by Ted Sherman

Created on: February 27, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

I'm still trying to understand why "The Departed" got so many Oscars, along with multi-honors from all those dreary other copycat, we-love-ourselves Hollywood butt-kissing shows that led up to the Academy Awards TV borefest. No matter what the experts say, "The Departed" was, in many ways, a disgraceful movie.

Now, I'm not an old prude. I served a couple of Navy wartime hitches where cursing was the universal language, spent a lot of time in sweaty locker rooms with the usual guy talk, and always let out a stream of choice words when I hit my thumb with a hammer. But, have I missed something in language development? When did endless cursing become entertainment?

"The Departed" should have been called "The Depraved." Along with the wall-to-wall cursing, like those quickie teenage massacre flicks, this so-called masterpiece featured more blood than the Red Cross collects in a year. Have you noticed that ever since Scorcese's "The Godfather" series, his films get gorier and gorier? In this latest, not only do the good guys and bad guys (I never could figure out which was who) kill each other like other people shake hands, but Scorcese kept his special effects and make-up crew busy coming up with new ways to show blood spattering all over the scenery.

I'm longing for the good old days of films, when people died neatly in gunfights and wars. No overflow of blood nor bullet-riddled bodies. They just fell down dramatically, gave a long farewell speech and expired. I can see all the blood I want in real life newscasts or remember it from my wartime service. I can hear all the cursing I need by listening to a bunch of junior high school girls at a fast-food joint. I just don't want to pay ten bucks or more to see or hear them at the movies.

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