Hi there, I went to see Babel on Sunday night and I very much liked it. The movie haunts you even after you have left the cinema. I had written a lengthier comment on the movie, but then our landlord decided to play around with the electricity knobs in the basement, and it got lost. However, here comes the essence:

There are three different plots in the movie, set in the US/Mexico, Morocco and Japan. At one point it becomes clear how interconnected they are, but that is made to keep the narrative form rather than to carry the story (it adds very nice spice though). I will not write much, just that all three plots offer us deep insights into family lives in the respective countries and cultures. Each of these plots would be reason enought to go to the cinema, and that goes especially for the Japan-plot. It was witty, funny, tragic, breathtaking and sad. The same style elements (rapid camera movement, super loud music, quick cuts) is found in the Mexico plot where we get to see a nice wedding, among other things.

The movie is no comedy but has funny scenes where you burst out with laughter. Is it a drama then, because at one point all plots go down the drain? Go see it yourself, recommended. There is one (major, I don´t know) drawback: the movie has of course Turkish subtitles, and you better be able to read and understand them. Unless you not only speak English, but also Spanish, Japanese, Arabic and a Berber dialect. I will leave open my linguistic skills, however: Athmosphere in each plot is dense, colours are vibrant, sound is fantastic, sceneries are nice. You´ll enjoy it anyways.

Acting is good, even from Brad Pitt. Not worth an Oskar though (and for the ladies: he looks very old and wrinkled in this movie). Other actors do a far better job: Kate Blanchett is a stunner, we´ll certainly see more of little Ahmet and especially of Rinko Kikuchi (protagonist of the Japan plot, thank you imdb for the name...).

Oh you were spotted there, I know...

... and I escaped to Istanbul to live a secret life again

We thought Babel was a great film ! I loved the music .

The name is blond...oops Bond.....

A very creditable incarnation of the franchise, with very little reliance upon gadgets. For the uninitiated though it could be a little confusing, as it starts of with Bond only just being awarded "00" status and M constantly refers to him in terms of being a Newbie, this is due to the book that this is taken from, being at the start of the Bond series. If you can ignore the 40 years of Bond action pre dating this, then it's only a minor irritation.

Enjoyed it very much! oh, and try spotting Richard Branson in a cameo role, I missed it but my wife spotted him

I missed Branson...

At the cinema last night, I was torn between 'The Fountain' over 'Casino Royale' but I went for the blonde Bond since he was brilliant in 'Layer Cake' and I am so not a fan of Hugh Jackman.

Bond was indeed really good: nice realistic but impressive action sequences; Daniel Craig is excellent; poker scene got me going (watch this space); some nice plot twists which play on our expectations.

The only letdown was the romance (lack of chemistry and some terrible one liners) and the villain's terrible side centre parting.

ps Branson: spotted (but won't spoil the game).

I hated Bond, "Licence to Meh" or whatever it was called. The whole franchise is so, well, dull. Not to mention that the plotline of this particular installment was both out of touch and anachronistic. The banker to the world's terrorists runs a high-class poker game with which he finances his business? Spare me. (The concept could work with a certain imaginative panache, wistfullness and sense of irony - all of which the Bond films have been lacking for almost as long as I have been alive) A chase scene on a runway involving a regular sedan and an oil truck. A Poker game that never ends, and not only because there is zero suspense in it. Plot "twists" that you can see a thousand miles off. A villainous scheme that you can drive a fleet of trucks through. I mean, who gives a shit?

It's not that I yearn for anything meaningful (in anything), but rather a sense of wonder, and huge, huge heaps of originality. It boils down to whether Bond shouldn't be kept as a relevant hero (in which case the entire approach of the past 20 years should be scrapped), or whether he shouldn't become a slightly tongue-in-cheek, post-modern parody of itself. Even if they went with the latter approach, in which case plotlines like that of Casino Royale would be fine, they still have to find different people to reboot the franchise. I can't think of an action director who has a blander vision than Martin Campbell, and no producer has fcuked up their franchise this badly since George Lucas thought to himself "I know what will make Star Wars better: a more kiddie friendly approach and a Jive-Talking Frog."

[spoiler]Branson is a security guard standing next to the metal detector. He's slightly off-centre, and to your right on the screen.[/spoiler]

[quote user="Arikan" post="71609"]It's not that I yearn for anything meaningful (in anything)[/spoiler][/quote]

So much bile, so little love. Plus, you'll remain steadfastly in your little critic's ivory tower, whilst the viewers damn you.

It's a popular movie, don't expect the plotting to be sophisticated. As you say, you are a huge fan of cheese so it would be churlish to expect anything else from Bond. I do agree though that it was difficult for them to squeeze being faithful to the Ian Flemming original with a modern day gadgeted-up Bond.

The realistic approach to action (inspired by the excellent Bourne supremacy/identity) was refreshing even if it was not believeable. And in my view it is the way to go: a slick, cruel, ruthless, blunt and (occasionally ineffectual) Bond.

The "free running" in the first action sequence or the scene where the car rolls was great to watch for no other reason than it was great to watch. And that is pure entertainment (which Casino Royale and the Bond franchise (as you over-analytically put it) is all about).

GB and I were entertained. You were not. But then I suspect it is very difficult to entertain a man who spends most of his time making pedantic and negative comments on public forums.

What - like Timothy Dalton? Yes, because there was a success story.

And why are you being so defensive? I said the film sucks ass, not your mum.

downloaded the movie last week and thought it was just ok. Did like the opening chase scene though.

Happy penguins beat out Bond at box office

1. “Happy Feet,” $42.3 million
2. “Casino Royale,” $40.6 million

The adult in me loved Happy Feet and the kid in me was highly entertained. I don't think that the under-12 in the audience 'got' the message in the end as to why the abundant times returned. I love the soulful soundtrack and fanciful renditions of some songs that sounded vaguely familiar in the beginning. Robin Williams threw in his comical weight which was tame at best compared to his quips at the latest Comic Relief 2006 which aired on HBO recently.

Black Dahlia based on actress Elizabeth Short's unsolved murder in 1947.Officer Dwight Bleichert (Josh Harnett) and Leland Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) are assigned to the case.Blanchard becomes obsessed with the case causing troubles with his girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). She then falls for Bleichert.

Josh Hartnett is just too boyish looking to pull of the role he played
Scarlet Johanson seemed to act very little
Aaron Eckhart, was wasted in this film
Mia, who played the Black Dahlia gave a great performance in a limited role

I was really really looking forward to this film.This movie has no soul.I found myself thinking through the film, "what does this have to do with the Black Dahlia?"

That's exactly what I heard, which is a shame really, because I love Brian DePalma - the man can work wonders with the shittiest of scripts - but I hear his love for film noir was overshadowed by his incessant obsession to make an accessible film - about what is probably one of the most horrific murders in the history of Hollywood.

Holy compound sentence, Batman.

Ali Arikan