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In Reply to: Saw Inarritu's "Babel," yesterday with BLANCHETT and posted by tinear on November 23, 2006 at 08:36:47:
I thought it was a very good sublime study of human disconnect and the universality of it's nature. I didn't find Pitt's performance in any way over the top. On the contrary I thought it was very true to the reality of his circumstances. I thought it was interesting that it was in times of crisis that the people in this movie found it within themselves to reconnect.
Follow Ups:
An, you didn't feel, as I said I did, that the characters VERY unbelievably got themselves into many of the messes and then compounded them? That's the hallmark of poor writing: a realistic dramatic dilemma cannot be invented so the writer creates a ridiculous one and then what follows similarly must be ridiculous.
The boys repeatedly fire at vehicles full of human beings and are shocked they hit a person? Sorry, but kids aren't that dumb.
Pitt explodes at the police when a fistfull of cash would have bought his wife transportation?
The guys on the bus show NO human feeling for a mortally wounded woman? Is any of this how people really behave?
The girl "beaves" a bunch of guys at a bar... she's in "shock" that deaf kids aren't always well-received? Believable? Her activities with the detective: so horribly incredible I could barely watch: I was embarrassed for the writer and director.
The entire Mexican stuff also was ludicrous: a woman who for sixteen years is a governess has NO resources to help out in a crisis? She gets across the border with 2 blond kids? Huh?
Her son decides to run a US Custom's roadblock?
She decides to start walking in the night, while in the desert?
At some point, one doesn't care about such dumb folks, or rather the dumb folks invented by dumber "artists."
"An, you didn't feel, as I said I did, that the characters VERY unbelievably got themselves into many of the messes and then compounded them?"
The only stretch was the stray bullet. that didn't bother me. It is not that far fetched that brothers trying to out big man each other might in a moment of complete thoughtlessness take that shot.Otherwise no I didn't find anything unbelievable at all.
" That's the hallmark of poor writing: a realistic dramatic dilemma cannot be invented so the writer creates a ridiculous one and then what follows similarly must be ridiculous."Not sure what exactly you found ridiculous.
"The boys repeatedly fire at vehicles full of human beings and are shocked they hit a person?"
You are ignoring the set up. Before any shots were taken at those two vehicles from about half a mile away both brothers proved to themsleves that they were extremely crappy shots and they were pretty convinced that the gun simply did not have the range to hit the vehicles. so it amounted to a stupid accident involving kids and a gun. Given the real life history of stupid accidents involving kids and guns I didn't find this set up the least bit unbelievable. I have seen stupider things done with guns and adults in real life.
" Sorry, but kids aren't that dumb."
Yeah kids with guns rarely do anything stupid. You have got to be kidding. Never heard of any such kinds of accidents.
"Pitt explodes at the police when a fistfull of cash would have bought his wife transportation?"
His wife is bleeding to death, he is in a forgein country and doesn't speak the language and all the elements seem to be going against him. I don't find his outburst the leats bit unbelievable. Frankly I would have found it far less believable had he maintained a clear head the whole time.
"
The guys on the bus show NO human feeling for a mortally wounded woman? Is any of this how people really behave?"Again, they are in a forgein country and someone just took a shot at them. Yes some people behave quite selfishly when they think their life is in danger. I thought this was relentlessly realistic and important to the theme of disconnect. People are very quick to disgard strangers for their own well being. It was very much against the Hollywood cliche of strangers banding together under fire and finding some unrealistic heroism and self sacrafice in the heat of battle. It was very realistic and ugly.
"The girl "beaves" a bunch of guys at a bar... she's in "shock" that deaf kids aren't always well-received? Believable? Her activities with the detective: so horribly incredible I could barely watch: I was embarrassed for the writer and director."You think that was about her being deaf? It was a cry for help after loosing her mother to suicide. Again, I didn't find it in any way unbelievable. Many a stripper and porn star are the product of parental abandonment. I am kind of surprised you thought that had anything to do with her being deaf.
"The entire Mexican stuff also was ludicrous: a woman who for sixteen years is a governess has NO resources to help out in a crisis?"
You mean it is uncommon for someone not to be able to find a baby sitter on a moments notice? You really find that outrageous and unbelievable?
" She gets across the border with 2 blond kids? Huh?"
Have you ever crossed the boarder into Mexico from California? Not a problem.
"Her son decides to run a US Custom's roadblock?"
Wasn't a road block. Maybe you forgot he was packing? I think he remebered after it was too late. But he did have a few to drink didn't he? What do you think was going to happen to him when they found the gun? No, drunk ex cons never do something stupid like trying to run from law enforcemwent when they realize they are about to get in alot of trouble. That isn't something we see on the news about twice a week. Now getting away was pretty far fetched. His running was painfully believable.Painfully common place actually.
"She decides to start walking in the night, while in the desert?"
What? people getting lost and making poor choices? Never happens. What did you expect? That she would have the resources and decision making skills of Rambo? What better option did she have? What better option would she have likely chosen given the situation?
"At some point, one doesn't care about such dumb folks, or rather the dumb folks invented by dumber "artists."Real poeple are dumb at times. maybe it was the realism that bothered you as opposed to the lack of it.
The guys on the bus show NO human feeling for a mortally wounded woman? Is any of this how people really behave?"I was listening to an interview a couple of days ago with a local pregant woman who was lured into an apartment by another woman she later learned wanted to remove her unborn child from her womb. After a fight ensued, the pregnant woman stabbed the abductor, then ran out of her apartment, knife in hand.
Now we have a pregnant woman, with numerous visible injuries, knife in hand. She flagged down a motorist, who promptly departed, not calling for help. It happens.
a
Don't let reality get in your way of your weird idea of reality. Thanks for wasting my time. I thought you might have something relevant or interesting to say about my points. What the hell was I thinking? Please remind me to blow you off from the get go next time.
(nt)
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