Thoughtful Critiques of Various Films I’ve Not Seen
Even Jon Stewart could not entice my wife and I to watch the Academy Awards last night, so it was not until this morning that I learned that Brokeback Mountain failed to secure the big prize. That’s a shame. Although I have not yet seen the film, I looked forward to watching the religious right completely lose its collective mind in an orgy of self-righteous anti-Hollywood gay bashing. They’re nuts, but I find them immensely entertaining when they’re motivated to find their most overwrought and strident inner selves.
I was doubly disappointed to learn that the top honor was awarded to Crash, Hollywood’s most recent preachy homage to itself. My wife and I returned that self-indulgent and tedious collection of star droppings to Netflix without ever mustering sufficient resolve to finish it. A few minutes into the film, it struck me that Hollywood’s edgy young actors sect must have jumped into the project in an attempt to atone for a decade spent recycling scripts and making feature films of video games.
At least the penguins thing did well. Perhaps its success will engender a racy sequel based on the depraved lifestyle of miscreant waterfowl Roy and Silo.
That would really set off the wackos.
UPDATE: If you have not seen Brokeback Mountain and wish to know what the hubbub is about, check out this trailer, faithfully reenacted by animated bunnies. (Via blah blah blog).
UPDATE II: In his comment, Steve suggests that I should have stuck with Crash until its end. Erik Lundegaard reminds me why I didn’t:
And on and on and on. Every scene. Put a little pressure on somebody and they blurt simplistic racist sentiments. Right in the face of someone of that race.
Worse, none of it feels like sentiments these characters would actually say. It feels like sentiments writer/director Paul Haggis imposed upon them to make his grand, dull point about racism, when a more telling point about racism might have emerged if he’d just let them be. Crash is like a Creative Writing 101 demonstration of what not to do as a writer. To the Academy this meant two things: Best screenplay and best picture.
Filed under: Entertainment, Culture, U.S., Film
2 Responses to “Thoughtful Critiques of Various Films I’ve Not Seen”
You should have given Crash more time & watched it through. It comes together at the end.
Comment by Steve on March 6, 2006 at 2:07 pm.
I respect your advice, Steve. I’ll let you know whether I agree after the basic cable debut.
Comment by Chris on March 7, 2006 at 2:42 am.