Oscar misfire: 'Crash' and burn

[LiberalGuy000]

The Academy takes yet another step toward irrelevance with its latest pick

COMMENTARY
By Erik Lundegaard
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 3:09 p.m. ET March 6, 2006

Talk about ruining a perfect evening.

Jon Stewart was funny, George Clooney was sharp, Salma Hayek looked to-freakin’-die-for, Philip Seymour Hoffman won in humble-but-lovable fashion and Ang Lee, the director of one of the best movies of the year, became the first non-Caucasian to win the Academy Award for best director.

Then Jack Nicholson, presenting the best picture winner, ruined everything. He didn’t say “Brokeback Mountain”; he actually said…“Crash.”

No, he didn’t. Did he? He did.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11700333/

[NYCGirl]

1. Jesus, Mr. Lundegaard. Get a grip. NT

[LiberalGuy000]

3. "Get a grip"

That's one of the things conservatives said to us after Kerry lost in '04.

[NYCGirl]

4. They were wrong. The election was important. The Oscars are not. NT

[LiberalGuy000]

7. in your opinion, dear... (n/t)

[NYCGirl]

13. In what way are the Oscars important?

(Other than making more money for the films. BTW, I'm an actor, and winning an Oscar is a dream — but I wouldn't pretend that was important to anyone but me.)

[LiberalGuy000]

19. they're important because...

Millions around the world take them seriously. Millions believe that the award winners are truly "the best". And now many people will go see 'Crash' and believe that it's an example of excellence in filmmaking.

My disappointment is that such a poorly produced movie can garner so many accolades and even be proclaimed "the best of the year" by the industry. Obviously, this is my opinion, but I feel strongly about it.

[NYCGirl]

21. Well, our opinion differs. One of the films that actually made a big

difference in the world was 1932's "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang." It's a harrowing film, even for today, and has a remarkable performance by Paul Muni of a decent man who has a bad break and is ground down by life until he reaches the absolute bottom. (It also contains perhaps the most haunting last line ever.) Anyway, the film actually precipitated a congressional session and ultimately changed the US prison system.

"Fugitive" was nominated for 3 Oscars and lost them all — Best Picture was the largely forgotten "Cavalcade".

So the Oscar, IMO, means little in the long run.

[Atman]

22. Poorly produced? People will believe it is "excellence in film making?"

Your biases against "Crash" are blinding you to reality.

First of all, the so-called "Best Movie Of The Year" is actually selected from only five films. I promise you, there were other films made in 2005 better than either BBM or Crash. But no one was voting on every film made. Just on the best of those five.

And the argument some make that Crash is simply about racism while BBM is about explorations of forbidden love is equally bullshit. "Forbidden love" is somehow a unique theme in 2005? Hasn't anyone ever heard of Romeo and Juliet or Midnight Cowboy, or about a brazillion other films? "Forbidden love" is such a hackneyed cliché, I'm astonished that anyone would actually use that theme as a rallying cry for originality.

Racism and homosexuality? Both are "cliché" issues! Unfortunately, I cannot speak directly to BBM, as I've not seen it yet. Why? Not because of it's gay theme. Rather, because it is a "love story." How cliché can one get?

Part of what made "Crash" appealing, in my mind, is precisely what may make it unappealing to those who've now heard of it only because of Oscar: when I rented it, I knew absolutely NOTHING about its content. I rented it only because it was one of the few titles left in the store on that particular night, and it had some good reviews on the box. I rented it with none of the predispositions many will now have because of the Oscar hubbub. I watched it an empty vessel, and since I didn't know what I was about to see, I was blown away. This is what movies should be. Crash excelled here. Maybe BBM does, too. But to discount the importance of Crash simply because it's "been done," in the same breath one is trying to laud BBM for original subject matter is laughable and downright hypocritical.

Why not just say you didn't like Crash and leave it at that? If we all likes the same movies, there'd be no need for these stupid awards shows at all!

[LiberalGuy000]

24. weird...

I'm not sure if your response was entirely directed toward me or not. I never said a word about racism or homosexuality.

[Atman]

26. My response was directed to PVK, at least initially.

I responded to your post because of references to PVK's. But you stated many of the same sentiments. No, you didn't reference homosexuality or racism -- not directly. But I did.

[LiberalGuy000]

25. response

Why not just say you didn't like Crash and leave it at that?

This board is here for discussions. If you don't think this topic is interesting or important, then there's no reason for you to comment, is there?

[jackbourassa]

30. You know what I hate about the Brokeback whiners?

Is that okay they won 3 awards instead of 4. But this not being enough, they attack the movie Crash, which in my opinion was the best film of the year.

Fans of Brokeback Mountain act as if Crash didn't even deserve to be nominated...

Get over yourselves. The best film won. Brokeback still did very well. Personally, I think Brokeback Mountain was the most overrated and overhyped film of the year.

[PVK]

2. Crash sucked. Brokeback should have won.

Hands down. This was a (bad) political move, IMHO.

[Atman]

5. Oh, puhleeze!

Crash didn't suck. Sorry you didn't like it, sorry to break the news to you, but it didn't suck. I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain. I'm sure it's a very good movie. But BBM being a good movie that you loved doesn't mean that Crash sucked. It just means you disagree with "The Academy." And several million other Americans.

[PVK]

6. It sucked. n/t

[Atman]

8. Opinions are like...

...well, you know.

"Crash" was contrived and had many flat-out unbelievable scenes.

I'm sure you can find a hundred people who will tell you the same thing about BBM.

But "Crash" moved me. I acknowledge and accept it's contrivances in order to advance a message. It was a wonderful piece of filmmaking. I'm sure BBM was, too.

Only one could win.

Can't we all just get along?

[wryter2000]

12. Contrived

Ragtime (the book, I didn't see the movie) was contrived, and it was fantastic. Crash wasn't meant to be realism. It was fantastic, too.

Is this really the most important issue of the day?

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PVK]

18. Crash was outright about racism. Brokeback was about relationships.

Crash is totally contrived, derivative and unoriginal. It was made already a dozen times, most notably "Magnolia" and "Grand Canyon." The acting is terrific and Haggis is a wonderful writer but what is the big deal about this flick? The situations were not at all believable in the context of the writer trying to seam them all together.

Brokeback captured the nuances of "forbidden love" and what it does to the lives of those involved, regardless of their sexual orientation.

[LiberalGuy000]

20. No one's claimed that it's the most important issue of the day (n/t)

[ChiciB1]

11. Well, I Think I Liked The Diversity of This Year's Oscars!

I can't give you much opinion on ANY of the movies, I was just struck that there was a basic "even-steven" effect.

I don't like it when One Movie gets all the kudos. And the subject matter seemed to have been well covered. After all Capote, filled in where Brokeback didn't.

Remember the BIG TENT, thingey!

[Cha]

32. NO it didn't...It was a very

compelling movie. I haven't seen Brokeback yet but when I do I'll give my opinion on that too.

[MADem]

9. But it DID win, it got the prestigious Director's Award, and the people

who chose it were the members of the Academy.

The academy CONSISTS of insiders. Actors, directors, technical people. They have the right to pick the films and actors who merit the awards, because they pay dues and are accepted into the Academy by their own body of work. It is THEIR OPINION.

People want to read political statements into anything. Personally, I think the HUGE cast of CRASH didn't hurt. It was an ensemble piece, and the members of that ensemble are clearly well liked in Tinsel Town. Plus, the film was well shot, well acted, and had a compelling plot. So there ya go--the members, who pay their dues, had their say.

It ain't politics, it is an opinion by a group of Academy members as to the merits of the film, based on CRAFT.

[LiberalGuy000]

10. based on craft?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[MADem]

14. Or other reasons, certainly, but it is their choice, not yours or mine

Some vote because they think someone is gonna die soon, and deserves one. Others because they think someone got ripped off at a previous awards ceremony. And yes, some DO vote based on craft.

It's their opinion, not ours. We have NO SAY. We are not members of the Academy, and we never elected them to represent our wishes. They do what they want--it's a private outfit, not a representative democracy that accedes to our wishes.

That's what the People's Choice Awards are for...and BBM won't come in tenth on that exercise, and neither will Crash, Good Night and Good Luck, or any other dynamic major film. The likely winner of that exercise will be Lion, Witch and Wardrobe...seeing as there's no PASSION-like film in competition this year....

[Atman]

16. You...you...YOU BASTARD!

How dare you allow reason and common sense to influence your thinking!

[MADem]

17. I just can't help myself!!!!!

I'm a DEMOCRAT!!! We are the party of reason and common sense!

And I am a bastard at times, too!!!! :evilgrin:

[ixion]

31. huh... I thought Crash was a pretty good movie...

not one of my all time favs, but well-directed, well-scripted, well-soundtracked and acted. I thought that it's exposure of the silent racism omnipresent here and everywhere was unique, powerful and truthful.

Just my two cents.

[shrike]

34. Me, too

I loved Crash. I thought "Goodnight and Good Luck" was a more important movie and should have won. But I'm satisfied with the choice of Crash.

Haven't seen Brokeback, btw.

[MasonJar]

23. I haven;t seen either and I think that Good Night, Good Luck was

the best or maybe Walk the Line or Cinderella Man. I've seen those three and they were all superior. Whatever, with Bush in the 5th year of ruining the world, I am just glad that the movie industry made so many movies with important themes for us to choose from.

[shrike]

35. Forgot about Cinderella Man

Terrific movie. You're right, it should have at least been nominated.

[MetaTrope]

27. The problem with Hollywood movies these days

is that they're still being made...

[Atman]

28. The problem with everything these days...

...is people who think everything is really that different "these days."

Life goes on. Life changes. Sensibilities change. As long as man has been able to recollect and speak of history, he has looked upon "these days" with disgust. Whether in good times or in bad, there is always something going wrong "these days." If you don't believe me, ask your grandparents. "These days" are just those days with an e.

[MetaTrope]

29. Oddly, I can still find movies these days as captivating as what Hollywood

was making before the 1990s...but they're all coming from India, China, Japan, Korea, and Iran.

[ShortnFiery]

33. "George Clooney was sharp"

Oh yeah ;) ... he's quite handsome - on the inside as well as the outside. :woohoo: