Crash and 'Todd shekar Todd!!!' - Overdue rant
Much before the Oscar's , heard abt Crash on Talking Movies and caught it on Sing airlines inflight (thank god for that little screen)
Had to write this to settle my little score with the Academy.
Crash is an insincere and self-conscious film.(As was the director's sugary Oscar acceptance speech)
The narrative is crowded and the intertwining stories fails to gel .
From the start with Sandra Bullock going off abt the Latino and his reaction to it , the film tries to deliver , but it ends up insipid.
The only saving factor is Matt Dillion's portrayal of a rabid cop. This too falls when there's that must-have redeeming rescue scene.
Its almost as if the writers brainstormed themselves to death on how to introduce more race issues in the film ,and finished with a dose of some manufactured pathos.
There are moments in the film , and unfortunately thats all there is to it.
Crash is a poor man's Monster's Ball and thats not to exalt the latter
Parineeta bothered me with the same self-conscious, atrophied-since-parinda vidhu vinod sensibility - but at this point I've decided not to rant so much on one day.
So , finish by cheering Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar speech , he's da man ( dint get past 15mins of Capote though)
Thats a long overdue post
Hooray Bafta now.
posted by mohayana @ 7:18 PM
6 Comments:
Bwuhahahahahaha, I like you da. I ain't seen 'crash', but was getting tired of all the adulation.
Agreed that Crash is something that looks more like an ad film for race issues, to understand its success (particularly in India, where movies like Range de Basanti are hailed as path breaking) one should not view it in monochrome. Credit should be given to crash for attempting, rather than delivering. The director may have sacrificed story for style (a common malady amongst indie film makers) but no one can fault it for not trying (however insincere it might be). Another saving grace i thought was don cheadle's character playing the good son but bad son thing, but maybe thats becuase it touched a personal chord somewhere.
As for philip seymour hoffman, he looks really predictable ; it would be a pleasure to see him get through a role without mumbling. And he remind's me of one of our R and F friends - fat, pompous and sometimes silly.
The effort is there alright , but I have an issue with mediocrity hailed over the rest.
Agree abt Don Cheadle ...and that refrigerator in his Moms home.
Enough grey.Somehow overshadowed by the rest for me.
Philipe Seymour Hoffman was underrated until this role, he's always had the talent , although he sometimes reminds one of Jack Black , he has the stuff and from some of his earlier films , think he's going to go a long way.
..anyway the oscars is abt mediocrity being hailed over the rest....and thats not a hoot for Brokeback
ooooooooooooo... low one about the r&f.
teehee.
Good , non-monochrome review
http://www.vh1.com/movies/movie/250957/review.jhtml
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