Weekend Update

I managed to see two movies last week. The first was shown at the Union, sponsored by the Origins center, Kansas vs. Darwin. It was a documentary of the Kansas board of education's decision to add "equal time" measures to the science standards last year. I came away like I always do from those: sad, angry and depressed. I mean, this is the stuff that made me not want to be a teacher anymore. But if you know me, chances are you've already heard me rant about this subject, so I won't add any more on this.

The other was Man of the Year, Robin Williams new movie. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. It wasn't at all about what it was advertised as, first off. Robin Williams, unfortunately, wasn't quite as "on" as I expected him to be, given the caliber of his previous work. A lot of the humor, especially earlier in the movie, seemed very stiff and forced. Most of the characters are painfully unbelievable, which doesn't help that as the movie went on, a lot of plot holes crop up. So you end up with two-dimensional characters who are chronically forgetful or just plain stupid. The value of the movie lies in the small things, the wonderful wry comments and one-liners; a cast made up mostly of comedians delivers these pretty well. If you have nothing else to do, go see it. Just don't expect a masterpiece, and you won't be disappointed.

Because I like linking news stories, I'll do a couple. A story that gives me hope; a satire that makes me laugh; and haven't I (and a bunch of other people who are much smarter than me) been saying this all along?