5 Oscar Movies You Might Not Have Seen (But Should)
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PEOPLE movie critic Leah Rozen has some Oscar-nominated solutions, with five worthy selections – each boasting at least one nomination.
• Notes on a Scandal, up for Best Actress, Judi Dench. Dench's scorching performance as a manipulative schoolteacher who insinuates herself into the life of fellow teacher Cate Blanchett should be an Oscar slam dunk – were it not for the Helen-Mirren-in-The Queen factor.
• Children of Men, up for Best Cinematography (right). A real mystery: Why hasn't this smart, beautifully acted drama with plenty of heart performed better at the box office – especially given Clive Owen's smoldering, sad-eyed hero, who makes being glum seem sexy?
• Pan's Labyrinth, also up for Best Foreign Language Film – and likely to win. Using as a backdrop the early days of Spain's fascist Franco regime, this fairy tale for adults is about a little girl who escapes her brutal surroundings by retreating to a dream world ruled by a malevolent mono-eyed monster. An eye-popping visual feast, this one will haunt you long after the lights come back on in the theater.
• The Lives of Others, up for Best Foreign Language Film. Set in East Germany before the fall of Communism, this seriously suspenseful thriller focuses on the political awakening of a dedicated member of the secret police. After bugging the apartment of a playwright and actress suspected of disloyalty to the ruling regime, the cop finds himself drawn into their lives.
• Venus, up for Best Actor, Peter O'Toole. In a virtuoso performance as an aging roué, O'Toole plays an actor who carries on a platonic relationship with a nubile but dyspeptic young woman – impressively played by newcomer Jodie Whittaker.
