Monday, February 28, 2005

The Incredibles (movie review)

I just saw this again at the Bagdad with the kids. A cool bizmo gets a cameo.

Nick was waiting outside the theater on this warm-for-February Academy Awards night. I shared my sense Ayn Rand would've liked this film about extraordinary individuals caught up in an oppressive "no powers allowed" mediocracy (like Harry Potter & friends escaping muggles through Hogwarts), but Nick mainly just liked the good family vibes, a scarce commodity in his scenario.

I'm not a big Ayn Rand reader, mostly just The Fountainhead in like 8th grade (looked interesting, plus I detected raised eyebrows among the adults). I was much more into Freud (called him Frood until people figured out whom I meant). My friend Trevor, a true scholar, has been studying Ayn's 'n Bucky's thinking for signs of convergence/divergence, plus he's dug into the technocracy movement with gusto (found a great video). Trevor (many years my junior) is one of my favorite teachers -- always expanding my horizons.

That's what The Incredibles reminds me to be (not that I need much reminding): grateful for the many differently abled superheros in my life (corny but true), all average joes and janes on the surface (such perfect disguises).