If the latest Academy Awards nominations have proven anything, it's that the latest group of voters care more about the product than the proceeds. Everyone (including myself) thought that "Dreamgirls" was a lock for, at the very least, a best picture nomination. Not only did it fulfill the promise of "Chicago" (lush musicals have returned from the dead!), but it was actually really good. What everyone (including myself) forgot was which pictures had won nominations in the Best Picture category for the last two years and, especially, which films won the big prize. To refresh your memories, the winners were "Million Dollar Baby" (2005) and "Crash" (2006). Clearly the Academy was going for acting chops because, quite frankly, I found both movies a bit ho-hum (sorry). That aside, it's interesting that even the other nominees for those years were, primarily, what use to be called, art house films.

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