Crash

[Brainaddict]

I wouldn't bother if I were you. It starts quite well - I enjoyed it for the first half hour, but then it just feels like its beating you over the head cos there's an act of horrible racism in pretty much every scene.
And then you start wondering how its going to be resolved and what the filmmakers are going to suggest to improve the situation, and you are offered *a succession of modern day 'miracles'* a la Magnolia - except that it worked okay in Magnolia because it was that kind of film and doesn't work at all here, because you've spent the whole film dealing with this horrible, nasty problem and all you're offered in the end is 'oooh, there's some good even in bad people and the Universe isn't such a bad place after all'.
Yeah, thanks for that.

 

[Ryazan]

I thought this was about the Great JG Ballard.

Nevermind.

 

[rubbershoes]

i quite liked it. the comment on the racism in US society became rather heavy-handed.But the humour pulled it through. some very good lines and well put together sitautions.

7/10

 

[Brainaddict]

i quite liked it. the comment on the racism in US society became rather heavy-handed.But the humour pulled it through. some very good lines and well put together sitautions.

7/10

There were a few good scenes, particularly near the beginning, but it felt to me like a lot of the humour was lines added in afterward because someone thought 'hey this movie's way too serious - let's add some funny lines to help people enjoy it'.

 

[Jibby!]

I thought it was good.

You can't say its not worth watching. Its just maybe not as good as some people have said it is. But its interesting viewing and intelligent too.

It is contrived and feels overly so with all the initial archetype characters and situations, but its very much a film about an issue rather than a film as just entertainment, very much like traffic in that way (and in a few other ways).

Its good to see racism shown like that rather than just being washed over and ignored all the time.

But you're right, if you're looking for solutions then you're looking in the wrong place, but then this is a mainstream Hollywood film.

 

[chegrimandi]

I enjoyed it an' all. Its certainly not flawless - far from it, but it makes some intelligent points on a topic that not everyone is comfortable discussing for fear of being branded racist....

Some of it feels quite contrived, like really contrived and didn't like the schmaltzy cheesy ending but it definitely has some good stuff in it. A film that dares to say its not only white people that hold racists views! Blimey I really liked the story around Matt Dillon, his old man losing his business through positive discrimination, and his younger, naive partner was brilliant, really liked that bit with a great twist in it.

Basically any film that dealt with race issues in such a brazen full on manor is going to feel a bit clunky but it said plenty to me and made me think quite a bit. Cracking pace an' all.....

(thank fuck sandra bollocks only had a minor role as a complete cretinous character )

 

[chegrimandi]

but then it just feels like its beating you over the head cos there's an act of horrible racism in pretty much every scene.

racism is horrible. Isn't that a point worth making?

 

[gabi]

I saw this last night and loved it. 9/10.

What part did Matt Damon play though? Do you mean Matt Dillon? I didn't notice Damon...

 

[Brainaddict]

actually sandra bullock did okay - this is the second film I've seen her in where she plays a hard-assed bitch and she (a) does it quite well and (b) is far less irritating than when she's being a receptacle for cheesy romantic urges.

 

[chegrimandi]

I saw this last night and loved it. 9/10.

What part did Matt Damon play though? Do you mean Matt Dillon? I didn't notice Damon...

ooops yeh Matt Dillon innit.....

 

[i_hate_beckham]

i thought Crash was a film about people who got off on shagging at car crashes??

 

[Brainaddict]

i thought Crash was a film about people who got off on shagging at car crashes??

yeah it was.

now its about racism.

keep up man.

 

[Jibby!]

I really liked the story around Matt Dillon, his old man losing his business through positive discrimination, and his younger, naive partner was brilliant, really liked that bit with a great twist in it.

Basically any film that dealt with race issues in such a brazen full on manor is going to feel a bit clunky but it said plenty to me and made me think quite a bit. Cracking pace an' all.....

(thank fuck sandra bollocks only had a minor role as a complete cretinous character )

I got totally sucked in by the twist (I'm rubbish at piecing together clues, and I didnt hear the scene with the locksmith and his kid under the bed). But it made me intake a deep breath and say 'fucking hell'. I can't think of another film that really hit me like that for ages, probably since RequiemForADream.

Having said that, I don't think the film sensationalises its topic which it easily could have done. I think it really tries to give a realistic overview... but maybe it feels overbearing because when do we ever think about racism for a solid 2 hours?

Also, I think it could have taken the high road and made a long essay type film (some people have criticised it for not being that), but I think its a really easy film to watch, it flows nicely, its fast paced, having so many characters and setups helps. Its not comprehensive, but it does a really good job of giving a basic overview.

 

[redsquirrel]

Aree with BA rubbish. I don't even think it's a good protrayal of racism. The average episode of the Shield explores racism far far better than this pretentious nonsense. Not to mention John Sayles or similars work.

 

[chegrimandi]

Aree with BA rubbish. I don't even think it's a good protrayal of racism. The average episode of the Shield explores racism far far better than this pretentious nonsense. Not to mention John Sayles or similars work.

how can there be a 'good' potrayal of racism? Do you mean its not an accurate portrayal of racism? In what way is it pretentious?

 

[akirajoel]

I agree with the following:

I am willing to bet that at every pitch meeting and conference-call for this movie, the word "edgy" featured heavily. This is super-edgy stuff, so much so that almost no character can arrive on screen without pranging another character of a different racial group and yelping insults, right off the bat, dialogue that can be summarised as: "Good morning!" - "I'll good morning you in a minute you spic/ Mick/ black/ cracker/ al-Qaida terrorist asshole etc!" Pretty much everyone conforms to the traditional slur on the Ulster Protestant: first to give offence, first to take offence. There's a Rodney King micro-riot in every scene. Jennifer Esposito plays a cop whose parents are from Puerto Rico and El Salvador; she hits the ceiling when Cheadle calls her "Mexican", but none the less jeeringly imitates a Chinese motorist talking about her "blake light". Ouch! Haggis drives his liberal sensibilities slap bang into the middle of this monster truck rally of ethnic loathing, intent on imagining how each driver is vulnerable and hurting inside.


*yawn!*

 

[chegrimandi]

I agree with the following:

I am willing to bet that at every pitch meeting and conference-call for this movie, the word "edgy" featured heavily. This is super-edgy stuff, so much so that almost no character can arrive on screen without pranging another character of a different racial group and yelping insults, right off the bat, dialogue that can be summarised as: "Good morning!" - "I'll good morning you in a minute you spic/ Mick/ black/ cracker/ al-Qaida terrorist asshole etc!" Pretty much everyone conforms to the traditional slur on the Ulster Protestant: first to give offence, first to take offence. There's a Rodney King micro-riot in every scene. Jennifer Esposito plays a cop whose parents are from Puerto Rico and El Salvador; she hits the ceiling when Cheadle calls her "Mexican", but none the less jeeringly imitates a Chinese motorist talking about her "blake light". Ouch! Haggis drives his liberal sensibilities slap bang into the middle of this monster truck rally of ethnic loathing, intent on imagining how each driver is vulnerable and hurting inside.


*yawn!*

fantastic you couldn't make it up! a Guardian hack moaning about liberal sensibilities......

 

[Brainaddict]

fantastic you couldn't make it up! a Guardian hack moaning about liberal sensibilities......

because all guardian writers believe and think exactly the same thing don't they? Thanks god its cool and radical-leftie to insult the guardian, otherwise people might think that was a stupid comment

 

[chegrimandi]

because all guardian writers believe and think exactly the same thing don't they? Thanks god its cool and radical-leftie to insult the guardian, otherwise people might think that was a stupid comment

are you denying the Guardian is a paper with a liberal agenda.....?

Oh and don't be so hasty young brainaddict I didn't pass comment on whether this was good or bad or insulting as you wrongly claim! Me thinks you protest too much. Blimey, some people.

 

[redsquirrel]

how can there be a 'good' potrayal of racism? Do you mean its not an accurate portrayal of racism? In what way is it pretentious?

OK accurate then if you prefer . In what way is it prentious? Well it's wet liberalism about how we are all racist sometimes and the utterly moronic need to have evetything "fit together" in some way.
Added to this it's totally predictable and the terribly stereotypical characters makes it a pretty lousy film.

 

[redsquirrel]

are you denying the Guardian is a paper with a liberal agenda.....?

No he's making the point that the film reviewer might not have the same politiical opinions as the paper he works for.

 

[chegrimandi]

OK accurate then if you prefer . In what way is it prentious? Well it's wet liberalism about how we are all racist sometimes and the utterly moronic need to have evetything "fit together" in some way.
Added to this it's totally predictable and the terribly stereotypical characters makes it a pretty lousy film.

Its not my view that its a liberally held point of view that people of all colours harbour racist thoughts. Quite the opposite in fact. This was a Hollywood blockbuster on a tough topic that raised some interesting points. It was hardly some arthouse underground jobbie.

 

[chegrimandi]

No he's making the point that the film reviewer might not have the same politiical opinions as the paper he works for.

ok ok, quite right I'm sure the film reviewer of the Guardian is not at all a liberal, sandal wearing Islington type but is indeed an offshoot of Boris Johnson.

 

[redsquirrel]

ok ok, quite right I'm sure the film reviewer of the Guardian is not at all a liberal, sandal wearing Islington type but is indeed an offshoot of Boris Johnson.

Right so Barry Norman has the same politics as the Daily Mail. Oh no that's right he doesn't. I don't know the politics of Peter Bradshaw but see why it's so unreasonable to think that he (the film reviewer) might not necessarily share the politics of the Guardian.

Its not my view that its a liberally held point of view that people of all colours harbour racist thoughts. Quite the opposite in fact.

Despite this the fact is that two of it's most unappealying characters (the DA and his wife) were both white. And I don't agree with your central contention anyway. These days I think it's particuarly radical to see racism coming from minorities.

This was a Hollywood blockbuster on a tough topic that raised some interesting points. It was hardly some arthouse underground jobbie.

So that doesn't mean that it's protrayal was at all accurate.

 

[chegrimandi]

Despite this the fact is that two of it's most unappealying characters (the DA and his wife) were both white. And I don't agree with your central contention anyway. These days I think it's particuarly radical to see racism coming from minorities. So that doesn't mean that it's protrayal was at all accurate.

hmmm I don't think many of the characters were very appealing to be honest. They all held some pretty abhorrent views about each other - DA and his wife weren't really much worse than the others in my book....

 

[chegrimandi]

So that doesn't mean that it's protrayal was at all accurate.

no I just mean that if you were after an intelligent discussion of racism and its various strands you might be better served reading some books on the issues rather than going to see a Hollywood blockbuster.

 

[redsquirrel]

no I just mean that if you were after an intelligent discussion of racism and its various strands you might be better served reading some books on the issues rather than going to see a Hollywood blockbuster.

The movie clearly tries to set itself out as being an "edgy" look at racism. Therefore it's pretty fair to point out that this is nonsense.

 

[chegrimandi]

The movie clearly tries to set itself out as being an "edgy" look at racism. Therefore it's pretty fair to point out that this is nonsense.

did it? because some bloke in the guardian said so?

 

[redsquirrel]

did it? because some bloke in the guardian said so?

And every other reviewer, and the script writer and all the gump they sent out to film magazines. Are ayou really saying that it was marketed as a film which was "tackling racism"?

 

[chegrimandi]

. Are ayou really saying that it was marketed as a film which was "tackling racism"?

no i've not said that anywhere.....

it was a good hollywood thriller type thing about race that made some good points I thought. Nothing more nothing less.