The curmudgeon decided to stay indoors for at least one more weekend; Hollywood had little to offer for the June 22 weekend except “Toy Story 4,” and I just wasn’t in the mood for that (not to mention the high probability of hordes of screaming children swarming in the theater).
I used the time to plow through a few more books, particularly a book of short stories by Ted Chiang, “The Stories of Your Life”; one of the stories was the basis for the impressive science fiction film “Arrival,” but some of the other stories are very intriguing. I also observed one of my summer rituals by watching DVDs of “Air Force One” and “Olympus Has Fallen.” Next week I plan to watch “The Patriot” and “Braveheart” for the umpteenth time.
I was particularly interested in “Olympus Has Fallen” because a third entry in that series is due in August: “Angel Has Fallen.” The trailer gives away much of the plot, but Gerard Butler will probably save the day yet again.
The next “essential” film for me will be “Spider-Man: Far from Home”; it will continue some of the plot lines from “Avengers: Endgame”; that alone is enough to lure me out of my den.