Babel

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 1:16am

Who else has seen this?

I saw it tonight and thought it was fantastic. A beautiful film with some wonderful performances. Adriana Barraza is brilliant. I had never heard of her before this film, but I certainly hope she gets an Oscar nomination. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are great, but really are never given the opportunity to shine.

Also keep an eye out for Rinko Kikuchi. What a wonderful performance.

Now a few questions for those who have seen it:

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

1. What do you think the note said that Chieko gave to the police officer?

2. Early in the film, Pitt calls Barraza to check on the kids. We see that only from her location. Later in the film, we see Pitt make that call from the hospital, and this time we only hear Barraza's voice. Now. She is arrested and deported at one point. Exactly where do these events fall on the time line?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 1:52am

The storyline with Barraza starts when they had gotten to the hospital. The film was playing with time--lapse differences and order of events.

I didn't love the film. I was actually very bored in sections. But, the film currently has a lot of Oscar buzz.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 2:00am

I figured, I was just curious if there was something I missed, as far as other parts fitting in other places was concerned.

What were Blanchett and Pitt doing in Morocco anyway?

I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. I was never bored once. I wish you had enjoyed it more. It's quite possible that this movie is not as good as I think it is, but I really loved it. I think it will be nominated for a few Oscars. Maybe Best Picture, probably Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. I also found the score to be quite good. Pitt might pick up a nomination, though I didn't think he was incredibly brilliant.

Next to UNITED 93, THE QUEEN, and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, I think it's one of the best of the year so far.

What didn't you like about it?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 2:19am

That it bored me in sections.

I did love certain parts.

Here's where it stands currently on Oscarwatch.com (those not familiar with this site--only films that have been seen by industry are included and the film with the most buzz is listed first):

Best Picture

Dreamgirls
The Departed
The Queen
Flags of our Fathers
Babel
Little Miss Sunshine
United 93
Little Children
Babel
World Trade Center

Supporting Actor

Jack Nicholson
The Departed
Brad Pitt
Babel
Adam Beach
Flags of Our Fathers
Alan Arkin
Little Miss Sunshine
Michael Sheen
The Queen
Tim Robbins
Catch a fire
Mark Wahlberg
The Departed
Eddie Murphy Dreamgirls
Ben Affleck
Hollywoodland
Steve Carell
Little Miss Sunshine
James Cromwell
The Queen
Jackie Earle Haley
Little Children

Director

Martin Scorsese
The Departed
Bill Condon,
Dreamgirls
Stephen Frears
The Queen
Clint Eastwood
Flags of Our Fathers
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Babel
Paul Greengrass
United 93
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Babel
Pedro Almodovar
Volver

Editing

The Departed
United 93
The Queen
World Trade Center
Flags of Our Fathers
Babel
Dreamgirls

Interesting that they don't have it down for Screenplay (yet?) and sad that Barraza could get overlooked. But in many ways it's too early still.

[mabel]

Posted: 11/7/06 at 7:59am

I saw Babel a week or so ago. I'm still kind of torn on how I feel about it. I think the great performances and several very strong scenes left a stronger impression of the overall film than what was really there...I don't think that makes sense, sorry!

The theatre was PACKED when I saw it (oversold, filled with people who'd skipped into it) with a few people even sitting in the aisles. I noticed several walkouts just from the area immediately around me. And another thing that irritated me was the number of little kids that were there. I saw at least 3 girls that were about 5 or 6. Sorry folks, but if you can't find someone to watch your kid, don't just drag them along with you to a movie like this. It's just rude to everyone else when you feel the need to cart them out of the theatre every 20 minutes or so, only to drag them back in 5 minutes later, only to do it again (either when your kid is bored and restless or something less than appropriate for a 5 year old comes up).