another movie that’s looming in the horizon is Bolt.

despite Twilight’s massive box office presence, Bolt is also expected to fare well, particularly among younger kids. one piece of good news for this Disney flick is that it’s scoring well among the critics (84%, Rotten Tomatoes)

this animated family movie, which features the voice of john travolta (bolt), miley cyrus (penny, his owner), susie essman (mittens the cat) and mark walton (rhino the hamster), will hit the theaters in time for Thanksgiving. arrrr….!

after a long absence (which was fortunately alleviated by re-watching of past seasons), jack bauer (kiefer sutherland) resurfaces via Redemption, a 2-hour TV movie from Fox TV that hints of things to come in season 7 of this highly anticipated series.

24: Redemption, which will air on nov. 23, is set in africa, where jack bauer runs into an old friend. the usual mayhem and conspiracies erupt. jack looks a little older and little worse for the wear but it’s a relief to have him back.

thanks to TPS’s resourcefulness, now i don’t have to actually spend a single buck to read the first book (Twilight) of this series. truth to tell, i hadn’t really planned on buying one, much less read the first volume so soon.

but since it’s here already, i thought, aw what the heck, i’ll read it. it’s not like i have other books to read right now. and i must admit, i got carried away by the tide of Twilight fans’ enthusiasm (i wondered what the fuss was all about).

and so i read…

my verdict? for all its obvious imperfections (soap opera flavor, obvious ploys, and the heroine’s cloying tendency to rave over edward cullen’s physical attributes), i found myself unwilling to put it down. mostly i was wondering as to which direction stephenie meyer wanted this story to go.

Twilight centers on 17-year-old isabella swan, who decides to live with her father in Forks, WA, after her mother has remarried. while trying to adjust to her new life, she encounters an unusual family of pale, mysterious, and attractive schoolmates collectively known as the Cullens. she’s immediately attracted to edward cullen, who seems to shun her at first. eventually, they fall for each other and it doesn’t take long for bella to know that the cullen clan is actually a family of vampires who prey on animals (instead of humans) to satisfy their ‘thirst.’

most of book 1 lays down the backstory of its main cast particularly bella swan’s family and the “vampire” characters, who possess amazing powers (strength, speed, heightened senses) and whose efforts to blend in with their neighbors are met with mixed success. the author also spends several chapters to highlight the determined efforts of both bella and edward to meet halfway despite the sea of problems that threaten to break their tenuous bond, including a thrilling climax that almost puts an end to bella’s existence.

after finishing this book earlier this evening (thanks to my recalcitrant pdf reader), i began to understand why young female adults find this series irresistible. spicing its central love story is a healthy dose of the supernatural, thrilling danger and a hint of overlying tragedy (not to mention the subtle emphasis on flashy cars, trendy grooming and dangerously attractive characters) — it’s a perfect blend that goes straight to a girl’s heart.

at any rate, the arrival of the film version of this book should be interesting.

the promotional buildup for Twilight, an upcoming film based on the vampire/romance series written by stephenie meyer, is really picking up.

when i first saw the trailer of this film, i was intrigued like everyone else — i immediately tried to learn all i could about the series. and although it’s not within the range of sci-fi/fantasy topics that i normally read, i seriously considered buying the first book of this series, Twilight (followed by New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn. i wonder if the next one is going to be titled “High Noon” heheh).

about the only thing that’s holding me back is the fact that it had garnered mixed reviews among critics. normally i would ignore this factor, except that throughout the years i have learned to value the views of some critics. i have an office mate who’s a big fan of vampire-oriented novels (esp. those by Anne Rice), so i guess it’s no wonder why he’s excited about Twilight (he’s also planning to buy the books).

me, i’m still waiting until after i’ve seen the movie. if it’s good, then maybe i’ll check out the books. either that or maybe i can find someone to lend me a copy of book one (TPS?).

still, you can’t help but notice that this series is very popular among the younger set (mostly teens and twenty- to thirty-something), particularly women. i’ve seen young couples and yuppies looking at film displays and making firm plans to watch the movie.

if this goes on, i wouldn’t be surprised if Twilight becomes a monster hit. Twilight, which stars kristen stewart (as Isabella Swan) and robert pattinson (as Edward Cullen), is expected to hit the local theaters next week.