What also struck me about the Hollywood Reporter article was the myopic self-centeredness of the filmmakers cited, their inability to look outside their tiny enclave of culture elitism.
The Crash co-writer says, "People want films that have something to say; they're tired of fluff."
Crash director Paul Haggis: "It's great for the films and great for the nation. It says people are embracing these issues, that they don't want to go to the theater to forget. They want to be involved, to participate."
Which "people" are they referring to? Who are "they"? Certainly not the American public.
Look at these box office figures. The average box office for the Best Picture nominees this year is less than $38 million. The highest-grossing nominee was Crash, with $53 million. It was the 48th highest-grossing movie of 2005.
Think about that. The highest-grossing Best Picture nominee earned less than 47 other movies released last year.
If Crash wins, it would be the lowest-grossing Best Picture since 1987. (In non-adjusted dollars: If you adjust for inflation, I suspect it would be the lowest-grossing Best Picture of all time.) And Crash is, thus far, the most successful of the nominated movies. (Granted, Brokeback is still in the theatres and is likely soon to surpass Crash, but not by enough to affect my underlying point.)
An excellent point, though this self-centered version of Hollywood can't last forever. Ultimately movie-making is a business, and businesses must embrace the tenants of capitalism. If these movies aren't making enough money they won't be made.
Really, though, the movie industry had better be careful. If they keep churning out crap the public at large isn't interested in their customers will turn to other venues for their entertainment. Apple is already offering episodes of popular shows for purchase/download in their iTunes store, and with video equipment and web hosting getting cheaper all the time it won't be long before entrepreneurs and entertainers around the globe are competing directly with the movie industry. But at this point that may well be inevitable, whether Hollywood gets it together or not.