I agree that the woman having the affair with both guys was a bit contrived.

Notes on a Scandal is a wicked treat. Dame Judi Dench as a lonely, bitter and deluded older lesbian in pursuit of Cate Blanchett's Sheba, who foolishly throws around her affections, reminded me a bit of Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling.

And I wonder, are those people who felt uncomfortable about the older male teacher groping his 17 and 18 year old students in The History Boys also uncomfortable with Cate Blanchett's teacher character having sex with a 15 year old boy? Personally, neither bothered me (not sure what that says, or if two movies about inappropriate teacher-student relations is a coincidence or a trend). Nor the ending of Notes, which some reviewers think is a bit much. To me, in true horror fashion, it hints at a sequel.

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) named its five nominees today for Best Picture. This is considered one of the leading indicators for Oscar picks.

The nominees are:

- Babel
- The Departed
- Dreamgirls
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominees were announced this morning. Remember, this is where Crash first made its mark last year and gave the only indication it could possibly beat Brokeback Mountain. The SAG's Best Picture award is called Best Ensemble.... and the nominees are:

- Babel
- Bobby
- The Departed
- Dreamgirls
- Little Miss Sunshine

Bobby did it again. I said earlier that it was the most underrated film of the year, and it's now received top nods from both SAG and the Golden Globes even though it was rushed thru the theatres and largely overlooked in the odd release time of early November. It is a great film and seemed like no one gave it a chance, but the last 30 minutes of it were riveting and incredibly moving.

Dreamgirls (Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy both received nominations), Babel and Little Miss Sunshine received the most overall nominations.

My Mom and I watched A Prairie Home Companion during Christmas. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. The way everyone talks in the movie talks like my family & the story is just brilliant.

The individual acting nods from the Screen Actors Guild:

Film, Lead Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)

Film, Lead Actress
Penélope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), Kate Winslet (Little Children)

Film, Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)

Film, Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza (Babel), Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)



I am mystified by the Bobby nomination for ensemble acting. I know OtherFSU loved it, but every review I read juts panned it. In a compilation of numerous critics reviews from around the country, it was one of the worst reviewed films of the year. The acting was perhaps the only redeeming component, IMO. But to call it one of the 5 best ensembles of the year is a bit of a stretch.

Anyway, the SAG nominations for the individual acotrs generally go hand in hand with the Oscar nominations so it's good news for thoe folks who scored SAG noms.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle, one of the nation's most respected film critics, called it one of the best movies of the year. Here's the review. In it he says, "Movies with this kind of structure tend to be called "Altman-esque," and Estevez owes a debt to the late filmmaker who proved that such a movie could be done. But, to be frank, "Bobby" has more heart than any Altman film I've ever seen."

There was an Owen Glieberman ("Entertainment Weekly") podcast recently where he said he saw the film again after it received the Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture. In his initial review, he said it was only so-so and he wondered if he missed something. When he went back, he said he thought it was outstanding and that it was one of only two films he's ever felt he misjudged at first. Part of the reason he gave for people not really "understanding" the film is that we as a society love to see our movies with one or two lead actors and that it's hard to get people to follow a film that has a bunch of really good actors in good but smallish roles in one film. He even equated it to Crash, which was largely panned by a lot of people before gaining steam right around January and early February when the voting was going on. I think we could be seeing the same with Bobby even though I don't see it beating Dreamgirls. Obviously it's gotten two major nominations... and when the SAG (your fellow peers) loves it, you know you've done something right.

I saw "Bobby" and while I appreciated the film it is not really award-calibre. I was surprised at the Globes nomination. I am not surprised, however, at the SAG nomination. Much like "Crash" last year, the movie is the type that gets solid support from the acting contingent. There was a large cast, it was a very ensemble oriented story, and the cast was full of recognizable faces. Unlike "Crash", I don't think "Bobby" will pick up any Oscar steam off this. After all, there is no gay movie this year to vote against.

I put more stock in the DGA and PGA nominations, although the acting guild is the largest block of votes. This is often what is cited in BBM's loss last year is the uneven voting numbers across the guilds. The SAG awards really focus on performances and not the overall quality of the movie itself. The Directors and Producers focus much more on the overall quality of the movie.

I am a little surprised that "Babel" is doing so well in the awards nominations. I need to see it, but it was out of theatres before all of the noise started. I guess I will have to wait for the dvd. It is definitely a surprise to most experts and seems to have some momentum building.

What is interesting is that "Dreamgirls" does not seem to have a lot of momentum. I have not seen it yet, but have read some very uneven reviews and opinions from people who have seen it. The other interestng thing is how there really is no front-runner this awards season. I have not heard about any sure things this year. There certainly is no movie in the category of Brokeback which is going to sweep all of the major awards and be the overwhelming favorite at all the big awards programs.

BTW -- I just had a chance to watch "Summer Storm" out on dvd. What a sweet, charming movie. It was really a nice gay coming-of-age movie and was a well told story. If anyone has missed it, please check it out. The movie is worth the effort of the sub-titles.

I'd give it to Ryan Gosling or Forrest Whitaker in the Lead Actor category. Gosling is brilliant in Half Nelson, a film that I'm sure many in the educational professions might not be too happy about, and Whitaker is terrifying in his role as Idi Amin.

For Lead Actress, maybe Cruz or Mirren, though Dench is very good, as always. But then Mirren is basically doing an impersonation--a superb one--so Cruz should get it.

For Supporting Actor, I say either Hounsou, because he's so delicious, or Murphy. I didn't see "Little Children" so maybe Haley was great in it. His look creeps me out. Arkin was funny in "LMS." But Murphy was one of the best things about "Dreamgirls."

For Supporting Actress, unless they're giving it for singing as opposed to acting, Hudson shouldn't win. Maybe Blanchett. Weren't there any other actresses this year who could have been included?

Hahahaha. That's funny. Those hundreds of damn critics around the country who said she's the breakout star of the year! Who do they think they are? I wish some day they'd all learn that it's a lot tougher to just act than to act and sing! Sheesh. And don't even get me started about the Screen Actors Guild made up of actors. What do they know about acting to nominate her? How dare they.

National Society of Film Critics name Pan's Labyrinth as Best Picture. Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) were named Best Actress/Actor. Paul Greengrass (United 93) Best Director. Marky Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) and Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada/A Prairie Home Companion) won Best Supporting Actor/Actress (who'd a thunk those two would be mentioned in the same sentance? ). Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth was named Best Nonfiction Film.

Wahlberg steals all his scenes in "The Departed". He should have been playing Leos role- actually if he had played the lead in "Gangs of New YorK" that would have been better.

Don't take my comment so personally, please. I saw the movie, and even if all these people think she's wonderful as an actress, I found her acting left something to be desired. When she's declaiming during her singing of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," or showing her anger at being cut loose by Curtis, or climbing the stairs and tells her daughter she's moving slowly because she's "old," I didn't believe for a minute that this was a character; it was Jennifer Hudson, an amazing young singer, playing a role. But if the vast majority of people who hand out these awards want to honor her, fine. That's their prerogative. I thought "Brokeback Mountain" was the best film up for an Oscar, and that "Crash" was a ridiculous, implausible joke, and look which film won. I'm not afraid to admit to being wrong or having been wrong, but I don't think Jennifer Hudson's acting in this film was *that* great. Her singing definitely. The acting was okay. So be it.

The way I see it is that the Oscars (and other prizes) are awarding the performance, not just the acting. Jennifer Hudson gives an amazing "performance" and does everything that that particular role requires and more.

For the role to work and to serve the movie, Effie, among other things, must have a booming, powerful voice that moves the audience when she sings. Jennifer Hudson provides exactly that. Why should Effie's part be treated differently than a role that demands a particular accent or a particular way of walking or some other specific trait?

Great points Chrissie! It's all about the performance and what that performance does to the film to enhance it and make it great. Jennifer Hudson as Effie White hits a grand slam with her 'performance'.

On another note....
I saw Pan's Labyrinth over the weekend and can see why this is landing on MANY top 10 lists. What an amazing film. Superbly acted and directed, a very bewitching tale that will stay with you for a long time after you leave. NOT for the squeemish as there are some horrific scenes.

All this Jennifer Hudson talk is appropriate... because she accepted her Best Supporting Actress award from the New York Film Critics Circle last night. Among other winners: United 93 (Picture), Helen Mirren (Actress), Forest Whitaker (Actor), Jackie Earle Haley (Supporting Actor), Martin Scorcese (Director).

Hudson might not be great actress but she steals "Dreamgirls".

Saw Volver and was disappointed. I dunno, it was just so...average. The story wasn't compelling, and I didn't care about the characters, specifically those with [spoiler!] a rather blase attitude about murder and its subsequent crimes. And their habit of triple kissing each other on the cheek over and over again annoyed me. Not nearly as good as Talk to Her (Pedro's greatest, imo).



But that's why I've cooled on the movie. I've heard her on the soundtrack and I don't at all hear or feel these power lungs. Her singing sounds, well, not thin but not as robust as the role demands.

So, is this talk of Eddie Murphy for Best Supporting for real? Not that I think he's not capable (I still think his stellar performance(s) in Bowfinger was unjustly neglected). Does he do his own singing? (Does his girl like to party all the time?)

Probably the single biggest barometer for predicting Oscar winners is the Director's Guild of America. The DGA has come out with its 5 nominees... and they are the directors of:

- Babel
- The Departed
- Dreamgirls
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen

They are the exact same films as the Producer's Guild of America chose so it's a good bet that those are the 5 Oscar nominees for Best Picture.

I saw "Children of Men" today -- excellent. Highly recommended.

Eddie Murphy deserves a best supporting actor nomination.

I'm kinda shocked that Clint was looked over, when Sands of Iwo Jima was number one on so many critics' lists. Perhaps his votes were split between his 2 films this year.

Littel Miss Sunshine was a good film, not great. If it gets an Oscar nomination over Letters From Iwo Jima it will be ridiculous.

I'm going about seeing all of the Oscar contenders before the nominations come out, and I've only got a couple left. I'll have my top 10 list when I'm done seeing them all. But, at first blush, a couple thoughts:

I was really disappionted with LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. I had seen FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS and liked it very much, but LETTERS fell flat for me. A lot of the surprise, intrigue and heart of FLAGS just wasn't there. George, I'd love to hear more about why it's your number one movie (or point me to the post where you explain it, if you did).

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was probably my biggest disappointment of the year. But, with both of these movies, they were hyped up so much before I saw them, my expectations may have just been too high.

I'm afraid that none of my top five movies will get nominated by the Academy; But, I've come to expect that from them.

I was planning on seeing Letters From Iwo Jima this weekend but now Cyd is the second person in two days who's said it was a disappointment. Hmm... My friend who loves Clint Eastwood and loved Flags of our Fathers told me last night that he thought Iwo Jima was by far the least interesting of the two films, and that I should see Flags if I was only going to choose one. Now I'm torn.

I saw the trailer for Letters From Iwo Jima today and for what it's worth, just based on the trailers, I'd go see it before Flags Of Our Fathers.

Notes From A Scandal is excellent. Judi Dench was fabulous. Her character is seriously twisted -- not unlike the title character in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Clint was not nominated by the Directors Guild. " Flags" bombed at the box office and " Letters" sounds more like an art house flick. I agree that " Little Miss Sunshine" is highly over rated and not really Oscar worthy- but bet you that Proust speech will get it a best original screenplay award.

Box office doesn't really mean much as far as Oscar nominations go. Eastwood has won Best Picture and Best Director twice (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) and neither were huge box office successes at least before their Oscar wins. That said, all these snubs from the Directors Guild and Producers Guild don't bode well for Clint's chances this year with either film.

I think the fact that Clint has two movies out, neither with good box office, hurts his chances. I do think the Oscar Nom's for best pic are now clear with both the DGA and Producers Guild having hit the same five.

I saw Pan's Labyrinth today and am still wowed! It's totally original but reminds me of another movie that I can't quite remember. It's amazing to watch, and it was a joyous moviegoing experience to be part of a very captived, attentive audience. On a cold wintery SF afternoon in early January, it was the perfect movie.

I think we'll see The Departed soar as the awards get closer. There's really no front runner and it will be time to give Scorsese his due. It was a very good movie, with some excellent ensemble work. It's not a "happy" movie or great escapist fare but none of the other top five are quite great enough.

I just watched Tallegha Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby. It's not a bad movie, just not very funny. It has some funny lines, but it's like a Saturday Night Live skit that goes on for and hour or so too long. Plus, having Gary Cole look the same age as Will Farrell but play his father was really distracting. I must give the movie credit though for having a gay character, but not making fun of him because he's gay or having the movie go for cheap homophobic jokes. That was a surprise, especially given the audience a movie like this is aimed for.

Anthony

I heart, heart, heart, heart, heart times 1 trillion billion million Rudy Youngblood since seeing Mel Gibson's Apocalypto last night. I have developed such a school girl crush on him.

Historical (in)accuracies (and Mel Gibson) aside, why isn't he (or any other of his fellow cast members) getting a nod from the Guild? I thought the acting was fantastic.

Judi Dench in Notes from a Scandal! Wow, now that is an incredible performance. Cate Blanchett was pretty amazing as well.

I agree they were both pretty great. But the Phillip Glass score was one of the most annoyingly distracting scores ever ina movie! Ugh! Does the man know the meaning of the word subtle?

No, both he and John Williams skipped class that day.

Just got back from Dreamgirls. I don't want to rag, but...

First of all, I don't get all the Jennifer Hudson hype. Her way of belting out every song full tilt wore me down. How about some nuance, subtlety or introspection to break up the monotony? And she's got a pretty face but not a particularly expressive one. I kept looking into her eyes searching for a glimpse of her inner being, but came up empty.

And that's most everyone else's problem too. I didn't feel anything while watching this movie. Not anything to think about at least. Everybody was "on" all the time, making me aware that I was watching a spectacle while hearing some screechy, grating "hit" music. A lot of the lyrics are so dumb, the girls' stage performances are so boring, the singing is so overwrought, I had to laugh.

The first half of the movie feels rushed, and so the girls' rise to success didn't seem all that difficult.

And another thing. Maybe it's just me but it's jarring the way the musical numbers are presented here. Sometimes they're performing on stage, sometimes they're singing to each other. Either/or, but not both, or at least set them both up right away. The first few numbers are stage performances, then all of a sudden they're singing offstage in the middle of a dialogue scene. Hard to explain. And even the stage bits aren't consistent; sometimes they're singing into mics, sometimes not and it sounds the same.

And the editing, omg the editing. For once I'd like to see a dance sequence that's not cut together by someone with A.D.D. Can we hold a shot for ten seconds so we can see some dancing front and center, not hiding behind quick cuts and multiple angles? I want to see a precise choreography I can get a good look at. If you want to bring the razzle-dazzle, move the camera around. Stop with all the cutting. Damn you, MTV aesthetic!

But Eddie Murphy was good and I liked the costumes.

Dreamgirls will probably win the Golden Globe, which will give me more reason to mock the awards show (the only acting award Madonna deserves is a Razzie).

You're insane! Madonna was pretty good in Truth or Dare.

This morning at 10:30 I was at the theater (morning showings at this multiplex are just five bucks) and ended up seeing Pan's Labyrinth. It's brilliant but I didn't find it quite as joyous as Bryan did. Actually, it's sort of depressing. Quite violent as well. Of course, if it came from a Hollywood studio and a typical Hollywood director there would've been some focus group-ified happy ending, which would have made it a much worse film.

Last night we were there at 8:15 for the 8:50 show of Pan's Labyrinth but it was already sold out so went somewhere else to see Dreamgirls. We're gonna try again on a weeknight.

We were bummed that we couldn't get in (we didn't want to wait for the 10:15), but how often nowadays are movies sold out? It was kinda cool in a retro way and it made us want to see the movie more.

[So JiP, have you seen Rocky Balboa yet? Interested at all? My bf won't be dragged there, so if you want to go with someone, let me know. I loathe the Riverview, so how 'bout the Roxy sometime?]

I tried watching "Snakes on a Plane " on DVD- its a very lame B-movie- " Ariport 2007 + Snakes" . Too bad they couldn't get Karen Black to do a cameo or something.

I did see it, but I actually wouldn't mind seeing it again. Send me a PM or e-mail and we can set the date/time.

Need to update my Best and Worst lists. Add to my Honorable Mention Best List Idiocracy, a movie by Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge that was only released for a brief run in 5 cities in 2006. It came out on DVD this week. It's a subversively hilarious look and America 500 years in the future.

Add to my Worst List Running With Scissors. I, thankfully, forgot all about it. Ugh! What a mess. It's suposed to be a memoir but there isn't a single moment in the movie that rings true.

Pan's Labyrinth is the best movie I've seen in the last year, but it's not a glorious film, it's an incredibly tragic and brutal one, so definitely go see it, but be forewarned that you might have to turn away several times if you're not a fan of violence or gore.

Another great movie I recently saw was Quinceañera, which is well written and acted, though it doesn't present a positive portrait of the two wealthy white gay men who get involved with the young Latino character. But it's really an interesting film about a side of Los Angeles you don't see too often. The main actor Jesse Garcia is gorgeous.

I spent much of the last four weeks seeing most of the award-caliber movies released in 2006, in anticipation of the Oscar nominations coming on Tuesday.

All-told, I saw 30 movies this year. And I have to say, it wasn't a total loss of a year for films. I think this will be remembered as the year movies broke out of the cookie-cutter, with some fine films that were incredibly inventive: IWO JIMA, LITTLE CHILDREN, BABEL, PAN'S LABYRINTH and THE QUEEN.

My top two films - UNITED 93 and APOCALYPTO - were both incredible stories well-told that also both broke convention in their own ways.

I've ranked the 30 movies I saw this year below. Babel was by far the toughest to rank because it had three distinct forces pulling it different ways: 1) It is emotionally engaging; 2) With all the handheld shots, it made me seasick; 3) It was the most anti-American movie I saw this year.

Discuss

MY BEST PICTURE NOMINEES:
1) United 93
2) Apocalypto
3) The Devil Wears Prada
4) The Children of Men
5) The Queen

RUNNERS-UP:

6) Flags of our Fathers
7) Notes on a Scandal
8) Pan's Labyrinth
9) Bobby
10) Dreamgirls

WORTH SEEING:

11) The Departed
12) Thank You For Smoking
13) Babel
14) Letters from Iwo Jima
15) Little Children
16) The DaVinci Code
17) Inside Man
18) Glory Road
19) The Prestige
20) An Inconvenient Truth

ONLY IF YOU'VE GOT TWO HOURS YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT:

21) Casino Royale
22) Pirates: Dead Man's Chest
23) Akeelah and the Bee
24) The Descent

NOT EVEN WORTH MY TWO HOURS:

25) Little Miss Sunshine
26) X-Men: The Last Stand
27) World Trade Center
28) Borat
29) Superman Returns
30) Charlotte's Web

Discuss I will, Cyd.

Aw c'mon, The Descent was thrilling. This type of visceral horror doesn't come around too often (nothing like it since Blair Witch). What's your benchmark for a good horror movie?

And what is the BFD with Prada? Maybe I'm not gay enough to appreciate its charms. And The Queen was solid, but not very cinematic (but that didn't stop Shakespeare in Love from conquering, I guess).

It's weird, Cyd. United 93 is stellar filmmaking, yes, but then you dismiss Little Miss Sunshine and Borat, the best comedies of the year. Hm, devil or sunshine? I'll take the latter.

Forced to disagree with you there with World Trade Center. Sure it's square, but I like Nic Cage and his partner was the cute papi from that crash movie. And it's New York! Excuse my being shallow here.

While I'm shallowing out, I'm dying to see Thank You For Smoking. Aaron Eckhart is quite the hottie. And I smoke, so I'm curious.

Nothing could make me see Da Vinci Code. My Tom Hanks time started with Bachelor Party, went through Big, and ended at Bonfire of the Vanities. Plus the whole pseudo-religious thing, Ron Howard directing, and the insane amount of press attached to it, I can't get near it. It's like an allergen.

Not gonna comment on every movie you list (though I totally could). That's enough.

Did you catch The Fountain? It's a (cult) classic in the making.


Edited for misspelling

Well there's no real accounting for Cyd's taste...his favorite movie is Titanic.

Anti-American. Really? Given that the film featured diverse characters in three different continents speaking (and signing) myriad languages... the film seemed to me to be about human communication, or lack thereof, or miscommunication, or the inability (or difficulty) of people to understand others. I didn't see it as having anything to do with specific countries or nationalities; the film didn't say anything specifically about Americans or Americanism to me. The characters could have been from any country: a Saudi couple accidentally shot in Brazil, whose nanny is Filipino, and the gun donated by a British businessman with a deaf son. SPOILER. I also found it somewhat emotionally hollow in that the charcaters were so out of sorts they didn't even know how to feel or what they should feel--like the boy who had shot the gun when his father and brother are being shot at by the police, the deaf girl at the disco, the nanny being taken into custody, Brad Pitt's character coping with his wife and childrens' predicaments. At times I felt for the characters, but at times I felt 'out of sorts,' somewhat like with Marie Antoinette.

But anyhoo... although I haven't seen all the big films of the year (I still haven't see The Departed), here is my list of top films of 2006:

The History Boys
Little Miss Sunshine
Darkbluealmostblack (Spain)
L'Homme de sa Vie (France)
Half Nelson
The Queen
Little Children

Honorable mention (in alphabetical order):
Babel
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
The Heart of the Game (documentary)
King and the Clown (South Korea)
The Last King of Scotland
Letters From Iwo Jima
Marie Antoinette
Notes on a Scandal
Pan's Labyrinth
Shortbus
United 93
Venus

I saw Babel Last night and thought it was 20-mins too long. Overall, I'd give it a a thumbs up

I finally caught up with "The Devil Wears Prada" on DVD. The movie as a whole was just OK, ("Andy," the supposed lead character, wasn't very interesting.) but Meryl Streep was terrific. Instead of playing the stereotypical Dragon Lady (a yelling, screaming tyrant), Streep never raised her voice above an almost-whisper, which made her character that much more intimidating. Proof positive that subtlety can be more powerful than full-throttle emoting.

I'm looking forward to watching "Little Miss Sunshine" tonight.

Regrettably, most of the possible Oscar candidates have not arrived in Dodge yet (and I doubt that most of them will), so I'll have to wait for the DVD releases to catch up with them.

I saw Marshall over Christmas and really wasn't that impressed

maybe it's because I know the story so well and did some grad work at Marshall

the fountain that they show in the beginning of the movie is the most god-awful ugly thing

people call it the spewing uterus

I really wanted to like it but just couldn't

I did watch Breakfast on Pluto last night-oh my lord

that has to be one of the worst movies; I didn't give a happy crap about any of the characters, especially Kitten

the story was horrible and jumped from plot point to plot point with very little connection

Interesting piece in The Guardian where screenwriter Hanif Kureshi (My Beautiful Laundrette) explains how Junichiro Tanizaki's novella Diary of a Mad Old Man (about an old man who becomes infatuated with a young woman's feet) was an inspiration in writing Venus (a film which has me anxious to see The Rokeby Venus in the National Gallery during my upcoming trip to London).

Fans of this Kureshi-Roger Michell film should also check out their previous film The Mother, about a middle aged woman who's sexuality is revitalized by her daughter's boyfriend--a pre-Bond Daniel Craig.

I went to see "Freedom Writers" this afternoon. I enjoyed it. Hillary Swank turned in a fine performance... the "students" did a great job too, I thought. And McDreamy turned in a fine yet "quiet" performance. I know some people may not like the movie because they may think it's too preachy or predictable but I am an educator and I still found myself moved.