Saw City of God today with Tomi. What a difference in the Oscar movies from last year to this. Last year — so much color and richness: Chicago, The Hours, Far From Heaven, even The Pianist had a certain warmth. This year, by contrast, the films are stark, cold. What can you expect with titles like Cold Mountain, The Cooler. Even in the violent films like City of God and 21 Grams… there’s a kind of chilling numbness that sets in. Nothing has brought tears. Maybe the difference is in me this year? How is it that one watches little 6-year olds shoot one another without being moved? The tone of these films is different somehow. More like reading the newspaper than a novel. There’s a grainy, frenetic quality that engages the intellect without reaching the heart. My heart anyway. Where did all this barbed wire come from?