Old fashioned dental work

About three days ago I rented BABEL and after watching it for about 20 minutes I stopped the DVD because I decided I wasn't in the right mind frame. The next day I started watching it and after 30 minutes I stopped watching it because I wasn't in the right mind frame. Last night I finished watching it and I'm happy to say....I'll never be in the right mind frame.

The film was such a bummer, that I thought the helicopter, taking Cate to the hospital, would be shot down by a rocket launcher, the kids in the Mexico desert would be eaten by jackals and their bones picked clean by vultures and that the Deaf-mute, soon to be a geisha girl, would take a leap off the balcony.

I literally felt three or four times during the film that I was experiencing old fashion dental work.....like in the good old days, as a kid, when you'd sit in the outer office and listen to the high pitched drill which would be combined with the occasional high pitched shrill from the mouth of some other kid trying to figure out why the dentist and parents were conducting torture sessions.

Even the music in the film was morbid.....and I suppose the director knew exactly what he was doing and I salute any film that actually gets made.....but this movie got selected as one of the five best picture nominations.

The mood of the academy is starting to scare me. Was this film selected to off set the LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE selection?

I understand why it got Best Picture at the Golden Globes......when a film has that many subtitles and Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchete are starring, the Hollywood FOREIGN PRESS has no choice.

But the Academy choosing Babel as a nomination over Dreamgirls or Pan's Labyrinth....is scary.

Not to mention The Illusionist or The Prestige.

And while I'm on the subject....let's address issues about THE DEPARTED. I was happy for Martin but the movie as Best Picture? The strangest thing I ever read was a few weeks ago when there was scuttlebutt about a possible sequel.

A sequel to the DEPARTED would have to be called THE NEO-RESURRECTIONS.

I can't imagine a sequel....maybe a prequel showing how Jack became his lovable character and Leo when he played little league baseball.

I was shocked it won Best Picture but the only thing more shocking would have been if BABEL had been the name in that special envelope.

But of course when telling a story it's important to keep time frames in order, so since I already told you that I just rented the movie a few days ago....there's no way I would have been shocked at the time. I would have just thought....wow I've got to see that film.....must be great film.

Selecting a film as great will vary from movie fan to movie fan. But I guess I need to have a conversation with someone who thought Babel was a great film and then maybe we can both go find one of those old time dentist and continue the conversation....while having root canals.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

P.S. I've got to say that Brad and Angelina seem to put their money where their mouths are....which is a weird saying because we all know how dirty money can get.....but if they can adopt a child every year from a third world country, and somehow manage to live a few million years then the starving child problem will be solved.