Calling the races: Supporting actor/actress

So we finally made it to Dreamgirls last night (albeit a 9:30 p.m. showing out in Apple Valley). I wasn't sure about all the Jennifer Hudson hype going in, but there's no question about it: She owns this movie. When she leaves the screen, you feel like you're just biding your time until she returns. Her powerful performance as the headstrong Effie White gives the film much of its energy.

The movie has its flaws -- the stitching between the musical numbers doesn't always hold up as well as it should, and as for the songs themselves, I'm no expert but my wife noted that "the lyrics were wretched" -- but it's worth it just to see Hudson's performance. And it's not just the singing; her acting is impressive, too.

Best supporting actor is a little tougher to call. Eddie Murphy hits the right notes as James "Thunder" Early -- both in acting and in singing. (And forget "Party All the Time"; the man can sing.) But only in one or two scenes do you get to see behind Early's bluster. No knock against Murphy, but it's just not a role that's cut out for an Oscar.

Murphy's main competition is Little Miss Sunshine's Alan Arkin, who was good but in a largely one-dimensional role. (He does have one great scene -- the one usually used as a TV clip -- where he tells Abigail Breslin's Olive that "You're not a loser.") And Mark Wahlberg handled The Departed's crackerjack dialogue well, but his role was small, and wasn't he better in Boogie Nights, Three Kings and even A Perfect Storm?

Murphy is the favorite here, but if there's going to be an upset on Oscar night, this will be it. I'm not sure whether that yellow VW bus will have enough momentum to get the best picture gold, but it will be enough to get Arkin an Oscar.

Best supporting actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best supporting actor: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Tomorrow: Best actor