Saw The Departed a little while back, thought it was okay but not the masterpiece some people reckon it is. Wouldn't begrudge Scorcese his oscar, mind you i think he was more deserving on other occasions.
I liked Little Miss Sunshine, quirky diversion of a movie.
However of the latest ones i've seen, i thought Letters from Iwo Jima was powerful. I had seen Flags of Our Fathers a couple of weeks prior, and thought it pretty good, i was familiar with the iconic image of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi, but not of the story behind it. Compared to Letters, Flags seemed a more mainstream hollywood war movie. Letters was not on general release here, just selected theatres. To me, it was a film of immense power and subtlety (i know that sounds contradictory). I guess we're not used to seeing the vanquished nations of ww2 being portrayed as anything other than savages/mindless killers and murderers.

__________________
'82 W123 280E