"why are we here?"

Babel. First I have to say a big ol' HELL YEAH! to the plethora of very talented and now Oscar nominated Mexican directors. This movie is of one such director. My expectations were high, as I enjoyed his "Amores Perros", and I was not disappointed.

The movie tells three very different, though achingly similiar stories. They, of course, are intertwined and the moral of the story is leanred by all involved. I very much enjoyed the acting from everyone. The big names: Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were good. Cate Blanchett never disappoints, in my book. The best actors to me were those whose name I don't know. The children in the Morroco story, particularly the 'Yussef' character were superb. I also can tell why the actress who plays 'Cheiko' was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. though I could have done without the 'Basic Instinct' type of flashing she did. .

I appreciated the emphasis on communication, thus the title, and our need to keep things clear and how rarely that works. I appreciated the diverse cast and settings asthe movie took place in Morroco, Japan and Southern California/Mexico. It was a beautiful shot movie as well. I don't know about its chances in the Best Picture category but it is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. A