SHEEEEEEEEP

Over the last week or so we have been extravagantly treating ourselves as a family. We actually went to two movies. That's right, count 'em two... and the movie theater. Okay, sure, they were at the buck-an-a-half theater, but still the theater!

Both movies, while I would not have considered them 'must-see-in-the-theater' type of movies, they were fully enjoyable. First we saw "Shrek: The Third" which was at least as good as the first one. I'm not one for sequels really. Seldom does the sequel hold even a candle to the original. But anyone with a newspaper and enough interest to look up in the movie section realizes there isn't much choice this year except for sequels. If I was going to be forced to watch a sequel, I personally would have chosen Fantastic Four. Since that could easily be in the prestigious 'must-see-in-the-theater' category. Special effects movies usually are. And to boot, it has Jessica Alba in it. But unfortunately, she is invisible (what marketing bozo came up with that one?).

But in the end I was not even a little disappointed in Shrek. As I said, it was every bit as funny as the original, and if you were to play close attention, there are even more 'grown-up' gags that the kids just won't be able to understand. These gags, as before, are subtle background items, so they don't leave the kids wondering what the heck is going on. One of my favorite parts was when they played the beginning screams to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." Sadly, however, they didn't play the whole song.

The other movie was "Evan Almighty". Yes, yet another sequel. In my youth we had George Burns, today's kinder have Morgan Freeman. I don't know if you remember the "Oh God!" movies where George Burns played the Great Almighty, but I loved them. We have watched the first and third ones (you remember "Oh God You Devil" don't you - where Burns played both God and the devil?).

I was very, very hesitant to go and see "Evan" because, well, quite frankly, where "Bruce Almighty" was a great flick, how many times can it be funny to give some everyday Joe Schmoe God's power and watch him make an ass of himself and nearly destroy the world? Happily Evan wasn't like that at all. God tells newly elected Senator Evan to build him an ark because "a flood is coming." Steve Carrell who was Evan the news anchor in Bruce, returns. This man is simply funny with every role I have seen him play.