In preparation for my New Moon coverage I saw the first Twilight movie on Sunday and was not that impressed. Still, I dove head first into the Twilight pandemonium Thursday night thanks to a fan meet-and-greet with actor Charlie Bewley at the AT&T store off of Park Lane and Central Expressway.

Of course I've heard about and covered the Twilight madness for nearly a year now, but with the new movie I figured it was time to investigate more into what's surely a moment in pop culture history. Thankfully, Bewley's sort of new to it all as well, and the fans weren't hesitant to let me know what they loved about it.

Here's a partial sampling of my intake, with short responses.

Twilight/New Moon - OMG, she, like, touched his chest. I think Joy Tipping actually liked it more than I did.

True Blood, Season One - Hot sex on a vampire platter.

Nosferatru (1922, silent) - Max Shrek: scary dude. Could be a serviceable back-up center in the NBA.

Nosferatu (1979, sound) - More rats than Ben's basement.

Near Dark (1987) - The PBR of vampire movies. And we mean that in a good way.

The Lost Boys (1987) - What happened to all the great vampire hair metal bands?

And don't forget Richard Pryor's Wino meets Dracula routine. "You wanna suck what?

Also, in case you haven't read it yet, read the movie review.

The schedule:

The Devil's Daughter - Muse Café Theatre, 10:30 a.m.
Made in 1939, this film dips into voodoo.
The Big Timers - Room T-314, 10:30
In 1945, a rich man dates a woman that he thinks is as well off as he is. She's not.
Boarding House Blues - Muse Café Theatre, 12:30 p.m.
Landlord, eviction issues in 1948 with "Moms Mabley."
The Black King - Room T-314, 12:30
A shady preacher brings corruption in the church in Mississippi in this film released in 1932.
Warrington Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang) - 2:30
The Girl in Room 20 - Muse Café Theatre, 4
A small-town Texas girl moves to NYC to pursue her (hard) dreams. 1946.
Mark of the Hawk - Room T-314, 4
No, not Avery Brooks, silly. Sidney Poitier is on trial for murder.

Tickets ($5 plus service fees) can be bought at the TBAAL box office or by phone at 214-743-2400.

This week, it's Terry Alexander (right) of Day of the Dead. You remember him: He's the one that's the helicopter pilot.

Earlier, the organizers had announced that George Romero who masterminded The Night of the Living Dead; William Katt (yes, he was the greatest American hero, but he felt bad about duping Carrie a little too late in the game); and Keir Dullea (who will help commemorate the 1974 release of Black Christmas.)

The headliner is John Carpenter, the man, the composer, the filmmaker. Another legend (see Romero above). He's a legend-maker, too, with Halloween's Michael Myers and Escape from New York's Snake Plissken to his credit. Tickets are $20-$65, with a "5th Anniversary Celebration VIP Pass" on sale for $199.

About the role of Mattie Ross:

14 year old Mattie is a simple, tough as nails young woman. Her steely nerves and straightforward manner are a shocking contrast to the way women behaved in the early century. She's possessed of true grit and plenty of determination. Enough so, that she insists on going with 2 marshals to hunt down the killer of her father.

If you make it out there, let us know how it goes!

Movie music will be featured in a new series of Dallas Symphony Orchestra pops concerts for the next two seasons.

Starting in 2010-11, the concerts will feature music from some of the most popular films of recent years. Each of the six programs, presented with film clips on a big screen, will be devoted to a single composer.

Each composer also will be commissioned by the DSO to create a new concert work for the occasion. In most cases, the composers will also conduct their own music.

For a list of the composers, click here.

The Ugly Truth -- Katherine Heigel and Gerard Butler butt heads in this romantic comedy.

Spread -- Ashton Kutcher takes enough time off from Twittering to bed lots of ladies.

Sesame Street: 40 years of Sunny Days -- Two discs of Sesame gold. Get your Snuffleupagus on.

Death in the Garden -- Luis Bunuel gets jungle fever with Simone Signoret.

Logan's Run (Blu-ray) -- '70s sci-fi gets 21st-century treatment.

Near Dark (Blu-ray): Twiwhat? Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 down-home vampire drama is still a keeper.

Coming next week

Star Trek

Blu-ray: Gone With the Wind

Best feature documentary
Glass House
Hamid Rahmanian
With a virtually invisible camera, The Glass House takes us on a never-before-seen tour of the underclass of Iran. This groundbreaking documentary reflects a side of Iran few have access to. It introduces us to a group of courageous women working to instill a sense of empowerment and hope into the lives of otherwise discarded teenage girls.

Best Narrative short
Sleet Snow
Daniel Laabs
Casual acquaintances, Robert and Marian, travel to Odessa, TX to pick up a painting and along the way develop a unique relationship.

Best Comedy short
Start a Band
Daniel Laabs
Charlie and Becca have a boring relationship, so they decide to start a band.
Best Narrative feature
The Toe Tactic

Best experimental film
Dropping Furniture
Paul Horn, Harald Hund
What remains when nothing more remains and life is literally turned upside down? In this film, the furniture of an obviously old-fashioned, middle-class living room is disposed of, smashing on the floor, orchestrated by an echoing sound track synchronized with the decelerated image. Finally, the wreckage fills the room with the spreading waste of its own history.

Meta Media Award
Anders Østergaard
Burma VJ
Armed with video cameras, Burmese reporters expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of silence, Burma became headline news when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. Foreign news crews were banned, the Internet was shut down, and Burma was closed to the outside world. So how did we witness these events? Enter the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), aka the Burma VJs.

With screenings through Sunday, you have plenty of time to make it down to Mockingbird Station and check out some of the local and international films. Scope it out before you go with these details from movie critic Chris Vognar.

Program schedule (.pdf)

Tell us, which videos did you see? Any low-key artists from the festival we should watch out for?