I watched the first half of Troy last night. On the theory that if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all: Sean Bean was pretty good, and looked great (if skinny).

Sean Bean was pretty good, and looked great (if skinny).

His lean physique is exactly why I thought he was all wrong for Boromir when I first heard he had been cast. Of course, my mental image of Boromir had been damaged by the animated LotR, which had Boromir as a Viking Warrior type, so I always pictured him as both taller and broader than Bean. His clothes helped to disguise the skinniness in FotR, but that Grecian tunic couldn't hide anything.

Troy was pretty. And had an excellent script.

The movie was disappointing, but okay. Not particularly impressive, but there were certainly parts I enjoyed. I don't have any particular hate for it.

The Aviator was interesting. I don't think I saw any other big nominees. (Oh yeah, I saw Hotel Rwanda.) I don't know. The thing about this year's Oscars is just that none of these movies, while all great examples of craftsmanship, I'm sure, have really snagged my interest at all. Watching them feels like homework. They are spinach movies.

Watching them feels like homework. They are spinach movies.

Like or dislike Finding Neverland, I don't think it's fair to characterise it as spinach. Its failing is likely to be that it doesn't have enough nutrients, rather than having too many, and not pleasing to the palate.

Although I didn't much like Aviator, it was that I was disappointed in it. Sideways was the only best picture nominee I didn't really want to see. And still haven't, so there you go. I was actually surprised and pleased to see that I was that interested in that many of the movies under discussion. Last year, I picked lazily yet wisely (ha!) and only saw RotK.

Okay, then I'll rephrase that they feel like spinach movies to me, since I have no interest in seeing them, but they are nominated for Oscars, so I feel like I should. And yet, I won't. Since I won't be graded. And with that said, I don't know if they are actually spinach movies, since I haven't seen them. So it's just my impression.

Hotel Rwanda, for what it's worth, actually was homework for me. And I thought it was very good, but that doesn't mean that I ever would have chosen to see it on my own.

Has anyone seen a 2004 production called The Reckoning with Paul Bettany and Willem Dafoe? I saw it this afternoon and kinda liked it, even with the usual historical errors.

I enjoyed The Reckoning, less for the history and more for the actors. It felt authentic enough, if you kept your head down. And no one was miscast, which helped.

I'm in an intesting place tonight as far as the Oscars go- since I've seen virtually none of the movies involved, I'm rooting for whomever I just plain like best. I really want to see Finding Neverland, and I would like to see The Aviator, but didn't get to see a damn thing. (Except Eternal Sunshine- rock on Kate Winslet.)

But yay, Chris Rock!

Do you think Jamie Foxx's grandmother will whup him in his dreams tonight, as punishment for telling the whole entire world that she used to beat him?

as punishment for telling the whole entire world that she used to beat him?

Any black woman her age is expected to have whupped any kid in arm's reach.