Day 44: Crash

Crash: 2006: Winner of the 78th Academy Awards

Starring:

Don Cheadle

Sandra Bullock

Matt Dillon

Jennifer Esposito

Michael Peña

Brendan Fraser

Chris "Ludacris" Bridges

Terrence Howard

Ryan Phillippe

Larenz Tate

Thandie Newton

A series of interconnected lives through transparent means seem to be the leading basis for this movie. However this movie is more than just about how interconnected these lives are, but mostly about Human relationships and how society has ruined perfectly natural tendencies to just want to live in Harmony. Although one could argue that human nature also wants to feel pride and that’s where boundaries come in , but nevertheless this movie was great. I watched it on the television and the scene where the Hispanic father is saved by his 5 yr old daughter, made me cry so much I couldn’t stop. Imagine here’s a guy who’s had it rough, and he is being punished by this man because of his race, that was so riveting. I love this movie and even though Sandra Bullock was a downright git in this movie I totally loved her. Furthermore the small ironies of life where the guy who was abusing one person ended up saving her life that was so real. I was very happy when I saw them win and I felt that they truly deserved it. I don’t know if it’s just me but the seem to get better as they progress toward a better future in film. The turn of the century movie that started it “Dances with Wolves”. Crash really is a good movie with an unbelievable cast and maybe I love it all that more because one of the movies other star is my hometown of Los Angeles.

It also won awards for:

Best Editing: Hughes Winborne

Best Screenplay – Original Paul Haggis & Robert Moresco

Day 14 : In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night: 1967: Winner of the 40th Academy Awards

Starring:

Sidney Poitier as Detective Virgil Tibbs

Rod Steiger as Police Chief Bill Gillespie

Warren Oates as Sergeant (Patrolman) Sam Wood

Lee Grant as Mrs. Leslie Colbert

Larry Gates as Eric Endicott

James Patterson as Lloyd Purdy (Delores' brother)

William Schallert as Mayor Webb Schubert

Beah Richards as Mama Caleba (aka Mrs. Bellamy)

Peter Whitney as CPL. George Courtney

Kermit Murdock as H.E. Henderson (banker)

Larry D. Mann as Watkins

Quentin Dean as Delores Purdy

Anthony James as Ralph Henshaw (diner counterman)

Arthur Malet as Ted Ulam (mortician)

Scott Wilson as Harvey Oberst (murder suspect)

Matt Clark as Packy Harrison

Eldon Quick as Charlie Hawthorne (photographer)

Jester Hairston as Henry (Endicott's butler)
 

Here’s the thing, I really hate to watch movies where there is an “I hate you but have to live with you” sort of relationship, because I feel its an overused copout. However in this case I think it seems to work. The dynamic of the relationship between the two main characters in this movie, chiefly being, Virgil Tibbs and Bill Gillespie. Officer Bill is the new sheriff and has a fresh murder on his hands. Sergeant Tibbs is  #1 in homicide in his department back home in Philadelphia, what separates these two men from embracing each other as fellow officers of the law? Race, the color of their skins, however through this they have to find the real killer and they make friends. Isn’t that nice? It was kind of annoying, to watch Tibbs attempt to get manhandeled by annoying racist dudes, but his accuracy and his efficiency and that slap on the richest white man in the land, is worth watching this movie. I can’t count it as one of my favorites, but definitely one I don’t regret watching. I should also mention that Portier was set to win, he had another movie for best picture running against it, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, and it also won out “The Graduate”  and “Bonnie and Clyde”.

It also won awards for:

Academy Award for Best Actor – Rod Steiger

Academy Award for Film Editing – Hal Ashby

Academy Award for Best Sound – Samuel Goldwyn Studios

Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay – Stirling Silliphant