"But nobody saw it" "It was too dark and complex" "But everybody died at the end" "It was Too Depressing" "I couldn't follow the plot" "But nobody saw it"

These are the most common complaints I hear from people in the Media, movie goers and pundits regarding this year's 5 Best Picture nominees. "The Departed" was the highest grosser of the 5 at no. 14.

Why is it that the number of people who saw the 5 movies is so low?

Could it be because they were all layered, textured, intelligent, disturbing, complex and did not appeal to 14 year old boys and NASCAR dad nitwits? I saw all 5 films and loved all of them. But I guess I am just a snobbish, intellectual wanna-be who feels smug enough and elite enough to sneer at those $200,000,000 "Talladega Nights" made.

-Babel - An amazing exploration of globalization and how communication or the lack thereof can be the cause of or solution to problems.

-The Departed - A complex look at the thin line between "the good guys" and "the bad guys". "Means Streets" meets "Crime and Punishment." Was it perfect? No, but it was remarkable.

-The Queen - Helen Mirren was amazing. The film examined so many cultural issues from celebrity worship to the place of tradition and the politics of public relations etc.

-Little Miss Sunshine - Maybe the most "accessible" of the 5 but in many ways the most subversive. The American "family" and "value system" with all of its soft underbelly and ugly truths exposed.

-Letters from Iwo Jima - My favorite of the five. War, loyalty, futility, brotherhood, honor, bravery, cowardice. Cinematography was perfect, script amazing. A perfect film.

My honorable mentions for excellence - "Borat" "Marie Antoinette" "Clerks II" "Pan's Labyrinth" "Inside Man" "World Trade Center"