THEY JUST DON'T GET IT RIGHT

i have now seen both.the "gay cowboy" movie and the "ensemble drama".one a slowmoving,sombre,homosexual weepie.the other about a tough multiracial society coping with aftereffects of 9/11. the maximum usage of the four letter word in any english movie.182 to be exact.what does one make of it?

actually it was a taut short story by annie prolux that first appeared in the new yorker way back in 1997."how secrets that you share ultimately define real love and make it last".it is just not about two gay cowboys roaming around beautiful wyoming,grazing sheep and soaking in nature's bounty.it is about cheating in marriage,and tasting the forbidden fruit.two men in love,cannot resist the pull of marriage,raise families,meet secretively on fishing trips and the old flame gets raised.

both the movies were technically well produced and the themes sensitively handled by the respective directors. hats off to ang lee and paul haggis for that. but i came out with a feeling that there was nothing astonishing or extraordinary..i have seen better movies from hollywood which have borne no oscar stamp.

i am now convinced that hollywood doesn't just get it.there is a big disconnect between what movies are really worth seeing and those that get the oscar nominations and awards. it is said that statistics don't lie.here are some to drive home my point.brokeback mountain had 8 nominations under different categories,it got 3 oscar awards,and had 27th place in box office sales.crash got the best picture award and it played to empty theatres.capote had 5 nominations including best picture.it was not even in the top 100 at the box office.memoirs of a geisha and good night good luck had 6 nominations and they had 45th and 90th place in the box office.star wars III,harry potter and goblet of fire, war of the worlds and march of the penguins didn't feature anywhere.

i am sure the judges are an intelligent and talented lot.but they are steeped in a culture that is out of tune with reality.i undesrtand that box office revenues do not determine artisitc worth but then it has to be recognised that a combination of great art and great ideas normally turns into a blockbuster. i must say that neither of these movies really made any major impact on me. neither for great art or great ideas.perhaps i am a contrarian.i have come to the inescapble conclusion that they just don't get it right.the oscar jury.