The Sun Came Back

I got incredibly lucky this morning. If it rained or snowed, it did it overnight. By the time I was heading to work, the very light rain was just ending. It was enough to scare off our customers. We were totally dead. Most people are probably in the malls right now and won't be thinking food until at least next week. I shelved candy, returned carts, and swept the store. The precipitation never returned. In fact, by the time I finished work, the sun had emerged.

As soon as I headed home, I changed, then spent the rest of the afternoon writing. After a week of Charles not getting any fatter, Malade insists she'll roast him anyway. Her trolls are getting impatient for their lunch. Brett tricks her into thinking she knows nothing about cooking and shoves her in the oven. She's able to free the men and her magic before Malade bursts out. The evil queen is raging angry that her beautiful face was half-burned. She attempts to strangle Brett with brightly colored ribbon, but Richard and Charles are able to get them off. They steal a carriage and head for the next kingdom over, where they'll meet the others.

Broke for dinner at 6. Had that, then made Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies while watching Scrooged. Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is the head of one of the top TV networks in the US. He's thrown himself into the network's big Christmas special, at the cost of the other people in his life. He derides his ex-girlfriend Clare's (Karen Allen) work at a homeless shelter as useless and won't let his overworked secretary (Afre Woodard) spend Christmas Eve with her family. He finally learns his lesson from a trio of unique ghosts, who teach him to "put a little love in his heart" and share what he has with his fellow man.

Dark comedy version of A Christmas Carol is enlivened by some really nifty makeup and special effects and Murray's performances as the egotistical executive. Fun for fans of his, people looking for a different type of Christmas Carol, or those who like their holiday comedies on the toasty side.

Finished the night with Men In Black: International. Molly (Tessa Thompson) has wanted to join Men In Black all her life, ever since she saw two agents talking to her parents as a child. She finally gets her chance when she discovers their headquarters in New York and convinces Agent O (Emma Thompson) to take her on. She gets probationary status and is assigned to London, where High T (Liam Neeson), the head of the English Men In Black, will teach her the ropes. She and party-hearty H (Chris Helmsworth) are supposed to be watching the member of an alien royal family, but he ends up getting killed by a pair of twins (Laurent and Larry Bourgeious) who can become pure energy. They convince High T to let them find out what the twins are after. They're joined by a little fellow M dubs "Pawny" (Kumail Nanjial) whose queen and group were killed by the twins. With the help of a strange crystal, the duo have to figure out what the twins want...and who the mole is at MIB.

This was...not bad, but not great, either. I suspect people wanted more out of this cast. Thompson and Helmsworth retain the charm and chemistry they showed in Thor: Ragnorok, and Thompson and Neeson aren't bad as the two heads of the agency. I also like the idea that this time, someone is actually seeking them out, rather than them bumping into a new agent. I just wish the story was stronger. The whole thing with the twins and the crystal is meandering and frankly, a bit dull. I'm also surprised there isn't more action - a lot of the emphasis is on talking and gags. It is a lot more interesting than Dark Phoenix, to give it some credit. It's still worth checking out at least once if you're a fan of the cast or the franchise.