2007's Oscar-nominated Films, Volume II: Notes on a Scandal

I love movies, always have and probably always will. As a budding actress, it behooves me to study, if you will, those films the acting community deems worthy of accolades and praise as some of the best pictures of the year. Taking it upon myself to see as many of the Oscar-nominated films as I could muster, take the following first installment with a grain of salt and, perhaps, view this year's Oscar Broadcast a little more educated and in the know...

NOTES ON A SCANDAL: directed by Richard Eyre, Starring Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett

Told through the written notes of the main character, Barbara (played by Judi Dench), this haunting and mildly disturbing film tells of a scandal that rocks a small school in England. When Sheba Hart, played by Cate Blanchett, moves to a new school to teach art, she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Married, with 2 children of her own, Sheba seems antsy about something in her life. She becomes friends with Barbara, a veteran teacher at the school and feels like she can confide in her. Then, Barbara witnesses something scandalous and confronts Sheba, who admits to having an affair with one of her fifteen year-old students. And that's just the beginning.

This film twists and turns and showcases amazing performances by Dench and Blanchett. Dench makes you believe she is a lonely old lesbian looking for a new lover. Blanchett's tired housewife turned teacher becomes so vulnerable and, despite the affair, you ALMOST feel sorry for her. Having seen Blanchett give yet another strong performance, it's clear the woman really can run the gamut with her acting abilities and gives her all to her characters. It was also nice to see Dame Dench playing something meatier than the typical Shakespearian Queen roles in which she tends to be typecast.

Given these two performances, it is no surprise both of these women are nominated for Oscars this year, Dench for Lead and Blanchett for Supporting Actress. Both face stiff competition and, though performances are strong, probably won't walk away with the statue. Blanchett, up against favorite Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls" and surprise underdog Abigail Breslin as "Little Miss Sunshine" herself, faces competition with which she probably can't compete. Then there's the Lead Actress race, almost guaranteed to be a shoe-in for the Other Dame, Helen Mirren, actually becoming the "Queen". For Dench to walk away with the statue, well, even Barbara couldn't manipulate this one.