State of Disgrace: 'Crash' (2005) and 'Green Book' (2018)

The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

For our Unique Best Picture Winner "Two-Shot" episode, Madeline and Julian finally see (and Emilio rewatches) two of the more upsetting upset winners of the Academy Award's last twenty years, Paul Haggis' passion project 'Crash' and Peter Farrelly's mismatched-buddy-road-trip picture 'Green Book'. They reflect on what social conditions existed that might have led to their ascension to Best Picture consideration, as well as what was internal (and in some cases endemic) within the Academy that put these films over the top. The trio is firmly in agreement that the racial themes of 'Crash', while important to consider, are handled so poorly and lazily rendered on screen. With very few exceptions, the redeeming qualities of 'Crash' are practically non-existent. And while Emilio agrees with the others that 'Green Book' is not Best Picture worthy, he makes a case for why this movie is a little better than its current reputation would have you think it is.
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