Began a slightly earlier morning with cartoons as I ate warm corn meal mush and clementines for breakfast. Given the tenor of the comic books in the early-mid 1940's, it was probably inevitable that Superman would eventually fight Nazis and other world terrors on the big screen as well. "Japoteurs" has the big man in red and blue saving a plane stolen by Japanese spies from crashing...and saving Lois from them. "The Eleventh Hour" has some marvelous, shadowy animation and a surprisingly mature story about Superman fighting more Japanese soldiers, this time in the heart of Tokyo. And yes, both of these are marred by nasty Japanese caricatures (though not quite as bad as the ones in the Popeye shorts made around the same time at Famous Studios).
"Jungle Drums" involves the Nazis using a weapon hidden in the tribal statues of African natives to down Lois Lane's plane. She has papers they want, and they're willing to burn her to get them. Superman has to save her from a fiery death, then give her the chance to radio the War Department. (There's stereotypes here, too, this time involving the natives.) "Secret Agent" is the only short to not feature Lois. Here, Superman must protect a female spy from the Nazi agents who want the information she stole from them.
Made my way to the laundromat after breakfast. I had to. I couldn't put off washing my work uniforms anymore. This was made easier by the road work having moved out to the West Clinton Avenue Business District. (Though I did feel sorry for the businesses on West Clinton that were probably losing customers who couldn't get around the mess.)
The laundromat was busy when I arrived, with at least four or five other people getting their washing done. Not a good thing, since I had a fairly large load. Thankfully, I had no trouble getting a washer and drier. Spent the hour working on story notes and half-listening to The View.
Worked on writing as soon as I got everything put away. Jessika and Poe are swimming in the lake during a lazy afternoon in late August. Poe is a charming and dashing fellow, frog or not. Jessika asks him about his family, and how he came to be a frog. He finally spits out that they were all cursed by the wicked sorcerer in their dreams. If they can get Leia to eat and sleep with the Master, then kiss him, they'll be free from his spell. Poe finally distracts her from talk of the curse with a race home on horseback, but the wheels are already turning in Jess' head. She's got a plan for her and the girls to find the imprisoned young men of their dreams...and maybe get a few answers about the mysteries of Deckard Manor...
Had lunch around 2 while watching a quick Backyardigans episode. Uniqua gets involved in a superhero adventure of her own in "Flower Power." A flower's thorn gives her the power of all plantlife. After practicing it for a bit, she uses her newfound abilities to brighten stony gray Garden City and rescue its residents from the Gloom Meister (Austin), who wants to turn the whole city dark and dreary.
Work proved to be even less trouble than yesterday. While I did occasionally gather baskets and got the outside trash done early-on, I was mostly either outside doing carts or inside doing returns. It got mildly busy during rush hour. Otherwise, there wasn't much going on. By the time I was almost done, I was mostly wandering around the store, shelving the few remaining items and hoping no one asked me what I was doing.
Hit the shower as soon as I got home. Put on Men In Black II as got out and went online. In the five years since the first movie, Agent J (Will Smith) has gone through a series of partners, but none are really suited for either Men In Black work or to work with him. They don't have much of a choice about calling K (Tommy Lee Jones) back when it turns out that he's the only one who has any memory of where a race of aliens hid their "Light of Zartha." Laura (Rosario Dawson), a waitress, witnessed the aliens after the Light kill another alien. J is too smitten with her to clear her memory, so he has the little guys who make the coffee in the first film keep an eye on her. But it turns out that she may be the key to finding the light, along with a series of clues K left himself to remind him of where it's hidden.
Mixed feelings on this one. I liked warm Rosario Dawson better as a love interest for Smith than the stiffer Linda Fiorentino, and Laura Flynn Boyle was having a lot of fun as the shape-shifting nemesis. The story was more interesting, too, diving further into the history of both alien encounters and the Men In Black organization...and becoming a bit more personal for both men. Loved seeing some of the more interesting aliens from the first movie in larger parts (though Frank the pug did wear out his welcome after a while).
On the other hand, I can kind of understand why critics were a little rougher on this one than they had been on the previous film. It's basically just a rehash of the first film, this time with J trying to teach K the ins and outs of chasing aliens. It's obvious they had a lower budget on this one, too. Some of the CGI isn't quite as good, noticeably during the obvious blue screen in car sequences and some of the aliens in the finale.
Not quite as original as the first movie, but far from horrible. If you liked the first movie, proceed directly to this one...but as with many of the series I've watched this year, you'll really need to see the first one to get a handle on the characters and situations.
No comments:
Post a Comment