Things that a bad movie reminds me of:

1) The book was so very much better. It's usually the case, but with the last movie I loved based on a book, I actually loved the movie more. And I'm sorry Neil, but I really did love the movie Stardust more than the book, and that's not just because I love Charlie Cox.

2) Sometimes, special effects are just silly and useless.

3) An attractive actor does not make a movie. An attractive actor can't overcome a silly script with silly direction, and really something that just didn't translate. (I keep trying to explain to my sister that the book was just so intense, the urgency of first love was so honest and true, and the movie left us with nothing more than a plain love story.)

4) Good acting isn't easy. Good acting can be created on its own (see Edward Norton in Primal Fear), but I can only really think of one or two of these instances. People making movies cannot assume that just because the movie is based on an intoxicating book and there are a few pretty actors that smart moviegoers looking for real entertainment will be fooled. And so, when the second movie comes out, I'm pretty sure I'll avoid it because the characters I love will likely fail to be as charming.

The movie that was such a letdown is Twilight. And now, all I can think about is how much I miss Lost and how much I need to see Coraline right now.