Babel

In case you haven't heard, Babel received seven Golden Globe nominations, the most of any film this year. Also, it's a strong contender for Oscar nominations, and I have a slight obsession with the Oscars, so I made the trek to Novi to see it.
And it was OK. Not phenomenal, but not dreadful. At times, the movie made me feel very uncomfortable - which is probably what the director wanted. At other times, the movie was pretty funny, which was a nice counterbalance to the uncomfortableness. But overall, the movie left me feeling unsettled, but not in a way that felt planned. It seems like whatever the director was trying to achieve didn't quite come through. I don't think every story needs a resolution, but rather than leaving the theater thinking, I wonder what's going to happen to that person now, I thought I don't really care what happens to that person now.
Let's talk about Brad Pitt for just a second. He had some decent scenes, but overall, I just didn't buy him. Basically, he just looked and acted haggard, and I never really felt him. How he got a Golden Globe nomination is beyond me. Same for Cate Blanchett (no nom for this film, though), although it must be hard to put on a tremendous performance when you spend the entire movie lying down doped up on home-remedy painkillers. The movie really belongs to Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi. They deserve all the accolades they've been receiving. Both of them have incredibly painful story lines, and they're hard to watch, but that's because they're so good. In a season without Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls, I'd say either one of them could win an Oscar - and they'll certainly be nominated.

Overall, I'd say Babel is predictable, but worth seeing.

Babel - C+