--All caught up with your Oscar viewing? Impossible! One of the Best Foreign Film nominees, The Class, opens today. France's docudrama about a young teacher struggling with his high-school students isn't fancy, but incisively shows that brats aren't exclusive to the U.S.

--Like death? Go see Cherry Blossoms. This German film works for fans of Japanese performance art, also.

--At the other extreme of the high-low scale is Fanboys, a long-gestating comedy about a group of Star Wars geeks who try to break into Skywalker Ranch so their terminally ill friend can see Phantom Menace six months early -- and presumably die of disappointment instead of cancer.

--But if you really want to suffer, try Fired Up!, the horny-jocks-go-to-cheerleading-camp flick that's even less funny than its trailers make it look.

--And the sure box-office topper? Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail. If you don't know who Perry or his sassy-grandma creation is, welcome to Earth.

And the possible nominees are:

Revanche, Austria

The Necessities of Life, Canada

The Class, France

The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany

Waltz with Bashir, Israel

Departures, Japan

Tear This Heart Out, Mexico

Everlasting Moments, Sweden

3 Monkeys, Turkey

Only two of these film are currently scheduled for Washington releases, virtual shoo-in Waltz With Bashir (1/23) and The Class (1/30). Stay tuned for reviews.