Michael The new Austin Powers movie "The Spy Who Shagged Me" (the German translation will certainly be interesting) is out, and Angelika and I watched it one weekend at a theater in Japantown. We laughed so hard, and afterwards, we treated ourselves to some Japanese soup with Udon noodles, delicious! The film is full of references to American society; for instance, the center of evil in the movie is the headquarters of the coffeehouse chain "Starbucks," which is hated by all San Franciscans and originates from Seattle, a city that no one from San Francisco can stand.
The superhero's crooked teeth, by the way, are a nod to Europe: Austin Powers from England and speaks with a British accent, and unlike in America, where every child wears braces, a bit of natural growth is tolerated in Europe, which Americans like to make fun of. Some dialogues from the film have already made their way into everyday language: If you want someone to be quiet, you first try with shhhh! and then with "double-u-double-u-double-u-dot-shhhh!-dot-com" (www.shhhh!.com)! Excellent movie, highly recommended. Or, as the advertisement for the film suggests: "If you only see one movie this summer -- watch 'Star Wars.' If you manage to see two: also go see 'The Spy Who Shagged Me.' It doesn't get more modest than that.