It's Hard Out There For A Pimp (Oscar Results)

[Rugby1970]

I would have thought that Munich's questioning of the morality of a military response to terrorism and Good Night and Good Luck's story of a media figure/free press standing up to a powerful right wing politician would have been the ones that were seen as more relevant to our current affairs than the films about homosexuality and racism. Brokeback and Crash are dealing with themes that have been dealt with before, but Munich and Good Night seem to be more relevant at the moment. I am surprised that they didn't generate more discussion and support in Hollywood.

(I would still have voted for Walk the Line had it been nominated.)

I think Brokeback is getting missrepresented. It is not a film about homosexuality per-se but about choices. As Dusty pointed out, the decisions the characters make could be applied to anything... love, art, etc. That's why it's connected with people who have never given thought to homosexuality. I don't think you are meant to come out of the theater and vote for guy rights but you are meant to examine your own life and relationships.

Good Night and Good Luck was interesting but didn't really offer much beyond the surface issues. I didn't learn anything during the course of the film that i didn't know from the news reports surrounding it. I also thought it was a little wierd to use real life footage of historical figures intercut with actors. It felt manipulative and cheap. It seems like a film about resposibility in the media would know better than that.

Munich suffered from the rushed post production schedule. I think think if they had more time to cut they could have come out with a really intense movie but as it stands it felt to spread out and watered down. There were some incredible moments though.

The biggest result I've gleened from this thread is that more of us need to see Walk The Line. I missed it in theaters but am adding it to my netflix cue right now.

 

[tomandshell]

I enjoyed Walk the Line as a movie with great performances and music. It did not seem to be a "message" movie. I enjoyed it for what it was. I have always liked Johnny Cash and his music, so this was an entertaining and enjoyable film for me.

 

[user 131]

The only Best Picture nominee I saw was Crash and thought it was great. I thought it was deeper than just the racist theme.

Tagline: You think you know who you are. You have no idea.

I guess maybe my spiritual inner-self took more away from it then what may have been there. I just believe that the tagline could be applied to numerous issues relating to human behavior and could easily replace the obvious theme of Crash.

For example when Don Cheadle says, "It's the sense of touch. I think we miss that sense of touch so much that we crash into each other so we can feel something." I interpret this as those people who become so dependent on others that they have to remind others they are still alive. Which brings me to a parallel theme of knowing whether you're in a relationship because you love the person or because you want to have someone.

I love this quote too - "Something funny?" "People man, people."

It really connected with me in a spiritual way.

Like I said, I'm probably taking away more from the film than what is actually there.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Capote & Brokeback.

 

[Dusty]

Quick question... Did you see Munich? I'm very surprised at how little conversation this film seems to be garnering in discussions like this... I personally think Munich trumps Crash and Brokeback in terms of modern social struggles, etc. I mean, themes of racism and/or forbidden love have been popular in cinema for decades (after all, isn't Brokeback Mountain basically just a new twist on Romeo & Juliet? ), but Munich was a pretty ballsy approach at subject that's still considered VERY taboo.

I have yet to see Munich. I haven't found a spare 3 hours to go to a movie since it came out I have heard mixed reviews, but it's definitely on my list.

And you are right, Brokeback is basically a twist on Romeo & Juliet, with the families replaced by society in general. The ending's a bit different, but it's definitely a 'forbidden love' type of movie.

I enjoyed Walk the Line as a movie with great performances and music. It did not seem to be a "message" movie. I enjoyed it for what it was. I have always liked Johnny Cash and his music, so this was an entertaining and enjoyable film for me.

This is exactly why I think it should have been Best Picture! To me, Best Picture is all about entertainment and production value and the ability to draw in audiences of all types. This film has all of that in spades. When did Best Picture become only about issues and messages???? Not that issues and messages aren't important in a movie (and I would argue that Walk the Line contains a message or two), but it shouldn't be ONLY about the message. Arg.

 

[LOTRFan]

When did Best Picture become only about issues and messages???? Not that issues and messages aren't important in a movie (and I would argue that Walk the Line contains a message or two), but it shouldn't be ONLY about the message. Arg.

Since our nation became (or revived) so politically charged that dividing lines are more clearly seen than in recent times. Personally I think that Clooney's speech epitomizes Hollywood for better or worse.

 

[Wetanut]

I've had a chance to mull on the Oscars and my initial reaction to the winner of the best picture. And I find my first impulse still holds.....Crash???? I was totally blown out of the water with that choice. Actually expected BBW, but CRASH? !!!!

Both "Munich" and "Good Night and Good Luck" (my favorite of the lot) had elements that grabbed my stomach and twisted it. I found both to be masterful storytelling and I applaud both directors for choosing difficult paths to present these stories. I admire Spielberg (remember? he's the one that gave us "Schindler's List") for his non-commital POV...must have been very difficult for him personally.

As for Good Night and Good Luck, I found it to be just a little bit more than what can be gleaned from the news. There was much to lose in bucking the McCarthy machine. And I thought they showed some of those fears well but never stooped to preaching.

Brokeback Mountain was a very nice love story about forbidden love/relationship between...(pick one) an African-American and another race (Mississippi Masala), two warring families (Romeo & Juliet/West Side Story), an American GI and a Japanese (Sayonara), a Jew and a Roman Catholic (replace with other religions) (untold numbers of them), differing social/economic classes (again, untold numbers of them), or homosexuals. Cinematography was great, the story was lovingly told, the acting was top-notch and committed, but I felt it stumbled in its slow pace and self-conscious sensitivity.

Capote had the brilliant acting and was a fascinating look at the cruel genious of the man, but it wasn't enough for me to expand the narrow focus of the script/story.

For me, "Walk the Line" was like "Ray" -- a typical Hollywood biography where the performances elevated it to above average. Phoenix was very good and so was Witherspoon, but the film/script itself was still a little too respectful to the subjects to find any insights.

As others have already said, I also found "Crash" to be slickly manipulative and frankly insulting to even my feeble intelligence. If GN&GL was a bit didactic, then this movie was overtly strident in its own self-important messages....we GOT it fer gawd's sake!

I was already a bit bummed that "A History of Violence" didn't get a nomination and felt that it was an injustice that Maria Bello was overlooked for Best Actress.

Overall, I truly liked each of the best pic nominations and even the almost noms. Just can't comprehend the the choice of the winner.

 

[CAhobbit]

Ah Oscar talk!

Well not many surprises when it came to many of the winners. I'm still of the opinion that Felicity Huffman was just a little more deserving the best actress away (though Reese did a good job). But Ms. Huffman's performance in "Transamerica" was simply fantastic! Such a shame she lost.

I was a little surprised by George Clooney's win for supporting actor. Don't get me wrong his performance in "Syriana" was quite good but I thought there were some more deserving people nominated in the same category.

So the biggest shocker of the night (at least for me) was the "Crash" best picture win. I really did expect "Brokeback Mountain" to win (though I personally did not find it to be the best picture of 2005). If I had been the only one to choose a winner I would have picked "Good Night and Good Luck" for the best picture award. IMO it was the best film of 2005 for so many reasons (acting, directing, execution, plot, entertainment). "Crash" on the other hand was put together much like "Magnolia" was so already it lost a few orginality points with me, I also found I was being obviously manipulated by some scenes in the film (sure films manipulate but don't always make it so obvious IMO).

As for other best picture nominees. "Capote" was a good film but only for the sheer fact of Hoffman's superb performance. Without him I'm not sure what my feelings would have been. "Munich" well I just really didn't care for this film. First and foremost I felt I had been watching a 5 hour movie when I was only about halfway through the film so there was a major dragging issue for me and this film. The directing was just so so (not what I expect from Spielberg) at best. Did I mention how much the film dragged?!

So the best aspects of the night...Jon Stewart! The two Wallace and Gromit winners with the matching bow ties for the Oscar statues and themselves. The winners for "March of the Penguins" and their stuffed penguins they brought up on stage.