"Phineas and Ferb" on a Non-Movie Monday

I did see a movie last week, but it was... well... a tad forgettable. (If you're looking for an indy film to check out, I might suggest skipping Extract.) Of course, since I usually write about movies on Monday, I figured I'd just watch a Netflick or two this weekend and talk about those.

But, each time I started to watch a movie, the phone would ring. It happened about 25 minutes into X-Men Origins: Wolverine on Saturday, and then it happened again just about 5 minutes in to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans on Sunday afternoon. Which meant that, as of yesterday afternoon, I was still without a movie to write about.

And then I was changing channels this evening and stumbled across a new episode of Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel.

(from left: Perry, Phineas, Ferb, Candace)

Okay. I know it's not a movie. But it's probably one of the best half-hours you'll find on TV these days. And I have to thank my 5-year-old nephew and 3-year-old niece for introducing me to it.

In the show, Phineas and Ferb are stepbrothers with a sister named Candace and a pet Platypus named Perry. Pretty much every episode starts with the two of them deciding what they're going to do/build today.

Just as they get busy, Perry -- remember, he's a Platypus -- disappears (leading to the ever-popular catchprase "Hey, where's Perry?"), launching a secondary plotline involving Perry leading a secret life as a secret agent who battles the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. (Dr. Doofenshmirtz even has his own themesong, which you can hear here -- it goes fast, though, so listen quickly.)

It's kind of an amazing show. It's smart and funny and witty and clever. Plenty of fun for kids, as well as kind of hilarious for adults. (Well... at least for some of us. I know a few people who think it might be a little too juvenile. But they will remain nameless...)

And... well... the show's getting pretty good. I'm gonna go see how they'll get out of this mess.

If you want a little taste of them, they have a whole website, but I'd strongly suggest checking out their show, instead.