Saturday Night At The Movies

Undigested Haggis and a Tastier Alternative: Stereotyped in America

By Dennis Hartley

I’m going to risk crucifixion here and confess that I only recently got around to viewing Crash , Paul Haggis’ 2005 Oscar winning meditation on racism in America. (Perhaps I was shamed into screening it after Michael Richard’s recent little star turn on YouTube).

“Crash” takes the premise of 1993’s Falling Down and expands on it exponentially. Instead of one disenfranchised white guy going off the deep end and raging through L.A. blaming every person of color he encounters for his own personal failures, “Crash” serves up an Altman-sized, multicultural cast of self-pitying whiners running around L.A. pissed off at everybody else. They hail from all ethnic and socio-economic strata, they are all fuming about their (real or perceived) victimization by one societal injustice or another and (yeah, you guessed it) they are all on a ‘crash’ course, about to collide.

Structurally, “Crash” is a close cousin to PT Anderson’s (vastly superior) “Magnolia”, and operates on the same conceit. We are asked to accept an absurdly implausible series of “coincidences” in order for the story (or in this case, Today’s Lecture) to work.

The cast is talented, the performances are earnest and the film is slickly made, but the mind boggles as to how this condescending, contrived, PC-pandering mess earned a Best Picture Oscar. The Message (people are people and bigotry is colorblind) has been delivered numerous times before and with considerably more panache (see list below).

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore-honest, bold, uncompromising, socially and politically meaningful, yet (lest we forget) entertaining. The late Ashby only directed a relative handful of films, but most, especially his 70’s output, were built to last (Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Bound for Glory,Shampoo, Being There). In The Landlord, Beau Bridges is a spoiled rich kid who worries his parents with his “liberal views”, especially when he buys a run-down inner-city tenement, with intentions to renovate. His subsequent involvement with the various black tenants is played sometimes for laughs, other times for intense drama, but always for real. The social satire and pointed observations about race relations are dead-on, but never preachy or condescending (are you listening, Paul Haggis?). Top-notch ensemble work, featuring a young Lou Gossett (with hair!) giving a memorable dramatic turn. The lovely Susan Anspach is hilarious as Bridge’s perpetually stoned and bemused sister. A scene featuring Pearl Bailey and Lee Grant getting drunk and bonding over a bottle of “sparkling” wine is a minor classic all on its own. Unfortunately, The Landlord remains the only Ashby film not on DVD (a crime!). It does pop up on cable, so check your listings, or your local independent video store may have a VHS copy for rent.

Can’t we all just get along? Try these: To Kill a Mockingbird, Nothing But a Man, In the Heat of the Night,Do The Right Thing, Grand Canyon, Dirty Pretty Things, and The Brother From Another Planet (it’s really an allegory-but you knew that!)


XMAS BONUS!

I know we just met recently and all, but, y’know, we’ve been talking movies for well past our, er, third review now, and uh (gosh this is awkward) y’know, I was kinda hoping you could, erm, trust me if I recommend some DVD stocking stuffers? (No theme here, just some great “off-Hollywood” flicks from my personal library)-DH

The Bad Sleep Well-Lesser-known Akira Kurosawa film (from 1960) that mixes Shakespearean intrigue with modern Japanese corporate politics and a dash of film noir.

Chan Is Missing-Outstanding 1982 indie debut for director Wayne Wang, filmed in SF’s Chinatown (on a shoestring!) Unique, keenly observed low-key cultural satire.

Dazed & Confused-Richard Linklater captures the bell-bottom and bong hit 70’s zeitgeist to a tee in the best “coming of age” period film since “American Graffitti”.

Free Enterprise-Pop culture geeks approach the dreaded age of 30 with trepidation and the sage advice of one William Shatner (playing himself!) Much smarter than it sounds.

The Loved One-Classic 1965 cult flick that finally made it to DVD in 2006. A black comedy extraordinaire co-scripted by Terry Southern; unbelievably surreal casting!

Me and You and Everyone We Know-Performance artist Miranda July’s 2005 directing debut is a daring, whimsical and sublime statement on the universal need to connect.

Nightmare Alley-Classic cult film noir from 1947 is the darkest of them all. Out of print for decades due to legal hassles-it finally reached DVD in 2005. Not to be missed!

Pow Wow Highway-Unusual Native-American road movie/spiritual quest/comedy-drama from 1989 that eschews stereotypes and made me a Gary Farmer fan for life.

The Quiet Earth-1985 cult sci-fi from New Zealand featuring the great Bruno Lawrence in a “last man on earth” scenario. Enigmatic wonder of the final scene will haunt you.

Rude Boy-This 1980 backstage pseudo-docudrama is not for all tastes, but it is a must for fans of the UK’s late great agitprop punkers The Clash-fantastic performance footage


Enjoy!


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