The Really Big Apple

Conditions: Brisk

For Your Own Good

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to take a stand against obesity by banning jumbo-sized soft drinks from the city. An ambitious move, to be sure. One that almost guarantees outrage.

In Arizona, it's perfectly legal for you to take a concealed AR-15 assault rifle
along on your family excursion to see The Lorax.

But in the Big Apple, a brisk and recriminatory session with New York's finest awaits should you be foolhardy enough to attempt to see the same movie while packing a 750ml Pepsi.

This is not the first time Michael Bloomberg - a sort of Eliot Ness
crusader against the scourge of soda-pop - has tried to obliterate his fizzy
foe. His support for an 18 per cent tax increase on soft drinks came to naught
when the state legislature decided against the idea.

- theage.com.au/opinion/

Everyone can agree that people are drinking too much damn soda. And everyone can agree that too much soda is bad for you. But when one little mayor decides to actually reduce the amount of soda people are guzzling, everyone goes nuts. It's not as though people are going to actually cut down on soda themselves.



Film Review: Men In Black 3

Creating comedy franchises is a bit tougher than action franchises, or sci fi franchises. It makes more sense to have sequels when they're based on serious far-reaching situations, as opposed to having sequels based on funny characters in absurd situations. However, Men in Black uses the structure of the vast global conspiracy theory and the agency created to keep it quiet, in order to keep pumping out films - to good affect. But while the world of MiB is sound and rich for potential, what's odd about the latest sequel is that they seem to have given up on the characters to a certain extent. Will Smith, after being away from our screens for four years, is back as the ever cheerful J, but his partner K, has been cut down.

I think the Men in Black franchise has a good potential for sequels, there seems to be a lot of scope for the continuing adventures of Agents K and J. However, it seems to me that the makers of the movies don't seem to feel the same way, what with this particular movie coming out so long after the last one it's almost like starting all over again. Also, for some reason Tommy Lee Jones is barely in the film. His character is killed by Boris the animal, played by Jermaine Clement, by Boris traveling back in time. Now Will Smith, who for some reason is the only one who knows time has been changed, has to travel back to save his partner. So most of the film takes place in the 60's, with Josh Brolin doing a pretty great imitation of Jones.

But as good an imitation as it is, it's still not the same team we enjoyed in previous outings. The jokes aren't quite there, the dynamic isn't really there, and the bad guy, while played very well, doesn't really have a connection to the good guys. Also, although it is just a comedy, I was distracted by the way the rules of time travel are sort of ignored here. So overall while it's a slick production, it doesn't really have the heart or the drive of previous outings. Three aliens out of five.


- Peace out