I've just about given up on movie theaters.

Karen and I wanted to see Fantastic Four this weekend, but apparently it's not out yet. So we saw Bewitched instead. Not only was it not as bad as the critics have made it out to be, I probably would have enjoyed it except for the other patrons.

First, of course, there were the kids. Apparently, parents around these parts don't think it important to instruct their children to be quiet during movies, or to refrain from kicking the seats in front of them. We moved to different seats before the trailers were even halfway through.

Some people came in and sat next to us. They were the fabled "Lowest Common Denominator" that Hollywood panders to; they laughed uproariously at even the lamest things in the preview. One of them had a cellphone that went off during the fake trailer that was really a "please turn off your cellphones" message. She answered it and kept right on talking. We moved to the other end of the row.

And people kept talking all the way through the movie. They answered cellphones. ("Yeah, I got three days off this weekend!") They explained plot points to each other. They even advised the on-screen characters about what course to follow.

Forget chivalry; even basic courtesy is dead.

As to the movie: cute. I loved the conceit; it was so much better than a straight remake. The casting was great (Shirley MacLaine was perfect as the actress who played Endora). I wasn't crazy about Nicole Kidman's ditzy voice (or behavior), but overall it was a fun picture.

Looks like The Daily Show actors are doing well; both Steven Colbert ("It's French, bitch!") and Steve Carell had rôles. Carell doesn't do quite as good an impersonation of Paul Linde as Seth MacFarlane, but he wasn't bad. (Arrgh — as if we don't have enough remakes, Carell will be playing the titular character for the remake of Get Smart. Okay, so chivalry, courtesy and originality are all dead.

Which reminds me, I'll lay down a bet George Romero's next film is going to be about zombie landscapers. I'm sure you can figure out the pun yourself.