Back to the subject of Brokeback Mountain - thanks Canada!! :evil:
Why didn't you keep these guys up there while you had 'em?
Broken dreams for Brokeback
The Woodstock Sentinel-Review
Kristi Setterington
Tuesday March 07, 2006
The loss of a best picture Oscar for Brokeback Mountain to Crash may be considered one of the biggest upsets in years in the Academy Awards. Critics were in agreement Monday morning that Hollywood might not be ready to accept openly gay-themed movies like Brokeback Mountain.
Even Oscar winner Larry McMurtry, who won for Brokeback in the best adapted screenplay category said, "Perhaps the truth really is, Americans don’t want cowboys to be gay."
Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan sees the loss of the Best Picture Oscar as a sign that Hollywood isn’t quite ready to grant the topic of homosexual love mainstream respectability.
While there is some dispute that gay themed movies aren’t acceptable Oscar material, there may be another reason for the stunning loss for Brokeback Mountain - marketing. This should be taken into consideration, especially given the fact that Phillip Seymour Hoffman won for his portrayal of gay writer Truman Capote.
Have the Oscars become nothing more than a marketing contest?
Some weren’t so surprised by Crash’s win Sunday evening. It’s been said that Lions Gate studio spent a bundle of money marketing the picture prior to the 78th Academy Awards in Hollywood. The film, which spanned over a period of 36 hours looked at race relations in Los Angeles and featured an all-star cast including Academy Award nominees Matt Dillon and Terrance Howard, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser and Mr. Reece Witherspoon - Ryan Phillipe.
According to one report, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. spent nearly $4 million promoting Crash. Film critic Richard Crouse adds that is almost as much money it took to make it.
Canada has won big either way. Brokeback Mountain was filmed in Alberta and is now attracting tourists wanting to view the picturesque scenery for themselves. As for Crash, writer/producer Paul Haggis is a product of London, Ont.