More Brokeback crying...
03-14-06, 06:08 PM
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More Brokeback crying...
'Brokeback' Author Peeved About Oscar Loss
By SANDY COHEN
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES - Annie Proulx, whose 1997 short story inspired the film "Brokeback Mountain," has penned a scattershot blast in a British newspaper unleashing her anger over the film's best-picture Oscar loss.
Proulx criticizes Oscar voters and the Academy Awards ceremony in the 1,094-word rant, which appeared in Saturday's issue of The Guardian, a liberal paper boasting 1.2 million readers daily.
The best-picture Oscar went to "Crash," which focuses on race relations in Los Angeles.
Academy members who vote for the year's best film are "out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch with their own segregated city," Proulx writes.
The 70-year-old Pulitzer-prize winning author points out that "Brokeback," which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, was named best picture at the Independent Spirit Awards one day before the March 5 Oscars.
"If you are looking for smart judging based on merit, skip the Academy Awards next year and pay attention to the Independent Spirit choices," Proulx advises.
She even lashes out at Lionsgate, the distribution company behind "Crash."
"Rumour has it that Lionsgate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of Trash - excuse me - Crash a few weeks before the ballot deadline," Proulx writes.
She decries the "atmosphere of insufferable self-importance" inside the Kodak Theatre, the Oscars site, and describes the audience as a "somewhat dim LA crowd." The show, she writes, was "reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night."
"Clapping wildly for bad stuff enhances this," Proulx writes.
She notes that "Brokeback's" three Oscar wins, for original score, adapted screenplay and direction for Ang Lee put it "on equal footing with King Kong."
When Jack Nicholson announced "Crash" as the best-picture winner, "there was a gasp of shock," Proulx writes.
"It was a safe pick of `controversial film' for the heffalumps," she writes, using the elephant-like "Winnie the Pooh" character to describe academy voters.
"For those who call this little piece a Sour Grapes Rant," Proulx concludes, "play it as it lays."
Calls by the Associated Press to Proulx's Wyoming home and her literary agent, Elizabeth Darhansoff, were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Lets see all the Peter Jackson fan outrage for dissing King Kong
By SANDY COHEN
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES - Annie Proulx, whose 1997 short story inspired the film "Brokeback Mountain," has penned a scattershot blast in a British newspaper unleashing her anger over the film's best-picture Oscar loss.
Proulx criticizes Oscar voters and the Academy Awards ceremony in the 1,094-word rant, which appeared in Saturday's issue of The Guardian, a liberal paper boasting 1.2 million readers daily.
The best-picture Oscar went to "Crash," which focuses on race relations in Los Angeles.
Academy members who vote for the year's best film are "out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch with their own segregated city," Proulx writes.
The 70-year-old Pulitzer-prize winning author points out that "Brokeback," which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, was named best picture at the Independent Spirit Awards one day before the March 5 Oscars.
"If you are looking for smart judging based on merit, skip the Academy Awards next year and pay attention to the Independent Spirit choices," Proulx advises.
She even lashes out at Lionsgate, the distribution company behind "Crash."
"Rumour has it that Lionsgate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of Trash - excuse me - Crash a few weeks before the ballot deadline," Proulx writes.
She decries the "atmosphere of insufferable self-importance" inside the Kodak Theatre, the Oscars site, and describes the audience as a "somewhat dim LA crowd." The show, she writes, was "reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night."
"Clapping wildly for bad stuff enhances this," Proulx writes.
She notes that "Brokeback's" three Oscar wins, for original score, adapted screenplay and direction for Ang Lee put it "on equal footing with King Kong."
When Jack Nicholson announced "Crash" as the best-picture winner, "there was a gasp of shock," Proulx writes.
"It was a safe pick of `controversial film' for the heffalumps," she writes, using the elephant-like "Winnie the Pooh" character to describe academy voters.
"For those who call this little piece a Sour Grapes Rant," Proulx concludes, "play it as it lays."
Calls by the Associated Press to Proulx's Wyoming home and her literary agent, Elizabeth Darhansoff, were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Lets see all the Peter Jackson fan outrage for dissing King Kong
03-14-06, 06:15 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
hahah 
for including the word count at the beginning of that, made me laugh for some reason. Back in High School.
for including the word count at the beginning of that, made me laugh for some reason. Back in High School.
03-14-06, 06:31 PM
#3
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Originally Posted by cactusoly
"Rumour has it that Lionsgate inundated the academy voters with DVD copies of Trash - excuse me - Crash a few weeks before the ballot deadline," Proulx writes.
03-14-06, 06:40 PM
#5
Needs to contact an admin about multiple accounts
Originally Posted by cactusoly
She decries the "atmosphere of insufferable self-importance" inside the Kodak Theatre, the Oscars site, and describes the audience as a "somewhat dim LA crowd." The show, she writes, was "reminiscent of a small-town talent-show night."
03-14-06, 07:02 PM
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Yep!
"It was a safe pick of `controversial film' for the heffalumps," she writes, using the elephant-like "Winnie the Pooh" character to describe academy voters.
"It was a safe pick of `controversial film' for the heffalumps," she writes, using the elephant-like "Winnie the Pooh" character to describe academy voters.
03-14-06, 07:58 PM
#8
All the whining in the world won't change what happened.
I kinda like what Roeper had to say about all the boo-hooing:
"Why is a film about two gay cowboys more noble than a film about race relations? Or a movie about an Israeli hit squad avenging the massacre at the Munich Olympic Games? Or a film about an author's book about the murders of an innocent family? Or a movie about a journalist's crusade against a witch-hunting senator?
In two decades of writing about movies, I have never heard such bitching and moaning and griping about a film not winning best picture. Enough is enough. You lost. Try to handle it with some grace."
I kinda like what Roeper had to say about all the boo-hooing:
"Why is a film about two gay cowboys more noble than a film about race relations? Or a movie about an Israeli hit squad avenging the massacre at the Munich Olympic Games? Or a film about an author's book about the murders of an innocent family? Or a movie about a journalist's crusade against a witch-hunting senator?
In two decades of writing about movies, I have never heard such bitching and moaning and griping about a film not winning best picture. Enough is enough. You lost. Try to handle it with some grace."
03-14-06, 08:54 PM
#10
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Roeper was dead on with his comments. Other films lost to Crash too, not just Brokeback Mountain.
03-14-06, 08:57 PM
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That piece really, really made Annie Proulx sound just awful. No one likes a poor loser. This whining is getting old. No movie's entitled to an Academy Award.
Last edited by onebyone; 03-14-06 at 09:00 PM.
03-14-06, 09:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema
In two decades of writing about movies, I have never heard such bitching and moaning and griping about a film not winning best picture. Enough is enough. You lost. Try to handle it with some grace."
Seriously, people act like juding best picture is a totally objective decision...
03-14-06, 09:22 PM
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The problem is you know if Brokeback had won, she would be singing the Academy's praises and glorious history. She comes off really bad with this one.
Still, it's hard not to sympathise. I think this was the most retarded Best Picture result since Oliver! beat out 2001. Really, any of the other four would have been fine choices, but Crash was just such repugnantly awful filmmaking.
Still, it's hard not to sympathise. I think this was the most retarded Best Picture result since Oliver! beat out 2001. Really, any of the other four would have been fine choices, but Crash was just such repugnantly awful filmmaking.
03-14-06, 09:33 PM
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03-14-06, 09:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe Molotov
She keeps using the word "heffalump" in her rant. I do not think it means what she thinks it means.
03-14-06, 10:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe Molotov
She keeps using the word "heffalump" in her rant. I do not think it means what she thinks it means.
Roeper was dead on.
03-15-06, 12:10 AM
#22
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I saw an interesting analysis in the Chicago Tribune the other day, said that the reason Brokeback Mountain didn't win was because of Capote. Split the vote for the movie about homosexuals, letting Crash slip in.
The same article pointed out that Crash isn't supposed to be taken literally like some reviewers do (MSNBC for example). Personally, I haven't seen Crash, Brokeback Mountain, or Capote, though I will rent Crash / Capote in the near future.
The same article pointed out that Crash isn't supposed to be taken literally like some reviewers do (MSNBC for example). Personally, I haven't seen Crash, Brokeback Mountain, or Capote, though I will rent Crash / Capote in the near future.
03-15-06, 01:06 AM
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This is bullshit.
03-15-06, 07:19 AM
#25
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Originally Posted by grunter
Oh, look! Another pile-on "sour winner" thread about "Brokeback Mountain!"
*yawn*
*yawn*
