Nobody Knows Anything

Welcome to Diane Patterson's eclectic blog about what strikes her fancy

Superman Returns: the review

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It’s not a good sign when Darin and I walk out of a theater rewriting the script.

I really wanted this to be good. I’ve wanted a fun popcorn movie that I could totally enjoy for a while, and I come away sorely disappointed all the time. That this film has gotten so many plaudits says more about the competition out there than about its own qualities, unfortunately.

This movie is ostensibly a sequel to Superman II, and it attempts to bash our heads in with that fact by quoting the original Superman. Repeatedly. Literally quoting them—Darin listed several lines that were straight out of that film (and, I guess, Superman II). And the story’s just not particularly interesting—Lex Luthor’s dastardly plan has to do with real estate… which is, of course, also right out of the first film.

To give you an idea of how weird this film is in terms of plot and characters, there’s a scene where Lois Lane, her cute little tot in tow, stumbles into Lex Luthor’s hideout. In the midst of Lois interviewing Lex about his secret plan, a Major Plot Revelation dawns on Lex about his captees. (If you haven’t figured out this particular plot element by this point in the movie, there’s no hope for you.) Imagine the hold over Superman this would give him! So what does Lex do?

He leaves Lois and company on the boat, ostensibly to drown. Not that he makes sure of that, mind you; he just assumes it. Or something.

Huh. Isn’t that in the List of Things an Evil Overlord Should Avoid Doing?

The movie is also hella along: they could have and should have trimmed at least a half hour from this flick. It has, as Darin put it, three endings.

Brandon Routh: never really appealed to me in all the pre-publicity, but he’s okay in this film. Also: cute.

Kevin Spacey: good in the few scenes he has, but he doesn’t really have all that much to do.

Kate Bosworth: oh, was she in this movie too? I didn’t think she was as bad as some reviewers have made out, but Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, I think not. (Of course, if Judy Miller can get one…)

There are definitely some good things in the movie—the sequence with the airplane and space shuttle is very exciting. (Although that’s our introduction to Lois, and it’s not a very mythic introduction.) But on the whole…I have no desire to see this flick again, and, not that I have the time or anything, but I really, really want a flick that I’d at least be tempted to see twice.

Real cost of car ownership

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You can calculate your real cost of car ownership. That is, the real cost just for you, that is. Not even the “to society” part.

Damn. We own our cars outright and that is still a lot of money we could save by not having them.

Energy crisis

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Months ago I told a doctor my usual quip, “Why does everyone say exercise gives you energy? It just makes me tired.” He sent me for bloodwork and determined my thyroid levels were low. I started on a thyroid regimen and felt better but not energetic. So he added a second medication.

And I felt really good.

Not manic good. I wasn’t bouncing off walls or awake twenty hours a day. But I was no longer falling asleep in the afternoons, dozing on the couch while the kids watched TV (waking me up every so often to put on a new show). I could take them out for the afternoon: the park, the fountain, somewhere.

In addition, I lost 30 pounds. Not bad, eh? I once told Tamar that I just didn’t believe that exercise + eating less would lead to weight loss, because it never seemed to work that way for me. But once I started taking the thyroid combination, BOOM! I started losing weight slowly and steadily. I went through my saved jeans at a fairly regular pace and was ecstatic the day I hadn’t done laundry and found that the size 8 jeans hanging in the closet fit me just fine. Not quite at the point where I could put on my Calvin Klein skirt. But I was definitely heading there.

I thought, This is how most people live their lives. They don’t feel run down all the time.

The effect seems to be wearing off, though. Just today I went for a run with Rob and Nina in the morning, then ran around getting the kids to their various activities. I came home and went upstairs to shower. But before I got in the shower I lay down on the bed “just for a moment.” You know how this story ends, right? I haven’t done that for, well, months. I had to force myself to get out of bed when I woke up at two hours, but even now I could go right back.

I don’t think I’m taking the kids to the park this afternoon. Maybe they’d be up for the backyard while I doze on the couch.

Of course, on top of everything else, I’m deeply worried about regaining the weight. Especially since I gave away all my bigger clothes.

I guess I need my blood levels looked at again. This tiredness is so discouraging sometimes.