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Though I do mark the time of the new moon and its rarer cousin, the black moon, I’m not actually talking about the lunar event.
Yep. I mean TwiHard: The New Movie, aka New Moon. A few weeks ago, I went to see it on opening day and I discovered a few things which I would like to share with you here.

Opening day for anything with a rabid fandom, if you can check your crabby hipster attitude at the door, can be a lot of fun. Much like playing tourist in your own city, attending Comic-Con, or taking the kids to the park, this is one of those things that is much more rewarding if you get over yourself, and what you think others think of you, and let go. Hanging on to the perceived cool points you assume you glean from strangers is way less fun than geeking out about a city you love or doing cartwheels in the grass. Seriously. This is one of my most valued lessons: Have more fun and care less about who is watching.

This is more of a nostalgia thing but, remember when they played classical music in all the theaters before the previews began? Bach and Mozart and Dvořák… My mother would lean across the hard, little arm between us and tell me about her music appreciation class in college when she learned the pieces and their composers. Now that I have taught myself their names and can recognize the opening strains of Night on Bald Mountain, I’m more likely to hear someone hawking Mountain Dew for fifteen minutes while I wait for the pre-preview car commercials to begin. Sigh.

The real joy in my experience? The very element that had previously made me hate movie-going in this city: the audience. Here are a few highlights:

About half an hour into the movie, when Bella had lost her reason to live or get out of bed, but still had perfectly shiny, perfectly brushed hair, from behind me I heard, “Shiiit. She need to get out the house and find her that fine boy from the previews.” And when Jacob—the fine boy, actually the ‘fine’ wolf-shapeshifter—eagerly stripped off his shirt (this was only the first time) to dab a tiny cut on Bella’s head, instead of cheering, whooping and general appreciative carrying on, much to my delight the entire theater broke up laughing right along with me.

That same woman behind me, with the perfectly timed outbursts—
“She stupid,” this about Bella… I tend to agree, “And where the hell is Dakota Fanning!?”

I l-o-lled. For reals.

My favorite, the one you see spoofed in movies about movies, when Bella is about to walk alone into the pitch-black room and possibly be eviscerated by scary vampires, “Aw, you! It’s a trick, bitch! GET OUTTA THERE! RUN!”

It was so much fun. They were so enthusiastic and in all the right ways. No breathless swooning over Robert Pattinson or screaming “TEAM JACOB!” every time that kid came on screen. Aside from a few teen girls to my right singing along with every song, everyone there seemed to agree, This movie, and the whole phenomenon by default, is ridiculous, and we like it.

Even though they’ve taken away my classical music, and it takes half the day to get there and back, my experience with New Moon has made me rethink my hatred for movie-watching in Philadelphia. It’s not the place for every movie but at the very least I know where I’ll be the afternoon of June 30th, 2010.

Way to go again, much-maligned Twilight franchise, you’re the gift that just keeps giving.

Re: Comic-Con:
I will get to one of these one day. I will be out of my element, absolutely overwhelmed, and totally excited the entire time.

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