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	15 November 2004 MOVIE: THE INCREDIBLES (2004). A family of superheroes must defy society's ban on superpowers in order to save the world. I left this movie feeling the same way I always do after every Pixar movie: utterly stunned and impressed in every way by their sheer talent. They've done it again, and this time with a much more mature story that deals with stuff like mid-life crises, death, courage, and even sex. The plot is familiar to anyone (such as Nicki) who has read the Powers series of comics by Brian Bendis in which superheroes, stigmatized and marginalized by society, are gradually picked off by an unseen menace. The entire post-superhero world of The Incredibles is a dazzling blend of irresistible visual styles: sweet modern contemporary furniture straight out of Wallpaper or Dwell, crazy 007-esque lairs built within tropical volcanoes, giant, city-crushing droids that feel like a high-tech update of War of the Worlds. Every tiny gesture or environmental detail contains at least a tiny, ironic twist that keeps things snappy and bright. Apart from the visuals, the movie is populated with genuinely sophisticated characters who propel the story much farther than a typical Ozzie & Harriet treatment would have. We see a rejuvinated father, who's been sneaking out at night to binge on superpower rescue missions, grab his wife's ass during the household chores. And she, not to be outdone, stretches her arm twenty feet to grab him back. The speed-demon son and force-field generating daughter are also not the saccharine-cute prodigies usually offered by Hollywood; they are at times afraid, unsure, and looking to their parents for support and guidance--just like kids in real life. The emotional honesty is absolutely refreshing for not just an animated film, but for recent films in general. Even the villian, who strives to turn everyone into superheroes in order to undermine superheroism itself, has greater moral complexity than, oh, all of the Star Wars movies combined. In the midst of the movie's many mesmerizing action sequences, a curious undercurrent emerges. Maybe it's just me, and maybe it's because we live in a post-9/11 world, but scenes containing a suicidal man falling from a skyscraper (who unlike World Trade Center victims was saved at the last second), or lines like "Doubt is a luxury we don't have time for," or even the choice to depict the destruction of a squeaky-clean city dressed in the optimistic decor of 1950's America made me realize that even Pixar is not immune to creating products of the age--in this case, the age of terrorism. It's impossible to judge whether this is a good thing or a bad thing; I just feel that years from now I'll look back on this amazing, perfectly constructed film and clearly remember the sociopolitical climate of the double-aughts. And let me just mention the virtuosic silliness of the short Boundin' that precedes the movie. I never thought I'd laugh so hard at a dancing sheep. It's the golden age of Pixar. Historic stuff. When everyone's super, no one is.   Back to main PHOTO DIARY. We had a team-building cooking class event last week. There's Tad. Sure, team-building events are cheesy on paper, but this one was actually fun as hell. There's Debbie. There's my cooking partner, Tamara. We made all kinds of great appetizer foods. There's Hung, Selina, and Casey. See how they're bonding? Afterwards, we drank wine and enjoyed the fruits of our labors. There's me, Tony, and Chris. Holy crap do I need a haircut.   Back to main NON SEQUITUR. I don't usually do this, but OH. MY. GOD. 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