Tonight I went to an all-you-can-eat-and-drink Chinese place; my compatriots emphasized the latter. Afterwards we had drunken karaoke, and that was great too. Being one of three sober people out of a group of eight at a karaoke joint is stupendous fun; I suspect that being the only sober one would be even better.
Sorry I didn't update yesterday. So it goes.
Tomorrow I start teaching an English class with the other Americans. We've hardly planned it at all, but I think it should go well as long as we can resist the urge to teach them nothing but cheesy pick-up lines (although I will get a recording of Wu saying "Are those space pants you're wearing? Because your ass is out of this world!" or I will die trying).
I saw the new Matrix again, which says a fair amount, as I've now shelled out $20 to see it twice. It's not giving anything away to say that they didn't use the ultra-depressing ending that I wanted, which would have seen the Matrix destroyed and the machines beaten, but Zion obliterated as well, leaving Neo and Trinity as the only life left on earth, doomed to starve but nonetheless able to love each other until their rapidly approaching death. I think this ending appealed to me so much because I firmly believe that if you're going to make a movie series packed with drearily post-modern philosophy, the least you can do is follow those ideas to their most complete, nihilistic conclusion. It would also win big points as the only non-life-affirming movie ever produced by Hollywood. And yet, even so, we could count on some reviewer giving it two thumbs up and calling it the feel-good hit of the season.
But for those of you who have seen it and disagreed with my ravings about it, keep in mind what we all saw the Matrix for in the first place: cool people killing each other in cool ways and looking cool while doing it, occasionally in slo-mo. Going to see a Matrix movie with any other goal in mind is like jumping into a pile of rusty knives and then being angry that you get tetanus and die. This is why the second one, with its coitus-interruptus action style and windy Story Time with Mister Philosophy sections, was so unfulfilling. Yet, even so, one can apply the simple Matrix Test to Reloaded: Were there cool-looking people in it? Yes. Did they kill each other in cool ways? Moderately, yes. Was there slo-mo? Darn tootin' there was.Presto! It was a good Matrix movie. Try this at home, kids. And give me your parents' credit card numbers. They won't mind.
- Gyaa! I'm give up
