You're like a fun vampire.

Some people just suck the fun out of everything. We all know these people, people who aren't content to just enjoy things, or let sufficiently advanced technology be indistinguishable from magic, or who will go out of their way to just be contrary for the sake of being contrary. These people are fun vampires. They suck the fun out of everything.

While there is nothing wrong with being inquisitive, and I find learning the secrets behind special effects to be pretty awesome, when it is time to sit back and watch the magic happen, I would really like to be allowed to sit back and watch the magic happen without some cynic elbowing me in the ribs and telling me it is all smoke and mirrors.

While there is a time for thoughtful analysis of a movie, right after you have walked out of a movie theater and are still processing the "wow" factor is not the time. I know that it's all a metaphor for fascism - it was kind of obvious, but you know what, can't I just enjoy the movie and its story and the emotions it played on without having an intellectual discussion about all the deeper meanings you are reading into it that are honestly not there? Everyone is not, in fact, Jesus in Purgatory. While there may very well be something slightly insidious and nihilistic about the plot of the movie, I do not need you to point it out for me - I'm a clever girl, I can figure it out on my own.

Why can't the magic just be magic? Why can't a good story just be a good story, without someone trying to shove their interpretation down my throat? Yes, Toy Story 3 was a brilliant movie. I loved it. I laughed. I whimpered. I shed girlish, girlish tears. But when you want to analyze it and break it down to its basic themes right after the credits roll, it ruins something for me.

Some people care about the pieces, other people care about the big picture. Some people care about the elements of the story, and other people care about the characters and the story itself. Some people care about what goes wrong in the DNA and how, and some people care about what that error actually does to the resulting person. Some people are cynical.

Just because I chose to feel for characters and story, and to believe in the magic of movies, does not make me any less intelligent or analytical. I am thinking about the events on screen. I am feeling for the characters. I am moved. But I do not want to break it down to elements of fabrication, not just yet. I would rather the magic linger.

Speaking of which:

I remember this book series from when I was in middle school, but I don't think I actually ever read them. As is my usual reaction when I see books being turned into movies ("Why?!" - I would rather someone exercise some creative impulse in coming up with a franchise), I was initially a bit dismissive. But then I kept watching the trailer. And I wasn't thinking about it being CGI until my mother nudged me-

"Look at the animation on this - all those feathers! It's amazing!"

I had, sort of, accepted that it was an animated movie, but I had let my own cynicism get away with me and missed the magic. I don't know if I'll see this movie, but it sure is pretty...

Still looking for the magic,

Leez.