Sunday, July 08, 2018

The Incredibles 2

© by Gerald So | 9:00 AM

On a rare free Saturday for both of us, my brother Henry and I watched The Incredibles 2. Henry is more tired of superhero movies than I am, but he was eager to see this as a fan of the 2004 original.

Happily The Incredibles 2 isn't a victim of superhero fatigue given the wave of movies that followed the original. That said, I did find it odd going along with the sequel's conceit that only six months had passed.

If I had re-watched the original to prepare, I might have found the plot too similar. This time, Helen Parr/Elasti-Girl is recruited by siblings Winston and Evelyn Deavor, who propose fitting superheroes with body cams to show the good they do free of media spin and encourage the nations of the world to legalize them.

Unfortunately one of the Deavors actually has a sinister plan to frame superheroes and wipe them out permanently. If you have a decent vocabulary and a taste for puns, you'll guess which.

That aside, I most enjoyed the moments of Bob trying to adapt to being the stay-home parent.

To sum up, The Incredibles 2 doesn't disappoint but doesn't leave much of impression of its own, either. It's just fine.

Wednesday, July 04, 2018

Happy Fourth

© by Gerald So | 5:30 AM

On this Independence Day I'm aware of so many fellow Americans who are better examples of the country's freedoms and ideals than President Trump.

As much as I would've preferred we avoid his negative example, it has made me a more conscientious citizen. Most of all, I realize how much I took for granted not having witnessed a president whose outlook and performance in office were as clearly wrong to me as Trump's.

His term is a stress test for American systems and the people behind them, too. Here's hoping we pass and have better days ahead.