Lary Bloom
Writer, Editor, Teacher
The Bloom Blog
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Sunday, March 05, 2006
Not a Brokebacker
You know it's hard out there for a pimp,when you're tryin' to make the money for the rent...
-- a rap from Hustle and Flow
A prediction: Brokeback Mountain will hog the Academy Awards tonight. This is not because it is a good movie (it is a good movie) but because the folks in Hollywood love to pat themselves on the back when, by mistake or otherwise, someone has produced a film that enlightens the masses on critical social or historical issues. "Aren't we important?" they seem to be saying. As if Hollywood, as an industry, is in any way living up to its potential as a voice of humanity. For every Brokeback Mountain or Hotel Rwanda, there are hundreds of cheap entertainments, driven simply by marketing and America's declining level of taste.
Every year, the "Academy" sponsors its annual Oscar-fest with intent of giving the impression that filmmakers are not only talented but courageous. Hogwash. And what about the stars themselves? Sometimes I wonder how movies actually get made. Actors at the top of their profession are so busy putting on monkey suits or gaudy gowns and being driven to award ceremonies it's a wonder that they ever have time to read or memorize a script. How much adulation do these people need? And what are these awards really for? I'll tell you what they're for: standing in front of a camera and speaking lines. Wouldn't it something if, annually, tens of millions of households tuned in instead to the American Hero Awards, if such a thing existed.
Well, we're stuck with it, and so I'm rooting against Brokeback Mountain, just because I'm weary off all the, well, back patting. I thought the movie was directed and acted nicely, but I didn't love it. (Annie Prouxl's original 30-page short story is what is lovable.) Nor did I love Munich, in which I think Spielberg missed the point. Crash was excellent, and had the right mix of entertainment and commentary, and may have been the best film.
Still, the only folks I'll root for are Terrence Howard and Felicity Huffman. Howard's performance as a pimp and rap composer in Hustle and Flow was captivating, and Huffman, as a transsexual in Transamerica was easily the best actress. I'm sure they'll be glad to hear that I think so, but that may be small comfort when all the jokes are delivered, the teary speeches read, and I have finished all of my wincing.
Posted by:Lary Bloom at 7:53 AM
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