Movies & I (part 1.5)

This is not an exact continuation of the last related blog (Movies & I part 1). Actually, I’m writing this in response to the recent Oscars results (and how it affected my views as a movie fan). I can never hide my disdain for that stupid award ceremony, for its legendary bad taste (Raging Bull, 2001, Citizen Kane got no shit from them). This year was probably more acceptable since there were a lot of “small” quality production in competition. So much about “Crash” upsetting “Brokeback Mountain”…. I haven’t seen it yet, but I bet it is probably going to be better than Titanic, Gladiator, Shakespeare in Love, Lord of the Rings III and many more mediocre-or-piece-of-shit movies. At least it’s not TRASH.

Ang Lee finally became the first non-white person to win the best director award. George Clooney may try to make Hollywood liberal. But Hollywood is just as conservative as your grandma’s choice of underwear. It takes almost 80 fucking years for a non-white person to break it through. Black actors/actresses can’t get any recognition unless they play thugs or musicians or fucked by a white man. And you don’t even many other minorities playing any significant roles in American movies, except for racially stereotyped roles. They played so many stereotyped roles-- I think those stupid comics can stop making their stupid politically incorrect jokes or skits.

I hope Ang Lee’s recognition would give light to other budding Chinese filmmakers. Tarantino the knucklehead may think that Hong Kong movies may be the best thing in the world, but the truth is Hong Kong movies suck worse than the last blow job you get from a five-dollar hooker. There is practically no independent movie scene: I have met one indie filmmaker and the only way to “make it to the game” for him and his fellow filmmakers is to catch to eye of major studios and make crap like everyone else. Wong Kar-Wai is one of the very few who manages to maintain doing his own stuff (I still don’t understand who he managed to do so). In Ang Lee’s home country Taiwan, they have some really great directors (possibly better than Lee), but it is a dying scene over there. In China, they have a lot of good directors too but the government censorship is suffocating. Then in my home Macau, there are two fucking theaters in the whole town… so please don’t even mention about a movie scene (actually I know there was this one person who made an independent movie which was shown in Hong Kong for a few weeks, and that’s about it). Hence, it is pretty hard out here for a pimp (or filmmaker in this case).

Legend has it that everyone who bought the initial printing of the Velvet Underground’s debut went on to form their own bands. I hope the mainstream recognition of Ang Lee will inspire other young Chinese people to follow his footsteps. It is time to start the revolution.

XXXXX

On a side note, I don’t seem to hear much about the controversy of the “gayness” of Brokeback from the other side of the globe? No one seems to care much about that. Everyone is just happy for Lee. According to my friend Andy, “Brokeback Mountain” became the first and only “indie” movie shown in a theater in Macau (I still can’t believe they actually show something other than Narnia). None of the other nominees were ever in theaters, not even in Hong Kong.