(Um, no, that ain't Zoë, guys.)

Seabiscuit was a movie that I skipped last summer, for reasons unknown. Maybe I thought it was a story about 'horsies'. Maybe they stopped showing it before I had time to see it. Whatever the truth, I finally watched it this evening, and I now think that it is one of the best movies of 2003; up there with Lost in Translation and The Return of the King. Gary Ross did a bang-up job writing and directing an emotional - though refreshingly unsentimental and understated - and 'inspirational' (in the truest meaning of the word) story, with an ensemble of some of the finest American actors around: Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, William H. Macy, and Tobey Maguire. This was as good an example of "show, don't tell" storytelling as I've seen in recent years, and the movie managed to avoid the tired clichés and remain surprisingly original even when you knew where it was going. It's out on DVD, and if you haven't seen it, there's absolutely no excuse.

This is really embarrassing, but the only game I've played lately (in the last, ooh, five weeks?) is Prince of Persia...and while I'm only 60% through that one, I have to admit that I'm getting a little bit bored. Not so much that I'll stop playing quite yet, but there are few surprises now, and I'm getting tired of: a) running along walls; b) scaling ladders; c) jumping to grab pillars; d) swinging on ropes; e) avoiding sharp blades; and f) battling resurrecting monsters. Yes, it's a good game. Yes, it controls wonderfully and looks stunning. But the lack of a decent storyline, the limited environment, and an overreliance on repetitive puzzles are all taking their toll, and the fun-factor is suffering. I can only play it in small doses now, and I doubt that I'll have the patience to sit through it until the end.  ¶ 22:53