Crash wins best picture - WTF?!!

Dudess

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, Crash so did not deserve it. Then again, it's got Oscar winner written all over it - ensemble cast, po-faced, takes itself painfully seriously, an "issue" film, has a "message" etc. Very disappointed. But then, what did I expect? The Oscars is always a load of bollocks. Just thought it might be a bit better this year. Reese Witherspoon best actress? Come on! It was a really straightforward role. Rachel Weisz should have been in the best actress category.

R-KEANE

It was a brilliant film . Matt Dillons performance alone was worthy of the award. That was probably his best film.

kc66

I also thought it was a great film. Deserved it imo.

Blisterman

I think most of the awards went to who deserved it.

Ardent

I'm with Dudess, I thought Crash was a mediocre to average film, certainly not the best I've seen in the last year.

I saw Walk The Line last night and I am also baffled as to how Reese Witherspoon has won a best actress award.

shatners basoon

Ack, i hate reese witherspoon, don't really know why, there's just something about her. Granted she's not the worst of that kind of actress but hardly worth an oscar.
I thought Crash was quite good but hardly outstanding. I think they just wanted to acknowledge it somehow. The whole linking lots of different stories together concept has been executed far better in other films tho, magnolia springs to mind and that received no credit from oscar.
Nice to see Hoffman win tho, really like him as an actor. Cant wait to see him in MI3:P Pity Giamatti didnt win tho, he should have been nominated before in one of his bigger roles specifically american splendour.
Did Wallace and Grommit win btw?
And what won best foreign film?

RE*AC*TOR

W&G did win. Tsotsi got best foreign film.

As for Crash, it was better than some of the other films in the category. Definetly better than Brokeback.

Dick Darlington

Crash may not be the worst movie but it definitley did not deserve the Oscar. It's cliched and very badly shot/directed. Did nobody else think they were watching a TV movie on TV3 because of the terrible shots and look of the film ?

When that Stereophonics song came in at the end I thought it was a joke.


Do people really think it's better than Brokeback Mountain ?, Capote ?, even Munich is as good if not better.

RE*AC*TOR

Dick Darlington wrote:

Do people really think it's better than Brokeback Mountain ?, Capote ?, even Munich is as good if not better.

Way better than Brokeback - Capote was boring. Munich perhaps could push it though.

In hindsight the most surprising thing I though, was that Sin City got no nominations.

shatners basoon

Crash was the most american film, id say they liked that cliched stuff.
Ooooo, multiple themes which relate to our current living conditions - FUN:D
But yeah it was badly shot, well acted for the most part tho. Still think it stole too much from other films.

MicrosoftMan

I thought the (other) Hoff was great in Capote. Interesting film bit boring in parts. Crash was okay, I know nothing of Brokeback, anyone who i speak to say (guys) no, not bothering to see it (girls) yes I really want to see it but havent spoken to any who have actually seen it.

shatners basoon

But hey its the oscars whatcha expect?
I mean Titanic won how many? like 11? nice to see Wallace and grommit win tho. Surprised downfall didnt win best foreign language. i woulda put money on it

MicrosoftMan

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

In hindsight the most surprising thing I though, was that Sin City got no nominations.

yeah what's that about?

Dudess

I thought Crash was quite good. Certainly not bad. But that interlinked stories approach has been done enough. Grand Canyon (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101969/) is extremely similar in terms of the race relations angle. It seems it won the award because it tackles issues, yet Brokeback Mountain got all the flack for that. Cynics were adamant it was up for so many awards because it examines homosexuality. But they missed the point. It doesn't at all. It's simply a personal story. I think it deserved the Oscar a lot more than Crash. Simply because I thought it was a deeply powerful, affecting film.

jcoote

sin city desevred a good few awards imho...crash was the best film of last year (or maybe sin city)..i'm delighted a film with good acting rather than an epic or a special effects jobbie won for a change

lodgepole

shatners basoon wrote:

Surprised downfall didnt win best foreign language. i woulda put money on it

Downfall (did not win but was nominated for) the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year in 2005.

edit: d'oh. didn't see them last year, I thought it had won.

RE*AC*TOR

shatners basoon wrote:

Surprised downfall didnt win best foreign language. i woulda put money on it

ehh.....

it was nominated last year.

Lodgepole wrote:

Downfall won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year in 2005.

no, Mar Adentro won.

lodgepole

jcoote wrote:

sin city desevred a good few awards imho...crash was the best film of last year (or maybe sin city)..i'm delighted a film with good acting rather than an epic or a special effects jobbie won for a change

A lot of good films have won the best picture oscar.

Crash was a good movie, but hardly the best of last year.

All Sin City deserved to be nominated for is visual effects and even that would be at a stretch. Mickey Rourke possibly as supporting actor.

RichyX

Crash was the most embarassing, pathetic, limp wristed piece of overly emotional bullsh*t I've ever seen.
F*ck the Oscar's, f*ck them straight to hell!

bringitdown

Lodgepole wrote:

A lot of good films have won the best picture oscar.

Crash was a good movie, but hardly the best of last year.

All Sin City deserved to be nominated for is visual effects and even that would be at a stretch. Mickey Rourke possibly as supporting actor.

I believe (could be wrong) Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) cannot be nominated due to a falling out with the Directors Guild ...

RE*AC*TOR

Lodgepole wrote:

A lot of good films have won the best picture oscar.

Crash was a good movie, but hardly the best of last year.

All Sin City deserved to be nominated for is visual effects and even that would be at a stretch. Mickey Rourke possibly as supporting actor.

You are underselling Sin City to a huge extent. I think perhaps you are focusing too much on perceived arty films. Capote for instance, when you come down to it was a boring film. Sure it was technically great, and Philip-Seymour Hoffman put in a great performance - but at the end of the day it was a fairly boring movie.

Sin City was fresh, it was a great translation from Graphic novel to movie. Great ensemble cast, great pacing. It should have got a best picture nom, definetly visual effects, and makeup. Mickey Rourke was probably good for a supporting actor nom as well.

The fact that it got no noms, strikes me as very odd.

Dudess

The best actress nominees were pathetic. Keira Knightley - I hear the bottom of a barrel being scraped. So it's understandable there was a disappointing winner. Not much to choose from there. Felicity Huffman should have won. Not because it was a "challenging" role, but because she's a better actress than Reese Witherspoon, who isn't bad, but the role of June Carter was hardly a difficult one. As I said, Rachel Weisz should have been in the best actress category and won it. How was she only in a supporting role in the Constant Gardener? The damn thing revolves around her character! Michelle Williams should have won best supporting actress. PSH deserved best actor, although Heath Ledger would have, too. He was stunning in Brokeback. And I saw Syriana last night. What a film. Clooney definitely deserved his award.

Basq

Have to agree with the OP that Crash was a very mediocre film.. Matt Dillion's performance was very good but as a film, it was terribly cliched!

koneko

Rachel Weisz probably didn't have enough screentime to be nominated for best actress (instead of supporting). Having said that, the Oscars have done idiotic things before (Judi Dench for Shapespeare in Love? LOL!).

If Crash didn't have an ensemble cast, no one would have cared ("oooooh racism is bad, mmmkay!"). It's an average movie.

ixoy

Well, I've made my feelings about "Crash" clear previously. Hell, I did it last night when discussing ye lot voted it the best screenplay of 2005 . Cliched as hell, arrogant in its message handling, and not nearly as smart as it thinks it is. Oh and, I know it's subtle and all, but did you know that the movie has a theme about racism? Most undeserving win since "A Beautiful Mind" enraged me.

I also think Weisz should have secured Best Actress (not Supporting) and not Reese, who (unsurpisingly) found it easy to play a nice breezy character.

Glad I didn't invest any effort in watching it this year.

Dudess

Actually, I think Crash is unforgivably schmaltzy and naff in some places. Those two key scenes (don't worry, it's not a spoiler): the one with the little girl outside the house and the one with the burning car - come on! A bit too nicely sewn-up, methinks. Too much gloss for a not-so-glossy theme.

MisterAnarchy

Delighted Crash won the best Picture as it was the best film of 2005 hands down.
I had a feeling it would win as a dark horse and I'm off down the bookies to collect my winnings.
You beauty !

shuushh

rachael weihz won best supporting actress in fairness to her, the best actress category was fairly weak this year so reese witherspoon had that in the bag from the start with that whole biopic thing, once she won the golden globe it was a certainty, would have liked to see felicity huffman get it

yeh i have to admit i was a bit disappointed with Crash out of the 5 films that was the one I least wanted to win although it does have some good acting in it and is alot better than some of the ridiculous films that have won in recent years, was disappointed aswell in seeing crash winning best editing and best screenplay although they were pretty much written in stone again due to the nature of the story

on the upside just awards - philip seymour hoffman, ang lee, rachael weihz and one of the highlights of the night was three 6 mafia beating dolly parton for best original song

Capote for instance, when you come down to it was a boring film. Sure it was technically great, and Philip-Seymour Hoffman put in a great performance - but at the end of the day it was a fairly boring movie.

honestly i didnt find Capote boring at all and I agree with you that Sin City should have been nominated for at least visual effects and probably best adapted screenplay

im just happy that King Kong didnt get near any of the major categories

john stewart did a good job hosting it aswell especially when he slagged off all the different montages they were showing

Ardent

Dick Darlington wrote:

Crash may not be the worst movie but it definitley did not deserve the Oscar. It's cliched and very badly shot/directed. Did nobody else think they were watching a TV movie on TV3 because of the terrible shots and look of the film ?

When that Stereophonics song came in at the end I thought it was a joke.


Do people really think it's better than Brokeback Mountain ?, Capote ?, even Munich is as good if not better.

Certainly not I. I haven't seen Capote but Munich was good, Brokeback outstanding. Bth better than Crash in any event.

pbsuxok1znja4r

Dudess wrote:

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, Crash so did not deserve it. Then again, it's got Oscar winner written all over it - ensemble cast, po-faced, takes itself painfully seriously, an "issue" film, has a "message" etc. Very disappointed. But then, what did I expect? The Oscars is always a load of bollocks. Just thought it might be a bit better this year. Reese Witherspoon best actress? Come on! It was a really straightforward role. Rachel Weisz should have been in the best actress category.

TBH I don't think it took itself too seriously. I mean, one could argue that one can never take the issues in question 'too seriously', capiche? But, yeah, I think it poked the odd bit of fun, appropriately enough. The "'Cause we got guns?" scene is pretty damn funny, for example.
God damn I hate Reese Witherspoon.
I'm glad Crash won, probably because I hadn't seen Capote or whatsitcalled....so I didn't care too much for the other films.

Dudess

Well yeah, there was some humour, but overall, the film was pretty earnest. Don't get me wrong. It's quite a good film and I'll probably rent it even though I went to see it. Terrence Howard is class in it. Never knew much about him and it's nice he's getting recognition for his talent. But I'm very disappointed Brokeback Mountain didn't win. That film had such an effect on me and so many others. Cue: hordes of people ridiculing me for that statement. But it did. I've never been so floored by a film in my life. I find it baffling that it was such a dead cert. There's talk of more conservative members of the academy rejecting it. No doubt there'll be accusations of homophobic conspiracies.

Necronomicon

bringitdown wrote:

I believe (could be wrong) Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) cannot be nominated due to a falling out with the Directors Guild ...

Yeah, he pissed off everyone by appointing Frank Miller as an assistant director. The guild asked him to remove Miller, and Rodriguez rightly stuck his two fingers up at them and left.
I'm not too bothered about the Oscars, a lot of the films are pretentious and take themselves too seriously in my view. In fact I think there's almost a formula you have to follow nowadays to get nominated by the academy.

Dudess wrote:

Oscar winner written all over it - ensemble cast, po-faced, takes itself painfully seriously, an "issue" film, has a "message" etc.

Agreed!

garred

Delighted Crash won. Fantastic film and great performances. Also loved the score. The only film in the last few years that grabbed me by the balls. With the influx of the comic book type films glad to see this getting the recognition it deserved.

Crucifix

I was happy to see Crash win. I don't think I even saw any of the other nominations for best picture (but I haven't been to the cinema in ages).

Time Magazine

Crash:

Snobby, wealthy middle-class woman: check
Sterotypical black criminal: check
Chinaman under a van: check
Locksmith being Latin-American: check
Cringeworthy scene of good-guy rapist the end: check
All the cheesey irony in the world: check
Miraculous lack of a bullet which in no way tied into the plot: check

It lacked:
A dancing Chinaman
Black people with afros
The police being rotten to the core
A Sheryl Crow song
An actual definite meaning extractable and pertinent from the vacuum-packed plot

MisterAnarchy

Crucifix wrote:

I was happy to see Crash win. I don't think I even saw any of the other nominations for best picture (but I haven't been to the cinema in ages).

I've seen them all and Crash was my favourite .
Should have won best song too but lost out to that garbage from Hustle and Flow.
Travesty

fletch

Just watched Crash...a worthy winner IMO... very clever

pbsuxok1znja4r

Angry Banana wrote:

Crash:
Miraculous lack of a bullet which in no way tied into the plot: check

Psst!
The box she bought in the store contained blanks...

Basq

Ease up on the spoilers lads / ladettes!

RichyX

There's some seriously crap taste in films here.
Crash is the most ham fisted piece of rubbish I saw last year, truly awful film making.

Winters

Crash bore me when I saw it. Stank of trying too hard to make a overdone and outdated idea new. Brookback I thought was dire too, only reason it was there is that Hollywood is now at its "love gays" era. It seems to be bored with the tried and overdone racism thing by now.

Tbh, there has not been many decent movies come out of Hollywood in the past year. Any movie that has come out in the cinema this year that I have actually *wanted* to see has been a foreign language one.

I think ive pretty much given up on any movie that will come out of Hollywood. They are just doing the same tired ideas without putting any sort of twist on them. Not trying to do anything new [execpt for a small amount of directors] ... and they are REALLY dumbing down the scripts.

Paddy100

Crash was brilliant and deserved to win Best Picture. It had a brilliant cast and special mention to Matt Dillion who was brilliant as the rasist cop. Another one of my favourite films of 2005. That was released round August and usually that can be too early for the Oscars and the Acdamy forgets about good films like like Road To Petition a few years ago.

Dudess

Made the mistake of watching the highlights on Sky One last night. Awful cack.

Laplandman

originally posted by Paddy100
It had a brilliant cast...

Oh you mean the one with talent like Sandra Bullock? Brendan Frazer? When a film begins to countenance the notion of featuring actors this dire, its time to call it a day.
Crash did not. But then Crash did not do a lot of things.

Dudess

Laplandman wrote:

Oh you mean the one with talent like Sandra Bullock? Brendan Frazer? When a film begins to countenance the notion of featuring actors this dire, its time to call it a day.

Ah in fairness, you can't argue with Don Cheadle. Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton were great in it too. And Matt Dillon was excellent. I think Brendan Fraser is a pretty good actor. Unfortunately, he picks a lot of lame roles. Ditto Sandra Bullock. Actually the cast of Crash was pretty first-rate. It's just the film itself - not Oscar-winning material.

Playboy

Crash was excellent and deserved to win. Performances were excellent and such a powerful story. Also remember that crash is an LA story about a huge problem that exists in LA. It was always going to be close to the hearts of the academy voters.

Playboy

Laplandman wrote:

Oh you mean the one with talent like Sandra Bullock? Brendan Frazer? When a film begins to countenance the notion of featuring actors this dire, its time to call it a day.
Crash did not. But then Crash did not do a lot of things.

lol have you even seen the film? ... they both were excellent in it :rolleyes: Just because both of them have done their share of crap movies doesnt mean they can't act.

Dudess

Playboy wrote:

remember that crash is an LA story about a huge problem that exists in LA. It was always going to be close to the hearts of the academy voters.

Granted, but why then was Brokeback Mountain considered such a shoo-in? If Crash was, like you said, so close to the hearts of academy voters (and it makes perfect sense that it would be) why was there hardly any mention of it as a contender for best picture, and so much mention of Brokeback?

Hugh Hefner

Hype?

Dudess

Yeah, but why was there no goddamn mention of Crash prior to the ceremony??!!

Hugh Hefner

Well... it was in the nominees list. What more do you want? People talked about it, sure, just not as much as Brokeback and some of the other films that came out more recently, maybe because they came out more recently.