A common criticism of Best Picture-nominated "Babel" is: "It's the 'Crash' of 2006," which is unfair to "Crash." While last year's Best Picture wasn't a classic winner in the mold of 2003's "Return of the King," more resembling a successful experimental movie than a successor to "Gone with the Wind," "Lawrence of Arabia," and "The Godfather," it was a lot better movie than "Babel." I wrote in The American Conservative: " "Crash" is too contrived to be a great movie, but it's a contrivance of an unusually high order." The first hour, being inspired writer-director Paul Haggis's having been himself carjacked in 1991, is one of the most candid depictions of America's crime and race problems. The second hour mostly apologizes for the first hour, but that's a small price to pay (especially compared to the film it upset for Best Picture, the thoroughly phony "Brokeback Mountain." My full review of "Crash" is here.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
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5 comments:
Without having seen Babel yet--I think the Crash/Babel comparisons are coming from the whole multiethnic cast/meandering movie thing, which apparently a lot of the Academy enjoys. (Why were East Asians the only irredeemably awful ethnic group in Crash, by the way?)
I have no problem with this bias by the academy, if it produces more movies of this type. I'd rather see a few near misses in this style like Babel and TGS than have nothing to choose from but so-called popcorn flicks.
re: Crash I loved it, but echoing what justin said, it seemed like the Mexicans were all good, with no real flaw. I don't consider intimidating tattoos a real flaw. I think the movie would have been more complete if that locksmith had a realistic vice.
"I think the movie would have been more complete if that locksmith had a realistic vice."
Crash was so contrived, I had to suspend disbelief while I watched it.
Thus, I think you are wrong. The movie would have been more complete if it had a more realistic plot line (ie, less of that stupid "Mangnolia" type B.S.).
"Crash was so contrived, I had to suspend disbelief while I watched it."
Yes it was contrived and unrealistic. So what? No where did the movie say "this could actually happen in LA". You suspend disbelief and then enjoy the movie.
Sorry Steve,I have to disagree with ya( a bit!):) Crash was a good "movie",tho I didnt see it as really a full-fledged movie,it was more like a series of,I dunno,exercises in story telling? Babel was the better movie,the story of the maid screwing up was especially interesting. I thought it just worked better as a whole.The Pitt character,and the Japanese girl,were also fairly compelling. Cheers!
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