Crash and the Academy Awards

Thanks for the comments about my last post (which was like a month and a half ago). Anyhow, the most recent comment posted questions the validity of Crash as an insightful movie. So I will go along with the comment, which was posed in devil’s advocate form, and address it.

For starters, if you don’t think that OVERT racism exist today, then you need to walk in my shoes and experience what I frequently experience; as well as listen to the racist things I hear people say all the time. And trust me, I can’t believe that in the year 2006 people still say and do some of the things they say and do, purely based on race.

Secondarily, if the only points about race, that you recognized in Crash, were the overt points, then you need to go watch the movie ‘bout 2, 3, 7 more times. I haven’t seen the film in months, but I can instantly think of 3 occurrences in the movie where the racial issue addressed wasn’t clearly apparent (or OVERT) , and took the inference of the viewing audience to decipher (thus exposing that we all hold on to some racial notions in our head…which is the point of the movie).

The quickest (to explain) example I can give occurs towards the end of the movie with Larenz Tate’s and Ryan Phillipe’s characters in the car. There was nothing OVERT about Phillipe’s actions. The viewing audience had to assume what he was thinking about during the exchange with Tate’s character after he had already pulled the trigger.

Totally Covert.

Point being, the movie was excellent because it addressed both the overt as well as the covert. The things that I’m shocked people do 35+ years after the Civil Rights movement (the overt), as well as the things that keep the prisons full of black men who make up less than a 5th of the population or keep minorities from being President/VP/Congressmen/etc (the covert).

Excellent movie…go see it ‘bout 2, 3, 7 more times!

Here’s what I wrote the day after the Academy Awards (see, I’ve been writing, just haven’t posted the many things I’ve written).

I’m glad that the Academy got it right this year. Yup, in case you missed it, Crash won the Oscar for Best Picture Sunday night during the 78th Academy Awards. Of course I was delighted since I think that the movie certainly warranted the award. It was quite a shock as evidenced by the reactions of the Academy when Jack Nicholson announced the winner. But yeah, I’m glad.

Unlike most years, I actually found the courage within myself to sit through the entire show; and boy am I glad that I did…I needed to see 3-6 Mafia win that Oscar for the Best Original Song in a Movie, It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp. There’s absolutely nothing like them performing the very, uh, moving song, and then winning the Oscar. Their acceptance speech had to be the greatest acceptance speech in the 78 year history of the event. Neither the Academy nor the American public was ready for that.

I must say that I enjoyed Jon Stewart as host. He was funny, charming, and had several creative ideas as host. I also enjoyed George Clooney’s acceptance speech. It was well stated and the essence of his speech was put into good context. But dude, what was up with that silly acceptance speech music that the orchestra played in the background of everyone’s speeches. How annoying?!!!

Finally, I can’t write a silly post about the Oscar’s without mentioning the showstoppers. There were 2 really hot Latinas that really sizzled on the red carpet. Jessica Alba looked like a goddess, and Salma Hayek was absolutely stunning. Seriously, just one word to describe them both: WOW!

-Maelstrom