In my defense, I was recovering from fever

Nicolas Cage was reliably insane throughout and there were bees.

Yes, it was The Wicker Man and no, it wasn't much good.

But at least there was a tip of the hat to Edward Woodward.

One of Mann's finest

Heat is, for me, the best of Michael Mann's urban thrillers (I don't think anything can topple The Last of the Mohicans from the number one position overall). I've seen it a few times, and this was the first time on Blu-ray. I don't remember what bothered me about the final encounter between Hanna and McCauley, but whatever it was, it was gone now. Very, very good stuff throughout its long running time.

Twice the iron

Iron Man 2 on Blu was an enjoyable experience. I liked it in the theater, but just might have liked it slightly more the second time around. It's a pity they had to recast Rhodey, but Don Cheadle is fine in the role, as is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Mickey Rourke as Whiplash.

I just heard Shane Black will direct the third movie. I liked what Jon Favreau did with the first two, but if someone has to replace him, I believe Black will do good.

Two Best Picture nominees in as many days

Today it was The King's Speech, which is on the surface very different from Winter's Bone. But both put good actors front and center and let them act. There's no hurried editing and hardly any action.

Playing a person with an impediment is a good bet to secure an Oscar, but this fact doesn't take anything away from Colin Firth's performance. It's great to see him sparring with Geoffrey Rush.

These two and Inception were very good, and there are still interesting Best Picture nominees I haven't seen (at least Black Swan and True Grit). 2010 seems to have been a good year.