I was shocked that Crash won--and was surprised when it was even nominated.
While I loved the film when I first saw it, I saw it as way too obvious to have serious artistic merit, and it's unabashedly didactic (teaching/ preaching) in a simplistic sort of way. So much so, that I showed it to my college students last semester during a unit on the myths of diversity. Ironically, I'm showing it again this semester and had to buy the dang thing because it was all checked out at the video stores after its big win
I think it's an enjoyable film to watch because it uses a lot of over the top techniques to pull at audiences hearts and tear ducts, and it's useful for simplifying racial issues because it spells them out, but from an artistic or literary standpoint, I just can't buy the brillance in having characters routinely say such bigoted remarks to other characters as if it's commonplace--it's so artificial--even a cliche of artificial. Does anyone NOT remember they are watching a movie when Sandra Bullock yells about homies in front of the locksmith she is complaining about--does anyone do this?? Movies don't have to be realistic to be good--there is plenty of evidence for this--but when the movie pretends to be real on the obvious use of smoke and mirrors--that's when you question it's integrity. And yes, I'm from LA and even work sometimes in the movie business doing short-term freelance stuff (like the kind of people who were supposed to be swayed by the fact that Crash was about LA themes)--and while I liked the film, the best picture nod made me question the integrity of the outcome.
Brokeback was slower and made me a bit uncomfortable (and I'm fully supportive of gays) just because the sex parts was still a little...yuck. But gosh, it was a gorgeous film with incredible acting and great scene after scene. It was so much more deserving, the results almost seem criminal. Recount, anyone?
for the parts I was able to figure out.
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