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July 27, 2006
Four Movies and a Home-Improvement Tip
We've managed to spend ample time in air-conditioned movie theaters recently. Here's a recap of what we've seen.
A Prairie Home Companion: Eh. It was like the radio show, so it was entertaining, but on the whole it was uneven as a movie. I loved seeing Garrison Keillor, though -- so damn likable, that man.
Wordplay: Have you ever done a crossword puzzle? See this movie. It has a nice balance of celebrity interviews, explanation, and tournament drama. It's fun and funny. Crossword puzzle people are astounding to me, because, as I recently explained to someone, I have a crossword puzzle deficiency. I just don't think of or see the words I need to. I can be staring at C_T with a clue of "Feline friend" and not get it. After having read half of Word Freak, I realize that this is related to my frustrating inability to anagram. Lately I've been on a little crossword crusade, trying to work on this linguistic disability of mine, but it's torturous. Someday, someday!, I'll be able to finish that little Sip and Solve "Easy" Crossword puzzle book.
Why We Fight (saw this one on DVD): Top of the list recommendation, simply because it finally provided a feasible explanation for the Iraq war and the administration's baffling behavior. I know it's not exciting to rent a movie about the military industrial complex, but everyone should be very familiar with the bigger picture issues presented here. It's fascinating and frightening and should have implications for how you view U.S. policy in general.
Superman Returns (3D): Okay, so the nostalgia kicked in for me and I loved seeing the new Superman -- the whole clumsy Clark Kent and classic 50s flying save-the-world gentleman in shiny tights and underwear completely won me over. The familiar score and sets helped. I reverted to age 8 or so. It was weird in some places with the whole crystal business, but satisfying on the whole, again, because of the classic Superman-ness of it all. We saw it in IMAX 3D, and although the big screen was cool, the 3D-glasses portions were a little nauseating for me and weren't really worth it. Regular screen is fine. I'm afraid if I saw this again I might realize that it wasn't such a good movie.
On a somewhat unrelated topic: Installing pull-down shades in our sunny windows, and leaving them down during the day, has done wonders for the temperature level in our apartment. If you have accidently rented a sauna, you should know about this. You should also know that Lowe's has a machine that can cut the shade to whatever width you want it to be. Who knew?
Posted by csageday at July 27, 2006 12:50 AM
Comments
Superman Returns Rant: Hated it. I thought Singer's version was timid and uninspired and didn't really take the franchise anywhere new (although, where was it really going after Superman II?). The new guy kinda looks the part but what a potato of an actor he is. Zero chemistry between Supe and Lois. Many plot points strain credulity -- Superman just flies off without saying goodbye to his soul mate upon hearing a rumor that some fragment of his home planet MIGHT still be out there. Instead of throwing a hissy fit, jilted Lois channels that energy into writing a Pulitzer-prize winning story titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman"? Riiiight. Oh, and I wasn't thrilled about the idea of Superman hovering outside his Lois's house, peeping in at Lois and kid. Creepy. I MISS Christopher Reeve!
Posted by: Lloyd at August 7, 2006 05:43 PM
Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd. You are taking this way too seriously. It's about the costume! And the flying and the superpowers! The plot? who cares! The acting? Pfft! Credulity? Well, okay, at some point the leaving-Earth stuff and other details seemed non-Superman-like. But the important thing is that Superman, complete with recognizable characters and costumes and sets, is back in movie theaters, so eight-year-olds and people like me can be dazzled.
Actually, your rant demonstrates that you've given way more thought to previous Superman movies than I have, and I agree with you on each point, now that I think about it...but the sountrack and nostalgia still kicked in for me.
Posted by: Cindy at August 7, 2006 06:02 PM