Our session in Haddon Township went much better than it has the previous couple of times we got together. We actually applied to a library assistant job in Voorhees. I didn't realize until later that the jobs require having a car and a driver's license as a back-up delivery person, so I doubt I'll get this. I really wish I could find something I would get. There has to be something out there for me I'm just not seeing.
I didn't even go inside when I got home. Since I didn't have a big breakfast, I thought I'd have brunch at Somerdale before I went to the movies. The Starview Diner is four blocks from the movie theater. Basically the same idea as the Westmont, but slightly cheaper and with a less diverse menu. Their scrambled eggs were bland without cheese, but they did make a delicious, crisp waffle. I should have sprung for the fruit cup; the blueberry topping was gloppy stuff probably taken from a can. There was a basket of huge soft cookies on a display as you entered. I bought one for later.
Walked the four blocks back down to the WalMart/movie theater shopping center. It was sunny and hot as heck today, in the 90's, but not quite as humid. The only evidence on the White Horse Pike of yesterday's deluge were some downed branches and dirt eroded from weedy plots. That part of the White Horse Pike isn't especially pretty anyway. It's mainly old offices, 70's-era shopping centers and diners, new liquor stores and pharmacy chains, and trash-strewn lots. I made a quick stop at one of those new businesses, a big WaWa, for a Propel on my way there.
Arrived at the Cinemark and ducked into the theater for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with literally no time to spare. The ads were starting just as I sat down an empty middle row. Of the ads I saw, Mission Impossible 7 was by far the most interesting. I'm debating seeing that in a theater, given how impressive the previous films in the series were...but it's also a two-parter. I had no idea they were releasing another Big Fat Greek Wedding movie. I thought the first one was cute, but really had no interest in the second. I can wait for that one on streaming. No idea what Oppenheimer is, other than something they're pushing as a must-be-seen on the big screen.
I'm not going heavily into the plot because of spoilers, but I did enjoy it. I liked it much better than the previous Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and maybe even more than the badly dated Temple of Doom. Is it a masterpiece? Not at all. There's still the plot inconsistencies and wonky history that plague all of the Indy films, though at least the action set pieces seem somewhat more realistic than the ones in Crystal Skull. For all the excellent work in making Harrison Ford look younger early in the prologue, some of the green-screen effects are painfully obvious. Ford still makes a great Indy, no matter how battered he is, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays wonderfully off him as the daughter of an old friend who drags him into one last adventure.
That said, I can understand why this isn't doing what Disney had hoped for at the box office. While I loved it and have been a fan of this franchise since Temple of Doom came out, I wonder if this might have done better on streaming. There's no star names or obvious draws besides Ford, and though the Indy movies do have their fans, I don't think they're quite as popular as the Marvel or Star Wars franchises.
On the other hand, I appreciate the chance to see an Indy movie in the theater. I was way too young when Raiders and Temple of Doom came out, saw Ghostbusters II instead in 1989, and had neither the money, nor the time for trips to the movies during the debut of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. Once again, I think the critics are being kind of harsh. It's not up to Crusades or Raiders, but it's miles ahead of Crystal Skull and Temple of Doom. I'm going to say your mileage may vary. If you really love Indy like I do, you'll have a fine time with his final adventure...but I do recommend seeing at least Raiders and Crystal Skull first to get an idea of the characters and situations.
Hiked up the hill to the massive WalMart after the movie ended. I wanted to find the soundtrack for Dial of Destiny, but apparently, it's not going to come out on physical media until August. Ended up with the full Murder She Baked Hannah Swenson mysteries (I can tolerate Hallmark films if they focus on mysteries rather than teeth-itchingly sweet romance) and two cartoon sets, the infamous Gene Deistch Tom & Jerry shorts of the 60's and a collection of Looney Tunes spoofs of Warners films and other beloved movies and Hollywood figures. This is one of the few places I can find Sunbelt Granola Bars, so I grabbed two boxes of those on my way out, too.
Got out with plenty of time to catch the bus on the White Horse Pike. The bus was on time, and though there was traffic, it moved pretty well. Dark clouds gathered in the distance, but they weren't as ominous as the ones that dropped that deluge yesterday. I felt a few heavy raindrops as I hurried home, but I don't think it did anything worse than that.
Went straight into writing when I got home. Re-wrote the opening so Betty now joins Brett at a table in the Green Room rather than in the dressing room. Brett doesn't want to admit the idea of Jack seeing another woman upsets her, but Betty knows it does. It's the reason she threw him out. Betty reminds her that she's better than him, and he isn't worthy of her.
Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7. In the first episode, there's several jokes about bosoms as they comment on how Barbara Rhodes and Fannie Flagg most certainly do not look like Twiggy. They opened the second show with Gene Rayburn giving Dick Martin a kiss and discussing the Love Boat episode he did with Fannie Flagg. Another question prompts a full performance of "You are My Sunshine" by the panelists.
Took down the patriotic decorations after I ate. Put up a heart-shaped wooden plaque with a sunflower in the center on my door and a pretty card with artwork of sunflowers on the front. Sunflowers are my favorite flower, so that's my theme for summer decorations. I likely won't put up any holiday decorations again until October.
Finished the night on The Roku Channel with Hart to Hart. It's a "Passport to Murder" when the Harts take a yacht trip down to South America, only to discover one of their guests has been using the yacht to smuggle drugs. The corrupt sheriff thinks they're in on it and has them arrested. They escape while handcuffed and make their way across the countryside, searching for the real mastermind behind the drug ring.
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