As for Oscar debates, I'm not even happy with the nominations; the only one I really don't mind is The Departed. I'll go for that, though I'm really not sure why.

I thought Babel was very good, but I had several problems with it. The non-linear narrative, for one, wasn't as essential to its meaning as in 21 Grams, it was more of a gimmick, less exciting, and in the end probably overlong. A few of the different narrative strands connected in a very wishy-washy way, and the Mexican boarder scene surprised me in how typical and ordinary it was. I had expected more of the director.

I seem to be in a heavy minority who didn't like The Queen. It was as if a popular made-for-TV drama was condensed down into a feature-length film and released in theatres due to the television success. The acting was very good, but I counted one shot in the entire thing which lifted it above banality.

The Departed is the best of the three nominations I've seen. I didn't really have any major problems with it at all; it didn't look very nice but it boasted an energy and punch which we've come to expect from Scorsese. He's never made a film that's dragged... even his long films hurtle by. The Departed seems the most consistent of the bunch, the most assured, the most solid, the most attractive. Scorsese's use of sound is fantastic. I'd like to see it again.

I've still to see Little Miss Sunshine and Letters.