melisande55

Are you familiar with Kurt Vonnegut's idea of a karass?

That there are something like 12 teams of humans. Each team has its own games, its own sense of humor, its own sense of style, etiquette, tactics and techniques of persuasion. Karasses cross-cut all other memberships, so that you might not share politics or historical era with your teammates, but if you are attuned to the Universe, you recognize your own karass-mates.

The Coen brothers - and all who love them, are on my karass.

I hope I'm spelling karass right. It's been 30 years since I read the book, but I still think of it almost daily...

Yes, indeed. Several archaeological journals - and the New York Times - have commented on elements of the movie that are quite accurate. Of course the costumes have been redone, Hollywood style, but there are many, many truthful elements to the film.

Sure, some of it is out of historical order, and there are delicious little anachronisms that any student of prehistory will enjoy picking out.

But the basic theme, of the Akkadian connection to Abydos - and the importance of the Scorpion King (however he was) to pre-dynastic Egypt - is quite compelling.

Done in old style, quasi-B movie mode (which works - because this is the stuff of B movies), the film takes advantage of exotic locations, exotic-seeming locations and studio backlots to tell an old story with very modern seeming characters. Kids'll love it, and we adults can think about lots of historical connections as we watch.

Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is of course supreme. This is chick-flick eye candy at every turn. And the leading lady, in my view, is one of the hottest girls to appear recently in cin-ah-mah.

Oh, and if you're into Cin Ah Mah - skip this one. This one is for us entertainment-seeking, over-the-top-enjoying, Hollywood/Babylon-smitten.