Still catching up with the Disney classics, I finally checked out 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring James Mason, Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, and Paul Lukas. If you're like me and have never read any Jules Verne or watched anything like this: the plot is about how a professor, his assistant, and a ship hand are in a boat headed to check out the mystery of several sunken ships when their own boat is capsized. The three end up finding the cause of their catastrophe - a futuristic underwater ship belonging to Captain Nemo, a brilliant man with a few significant flaws, one being a taste for revenge.

I think I would have looooved this as a kid. I really enjoyed it a lot. The plot is out there and the ship is so surrealistic that it's absolutely captivating. There are so many adventures too, inside and outside of the ship, including a run-in with the natives and a battle with a giant squid. The movie is over 50 years old, but the special effects are still great and believable, with the exception of an explosion and an inexplicably shallow ocean.

I haven't seen a lot of Kirk Douglas movies, but he was great in this one. He sings, fights, schemes, and befriends sea animals. What could be better? That dimple in his chin is amazing, too. It's the largest dimple I've ever seen. I never would have thought Peter Lorre and he would be paired up in a movie, but then again, I never would have thought there were movies out there where Lorre wasn't a villain, or at least someone creepy.

All of the lead actors and their characters combine to make an adventurous movie a meaningful one as well. This isn't just a movie about underwater exploration and science. It ponders the responsibilities of sharing knowledge, the inhumanity of slavery, the equally inhumane practice of extreme revenge, and also touches on loyalty and friendship. I was surprised to find so much substance in such a story, but that's why it's a Disney classic, I suppose. The music, as well, adds to the overall effect, especially how Nemo broodingly plays the organ when their ship is about to attack another ship.

Awesome all around, I definitely need to make a mental note to subject my future kids to this movie.

Today on Kevin & Bean they were talking about the return of R. Kelly's wonderfully hilarious "Trapped in the Closet" saga. Right now IFC is premiering episodes 13-22. Check that out here. I can't believe people actually take this stuff seriously. I can't believe someone actually gave the dude money to do it. I especially enjoyed the latest chapter, chapter 19, about stuttering Pimp Lucius in church. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Maybe some of our R. Kelly fans will come back to comment on this. That would be pretty awesome. Also, be sure to check out Kevin and Bean's commentary here.