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*** Official CRASH Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

Robert Crawford

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This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Crash" please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "Crash" should be posted to the Official Review Thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy
 

ZacharyTait

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I know at least 7 other people saw this since the review thread has 9 posts total.

This movie is a masterpiece. It'll go on my Top 10 at the end of the year. In a film full of terrific performances, the best has to be Matt Dillon. He should grab an Oscar nomination for his work here. For what it's worth, I think he should have gotten one for There's Something About Mary. :)

Ryan Phillipe, Thandie Newton, Brendan Fraser, and Sandra Bullock all turn in career best performances. Ludacris is a stunning surprise. He has a future ahead of him in acting. I would imagine he'll go the Mos Def route rather than the Snoop Dogg route.

I had no problem buying the coincidences at all. It all flowed together naturally for me.

The most harrowing sequence I've seen since M$B was when the shopkeeper "shot" the little girl. I jerked back in my seat as if I had been shot!

You know you're watching a great movie, when Tony Danza is good!

All in all, a terrific debut from Paul Haggis. With this movie and M$B, he goes on the short list of writers I'll always watch, with Charlie Kaufman and Cameron Crowe among others.

****
 

Robert Crawford

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I've been waiting for someone to post in this thread. I know some people might have a problem with some of the premises in this film, but I didn't and thought this was an excellent film. Even the characters with racist views in this film were multi-dimensional and do possess some redeeming values which contrasts to the stereotypical racists we've seen countless times before in film.






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Derrik Draven

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Heh...and here I thought there was some bizarre reason why you'd create a thread, at this point in time, for that wierdo movie, directed by Cronenberg, with James Spader and Holly Hunter, and lots of nekkid people having weirdo sex. :D

That "Crash"...
 

Henry Gale

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:D
Maybe one of the nice mods can add release years in the topic headers for this, the "(2004)" Crash, and David Cronenberg's from 1996.
 

Holadem

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Geez, is this all the interest this excellent movie is generating here?

Best movie I have seen so far this year, which really means nothing at all ai this point - only seen 3 or 4 2005 flicks.

Still, it will be an amazing year if this drops off my top 10. It's not perfect, it requires the viewer's willingness to accept some farfecthed coincidences.

The police search was one of the most infuriating scenes I have ever seen.

--
H
 

Janna S

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My vote for most powerful scene in this film was the upside-down burning car scene.

Great film, great performances, rich with layers of irony and coincidence and contradiction . . . just like life.
 

Holadem

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I found the coincidences a bit excessive even for a film of this nature. In something like Magnolia, they are thematic (like everyone ending up at that intersection) rather than actual plot devices used to move the story forward. Not a big deal though.

I will agree about the most powerful scene, I cannot even begin to imagine the range of emotions that woman must have gone through.

The movie has so many terrific lines... I was nearly on the floor with laughter when they mentioned the Saddam dude.

The ending was hilarious and fitting.

--
H
 

Robert Crawford

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A very good film that I will definitely buy on dvd. I'm hoping this film and another called Hustle and Flow, helps Terrence Howard become more of a name actor. His acting career kind of reminds me of how Don Cheadle's has gone.






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Michael Reuben

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For me that comes in a close second to the store owner's arrival at the home of the locksmith. It's been a long time since I've been on the edge of my seat like that, and the shifts in emotion as the scene unfolds were very powerful. (And yeah, it's manipulative as hell, but isn't that the point?)

Crawdaddy, I agree about Terrence Howard. He's a wonderful actor who's shown great range in ensemble pieces like Crash and Lackawanna Blues. If what I've heard about Hustle and Flow is accurate, it'll be his chance to show that he can carry a picture, as Cheadle did with Hotel Rwanda.

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Robert Crawford

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I agree with you! I thought that scene was the most powerful one for me and it played me like violin string.






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Henry Gale

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Holadem,
Thanks for mentioning Magnolia..which I kept thinking of while watching this film.
 

Colton

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One question:

Did the Persian daughter know she was getting blanks for the gun?


Good movie.

- Colton
 

Holadem

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Yes, is my reading. "No" might be the (somewhat) more attractive option though, in keeping with the serendipitous aspects of the film.

--
H
 

Tino

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CRASH is my favorite film of 2004 so far!

It was tremendous. The ensemble acting was terrific across the board. I don't remember the last time I watched a film where I was in a constant state of suspense as to what was going to happen next.

I agree that Terence Howard was awesome, as was Matt Dillon, Ryan Philippe, Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock...hell, everyone was great. I was especially impressed by rapper turned actor Ludacris who gave a great multilayered performance.

It was such a deep, powerful moving yet simple film of one day in the life of a few Los Angelinos of different races and their differences and, ultimately, similarities.

The two scenes mentioned above, the upsidedown rescue of Thandie Newton by Matt Dillon, and the confrontation between the Persian store owner and Hispanic locksmith had me on the edge of my seat. Terrific writing and acting.

I can't say enough great things about Crash.

:star: :star: :star: :star:
 

MatthewLouwrens

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Not spoiler-tagging my reply, because this is a discussion thread - so if you haven't seen the film yet, don't read this post.

In answer, absolutely Yes. Don't forget the way that the gun shop owner looked at her and asked her whether she knew what those bullets were, and she said Yes she was. She was afraid that her father would hurt himself or someone else with that gun, and bought the blanks in order to protect him. And that was why the gun shop owner was confused - he couldn't comprehend why anyone would actually want blanks.

I did love the way that whole plot line was developed. It was the one moment where I felt the film was getting too predictible, what with the daughter and the protective cloak scene where you just knew the father was going to die. It was just too obviously set up for that, and it was disappointing me just how obvious it was. And then, when they didn't get killed, it was even more disappointing to me, because how cvould they possibly avoid being shot at that close quarters. And then they revealed the fact that they were blanks, and the fact that that was set up well in advance and was not a cheat at all. Brilliantly executed.

Great film. One of my favourites for the year.
 

Neil Joseph

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I saw this film/dvd the other day and yes, this movie makes a definite statement, even though it uses blatant sterotyping to do so. As a movie, I give it a solid 8/10 however, I have a real problem with the negativity, or rather, the lack of positivity. It threw out the message with no possible positive resolution or next step to use as a learning tool for the viewers.

BTW, I am a visible minority and it was interesting seeing racial prejudices from all perspectives.

Definitely a film that could be discussed for some time.
 

Tino

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I dunno Neil, I definitely thought the film had positive values.

Matt Dillon, Ludacris, The Persian store owner, Sandra Bullock all had their racial views changed by the end of the film.

That's a positive message to me. :emoji_thumbsup:
 

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