Globes Embrace Liberal Values

Hollywood has spoken. First, the Guilds, then the Globes and I'm sure the Oscars will follow suit. What is it that Hollywood is telling us by its selection of films to reward this year? Felicity Huffman said it best last night, "As actors we are taught to shed our skin, but sometimes we need to find out who we really are. This is for all those men and women who risk alienation and ostracism and live their life on the margins in order to be who they really are".

She was talking to her fellow artists, most of whom know that individuality and authenticity can carry a high price. These artists are also well aware of the fact that 98% of their fellow artists live in relative obscurity and poverty, paying the true price of being an artist.

No one talked about Titanic the straight love story because it was real clear why Cameron got the Oscar, and everything else, that year. The film was a massive achievement by Cameron. No one thinks that about Ang Lee. Heath and Jake hate the guy's guts and have actually come out and said, publicly, that the guy can't direct his way out of a paper bag. He abandoned them, barely talked to them. You could see Heath, an amazing actor (check him out in Lords of Dogtown, you can't even recognize him), just uncomfortably smirking his way through Ang's accolades as his acting was overlooked.

So, what is it about Brokeback, Capote, Transamerica, Good Night and Good Luck, Crash and Walk the Line? These are all stories that help us embrace liberal values of tolerance. Capote was gay, Cash a drug addict and alcoholic. They both emerged as authentic and original artists, but walked the line, living always a hair's breath away from being a freakish outsider. Morrow stood up to the powers that be of his day, and put everything on the line to do so. The non-biopics are filled with characters that illustrate what people have to face these days in order to stand up and be someone a little different and what challenges our tolerance.

Roger Ebert, Richard Roper and everyone else is commenting about what a strong slate of films has been made this year. It's been a year filled with relevant, social commentary coming out full force from Hollywood. So, what's going on? In the early 70's, after more than enough years of war and Nixon, Hollywood (via Bob Evans) finally figured out that the public was refusing to go see the mindless drivel the studios were putting out, and started to react. A spate of rebel films made by radical directors ensued and we saw many years of good movies.

Now it's 2006. We've had six years of lies and war and flag-waving bigotry. We've got Alito and Roberts and and a tow the line, deaf dumb and blind Congress supporting a trio of zealots isolated in the Oval Office. If anyone thinks this is not related to what we see Hollywood supporting and rewarding, think again... and don't forget Weeds... about the soccer mom/drug dealer... she won too! I mean really, once the revolution gets to the suburban housewives... you know they've really stepped over the line.