In a nutshell...

Yes, there were films that were vastly underappreciated - as the Cinemarati folks feel about Children of Men. And yes, the thing was too long. But even though my predictions tanked I'm genuinely happy to see Scorsese & The Departed win and to see Dreamgirls underperform. We're into a new year of films, so here's one more look at my favorite actress of '06, and then I'll put this year's Oscars in the books:





(photo by Reed Saxon/AP)