Thanks to some premier passes from my uncle, I enjoyed a sneak peak of the upcoming movie staring Steve Carell: Get Smart.  Does it sneak in the laughs or should it have stayed classified?  Here’s the details:

The Good: A nice mix of comedy and action.  It’s fun to watch and will make you laugh.  Most of the characters are likeable.

The Bad: Although there are a few spots where laughter filled the theater, most of the comedy is not hilarious.  The movie’s main faults were a few boring spots where it falls into a stock, predictable plot.

The Bottom Line: What it lacks in comedy, it makes up for in some nice, unique action sequences.  While I wouldn’t rush out to see it, I’d recommend it for a day when you’ve got some extra time.  It makes me want to see the original series (which I’ve found at TVLand.com).

Abstract Penguin verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Get Smart opens in theaters this Friday, June 20.  Watch the trailer.

What do you think? Are you going to go see Get Smart?  Are you a fan of Steve Carell?  Do you remember the original TV series?  Post your comments below.

Yesterday I saw Pixar’s latest movie, Cars. I enjoyed it. The characters were nice, but I don’t think the story was as fresh as other Pixar films. Pixar packed a lot of detail into each scene; I’m not going to mind watching the film over a few times to find some more details.

Today our family finished installing the new garage door opener. It now has a motion senor beam; I enjoy rolling things under the garage door to make it automatically retract. Great entertainment value for me. (Don’t try this at home.)

We also started cleaning and rearranging the garage today. Not so much great entertainment value there.

I wanted to write a big, polished review of Cars. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars and go through my critique of the plot, characters, and the popcorn I ate. But that’s hard. I usually get too caught up in trying to make my post professional and then never posting it.
So, I’ll probably be writing more “today I had cereal for breakfast” posts than “society presents a dramatic challenge in breakfast product consumption” posts. But I’m not convinced that’s a bad thing.