It is the beauty and the bane of movie watching. Much like Christmastime to a spoiled 7-year-old, my film expectations often outstrip the celluloid reality.

Understand, I recommend each of these three 2006 releases. But in this case, due to my preconceived notions, two out of three ain’t bad, they’re just not good enough.

First, let’s look at “The Departed,” the recent Academy-Award winner for Best Picture.

It’s good. But it’s not Best Director-winner Martin Scorsese’s best. Joe Pesci’s gun to my head, I choose “GoodFellas” each time.

“The Departed,” despite its 150-minute runtime, is crisply directed, and the dialogue, especially from and between supporting actors Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin, crackles.

But with Scorsese, I expect the whole to become more than its interesting parts. In this, “The Departed” fails, another example of a cop becoming a criminal to stop crime.

However, Scorsese continues to showcase crime and punishment with a bitter wit – “Patriot Act! Patriot Act! I love it!” – and a clear, frightening understanding of power, who wields it and who yields to it.

As in – among many others – 1973’s “Mean Streets,” 1988’s “The Last Temptation of Christ,” and 1993’s “The Age of Innocence,” Scorsese tells stories that have searing, here-and-now, life-and-death impact, regardless of setting. Or, as Frank Costello says in “The Departed,” “When I was your age they used to say you could become cops or criminals. What I’m saying to you is this: When you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?”

Robin Williams is the loaded gun in “Man of the Year,” helmed by Barry Levinson.

Here, the director of “Rain Man” misfires. What a shame.

If, like me, you’re either a registered Independent or just fed up with politicians, you’ll laugh heartily and nod knowingly at the first hour of “Man of the Year.”

During the next 30 minutes, though, you may just nod off, knowing you’ve seen the Evil Corporate Empire plot device in countless other films.

The final 20 minutes are good, but Levinson leaves this frustrated viewer with two-thirds of a great American film.

“Babel,” on the other hand, has quickly climbed to a special place for me, joining “The Godfather Part II” and “Fargo.”

Each pulls multiple story lines into an effective, connected work.

Credit director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who captained “21 Grams” in 2003, with the feat. As in that winner, Iñárritu looks at value. This time, however, the value of life and love among family is at the heart of his two-hour, 15-minute film.

In effect, “Babel” is four movies – any of which would be a satisfying, adult half-hour of viewing – smartly edited into a synergized effort.

Cultures clash within each story. By film’s end, you understand each piece is part of a larger, clearly joined narrative that spans nations, but ultimately puts the responsibility to do unto others in the individual’s hands.