2006 Academy Awards Best Picture: CRASH!

[Sikander]

Originally posted by JohnT

*talk about acting awards all you want, I'm talking about a class of artists that include Halle Berry, Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Samuel L Jackson, Queen Latifah, Ving Rhames, Denzel Washington, Martin Lawrence, Don Cheadle, Angela Basset, Jamie Foxx, Laurence Fishburne, Terrence Howard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ice Cube, and a host of character and "Oh, I know that guy" actors. Never has Hollywood had such a wealth of African-American talent, and when they vote, they'll vote on issues that touch them.

I've met probably 10 Academy members and every one of them is white and you haven't heard of a single one of them. This is the way the Academy is, for every job in front of the camera there are probably 20-100 behind it, and the vast majority of those people are white.

[Grandpa Troll]

It allways gets me, if a Black-or African American wins then it is vindication for the overlooked

If a Black or African American doesnt then it boils down to color blind or rascist voting

I would sure like to know when a picture wins not for the political correctness of the moment

or for the balancing of the justice of time scales

I happened to think Crash was a great movie, not the best of all time certainly but a worthy movie

I didnt care for the best soundtrack because I couldnt really understand the music or the words, doesnt make me prejudic or a rascist just makes me old and well, it did amaze me that it won.

I am glad for I am sure it took a lot to come up with a theme for a movie about a Pimp's redemption

(i think that was what it was about??)

Anyhoo, I go on record and say I watch movies for the entertainment value for Troll and Company, not because writers or voters say it is worthy

I however dont care to have anyone hide behind their color be it they are black or white or other blends of hues

I would not want to win an award simply because the ethnicity of my people, for the record, we are pale skinned, of German,French and Urish and Native American, amongst a few oif the crossed blended bloods, we have been here since migrating from Germany

I am just glad to be able to say Ienjoy action films, warmovies and abhor romantic love sick sucubus movies that touch my inner soul, thats for Mrs. Troll



Ok

Carry on people and make your best movies and I wil purchase them on DVD and increase the collections I now have whioch should show the real status of a movie, its resale value, not what puppeteers say on a stage

[Grandpa Troll]

One other thing, I didnt go see Brokeback Mountain.

Why?

Maybe I would wonder what it would be like, alone, out on the open prairie, just me and my Horsie and my best buds, snuggled warmly around the camp fire, the moon and stars above .......

you know

real quiet like, that uncomfortable-all-alone-in the shower kinda quiet

What would a man do?

talk about sports?

whistle while you work?

I know what I would do, or what I think I wouild do,



Break the silence, ask if they seen any good movies, break the silence and talk about a manly man flick

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Sikander
I've met probably 10 Academy members and every one of them is white and you haven't heard of a single one of them. This is the way the Academy is, for every job in front of the camera there are probably 20-100 behind it, and the vast majority of those people are white.

Well, bully for you. How does what you say disprove that

1. African Americans are becoming more prominent and accepted in Hollywood, especially in the acting fields, especially compared to the past.
2. They would be just as likely, if not more than the white liberal contingent, to vote for Crash over BBM?

Your argument boils down to "well, there are a lot of WHITE people in Hollywood too!" Where did I say there wasn't?

I will admit that my perspective is likely influenced by the fact that I've been to a few African American film festivals and thought Rize to be the best movie I saw in 2005. (However, I think BBM is a better 2005 release). I bring this up as a rebuttal to your argument from authority in regards to knowing "Academy voters"... well, I know "African American films".

[JohnT]

GT!

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by JohnT
GT!

Thank you JohnT

I will be expecting to accepting my Golden Globe or Oscar at Apolycon06 for most intense Image in a Civilized Forum

of course Ming and Rah will meet me at the door and say:

/me did you not get the memo, hmm, your not being recognized because you failed to meet the crioteria for attaching the correct coefficient of obligatory images of the other folks, them you know from Off Topic thats why you didnt get Hall of Fame Votes and thats why you wont be getting this award

[Q Classic]

Finally saw Crash. Honestly, I can't say I really liked the movie, but I'll withhold judgement on whether it deserved it until I see the rest of the nominees.

Flat out, my main problem with the movie Crash is that it's crassly manipulative, from the "twists" that connect each character to each other. Perhaps I might have been shocked about the carjacking from two black who were complaining about how people feared them--if I hadn't known this movie was "controversial" and about racism. Was I supposed to be surprised when Ludacris's character, after saying he doesn't steal from black people, ends up trying to steal from a black person? Or that the most heinous one of them all in the beginning, old cop, would have to be redeemed somewhere along the line to be relatable?

I'll admit, there were some surprises. I wasn't expecting, say, kid cop to do what he did, but on the whole, the movie just seems... conventional it its attempts to be unconventional, much in the way that so many teenagers want to be nonconformist in exactly the same way, or many sitcoms are now trying to follow in the boundaries broken by Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm, but in that safe, zany, Family Ties way.

As far as the thematic argument of the movie... if it's supposed to be a truthy depiction of how people in general are racist, then perhaps it works, in a very heavy-handed way. There's no subtlety in the movie--everything is blatantly stated and every point is hammered home with all the intensity of the noonday sun. But really, most people either already know that, are too ignorant to want to know that, or are too ignorant to notice and won't watch the film.

As far as individual depictions, I don't know. Not being African American, South Asian, Caucasian, or Hispanic, I can't say how real those felt.

On the other hand, East Asians are seen in the film, but not heard. When they are seen, they're done in stereotypical minstrel fashion--cheap bastard (old asian man, run over), shrill dragonlady shrew (old asian woman, in the crash), or robot (young asian insurance man). So really, this movie is hardly groundbreaking nor controversial in that fashion--(East) Asian Americans are expected to know their place--in the background, barely contributing to anything truly worthwhile, bit parts in any story. That's expected, honestly, of Hollywood.

So, pretty much, my thoughts on the movie boil down to a generally, "I don't think it's anything to write home about" movie, largely due to these factors:
1. It's as subtle as Sin City at its best, or a rhinocerous charging a Jeep at its worst.
2. It feels manipulative. I'm supposed to be shocked and surprised in all the proper moments, but without the subtlety found in other films, other stories, it's really hard to not feel as if I'm being led around on a leash attached to my nose.
3. On first and second viewing, it really seems like one of those movies that are just comfortably unconventional and just conventionally controversial.

Did it deserve to win? Well, I'll get back to you on that.

[Q Classic]

Crash can't be that bad can it? The critics loved it, it did fairly well at the box office. Sometimes I think you guys just bash things because it's trendy to do so.

No. I rented the DVD with my roommate because it won the award, had been nominated, and his mother had said she liked it and that he would too--and it turns out he and his girlfriend liked the movie.

On the other hand, while I don't dislike the movie, I don't know if I really think it's all that special.

[DaShi]

I agree with most of Q's points on how the movie tries to present racism. The Boondocks does a far superior job of being shocking and subtle at the same time.

Q, have you seen Monster's Ball? What did you think of that?

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by DaShi

Question, have you seen Monster's Ball?

I enjoyed it

What did you think of that?

Entertaining ride of emotions of Life

[Q Classic]

Haven't yet seen Monster's Ball, but I intend to soon.

[Dr Strangelove]

The ending of Monster's Ball was kinda spookey. I wonder what Halle Berry's character was thinking as she sat on the back stoop and gazed upon the 3 graves? I'd have thought: "Maybe this isn't really such a good idea" or "Looks like there's room for one more."

[Dis]

for some reason I can't remember the ending of Monsters Ball. I didn't think it was all that great. I just watched it for the sex scenes anyways.

The movie just didn't seem all that realistic to me.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Monster's Ball suffered from the same criticism as Crash does, that it is manipulative, its not subtle, etc. I did like Monster's Ball, outside of the sex scene .

[Dis]

though you did get to see Billy Bob's balls, so I guess that's where the title of the movie came from. I never realized that before.

I guess it didn't seem realistic because Halle was just way to pretty for the role. Perhaps another actress could have done it better.