for what it's worth

dr. elsewhere here

My apologies for being so neglectful for so many days (though Joe as ever masterfully handles it all, plus some, without any assistance) but I am having a heckuva time getting any quality or quantity time online these days. Hoping to correct that this evening. At the moment, I am at the local library, where I thought I'd be able to put in a couple of hours, but alas, it closes early today, so I have all of twenty minutes!

I was actually glad to see that Joe addressed the Oscars, given his artistic bent, and hope it's ok if I weigh in, as I did see Brokeback and Crash, though not Capote. I have to say, I was utterly surprised at how much I enjoyed Crash, but then I had no expectations. It is a romp. And though I really felt Brokeback the superior film, I was initially not that disappointed that it lost to Crash.

But then the more I thought about it, the more irritated I became. For me, Crash was a string of Hollywood tricks, emotional Hollywood tricks. Cleverly strung together, make no mistake. But even that was quite contrived and unbelievable. My immediate response after it was over was, hey, what a hoot, that was SO clever. And gratifying, in a strange way. It did cover a number of issues surrounding bigotry, exposing the fact that even the biggest bigots suffer their own little hells. That may be why they're bigots, but that is only sort of hinted at.

But, when push comes to shove, and I now reflect on the fact that Brokeback did not win, I realize that a real artistic tragedy has occurred. This film was so sophisticated, so delicate, so utterly tasteful and sensitive, it leaves you aching, not just for the forlorn lovers, but for everyone in the world who has ever loved. I know, that sounds so corny, but it's true. But larger than that, this film explores the anguish that these star-crossed fellas suffered in addition to not being able to just be together, as is the case in most star-crossed lover films. They suffered such guilt, for living a lie and for being confused and for exploring feelings so forbidden in our society. Here was an added dimension that is not so overt in say, the love between a black man and white woman, where only one of them might experience anything resembling guilt for being of color. Though the woman may feel guilt for loving a black man, she nonetheless loves a man. A similar distinction can be made for say, the Capulets and Montagues; neither Romeo nor Juliet owned that feud, as it was the battle of their parents,not their own.

The same cannot be said of these two men, as they each struggled with their own questions of manhood and the social implications. To witness this dimension of homosexuality was profoundly touching for me, and I find myself increasingly grateful that someone with the tenderness of Ang Lee - not to mention Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhal - to bring this part of the picture into focus for me. And hopefully others.

So, I am deeply disappointed that Hollywood failed to honor this remarkable piece of work. Especially when we note that Crash did not even get mentioned until AFTER the Golden Globes, and then was pushed to the hilt in a huge ad blitz.

Sigh. Hollywood.

Catch you all again soon.