Men in Black

I watched this movie with Jenny last night as Cathy was out and we thought it would be nice to see a movie together even though it was quite a challenge to find one we both actually didn't mind watching or even wanted to watch. It is really witty. It came out during my "wasteland" (before 1991 I used to see a movie or two a week, but little else since then apart from children's or family movies -- and Cathy and Jenny would certainly have been far too young to have seen this one when it was first released, in fact J probably was not born). However, I have seen it on video a good few years back, I think Eleanor must have rented it when quite a bit younger. MiB (as it calls itself) is one of those "cheap Amazon" DVDs I bought a while back and only now have I watched it. Will Smith is somewhat self-regarding, but Tommy Lee Jones is his usual dry self -- cool. The script was pacy and full of energy, but also witty. I loved all the New York/US in-jokes, though I had to explain most of them to Jenny who wondered why I was laughing each time, by which time I'd missed two or three more. Lots of little touches, eg Sylvester Stallone in one of the multi-screen alien monitors and the creepy little coffee-makers taking a trolley-full of Marlborough duty-frees when fleeing Earth. Obviously I really liked the woman character -- good actress too. Is it the same Linda-surname-begins-with-F who was in Terminator? That was a good movie too, or at least I thought so when I saw it about a thousand years ago. I know there is a sequel to MiB but I don't think I will watch it as it is probably no good and will spoil the "confection" (I think that's the technical word for this type of movie -- look too close and it will melt, anyway.) Last night started Cold Granite by Stuart Macbride which has finally come out in pb after what seems like aeons. Got it in a Waterstone's 3 for 2 about 2 weeks before the pub date on Amazon --- is this Ws being naughty or A being incorrect? I suppose Amazon is only as accurate as the info someone puts into it, and publishers presumably move dates around a lot. But I am sure that shops often do jump pub dates to sell more (apart from HP, whose publishers go to enormous measures to ensure simultaneous selling. The tip there is not to order a new HP from Amazon but to get it from John Lewis on the day as that is where it is always cheapest or matched with the cheapest.) Anyway, Macbride so far is fairly pacy but I am not sure why there has been all the hype. So far a very standard police procedural and not very well written at the start --- though it is picking up a bit by page 50, where I am now. Jury still out.