Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on March 07, 2006 at 09:27:30

In Reply to: At the end of the day the Best Picture Oscar was Politics,.. posted by DavidLD on March 6, 2006 at 16:21:12:

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.

• Why Crash Won & Brokeback Lost   (Open in New Window)