In which I show my extreme weirdness

Yesterday was the final exam for my second summer session microeconomics class. To celebrate the end of another glorious academic term, I decided to do something fun (fun being a relative term). So what did I do? I went to the movies.

Okay, but why's that weird? Well I ended up seeing two movies -- one at 4:20 and then another at 7:20. Well that might be unusual, but weird? I think not. No, my claim to weirdness lies in the two movies I saw. In fact I doubt there are many people in this great nation who have seen both movies I watched, much less on the same day. So what did I see?

First, I saw Wordplay -- a documentary about NY Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and the annual crossword convention in Stamford, CT. A few disclaimers probably are in order. First, I'm a HUGE crossword nerd. The NYT crossword puzzle is just about the highlight of my day -- especially past Wednesday. [FYI, the puzzles get progressively harder as the week goes on, culminating with the Saturday puzzle. Most folks think the Sunday puzzle is the gold standard. Though it is bigger, it's usually only a Thursday (maybe Friday) difficulty level. See, I told you I was a crossword nerd.] Second, I'd read some reviews of the film that led me to believe it was a pretty good documentary even for non-crossword folks. Third, well I don't have any other excuses: I wanted to see it.

Turns out it was a pretty good documentary, but I really don't see the appeal for non-crossword junkies. I really liked a lot of the solvers featured in the film, but some of them came off as extremely arrogant. The best character, by far, was Merl Reagle -- a noted crossword constructor (the proper name for a crossword maker). Go here and click on Puzzling Movies (in the blue box toward the bottom of the page) for a Wordplay-themed puzzle by Merl.

Okay, so I've owned up to my nerdhood. Before heading to Huntsville, though, I'd called Thailand Jeff to see if he wanted to do something. Now I was pretty sure he didn't want to see the crossword documentary, so I invited him to go see Clerks II. Given my usual hatred of potty-humor movies, I find it hard to believe, but Clerks (the original) is one of my all-time favorite movies. Hence, it would be an understatement to say I was apprehensive when I first heard about Clerks II. Again, though, I'd read reviews that said it was pretty good. And it was -- if you're a fan of the original. I DO NOT recommend this movie for anyone not familiar with the original or anyone with any bit of human decency. Seriously, it is guaranteed to offend.

The biggest minus to this movie, in my opinion, was that I got the feeling that Kevin Smith felt compelled to make the movie even more offensive than it had to be. The beauty of Clerks (I) was that the offensive material never felt forced. Most of it really did play into the logical progression of the movie. This time it felt a little gratuitous. I won't give away any plot twists, but let me tell you that after watching this movie you'll know that the correct term for beastiality is "inter-species erotica". Still, it was a funny, funny movie. Again, though, I think it's mainly a film for Smith's fans rather than casual moviegoers.

Speaking of, a funny thing happened at the very beginning of the movie. After sitting through (seemingly) hours of previews and commercials, the movie finally started. About 15 seconds into the flick, a very objectionable word was used. Almost immediately a couple sitting a few rows behind us got up and made their way down the aisle. The guy stopped and asked me if they were in the right theatre for "Lady in the Water". While stifling my laughter I told him they most certainly were NOT in that theatre and they should get out QUICKLY. This is not a movie you'd want to wander into accidentally.

Final verdict: I'd give both films 3 (out of 4) stars. Above average, but nothing really special. Wordplay is a "must see" if you're a crossword nut and Clerks II is the same if you're a Kevin Smith fan. Otherwise, go see one of the summer blockbusters and enjoy a light night at the movies. At least that's my opinion.