Flipping channels this weekend, I came across a movie on A&E called Flight 93, about the plane that crashed in Shanksville, PA on Sept. 11, 2001. At first, I thought maybe the producers of United 93 had decided to air the movie on television as well as in the theaters, but that sounded economically and logistically impossible, even for a film on this topic.

As it turns out, they really are two different films, made within a few months of each other. What's amazing to me is all the ink United 93 has been getting of the "is it too soon?" variety, without a single mention of the fact that another (almost identical, it seems) movie is also coming to cable TV at the same time.

Then, there's this:

The trailer for [United 93], shot documentary-style and featuring a no-name, non-Hollywood cast, was pulled by one theater in New York after 9-11-sensitive audiences complained--and, per one report, cried.

RV, the family-friendly road-trip comedy starring Robin Williams, did not appear to tap such emotions. It did, however, tap wallets. Its $16.4 million take was the best of the weekend, answering the question as to whether it was too soon for audiences to laugh at a movie that seemingly ignored sky-high gas prices.

It's good to see that the movie critics can maintain a sense of humor (at least, I hope they were kidding...)