Customer Reviews

NEW Crash (DVD)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fabulous music, to begin with. Love Bird York's "In The Deep."

It's not too accpetable in this day and age of political correctness to tell it like it really is. That's what this movie really does.

I suspect that we all like to think we're above the ugliness that can grow within, whether it be prejudice, ingratitude, materialism, favourtism, or the like. Things we thought we'd never say or do, given the right cirumstances, we suddenly find ourselves falling straight into. And ironically, we often learn about the existence of these things in us, from the very people whom we've despised for displaying these very traits.

But our arrogant self-righteousness falls off when we find ourselves face to face with ourselves. In Bird's song, she pinpoints it:

"Thought you had all the answers to rest your heart upon,

but something happens, don't see it coming, now you can't stop yourself.

Now you're out there swimming in the deep.

"Life keeps tumbling you heart in circles till you let go

till you shed your pride and climb to heaven, and you throw yourself off.

Now you're out there spinning in the deep."

If we think we're above anything or anyone and we think we've got it all figured out, we'd better watch out! Things are not always what they seem.

This film garnered some criticism for its somewhat unrealistic plotting. While there is some credence to be lent to this (some of the coincidences in this movie are fantastical to say the least), this must be set aside when you watch this movie. This is an obvious passion piece by writer/director Paul Haggis, so the overall message in this movie is the important thing, not the circumstances in the film which serve to illustrate Mr. Haggis's point. Sure, its kinda heavy-handed in delivering its message and sure, its not entirely realistic, but if you let these things go and sit back and enjoy the film, you will be rewarded. With a film this heavy handed in its message, the audience often feels bludgeoned with the point (see: Natural Born Killers), but not here. The entire (all-star) cast puts forth a fantastic effort, making this film a joy to watch. Who knew Ludacris is a much better actor than he is a Rhymer? He acts brilliantly in this film. (Notice I didn't end this statement with 'for a rapper'). I'm not a fan of Luda's music, but I've got to hand it to him, he did a great job. Another standout performace comes from Matt Dillon. His portrail of a racist LA cop is staggering; first you hate him violently, then you slowly begin to sympathize with him after seeing him at his worst. This film doesn't get five stars, because it is unavoidably flawed in its storytelling, but it makes up for this shortfall in many other areas. I hate to agree with Oprah, but this is a must-see. Not perfect, but very good.

I think what this movie did for me is that it reminded me that we're all afraid. Fear distorts and in the end hurts and kills anything that is innocent. The only way to defeat fear on this scale is by subversibly serving each other in small ways.

Crash serves up 31 flavors of racism via interlocking vignettes recounting two days in the lives of very different complete strangers. I was a little leery of this film going in, partly because I don't particularly care for some of the cast members and partly because the prospects of making a serious film about racism without resorting to stereotypes or preaching to the audience seemed rather low. I needn't have worried. Sure, Sandra Bullock annoyed the heck out of me every second she was on the screen, but the movie works - powerfully and effectively. The secret would seem to be a complete disregard for political correctness. If you want to say something about racism, you can't dance around the issue, and thankfully the writer of this film knew that.

I won't go into much detail about the plot or the characters, except to say that a wide range of races and cultures are represented here - and the racism that is portrayed on screen works both ways. Furthermore, the characters are by no means stereotypical and often do things you don't really expect them to do. There was a time or two when I said to myself that no one would ever come out and say what a particular character just said, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Those lines, though, show just how foolish and ugly racism is. To some extent, we can at least see where a few characters are coming from, thanks to little references back to experiences they've had. I think the real strength of the story, though, is the level of nuance built into these vignettes. Consciously doing certain things in order not to appear racist, for purely personal reasons of self-interest, is no better than committing an overt act of prejudice, and this film brings that fact out rather effectively. It also reminds us that even the most hateful of men and women are still human beings with their own problems.

There are some pretty powerful moments spread throughout this film: the heroics of an otherwise hateful cop and the angelic little girl scenes, for example, give us moments of pure cinematic magic. Other moments surprise us, effectively denying us the ability to ever get truly comfortable with what we are seeing onscreen. Lives are changed, some for better, some for worse - and the mixed signals at the end really just reinforce the points the story was trying to make. Are these temporary changes? Will life just go on as it always has, tainted by hate and mutual suspicion? Any movie that leaves you asking such poignant questions has to be called a real success.

This movie is not just entertaining, but beyond that, it is a necessary piece of work. Beyond the great performances (Sandra Bullock does her best work here, along with Don Cheadle and Ryan Philippe), there is a lesson to be learned here, and I can guarantee for a fact that you will ask yourselves some questions after you have seen this movie. It is the kind of movie that provokes conversations and debates after you have seen it. The writers have taken a risk in writing this, and sometimes it is necessary because it is the truth, and although we don't want to admit it, most of us DO IN FACT think like this. Some of us will relate, even if we don't want to. Very reminiscent of "Magnolia" in its shooting style, this movie will change the way you way you look at people in society. This is not just a well-written and directed movie, it is a basic lesson on humanity that everyone should see.

This movie is excellent, compelling and moving. Warning though is slightly disturbing, yet shines a light on life. A must see.

Crash is a definite must have for any movie collector. It is incredibly well thought out and every single part of the movie ties together nicely. A beautiful picture about the inevitable perpetuation of stereotyping in modern society.

I might be in the minority here, but I found the movie to be one of the most boring movies in a long time. I actually fell sleep during the movie. I saw the movie on video and I'm glad I didn't see the movie in theatres. Sure, it might be one of the best movies of 2005 but did it deserve to win best picture last night at the Oscars? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Brokeback Mountain was clearly the better film. The only impressive thing about this movie is the cast but the story was hard to follow and it was not the best original screenplay either. Best original screenplay should have gone to Syriana which was a better film and more relevant in these times.

Skip this movie and see the real winner of Best Picture last night: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN- A MORE DESERVING MOVIE!!

It has been a long time since I have seen a movie and said "that was the best movie I have ever seen", but it was! Sandra Bullock is fantastic in this, but so is everyone else. An absolute must see! This is what movies should do,.... Move you!

It's not a bad movie. It's just not very good, either.

It had lots going for it: a huge ensemble cast, and they're not obscure, either. They give pretty good performances--intense, angry, and negative. That's one of the problems: everyone is given such similar roles, where a character is vastly misinformed or have bad stereotypes against a racial group. At every perceived slight and opportunity, verbal poison explodes, an irate grimace appears, and a derisive look is cast. Everyone is the same cardboard cutout. So while the performances are okay, how can they be stellar? It doesn't take much to come off as enraged or hurtful all the time.

The plot is the biggest problem. Everything is far too serendipitous--this is LA we're talking about, right? Millions and millions of people? Yet, the same 10 or so keep meeting, "crashing," and then end up having sweeping, inspirational epiphanies (set to heart wrenching score, and slow motion visuals, often sans dialogue for that extra punch) that are very obviously manipulating your emotions. Try it: watch one of those scenes (especially the Persian man's confrontation outside a Latino family's home), and ask yourself, with the way things are set up, who *wouldn't* feel moved or think they've just witnessed something powerful? It's just that...in movies, tactics like that are typically a mark of a sophomoric script, which is why Crash's Oscar win was met with such a firestorm of controversy by press and critics.

Aside from being very unrealistic, it's a little condescending: in more than one area, "predictable" would be a generous adjective. The dialogue is also at times a little campy, and better left unsaid. Like, "You're my best friend I've got." Does it have to be said? This also applies to all the dialogue that leaves you a little shocked that it was even said: it gives you the feeling of, "Who in their right mind would even say that / react like that?"

Besides, knowing someone from LA, Crash's representation of life in that city is supposed to be very, very off. Read: absolutely fictional.

Anyhow, for a movie about race relations, there are far too many stereotypes. It becomes self-defeating, in a sense, where all these attitudes are demonstrated and reinforced. If nuance isn't your thing, and being force fed themes and self-importance doesn't particularly bother you, Crash is not a bad movie. I still don't think it is a bad movie. For what it is, it's entertaining. However, it's not memorable, and watches more like Speed or something: thriller material, cinema junk food a little lacking in substance.