Dreamgirls IS "Brokeback Mountain 2006"- Page 3

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:15pm

Why is the straight cinema "queering" up though? Is it that the oh-so-gay Hollywood insider is finally comfortable writing/directing/shooting/producing stuff that is more like their own life experiences than the old school Hollywood fare of boy meets girl?

[robbiej]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:18pm

Short answer: Yes.

I was watching BROTHERS & SISTERS last night (guilty pleasure...the show comes off a little silly, but that cast!), and the gay brother and Jason 'Absolut Hunk' Lewis started making out and I thought, "Jesus Christ! Just a few years ago, this would have caused a major uproar!" It wasn't just a kiss like what they showed on DAWSON'S CREEK. It was highly erotic, and, in a subsequent scene, it was spoken plainly that they had hot, hot man sex.

I was all, 'THIS IS ABC???'

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:21pm

Well, they just balance it on their television stations by making sure their news is skewed incredibly to the right.

but I have often wondered if Hollywood was REALLY that gay or if the comfortable nature we have now with being openly gay has just led people to finally "write what they know."

***ETA: I never weighed in on the real topic of this thread. I think it's pretty funny that the two films could even be linked at all beyond "gay people would like both." And haven't we established everyone working on Dreamgirls is a major homophobe?
Updated On: 1/15/07 at 03:21 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:31pm

I woulda said is NOTES ON A SCANDAL this year's BROKEBACK, since it's divided folks on whether it sends (straight) audiences out into the free world saying "oh, those queers! They stalk ya and then turn on ya! Let's keep 'em from gettin' married in our state, okay?!" As a SCANDAL mega-fan, I've found that debate more stimulating.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:32pm

It matters a great deal if the movie is losing steam with the academy members and maybe not even necessarily with the audience because unlike the Tony Awards these movies aren't going out and touring. They go to DVD and maybe get remade into a collector's edition, the Academy is less concerned with what will sell well on DVD. I say this because the overwhelming majority of voters are actors, albeit older.

I think what it all comes down to is that nobody knows anything.

[DG]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:38pm

Sum - thanks for the new sig quote.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 4:03pm

But we don't know what movies are losing steam with the academy members.

How would we know?

Most of them probably view all the best picture nominees on DVD the week that they vote. They are probably all excrutiatingly fresh in their mind.

As far as audiences go, DREAMGIRLS is the last one to have lost steam. It's the #4 film in the country right now, and it's the only "Oscar film" up there. THE DEPARTED, BABEL, etc. have all been gone for a long time, and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is already on DVD. I don't know what steam you're talking about.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 12:42am

Just wanted to bring this back up to say that I completely underestimated Dreamgirls and now it appears that it's the frontrunner once again since the competition I was predicting didn't pan out and now it's a three way race between The Departed, Babel and the Girls if the Globes are indicative of anything. Veeeerrrrry interesting!!!! This is going to be a great show!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 1:03am

Well, keep in mind that just because BABEL and DREAMGIRLS took home the top two prizes, it's still very possible that DREAMGIRLS only won because of weak competition. The real competition lies in the drama category, and the two frontrunners don't always emerge from opposing categories.

As inspired by Oscar Watch's the good, the bad, and the ugly, here are some of my thoughts on tonight's show:

THE GOOD

-BABEL rightfully trumping THE DEPARTED
-DREAMGIRLS reclaiming some territory
-Forest Whitaker
-Helen Mirren
-Meryl Streep
-Eddie Murphy


THE BAD

-Well, not BAD, but I felt and still feel that both Adriana Barraza ad Rinko Kikuchi give superior, more fully realized and emotionally complete performances than that of newcomer Hudson. Hudson succeeds wonderfully, but her acting was slightly flat when she wasn't singing. She absolutely should be nominated, but Rinko Kikuchi should win for turning a beautiful, brilliant performance that could have, in the hands of the wrong actress, been turned into something as campy and horrendous as MOMMIE DEAREST.

-CARS beating HAPPY FEET. CARS is beautifully done, but it's just too slow moving and boring. HAPPY FEET is charming, funny, fast paced, and has a fantastic message. I even thought MONSTER HOUSE was better than CARS.


THE UGLY

-Martin Scorsese. I don't care. Sue me. He's one hell of a director, but it's unacceptable for him to be awarded for "lifetime achievement" here. He's winning for being director Martin Scorsese, rather than for his direction of THE DEPARTED. If you were to screen all of the direction nominees back to back without knowing who directed what, you know very well that the results would be different. If people didn't know and love and pity Scorsese for not winning before, he wouldn't be winning squat for this film. The other nominees' work was more nuanced, compelling, and ultimately more affecting. They inspire change and are films that are timely and relevant. They are necessary, and they are beautiful. Except for THE DEPARTED, of course, which is nothing more than a smart crime flick able to sneak in to the best picture race on account of a rather weak year. Eastwood probably shouldn't have won (though IWO JIMA was remarkable), and Stephen Frears would have a hard time beating Inarritu, who had the year's hardest task. He should be rewarded, and not at the expense of another director's past.

-"The Song of the Heart?" What a horrendous song. Charming film, but horrendous song. The song won because Prince is Prince, and they probably didn't even listen to it. Again, like Scorsese, if you were to listen to all the best song nominees without knowing who wrote them, the results would be different. Prince has been around forever, and he's a favorite. It will be difficult for "Listen", the true champ, to beat him at the Oscars unless DREAMGIRLS is to win almost nothing else. It will be the consolation prize. It seems so crystal clear that "Listen" is the best song - nothing even comes close. I said the same thing last year, but idiots still managed to send Dolly Parton home without an Oscar.

-Best Original Score. Not that THE PAINTED VEIL has a bad score, but it's nothing special. THE DA VINCI CODE shouldn't even be nominated, though it's score does have nice moments. BABEL's score is much like Santaolalla's last year for BROKEBACK with a middle eastern twist. It's fine and it suits the film. There are even moments of brilliance in the score, and he probably should have won. The nominees here are messed up. Clint Mansell deserved his nomination for the God awful THE FOUNTAIN. The score is driving, wrenching, worthy, and exhausting. It's entirely moving and, if there was a little more variety there, would probably have had my vote. I'm a musician, so this category really matters to me. There's no way the Oscars will award Santaolalla two years in a row, and I find it hard to believe that THE FOUNTAIN will garner much sympathy. THE DA VINCI CODE very well could take a consolation prize here, but Craig Armstrong's absolutely brilliant score for WORLD TRADE CENTER should score a nomination, and probably win. Cross your fingers!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 2:14am

I wouldn't say DREAMGIRLS won the Best Picture Comedy/Musical race because of "weak competition": LMS is expected to also get a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, and its extremely rare for two movies from that GG catagory to manage cross over appeal to the Oscar BP race. Theres also a lot of support out there for BORAT.

I hope BABEL's (justified in my opinion) win will further illustrate what I've been saying all along: there is huge rallying for the film in Hollywood. It is definitely a real front runner to win this year's Best Picture Oscar.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 1:46pm

I think BABEL's win is justified as well.

I think the only reason I felt that BABEL was loosing steam was because I saw it like 3-4 months ago.