Post-turkey vegging

Either the tryptophan has made me extra-happy and uncritical, or the post-Thanksgiving movie fest (to avoid the shopping frenzy) has been particularly good this year.

Technically the vegging started the night before the turkey was carved, with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which both I and a friend hadn't seen in like ten years. And for good reason. This is the odd film out in the trilogy --Indiana Jones is at his best when he's fighting Nazis and protecting biblical relics, not
eating shock-value foods that have nothing to do with real Indian cuisine. Besides, IJ's love interest in Temple of Doom is a ninny. We had fun heckling. And I won't watch it again for another ten years or so.

Batman Begins was cool, despite Katie Holmes and (again) the vague "yellow peril" undercurrent. (Wooooo, Asia as the source of ancient, mysterious secrets that teach truthseekers how to master the mind and body.... It's been done and overdone. But the scene with the ninjas, where Batman outsmarts his mentor, was really cool.) And Batman has some sweet gadgets and gear. Good superhero movie overall.

Shanghai Knights was good, despite all the anachronisms. Normally anachronisms irritate me (a la Zorro), but this was all done in good fun. Everyone in this movie is portrayed ridiculously, from the evil duke in line for the throne to the London street urchin to the keeper of the seal of the Forbidden City. I saw Shanghai Noon a long time ago and remember I liked it, too. It was delightfully goofy. And Jackie Chan always has some creative fight sequences and funny bloopers.

The old classic White Christmas was good, as always. I could sing along to most of the songs, as well as happily ignore the man-as-knight-on-a-white horse idea. It's the holidays. I love holiday specials. And holiday music. And holiday commercials. And all that cheese.