Another weekend over and done with. Thank God! What's with all this spare time? You'd almost think that people have a life outside of work. Pft. Fat chance.

It's been incredibly sunny and incredibly warm this entire weekend. It may be a late summer, but it's definitely summer.

Briefly escaping the heat, I saw four flicks this weekend. First, on Friday, The Sum of All Fears, starring the Affleck. This, unfortunately, was a disappointment. I'm a closet Tom Clancy fan (although I couldn't stomach - or finish - his latest (?) Jack Ryan novel, The Bear and the Dragon; for the first time, Clancy's extreme right-wing views got in the way of the plot), so I had very high expectations for the movie, but after a tight and entertaining first half, it fell to pieces.

I can't say too much without spoiling the plot (though most reviewers did), but the story's climax comes about an hour before the movie's over, and after that...flat. No tension, no plot or character development, and the Affleck's limited acting skills definitely get in the way. The Affleck is great in comedies and when he's taking the piss, but when he tries to be a serious action hero...ugh. I'm starting to get nervous about Daredevil. I really, really hope he pulls off that role - for his sake and for mine. It'd be a shame and a waste if he ruined a potentially kick-arse franchise. Still, I always give the Affleck another chance (and yes, it's the Affleck).

On Saturday, we caught a 70mm screening of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It's been ages since I last saw this flick, and it's obvious that time hasn't been particularly kind to it. And Spielberg wasn't at the top of his game when he made the sequel to Raiders, that's for sure. Aside from Harrison Ford's powerful presence - at this point, he still had oodles of charm, charisma, and humour (these days, he possesses none of the above) - Temple of Doom doesn't have a lot to offer. It's very limited in scope, and some of the set-pieces are just ridiculous. It was fun seeing it again in 70mm on a good screen with excellent sound, and it brought me back to 1984, but aside from the nostalgia factor, it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it to be. I mean, I always remembered it as the weakest Indy-movie, but it was still slightly disappointing to see just how weak it was. And Mrs. Spielberg is a dull, dull love interest.

On Sunday, I saw two movies: Takashi Miike's Audition (one of those stomach-churning experiences that make you afraid to watch Japanese movies ever again; it's worth seeing once, but consider yourself warned), and Tom Tykwer's The Warrior and the Princess ("Der Krieger und die Kaiserin"), a German fable about love, fate, and madness. I think. It was very good, albeit a bit too long and overly ambitious. Still, ambition is always appreciated, and Tykwer's follow-up to Run Lola Run was a very interesting watch, partly because of the fine script and great acting, and partly because it manages to constantly surprise you. It's not Hollywood, and that's refreshing.

The rest of the weekend was spent in the sun, eating outside, and dragging two new mattresses into my apartment. Yay.

Now. Monday. Work. Check back later.  ¶ 11:43