Reply #15: I couldn't agree more.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

I've seen "Crash" and I liked it; haven't seen "Brokeback" but have no doubt it's excellent. But I suspect a lot of people assumed "Brokeback" would win Best Picture, and in that way stick it to the right wing. But that's not what the Oscars are for. Granted, they often reflect mainstream values, and maybe there was the hope that a win for "Brokeback" could serve as some sort of proof that gay relationships are receiving mainstream acceptance. Seems to me its box office success and its other Oscars have to some extent established that already.

In any event, I don't think giving the award to "Crash" can be seen as a rejection of the "politics" of "Brokeback" in any way. All it means is that, for whatever reason, they thought "Crash" was just a little better, overall. I can't either agree or disagree, but if we are going to look for any political overtones, we should keep in mind that all of the nominees had them -- all liberal. It's absolutely true that the wingnuts will hate "Crash" because it addresses racial stereotypes and bigotry in a way that's likely to make them (and us, too) pretty uncomfortable.

And, in the final analysis, it's just the freaking Oscars. They've given awards to great movies and to mediocre ones. And by the following year hardly anyone even remembers who won the year before.