I saw Spellbound, a documentary about the National Spelling Bee, over the weekend... I wasn't too impressed. The movie starts out strong as it introduces a few of the kids that have already made it to the finals. You get to know these little dictionaries (and their odd parents) and you can't help but pick a 'favorite' going into the competition. And then, the competition begins and you realize... oh crap, this is a movie about a spelling bee! It's sorta interesting to see the kids perform under pressure, but for the most part you're just watching word after word being spelled. I guess I didn't dislike watching this movie, but it just isn't entertaining enough to recommend.
Wow. I wanted to come hang with you and Dave this weekend, but now I'm glad that I didn't since that's what you guys did.
"....so, let's see, we can play some halo, prince of persia, mario kart, go out to eat, go see a movie, have a tickle fight, OR we could watch this spellumentary on spelling bees...."
Say it ain't so Jake! You've lost your edge!
Yeah, well I WANTED to watch Spirited Away again, but Dave refused to watch a movie that I had seen before... Blame him.
Uh, I thought it was actually a really good movie. Watching a documentary about any competition can be fascinating when done well (as I think this was). Then you add in the fact that these people were young (and often hilariously immature) and that their chosen battlefield was one of brutal rote memorization, and you have a fascinating spectacle. And it isn't as if you have to be a competition speller to enjoy watching it. Spirited Away is good, too, though. C'est la vie.
Tickle fight?
Yeah. What's up with the 'tickle fight' comment? Jake never tickles me when I come visit him.
Yeah, dave is quirky about the "seeing a movie you've already seen" craziness. When will he break free?! I mean if it's a good movie it deserves to be seen twice or three times right? I realize this is not unlike my "not ordering the same menu item as someone else at the table" craziness, but my psychoness is not without good reason. I mean, you can watch a movie over and over again, but how many times do you get that meal?? That's right, just once. ONE TIME! You don't want someone else to ruin it by ordering the same thing!
And yes, tickle fights. It's a whole new side of Jake.
Ordering different meals also has the pragmatic benefit of allowing you to sample different menu items. Not seeing a movie twice is just silly. In fact, some movies demand to be seen multiple times. I defy anyone to tell me all the nuances of what's going on with one viewing of Gosford Park.
Who is Gosford Park? And where can I view him?