ongoing

First off, you can't call Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett the stars of "Babel." Yes, you find out eventually, the events that take place across the world are linked however spuriously to them. But they have minimal screen time - or at least not dominant screen time. This movie, by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, has that dislocating, discomforting feeling his "21 Grams" also had. Blanchett's character is shot in Morocco by a young boy, challenged to shoot at a passing tour bus. The US government believe it's an act of terrorism, not ill-conceived bravado. Other stories emerge: a deaf-dumb girl in Japan tries to cope with hormones and despair over her mother's suicide, a Mexican nanny (without papers) takes two children over the border to keep them with her for her son's wedding - and bad things happen. There are moments of splendor in this movie: the wide open dessert, Tokyo at night, the Mexican wedding itself. But the characters all to offen fail to communicate - hence the movie's title - and that's a contributing source to everybody's travails. Inarritu bounces among these stories and our interest in each waxes and wanes. When the threads pull together, there's an "Oh, yes" moment which is rewarding. The Japanese girl played by Rinko Kikuchi is the most heart-breaking of characters - to say more would spoil the surprise of her breakdown. It's an unsettling, yet gorgeously photographed, movie you will leave pondering and discussing. It's at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, Landmark Kendall Square Cinemas, AMC Loew's Boston Common 19 and suburban theaters. Tickets: $9-$10. Call for showtimes.

CCT: 290 Harvard St., Brookline 617-734-2500, LKSC, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617-499-1996, Loew's, 175 Tremont St., 617-423-3499

Sat. Dec. 30

 The jam band phenomenon has led to a lot of noodling. On the other hand, there are musicians that take the freedom the idiom has to offer and done creative, even explosive, things with it. The Addison Groove Project, a eight-year-old Boston-New York based quintet that has released four discs over the past four years, might be counted in the latter category. One ripple: They've got some jazzy overtones and a double sax-attack, courtesy of Dave Adams and Ben Groppe. The AGP won Boston Music Awards nods for Best Jam or Funk Band in 2004-5. They spent most of 2006 recording "Waiting Room," a CD due next year. You can three songs myspace.com/addisongrooveproject - and you can hear them live at Harpers Ferry Saturday Dec. 30. So, celebrate the New Year a little early. Keyboardist Rob Marscher explains that while improvisation is important to the band, so is structure and they like to be "in your face." Their two sets start at 10:30. Tickets: $14.

158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 800-594-8499 harpersferryboston.com

Sat. Dec. 30

The new year is approaching. It's time for fun and you start to think of ... Leon Trotsky? The father of Marxist theory and leader of the Bolshevik Revolution? That's what the New Jersey-based sextet Catch Twenty Two thought, sort of. Their latest CD, "Permanent Revolution," is a song cycle that traces Trotsky's life and death. Explains bassist Pat Keys: "Trotsky is an intiguing character who we felt we could relate to in a lot of ways. And he has a very powerful story that is important and very relevant to our current world situation. ... We really wanted to make something meaninful, not just a slightly better alternative to pop-punk." Somewhere in England, Billy Bragg has a smile on his face, and in the Boston area, so does Howard Zinn. Did we mention Catch Twenty Two is a ska-punk band? Well, there's dub and funk, too, and overall these guys remind us more of the Specials than they do of the skads of jump-up-and-down-til-you-drop ska-pop bands littering the land. They're at Axis Saturday Dec. 30. All ages show starts at 6 p.m. with Whole Wheat Bread, Patent Pending and Bomb the Music Industry starting the mayhem. Tickets: $14.

13 Lansdowne St., 617-262-2437 livenation.com

Fri. Dec. 29

 Kimchee Records is one of Boston's gems of a record label and they're celebrating their 10th anniversary Friday Dec. 29 at the Middle East Upstairs (and again Jan. 5 at T.T. the Bear's) with a show featuring two former Boston-based acts, the Paula Kelley Orchestra and the Willard Grant Conspiracy. The WGC, a large band led by Robert Fisher, have yet another gorgeous, sad, sweeping disc out there on the horizon (to be released in February) called "Let It Roll." They'll be on at 10:40, playing a 35-minute set. As, actually, everyone will. Playing 35 minute sets that is, not all playing at 10:40. What a logjam, that'd be! So what you got is lotsa artists, compact sets. It starts at 9 with Heidi Saperstein, folowed by Chris Brokaw, the WGC, the PKO and closes at 12:20 with Thalia Zedek. (Brokaw and Zedek once co-led the band Come, so one might expect some collaboration there.) Oh, and Korean munchies are there for the taking at the show. Tickets: $10.

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 mideastclub.com

Wed. & Thurs. (20, 21 & 27,28) in December

 We've always enjoyed the Washington Square (in Brookline) restaurant called Fireplace for its fine dining and owner Jim Solomon's gregarious personality. Last month, Solomon re-started up an intimate jazz program on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The lineup for the rest of December follows: Guitarist Steve Fell on Dec. 20, progressive jazz from Rob Mitzner on Dec. 21, bassist Jef Charland and company on Dec. 27 and the James Merenda Trio, playing piano jazz standards and improv on Dec. 28. Note: The Fireplace is a  CBS-4 nominee for "best romantic" spot. The reason for the jazz? They had it for three previous years, but took the summer off. Solomon says he's found "the introduction of jazz to the Fireplace really works, really fits. It's an extentsion of what we've been playing (over the sound system). But live jazz has returned with a vengeance, drawing more people than we ever have." Check out the website below for cuisine details, though the revival.  entrees tend to be in the $25-$30 range. Music goes from 9:30 to midnight.

1634 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-975-1900 fireplacerest.com