Arts Fuck The Academy
That’s the sentiment shared by the hundreds of folks who pitched in to place this pro-Brokeback Mountain ad in Variety, following their beloved film’s loss of the Best Picture Oscar to the trite, Altman-lite Crash.
“According to industry watchers, no movie has generated this sort of fan response after a loss for Best Picture,” reads the press release from the Ultimate Brokeback Forum. “Fans are happy their support for Brokeback Mountain is becoming part of industry lore. They hope that others looking for a way to honor Brokeback Mountain as the Best Picture of 2005 will contribute to the campaign, so more ads can run to help raise awareness that the film garnered nearly every Best Picture award bestowed for 2005.”
(Insert “I wish I knew how to quit you” joke here.)
Ehh... the actual best picture doesn't usually win the best picture award.
Here are some glaring examples, which are not bad movies, but really didn't deserve the award:
2001 - A Beautiful Mind
2000 - Gladiator
1997 - Titanic
1996 - The English Patient
1995 - Braveheart
1990 - Dances With Wolves
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy
See the trend? These are mostly somewhat trite stories that make some sort of vague "statement". From "black and white people can get along", to "schizophrenia can be overcome". This year it was "you can make a successful movie on less than $10 million".