I hadn't intended to use a Popeye quote, of all things, to start my first blog entry, but such is the capriciousness of life. I decided to start this blog to chronicle my take on Western culture; from the obscure to the popular, from the enriching to the mind-numbing. Speaking of which, we have been presented with yet another reminder that the collective taste of the American moviegoer seems to be about as sophisticated as the children's menu at Denny's. I am referring, of course, to the roughly $30 million (yes, that's US dollars) that The Dukes of Hazzard managed to swindle over the weekend. I'm still holding out hope that some absent-minded auditor accidentally shifted a comma one number to the right, but something tells me I'm in for disappointment there. (more…)