April 19, 2024
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20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
20 Weeks Extra: Could There Be One More Turn?
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Somebody owes somebody an apology!
Brokeback Mountain supporters should be happy. This means your movie will be remembered more fondly as time goes on, and people will wonder what was up with the dupshit Academy that year.
I think Jon Stewart played a LOT better on home TV than he did to the audience. Doesn’t mean they’ll ever hire him again, but he was like a much better Whoopi Goldberg, if you can believe it. Able to push the envelope, but unlike Whoopi, not pushing it so far as to garner a “Oh no you didn’t….” response.
The first hour was reamining reminds us why they make length jokes about the Oscars.
That last sentence got screwed up on a simple edit. It sould read, “The first hour was perfect. The remaining reminds us why they make length jokes about the Oscars.
I liked John Stewart. I felt he was one of the better hosts.
Otherwise, I hope this can finally signal the Boomer generation (and older) to shoot this old lame horse known as Oscar.
Though I understand the evil necessity of some kind of thing to cap the year in movies, this show lost all it’s prestige and honor at least a decade ago.
Last year and this year are just great reminders.
Best line of the night was Stewarts comments about how now even Three 6 Mafia has more Oscars than Scorcese.
Shit, Hitchcock, Lubitsch, Scorcese, Ford (as in Harrison), Kubrick,
None of those cats have ever won, or have all been snubbed. As an aspiring filmmaker, I’d way rather be counted in that crowd than any of the past two years worth of winners (not that I wouldn’t mind the pay bump that goes with being an Oscar winner)
The last two years have just really shown how bad this thing has gotten.
The denial and continued practice of this abomination will is just one more ingriedient to Hollywood’s big oncoming “nervous breakdown”.
I’m done. From now on, I’m not gonna get so emotionally invested in a movie again.
Pity me to cheer for Brokeback as if my life depends on it. It’s just a movie. Even if it wins, tomorrow when I wake up, I may still be beaten for loving a man and in my lifetime, I will probably never be legally married with the one I love.
But hell, what can you do when you aren’t even allowed a small victory like Brokeback winning Best Pic?
On a lighter note, I loved Jon Stewart and I hope he gets invited back.
I told y waterbucket weeks ago that CRASH was building momentum and that it might dislodge BBM.
I don’t get any pleasure from telling you this btw – I don’t think CRASH is Best Picture Winner worthy and I’m still shocked at how unpredictable the show was.
Told ya mates: Ang Lee for BBM.
CRASH for BP.
Man this is strange as shit.
At least “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” got an Oscar!
For all of you “Crash” haters, I ask again: What movie has more to say about the way we live now?
Thoughts:
– Let’s give it up for Poland… the son of a bitch was right all along: Brokeback indeed blew its wad too early. The guy saw it coming. Though as a fellow Crash-basher, I’m sure he’s not dancing about it.
– Pity a friend of mine… he works at Lion’s Gate BUT he’s also gay. Could that mean some kind of short circuit?
– Stewart’s line about “Scorsese Zero/ Three 6 Mafia One” pretty much sums up what an Oscar means to cinema these days. (And with all due respect to Three 6 Mafia… their win represented the highest and oddly lowest point of the night)
– The opening bit with Crystal, Rock, Martin, Letterman, Clooney, Berry and Gibson provided the only panache of the night.
– Cheer up kiddies… Crash is a fitting win (and title) for tonight and this year. Movies have hit rock bottom. Each year the Oscars keep reconfirming their irrelevancy in our culture, the state of film and as programed entertainment in its own right.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, who saw Ultaviolet?
THX have you been reading my mail?
LOL
The thing about “Crash” is, it just wasn’t that compelling. Nobody talked about it’s cultural impact, outside of its obvious rant on race relations (which were contrived at best). I’m quite drunk writing this, so one of the things I’ll say is, “Brokeback Mountain” is a movie that matters to a lot of people. We wanted and needed this victory in small and big ways. Not winning says more about it than winning and if you don’t know what I mean, then you have to think about it harder. “Brokeback Mountain” is one of the cinematic triumphs of the past thirty years — can the same be said about “Crash”? Whatever…
“Each year the Oscars keep reconfirming their irrelevancy in our culture, the state of film and as programed entertainment in its own right.”
Excuse me, Crow, but if the Oscars are so irrelevant — why are are so many people on this blog so eager — so obsessive — to comment upon them? Why are YOU bothering to comment upon them?
I’m not obsessed – I’m bored! Sheesh…anyhow, come Wednesday, I advocate we start a whisper campaign to get Scorsese an Oscar for The Departed next year. Who cares if nobody has seen it yet? If Crash can win, then surely Scorsese must have an Oscar coming one day! Oh wait, let’s go ask Altman about that, see if he can shed any light on that subject…
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN-
Golden Globes – Best Picture – Drama
Independent Spirit Awards – Best Picture
BAFTA Awards – Best Picture
New York Film Critics – Best Picture
Los Angeles Film Critics – Best Picture
Academy Awards – yeah , it was alright…
CRASH-
SAG Awards – best ensemble
Roger Ebert liked it a lot
Get your heads out of your ass
So it turns out old Nicol was right all along; the Oscar voters chose the most liberal-guilt-ridden, speechifying, unartistic film of the nominees and rewarded it with Best Picture. Like Jon Stewart said after the montage of socially conscious films “…and none of those things were ever a problem again.”
Joe Leydon, to answer your question, I saw 107 movies from 2005, and I would say that about 80 of them had more to say about ‘the way we live now’ than Crash. So congratulations for being better than Bewitched or The Cave.
I don’t know who I feel sadder for:
-the makers of Brokeback Mountain who were robbed of their BP
or
-waterbucket, their most fearless supporter
For all of you “Crash” haters, I ask again: What movie has more to say about the way we live now?
is that a serious sentence? Do we live in that world?
There’s a lot of yelling in that world. Glad I don’t live there.
Crash is a film that is defended by people saying how it is making them think about racism and how they confronted their own demons. It is provocative in a way that BM by comparison seems to hide behind. Eventually that ambiguity did in Munich and Capote as well. There’s no doubt in my mind that BM is the better film. Crash does not nearly represent what race looks like in LA (for that to have happened, the Asian and Latino characters of the film would have been expanded). But it wears its ambitions on its sleeve.
The other important thing is that BM became so overhyped that people decided not to vote for it because it felt like sheep mentality. In EW, their anonymous interview with Academy members revealed that they voted for Crash partially to piss off the groupthink.
Or maybe the gay vote was spilt too thinly among BBM, Capote, TransAmerica?
Whether Crash deserves it or not – who cares. Can we talk about how “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” is the WORST best song to win ever? This is the one that I think people will look back on and ask “What the hell were we thinking?”. An awful song from a terribly overrated movie.
Who lives in the Crash world? I think it may go down as one of the worst best picture winners in quite some time.
But the Brokeback faithful certainly owe Dave Poland some apologies after savaging him for three months about it. The man knows his Oscars.
“For all of you “Crash” haters, I ask again: What movie has more to say about the way we live now?”
“Crash” had about as much to say about the way we live now as “Million Dollar Baby” had to say about physician assisted suicide. Which is to say, absolutely nothing. Now, “Crash” was certainly a film that became the starting point for a lot of discussions about race, but everyone I talked to about the film pretty much agreed that the way people acted and talked in that film had very little resemblance to reality (in much the same way that “Million Dollar Baby” created a false conflict in that Swank’s character had a right to have her life support terminated).
But even assuming that “Crash” had more to say about stuff like racism than, say, “Brokeback” had to say about homophobia in the current world, is that the basis for a best picture win? A lot of people agree that Tyler Perry’s movies have a lot to say, but just as many agree that they’re not exactly well made.
Funny, I could care less about the liberal “it changed my life…” shit that’s been floating around both Crash and Brokeback Mountain. This view that Hollywood is homophobic because they didn’t pick BBM is stupid, in my opinion. The most progressive thing they could have done was take both movies on their merits, rather than as causes, which I think is what happened.
Crash had a strong following – people either love it or hate it. The other nominees have varying degrees of supporters. I think the intensity of the love people who like Crash have for it gave it the upset win. Other than Waterbucket, I haven’t really seen or heard too many people that were just blown away by BBM. Most people were saying stuff like, “Well I prefer Capote or GNGL, but BBM is well made.” That lack of intensity hurt it more than any homophobic controversy.
I’m glad I didn’t listen to the “Brokeback is a Lock” talk when I was betting on this.
It goes to show you that nothing is assured at the Oscars besides a long, winded, boring show that goes on way too long.
How pissed did Tom Hanks look when he presented?
What hurt Brokeback was it just wasn’t that good of a film. Not that Crash is that much better.
“This view that Hollywood is homophobic because they didn’t pick BBM is stupid, in my opinion.”
If the rumor is true that a lot of older male Academy members refused to screen/see it, it seems right on the money to me.
the oscars weren’t dull, glad nothing swept since nothing felt sweeping enough to do that.
i don;t like Jon Stewart normally, but he wasn;t bad–loved the opening sequence. Crystal and rock in a tent. sounds like a drug cocktail.
Reese Witherspoon luckily didn’t give us the Oscar best actress sob-fest we’ve come to expect.
Felt bad for Munich. Haggis sure look surprised…so did the Brokeback crowd when BP was announced.
Wanted Josh Olsen to win. damn.
Happy for Clooney. George is the man!
“Reese Witherspoon luckily didn’t give us the Oscar best actress sob-fest we’ve come to expect.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if she had that speech memorized verbatim. Watching her deliver it, it certainly seemed that way. Of course, after some of her previous acceptance speeches, it was probably a good move on her part.
Reese’s speech was nice and she barely mentioned growing up in Tennessee! I actually liked Phillip’s speech even though she yet again didnt mention Truman Capote and didn’t bark it! Diana Ossana looked and sounded really sad on stage for her speech. Me and my friends could not understand a single work Mafia 6 (or whatever) were saying. Ugh. I sorta like the song, but that award shoulda gone to Dolly. Speaking of Dolly – wasn’t she fabulous? God. She’s excellent. That corset though was makin her look even more top heavy than she usually looks.
I thought Jon Stewart was pretty good actually. He had some good jokes and didn’t go too far over the edge. The jokes about for your consideration ads were FUNNY. Now that Reese Witherspoon. She’s got a good old fashioned American name. She’s the kind of girl I’d allow to mow my lawn. lollollol. Plus, the opening bit was good. Dave Letterman was particularly funny.
I said what I wanted to say about BBM losing on the next thread over.
Mafia 6 has more oscars than Scorsese. Sad. (it’s not even Mafia 6 is it? I can’t be bothered getting it right).
THX, didn’t Kubrick win for Special Effects for 2001. I know its not up there with Best Director, but it counts for something, right?
Well, it’s funny how it is homophobia that kept the academy from giving best picture to a film with two straight men playing gays, but gave the best actor Oscar to a straight man playing a gay man.
Hmmm… I smell sour grapes.
“Well, it’s funny how it is homophobia that kept the academy from giving best picture to a film with two straight men playing gays, but gave the best actor Oscar to a straight man playing a gay man.
Hmmm… I smell sour grapes.”
Now, come one. Sure, Capote was gay, but that film was not really about his sexuality, and it showed us nothing about his sex life. On the other hand, “Brokeback” put a lot out there (although it wasn’t really that explicit), and it did so in a genre that caused a lot of ripples.
I’m sorry, I just don’t buy it. Hollywood is perhaps the most progressive area in the country. Clooney said it pretty well in his speech. I don’t buy that it suddenly became too homophobic to support the best movie. So maybe, just maybe, BBM wasn’t the best movie (popularity wise).
u can’t call capote a gay film just because one character was gay. not like it showed that character romancing anyone or going on dates.
how does hoffman not mention truman capote one time? is he serious? did he create this character or was he real? imagine if jamie foxx didn’t mention ray charles once last yr. would we be giving him a pass?
“I’m sorry, I just don’t buy it. Hollywood is perhaps the most progressive area in the country. Clooney said it pretty well in his speech. I don’t buy that it suddenly became too homophobic to support the best movie. So maybe, just maybe, BBM wasn’t the best movie (popularity wise).”
Certain parts of Hollywood are very progressive. Other parts, not so much. I’ve read in far too many sources write that a lot of older male Academy members refused to see/screen “Brokeback” to dismiss it as just a rumor. Now, that’s not to say that “Crash” wouldn’t have won, regardless. It’s not saying that “Brokeback” is indisputably better, which I don’t think is an argument that can ever be made about one movie vs. another. What it is saying is that playing field was not level.
You know that some Academy members are probably racist and wouldn’t see Crash because it had black people in it.
And some members wouldn’t see Capote because they don’t like movies about writers.
And some members wouldn’t see Munich because they just can’t stand Jews.
The argument that some wouldn’t see Brokeback because of the gay thing is faulty and taking the easy way out of a problem. I’m sure all members don’t see every movie that are up for awards. Sad but true.
“The argument that some wouldn’t see Brokeback because of the gay thing is faulty and taking the easy way out of a problem.”
As I said, “Crash” may still have won, and that’s not the argument I’m making, so I’m in no way taking the easy way out. And are you seriously trying to say that the number of people who wouldn’t see “Brokeback” b/c of it’s content is similar to the number of people who wouldn’t see, as you say, “Capote” because it’s about a writer? That seems pretty disingenous to me.
I think Dave P’s analysis was right on the money. All of those factors contributed.
Many of the greatest films in cinema history either lost or were never nominated for an Oscar.
If Brokeback Mountain is truly a great film it will be remembered and talked about in a decade or two. Same with Crash.
I do agree that Munich will be the one that is discussed the most. First off because of Spielberg as the auteur and because it is the best crafted of the three. I also think it’s issue are more intellectual, complex and dense.
Crash will most likely be remebered best when people ask that age old Oscar question ‘What film won the Oscar last year?”
Ang Lee is a good director, but again, I can’t think of three “capital G great” films he has made.
His pluses always seem to equal his minuses. Perhaps The Ice Storm is his best.
As for me I watched a film last night that was better than any of those nominated. Peter Weir’s Witness. It ages beautifully after 20 years.
That is art.
Not at all suprised the consesus is that Stewart tanked.
Want to bump up ratings. Next year get Jay Leno.
Forget the Oscars.
Give it up for DIRTY LOVE and Jenny McCarthy for winning the Razzies!
I think it’s pretty disingenous of you to say that Brokeback may not have won because some voters refused to see the movie out of homophobia. Where is your proof of this? Why does your statement hold more water than saying voters didn’t want to see Crash because they don’t want to see movies involving racism? If you say one, you have to include all others in that.
“I think it’s pretty disingenous of you to say that Brokeback may not have won because some voters refused to see the movie out of homophobia. Where is your proof of this? Why does your statement hold more water than saying voters didn’t want to see Crash because they don’t want to see movies involving racism? If you say one, you have to include all others in that.”
I never said that “Brokeback” failed to win based on homophobia. What I said was that reports about many older male members of the Academy refusing to see it is evidence of homophobia. I even went out of my way to say that I wasn not arguing that this was the reason for the “Crash” win.
As for proof, have you missed the several reports about Academy members failing to see/screen “Brokeback”? Do you want me to link these.
Why are those reports out there in the first place? Who does it benefit especially when they are nameless? Especially when they were put out there before the voting. Almost guilting people into voting for it because you don’t want to be branded a homophobe.
Now I am fairly sure that there were voters who refused to see it. Just like I’m sure there were voters who refused to see the other movies too. But if enough didn’t see it, how was it even nominated for the most nominations?
Great Ang Lee films? There are a few to choose from (and I’m sure we can argue if some of these are just good or great):
The Wedding Banquet
Eat Drink Man Woman
Sense and Sensibility
The Ice Storm
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ride With the Devil was good but now feels like the practice run for Brokeback. Hulk was not very good, but in retrospect it wasn’t terrible either. Pushing Hands is Lee’s excellent feature debut, and you’d love it if you liked the other films in his Father Knows Best trilogy.
All I can say is thank god he won. Sure Munich will ride on Spielberg’s “auteur” status, but Lee is far more of a traditional auteur cut from the cloth of someone like Michael Curtiz or Howard Hawks. And Lee has only been making films from the 90s. His new action movie Shang Chi could help vindicate him from Hulk.
I will have to defend the choice for Three 6 Mafia. The performance of the song was lacking perhaps on Sunday, but the song majorly deserved to win. Even if you think that musically it’s not as good, it does what a Best Song winner should do: be organically incorporated into the film that it was written for. So I’m happy something lame like the Producer’s end credits song was snubbed. Hustle & Flow is great in its portrayal of the musical process.
I must apologize to “Crash” for saying it had zero shot to win this back in July. Boy, was I wrong? Now I know why I don’t gamble.
I think Ang Lee has one great film.
“Crouching Tiger”.
He has a few solid films.
“Ice Storm”
“Hulk”
The rest I can live without. But there is no denying his talent and his diverse choices.
Hulk gets better on repeat viewings. It’s deeper tha most comic book movies are and will be better received in the future.
Lee is fine as a director, a little dry, but that made for a good match with Brokeback because it’s a starchy, stolid kind of story (sorry about the alliteration).
Crash’s win, I believe, has to do with a little bit of homophobia – please note, though, not the “I’m gonna smear a queer” type, but the more insidious “which screener should I put into my DVD player…I’ll watch Brokeback some other time” type. But primarily, Crash won because it gave the appearance of being important and good for you, which is what the anti-Brokeback pundits were complaining about all along. Right story, wrong movie.
Anyway, I’m glad it’s over so now we can move along to V for Vendetta and its ensuing battles.
I’m glad Lee won because if he didn’t I’d fear he’d another Hitchcock, Altman or Scorsese.
I like Lee but I’m not going to move into the class of Altman, Scorsese, or Hitchcock just yet. But he is better than Haggis.
And “Brokeback Mountain” goes down! Two UA (Regal-owned) theaters in East Hampton and Princeton have been playing it since before Xmas. They will drop “Brokeback” on Friday and open “Failure to Launch”.
See? No “Oscar Bounce” this year!
Maybe they’ll get the Bounce on DVD. As a few of the nominees come out this month.
“Crash” goes out on 150 theatres this week too.