I thought I was going to have the entire theater to myself, but, eventually two couples and a single girl also entered. So I put my clothes back on. Hey! I wanted to be comfortable. I can't recall seeing a movie alone before, but I probably have. On this occasion, my wife was out of town and she had zero interest in this flick anyway, so what better way to spend a dreary, rainy afternoon? Hmmmm...actually I can think of a much better way to spend the afternoon, but I've been good thru this marriage, so why blow the ol' trust thing now?
The movie: Other than a few moments of rough CGI, District 9 is pretty
damn good. Occasional cartoony moments aside, especially when one considers the minimal budget for this movie, it's not a bad film. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT The premise that the fluid the Prawns (derogatory term for the aliens) need to fuel their craft is the same liquid that melds humans and aliens stretched my limits of believability. Duh! It's science-fiction, yes. But conceivability is critical to good sci-fi...at least to me it is. I also found it difficult to enjoy watching the main character. For some reason, he bugged me throughout. But that may just be a deep-seated psychological problem that I may or may not have.The movie touches on racism and apartheid without ever being heavy-handed. The fact that it takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa adds to the viewer's feel for the Prawns' plight. The Prawn father-son relationship would be touching, except for the fact that the young Prawn looks so cartoonish that you lose all empathy. Overall, a bit cartoonish (have I used that term before?), but a decent movie. Better than watching Sportscenter repeat itself all day.
My beloved Cleveland Indians are suffering through another disastrous season. All the pieces seemed to be in place two years ago for another sustained run of division-contending years. Injuries and horrible pitching (other than Cliff Lee, who was traded, of course) did the Tribe in. You can win a lot of games scoring 10 runs a night...but not if you give up 11. The trading of Lee was inevitable, I guess. Last year they traded C C Sabathia, after he won the Cy Young the previous year. I guess Lee's taking the 2008 AL Cy Young meant the end of his days in Cleveland were near. He's now dominating National League hitters for the Phillies. He's 4-0, with 3 complete games. The trade that killed me, though, was letting Victor Martinez go. It may turn out to be a great move for the Indians, but that man was a hitting machine and the most solid of all their guys. Starting over with young arms and bats again. Siiiiigh
On Sunday I went to war with armyworms in my backyard. I spotted a couple of brown spots in the gorgeous flowing greenery that this summer's rains have helped create. Having dealt with the little bastards a couple years ago, I knew what to
look for. Yep, there they were. Green and yellow striped creepy-crawlin' sumbitches. Rushed up to the local hardware place. Nothin' there. The elderly salesguy tried to convince me to buy a chemical that didn't specify armyworms on the label. If he'd been a little more sure of himself, I mighta gone for it. But I knew what I wanted and he was waffling. Outta my way, old man! Off to Tractor Supply. Bought two quarts of Agent Orange and covered the backyard and myself with enough chemicals to ensure that I'll never be able to count change at a theater. (When spraying chemicals you're supposed to wear longsleeves, long pants, goggles, air filters, boots, etc. so I always wear shorts, no shirt and go barefooted). I needed two more quarts for the front and outside the privacy fence. Damn! That was $60 I wasn't planning to spend on worm genocide. But I got 'em all. The yard appeared to be undulating. Was I experiencing a flashback from my wild youth? Nope. There really were that many worms squirming about in their death throes. Cool.Wednesday I spotted the worms in my neighbor's yard. She handed me her credit card, and off I went to the store again, buying a couple more quarts of wormkill. While she sat on her patio and watched, I sprayed her yard (and myself again). Many dead worms later, she plied me with beers while I sat babbling incoherently as she and one of her girls ate dinner. I could blame the effect of the spray on my brain for my rambling, but I've been speaking nonsensically waaaaay too long. It turns out that the entire neighborhood has been invaded by these worms. It seems that over the years man has eliminated their natural predators...apparently wooly mammoths and pteradactyls...so these critters attack lawns like Prawns attack garbage heaps.
I have the greatest neighbor anyone could ever ask for. She's funny, has two great daughters, and they usually have beer. The beer's a bonus. They're great people. Bless their hearts. I love 'em.
nothing like a little worm genocide...
ReplyDeleteand oh yeah thanks for ruining the movie for me!
ReplyDeleteNo problem. That's what I'm here for. Yeap wehat.
ReplyDeleteGeez, it was a great piece until you went to Cleveland Sports stuff. Have you heard the one that goes something like..."God spit a hocker and called it Cleveland"??
ReplyDelete