonder for Him. He loves songs of praise and prayers where we tell Him how awesome he is. It makes him beam just like me. But God doesn't make anyone do it. He wants to hear it freely from His children. It was just a neat thought: "I get that from My Dad."

Afterburn

You thrill me, my darling, my dear.
You speak and I rise to your occasion
My left side tenses at the sound of your voice
I laugh, I blush, I draw nearer to your signal
I'm taking everything in, inhaling
I'm tuned in to your signal
My voice rises an octave
My left arm draws in and chin rests on the hand
Like a bird with the wing held close
It's my only protection
A flimsy shield from this blister

Hunger

I want to be filled
I need to be filled
But no
I need to experience this hunger
I need to embrace the hunger
There maybe something in it

But all day I see people eating
nibbling, chewing, and I want to
ask them
Are you full?