"My mother told me to be wary of Fauns."

This week I have watched a few movies that I did not have a chance to see last year, and since they were all up for Oscars, I wanted to see them all (sort of).

The first one I watched was Dreamgirls. I never really wanted to see this in the theater, as you might remember when I was making Oscar predictions, etc. But since it is now on DVD, I felt a little bit obligated to see it. I mean, it did have the most nominations. So I obviously went into it with low expectations, butI actually liked it more than I thought I would. It is certainly no Moulin Rouge or Chicago, but it was enjoyable. I am glad Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar because she was very good. And I am glad Alan Arkin won the Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine because while Eddie Murphy was good, it was not an Oscar-worthy performance, in my opinion.

Next, I saw Volver, the Spanish movie directed by Pedro Almodóvar. This film is beautifully made and wonderfully acted. The story is charming and quirky. I have never really thought Penelope Cruz was a superb actress, but when she acts in Spanish, she is excellent. She deserved the Oscar nomination, and this movie would have made my end-of-the-year list.


Finally, I just finished watching Pan's Labyrinth, which I inexplicably missed while it was in the theater. This one definitely would have been high on my 2006 list. What a beautiful, haunting, and wonderful movie. I see now why it won the Oscars it won, and I am just sad that it took me so long to see it.