Watched "Seabiscuit" last night. It was a good movie, but (it hurts to say this) I think the overemphasis on the history kept it from being a great movie. While David McCullough is an excellent narrator, his voice almost automatically puts you in documentary mode, which is not good for an emotional movie. In addition, the beginning theme of the movie--the anonymity and abandoning of nature in the industrial age--kind of disappeared and was replaced by the idea of Seabiscuit representing what the down and out of the depression could do if they got a second chance. I'm not sure why the movie had both themes (I much prefered the second), but it kind of diluted the power of either message. It probably came from the book, but I have not read it yet, so I do not know. Interestingly, in the bonus material the author of the book, Laura Hilllenbrand, says that in 1938 Seabiscuit was the most talked about figure in American newspapers, with FDR second and Hitler third. That little nugget alone is worth finding in the book to see if it is true. Anyway, I recommend seeing the movie. Not the best picture of the year--Return of the King has that locked up in my opinion--but better than most of the Hulk-esque garbage of 2003.