Topic: News Coverage: May 2006

[Italian_Dude]

I'm not sure the date of this.. but still .. 

Why I'm Not Going To See Brokeback Mountain or Countering The Brokeback Hype

It's bad enough that Brokeback Mountain has been relentlessly overhyped like no movie in recent memory, so much so that even George Bush is getting questioned about it.

But, last night, I actually had someone, who was completely puzzled, say to me that she'd been watching the coverage of Brokeback Mountain and didn't understand how it could be such an enormous blockbuster hit. Maybe that's a small thing, but for me, it was the last straw.

Let me interject a little reality into the tsunami of ballyhoo that surrounds Brokeback Mountain. Let me take just a moment to counter the overbearing wave of condescending media hucksters and Hollywood high pressure salesmen that have almost been berating the public into watching this film.

First of all, Brokeback Mountain isn't even close to a mega-hit. In fact, numerous movies that are considered mediocrities are topping it at the box office. If you look at the top 50 grossing movies in the theaters right now, here's where Brokeback Mountain, which has been out 9 weeks now, ranks in total gross:

1) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $285.5M
2) The Chronicles of Narnia: $271.9 M
3) King Kong: $209.9M
4) Polar Express: $173.6M
5) Chicken Little: $133.4M
6) Walk the Line: $102.1M
7) Fun with Dick and Jane: $101.4M
Flightplan: $89.5M
9) Cheaper by The Dozen 2: $78.1M
10) The Family Stone: $58.6
11) Yours, Mine, & Ours: $52.6
12) Memoirs of a Geisha: $51.2M
13) Syriana: $45.4M
14) Hostel: $42.7M
15) Brokeback Mountain: $42.1 M

Wow. It even lost to Cheaper by the Dozen 2 which featured a dog attacking Steve Martin's crotch in the promos. That is impressive. On the other hand, forty million dollars is a lot of dough for a movie about gay cowboys / sheep herders. I mean, you should be able to make a movie like that for about $2000 bucks. What do you need a lot of cash for? Cowboy hats? Chaps? Sheep? Still, given that Brokeback Mountain got 10 times more free publicity than even the most successful movies on this list, the fact that it's in 15th place is stunningly unimpressive.

For that matter, so are all the Golden Globes that it won because let's face it, it didn't win 4 Golden Globe prizes because it's a good movie, it won 4 Golden Globes because it's about gay cowboys. And Hollywood thinks more prudish, conservative Americans should be exposed to movies featuring gay cowboys, so they're using the awards to send a message. They do this same thing every year. This year it's gay cowboys, next year it'll be handicapped lesbian Eskimos, and two years from now it'll be Latino union activists fighting Republicans to save the rainforest.

So, if the movie can't be all that good, who's going to see it?

Gay men, women who want to see a movie about relationships, men who want to prove they're not homophobic, guys who got tricked by the hype, and the same sort of people who go to art galleries, look at a pile of crap that looks like a construction accident, and pretentiously rave about the symmetry and use of color because they think it makes them sound sophisticated.

After all, why would a normal man want to go see this film? Men don't even want to go see relationship movies that feature men and women, so why would they want to see a movie about two gay cowboys hopping in the saddle together?

Maybe if the gay cowboys were secretly ninjas sworn to avenge their masters or kill crazy ex-seals out to stop a team of Al-Qaeda terrorists from blowing up school buses full of kids, it might be a movie that could appeal to most guys -- assuming they didn't get all touchy-feely and start grabbing each other like the Hobbits did at the end of "Return of the King."

Whatever the case may be, if people watched the movie and enjoyed it, fantastic, more power to them. But, understand that it's not a classic, it's not a must-see movie, it's just another film that will fade into semi-obscurity like all other lefty cause du jour movies that were promoted before it. The sooner, the better as far as I'm concerned.

[frances]

Whatever the case may be, if people watched the movie and enjoyed it, fantastic, more power to them. But, understand that it's not a classic, it's not a must-see movie, it's just another film that will fade into semi-obscurity like all other lefty cause du jour movies that were promoted before it. The sooner, the better as far as I'm concerned.

That's right. As far as YOU concerned, Mister...Mister....what's the name of the author of this "brilliant" piece of....?

I've just checked : those lines were posted in http://www.rightwingnews.com. NO SURPRISE, then.

I don't blame BBM's bad reviews(everyone's the right to have an opinion), but offensive ones. And that's one of those ("This year it's gay cowboys, next year it'll be handicapped lesbian Eskimos, and two years from now it'll be Latino union activists fighting Republicans to save the rainforest")

Thank you Frankie, for sharing

[boo_boo]

They are entitled to their opinion.  But...their opinion is WRONG. 

[frances]

The Sunday Times

'Brokeback' named Top HollyWORD of 2006 Followed by 'Brangelina’, ‘Petronoia,' and ‘Tuxedo’


‘Brokeback’ from multi-Oscar nominated film 'Brokeback Mountain' was named the Top HollyWORD of the Year in The Global Language Monitor's annual survey of words from Hollywood that profoundly influenced the English Language.
Closely following were ‘Brangelina’ from ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith,’ ‘ ‘Petronoia’ from ‘Syriana,’ ‘Tuxedo’ from ‘March of the Penguins,’ and ‘Pimping’ from “Hustle & Flow’.

Rounding out the Top Ten were ‘Milk Money’ from ‘Cinderella Man,’ ‘Dostoevskian’ from ‘Revenge of the Sith,’ ‘Tepid’ from the 2005 Movie Season, ‘the Inklings’ from ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,’ and ‘Don’t Panic’ from ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.

"For better or for worse, The Hollywood dream-factory continues to make its contribution to the Global English vocabulary, either by creating new words, such as ‘Brokeback’ or re-defining (and/or transmitting) others,“ said Paul JJ Payack, President of the Global Language Monitor. The Global Language Monitor analyzes and catalogues the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture.

1. Brokeback (Brokeback Mountain) – A cultural phenomenon (Brokeback, Brokedown, etc.) with almost a million references to Brokeback jokes alone on Google. Overall there are some 30 million references though only 10 million saw the movie.

2. Brangelina (Mr. And Mrs. Smith) – The Brad Pitt – Angelina Jolie romance / relationship / spectacle without the Scientology angle. TomKat (Tom Cruise / Katy Holmes) comes in a close second, with Vincifer (Jennifer Aniston – Vince Vaughn) placing a distant third.

3. Petronoia (Syriana) -- Everything may be connected in this politically-charged thriller and it’s all connected through ‘petronoia’ the (ir)rational fear of the collapse in the oil industry precipitating global economic crisis.

4. Tuxedo (March of the Penguins) – Though the dialogue, not to mention the stars, were a bit stiff, this chronicle about Emperor penguins in their breeding trek across Antarctica flew to remarkable heights. Also, very clever product placement that few apparently noticed: dinner jackets.

5. Pimping (Hustle and Flow) – Evidently ‘Ho’ and ‘bitch’ have already been approved by the network censors, and pimping gets another boost.

6. Milk (Money) (Cinderella Man) – The reason for James J. Braddock’s comeback. He claimed he now knew the reason for his success: He was no fighting for ‘Milk’.

7. Dostoevskian (Revenge of the Sith) – Certainly not for the screenplay, but rather for the completion of Lukas’ multi-generational, six-film saga depicting the ongoing battle between good and evil to a universal audience.

8. Tepid (The 2005 Movie Season) -- With grosses down some 6% from a slow 2004, studio execs blamed everything except uninspiring choices. This was the year of the small film.

9. The Inklings (Chronicles of Narnia) -- The informal writers club to which C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien both belonged. Together the good professors’ films have grossed over $3 billion. Not bad for a couple of Oxford dons. 1

0. Don’t Panic (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) – Though a flop, the film contained excellent advice for just about any situation in the 21st Century.

11. 1933 (King Kong) – That’s the version you should have seen. “Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was the re-make that killed both beauty and the beast.”

12. Bird Flu (H5N1) (War of the Worlds) – Thanks to HG Wells, a positive use for Avian Flu: destroying alien life forms.

13. Crusaders (Kingdom of Heaven) – Luckily this wasn’t a big enough hit among the infidels to cause any worldwide riots.

14. Folsom (Walk the Line) – The name now is synonymous for the Man in Black.

15. Expediency (Munich) – Some times political values trump moral values.

[chameau]

Thank you Frances, very good one

[frances]

Uncut DVD - May/June 2006

[frances]

ennisjackandjack, thanks for posting this article.

Need parents' permission to show the film? It is a cinematography class and BBM is has one of the best cinematography, no? Besides, no sexual content was shown. I will be outraged if the teacher is punished.  Sorry, I needed to vent.

Same here.

Why do kids need a permission slip to simply watch a gay-themed movie, especially when the only purpose of the clip was to note the cinematography?

[tpe]

I'm not sure the date of this.. but still .. 

Why I'm Not Going To See Brokeback Mountain or Countering The Brokeback Hype

Who is this filthy barbarian?

I decline further comment.  It is beneath contempt.

[tpe]

Uncut DVD - May/June 2006

Thank you frances. 

[mélisande]

'Brokeback' clip stirs anger at school
BOYD COUNTY TEACHER SHOWED CLASS FILM SNIPPET

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/14616137.htm?source=rss&channel=kentucky_state

ASSOCIATED PRESS
An English teacher at an Eastern Kentucky school that has been divided over gay issues showed a snippet of Brokeback Mountain to her students in a class.

About 21/2 minutes of the film was shown last week in a senior cinematography class at Boyd County High School, Superintendent Howard K. Osborne said yesterday.

The brief showing of the film, which centers on the sexual relationship between two male sheepherders, upset at least one parent who had a student in the class. Nothing with sexual content was shown.

Osborne said Brokeback Mountain won't be shown again at the school. He declined to say if any action was taken against the teacher who showed the film.
..
Kelley Smith said she was upset the film was shown at all.

"If she wanted to show it in class she should have gotten parents permission and if some students wanted to see it, it should have been their choice," said Smith, whose son, Chris, 17, was in the class.

? Forgive me but... I really don't understand Americans..or lets put it this way, sometimes it's very hard    Hypocrisy is the word, isn't there a huge adult film industry in LA. Why they don't do anything with that!
Here in Finland film was ranked (I mean the film classifications) age 11 and in Sweden 7. I think 13 (or 15 as the DVD actually is) would be appropriate age, not because of sexual scenes but deep emotional scenes and two three violent ones.

[ennisandjack]

ennisjackandjack, thanks for posting this article.

Need parents' permission to show the film? It is a cinematography class and BBM is has one of the best cinematography, no? Besides, no sexual content was shown. I will be outraged if the teacher is punished.  Sorry, I needed to vent.

I fully understand your feelings. I get really frustrated too, especially about the double standards and the way Brokeback Mountain is treated like its some kind of hard-core porn movie when there are far more explicit heterosexual films that no-one bats an eyelash at. I really hope that this teacher is not punishes. In fact I think she should be commended for her actions.

[Italian_Dude]

I'm gonna be sick, either I have the flu, or I just read the stupidest thing EVER!




first of all, that article needs to be proof read:

The brief showing of the film, which centers on the sexual relationship between two male sheepherders, upset at least one parent who had a student in the class. Nothing with sexual content was shown.

yup, thats it. It just a sexual relationship, its a 2 hour gay porn, yeah, obviously.


Secondly..

GET A LIFE

First of all, the teacher didnt show the tent scene.. they could have been riding horses together up to the mountain.. OMG HOW OFFENSIVE IS THAT. Plus its a FILM class.. Usually if your gonna be in a film class its not good to be bias and prejudiced.. ugh!

Sometimes America makes me laugh.

K, I'm in Canada and I'm in creative writing.. do you know how many BBM related (gay-themed) stories I've submitted?
Do you know I showed a clip of BBM for my seminar?
Do you know no one had a problem with this?
Do you know I go to a CATHOLIC school?

Catholic school.. "homosexuality is bad" according to our church, but everyone at my school, overwhelming majority, teachers included, have nothing against homosexuals or homosexuality, most have seen BBM and loved it.. My creative writing class had spent a whole 90min class talking about it, and how good it was! CATHOLIC SCHOOL!

That teacher should get a medal for showing such a great film in her class, UGH! ignorance! sorry i had to vent as well...

[Jennis]

BBM mentioned.

Jennis.x


The Calgary Sun

Sun, May 21, 2006

On-screen sizzle

MEMORABLE LIP-LOCKING MOVIE MOMENTS

By LIZ BRAUN

 
"No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."

(Don't take that personally, gentle reader.)

For the uninitiated, that's Rhett advising Scarlet in Gone With The Wind that she needs more smooch time in her life, and he knows just the guy for the job.

Gone With The Wind is a film that just happens to have a couple of great pucker-up moments. Great kisses of the silver screen (like everything else about the silver screen), are a matter of opinion, not to mention time and place. And age.

If you ask your granny what memorable kisses she saw at the moving pictures, she might say something like From Here To Eternity and mention Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolling around on the beach. Hubba, hubba.

A later generation might consider that same Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon kissing in Atlantic City for what that kiss represents to each of them; Atlantic City is also the movie in which Toronto blowhard Moses Znaimer gets killed, so it's always worth seeing.

If you ask kids about a memorable kiss at the movies you're likely to hear about Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man -- Spider-Man hanging upside down in the rain to kiss Mary Jane. This could be because kids understand that with great power of romance comes great responsibility, particularly for genetically modified superheroes. Or maybe it's just something they saw when it was way past their bedtime.


Both men and women vote for the furious reunion kiss between Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.

And most people from other planets cite the smooch between a young Drew Barrymore and E.T. in E.T. -- The Extraterrestrial. Oh, calm down.

All this screen kissing began in 1896 with Thomas Edison's The Kiss (sometimes called The May Irwin Kiss), which was a 20 second Vitascope film.

Perhaps you had to be there? People were mostly scandalized. In the 110 years since, there have been many memorable screen kisses.

Here are a few of the biggies:

- When Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman kiss in Casablanca. At least they'll always have Paris.

- Anytime Humphrey Bogart kissed Lauren Bacall, because of their off-screen relationship, but likely The Big Sleep has the most smoldering of their screen kisses. You know how to whistle, don't you?

- Ingrid Bergman pops up again locking lips with Cary Grant in Notorious. You might want to see Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift kissing in A Place In The Sun, too, and that's enough of the old stuff.

- Sigourney Weaver had her moment as a Major Babe in a film called The Year Of Living Dangerously, and she has a memorable spit swap with Mel Gibson. It was a religious experience, no doubt.

- A lot of people here in the news room insist we mention Colin Firth kissing Jennifer Ehle in the TV movie version of Pride & Prejudice.

- Then there's Michael Douglas and Glenn Close kissing in a forbidden fashion (on the kitchen counter -- like, who'd eat again at her house?) in Fatal Attraction. That was before she boiled the bunny, natch.

- You wouldn't want to miss Holly Hunter kissing wild thing Harvey Keitel in The Piano, or Scarlett Johansson kissing Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Match Point and there was some mighty steamy kissing between William Hurt and Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, right after he throws that chair through the window to get at her.

- Remember Renee Zellweger and Tom Cruise locking lips in Jerry Maguire? He had her at hello, didn't he? He should have quit while he was ahead.

- Leo and Kate in Titanic. Not.

- Jaye Davidson and Stephen Rea in The Crying Game, just before that unexpected penis makes an appearance.

- And finally, do try to see Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty kiss in Splendor In The Grass, because the fundamental things really do apply. As time goes by, don't you think?


http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2006/05/21/1590955-sun.html

 
 

 

 
   

[tpe]

Catholic school.. "homosexuality is bad" according to our church, but everyone at my school, overwhelming majority, teachers included, have nothing against homosexuals or homosexuality, most have seen BBM and loved it.. My creative writing class had spent a whole 90min class talking about it, and how good it was! CATHOLIC SCHOOL!

The one good thing is that there is a lot of passive resistance in the more liberal US Catholic communities.  I happen to go to two Catholic churches in Chicago: both totally opposite in outlook.  In the more liberal of the two, there is strong passive resistance to every homophobic decree that comes out of the Curia.

As is not a surprise to many of us, Religion is not as 'black and white' as many would want others to believe.  To me, this is a good thing.

[tpe]

Both men and women vote for the furious reunion kiss between Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.

Furious is an understatement!  Thanks Jennis.  

[frances]

Both men and women vote for the furious reunion kiss between Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.

Furious is an understatement!  Thanks Jennis.  

understatement = used to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is. It can be used to entertain or to reduce the importance of the truth.  

[tpe]

Both men and women vote for the furious reunion kiss between Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.

Furious is an understatement!  Thanks Jennis.  

understatement = used to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is. It can be used to entertain or to reduce the importance of the truth.  

Thanks frances. 

If I had a choice in the wording, I would at least describe that kiss as 'deathless'.

[dirtbiker]

OMG, didn't realize Jack's nose got smooshed in that scene <sorry OT  >

[mélisande]

Love hurts  (can actually hear the sound.. ouch :`))

[*Froggy*]

Both men and women vote for the furious reunion kiss between Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.

Furious is an understatement!  Thanks Jennis.   

understatement = used to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is. It can be used to entertain or to reduce the importance of the truth.  

Thanks frances. 

If I had a choice in the wording, I would at least describe that kiss as 'deathless'.

<OT> fierce ?..just maybe!

[Italian_Dude]

Both men and women vote for the furious reunion kiss between Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.

Furious is an understatement!  Thanks Jennis.   

understatement = used to make something appear smaller or less important than it really is. It can be used to entertain or to reduce the importance of the truth.  

*FAINTS* 

[Jennis]

OMG, didn't realize Jack's nose got smooshed in that scene <sorry OT  >

Yes,a near broken nose and Heath is about to have his skin ripped off...LOL.

I think 'Frantic' is the word they should have used.

Jennis.x

[ennisandjack]

'Brokeback' Gang Moves on to Bob Dylan, 'Lust'
Ledger and Williams co-star again, Ang Lee goes Chinese
May 24 2006

http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-ledgerwilliamsbobdylanangleelustcaution,0,4815825.story?coll=zap-news-headlines

Real-life "Brokeback Mountain" sweethearts Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams will extend their working relationship to another film.

The Oscar-nominated pair has joined the all-star cast of the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ledger will be one of seven actors portraying the singer at different points of his life. Williams will play model Coco Rivington, someone who also catches the musician's eye, although in this part of the film, Cate Blanchett will portray Dylan.

The couple joins the already cast Christian Bale, Julianne Moore and Richard Gere. Production is set to begin in July in Montreal.

Ledger and Williams both received Oscar nominations this year for their performances in "Brokeback Mountain." Although they didn't win, director Ang Lee walked away with a statuette.

Following his win, the filmmaker is shifting to the Chinese-language spy thriller "Lust, Caution."

Set in Shanghai during WWII, the project is based on a short story by Eileen Chang. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" scribe Wang Hui-Ling will write the adapted screenplay.

Production is scheduled to begin in the fall.

[tpe]

Yes, the Dylan project has been discussed, but the new Ang Lee adaptation is most interesting news.  And another short story -- perhaps Ang Lee realized his inner strength in amplification...

[frances]

I don't know if it's already posted.
 
Like the title!


 
MOVIE OF THE YEAR
 
My own private Wyoming

(Shaun de Waal - Mail&Guardian Online)

So much has already been written about Brokeback Mountain that it’s hard to know what else to say. One must, though, clear up a small misunderstanding. The movie is said to be about “gay cowboys”, and that’s not quite right.

First, they are not gay as such. Yes, they do gay stuff (like man-on-man sex), but there’s a difference between doing gay stuff and being gay. “Gay” is a term that indicates self-identification as homosexual, usually male, and really came into its own only after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, which marked the official beginning of a gay liberation movement in the United States. Brokeback Mountain is very definitely set before that date (it begins in 1963) and is very specifically about men who do not have access to the affirming discourse of gay liberation. Besides, these two men state in so many words that they are “not queer”. This may seem a small point, but it is a key to the movie. It’s about not being gay.

Second, they aren’t really cowboys. They dress like cowboys, big hats and all, and have pretensions of some kind to that role (which may overlap considerably with masculinity itself in this context), but for most of the movie they are in fact glorified shepherds. Yes, one character does a bit of rodeo bull-riding, but such an activity is a kind of staged performance of cowboyness -- and, in itself, that detail says something about the movie’s subtle commentary on role playing and self-identification. (Talking about the cowboy hats, I note that, in what is perhaps a sly dig at old-style westerns, one of the men wears a white hat and the other a black one.)

In the beautiful, perfectly paced first act of Brokeback Mountain, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) meet when they both take the job of looking after a herd of sheep grazing on the side of the said mountain. Isolated together in this rough rural idyll, they discover each other in unexpected ways, and that is the start of a relationship that will last for another two decades or so. But it will have to be conducted in secret, because their society can’t deal with the idea of two men having a sexual liaison, let alone what is nowadays called a “domestic partnership”. This is not just a matter of time but place; we’re in Wyoming, the heart of conservative America. And it’s not as though a huge amount has changed -- this is the state where a young man was famously murdered for being gay in 1998.

The second act of Brokeback Mountain (and it has only two) describes the aftermath of what happened between Jack and Ennis on the mountainside. The first act covers a month or two; the second moves across decades. Ang Lee, who got the Oscar for best director, and his scriptwriters Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, who also got Oscars, deal expertly with this passing of time. There are no titles or captions to tell us what year we are now in, but a myriad details show the progress of the years. Clothing styles change and children appear and grow, as does Jack’s moustache.

Subtlety is the movie’s strong suit. Despite what may seem potentially shocking material (to most of the US, at least), the tone of the whole is one of delicacy; as he showed in previous movies such as Eat Drink Man Woman and Sense and Sensibility, not to mention Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Lee has a superb touch for the nuances of emotion. His perception of the human heart has more depth and resonance than a thousand ordinary Hollywood movies put together.

Our feelings for Jack and Ennis develop with their feelings for each other, and the cumulative effect of Brokeback Mountain is deeply involving and, finally, heart-breaking. In retrospect, I almost wished I had left at the halfway mark, before Ennis and Jack leave their mountainside and re-enter a world in which their relationship has no room to breathe. I would love to see the first half of Brokeback Mountain again, but I don’t think I’m strong enough to bear a repeat of the second.

It is probably fair to say that Lee simply told the story he wanted to tell, moulding it through wonderful performances and lovely camera-work, and that’s achievement enough. Make no mistake, Brokeback Mountain is a great film. Yet it’s a movie about the closet, and one feels a little distressed that the biggest “gay” movie ever is a tragedy. Certainly, it’s true to the period and locale in which it is set, and the lesson for today’s audiences couldn’t be clearer. But where, say, is the big gay superhero movie? When do we get to shoot and f*** our way across the screen with amoral abandon like James Bond does? The real triumph would be if no one felt sorry for us any more.

[tpe]

Subtlety is the movie’s strong suit.  ...the tone of the whole is one of delicacy; ...Lee has a superb touch for the nuances of emotion. His perception of the human heart has more depth and resonance than a thousand ordinary Hollywood movies put together.

Beautiful and true.  And I do love the title of the article.

[stephan]

But where, say, is the big gay superhero movie? When do we get to shoot and f*** our way across the screen with amoral abandon like James Bond does? The real triumph would be if no one felt sorry for us any more.

Thank you, Frances, for this good article 

IMHO, 1) we don't really need a gay James Bond , 2) Jack and Ennis are the only superheroes for me !   

[frances]

Subtlety is the movie’s strong suit.  ...the tone of the whole is one of delicacy; ...Lee has a superb touch for the nuances of emotion. His perception of the human heart has more depth and resonance than a thousand ordinary Hollywood movies put together.

Beautiful and true.  And I do love the title of the article.

Of course you do!

No, we don't need at all a gay James Bond, Stephan.

I found interesting the part about BBM not being a  “gay cowboys" movie

[tpe]

Of course you do!

Now why do you think that?!!!

"I would love to see the first half of Brokeback Mountain again, but I don’t think I’m strong enough to bear a repeat of the second."

I find this most interesting, as many people find the first part relatively static compared to the second.  But I agree.  I never tire of watching the first part, and I always dread the flowering of the second part.

There is a severe beauty to the entire second part.   What metaphor can I use save to call up the vision of that beautiful but severe cult of Hellenism?  BBM is a classical piece of Art in many many rich and surprising ways...


 

[Koka]

I find this most interesting, as many people find the first part relatively static compared to the second.  But I agree.  I never tire of watching the first part, and I always dread the flowering of the second part.

Same here!!! I adore the first part of the movie.....and everytime I watch the movie, I want that summer on the mountain to last forever.....because each time, my heart goes up to brokeback with the two of them, and never wants to come down again.....