I'll see you at the movies

For quite a few years in the '80s and '90s, I had a streak going that every year, before the Oscar nominations came out, I had seen exactly two of the movies that were nominated for Best Picture. Then, suddenly, that streak broke, and I was down to seeing only one of the movies, or even none. (I blame the fact that I didn't see many movies in theaters while I was in college. But if I could count seeing "Blade Runner" an estimated 15 dozen times in the auditorium Annie May Swift Hall...)

At any rate, I'm declaring that a new streak has started this year, thanks to my attendance at "Lost in Translation" and "Return of the King."

Of course, the hard part is going to be seeing two, and only two, of next year's nominees. Hmm, I guess I'm safe with "The Butterfly Effect."