Raiders of the Lost Dinosaurs

It was cloudy and blahh when I awoke this morning, and frankly, it didn't get much better the rest of the day. I cheered myself up with one of my favorite Dr. Seuss specials. The Hoober Bloob Highway is one of the most unusual of the Seuss cartoons of the 70's and 80's. Here, Mr. Hoober Bloob and his mandolin sidekick show a newborn all the ins and outs and questions and problems of being human, from frantic days to where you live to everything a human must learn in its lifetime.

Work was more-or-less the same as yesterday - steady, but not really that busy. I gathered carts during my first and last hour, but I mainly bagged, gathered baskets, and emptied trash cans. There really wasn't that much to do, and for once, there was plenty of help, including two other baggers.

After calling Mrs. Stahl to set up Rose joining us at our next counseling session, I spent the next few hours writing. Han gets quite a shock when he discovers that the trio he rescued on the road are Prince Luke and Princess Leia of Naboo and their parents' head adviser Sir Obi-Wan. He knew they were rich from their fine clothing, but he never figured they were that loaded. Maz tries to encourage him to attend the ball and pursue Leia. Han scoffs at the idea. How could a poor working stiff like him have a chance with a genuine princess?

Broke around quarter of 7 for a quick Italian Wedding Soup dinner. Made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies while watching The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Four years after the original movie, a second island has been discovered where dinosaurs are breeding. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) sends Dr. Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) to the island, where his ex-girlfriend (Julianne Moore) is working to prove that dinosaurs are as good at parenting their children as they are at tearing each other apart. Meanwhile, another group, lead by Hammond's snotty nephew (Arliss Howard) and big game hunter Richard Tembo (Pete Posthlewaite), are more interested in bagging themselves the ultimate hunting trophy - a Tyrannosaurus Rex. They learn it's not the best idea to separate a dinosaur mother and her children when they bring a T-Rex and its young to San Diego and she immediately goes on a rampage to find her babies.

Up through the last half-hour, I actually kind of enjoyed this as much as, and sometimes even more than, the original. The action is more exciting, the one kid is better-used, and the nurture vs hunter plot is pretty interesting. They should have never left the island. The finale in San Diego is silly, pointless, and not nearly as much fun as the first half of the movie.

If you like dinosaurs or are a fan of the first Jurassic Park, this isn't quite as good as the first movie, but there's enough that works to make it well worth your time.

Ended the night with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Lost World left me in the mood for more Steven Spielburg-directed action. We jump back in time from the late 90's to the late 30's for the original Indiana Jones movie. Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) is in search of the fabled Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis are also on its trail, lead by his rival Beloq. Jones is aided by his friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and his ex-girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) who insists on coming along after thugs burn her bar to the ground. They do finally find the Ark, but the Nazis are on their trail. In the end, Marion and Indy discover why the Ark was hidden...and why some parts of history are best left unknown.

While Last Crusade is my personal favorite of the Indy movies, Raiders still has its moments. Marion in particular is a welcome addition, and the Nazis are especially hissable.

And, after the clouds lingered all day, it finally started raining about a half-hour ago. It's only supposed to linger in the morning, then be gone by early afternoon. I hope so. I have a lot to do tomorrow, including laundry and a library run.