"dreamgirls" is the film of the year.

i'm speechless. could a film actually be this good?

oh screw it. if a theater full of white (and asian!)* people ended up cheering, hollering and clapping at the screen at various times in the film (a film that, among other things, criticizes - and often lampoons - white music consumers and a music industry that caters to said consumers), YOU KNOW IT'S A GREAT FILM.

if jennifer hudson does not win an oscar, something is terribly wrong with the world. her solo upon her departure from "the dreams" is worth the movie ticket alone. eddie murphy couldn't have been better. and if you have never seen middle aged asian men and white women stand up and yell in the middle of a film, go now. do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to "dreamgirls."

* i saw this film yesterday, which was christmas. judging by the sold out theaters in edgewater, i'm under the impression that there are perhaps three or four observant christians in bergen county, new jersey. my fiancee and i fit right in. hudson county, on the other hand, was dead - besides chinese and japanese take-out joints, which were open, fortunately. so yes, we were able to eat dinner.