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Ask the Flying Monkey! (October 21, 2008)Q: I wanted to discuss the controversy surrounding Brokeback Mountain not being named Best Picture at the Oscars for 2005. I have to say that Crash involved me more than Brokeback did. I know Roger Ebert thought Crash won because it truly was the best film of the year, and that it was made inside the Hollywood system (while Brokeback was filmed in Canada). Does the support of Brokeback come from the fact that everyone TRULY believed it was the best film of 2005, or because it was a film that showed gay men in a positive light? If it’s the latter, why didn’t everyone also show the same enthusiasm/support at the box office for Capote? -- Keith, Arlington, VA A: Keith, the Monkey hereby dubs thee the Official Opener of Worm-Cans! First Queer as Folk, now this? Well! Yes, in the Monkey’s personal opinion, Brokeback Mountain truly was the best film of the year (though it didn’t necessarily show gay men in an entirely positive light since both characters were cheating on their wives). Crash seemed to the Monkey to be a fine, but completely unremarkable movie.
Brokeback's Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal (left); But you’re right: Roger Ebert definitely preferred Crash to Brokeback Mountain. He campaigned relentlessly for Crash to win the Oscar, and when it did, he championed it in AfterElton.com’s post-Oscar interview with him. It sounds like you liked Crash better too. That is absolutely your, and Roger Ebert’s, right. But it also isn’t the point. Brokeback Mountain was the undisputed front-runner for the Best Picture award. All of the usual indicators suggested a virtual Oscar lock. Under many formulations, it is the most honored movie in film history. None of this was remotely true for Capote (or Crash, for that matter, which was usually not even nominated for most of the other critical awards that Brokeback Mountain won). According to Premiere Magazine’s annual ranking, Brokeback Mountain was the best-reviewed movie of the year; Crash was the 36th best-reviewed movie of the year. And yet Brokeback Mountain didn’t win the Oscar. Why not? Was it because the Academy voters just didn’t like it as much as Crash, or because it was filmed in Canada? It’s one possible explanation. But keep in mind the context: Brokeback was an enormously controversial movie, subject to six months of tasteless, boorish jokes from late-night comedians. Right-wing pundits waged a relentless, blistering campaign to try to paint the movie as evidence that Hollywood had a “radical homosexual” agenda.
Is it crazy to assume that this might have contributed to the biggest upset in Oscar history? We can’t ever know for sure, but it seems pretty likely to the Monkey. Here’s the Monkey’s take: it probably wasn’t the case that Oscar voters were themselves homophobic (though some of them surely were; many were on record as saying they wouldn’t even see the film). The Monkey thinks the issue was that Oscar voters, mostly Hollywood insiders, were scared that giving Brokeback Mountain the top award would reinforce the notion that the movie industry had a “liberal” agenda — and that that might affect their bottom line. Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey!
Submitted by on Tue, 2008-10-21 19:47.  I noticed last weekend that the TV series 'Crash'...Submitted by
Dave (2088 points) (433 posts) on Wed, 2008-10-22 16:54....had a full page ad in the Advocate; Are they actually thinking they're going to attract gay viewers or just rubbing salt in old wounds?
 Brokeback and CrashSubmitted by
gabriel oak (486 points) (111 posts) on Wed, 2008-10-22 17:15.The reason why Brokeback Mountain's loss of the Best Picture Oscar was so shocking was that the film won every other big Best Picture award up until the Oscars and almost every Best Picture award from the various critics groups around the country. It seemed that year that only Oprah and Roger Ebert were crazy about Crash.
I personally think Brokeback did deserve to win that year. I had an immediate dislike to Crash while watching the film as an Asian American because the Asian characters were portrayed as the butt of the jokes in the film--and the screenplay was so contrived and obvious that I felt like I was watching a bad TV melodrama.
Besides Brokeback losing the Best Picture Oscar that year, it was a shame that the film didn't win any acting Oscars that year. Certainly Heath Ledger's performance was the best male acting performance that year but for some reason, Hoffman got practically every award that year--though the New York Film Critics Circle and I think the San Francisco Film Critics gave the Best Actor award to Heath. (BAFTA did have the sense to give Brokeback Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor--to Jake Gyllenhaal over George Clooney. At least the Academy had the sense to award Ang Lee--who I believe was the first person of color to ever receive the Best Director award from the Academy--something Oprah never mentioned on her show.  Daytime actors coming outSubmitted by
daniel82 (180 points) (38 posts) on Wed, 2008-10-22 17:38.I think you could write an independent article concerning the "daytime closet". Of course there are many actors who are out to friends and family, but not to the media/public. There are even more that generate those distasteful "whispers" and Blind Items. I think it is the networks and production companies who keep the closet door nailed shut in many cases. Also, the soap press has been notoriously "in bed" with the producers and networks, keeping all their secrets in order to keep up their relationships with the shows. But like I said, it's worth a much deeper look.
Your mention of Joel Crothers reminds me of the final days of "Edge of Night," where he played Dr. Miles Cavanaugh. Miles was part of a crime-fighting team of sorts, headed by Derek Mallory (Dennis Parker) and Calvin Stoner (Irving Lee). The viewers could see Parker wasting away before our very eyes; he wasn't even able to perform in the final months of the show. When Crothers went on "Santa Barbara," one couldn't help but see the difference from his EON days. He was much less of an "action hero" type like he was on EON, moving a lot more slowly and sitting alot, and he was very thin. Irving Lee went on to "Ryan's Hope," and until he too died of AIDS I had not known he was ill. Having seen those three co-stars all die too early makes my memories of Edge of Night (a really, really brilliant show) a bit sadder.  Time to get over itSubmitted by
Insideguy (2490 points) (496 posts) on Wed, 2008-10-22 20:07.BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN did not win the Best Picture Oscar. Only a limited number of people vote and the Academy will never release the count whether it lost by a single vote or a thousand votes it doesn't matter--it lost. The Academy is not a sibngle voting entity, some old timers never go out to the screening, Many live in Europe and don't see much. The Screeners may have changed some of that. I used to work for a guy who had his secretary fill out him ballot, she was not a member of the Academy, and saw hardly any of the movies that were nominated. Many legendary films lost out (CITIZEN KANE, GRAND ILLUSION, APOCALYPSE NOW and HIGH NOON lost out to the incredibly awful THE BEST SHOW ON EARTH)and many more were never even nominated (THE WOMEN (1939), THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, PSYCHO, BULLIT). WHAT'S DONE IS DONE, GET OVER IT. You can also add Paul Keenan of DAYS OF OUR LIVES (1980-1981), and later DYNASTY, to that list of open gays on soaps. INSIDEGUY  I'm sorry -Submitted by
giovannif7 (1699 points) (358 posts) on Wed, 2008-10-22 20:49.could you please remind me - exactly when did I agree to let you decide when I should get over something? Because I don't recall doing so...
 I Got Over "Porky's II"Submitted by
afhickman (3715 points) (770 posts) on Thu, 2008-10-23 00:31.afhickman "The mountain has wings." And I'll get over "Brokeback" when I get over Shakespeare or Picasso or Beethoven. I'll get over it when I get over red wine and cheese or Christmas carols. I'll get over it when I'm dead and dusted--I promise--but not a minute before. The noive of the guy! Younger gay teens and preteensSubmitted by
AnnieO (217 points) (42 posts) on Thu, 2008-10-23 14:59.I'm not sure it's as rare as you're making out. I've certainly noticed an upspike in younger queer characters in recent years. In addition to the aforementioned Breakfast with Scot and Ready? Ok!, other movies that would fit into this category would be Whole New Thing, A Very Serious Person, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous, Wild Tigers I Have Known, Running with Scissors, Billy Elliot, Set Me Free, The Long Day Closes, Bruno, and Ma Vie En Rose. I think the original question was about movies that a younger audience could enjoy without necessarily having gay teenagers in them. I read it to mean "family friendly" films (rated PG or so) with gay characters. In that vein, I would recommend Big Eden. A sweet comedy/drama with no explicit content and only a few swear words. Definitely a good movie to show 'tweens.  Listen. .. .Submitted by
TheFabulousThomasJ (850 points) (192 posts) on Fri, 2008-10-24 20:38.. . .even if I were straight, I still think Crash was a tedious third-rate knock-off of Lawrence Kasdan's excellent 1991 film, Grand Canyon. Not only did Brokeback Mountain blow me away with its' quiet, observant unfolding, but I saw it with a bunch of blue-collar types and weather-worn farmers. We all exited the movie with tears in our eyes. And I will never forget that night for as long as I live. |
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The "Crash" win
Brokeback
My expectations may have been too high but I was disappointed with Brokeback. It may also have to do with having just seen Maurice, which I felt told a similar story in a much more convincing manner. Both leads in BBM left me cold until the scene after Jake's character dies and Heath's character is holding his shirt. I just felt both actors were afraid to go all the way with the characters.
I also wish that people involved in the movie had made more reference in the promotion and interviews about the men who actually lived those lives, instead I heard a lot more about how brave the actors were for taking on the roles.
At the end of the day awards mean nothing to me, so it doesn't make a difference to me who won.
Way to rub salt in the wound, folks
Geez, just as "Crash" the TV series is being eviscerated from coast to coast, and some critics are actually rethinking their liking of the movie...
All of the above points are correct. Whether or not you loved "Brokeback" or not, there's no denying that it was hands-down the most awarded and critically acclaimed of the nominees. "Crash" did not even make the Top 100 of the best-reviewed movies of 2005 on Rotten Tomatoes, and if Roger Ebert (and Oprah) had not continually championed it, it probably would've faded into the ether. (Ebert gave it a glowing review at the Toronto fest in fall 2004, but the other review I found online ripped it to shreds.) The point is, aside from the awards that "Brokeback" won, the "Crash" upset has YEARS of statistical anomalies, just a few of which include:
--Oscar likes period films. It had been almost 25 years since two present-day-setting films won back-to-back Oscars ("Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Ordinary People"). That should've favored "Brokeback."
--"Brokeback" had the most acting nominees, which usually goes with the Best Picture winning. -
-it had been 32 years since a film not even nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes won the Oscar for Best Picture, and that was "The Sting." (Note: the Golden Globes were unsure which category to put "The Sting" in, drama or comedy.) Otherwise, the Oscar for Best Picture has always been at least nominated at the Golden Globes--and "Crash" was the only other exception.
--it had been 25 years since a film won Best Picture without a director award OR a major acting award--you'd have to go back to "Chariots of Fire," which did however win the New York Critic's award for Best Picture. Otherwise, you'd have to go all the way back to "Around the World in 80 Days" in the 50's to find a picture that took the top award without a director or acting award OR a critic's award for Best Picture.
--no film in Oscar history that is set in Los Angeles dealing with the film industry--as Terrence Howard's character does--had EVER won Best Picture until "Crash."
--the Oscar almost always goes to the picture with the most nominations, which was "Brokeback."
--the Oscar usually goes to the highest-grossing nominee, which was also "Brokeback."
Put it all together--along with the various Academy members who, as mentioned, refused to even see "Brokeback" let alone vote for it--and you have the biggest stain of the Oscars' ignoble history.
And by the way, I really liked "Ready? OK!" and would recommend it to folks looking for a great portrayal of a nascent gay kid.
Oh, and one thing about Jack...
Jack
I always took Jack's disparaging comments about Will's looks as making fun of the very prejudice you mention in the gay community. Because, simply, Will was NOT fat, or bald. What Jack was saying was totally ridiculous, and I thought it fit right in with his other extreme manifestations of stereotypical gay behavior, from his mannerisms to his promiscuity (which I often doubted, anyway - he often seemed to be embellishing his stories, though there were some definite hookups along the way). I also suspected that Jack's jibes were hiding his long-standing crush on Will. This joke was always on Jack, not Will.
The problem with that sort of humor is that the audience can laugh at it (or not) either way - as satire, or as a simple cheap joke. I'm sure lots of people laughed because calling someone fat was funny to them, and being fat was, for them, the epitome of unattractiveness. (I'm also certain that many laughed at it as a satire of that particular mode of thinking in the gay community, and in society in general.) Reminds me of Dave Chappelle, who says he got burnt out once when he noticed that his audiences were laughing AT him, not with him. Or Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall, who related that, after a Buddy Cole skit (talk about stereotypes as satire!), some in the audience would compliment him on sticking it to the fags.
Well, just my two cents.
TonyG you are right
Will was so clearly not fat or bald it made Jack's comments funny because he was petulantly lashing out. But you're also right about the "having it both ways" -- whihc is always a problem with edgy humour, remember there were people who idolized Archie Bunker!
Which is why I think, from a perspective of skewering gay 'looks-ism" from an insider perspective, the BEST Jack line is when Barry asks him why gay men are so obsessed and it's all about the pecs and face:
"Don't be ridiculous! It's all about the PECS. The face can always be covered with a nice leather hat, or hood."
:D
And...
Brokeback was terrible
Oh god, that lame argument again...
Yeah, and if the boat hadn't hit that iceburg and gone down, nobody would have paid any attention to "Titanic." "The Dark Knight" would have totally bombed if it had been about an accountant and a car salesman. And "Casablanca" would have sucked if it was set in Cleveland in 1993.
My point is that "Brokeback Mountain" is about the tragic results of homophobia in society. You didn't like it, and nobody's saying you have to like it. But saying that it wouldn't have been popular if it wasn't about what it was about is a pointless slam - because it was about what it was about. This argument was created by homophobes who don't want to see real human gay characters in films, and it makes me sad to see any AfterElton readers happily drinking that kool-aid.
"Crash" was a decent film, but the subject matter had been addressed in several previous (and more effective) films, in my opinion. It did not deserve to win.
Blame Canada
afhickman
"The mountain has wings."
I have to admit, I hadn't heard that one before. Yes, I'm sure the film lost to "Crash" because it was filmed in Canada. Let's forget for the moment that director Paul Haggis is Canadian himself. The fact remains, "Brokeback Mountain" is the single most important American film made in the last twenty-five years. I'm suspicious of anyone who registers for this site simply to start dissing "Brokeback," but it does go to show that the haters will never let up. Roger Ebert and the late-night talk show hosts who savaged "Brokeback" are entitled to their opinion (may they rot in hell), but nothing changes the fact that they were wrong, wrong, wrong. In twenty-five years people will still be talking about "Brokeback" long after "Crash" has found its way to the remainder bins. Can I be any clearer?L.A. Story
Actually, I think it was more the fact that Crash was a Los Angeles made and SET film.
My theory is this: since Ang Lee won Best Director, the vote total for Best Picture was probably very, very close--the people who voted for Crash did so for a variety of reasons: they were looking for an alternative to Brokeback and this much-discussed film fit the bill, they liked the ensemble cast, they liked that it was set in L.A. and dealt with L.A.-centric issues, or they just thought it was honestly a better film.
But be careful what you wish for: almost immediately, among film critics and scholars, Crash joined Braveheart and The Great Ziegfeld as one of the worst Best Picture winners ever.
Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/
Crash and Burn
afhickman
"The mountain has wings."
I thought at the time that, since practically every actor in Hollywood was in "Crash," it was bound to get the industry vote. I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but, as "Crash" was originally released in 2004 (at the Toronto Film Festival), it really wasn't even eligible for the 2005 awards. But that's just my funny way of thinking.Film festival vs. commercial release
The Academy rules state that a film must play in Los Angeles and New York for one week starting in a calendar year to qualify. Crash had its premiere at Toronto in September 2004, but was commercially released in LA and NY in May 2005, thus qualifying for that year's Oscars.
Check out my blog: http://radicalsexy.blogspot.com/
A Film That Will Never Grow Old
afhickman
"The mountain has wings."
Thank you, Joseph, for what may be the most comprehensible explanation I've yet heard of what is nevertheless THE GREATEST INJUSTICE IN CINEMATIC HISTORY! You may recall that they found a way to eliminate Emmy Lou Harris' "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" from the running as well.
Here is a Youtube tribute to Heath that is accompanied by the greatest film song of my generation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77r6GuGdDEs&feature=related
Brokeback
Well, that's a pretty valid
Being Canadian...
Brokeback
Here Come Those Tired Old Tits Again!
Well, yes, ultimately we're all worm-food
Read my books! Explore "Brent's Brain" at http://www.brenthartinger.com Average (3 votes):
Closely Followed...
...By another of your tired old puns, David. What was it last time? You Brokeback it, you paid for it? Or was it the fact that no one gay worked on the film so you don't consider it a *gay* film?
You're starting to remind me of John McCain.