Kicked off a quick morning with two superhero-themed Backyardigans episodes while I ate breakfast. Uniqua, a flower seller in Garden City, pricks her finger on the thorn of a blossom that gives her "Flower Power!" Once she learns how to control her newfound abilities, she flies off to save the city and its citizens Pablo, Tasha, and Tyrone from the evil Gloom Meister (Austin).
Tasha's the superheroine in "Front Page News." She's a photographer who has been tasked by her publisher Pablo to get a photo for the front page. She also happens to be Super Snap, the super-fast hero who helps Bug Girl (Uniqua) and Bubble Man (Tyrone) figure out what a giant robot that's rampaging in downtown Bigopolis really wants.
Went to work even before the cartoon ended. The Acme was quiet pretty much the entire day. It did get a little busy around noon, but otherwise wasn't bad. There was plenty of help, including three baggers. I spent the first half of the day alternating between carts and shelving loose items, and the second half organizing the clearance shelves. The front-end manager was right that it was a real mess again. They just pulled a lot of jam, peanut butter (mainly powdered and organic), candy, and many drug products. I pulled everything to the front and found two metal hangers to hold smaller drug items.
Rushed home as soon as I finished. Charlie was supposed to show up with the inspector between 5:30 and 6:30. That still gave me plenty of time to change, make the bed, and tidy up around the apartment. I was already writing when they appeared around 6. They walked through the rooms, and Charlie told him what he was going to do inside (eventually, maybe).
Spent the next hour or so writing. Went back to my original idea. Vader is chasing "Force Girl" - aka Leia Ortega - across the skies of corrupt Coruscant City. Leia's barely able to dodge him and his jet pack-sporting Shadow Soldiers. She manages to get a good hit on his shoulder before heading towards Yavin Park, Coruscant's artistic enclave, and the little apartment buildings there...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had leftovers, then made Banana Cookies with butter, egg, and a white cake mix. Not bad. Not too sweet, very soft. Came out better than either of the pies, anyway.
Finished the night watching Superman: The Movie. A lengthy prologue introduces us to Jor-El (Marlon Brando), of the doomed planet Krypton. He sends his infant son to Earth before the planet explodes. There, he's raised by farm couple Martha (Phyllis Thaxter) and Johnathan Kent (Glenn Ford) under the name Clark. After his adopted father dies, Clark finds a crystal in the craft that brought him there that brings him north and builds his Fortress of Solitude.
He returns to Metropolis 12 years later as a reporter for the Daily Planet. He falls for sassy Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), saving her and half of Metropolis from various catastrophes. Criminal genius Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is less pleased with Superman, and realizes he's found a way to keep him from interfering with his latest scheme when a certain green, glowing rock is discovered in the desert...and seems to have an adverse effect on Superman's powers...
The Man of Steel's first full-length outing on the big screen takes forever to get moving, but when it does, it's a lot of fun. Reeve was the perfect Superman, Kidder's just as good as Lois, and Hackman's having a great time chewing the scenery to atoms as Superman's most infamous adversary. I just wish the story of Superman's origins weren't such a slog. I suspect they were drawn out only to justify that huge salary they gave Marlon Brando to play Jor-El. The Oscar-winning special effects still hold up pretty well, including Superman in the air.
While I prefer the two movies that came after it, the first film certainly isn't bad. Recommended for fans of sci-fi, the DC Universe, and Superman if they can get past that lethally dull first 20-30 minutes.
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