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207.200.116.135
..pure politics.
I watched Crash on Saturday night, and while it is a very good movie it is not a great (aka Oscar-winning) movie. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Brokeback Mountain was the better movie.What Happened? Why Politics, of course! And the Acadamy is not immune to that. The relentless comments that the moral fiber of the movie industry had dropped to a new low by even nominating a movie with a story-line like Brokeback featuring gay lovers.
But think about it. It was the Brokeback setting and time, not the subject matter of gay love nor sex scenes that created all the stir. We have seen far more sex in any number of box office hits.
Instead, suppose the movie were about a restaurant chef who falls in love with interior designer in contemporary urban NYC, but both decided to marry women, have kids etc. Such a movie wouldn't have raised an eyebrow, or for that matter even been a remotely interesting story. But cowboys in Wranglers, boots and hats shouldn't be gay. And gay guys are fine for NYC but for goodness sakes not in Wyoming, and such a story is fine for 2006, but not for a story taking place in the 60s.
Didn't the Academy know Brokeback was a far superior movie to Crash? Of course they did! But the Academy has also taken note that movies with conservative religious overtones have been doing very well at the box office. Mel Gibson's Passion; Flicks like Narnia. Why alienate all these ticket buyers by voting for Brokeback? Won't that just play into the hands of those who claim Hollywood has become a moral wasteland?
What about Crash, wasnt that a movie that dealt with controversial topics too? Racism and prejudice? Yes, but for Hollywood, these are "safe" controversial topics. No one should hold prejudices, and people who do should get their comeuppance" regardless of their political stripe.
But we still have half the people in the US thinking that being gay is likely a psychological illness, against the teachings of the bible, and gay guys should not fall in love let alone marry, and the US was a better place (in the 60s) when everyone acted like being gay did not exist. Certainly guys in boots and Wranglers should never fall in love. So the Academy voted, and at the end of the day Brokeback was too controversial even for them, and a place they did not wish to go.
Sad. The best movie did not win.
D
Follow Ups:
I almost never agree with Oscar's best pic winners...in fact, I liked BM so much I was actually worried that this excellent film was possibly going to take BP. It would be an odd state of affairs for me.So AMPAS took care of that. Business as usual. Playing safe as usual. Would Hollywood go for sad, subtle and beautiful? Nope, they still prefer upfront, noisy films that wear their hearts on their sleeves...better yet if a movie is an ensemble piece featuring favorite actors chewing up the scenery (the acting branch is largest group in AMPAS).
Quite apart from BM's "gay" theme, I think many Hollywood types are simply less comfortable with the cool, contempletive type of filmmaking practised by Ang Lee than they are the energetic style of Crash. I doubt many voters caught the beautiful visual metaphors in the movie or were drawn in by the interior performances of the leads. I suspect a lot of people just "didn't get it", and while they respect Ang Lee, they just couldn't understand the fuss. Think about Chicago, Million Dollar Baby, Gladiator et al - subtle and intellectual may resonate with critics (and film lovers) but it doesn't speak to as many academy voters.
So...while disappointing...BM's loss is something of a relief to me. Oscar seldom honors the "best" pic opf any given year - business as usual in 2005.
I saw Crash for the first time last week. I don't care if I ever see it again. But I would see BM again in a heartbeat, and will purchase it on DVD.
Politics is true in the Academy Awards but on the other had academy voters are people who vote. They voted to have Brokeback Mountain in the running but ultimately they chose Crash.I have not seen Brokeback Mountain yet because generally Romance films are not weighty enough to warrant best film status. If this was a traditional male/female romance would it have been held up to the stature -- or is it considered "good" because of the political decision to make it about two men? From what I understand BM could be argued was there largely based on politics of the issue rather than merit.
The other fact is that when you have a large membership of varying social backgrounds voting then divisions occur. Look at 1994. Forrest Gump was the easiest choice -- the violence of Pulp Fiction would have cut-off a large section of the voters even though in eveyr critical way Pulp Fiction was the better film. Forrest was the easier amiable selection. But in the end it's a vote from the people in the industry.
Of the four nominated movies I did see Crash was my second choice. I have agreed with the Oscars twice since 1990 and I must say that IMO Crash winning for me is one of the years that I am more than happy to live with.
Gladiator winning best film was perhaps the worst selection since 1990. This film should not ahve been nominated for anything -- what was worse is that that movie also won for best actor...uggh. Crash is a masterpiece in comparison.
sd
...
Brokeback Mountain was a solid but for me relatively mediocre film.
I don't think Crash was anything like the best film I have seen in the last year. That might be Beautiful Skin.
Or it might not.
I think you are off the beam about this.
There have been a number of "political" films this year... Paradise Now Syriana, GNAGL, and they have had greater or lesser success.
If being gay is such a no-no then how was the male lead Oscar decided?
I don't think this rates in the conspiracy stakes at all.
Then again, I never watch the Oscars as I give little or no credence to publicity minded beauty contests or back slapping tax deductable piss ups.
the Capote film is more identified with his skilled writing of a book on murderers ,not that he was gay(also I though the actors pertrayoal was very predictable, cartoon like).. Crash was more like a made for tv production, you see this all the time on tv..To identify BB Mountain as only a gay subject story shows you really miss the point of this film. Somehow that doesn't surprise me though. Most of the so calls liberal hollywood coped out big time. They are struggling to keep a struggling system alive.
I wonder if yous aw thw same filmthat I did...
WOithin the limits of a mainstream film , I think this did a good job of showing his intense egotism.
Anything outside his focus (lover's novel, film premiere, etc) scarcely gets a look-in as he centres on himself and whatever is his focus of interest.
His obsession with the killer more or less kills off his relationship, he doesn't care for anyone or anything apart from himself and note how he lavishes attention on one and can barely say hello to the other.
Interesting portrayal of the downside of creativity.
... whereas, if you read here much, you might have seen my previous question as to whether or not BM is about being gay at all.
To say I missed the point because I do not agree with you is juvenile at best.
This is exactly what I would expect from perhaps a troll who appears to be somewhat to the right of Atilla The Hun!
If you think there is anything in Hollywood productions, remembering that these are huge multinational corporation, that can be called "liberal" even in an extremist American way, is almost beyond belief.
Do you expect "naturalism" in movies?
Personally I find that a bit like "reality" TV... I want more than ealism from a film and if that pushes it into the area of Crash or a Tarantino film then I say "Great!".
Not that that is the only way to do it, but I found a numer of the big Hollywood productions somewhat underwhelming... BM as well as Munich which was not a patch on its nearest (perhaps) equivalent Paradise Now.
Of the Hollywood films, I thought Transamerica was possibly the best I have seen in the last year, but as I see 2 or 3 films a week and do not care much for awards I do not have to remember them all year.
That a story of two gay lovers is not controversial at all, even gay guys who wind up married at some point and had kids. It was the setting and time that shook people up and made people think--these guys were COWBOYS for goodness sakes, sheepherders in the vast Wyoming expanse, and further, everything was happening in the 1960s, when the public generally acted as if there weren't any gay people. That's what made the film controversial and interesting, not that it was a story about two gay guys who both married and had kids and then had second thoughts about what they had chosen to do. The latter is commonplace in modern society circa 2006 and would certainly not make fodder for a movie let alone a movie nominated as Best Picture.
Number one I am not a f***nk troll. that is such an easy copout term to use. I am not interested in if wether you agree with me or not.My political position is definetly not right, far from it ., again another mistake from you. I don't call them liberal (hollywood studios) ,.A big part of their production was how the hollywood movies have been at the forefront of standing up for causes over the years. , what a bunch of crap. My guess is we are closer to thinking what a good film is then not. ( I am not sure where naturalism comes into this ,again you like to define me with your terms) Do yoy really think Crash was a better film than BB Mountain. Lets face it Hollywood is loosing out to the Independent film makers and still doesn't want to recognise that. Maybe Spelberg finally does though. I have been a big supporter of independent films for a long time and will continue to. I have a feeling you do also.
... and that may be a dabngerous thing!!!
No, I am beginning to think we may be misreading each other's posts as I agree we are probably closer in opinion than it seemed...
Yes, I like independent film... unfortunately I also (sometimes) like to goad people a bit...
I really don't think BM is better than Crash.
But I do think there are number of last year's films better than both.
nt.
That is my profession.
I do small scale residential developments, although its a particularily bad time at the moment with land prices through the roof... if you can find any land!
Here is one
nt.
bleep
I made the same conclusions to some friends last night and they mostly agreed also.
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