I’m pretty happy with today’s comic – unusual for a Monday. It’s fun because I get to take pot shots at two of my favorite targets – The Wynnsong 16 theaters and those American Idol jokers. Meh. They’ll be off the cultural radar soon enough.

I had a very odd movie-watching experience this weekend. On Saturday night, Cami and I went to see the documentary Spellbound at a local arthouse. It’s about 8 kids all about middle-school age competing in the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

The film was interesting on several levels. One, it made evident what a horrible speller I am. Two, it cast its light on a subject that is uniquely American, but what very few people know of. And three, the level of talent in this contest cuts through class, race and social standing making it one of the most true representations of middle America in recent memory. I liked it a lot.

If you’d like to read a more developed line of thought about the movie, be sure to check out the reviews page. My good friend Nick Caster typed up a few words on the film I know you will enjoy. I’ve been sitting on his review for a little while now, so hopefully he won’t mind.

On the other side of the movie-going coin, I caught a matinee of The Hulk this afternoon. I hated it. A lot. I won’t bother going into it here, because I’ve also recently written up a review – which visitors to the site know only happens when I’ve had a very vicreal reaction to something.

I don’t know how my words are going to be received since there was a lot of build-up on my part to see and enjoy this movie. I don’t want to sound hypocritical. But where the movie falls, it falls hard and I had a difficult time even enjoying it.

If you have thoughts, please share them in the forum.