Sky Captain

“I’m in a world of my own, but that’s ok – they know me here.”

At the beginning of the week, I didn’t realize that Darfur (one of the places where genocide is occurring, even if the international community chooses not to use the word) is the size of France; nor that the Sudan, as a whole, is a third the size of the continental United States. Even in Texas, those kind of sizes are difficult to comprehend, and it’s not so surprising that the area is almost impossible to police.

I’ve just got back to the hotel after going to see “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” at the movies. I had the misfortune to sit next to a loud guy with a mental age in single digits who laughed, hooted and slapped his thigh at anything that might be considered even remotely amusing – even the trailer for the SpongeBob SquarePants movie. And while we’re on the subject, why do they ask you to turn off mobile phones, but still serve nachos and popcorn at the concession stand? Isn’t there some kind of “quiet” food they could serve instead? Frankly, most of the people you see with “jumbo” portions of this kind of food shouldn’t even be eating “micro” portions.

So, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Flimsy plot, lots of loud bangs, and not a glimpse of Angelina’s naughty bits (let’s be honest here – guys don’t go to Angelina Jolie movies for her acting ability, unlike, say, movies featuring Johnny Depp or Jodie Foster). I wouldn’t even bother renting this one.

And, if there really was a Sky Captain out to save the world, I feel sure he’d be concentrating on places like Darfur. It’s a pity that our imaginations are more active than our deeds, and even more so that that’s where we choose to spend our money.