OSCARS!!!!

[Croc]

I want to know what the first one was about....a good "friend" of mine says it's about an artist or somethin...........

Crash is about racial tensions in Los Angeles.

[Croc]

First of all, "Brokeback Mountain" was robbed.  "Crash"? Make me puke!!!!!

The only thing I can figure out is that "Brokeback Mountain" was a little movie with a little cast.  "Crash" had so many people involved in it who had friends of friends of friends that voted for it, otherwise it would have never won.

Oh well, life goes on.  For me, it will always be the movie of the year and most likely, the movie of my life.

Brokeback wasn't robbed in my opinion. It wasn't the best storyline and had quite a few holes. The soundtrack won and Ang Lee won. 2 Oscars? For a movie with some technical issues? That's pretty good.

Clooney definitely deserved his Oscar for Syriana over Jake Gyllanhaal...of what else do you think it was robbed?

[ocnblu]

Well, I'm staying home from work today and parking myself in the corner in the fetal position. This just ain't right.

Seriously, I guess I really wanted it to win the big prize because it hit me on such a deep, personal level. I "got it", and I know now it completed its mission even without that certain little golden guy on its mantel. It played in Peoria, so to speak. Congratulations for the 3 Oscars it did take home.

I went to bed at 10:20, so I just read about it this morning. Oh well, I know which movie I will be purchasing when it becomes available on DVD so I can put myself up on that mountain whenever I feel the need.

Edited March 6, 2006 by ocnblu

[turbo200]

Crash is about racial tensions in Los Angeles.

yes, a metaphorical crash sets the tone for the movie, anyone from Los Angeles should watch this incredibly deep movie. I thought it was beautiful, and everytime I do watch it my appreciation for the characters and acting grows. Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Terrance Howard all put ridiculously good work down for characters that go through compelling, yet totally realistic scenarios in this crazy city of ours. Watching the movie is like watching a pile up crash. It definitely deserved an Oscar.

[turbo200]

BTW, what are "Crash" and "Syriana" about?

(I know what "Munich" is about and that sounds dour...I will probably pass.)

Syriana is about the status quo. status quo of world political issues, namely oil; the effects of keeping the status quo are portrayed throughout. companies, wealthy oil tycoons want to keep draining the oil supply, oil-rich countries have dictators that can only see the present and all the money they're getting. everyone wants to keep the status quo except for a few visionaries, and then come the results of this cycle of money. it's a tough movie to follow, but interesting. Clooney did a terrific job.... Edited March 6, 2006 by turbo200

[turbo200]

Hollywood is in no big mess. Years and seasons are always cyclical anyways. Depending on who you talk to, this year was a great year for movies. Did you see Capote, Constant Gardner, Cinderella Man, Squid and the Whale, An Unfinished Life, Match Point, Munich, Good Night Good Luck, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, not to mention the great action films of the year, King Kong, Batman Begins, Narnia, and all the host of other good films? Imo, it wasn't as good a year as last year, however, it could hardly be called a low point in Hollywood's history...that would be sometime in the 90's.

[ocnblu]

That opening sequence was pretty funny, with Stewart "dreaming", and I found the "old western" sequence pretty funny as well.

I am going to rent "Crash" soon. It does look good.

[turbo200]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cZhWyiSacVg

this is hilarious! omg, of course stewart did this, what an awesome feat...I didn't get to see the oscars and I'm most upset about missing him, missing Jessica Alba, missing Jennifer Lopez, and apparently some other fine looking ladies were there...anyways, this is damn funny

Edited March 6, 2006 by turbo200

[Croc]

Yea, it was pretty funny.

Clooney's speech was still the highlight IMO.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Croc

[turbo200]

hmm...i'll have to search for it

[ocnblu]

Agreed, George Clooney's speech was very classy.

[usonia]

Brokeback wasn't robbed in my opinion.  It wasn't the best storyline and had quite a few holes.  The soundtrack won and Ang Lee won.  2 Oscars?  For a movie with some technical issues?  That's pretty good.

Clooney definitely deserved his Oscar for Syriana over Jake Gyllanhaal...of what else do you think it was robbed?

I wanted it to win everything it was nominated for! Seriously though, I didn't think "Crash" was that good of a movie. It was so heavy handed and tedious to watch. I think Hoffman did a good job with Capote and not to take anything away from his performance, but he was imitating someone who actually existed. Heath Ledger brought a fictional "Ennis Del Mar" to life and did it so powerfully with so few words, I can't say enough good things about his performance.

The bottom line for me is, any movie that could put me through the emotional ringer the way "Brokeback Mountain" did, deserved to win best picture and more.

[trinacriabob]

The bottom line for me is, any movie that could put me through the emotional ringer the way "Brokeback Mountain" did, deserved to win best picture and more.

You said everything you needed to say. You, "The Ocn" (as in "The Donald") and a few others on the board have been very emotionally invested in the film and thus champion it. But that isn't the case with all moviegoers who saw it...and the other films. While a good flick, I didn't see all of the movies to comment on who should have won.

Last year, one of the few contending movies I saw was "Sideways." I loved it...probably because of the setting but also because, in a So Cal context, every one of the characters exists... as shown. Again, I didn't see most of the others. I don't think it walked away with much and my feeling was "oh well."

Cheer up, guys.

[CARBIZ]

I wanted to see Brokeback win last night, but I'm not sure it deserved it. Emotionally, it will hit anyone who is gay very hard; those who are not, less so. The Oscars tend to be very political, which is why so many thought Brokeback would win, but I think at the end of it all last night was more of a popularity contest.

I like Reese, but there is no way she did a better job than Felicity. And the point about Crash's ensemble cast is well taken, too. Credit should be given for Reese learning to sing (and sing well!), which is probably why she did win.

There have been many worse choices in the past (Marlee Matlin winning for Children of a Lesser God comes to mind - I mean, how hard is it for a deaf/dumb actress to play a deaf/dumb character?) or Cher losing in Mask than winning in Moonstruck. Ah, well.

[usonia]

In the overall scheme of life, who won and lost is pretty much meaningless.

Que sera sera...

[Robert Hall]

Hollywood is in no big mess. Years and seasons are always cyclical anyways. Depending on who you talk to, this year was a great year for movies. Did you see Capote, Constant Gardner, Cinderella Man, Squid and the Whale, An Unfinished Life, Match Point, Munich, Good Night Good Luck, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, not to mention the great action films of the year, King Kong, Batman Begins, Narnia, and all the host of other good films? Imo, it wasn't as good a year as last year, however, it could hardly be called a low point in Hollywood's history...that would be sometime in the 90's.

Yes, a lot of good movies in '05. There were a lot of intelligent movies for adults and not just the usual big blockbuster special affects popcorn movies..

[Croc]

I think Hoffman did a good job with Capote and not to take anything away from his performance, but he was imitating someone who actually existed.  Heath Ledger brought a fictional "Ennis Del Mar" to life and did it so powerfully with so few words, I can't say enough good things about his performance. 

See, I draw the opposite conclusion. With Ledger, he just had to be believable. With Hoffman, not only did he have to be believable, but he had to nail Capote's mannerisms. With Hoffman, there was always the "threat" of someone going "look, he sucked because Capote did X, X and X and Hoffman didn't." Whereas with Ledger, there was no direct comparison so as long as the acting was in character and believable it would be a good performance.

[tmp]

Personally, I hated Crash. It's such an over-exaggeration of the problems in this city. Racism is bad, and we all deal with it. We get it. But I've live in LA for nearly 20 years, and this is not a portrait of the city I live in, it's a cartoon.

[Enzora]

Personally, I hated Crash.  It's such an over-exaggeration of the problems in this city.  Racism is bad, and we all deal with it.  We get it.  But I've live in LA for nearly 20 years, and this is not a portrait of the city I live in, it's a cartoon.

See, I had similar criticisms, but came to a different conclusion. The big problem with a movie like Crash is that it's trying to depict to audiences things that are very much real, but often go unspoken. Recognizing these inherent limitations, I think Crash portrayed these relationships about as well as a movie could.

Plotwise, however, I really felt the movie kind of unravelled towards the end. There were several "WTF?" moments. I realize the point was to show how interconnected everyone is, but it felt like it was trying to hard to show this.

[usonia]

See, I draw the opposite conclusion.  With Ledger, he just had to be believable.  With Hoffman, not only did he have to be believable, but he had to nail Capote's mannerisms.  With Hoffman, there was always the "threat" of someone going "look, he sucked because Capote did X, X and X and Hoffman didn't."  Whereas with Ledger, there was no direct comparison so as long as the acting was in character and believable it would be a good performance.

You're right in your point. I can't argue with your logic. Even though he did a great job, I could never forget that I was watching someone pretend to be Truman Capote. That's nothing against Hoffman. That's a problem I have with anyone playing the part of a person who actually existed. I had the same issue with 'Ray' and I would have had the same problem with Joaquin Phoenix had I gone to see 'Walk the Line'.

I know my opinion is way more emotional than logical, but, of the nominated movies I saw, the only one that I still think about (9 weeks later) is "Brokeback Mountain". The others I pretty much didn't think twice about about after leaving the theater.

[tmp]

Blu might want to read the LATimes take on it

in part:

"In the privacy of the voting booth, as many political candidates who've led in polls only to lose elections have found out, people are free to act out the unspoken fears and unconscious prejudices that they would never breathe to another soul, or, likely, acknowledge to themselves. And at least this year, that acting out doomed 'Brokeback Mountain.'" He adds that Academy voters picked "Crash" because, perversely, "it is, in some ways, a feel-good film about racism, a film you could see and feel like a better person, a film that could make you believe that you had done your moral duty and examined your soul when in fact you were just getting your buttons pushed and your preconceptions reconfirmed."

[Enzora]

I think it's too hard on Crash, but the article does have a good point. It would be hard for a person (especially a homosexual) to criticize the choice of Crash over Brokeback Mountain without having accusations turned back on them that they were being self-serving and cared about their own problems, but not those of others. Crash provides a safe alternative that the other movies lacked.

[turbo200]

Personally, I hated Crash.  It's such an over-exaggeration of the problems in this city.  Racism is bad, and we all deal with it.  We get it.  But I've live in LA for nearly 20 years, and this is not a portrait of the city I live in, it's a cartoon.

I didn't have this issue. I noted the exaggeration like this: it is all the things people are thinking and not actually saying. Every character and scenario are perfectly realistic. The cop from a different state that likes to listen to country music who ends up committing the exact kind of crime he feared. The clerk store owner who goes bezerk over a linguistic miscommunication. The gun shop owner who is thinking the terrorists are here, but not actually saying it aloud, as in the movie. The Beverly Hills mom who thinks she can only be friends with her rich socialite friends, and to consider her "maid" a friend would be "beneath her"[the end result of which was one of the most satisfying for me]. The producer telling the director that the actor is not talking "black enough". As long as thier is corruption in this world, this kind of malice and social injustice, and social divide will exist. If we could all just understand that "race" is a man-created issue, and that color is only skin deep...

the extremes were what this movie was all about....extreme situations forcing everyone to collide, like a pile-up on the freeway, or three cars crashing in a slow-speed situation and everyone getting out just to yell at each other.....the extreme things this city causes people to go through. there is that mentality that exists out there, and as a city, Los Angeles has one of the most incredibly varied groups of cultures in the world....because there is no center for us...it's just one big crazy place

[Croc]

I just think it's hilarious how people are now blaming homophobia as the reason Brokeback didn't win all the awards it was nominated. Puh-lease. That just sounds desperate and ridiculous; Hollywood is filled with gay people and that really just isn't the issue some of you want it to be.. Both Crash and Brokeback were incredibly controversial, and only one could win. Crash had bigger names behind it, was more accessible to the general population and had some amazing performances in it. That's why it won. "Best Picture" is an overall, "in general" kind of category. That's most likely why it won.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Croc

[ocnblu]

How many times has "Crash" been done? How many times has "Brokeback Mountain" been done? BBM was the only film about something truly new and different being portrayed. It is a groundbreaker... something that simply cannot be said about the other noms, and it was done in a way that made it more universal in its appeal than any supposedly gay-themed movie before it. It opened eyes and changed minds because it was simple, honest and real... attributes that people still look for.

It has been said that many academy voters did not even see Brokeback Mountain because of their preconceptions, yet, the makers of Crash lobbied hard for their creation to win over voters.

[Croc]

Oh, please. "Brokeback didn't win because Academy voters refused to see it due to their bigotry and preconceived notions!" Yea, so how did it win soundtrack and director? Care to explain? Seriously...listen to yourself

"It opened eyes and changed minds." OK so where do you get your data? Everything I have heard is that it has been very moving for the gay community (what a shock there) and has left the heterosexual community generally either a) apathetic, or b) not a fan. From non-gay individuals I have heard the following two comments by far the most:

1) None of the characters were overly sympathetic; I just couldn't relate to it. I guess it was OK.

2) I didn't really like it because he basically had an affair and lied to his wife. I don't support that kind of behavior gay or straight. Did you see how hurt she was as a result? Not cool.

I have not heard of a single person having some progressive-thought epiphany as a result of seeing the movie. If you have an article or anything, though, I'd be happy to read it.

---

I don't know what you mean by "Crash" being done before; most race movies have traditionally been made right after some large national issue like the LA Riots or depicting the 1950s-60s Civil Rights Movement. "Crash" was done to show that although many people think racism is a problem of the past, it is still among us and in ways many of us overlook and don't realize. When has that been done before? So many people consider themselves to be not racist, yet they really are and are blind to it. See http://blackpeopleloveus.com for an extreme satirical example of this.

I just guess I don't understand the logic behind thinking Brokeback winning best picture would provide so much validation, and then when it doesn't win, suddenly there is some huge conspiracy against the gay community (in Hollywood of all places!).

[turbo200]

How many times has "Crash" been done?  How many times has "Brokeback Mountain" been done?  BBM was the only film about something truly new and different being portrayed.  It is a groundbreaker... something that simply cannot be said about the other noms, and it was done in a way that made it more universal in its appeal than any supposedly gay-themed movie before it.  It opened eyes and changed minds because it was simple, honest and real... attributes that people still look for.

It has been said that many academy voters did not even see Brokeback Mountain because of their preconceptions, yet, the makers of Crash lobbied hard for their creation to win over voters.

I'm pretty apathetic towards the movie genuinely because of all the cheating involved. Closer took a similar theme, and in the end all the characters paid and didn't ask for me to sympathize, just relate. Brokeback Mountain on the other hand asked for me to sympathize for this great lost love. If it was so great, the rampant cheating wouldn't have gone on....eventually when the opportunities presented themselves they just could have gotten together, it would have been terribly easy. But instead it got all complex because of lust, because of not getting enough sex. There's nothing groundbreaking about that to me.

Further on the groundbreaking issue....gay themes have been done again and again for a decade now...this is not groundbreaking and was not a controversially done film...I know the people who got the script and got the funding, there was no trepidation over making this film in Hollywood, they knew America was ready for a movie like this, and if not America, at least the majority of the people they could hype this film to. And that's all I saw for the last few months on this movie, hype hype hype. To me the biggest accomplishment is having Crash be such an underdog and still win.

Do you know how many gay people live in Hollywood? I don't think so. It's quite a lot. A LOT. All of those gay people not just liked this movie, pushed this movie, like you have. It's clear to me that's your agenda.

Go out and watch the rest of the films...do you even know what Munich is about? That movie is probably a lot more controversial in some circles in Hollywood. Capote is gay, the central character, why was that even nominated? Transamerica is about a freakin sex change!

I can't listen to what you say about being open, when you yourself have not been open; you haven't even seen Crash to respect the value in it. At the place I was watching Oscars at, 2 other friends thought Crash would win and 4 others thought BBM would win; most people chose BBM to win because of the sheer hype, most of that hype, I'm sorry to say, was coming from gay people pushing thier own agenda. I'd have more respect for it if you'd give me objective proof of your favorite, as opposed to empty phrases showing your clear bias.

[Croc]

Well-said, Turbo, well-said.

If ocn knew anything about Hollywood and how it works, and how Los Angeles is, he would know it is nothing like the Midwest or rural East. You and I both know that through experience. Anti-gay conspiracies in LA? Yea, maybe on Weekly World News.

Edited March 7, 2006 by Croc

[trinacriabob]

Wow. This is getting intense. First of all, I have to see ALL of the movies now, including "Crash" -- sounds like "Bonfire of the Vanities" brought to a much more realistic level, am I wrong? Plus, I'd love to see what parts of LA it was filmed in.

As for "Brokeback", which I saw in a matinee in Chico CA of all places, well, it does and it doesn't break new ground. I think that the attachment some people feel is that it, in some ways, shattered the preconceptions. The 2 actors were not "packaged" and in no way did they fit any stereotypes. In fact, they were simple people. The goings-on in the movie, however, are not new: infidelity, lack of communication, keeping up a front, lust, and longing. It's just that they were played out in a context or situation previously not entertained.

As for the acting, it was good. It was B+/A-. But then, it's the A that fetches the Oscar.

I earlier posted how I would have been disappointed if Clooney won. I said that he plays himself. I have only seen him in two movies and I thought he was mediocre. I made this comment to a co-worker, a New Yorker, and he said that it could have been the roles. I thought about this. Look at Travolta. Growing up, I thought he was a buffoon. Then he matured into better, more dynamic roles. I would now consider him a fairly good actor. Maybe Clooney is getting there.

Hollywood comments? EXTREMELY liberal, for the most part. In fact, it's almost too liberal for most of the people I know in LA - especially those who are in no way connected to "the industry." Ocn, stop going to Maryland/Delaware shore and try vacationing in California some time. You will see that there are no limits to anything in the Golden State and as my friend from Philly said, "California is very free-wheeling." She is in the tech industry in Princeton NJ but is originally from a Philly suburb.

I didn't see the Oscars. I was working on a presentation I had to do today. I also wanted to comment on what Moltar said -- a very good comment. He said that the films of the past year are more geared to the thinking man and woman. That means that they do not cater to the popcorn matinee crowd. There are some years in which there are bumper crops of intellectual films. There is nothing wrong with that. While I can watch a 007 flick or an "Office Space" several times, nothing is better than a film that taxes the mind.

Edited March 7, 2006 by trinacriabob

[ocnblu]

I've read the thing about academy voters not screening the movie in a few different places, but I don't have a link to the articles. I'm dropping this. It's become pointless.

Everybody here is a prisoner of their geography.

[usonia]

Ocnblu is right. This thread should go in to the 'agree to disagree' pile.

[trinacriabob]

Everybody here is a prisoner of their geography.

I won't comment on the movies item, but this is an interesting term and I doubt I'm boxed in, having lived in:

Southern California

Northern California

New Jersey surburbs of NYC

Portland OR

Seattle WA

Atlanta GA

Champaign IL

PLUS

Italy for 4 years

Have a great day, buddy!

[z28luvr01]

You mean to tell me you've never been to Antarctica? Bob, you shut-in you. j/k

[trinacriabob]

You mean to tell me you've never been to Antarctica? Bob, you shut-in you. j/k

Does Argentina count....it's close....and it has a lot of the same letters. :AH-HA_wink:

[Croc]

Does Argentina count....it's close....and it has a lot of the same letters.  :AH-HA_wink:

Loves it!

[Chris_Doane]

Does Argentina count....it's close....and it has a lot of the same letters.  :AH-HA_wink:

Half-credit.

[z28luvr01]

Okay, I'll give that to you....for some of your frequent flyer miles.

Speaking of that region of the world, did March of the Penguins go up for anything this year or last (whenever it was released)? Now that was a movie worthy of recognition.. I liked the fact that I was a bit smarter at the end of the movie than the beginning.

[Enzora]

Okay, I'll give that to you....for some of your frequent flyer miles.

Speaking of that region of the world, did March of the Penguins go up for anything this year or last (whenever it was released)? Now that was a movie worthy of recognition.. I liked the fact that I was a bit smarter at the end of the movie than the beginning.

Yeah, I think it won best documentary.

[usonia]

I apologize in advance. I wasn't going to post anything more in this thread, but I ran into an incredibly good article today that explains why I think "Brokeback Mountain" deserved best picture in a way far better than I ever could. It is from a website by a woman who describes herself:

"My name is Misty Sayoko Irons. I was born in 1968. I am female, straight and an evangelical Christian of the Reformed tradition. My husband Lee is a former pastor who is currently pursuing an academic career in New Testament Studies. We live in Southern California and I homeschool our two children."

The article is "Hollywood Finally Gets It Right" and the link to the website is http://www.musingson.com

I'm only going to include 2 paragraphs. You can go to the website if you are inclined to read the rest.

* * *

Funny how whenever a discussion about homosexuality erupts among evangelical Christians, there's always somebody who wants to put forward the bright idea that the best solution is for a man to get married and keep having sex with his wife until he becomes a true hetero convert. Maybe one reason why I don't see a host of female volunteers lining up to administer "the cure" has to do with the slow pain you see inflicted upon the wives of Ennis and Jack during the years of their respective marriages.

.

.

Yet the beauty of this story is that nobody preaches or bullies Ennis into any of it. What is expected of him as an adult male living in 1963 Wyoming, he expects of himself, and he hardly knows otherwise. Anyone who has been raised with religious or traditional values understands immediately what Ennis is all about. You recognize something of yourself in him. Marriage and family, church and community have always been in the air you breathe, their rhythms and traditions imparting the values and expectations you've known since earliest memory. Ennis would gladly take his place in the current and ride easily along, if it did not set him on a collision course with his own human needs. If there's anyone who might be able to endure the barrenness of a life devoid of any meaningful love and emotional connection, you figure it would be Ennis. The problem is, once he does experience that connection with Jack, it is for him like breathing oxygen for the first time. The agony of having to part from Jack, and his subsequent inability to find satisfaction in his marriage to Alma, however devoted a wife she is, only intensifies his suffocation.

[sciguy_0504]

I predict tha I'm not going to care, and that I'm not gong to waste my time watching.

"Crash" deserved to win best picture and Felicity deserved to win best actress.

Edit: Though, Reese is a great consolation (sp?).

Edited March 7, 2006 by sciguy_0504

[turbo200]

Review: Ensemble cast delivers top-notch performances in reflective drama, 11 September 2004

Author: Brambo from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

In a drama strikingly reminiscent in style and tone of P.T. Anderson's film Magnolia (1999), the narrative in Crash shifts between 5 or 6 different groups of seemingly unconnected characters, whose relationships to each other are only revealed in the end.

Not to be confused with the David Cronenberg feature of the same name, this Crash is the feature-length, studio-released directorial debut of veteran Canadian TV writer/producer/director and two-time Emmy-winner Paul Haggis. An in-depth exploration on the themes of racism and prejudice, cause and effect, chance and coincidence, and tragedy, "crash" is a metaphor for the collisions between strangers in the course of day-to-day existence. Set over a 24-hour period in contemporary L.A., it is a social commentary on the interconnectedness of life in the big city.

Crash features a top-notch ensemble cast which includes: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe and Larenz Tate. All put in superb performances in a tight script which is at once gritty, heartwarming, shocking, tragic and witty, and which will ring true with viewers of all demographics.

Centering around two disturbing car accidents, a carjacking, vicious workplace vandalism, and the suspicious shooting death of one police officer by another, the drama is set against the backdrop of a racist LAPD and Los Angeles justice system. Action shifts between the various characters, whose lives collide with each other in unpredictable ways as each faces their own moral dilemma, and tries to cope with the consequences of their resulting decision made or action taken. Each of the dozen or so main characters undergoes some type of a personal metamorphosis as the various story lines head toward a striking, common conclusion, which succeeds at being both cathartic and unsettling.

Crash is backed by a solid and varied, original soundtrack and excellent cinematography. Sweeping, wider shots alternate with disjointed camera angles which convey the chaos and confusion of the characters and the unpredictability of life. Occasional lingering close-ups -- on occasion without sound -- capture the actors' facial expressions, which suitably detail key moments of the characters' aching pain, fear, anger, bitter anguish, remorse or grief, far better than any dialogue could.

This breathtaking film is destined to be a critical smash and box-office hit. Five stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/

--------------------------------------

I was going to pose a probably controversial question, but then I realized I don't really care. As much as everyone here can banter and disagree on this, there are many years when people feel awards shows don't choose the right film or album or whatever.....i feel it's time to move on.

[Croc]

"Crash" deserved to win best picture and Felicity deserved to win best actress.

Edit:  Though, Reese is a great consolation (sp?).

I think Felicity should have won also, BUT...Reese did learn to sing for her movie and I think that's what the Academy was going for...that extra effort.

[turbo200]

one last thing about Crash I just thought a moment ago. A LOT of this movie is about poor judgement. People having preconceived notions brought on by society, and then using those ideas to make judgements about other people. In the intro scene, a white woman, walking in lavish Beverly Hills, gets scared and moves away when black men are coming towards her. This poor judgement results in those men deciding they are going to steal her car.

When I watched the movie I was so struck by how real those judgements are, how many people make those judgements, a lot of times quietly to themselves, and consquences happen because of those judgements. This is a racist society we live in today, yesterday, and it will be for some time. I have never made one of those judgements, I can say that with full certainty because I strive to have an open mind on all people from all walks of life....but having that open mind also allows me to understand why it is people form those preconceived notions in the first place, and why they act upon them as well. I was struck by how beautifully true those judgements were; I see people making them everyday, with as little as thier eyes moving up and down. They don't do it to me, I'm acceptable in many ways to thier eyes, but I can distinctly see it done to others. And I'm not saying I am always right about those judgements, but it's plainly clear they are here to stay for some time with America. I am saying that ultimately, some watching might feel a guilty conscience about judgements they've made. The end results of the movie is sort of an equalizing of everyone, we're all just human, and we are looking for love, striving to believe in hope and honesty, otherwise we have to accept we are doomed to fall prey to the evil in the world. This sort of message will cause some to feel uneasy, perhaps they've made a shortsighted judgement sometimes, and while watching the movie, they understood that human effect, that total message, and felt guilty because of that preconceived notion they held.

I'm not saying those here defending BBM felt this. NO. I don't know you, and wouldn't make that judgement, but it is something to think about. Preconceived notions have been held against everyone, especially gay people and black and hispanic people. It happens everday to everyone. It's definitely not just a race issue. It happens to every human being at some point in thier life, that they are affected by perceptions society influences them to believe. It's up that individual to decide how much he is going to let those perceptions influence him.

The truth about Crash is that it's real, honest, and upfront.