I can’t believe the press going around about Crash being such an awful choice for Best Picture. I have not yet seen Brokeback Mountain, but I plan to. I can’t make a competent comparison at the moment having only seen the winner of the two.
But if you are one wallowing in the terrible decision for the academy to award the best film to Crash… get over it. It’s just an award. There’s certainly no anti-gay conspiracy in Hollywood. From what I understand, Brokeback isn’t even an agenda movie and was purposely written and directed as a character-driven tragedy. The film was not out to make some huge statement about gay rights, and if it was, it would not be the Best Picture for that reason. I’m not saying because it would be pro-gay, but because propaganda films are not Best Pictures. That’s why Passion of the Christ was never even in the running for that award. Maybe propaganda is harsh for Passion, but at a minimum it was an incomplete story that required an insider’s view to make any sense whatsoever.
Crash won for two reasons: it was an excellent film that resonated with many who saw it. It caused evaluation and reflection. Certainly it was not a perfect movie, but most of what I’ve seen criticized was almost certainly done intentionally. And you can’t avoid a certain amount of caricature when you have such a broad cast in a two-hour movie. The actors and the director did a tremendous job making the characters interesting.
And the other reason Crash won… it had a lot of great actors turning in excellent performances. And the largest voting block in the Academy is… actors. I shouldn’t have been so surprised by the victory myself. It is the film I wanted to win, which rarely happens.
I have no problem with people voicing their opinion about the movie and even hating it. What irks me is the talk of like the world is caving in because the Academy voted for a film nobody outside of the academy expected to win. It’s not anti-gay. It’s not even a political choice. The Academy voters felt Crash to be the Best Motion Picture. And I agree… at least until I see Brokeback Mountain and Capote.
Update: A good article on the subject from the San Francisco Chronicle.
There is one more possible theory, albeit one that’s not getting much attention this week: After so many critics fell in love with “Brokeback Mountain,” voters simply thought “Crash” was a better film.
Propaganda works. Some were saved by seeing The Passion. I guess some will become Gay Cowboys because of Brokeback. And I certainly hope some get over their racism because of crash.
Eric
March 7th, 2006
I have seen Brokeback Mountain and Crash, as well as Capote and Munich.
All were fabulous movies, but my vote was with Crash, FWIW. It was a film that transcended entertainment and became life-changing.
daniel
March 7th, 2006
I haven’t seen Brokeback Mountain, Capote, or Munich because I have a ten-month-old daughter who has kept me from a movie theater since last summer. Based on what I have seen, I was immensely disappointed that Cinderella Man didn’t get more recognition (it was one of the only Academy-worthy movies I have seen).
But this raises an interesting question. Why do people expect any movie with a gay character to simply be a political point? People all over the country (from both sides of the political spectrum) were hailing Brokeback as a controversial movie? Liberals felt it was a political step-forward for Hollywood (which I agree with you – I don’t think the movie was written or produced with that in mind at all) and conservatives felt it was a political agenda-setting film for Hollywood (which, again, I don’t think it was written or produced to be at all).
This country is so divided and looks for ways to argue talking points, even when the points aren’t even the point. But that’s another issue.
Bryan
March 7th, 2006
Food for thought: Why is everyone so fired up about this brokeback mountain movie? It really hasn’t done all that well in the theaters anyways. The numbers I’ve seen say its only made about 76 million. The powers that be say that a movie needs to make 100 million to be a blockbuster so why was it even nominated? In fact, all the movies nominated for best picture made even less than BBM. And most people I’ve talked to say they have not and will not see it.
This is a clear cut case of the liberal agenda trying to force their homosexual opinion on us. And I for one am sick of it. Homosexuality goes against nature and God. You ever see two bucks doin it in the woods? And Leviticus 18:22 says Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. I mean really, how much more proof do you need? Call me narrow minded if you wish. Personally, I don’t care. I don’t claim to be perfect by any means, I’m a sinner just like the rest of you but at least I know what sin is and homosexuality is a sin period. And I for one am sick of seeing it on TV, in politics (gay marriage) and now in the movies. GIVE IT A REST PEOPLE, IT’S WRONG!!!!
One more thing. The Chronicles of Narnia made over 300 million and wasn’t even nominated for best picture. HMMMMMMM, makes you think don’t it?
Don
March 8th, 2006
A film with a 14 million dollar budget making 76 million pre-DVD is pretty much a hit. Crash had a 6.5 million budget and did 55 million at the box office.
Although these moves were clearly successful, the Academy Awards have often recognized movies which were not box office success. It is not the People’s Choice awards.
The argument about animal homosexuality may be one you want to avoid if you take any stock in animal behaviour showing what is “natural.”
The liberal agenda is certainly fueling the media fire here, but although you may think people who approve of homosexuality are dead wrong, some are just making movies. Brokeback Mountain is not an agenda movie. I’ll trust voices I’ve heard who have seen it until I see it myself. It was used by those with an agenda, but the movie itself was not put forth to push an agenda.
Are you also sick of seeing nonChristians do anything on TV? After all, isn’t the greatest sin separation from God? Removing a sin from stories because we find them particularly distasteful just leads to a caricature of real life. A gay character can be on TV or in a movie, and that does not mean we have to put our stamp of approval on homosexuality just because we may enjoy that show or movie. If you watch a TV show with a murder on it, are you approving of murder? Are you sick of seeing that, since it is actually one of the ten commandments?
And about The Chronicles of Narnia… doesn’t make me think at all… didn’t when I saw it, and its lack of a nomination has nothing to do with any supposed suppression by Hollywood elites. It was not a very good movie. For the budget, C.S. Lewis’ work should have been handled with greater skill and care. It made money because Christians went to see it in droves. Those who were not Christians and saw the film, some very much loving the books from their childhood, were pretty much universally disappointed with the production.
Alan
March 8th, 2006