Monster's Ball is a good movie. I only watched it because Halle Berry was nominated for an academy award and I wanted to see her performance. She is playing against type, like Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, and I think you get nominated just because other actors voting know how hard it is to play against your type. She did a good job although I'm not quite sure this performance is Oscar worthy. Halle did a much better performance in Warren Beatty's Bulworth and she wasn't nominated in that year, so if she gets an Oscar, I think it will be because she was neglected for Bulworth.

Bulworth was such a brilliant movie. Too bad the critics ignored it, although Warry Beatty was nominaed for the screenplay.

And Mr. Billy Bob Thornton. I couldn't imagine why women like Laura Dern and Angelina Jolie were so into this guy, but this movie showed me why. God, the man is hot! He was oozing southern gentlemanly charm; that little boyishness, the manners and the cruelty just below the surface but tempered by gentleness and those manners and that cute accent. Damn, that combination of traits is attractive in a man. He's like your father, your first crush in grade school, your first boyfriend and your fantasy caveman all rolled into one. It's a powerful combination. Nice body too.

Just for fun, I read all the movie reviews just to see what the critics were saying. I'm really starting the hate Salon.com. Their review of this movie was horrid. They rant and rage for no apparent reason over really stupid details of a movie and then give you three sentences about the movie. Maybe they don't undestand movies and that's why the rant and rage for most of it and then give you a 5th grade book report. Whoever is reviewing their movies should read some Pauline Kael and Andrew Saris movie review to see the real movie critics at work. Maybe I'm too old for their reading audience, but I like movie reviews to be philosophical and written from the perspective of someone who loves movies and knows them. I don't think movie reviews written by someone who wouldn't know a great movie if it sat down next to them and slapped them upside the head.

When a company doesn't make any money, you have to wonder why. People like to make excuses about slow business periods, not enough exposure, etc. They never tell you that the company isn't making any money maybe because they have a really bad product. Well, Salon.com isn't doing well financially because they have sucky product.

But I don't know. Maybe I'm not hip enough, not GenX enough like their typical reader but I know a bad movie review when I read one.