The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

I've spent about 40 minutes total in my life on imdb. And about 15 of those minutes looking at their Top 250 list. I have no interest in what's on that list or what silly number a film is assigned. I understand if people want to look at it to discover new films, but imo, that list means absolutely nothing. Are there classics, greats and unknown gems on the list? Of course. But there's probably also dozens I have zero interest in. And I wouldn't blind buy something just because imdb has it on their top 250 list. If I'm not interested in it, an internet list isn't gonna change it.

I hear ya but i just wanted to inform you that

[Show spoiler]FIGHT CLUB

is on the list

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Babel

i thought looking up what the word "Babel" meant might help me understand the story and its meanings a little bit better. to be honest it did. it kind of confused me more. so i'm gonna go ahead and state that the title really has no deep meaning to the film. maybe i'm wrong, but i didn't find any

the bible does reference the tower of Babel --

[Show spoiler]basically (i'm just going from memory so i may be off a bit) at one point all mankind spoke one language, and communicated perfectly. but the bible declares that God cast down different languages/tongues among the people from the tower of Babel, to confuse their speech

. kinda cool huh? and you were right on, my friend in your analysis, as confirmed by the bible

i actually found a lot of similarities between Babel and Walkabout. agree. great analogy. Babel on a smaller scale.i don't know exactly what the message of the film was, but for awhile i kind of felt that it was

[Show spoiler]how simple mis-communications can make you suddenly feel very alone and very distant from everything. again, well put: see BIble story above The only other theme (which I personally love) is how all 4 stories, while seemingly undergoing tragedy, actually are better off because of it. Pitt and Blanchett were at each other's throats -- now because she got shot? they're back in love. Japanese chick? Depressed and lonely. LIkely blaming herself for her mom's suicide (or feeling blame from her dad). Her self-worth is in the toilet. Blame's her dad for her mom's suicide also. Through repeated rejections and a horrid naked humiliation? she overcomes this slump and is reunited with her Dad in love. Mexican nanny? Undergoes horrific desertion of kids and deportation, yet is reunited with her son and family in Mexico. Moroccan kid? This one is hard to explain, yet the younger brother, having lost his older brother, has learned lessons of personal responsibility that may have otherwise taken him 10 or 15 years to learn.
and the similarities between three of the 4 stories made sense.

- Richard and Susan Jones being stuck in Morocco after she's been shot. they can't communicate much with the townspeople and they seem very distant from each other.perfectly stated! but notice how close they become BECAUSE of the tragedy! When Susan asks Richard for the bucket to pee in, they both break down, both apologize for their sons loss, and both say they love the other. This theme (tragedy transforming into a blessing) is best illustrated with the bible quote "blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" or the fact that the chinese symbol for tragedy and opportunity are the same symbol!!! the same symbol!!!

- this connects with Chieko, who is deaf. even though she is in her own country and with friends and knows the culture, because she is deaf she feels like an outsider and cannot communicate as simply as the others. much like Richard and Susan feel like outsiders where they are.great insight here! I hadn't even put this together!! even in our OWN Country, we can be speaking (effectively) another language with others. we need not go to morocco to feel alone and isolated. she is emotionally bankrupt. she, her dad, or both are to blame for her mom's suicide. bottom line: she is so emotionally bankrupt that she will do ANYTHING for the smallest emotional validation -- the japense cop at the end is my favorite character -- he didn't say "WTF are u doing!?!", he put his arms around her. he hugged her. he got it = she's not horny. she's just down. what an effin badass. my take on him.

- and then there are the Jones' kids who go to a wedding in Mexico. they don't know the culture and experiences that Mexican kids have, and this is clearly evident when the man kills the kitchen: the American kids are frightened (as was i) and the Mexican children cheer joyfully because they're used to it.great here too!! and notice also, that while the kids are 180 opposites on the chicken killing, they're still in perfect agreement on other things == chicken chasing = fun!! that's the other thing about this film: yes, different cultures/languages divide us, yet at the same time there are innate human traits that unite us. Pitt relied on these when he was trying to get help in Morocco, despite the language barrier. without that "instinctive" level of communication from one human to anohter, he'd be really f&*ked. he got some help!

- i'm not sure if the other set of kids with the rifle have this same connection or not... maybe it just wasn't as obvious?

see bolded comments in spoiler

there were some very hard scenes for me to watch in Babel, which would make this a hard film to watch again. so i am glad i rented and didn't buy it because it would definitely sit on my shelf for months at a time before viewing again (if ever).

curious which ones?

[Show spoiler]desert abandonment? naked japanese chick? morocan kid watching sister?

for whatever reason, i didn't find the scenes particularly bad, but then again, we're all different with different perspectives

does that mean it's a bad film? of course not. it's a great film! the directing is top notch, the performances are some of the best i've seen yet, and the story is powerful... although i admit, i don't know if i got the full / main message behind the film . i'd greatly appreciate it that if i was wrong with what i thought it was, if someone could clue me in

Glad you liked it and I forgive you for not loving it J/k. No seriously dude when I make a recommendation, feel free to speak your mind (which you've done). Personally, the direction, acting is all great, but the SCORE is what turned me to mush. This track is one of the best I've ever heard in a film...Fountain-good (BTW, buy The Fountain soundtrack! I've had it in my car for months and haven't turned on the radio once! ). here is that track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHZ4SAZ9D8w
(at the 0:16 mark on is where I turn to MUSH! ) could seriously listen to this track forever

i could go on and on with the little details of the film that i loved and how i was floored when i figured out that the stories kind of overlapped, and

[Show spoiler]Chieko's story was "last" i believe right? because when she goes home first we see the news report that shows the little boys face as the shooter. but didn't they say the female American died? but Susan lived? unless i heard wrong

, and while it was structured in a tricky manner, and i thought they gave some details away at the wrong time, i was really invested in the film.

Your comment here is perfect! You, right here, are living proof of the theme!

[Show spoiler]
You heard "american died", yet you see Susan lived. You sense a miscommunication going on! I can't recall 100% what they said, but if they said "american died", then the media also join the group of those who have engaged in miscommunication! The media are another group who have been confused by teh tower of Babel's confusion of tongue among people with different languages!

the two remaining things i felt about the film were: 1) i thought the film was too long and ended long after i thought it was going to. once all 4 stories

[Show spoiler]were really at their max for tension and suspense, i assumed the end was soon, but it continued on for a good 45 minutes.

and 2) what was the meaning behind

[Show spoiler]Chieko's mother's death? did she kill her? she lies to the cop about how she died and when she's talking to her friend she says something cryptic about how the police "are still bothering us" and "thinking it's her dad".

i didn't really see how that tied in with the rest of the story, but i didn't really feel it needed to.

Good point but if I recall, the end was

[Show spoiler]just showing overviews of each of the 3 people/groups and where they are/were (love that shot of the moroccon kids standing on the mountain with wind blowing in their face!! one of my favorite shots all time!). for this type of film, IMO its appropriate, even though they may have reached their "arc", so to speak. i think the director/screenwriter is trying to show the commonality of each of their fates, while also reminding us of the differences (in tongue) which put them where they are. that's what I love about the film: highlighting differences (communication) while also commonality (in fate: tragedy creating opportunity, and in the innate things that make us human, for which we don't need to communicate via. tongue)

I think she told her friend that the japanese cops were harassing them because at that point she still thought they were investigating the sucide, not the rifle sale. once she realized the cop was there for the rifle sale, she decided to once again (as she had done in the film) make a deserpation move for approval/love/acceptance, not necessarily in a sexual manner (although that's how it came across), but in a human way is all she needed. the japanese cop understood what the other men didn't -- he could non-verbally communicate and tell that it was her soul, not her body, that was crying out for nourishment.

[iam1bearcat]

Away We Go

ladies & gentlemen: there is a new addition to my Top 50 Favorite Films list, and that film is: Away We Go

Away We Go reminded me, and felt A LOT like Garden State, another film in my Top 50

both have great indie soundtracks that are perfect for the films, quirky characters, a simple, beautiful film that centers around a younger couple, both have a lead actor that who's been in a series that i love and now play a more series character here (Zach Braff from Garden State from the awesome Scrubs and John Krasinski who plays Jim on The Office) and both have some truly hilarious moments along with deeper messages, meanings and some very moments. from the opening scene to the final, heartwarming, wonderful ending, i loved every second

easily my favorite Sam Mendes film (i know, that's saying a lot seeing as American Beauty is one of his films), and i was kind if surprised he directed this seeing as most of his films are more darker in tone and atmosphere than Away We Go is.

the story centers around Verona (Maya Rudolph) and Burt (Krasinski) who are about to have a baby in three months. when they go to dinner with Burt's parents, they learn that they're moving 3,000+ miles away to Belgium for two years. this leads Burt and Verona to decide to find a new place to live, because the only reason they live where they are now, was to be closer to Burt's parents.

the couple visits Phoenix, Madison, Montreal and Miami, catching up with family members of both main characters and old college friends. of course wacky hijinks ensue and some characters are beyond insane that make the couple cross that particular city off their list, but once the couple finally decides on the place, they know, although still worried like any normal couple would be, that's where they should be. and like i said, the ending can't do anything but make you smile and maybe bring a tear to your eye

cannot wait to add this to my blu-ray collection some day soon. absolutely phenomenal.
i give it my highest recommendation and urge everyone to check it out. i'm not saying it's the best written, acted, directed or original film in the world, and maybe because i'm a big Krasinski fan i like the film more than most will, but it still is worth checking out. i could have put this film on repeat for days and enjoyed in every single time. love it. love it. love it.

in case anyone wonders what my order for Medes' films are that i've seen:

[Show spoiler]Mendes films in order of favorite: Away We Go, American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road........................................... Jarhead

5/5

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

the bible does reference the tower of Babel --

[Show spoiler]basically (i'm just going from memory so i may be off a bit) at one point all mankind spoke one language, and communicated perfectly. but the bible declares that God cast down different languages/tongues among the people from the tower of Babel, to confuse their speech

. kinda cool huh? and you were right on, my friend in your analysis, as confirmed by the bible

okay, that makes perfect sense thank you Surf! it really does connect everything in another way completely for me. i don't know anything about religion (not my cup of tea and didn't grow up with it at all) so when there are religious references in things, which i knew Babel did in some way, it's great to learn what they mean.

curious which ones?

[Show spoiler]desert abandonment? naked japanese chick? morocan kid watching sister?

for whatever reason, i didn't find the scenes particularly bad, but then again, we're all different with different perspectives

some of the scenes that were difficult were (no order just off the top of my head):

1.

[Show spoiler]the chicken killing scene - i know it was a fake chicken (i hope ) but i've always been a big animal fan and those scenes are always hard for me to watch. now, i'm not a PETA member or anything like that, but seeing animals on screen, even when fake, it's just a bit difficult. just like the scene in Apocalypse Now where the tribe hacks apart the cow that was a bit rough to get through, especially since they kept showing it

2.

[Show spoiler]the peeing scene: the scene did what it should have - it was a deeply personal moment and i almost felt dirty for watching it. it was just, for me, something that was really uncomfortable to sit through and imagine being in that position

3. yes, the

[Show spoiler]little kid watching his sister (creepy) but not too much because it wasn't very long and they didn't show / do much.

4. again yes, with

[Show spoiler]the naked chick in the apartment with the cop scene. have you ever seen Varsity Blues? i couldn't help but laugh when the guy sees her in the reflection of the mirror because that's EXACTLY what happens in Varsity Blues (although the girl in Blues (Ali Larter :drools had certain parts covered in whipped cream ), and it was funny to see such a serious movie have a scene very reminiscent of a MTV football movie with James Van Der Beek

5.

[Show spoiler]the stitches scene. mainly because that would be super f*cking painful but also because Blanchett's character doesn't want to be there and seems disgusted with how the people live (throws out ice, uses hand sanitizer) and then has to smoke that pipe and have some random stranger give her stitches with none of it being cleaned, i could see that being a breaking point for such a person.

there might be more too, can't remember off hand now
and all of them aren't that difficult i guess, but they were because of how REAL the film felt. i can watch anything in a horror movie, although i dislike what they do, because they don't feel real. and if it doesn't feel real, it doesn't effect me. but Babel felt very real. too real, and thus, some scenes were hard for me. i wasn't expecting that either!

Glad you liked it and I forgive you for not loving it J/k. No seriously dude when I make a recommendation, feel free to speak your mind (which you've done). Personally, the direction, acting is all great, but the SCORE is what turned me to mush. This track is one of the best I've ever heard in a film...Fountain-good (BTW, buy The Fountain soundtrack! I've had it in my car for months and haven't turned on the radio once! ). here is that track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHZ4SAZ9D8w
(at the 0:16 mark on is where I turn to MUSH! ) could seriously listen to this track forever

how could i forget to mention the score?! it was beautiful, i agree 100%. hell, i think i'm gonna have to start taking the money on spend on movies and split it up 50/50 for musical scores because there are some phenomenal ones out there and so many i have to buy - it's insane.

and after reading your thoughts and points about it, i will have to go back and watch it again. what you said about the ending (and my thoughts on when i thought it was going to end) makes a ton of sense. i don't know if i will buy it and add it to the collection, but i may be able to watch it more often than before, simply because of the themes and how they're more complex and i understand it a bit better now

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

I hear ya but i just wanted to inform you that

[Show spoiler]FIGHT CLUB

is on the list

ha, yeah, just saw that. and #17 too?! wasn't expecting it to be that high.
i'm not saying the list is bad, i just hold no weight or specialty to it.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

That IS a mortal sin, you need to Netflix -
Breakfast at Tiffany's
My Fair Lady
Funny Face
Charade
Enjoy!

+ Roman Holiday!

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Steve46

I prefer Audrey Horne. But I am blind buying Charade.

Even if you don't have Netflix, you can watch the whole thing at Hulu/IMDb.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

In my queue now!

But.....it says that by this time in his career, that he was influenced by Goddard. Am I in trouble? Oyyy.

No worries

I can't tell you whether you'll like it or not, but I can tell you it's overflowing with substance. It can be analyzed at so many different levels.

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

Tajna Fermi Messe.

A story starring the greatest France actor ever Jean Gaben.
It won oscar for best foreign picture in 1970s. It is considered also the most realistic movie analyzing how a right family should be and how a right man deals with conflict. His character is absolutely simple but brilliant at the same time.

5/5

You sure about that award? None of Jean Gabin's films were even nominated for Best Foreign Picture in the 1960's or 1970's. I can't find any info on this film, what's it called?

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

the bible does reference the tower of Babel --

[Show spoiler]basically (i'm just going from memory so i may be off a bit) at one point all mankind spoke one language, and communicated perfectly. but the bible declares that God cast down different languages/tongues among the people from the tower of Babel, to confuse their speech

. kinda cool huh? and you were right on, my friend in your analysis, as confirmed by the bible



see bolded comments in spoiler



curious which ones?

[Show spoiler]desert abandonment? naked japanese chick? morocan kid watching sister?

for whatever reason, i didn't find the scenes particularly bad, but then again, we're all different with different perspectives


Glad you liked it and I forgive you for not loving it J/k. No seriously dude when I make a recommendation, feel free to speak your mind (which you've done). Personally, the direction, acting is all great, but the SCORE is what turned me to mush. This track is one of the best I've ever heard in a film...Fountain-good (BTW, buy The Fountain soundtrack! I've had it in my car for months and haven't turned on the radio once! ). here is that track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHZ4SAZ9D8w
(at the 0:16 mark on is where I turn to MUSH! ) could seriously listen to this track forever



Your comment here is perfect! You, right here, are living proof of the theme!

[Show spoiler]
You heard "american died", yet you see Susan lived. You sense a miscommunication going on! I can't recall 100% what they said, but if they said "american died", then the media also join the group of those who have engaged in miscommunication! The media are another group who have been confused by teh tower of Babel's confusion of tongue among people with different languages!

Good point but if I recall, the end was

[Show spoiler]just showing overviews of each of the 3 people/groups and where they are/were (love that shot of the moroccon kids standing on the mountain with wind blowing in their face!! one of my favorite shots all time!). for this type of film, IMO its appropriate, even though they may have reached their "arc", so to speak. i think the director/screenwriter is trying to show the commonality of each of their fates, while also reminding us of the differences (in tongue) which put them where they are. that's what I love about the film: highlighting differences (communication) while also commonality (in fate: tragedy creating opportunity, and in the innate things that make us human, for which we don't need to communicate via. tongue)

I think she told her friend that the japanese cops were harassing them because at that point she still thought they were investigating the sucide, not the rifle sale. once she realized the cop was there for the rifle sale, she decided to once again (as she had done in the film) make a deserpation move for approval/love/acceptance, not necessarily in a sexual manner (although that's how it came across), but in a human way is all she needed. the japanese cop understood what the other men didn't -- he could non-verbally communicate and tell that it was her soul, not her body, that was crying out for nourishment.

I love the analyses from both of you! You've nailed the theme and gave solid interpretations. The movie is beautiful in so many ways, including the score (one of all-time my favorites). Surfdude reminded me of the lossy track this release received (though it has never bothered me because of how great it sounds already). The central theme here is miscommunication, but the message is global. You can show this movie to anybody in the world without subtitles and they will understand it. You have it right bearcat. It is simply too real.

[iam1bearcat]

Revanche

so... very...

second viewing: first on blu

forgot how great this film is. haven't watched it in a few months. first time on blu, and wow, the clarity!

i love the film works with so many subtleties. perfect body language, eye movement, facial expressions. used much more effectively and more commonly than dialogue.

my first rating was 4.5/5 because i LOVED the second half (actually 2/3) while i wasn't a big fan of the first quarter (the "city stuff") but after watching it tonight, i don't mind it nearly as much, so my rating goes up. another film that's in my Top 50 Favorite films list.

love the tension. the audio is amazing (surf, you were right about the wolves howling ), the clarity and beautiful directing / cinematography really make this a full, complete, wonderful package.

a slow burner that doesn't really kick in how special and powerful it is until much later in the film. first time i watched this i was kind of like, "umm, okay..." and then it slowly overtook me and engulfed me whole. love it and going back now i was giddy to catch small details that i missed the first time around. the story is truly heartbreaking in the same sense as it is fresh and original. great performances to. even the girlfriend loved it and she "hates reading and looking at the same time" ...she's an idiot. a film i would easily say is better to be viewed by yourself after a long, hectic day. sit back, relax, pour yourself a drink and enjoy.

5's across the board from me. no complaints whatsoever on this blu-ray release.

PQ: 5/5 - truly spectacular
AQ: 5/5 - it's a quieter film, but the details in the environments are alive and kicking

5/5

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

I've spent about 40 minutes total in my life on imdb. And about 15 of those minutes looking at their Top 250 list. I have no interest in what's on that list or what silly number a film is assigned. I understand if people want to look at it to discover new films, but imo, that list means absolutely nothing. Are there classics, greats and unknown gems on the list? Of course. But there's probably also dozens I have zero interest in. And I wouldn't blind buy something just because imdb has it on their top 250 list. If I'm not interested in it, an internet list isn't gonna change it.

imdb's list is without a doubt the worst popular ranking system out there. It's based predominately on what's "cool" and "popular" which is why films like TDK and Inception rank so high. I do agree with Disturbed that it's halfway decent for blind buying, but that's really only the case if you follow the popular norm and don't like the risk of blind buying a film objectively considered one of the best ever, but more challenging (such as Last Year at Marienbad, for instance).

Theyshootpicturesdon'tthey is far and away the most authoritative ranking system of movies out there. The way the list is calculated alone makes it the most authoritative. Fantastic site.

[ShoeBangity16]

My friend and I were able to score an invite to a screening of Monsters yesterday and let me tell you, I Loved it! I went in thinking that it had the potential to be a very very good movie. I knew that it was going to be a character study type of movie. Not once did I find myself bored with the movie. I felt like it had a fast pace for a character study. I gave it a solid 9/10

I then followed Monsters up with Due Date. One of the worst decisions I have ever made. I can count how many times I laughed on one hand. I almost got up and left the theater because I thought it wasn't funny at all. One, if not the best part of the film, was the short Cameo of Jamie Foxx. I gave Due Date a 6.5/10

[iam1bearcat]

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

a very unknown, underrated film. i've only watched it a handful of times, but even after the first viewing, it became a favorite. and i hope one day soon it gets announced for blu-ray, but i wouldn't be surprised if it never does. just very, very

the film follows the "true life" tale of Chuck Barris, who works in television, for game shows, but is struggling to make money. after an incident where he becomes an assassin for the CIA, a local network picks up his idea for his game show from years before - The Dating Game - and it becomes a huge hit. the tension, confusion and paranoia that overcomes Barris is what makes the film so much fun to watch. is this real? is this made up? i haven't looked into it all that much, so i have no idea how much - if any - is true.

Sam Rockwell portrays Barris, and this was my first time seeing what would become one of my favorite actors. Rockwell is a terrific actor, and he really does a great job here.

directed by George Clooney, which was surprising to learn years ago, the film visually, is very dark. the humor is also dark. and while at times the film is very serious, it is also quirky, and has some very black humor in it. part of why i love it so much

highly recommended, and someone effing release this on blu already, i'm sick of watching the dvd.

4.5/5

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Babel

4.5/5

Oddly, my least favorite story in the film was the Brad Pitt / Cate Blanchett story. Weird.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Marcus Wright

Tajna Fermi Messe.

A story starring the greatest France actor ever Jean Gaben.
It won oscar for best foreign picture in 1970s. It is considered also the most realistic movie analyzing how a right family should be and how a right man deals with conflict. His character is absolutely simple but brilliant at the same time.

5/5

What is a "Right" man?

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Oddly, my least favorite story in the film was the Brad Pitt / Cate Blanchett story. Weird.

agreed! i think my order of the stories would be:

[Show spoiler]2 kids in Morocco with rifle

,

[Show spoiler]2 American kids with nanny in Mexico for the wedding

,

[Show spoiler]Chieko in... Japan? i don't know what country nationality she is

, and then

[Show spoiler]Pitt / Blanchett in Morocco

. all 4 stories were great though.
ironically enough i thought the movie was ONLY focused on Pitt / Blanchett's story. i had no idea there were 3 other stories in the film, and had no idea Pitt was gonna pull an Iglourious Basterds and be in it for 30 minutes (max). i remember all i saw from previous was: PITT! PITT! PITT! eh, guess studios have to make money somehow.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Babel

[Show spoiler]i thought looking up what the word "Babel" meant might help me understand the story and its meanings a little bit better. to be honest it did. it kind of confused me more. so i'm gonna go ahead and state that the title really has no deep meaning to the film. maybe i'm wrong, but i didn't find any

anyway, on to the movie

first and foremost, Babel covers four different stories throughout its 2+ hour run time. i was also bamboozled and thrown a "Inglourious Basterds" marketing trick because, just like that film, Brad Pitt is in the film, but he's maybe on screen for about 30 minutes total! i was not expecting that. hell, i didn't even know the film covered four different stories, i thought it was just one. little did i know so to those who haven't seen it and expect to see Brad Pitt for 2 hours, that's not this film.

to put kind of simply, this is how my feelings / thoughts on the film went:

- "oh it's gonna be one of those films where i really hate these people who are gonna be the villains"
- "who are these people? how does this connect?"
- "i'm enjoying this, but this will probably be a film i only watch once, or very, very limited times, and not again for awhile"
- "this is really starting to pick up..."
- "this is tremendous. while i'm watching 1 of the 4 stories, i completely forget about the other stories. once they suddenly back to them i'm like, 'oh yeah, these people are still here' but i completely forget about them. i'm completely sucked in to what's happening right NOW"
- "i'm on the edge of my seat this is tense"
- "i really like this film, it's terrific on a lot of levels, but feels a bit long"
- "hmm... interesting ending"

i actually found a lot of similarities between Babel and Walkabout. i don't know exactly what the message of the film was, but for awhile i kind of felt that it was

[Show spoiler]how simple mis-communications can make you suddenly feel very alone and very distant from everything. and the similarities between three of the 4 stories made sense.

- Richard and Susan Jones being stuck in Morocco after she's been shot. they can't communicate much with the townspeople and they seem very distant from each other.

- this connects with Chieko, who is deaf. even though she is in her own country and with friends and knows the culture, because she is deaf she feels like an outsider and cannot communicate as simply as the others. much like Richard and Susan feel like outsiders where they are.

- and then there are the Jones' kids who go to a wedding in Mexico. they don't know the culture and experiences that Mexican kids have, and this is clearly evident when the man kills the kitchen: the American kids are frightened (as was i) and the Mexican children cheer joyfully because they're used to it.

- i'm not sure if the other set of kids with the rifle have this same connection or not... maybe it just wasn't as obvious?

and thus, why i see similarities to Walkabout. of course other films have this theme as well, but Walkabout is the most recent that Babel reminds me of on this level.

there were some very hard scenes for me to watch in Babel, which would make this a hard film to watch again. so i am glad i rented and didn't buy it because it would definitely sit on my shelf for months at a time before viewing again (if ever).

does that mean it's a bad film? of course not. it's a great film! the directing is top notch, the performances are some of the best i've seen yet, and the story is powerful... although i admit, i don't know if i got the full / main message behind the film . i'd greatly appreciate it that if i was wrong with what i thought it was, if someone could clue me in

i could go on and on with the little details of the film that i loved and how i was floored when i figured out that the stories kind of overlapped, and

[Show spoiler]Chieko's story was "last" i believe right? because when she goes home first we see the news report that shows the little boys face as the shooter. but didn't they say the female American died? but Susan lived? unless i heard wrong

, and while it was structured in a tricky manner, and i thought they gave some details away at the wrong time, i was really invested in the film.

the two remaining things i felt about the film were: 1) i thought the film was too long and ended long after i thought it was going to. once all 4 stories

[Show spoiler]were really at their max for tension and suspense, i assumed the end was soon, but it continued on for a good 45 minutes.

and 2) what was the meaning behind

[Show spoiler]Chieko's mother's death? did she kill her? she lies to the cop about how she died and when she's talking to her friend she says something cryptic about how the police "are still bothering us" and "thinking it's her dad".

i didn't really see how that tied in with the rest of the story, but i didn't really feel it needed to.

a great recommendation by Surf and Djmethod and i'm glad i watched it.
i'd definitely recommend it to everyone, but wouldn't necessarily say "blind buy" because of its subject matter and how often you might rewatch it.

4.5/5

I enjoy Babel a lot.

The Pitt story always reminds me of this

[Show spoiler]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwDzATryei8

and it's amazing how people who have almost nothing are willing to share it.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

Away We Go

ladies & gentlemen: there is a new edition to my Top 50 Favorite Films list, and that film is: [I]Away We Go]

[Show spoiler]Addition Sorry, I had to.