What "The Danish Girl," Says About the Oscar's Problematic Relationship with LGBT Movies

Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

Last night, I decided to catch up on the missing links in my Oscar-nominated movies for this year. I decided to tackle director Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl: a film that I inevitably had high hopes for, if just because of what 2015 was symbolically in the LGBT community. Beyond America legalizing gay marriage, it was the time when we had multiple noteworthy trans celebrities, cinema was hitting new strides with Tangerine, and Transparent was continuing its yearlong (and arguably still going) success. Transgender culture is probably more accepted than it ever had been, and The Danish Girl could be the period to the sentence. Of course, that is problematic to say, but what became abundantly clear is that it was actually doing the opposite. Despite its romanticism, The Danish Girl featured stereotypes akin to the gay best friend with flamboyancy and a lisp. While it took some reading to fully understand why, it's generally one of the problems with The Academy's recent crop of nominees.

"Brokeback Mountain" is 10 Years Old, and Still As Important

Left to right: Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain

Over the past 10 years, there have been few films as important as Brokeback Mountain. You can argue that director Ang Lee made better films, whether it's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or Life of Pi, but none of them have held the same impact that the film, labeled by the public at the time as "the gay cowboy movie," had on society. It wasn't just its subject matter, but how society spoke of the film in the years following. It was a film that transcended just being one of the most successful LGBT movies in history. Its history was a time capsule not only of how we viewed gay culture then, but how society has evolved in the short time since. Still, even as gay characters have started to become more representative in media, there's no denying the impact that Brokeback Mountain had in paving the trail for them. It may not have been the first mainstream film of its kind, but it definitely was the lightning rod that propelled the conversation forward.

Director of "Crash" Claims He Wouldn't Have Voted For It, Either

Scene from Crash

There is a common notion among movie fans: director Paul Haggis' Crash is the worst Best Picture winner of all time. While that hyperbole is a little unwarranted (I dislike Chariots of Fire the most), there is some levity in those numbers. Is the ensemble story of Los Angeles, CA citizens dealing with racism totally void of its honor? It was a year when director Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain was primed to win, but considering the statistics I discussed in Failed Oscar Campaigns, it makes sense a little why Crash won. However, if you're looking for interesting fodder to fuel your "Worst winner ever" campaign, today marks a pretty juicy piece of news: Haggis didn't think that his film should've won either.

Can a Positive Gay-Themed Movie Win Best Picture?

Scene from Milk

For people across America, June 26, 2015 is a historical day. It is the moment when all 50 states were unanimous in passing a bill to allow gay marriage. Not just in one or two states, but the whole caboodle. It is a prospect that many have fought bravely to acquire over the past century. Because of this, LGBT representation has become more positive and accepted among mainstream audiences and in the case of The Academy, it has even been recognized in most fields, most recently with 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club in which Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor for playing a transsexual character. But here is the bigger question, and one that is up there with representation of films tackling race and gender equality: with this breakthrough, is it possible that we will ever have a positive gay themed film win Best Picture?

Nothing But the Best: "Crash" (2005)

Left to right: Ludacris and Larenz Tate

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Left to right: Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

Can "Life of Pi" put Ang Lee back in the Best Picture Race?

Suraj Sharma

Update: I have written a review for the movie here.

Recently at the New York Film Festival, we saw the opening of director Ang Lee's Life of Pi. Critics like Jack Giroux have called it near perfect while Katey Rich was taken away by the visuals and believes that it will dominate the visual effects categories. Still, can this $100 production of Yann Martel's bestseller book bring Lee back to the forefront of the Oscar season, or is the idea of a man on a raft with a tiger not able to compete with Argo, The Master, and other high concept, zeitgeist-stemming movies?