Trash & Burn: Or how I learned how NOT to make a movie

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2008)

This is by far one of the very worst movies I've ever had the displeasure to view. It was so bad I was laughing out loud during scenes which the awful writer-director (Welles he definitely ain't & never will be) I'm certain believed would be 'thought provoking', or 'heart breaking gritty realism'.
It's so very badly written, acted, edited, shot but somehow (amazingly!) somehow this manipulative- pretentious-after-school-special (actually that's insulting to millions of students) got nomination after nomination. I can only imagine that cleverly marketed to the do-gooders of the Hollywood out-of-touch- elite (Please Google George Clooney's acceptance speech where he makes ridiculous comments like 'Hollywood has always been ahead of the curve.' And he reminded us that Hollywood was progressive enough back in the so-called Golden Era of H-Wood to give a black actor an Oscar....eh hmmm....it is for these types of 'petite' racist morons that Crash was made).
If you're even a little aware of American culture please don't bother with this "film" (for lack of a better name). You would do much better watching TCM's specials on African American Films from the Golden Age to current times. Or their more recent month long subject of Asian Images in Hollywood than to throw your money away on this insulting piece of filth.
It's not even offensive to me the "how's" of "how" this crap got made. Misogyny is popular with producers and studio heads and these same important men like to feel as of what they do in Hollywood trickles down to us mere mortals like manna from heaven. These important men like to believe that Hollywood is still relevant as far as social issues and changing times (which we all know hasn't really been the case since the great American cinema of the 70's). These important men also love paying 'homage' to other films. As others have noted Haggis lifts scenes and ideas directly from earlier films like Pulp Fiction and Magnolia. Truly the mark of someone who isn't very talented.
Although I admit it annoys me terribly that lots of money gets thrown into such bad projects like 'Crash'. What is really insulting and offensive is that there are good filmmakers making beautiful and important films and their work was over- looked so that this piece of idiotshiot could get oodles of nominations (I think it even won a bunch - too depressing for me to look up).
Oh and Academy - please stop trying to bewitch me! Matt Dillon can NOT act. He's a terrible actor & us mere mortals know it! He is to acting what Haggis is to directing/writing. Quick note on Haggis: He's a Canadian whose lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years of his adult life and this was his portrayal of Los Angelenos and "realistic" dialogue? No one anywhere out of their Race in America 101 college class is this idiotic and pretentious. Crash is simply trash.