Author Topic: DVD Reviews  (Read 9924 times)

Offline tpe

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DVD Reviews
« on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:02 PM »
I will create this thread in this subforum for now.


Offline tpe

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An Exquisite Review
« Reply #1 on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:08 PM »
The DVD Review form http://dvd.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1151857.php/DVD_Review_Brokeback_Mountain

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DVD Review: Brokeback Mountain
By Patrick Luce Apr 2, 2006, 14:51 GMT



Even with a subject matter that might be controversial to some, Brokeback Mountain is a movie that is worth watching thanks to strong performances from its cast, a solid screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, and the master directing by Oscar winning Ang Lee.


By now, everyone knows what the movie (which was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three) is about, and it is not a film that everyone will like or even want to see. At the same time, Lee handles some of the more controversial scenes delicately and never lets one part of the story over take the entire experience of the movie.

The movie has a good cast of young actors that show they have the talent to hang around for a while so get used to them. The cast includes Heath Ledger (A Knight’s Tale), Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead), Anne Hathaway (Havoc), and Michelle Williams (The Station Agent).

The movie (which is not a cowboy film or western so please stop calling it that) starts in the mid 1960s and runs until the late 1970s. Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) and Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal) take a job with Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) herding and caring for his sheep on Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming for the summer. Aguirre tells the two that he wants them staying on the mountain all summer with one staying in the actual campsite allowed by the Forest Service and the other sleeping with the sheep a few miles away – which is not allowed.

At first, it seems like the two men don’t get along, Del Mar rarely talks and Twist rarely shuts up, but a friendship begins to form. Twist is the one that is supposed to stay with the sheep, but the two switch when he can no long take sleeping up there without a fire and the other hardships. They also start to discover that they have similar backgrounds – both grew up on a ranch and have been involved in the ranching business their entire lives.


Jack and Ennis meet working on Brokeback Mountain

Twist is a rodeo cowboy with a father that is impossible to please and rarely has time for him. Del Mar’s parents died when he was young and he was raised by his brother and sister until there was no longer a place for him. The two have been drifting most their young adult lives going from job to job. We also learn that Del Mar intends to marry at the end of the summer.

Although there is really no reason for the sudden emotion, the two have sex one night after drinking too much, and Del Mar makes it clear that this is something that is a one time thing and only going to happen this summer while they are alone on Brokeback. Lee does show the sex scene, but again this is not a reason to not watch the film. Lee handles these scenes (as he does the sex scenes the two actors have with their wives later in the film) with care, and never lets them become a distraction to the overall story he is telling. Quaid eventually discovers what they are doing on the mountain and calls them down early – although he never comes out and says that is the reason why.

From there, the two go their separate ways and the larger story begins. Del Mar gets married to Alma (Williams) and the two quickly have two daughters. Twist drifts back into the life of a rodeo cowboy (although he has little success) and ends up married to Lureen Newsome (Hathaway). The two have a baby son, and Twist settles into a new career as a salesman. He also has to deal with an overbearing father-in-law.

The movie then jumps ahead four years, and the two meet up again for the first time. When this happens, the same emotions that grabbed them on Brokeback return and this time they can’t claim that it was a “one time” thing. Alma also discovers the truth about her husband, but never says anything until close to the end of the movie. The two men decide that they want to be together and love each other, but can not because of the times and their families. There is a haunting and disturbing scene where Ledger describes his childhood encounter with the body of a rancher thought to be gay that had been beaten and mutilated. His father took Ledger, then age nine, and his brother to see the corpse in a ditch so that they would understand what happened to those kind of people. It is clear that this is the driving reason why Ledger’s character is incapable to accept his love for Gyllenhaal’s character.

Instead, the two men keep their love secret from everyone and spend the next several years only seeing each other every couple of months on special “fishing” trips. Eventually, Ledger and Williams get divorced, and the love in Gyllenhaal’s marriage falls apart although they stay together. There is a great scene where Gyllenhaal finally confronts his overbearing father-in-law that actually seems to drive the nail in the coffin of his marriage.

We also see that Gyllenhaal seems to have the harder time staying away from Ledger and accepting the conditions of their relationship. Ledger handles the relationship’s emotional toil with outburst of anger (which explode at odd times and sometimes very violently) and with a somewhat failure to hold down any kind of job. I don’t want to give away the movie’s emotional ending so I will stop there.


Ledger can’t fit into his life and often turns to violence

Ledger and Gyllenhaal, who were both nominated for Oscars in their roles, are extremely good in the movie, and do a good job at making their characters drastically different. Ledger is quiet and reserved. He seems to always be wrestling with this other side that he feels he can not let go, and even the way he delivers his dialogue seems to be part of that struggle. Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, is loud and seems to be the one that instigates most of the encounters at first. He is not ashamed of what the two men have, and is constantly pushing for them to move past the occasional encounter. This leads to even more conflict in their relationship, and eventually to the tragedy that Ledger believes happens to Gyllenhaal’s character – although it is never said if that is what really happened.

Although Ledger and Gyllenhaal are the focus of the movie, Lee does an excellent job in weaving a story that also explores the wives’ side. Williams discovers the truth early on in the movie in a scene that will both make you laugh for a second and then break your heart when you think of the emotion she must be going through. This knowledge destroys her relationship with Ledger and eventually leads to their divorce – although she doesn’t use that as the reason and never exposes his secret to his two daughters.

When Williams finally does confront Ledger with the truth, the scene turns extremely violent quickly, and we see that this is still something Ledger is unwilling to admit to himself even after all these years. It is a short scene, but probably one of the best in the movie.

Hathaway’s character, like Jack Twist, is the complete opposite of Williams – the two wives never meet either. She is content to run her business, have success and money. It is clear early on that her marriage to Jack is second or even third priority in her life, and that there is little love between the two characters. Although they don’t say this is the reason why, they more than likely got married because she was pregnant. She is also a bit of a throw away character because unlike Williams she doesn’t know the two men’s secret and doesn’t even appear to truly care or question why Twist is willing to drive so far to fish. She asks why Ledger never comes to Texas, and then pretty much drops the whole thing.


It turns violent when Alma confronts her husband about his secret

Although the movie is extremely good, it isn’t something that I would probably watch a second time. It is not because of the homosexual overtones of the movie (though I am sure some people will avoid it based on that reason), but because it is simply too long. At times, it seems like the movie is never going to end, and that Lee is just going over the same ground we have seen. The director spends a lot of time with Ledger and his two daughters later in the film, but the scenes never really fit in with the basic plot of the movie. They add more details to Ledger’s life and his inability to connect with the people in it, but this is ground that has already been established.

The movie’s pace slows from time to time, and I am just not sure that it would have gotten the accolades it received without the more controversial moments in the film. I will say I am an Ang Lee fan, and think the director knows how to tell any story in a way that somehow relates and interests the viewer. I have yet to see a film of his that I didn’t like in some way, and I think this is the kind of movie that you are going to either love, hate or have no real reaction to at all. I fall in the last part of that group. I didn’t hate the film, but it didn’t interest me enough to want to see it more than once - the way some of Lee’s films have.

The DVD comes loaded with special features that fans of the movie will enjoy, but may fall a little short on the average viewer. They are basically just a detailed look at what went into making the movie, and how the cast all came together. The features include Directing from the Heart: Ang Lee – an inside look at the director and his process. From Script to Screen: Interviews with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana – where the writers discuss bringing the short story that was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx to the screen. On Being a Cowboy – a look at what Gyllenhaal and Ledger went through to prepare for their roles in the film including rodeo and wrangling training and interviews with the men who trained them. Lee likes to use the actual actors in all his shots so very few stunt doubles were used in the film. Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain – the standard “making of” feature that has takes you through the process of making the film and features interviews with crew, cast, and Lee along with behind the scenes footage. The DVD is presented in Anamorphic 1.85:1 Widescreen and English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.


Ang Lee crafts a movie that explores the emotions of the heart

While the movie’s subject matter may not appeal to everyone, it is worth taking a chance on thanks to Lee’s steady hand as a director, a brilliant script, and some really fine performances from its actors. The pace does drag from time to time, and I felt it loses some of its focus towards the end. I would still recommend the movie to anyone wanting a heavy drama that explores the relationships of the heart.

Brokeback Mountain is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an April 24th release. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.



Offline tpe

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #2 on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:18 PM »
I forgot to note that the reviewer is honest in that he has seen it only once and thinks it is too long.

We've seen this before.  Little do they know that it starts to get under your skin after 3 or 4 viewings.  :)


Offline LuvJackNasty

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #3 on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:26 PM »
Although the movie is extremely good, it isn’t something that I would probably watch a second time. It is not because of the homosexual overtones of the movie (though I am sure some people will avoid it based on that reason), but because it is simply too long. At times, it seems like the movie is never going to end,

Too long? Maybe I am just crazy but I wish it was longer. I would have enjoyed watching all of their meetings- I just love these two characters. I didn't want the movie to end because I enjoy it so much and because we all know what the end brings.  :'(

Thanks for posting the review.
“What Jack remembered and craved in a way he could neither help nor understand was the time that distant summer on Brokeback when Ennis had come up behind him and pulled him close, the silent embrace satisfying some shared and sexless hunger."

You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one ~ Imagine- J. Lennon

Offline tpe

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #4 on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:31 PM »
Too long? Maybe I am just crazy but I wish it was longer. I would have enjoyed watching all of their meetings- I just love these two characters. I didn't want the movie to end because I enjoy it so much and because we all know what the end brings.  :'(

Thanks for posting the review.

I remember that when BBM first came out, the 'length' was the feature most criticized by the reviewers.  This is ironic since Ang Lee pruned quite a lot from the film, and what remains is beautifully faithful to the substance and spirit of the story.

One my first viewing of BBM, I was thinking whether the movie could have been shortened abit more.  On second viewing, I said to myself: what was I thinking?

I agree with you.  I wish it were longer.  I wish the 'Embrace' flashback was a bit longer. 

If the reviewer does watch this movie a second time, I am sure he will change his mind.

Thanks.


« Last Edit: Apr 02, 2006, 03:37 PM by tpe »

Offline tpe

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Boston Globe Review
« Reply #5 on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:44 PM »
From http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/04/02/the_gay_cowboy_movie_is_so_much_more/

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DVD Report
April 2, 2006

New Releases | Tom Russo

'The gay cowboy movie' is so much more

Both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are ultimately playing characters justified in saying ''I told you so" in director Ang Lee's ''Brokeback Mountain" (2005). Is Ledger's Ennis Del Mar smarter to live cautiously but -- as Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist laments -- in perennial emotional pain? Or is Jack thinking straighter to pursue what he wants in life, never mind Ennis's warnings of the all-too-likely consequences? You'll have to make that determination for yourself, as Lee and company don't say tons more than the near-monosyllabic Ennis in the DVD's modest collection of extras. (Oh, to have had a commentary from the two stars.)

A collection of production featurettes clocks in at about half an hour, not including a promotional segment put together for the gay-oriented cable outlet Logo. The latter does aptly underscore that categorizing a love story with the thematic heft of ''Brokeback" simply as ''the gay cowboy movie" sells it awfully short. ''They come up with terms [like that] because it's easier to swallow than what the movie is really about," says Michelle Williams, Ledger's on-screen wife and off-screen partner. ''When you find a cliché, you'll always find something more complex at the bottom of it."

A featurette on the film's Oscar-winning screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana pinpoints where the film had to expand most on Annie Proulx's original short story: Ennis's and Jack's respective home lives, not so much shown by Proulx as suggested. A segment on the actors' cowboy training, meanwhile, features various authentic Marlboro men noting that Ledger, who grew up around horses, was a natural. Regarding Gyllenhaal's skills, the euphemisms fly like a rodeo bull out of the gate. (Universal, $29.98)



Offline tpe

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Boston Herald Review
« Reply #6 on: Apr 02, 2006, 03:56 PM »
From http://theedge.bostonherald.com/dvdReviews/view.bg?articleid=133184

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Brokeback Mountain

Halfway through “Brokeback Mountain,” you may forget you are watching a love story between two men. Despite being derided and parodied as that “gay cowboy film,” the most talked-about movie of 2005 shies away from the political. It tells an intensely personal story of two young men who unexpectedly fall in love in 1963 Wyoming. What they feel is a mystery to themselves, and they spend the next 20 years denying their feelings and bringing sorrow to themselves and everyone in their paths. Unlike so many other films, “Brokeback Mountain” doesn’t tell you how to feel about its protagonists; it trusts you enough to make up your own mind.

    Heath Ledger delivers a career-making performance as Ennis, a man so tortured he can barely look anyone in the eyes. Jake Gyllenhaal is more than his match as extrovert Jack Twist, an aspiring rodeo star whose attempts to build a life with Ennis are repeatedly rebuffed. As the film moves ahead 20 years, the actors modulate their performances, showing the ravages of love thwarted. Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway and Linda Cardellini (“ER”) turn in strong performances as the bewildered women in their lives.

     The disc includes four featurettes. In one, director Ang Lee - who won an Oscar for his work here - says he was so burned out by previous disappointments that he was on the verge of retirement.  “Brokeback Mountain” restored his faith in the art of film. It may do the same for you.

Mark A. Perigard

Offline donnaread

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #7 on: Apr 02, 2006, 04:49 PM »
Thanks for posting the review.

I remember that when BBM first came out, the 'length' was the feature most criticized by the reviewers.  This is ironic since Ang Lee pruned quite a lot from the film, and what remains is beautifully faithful to the substance and spirit of the story.

One my first viewing of BBM, I was thinking whether the movie could have been shortened abit more.  On second viewing, I said to myself: what was I thinking?

I agree with you.  I wish it were longer.  I wish the 'Embrace' flashback was a bit longer. 

If the reviewer does watch this movie a second time, I am sure he will change his mind.

Thanks.



Quote
I totally agree, LuvJackNasty, The first time I saw BBM I thought it was a little slow, though not too long...if that makes sense.  I believe I thought it was slow because I couldn't wait to see how it ended.  However after the first viewing whenever I saw it (total of 9 times  ;D) I never wanted it to end either.  To give some of the professional reviewers credit, a lot of them said the slowness was needed to show the growth of the friendship between Jack and Ennis.  I agree with this also.  And yes if the guy who said he liked it but not enough to see it again DOES see it again, I am convinced he will change his mind.  There is so much you miss with the first viewing.    Donna
This is the forest primeval.  The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight...but where are the hearts that beneath it leaped...

Offline tpe

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #8 on: Apr 02, 2006, 04:52 PM »
There is so much you miss with the first viewing.   

Donna, this is beautifully said.

Offline Toadily

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #9 on: Apr 02, 2006, 05:09 PM »
I just got my notice that my was delivered today!  Should have it Tues I think.
"it's Love, Blockhead!"
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Offline LuvJackNasty

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #10 on: Apr 02, 2006, 07:09 PM »




Quote
I totally agree, LuvJackNasty, The first time I saw BBM I thought it was a little slow, though not too long...if that makes sense.  I believe I thought it was slow because I couldn't wait to see how it ended.  However after the first viewing whenever I saw it (total of 9 times  ;D) I never wanted it to end either.  To give some of the professional reviewers credit, a lot of them said the slowness was needed to show the growth of the friendship between Jack and Ennis.  I agree with this also.  And yes if the guy who said he liked it but not enough to see it again DOES see it again, I am convinced he will change his mind.  There is so much you miss with the first viewing.    Donna

Donnaread- That makes total sense. I've told people when they were going to see it for the first time that it starts off slow. I get so lost in their world- I think most, if not all, of us have and that is why we love it so much and have seen it over and over. I also agree that it needs to be that way to build up their relationship. I can't understand how anyone could see it just once. I needed to see it again and again. I only got to see it 4 times and I don't feel that is nearly enough-lol.
And yes, there is so much you miss with only 1 viewing. I noticed new things each time I saw it.
“What Jack remembered and craved in a way he could neither help nor understand was the time that distant summer on Brokeback when Ennis had come up behind him and pulled him close, the silent embrace satisfying some shared and sexless hunger."

You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one ~ Imagine- J. Lennon

Offline rabjr1

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #11 on: Apr 02, 2006, 08:33 PM »
ALERT!  Target stores has a BBM promo April 04:  Free audio CD of the short story with the BBM DVD.  CD looks like it's be Annie Proulx.  $16.99 US
RAB aka Raoul The Really Rotten

Offline tpe

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #12 on: Apr 04, 2006, 07:05 AM »
Excerpt from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/265312_hotpick04.html


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This Week's Hot Pick: 'Brokeback Mountain'

P-I STAFF and NEWS SERVICES

The "gay cowboy movie," the most talked-about film of the past year and the victim of the biggest upset in recent Oscar history, reaches DVD today.

The epic love story, which won a best director Academy Award for Ang Lee and Oscars for screenplay and music, chronicles a star-crossed affair between two modern cowboys (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) over 20 years.

It is the most uncompromising and unapologetic all-male romance ever made by a major Hollywood company with name stars. And it's extremely well acted (especially by Ledger) and both poignant and unthreatening.

Its eight Oscar nominations included Ledger for best actor, Gyllenhaal for best supporting actor and Michelle Williams for best supporting actress. "Brokeback" was named best movie of the year in most of the year-end critics awards, but lost the best movie Oscar to "Crash."

DVD extras include a making-of featurette plus pieces on Ledger's and Gyllenhaal's preparation, including rodeo and wrangling training, a profile of Lee and interviews with screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana about adapting Annie Proulx's short story.

..................................


Offline tpe

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for years to come
« Reply #13 on: Apr 04, 2006, 07:17 AM »
Beautiful review from blogcritics: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/04/04/072905.php

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DVD Review: Brokeback Mountain
April 04, 2006
Greasy Guide

Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition)
DVD, Not yet released




The movie that shook up Hollywood is now out on DVD. Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two cowboys caught up in a secret bond. Even though time and distance keep them apart, they always share the memories of their time spent escaping to Brokeback Mountain to see each other over the years — until the tragic death of one of the cowboys separates the pair forever.

If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you hurry to the store and get a copy. This is one of those movies people will be talking about for years to come.  Not only because of the controversial subject matter but also for its superb filmmaking. Ang Lee and his team did a wonderful job bringing Annie Proulx's short story to life on the silver screen. This is the kind of movie that film students will study frame by frame, taking notes on the pacing.

The DVD offers the award winning movie and a ton of special features and documentaries. The "Making Of Brokeback Mountain" looks at the sets and the cast and crew during filming. We are also given the Logo channel special, "On Being A Cowboy." This documentary gets up close with stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhall as they discuss their prep work for the film. The DVD then goes on to show "Directing From The Heart," which is an upclose look at Ang Leeand and his process for directing this film. In "From Script to Screen," we are given interviews of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana who where the main writers of the film. They discuss their process for taking a ten-page story and making it a feature length film.

Get your copy of Brokeback Mountain on DVD, in stores April 4th.


Offline tireiron

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DVD Reviews
« Reply #14 on: Apr 04, 2006, 05:35 PM »
The widescreen DVD is exquisite, more beautiful than in the theater.  Also a sadder and deeper experience
watching the movie at home in private with no distractions.  Very nice special features too.

Offline chameau

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #15 on: Apr 04, 2006, 05:58 PM »
The Canadian DVD, alas, includes a commercial of Toyota you cannot skip.  I'm not a happy chameau!  First time I get a DVD with a "mandatory add" before you get to the DVD menu.

I PAYED for this DVD, no adds plize!  Do you know who we could complaint to?  I'll send an Email to Focus Features to let them know, I'm quite sure they are not even aware.
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Offline dirtbiker

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #16 on: Apr 05, 2006, 02:19 AM »
Yikes, it's already past midnight.  Just watched the DVD on my 10 foot front projection screen ;)  The picture was stunning!  And wow, did you all hear the "extra" dialog during the tent scene?  Just turn on the subtitles and you won't miss it!  Since it was late, I didn't have time to watch the bonus features.  I will post some pics of the movie seen on my home screen later on to entice you all to pay me a visit  ;D

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #17 on: Apr 05, 2006, 09:04 PM »
VERY impressed with the quality of the FS DVD.  Picture quality and sound are perfect.  Nothing remarkable about my TV either - just a standard 27" Toshiba with stereo (about 1 yr old).

I was very surprised by how little the overall quality of the BBM experience is impacted by watching it on DVD.  Not having it on the big screen is definitely offset by not having to deal with talky theater patrons, noisy popcorn bags, etc.  PLUS, you can cry all you want cuz ur in ur private space!   

Gonna re-watch tonight with a good quality headset to see how much of the murmuring in the second tent scene can he heard.

This is SO cool!

JB  ;D ;D ;D

JerBear418720

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #18 on: Apr 05, 2006, 09:06 PM »
The Canadian DVD, alas, includes a commercial of Toyota you cannot skip.  I'm not a happy chameau!  First time I get a DVD with a "mandatory add" before you get to the DVD menu.

I PAYED for this DVD, no adds plize!  Do you know who we could complaint to?  I'll send an Email to Focus Features to let them know, I'm quite sure they are not even aware.

cham, that is really awful...

Offline dirtbiker

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #19 on: Apr 06, 2006, 12:14 AM »
OK Brokies, as promised, here are some pics of the DVD screened on my 10 foot screen home theater system which is located in my family room  ;D










Offline proulxfan

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #20 on: Apr 06, 2006, 09:36 AM »
Gotta admit, watching the DVD definitely has a lot of advantages over the theater, including the reasons mentioned above, and the freedom to sob unashamedly!! Plus as others mentioned on another thread, the picture is "brighter" or better lit on my DVD than it was when I saw it on the big screen, so the first tent scene is less murky. And I love the ability to pause on individual shots, a luxury which those of you with PC versions have had for some time-and thank you for sharing some of them here. And as I have mentioned elsewhere, the sound on my home system is noticeably better than at multiplex type theaters.
 
Dirtbiker: thanks for sharing those photos; wish we lived closer to Seattle, but maybe we'll hit Washington this summer.

Chameau: I second your outrage!! Nothing sends my blood pressure through the roof faster than being held hostage to some damn commercial!! How dare they, when we have already paid good money to see this film!!! I assume you can't bypass it and go to the selected scenes menu??  In that case I would just leave the picture and sound off until the movie has already started and then backtrack. And I would be happy to write a letter of complaint as well if anyone knows where to send one. Anyone ready for a Toyota boycott?
Just read your post again; let us know if Focus Features responds to your e-mail.
« Last Edit: Apr 06, 2006, 09:42 AM by proulxfan »
Jack: " Nice to know you, Ennis Del Mar."

Offline chameau

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #21 on: Apr 06, 2006, 09:49 AM »
I already sent an Email to Toyota, too bad there is no Email link on the Focus Features website but I sent an Email to Universal Pictures.

Canadian fellows, I encourage you to send Emails of complaint to Toyota Canada and Universal Pictures.
« Last Edit: Apr 06, 2006, 09:56 AM by chameau »
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Offline dirtbiker

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #22 on: Apr 06, 2006, 11:27 AM »
I already sent an Email to Toyota, too bad there is no Email link on the Focus Features website but I sent an Email to Universal Pictures.

Canadian fellows, I encourage you to send Emails of complaint to Toyota Canada and Universal Pictures.

I've boycotted Toyota long ago.  They treated me like shit when I had a big complaint on the dealer that sold me my car a few years back.  I vowed never to buy another Toyota again after that row.

Offline Toadily

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #23 on: Apr 06, 2006, 12:59 PM »
I noted the DVD was clearer too, more crisp than the big screen.
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Offline ennisandjack

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #24 on: Apr 06, 2006, 01:27 PM »
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid28907.asp

We got nothin' but beans
Brokeback Mountain debuts on DVD with a fairly bare-bones release. If you can’t fix it, you gotta stand it—but let’s hope for a more deluxe edition in the future

By Alonso Duralde

An Advocate.com exclusive posted, April 4, 2006
 
If there was any balm for Brokeback Mountain fans after the movie was robbed of a Best Picture Oscar, it was the thought that the passing of the years would be kind to the film and that future film fans would place it alongside Citizen Kane and Singin’ in the Rain in the pantheon of great films that didn’t win Hollywood’s highest honor. Let’s hope the future also provides a better Brokeback Mountain DVD, because the one hitting stores April 4 is kind of a letdown, extras-wise.

The movie, of course, is terrific and remains so on the small screen, even if Rodrigo Prieto’s Academy Award–nominated cinematography is somewhat diminished. But given that the film generated so much adoration, so much controversy, and so much discussion in the popular culture, the DVD is fairly skimpy on the extras. We get three fairly puffy short documentaries on the cowboy training (everyone admires Heath Ledger’s horseback skills), on director Ang Lee (everyone thinks he’s a genius), and on screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (ditto), along with Logo’s Brokeback Mountain Special, which is basically an electronic press kit masquerading as a TV show. They’re all fine, but they all just scratch the surface of what this collection could have included.

There’s no trailer, no commentaries, no deleted scenes. No featurette about how a potentially controversial film was successfully marketed to a mainstream movie audience. You can’t read the screenplay or the Annie Proulx story. No music videos to go with any of the great songs in the film. None of the Internet Brokeback parodies. Nothing about the parade of critics’ awards and Golden Globes and guild prizes leading up to Oscar night. Any or all of this stuff is just the beginning of what you would expect to find on a Brokeback Mountain DVD. And with any luck, Universal will deliver the goods on a subsequent “Collectors’ Edition” or whatever-they-call-it DVD in the next year or two.

In the meantime, just enjoy seeing the movie again. It’s not given the platform it deserves, but Brokeback Mountain itself remains a classic

Offline tpe

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a much greater award
« Reply #25 on: Apr 07, 2006, 09:42 AM »
From http://jam.canoe.ca/Video/2006/04/07/1524064.html

----------------------------------------------------

'Brokeback' DVD a real treat

By NEAL WATSON -- Edmonton Sun
   
Brokeback Mountain should have won.

Important to be on the record, I suppose, for Oscar historians may well one day regard Crash’s best picture win over heavy favourite Brokeback Mountain as one of the biggest upsets and/or foolish decisions ever made by Academy voters. (And there have been dozens of foolish decisions.)

I picked Brokeback Mountain, new to DVD this week, as the film I believed should and would win the best-picture Oscar during our preview series last month, but the voters who matter saw if differently.

The conventional wisdom was that Crash was closing in on Brokeback in the last days of Oscar voting, but best-picture presenter Jack Nicholson appeared to register genuine surprise when he opened the envelope – mirroring the shock (and disgust in some corners) of media pundits and fans alike. Theories were circulating furiously in the days after likable Paul Haggis, whose Crash is a considerable achievement despite what its detractors say, stepped to the podium to collect his golden statuette. The theories posited the following:

• That there is more homophobia in liberal Hollywood than liberal Hollywood would like us to believe.

• That there was simply a Brokeback backlash.

• That the Academy wanted to set its self apart from most of the other critics and awards bodies that had (rightly) honoured Brokeback.

• That Crash is the kind of “important movie’’ – with its well-intentioned examination of social issues – that Academy voters like to honour.

Given a vote – and that ain’t gonna happen – I would have selected Crash for best picture after Brokeback, Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck.

Brilliantly crafted and acted, emotionally wrenching and, ultimately, terribly sad, Brokeback Mountain is unforgettable, a film that stays with you long after the theatre and the drive home.

A colleague, who was not so keen on seeing the movie, told me she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not, but admitted that days later she was still thinking about it. I think she liked it – and was moved by it.

I know of no one – even those uncomfortable with the subject matter – who did not feel that Brokeback was a fine movie.

Branded of course, as the “gay cowboy movie,’’ Brokeback Mountain is more a film about forbidden love. It is about those who, for reasons of time or circumstance or culture, can’t be who they are. Ang Lee, an Oscar winner for his beautifully undersated direction, calls it a great American love story – it is simply a universal love story.

In 1963 in Wyoming – actually Alberta, as we all know and, boy, is the scenery spectacular – two cowboys couldn’t be lovers and remain cowboys or possibly even remain alive.

Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) meet when they take a job herding sheep up on Brokeback Mountain. After weeks together with no people around for miles, sitting around a fire sipping whisky at the end of long days, the relationship becomes sexual, creating intense confusion for both men.

“You know I ain’t queer,’’ Ennis says, and he means it.

“Me, neither,’’ responds an equally emphatic Jack.

But neither man can live without the relationship – “I wish I knew how to quit you’’ is the line most often quoted – and we follow their passion and their anguish over the years as they split, marry and start families, and return again and again to Brokeback Mountain.

Based on a 1997 Annie Proulx short story that first appeared in The New Yorker, Brokeback Mountain was adapted for the screen by famed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove) and Diana Ossana, who both earned Oscars for their work.

From Lee’s languid pace – too leisurely for some tastes – to the spare dialogue of McMurtry and Ossana, Brokeback Mountain seems to get the cowboy way. It also lets us stroll down small western towns that reminded me – if you shifted to black and white – of deserted main streets depicted in director Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 classic The Last Picture Show.

Every detail, including the poignant strains of the soundtrack and the gorgeous big sky cinematography, speaks to the detail and care taken in crafting this film.

The performances are uniformly excellent, but Ledger’s terse and torn Ennis is the emotional broken heart of the film.

The Oscar may have gone to Crash, but it is Brokeback Mountain that will linger for years – a much greater award.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN – original rating: 5 SUNS (out of 5): DVD rating: 5 SUNS

 

Offline boots

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #26 on: Apr 07, 2006, 10:07 AM »
While I'm glad to have a copy of BBM at home now and appreciative to Focus for rushing it out to us, I cannot help but agree with the author of the review below...and that of the article recently in the Advocate.  Maybe if we write Focus and ask for another, more delux version in the future, we'll get what the Crash dummies (I mean, fans, sorry - couldn't resist the saying and the image of all those smashed fenders...) got.


http://www.austin360.com/movies/content/movies/stories/2006/04/7brokebackcrash.html

 

'Brokeback Mountain' vs. 'Crash,' Round 2
Both are great films, but new edition of 'Crash' offers more extras
By Bruce Dancis
THE SACRAMENTO BEE
Friday, April 07, 2006

Is "Crash" a better movie than "Brokeback Mountain," the film it upset to win the Academy Award for best picture? That issue was hotly debated after the Oscars.

The controversy is coming up again, because new DVDs of both movies were released this week. Both are excellent films. But in terms of their respective DVDs, "Brokeback Mountain" (Focus Films/Universal Studios Home Entertainment, $29.98) comes in a distant second. The problem is that 45 minutes — the sum total of the four documentaries included on the "Brokeback" DVD — doesn't do the film justice.

We do find out a bit about the "cowboy boot camp" that actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal attended. And Ledger shows insight when he comments that to play Ennis Del Mar, "I knew I had to mature as an actor and as a person."

But in two of these short documentaries, we hear co-screenwriter Larry McMurtry give the exact same anecdote — that when he read Annie Proulx's 1997 short story, his initial reaction was that he wished he had written it. The same brevity and shallowness affects any discussion of Ang Lee's Oscar-winning direction. An audio commentary by the director is sadly missing.

In contrast, the new "director's cut" of "Crash" (Lions Gate, $26.98) is filled with extras. Carried over from the initial DVD release last September is a useful feature-length commentary by Paul Haggis (director and co-writer), Bobby Moresco (co-writer and co-producer) and Don Cheadle (actor and co-producer). Together with "Behind the Metal and Glass," a documentary on the making of the movie, and another short documentary on Haggis, we learn much about how Haggis came up with the idea for a movie about racial antagonism in Los Angeles and Cheadle's crucial role in both obtaining financing and persuading other major actors to sign up.

Sandra Bullock and Matt Dillon discuss how hard it was to play characters they disliked and say dialogue they found abhorrent, yet they so believed in "Crash" that they were willing to do it.

Another excellent documentary, "L.A. — The Other Main Character," explores the city's mixture of racial and ethnic groups and its stark contrasts between wealth and poverty. "Unspoken" looks squarely as the race issue.

Two other features are exciting in a film education vein. In two "Script-to-Screen Comparisons," the screen is split between the printed screenplay, scrolling on one side, and the actual scene on the other. Similarly, "Storyboard-to-Screen Comparisons" splits the screen so that one can simultaneously look at the director's artistic conception of a particular scene and how it actually looks when filmed.

"Crash" illustrates what's so rewarding about DVDs when they're made by filmmakers with a passion for sharing. Perhaps when "Brokeback Mountain" eventually comes out in a "special" or "director's cut" DVD edition, its creators will do it right.
``[Jack and Ennis] taught all of us who made `Brokeback Mountain' so much about not just the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself.'' -- Ang Lee

Offline ethan

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #27 on: Apr 07, 2006, 10:29 AM »
boots thanks for posting this article.

Although I am not happy with the bonus feature in the DVD, I am sure there will be more to come. This is not the first time that Crash has released the DVD.

To really generate sales for Crash, one can imagine that goodies have to be included.
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Offline boots

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #28 on: Apr 07, 2006, 10:34 AM »
boots thanks for posting this article.

Although I am not happy with the bonus feature in the DVD, I am sure there will be more to come. This is not the first time that Crash has released the DVD.

To really generate sales for Crash, one can imagine that goodies have to be included.

You said it:  goodies, flashing lights, giveaways...  BBM doesn't need any of that, but I do look forward to a director's edition with more, more, more.  Someday.
``[Jack and Ennis] taught all of us who made `Brokeback Mountain' so much about not just the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself.'' -- Ang Lee

Offline donnaread

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Re: DVD Reviews
« Reply #29 on: Apr 07, 2006, 11:04 AM »
Yikes, it's already past midnight.  Just watched the DVD on my 10 foot front projection screen ;)  The picture was stunning!  And wow, did you all hear the "extra" dialog during the tent scene?  Just turn on the subtitles and you won't miss it!  Since it was late, I didn't have time to watch the bonus features.  I will post some pics of the movie seen on my home screen later on to entice you all to pay me a visit  ;D
dirtbiker, where do u live?  Donna  ;D
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