I think Schnabel is one of the greatest filmmakers of our day however this one is a bit choppy. I have to admire the content and approach. It does contain beautiful moments as would be expected from this director, but overall the episodic structure of the film hurts its' outcome. Still definitely worth watching and a solid b-side for Schnabel.
I agree with you about the movie Babel. It does "[reach] to far." But the shots ARE cool. I liked the flick but it wasn't anything to really write home about.