OK, I don’t go to the movies much and I am not a fan who has to see every movie that gets nominated for an Academy Award so I was amazed that a movie like Babel could get nominated for any Academy Awards, let alone seven (are you folks nuts?). On top of dragging myself through 40 minutes of Borat, another movie that I had seen a fair amount of press about, just a week, before I can only say that we are being short changed by the movie industry.

Borat – my wife gave up after 15 minutes – was just poor quality and lame, with ethnic and gender jokes that simply were not that funny, especially with no decent plot to space them out. I had managed to get the faint memory of it out of my skull by last night and settled down for Babel with the “Brad”.

Babel had a concept that makes sense, seems cool and could really be interesting. How one action in one place could have ripple effects across the great six-degrees of separation Universe; thus, having made a friendly or peaceful gesture in the wilds of Morocco, we see how a Japanese man’s life intersects with people in So. Cal. and the unknowing vectors in between conspire to turn an attempt at friendship into a disaster for someone in another culture and place.

Sadly, really, you find me shouting at the screen “get on the freakin’ bus or let it go”. Why, please someone, why did Brad care if the bus left. His girl couldn’t leave on the bus we were confidently told, so we get scenes of the bus passengers waiting, for what? why? Brad wants to have an ambulance so why does he need the bus around. Let it go! Then we have the idiot nephew of the illegal nanny of Brad’s kids, a wedding, and subsequent deportation from the US. Of course the vectors in the middle who cause the actions are not to be forgotten. Shooting an AK47 at random objects seems idiotic, especially a tourist bus. Then at the police – never a good idea.

All in all, crap.

I had to hope things could get better for the story but no. It just went south. Inspite of the Japanese youth scenes (and skin moments), the Moroccan youth scenes, the Mexican wedding scenes and the Brad anguish scenes.

I say avoid this movie. Seven oscar nominations, what does that say about the horrendous state of the movie industry?

Bring on Die Hard, at least I have no expectations and know what I’ll get!

For more see the Rotten Tomatoes review