The Morning After the Oscars and Two New Reviews

So, I apparently didn't find the 84th Academy Awards to be nearly as tiresome as some others, who complained of how "boring" it was.

I enjoyed it. Billy Crystal may have not given his best performance as the show's host, but he was funny enough. I particularly enjoyed the segment in which he attempted to read the minds of audience members.

A few of the presenters flubbed it. I won't name names. But the show was, overall, enjoyable enough. That being said, I didn't feel particularly enthralled by the winners in any given category, although I was very glad to see "A Separation" take Best Foreign Film.

Otherwise, I'm pleased that Jean Dujardin won and I thought Meryl Streep was the best in that category (which, sadly, excluded Kirsten Dunst and Keira Knightley). Similarly, I believe Christopher Plummer was the best in his category (which excluded Albert Brooks and Brad Pitt for his extraordinary work in "The Tree of Life"). I thought Octavia Spencer gave a very good performance and her speech was moving. Personally, I'd long been gunning for Jessica Chastain to pick up an award this season - but more for "The Tree of Life" or "Take Shelter."

This week, I've got two new reviews for Patch - "Wanderlust," a minor, but often funny comedy that I mostly enjoyed, and "Gone," a forgettable teen thriller. Here are my notices.

I also snuck in two Oscar movies at the last minute - "Albert Nobbs," which featured some solid acting and was better than I'd been led to believe, and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," which was decent enough. I'd read the book and enjoyed it, but I found Oskar's character in the movie to be a little less sympathetic, especially during the numerous, frantic sequences involving his shouting. Not a bad movie, but Stephen Daldry has done better. Max von Sydow was excellent.

This coming week, I'm definitely seeing Jafar Panahi's much-talked-about "This Is Not a Film" as well as "Project X." I'd love to see "The Snowtown Murders," but am having some difficulty tracking down where the film is playing.