Movie Review
We saw Crash, and it really sucked. Thanks for the warnings everyone.
The good things -- we think Terrance Howard and the woman who played his wife were good -- the best acting in the film and the most compelling characters to play. Elias liked the little girl with the cloak of impenetrability. Brother Ed did too. I didn't. In short, Crash would be fine as a training film for the LAPD employees. It lends itself well to post training quizzes that need to be easy to pass.
The bad things -- all the rest, especially how they threw every imaginable racially charged scenario that could ever happen into one movie that spans 2 days. I'm talking racist cops, cross-racial sexual assault, a dope fiend, sassy Black women who should just keep their mouths shut, a rich white lady who should just keep her mouth shut, Koreans getting called "Chinamen," human trafficking and slavery, politics as usual, an unjust health care system, and oh so much more. There is lots of speech making in case you don't understand what's really going on. Everyone acts badly, but the story lets everyone but the most well intentioned off the hook. Go figure.
Our other recent Netflix pick, The Fantanstic Four towered over Crash. And it also serves as a primer on how far we have to go in terms of tollerating each other. (Elias disagrees with me here and thinks Crash was better.)
The good things -- we think Terrance Howard and the woman who played his wife were good -- the best acting in the film and the most compelling characters to play. Elias liked the little girl with the cloak of impenetrability. Brother Ed did too. I didn't. In short, Crash would be fine as a training film for the LAPD employees. It lends itself well to post training quizzes that need to be easy to pass.
The bad things -- all the rest, especially how they threw every imaginable racially charged scenario that could ever happen into one movie that spans 2 days. I'm talking racist cops, cross-racial sexual assault, a dope fiend, sassy Black women who should just keep their mouths shut, a rich white lady who should just keep her mouth shut, Koreans getting called "Chinamen," human trafficking and slavery, politics as usual, an unjust health care system, and oh so much more. There is lots of speech making in case you don't understand what's really going on. Everyone acts badly, but the story lets everyone but the most well intentioned off the hook. Go figure.
Our other recent Netflix pick, The Fantanstic Four towered over Crash. And it also serves as a primer on how far we have to go in terms of tollerating each other. (Elias disagrees with me here and thinks Crash was better.)
posted by Kathy at 7:55 AM
17 Added Something:
Great review, K. We totally agree. The thought of Crash getting on Oscar for Best Movie makes us want to puke all over Sandra Bullock.
"The story lets everyone but the most well intentioned off the hook. Go figure." Kathy Sheffield.
Again - isn't that part of the point - I'm not trying to defend the movie but I just think that was part of the point. I still think it was well intended even if poorly constructed. I saw Brokeback and thought it was really sad - nobody warned me about how sad it is.
i agree with you super. i think it was well-intentioned, just way too heavy-handed, contrived, lacking in subtlety, etc. honestly, i didn't think it was THAT bad - but it was certainly a ridiculous choice for the oscar.
and we all know that with which the road to hell is paved...
(SOMEBODY needed to say it)
Lady Miss K: The Fantastic Four sucked!!! Jessica Alba is the worst actress, (I've met the poor girl)...The only thing good about the film was that guy who turns into fire who had his shirt off in every other scene...Yummmm!!!
I'm sorry you finally saw Crash. I agree with you. The only good performances in the film were by Terrence Howard, and especially Thandie Newton (a Brit & favorite actress of mine) who played his wife.
I disagree with RV3, I thought the FF was a faithful enough adaptation of the comics, thought it could have been better. I also disagree with his assessment of Jessica Alba's acting prowess. I think she is terrific, but her best role was on Fox's defunct "Dark Angel" series
Jessica Alba's acting prowess???
(I am laughing right now...)
Excuse me a second...
It's all about her body and looks. Don't confuse that with talent, Mister Hostile...
Peace...
:-)
Eli - I see right through you - like anna says - you may have been "well-intentioned" in characting my vocabulary but you're going to the place with the fiery furnaces for doing so.
Miss the dance.
Does it matter if Jessica can act she's a Latina. No one seems to care that Ben can't act - and they keep putting him in movies.
Well maybe FF isnt the best example, but watch the 2 seasons of Dark Angel (available on DVD) and then talk to me
Supermosquita: Hi!!! :-) I know what you mean about Ben and other actors who can't act. I kinda want to support Jessica Alba's career because she is Latina (from her dad's side only, she claims...), but does not excuse her for being a bad actress. But then again, half the "actors" in Hollywood can't act.
Lucy4: I love your take on CRASH... I am totally that black person at that party offended by the ignorant, but well-meaning white boy.
Kathy: I miss you!!!
characting = correcting
rv3 - it would be nice to get rid of all the bad actors - that may be a club we don't want to be a part of. It's kind of like those strip club billboards - they are always blonds - do we want to see diversity on strip club billboards or are we happy that minority women are not being exploited on highway billboards? I want to get rid of all of them too- some men may disagree with me and want to see more of a variety - I hear men like that.
Good intentions aren't enough. Crash was a pile of steaming shit and every fiber of my being is suffused with contempt for it. Lucy4's take on Crash was great, except that I don't have time or energy to deal with well-meaning ignorant, racist fuckwads. Excuse my French, but it's fucking 2006!
The worst thing about Crash is that white Hollywood feels so good about naming it Best Movie. I bet they honestly feel like they did something important to fight racism, when all they actually did was vote for a shitty movie 'about' race.
Typoqueen & Agent #8: Word!!!
I disagree, L4. Strongly. Racism is about power, not pointing out differences. Judgments by people of color have not resulted in unfair systems. Your judgment of your brother-in-law didn't result in a decision to deny employment, housing, educational opportunities, etc.
It's a bummer that you joke about your sister's date taking her to Rosco's as opposed to Capanille. Like him, I hear the message, "He's Black, he must be unhealthy and cheap." It's kind of funny that you were right, and Roscoes is tasty. In the end, your sister married the guy. But your experience is hardly the case study for racism. It's special and informative to you. However, I would never equate it with slavery, lynching, segregation, sweatshops, exploitation of immigrants, racial profiling, criminal sentencing disparity, etc.
Dude, as a teacher, your definition matters a lot.
I recall two incidents that happened in front of teachers. In the 3rd grade, a Latina (Mexican girl we would say back then) made a big demonstration in class about how she was darker than me! OMG she couldn't believe it. Mrs. Williamson was our lay (em!) teacher at St. Mary's, and she was the meanest teacher in the world. She did nothing, and I imagine she probably loved watching people be mean to me.
The next year, in 4th grade, at Nokomis Elementary (public school), Carolyn Jones gave an oral report about slavery and she actually used the word nigger to refer to African slaves. Hearing the word in class and with an implicit ok from the teacher was powerful, humiliating, and sticks with me to this day. Even though the teacher had the power to do something, I still blame Carolyn, her parents, and her church of LDS.
Mostly I wanted to tell that story to chime in with you, and to challenge you in your very important role of making a safe and fair classroom for your students.
Also, I think Crash might have rung more true had it been set in an elementary school in the 70s. I could forgive the writing and might find the words appropriate coming from the mouths of 9 and 10 year olds.
Chappelle's Show never would have got TV play time in the 70s, either. we had Rodge, Dee, and Rerun--those adorable racial stereotypes harmless enough for primetime. we loved the shows then, but try watching them now. they often had good messages and seemed well intended, but goddamn, we've come a long way.
maaaan, that Dave Chappelle is f-ing funny. i'm "Rick James, Bitch!" (*no offense to any of you bitches out there).
lucy4 & agent #8 - crash was about preconceptions, and it was real, and even though we have come a long way, all of us are so sheltered surrounded by educated progressive types, we don't see people that act just like the people in Crash.
Maybe that's why I thought it not so bad - I actually know people like that and are forever arguing with them about how wrong they are. They aren't blatently racist most of the time, but they don't understand the ramifications of the racism lucy4 underwent nor the ramifications of institutional racism as K put it. They just say things without thinking, these are our average Americans - how do you think Bush got elected, he got elected by people like the characters in Crash.
When I was 10 a rich white boy at Catholic School called me a "beaner" (K - he was smart enough to know it was not nice and only whispered it) - I asked my mom, "why did he call me that, I don't even like beans." She said nothing - so I didn't know it was racist, but I knew it was demeaning because it felt terrible. In college my friends well-intentioned Mom asked if I was ever a victim of racism - I said not that I remember- I'm not sure why I said that, but it felt racist of her to be so fucking understanding about my "racial" condition - her not being a minority, I just didn't understand why she was asking me these things and making me feel different from everyone else in the room -- looking back she was much like the movie Crash- and I guess I wouldn't give her the Nobel Prize but I wouldn't stone her either.
K- can you blog so we have something new to argue about. BTW - V for Vendetta was dumb, and a rip-off of matrix, beauty and beast, dawn of the dead, the holocaust, hitler, you name it was in there - Blaaah. I hated the way the V talked it was hard to follow.
Post a Comment
<< Home