Brokeback Mountain

[Jennpurr]

You're welcome, sweetie. Are you going to go see it afterall?

BTW, I love your avatar and siggy. Gotta love QAF. Who quoted that? It was Ted right? I think I'm wrong on that.


Jen

[billy]

Yeah I think I will see it. I'm not really a fan of unhappy endings but it's a gay love story with good looking guys and I can't really resist that.

BTW, I love your avatar and siggy.

Well Emmett is the sweetest guy in the world and Peter Paige isn't exactly shy when it comes to getting naked. The quote was said by Ted, probably from the time that Emmett promised God that he would turn straight.

[Hemiola]

I wonder if anyone caught Bill O'Reilly's show last night.

There he was, with the help of his minion, Michael Medved, going on about how "out of touch" the "Hollywood Elite" is with the "real" people. Of course what prompted this rant of the Right Wing Tool was the film's capturing of a Best Picture Golden Globe award. But Medved went even further--did you know that the film was funded by some mysterious, inchoate "group" with a social/political agenda? HORRORS!

It's a good thing we have these guys around to inform us to be on the lookout for funders of such "subversive" films--now we can ignore the perfectly out-in-the-open and completely above-board groups that steal the public's money and get us into unnecessary wars.

[Jennpurr]

Yeah I think I will see it. I'm not really a fan of unhappy endings but it's a gay love story with good looking guys and I can't really resist that.

You'll have to let us know your thoughts afterwards.

Well Emmett is the sweetest guy in the world and Peter Paige isn't exactly shy when it comes to getting naked. The quote was said by Ted, probably from the time that Emmett promised God that he would turn straight.

I agree about Emmett. He's one of my favorite's on the show. He's very adorable. Actually, I think Ted said that after they found out that Justin had sex with Daphnie.


Jen

[HalfCamel]

Hello Kittens.

I just finished watching this movie tonite. I found it incredibly sad but at the same time I found some hope and a little bit of happiness in that love always finds a way. Overall, I liked the movie but I found it a little overrated. Now, don't get me wrong, there's some great acting, a wonderful story, and it's cinematically breathtaking. Considering all the hype, I was just expecting something more. But I agree with Jen, it is a beautiful love story.

I'd like to share some thoughts but I'm going to Spoiler it in case people haven't seen it.

[spoiler]The entire time after the first summer ends, I found myself thinking "how sad." I can't imagine living a life where I could never be with someone I love.

I really felt for the character's because they were each going through their own version of hell. Jack and Ennis, obviously, because they couldn't be with the person they most wanted. Jack was the romantic, thinking everything would work out and be okay. Ennis was the cynic, thinking everything would end horribly, and also him not wanting to leave his daughters. I believe it was fear that kept Ennis from going to Jack after the divorce, but used the exuse that he wouldn't leave the girls. Although, you could see he really did love them. I loved that they kept their love alive for 20 years and that they always found each other.

But what also got me were the wives. I felt mostly for Alma, because she knew. She had to live with Ennis' secret for the rest of her life and know that he would never love her and she could never compete. Then there was Laureen, who was oblivious and who grows embittered because her husband doen't love her and she'll never know why.[/spoiler]

Jenpurr: To answer your question.

For those who have seen this movie, I have a question for you.

[spoiler]What do ya'll think Ennis meant at the end when he says, "Jack, I swear..." I'm curious to hear other opinions. [/spoiler]

Answer:
[spoiler]I think he means that he'll always love Jack. He asks Junior if the fiance loves her and she says yes, which I think was his way of making sure she doesn't go into a loveless marriage, like he did (at least I think), and get treated the way Ennis treated Alma. Anyways, I think the love talk got him thinking of Jack.[/spoiler]

Well, I've rambled on enough. That's just my opinion.

[Kendahl897]

O'Reilly and Co. are just upset that this movie is NOT bombing in the Heartland as predicted. Doing quite well actually, well enough for te distributor to double the number of theatres its playing in and well enoug for it to be #2 at the box-office. My own local theatre in VA is increasing its' screens for BM...

[billy]

I went to see Brokeback Mountain with some friends at the weekend and was in a flood of tears at the end. It was powerful, heartbreaking and made even more meaningful for me because my boyfriend who has never felt very comfortable being out is breaking up with me after a couple of gay bashing incidents last year and is climbing back into the closet.

It really is well deserving of the awards it's already won and I'm sure there will be more to come. It received 9 BAFTA nominations on Friday.

For those who have seen this movie, I have a question for you.

Spoiler:

What do ya'll think Ennis meant at the end when he says, "Jack, I swear..." I'm curious to hear other opinions.

Spoiler:

Jen, I would agree with you and HalfCamel. I don't think there was any doubt about Ennis's feelings at the end of the movie. He loved Jack and will never stop loving him.

[Candleshoe]

Big article on AfterElton about this site in case anyone hasn't found it.

[billy]

The short story that Brokeback Mountain is based on was intended to be one of a series of linked stories. There's an interview with Annie Proulx here:

http://www.bookslut.com/features/2005_12_007310.php

Actually, that story was to be one of three or four stories about offbeat and difficult love situations, but I never wrote any of the others. I just wrote that one.

I had to get away from it. It just got too intense, and too much on my mind. That's when I wrote the book [That Old Ace in the Hole], but I may have to write the other stories just to clear my mind, as it were. And also because I conceived of that particular story as one of a set of stories. As it is right now, it stands out rather like a sore thumb in comparison to the rest of the work, so I think I have to do those other stories.

[sam7777]

Saw it this weekend and I can certainly understand the Oscar buzz. The movie is brilliantly acted by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and brilliantly directed by Ang Lee (is there any genre that he can't do?). The movie is an adaptation of a short story and give the time and place that it is set in can't end happily (ala Monster). That said, I wish that Hollywood could find it in their hearts to greenlight gay films that are not tragic (ala "Monster" and "Brokeback Mountain"). I continue to tire of 90% of GLBT themed films ending tragically. If it was say 50-50 happy-tragic endings, it would not be so bad. Surely there are beautiful dramatic tales to tell that do not end tragically. Guess not. No wonder it's the love that DARE NOT speak it's name.

[Jennpurr]

Check out this beautiful song and video.

http://www.youtube.com/w/Brokeback-Mountain---This-love?v=nel0pKroE4c&eurl=

[GayNow]

Latest....

'Brokeback Mountain' Gets 8 Oscar Nods
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer

2 hours ago

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain" led the Academy Awards field Tuesday with eight nominations, among them best picture and honors for actor Heath Ledger and director Ang Lee.

Also nominated for best picture were the Truman Capote story "Capote"; the ensemble drama "Crash"; the Edward R. Murrow chronicle "Good Night, and Good Luck"; and the assassination thriller "Munich."

The Johnny Cash biography "Walk the Line," considered a likely best-picture nominee, was shut out of that category, though Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon earned acting nominations.

Three films were tied with six nominations each _ "Crash," "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Memoirs of a Geisha," though "Geisha" was shut out in the top categories.

"Munich," which had fallen off many awards analysts' best-picture picks after a lukewarm reception, scored well with five nominations, including director for Steven Spielberg.

"King Kong," directed by "Lord of the Rings" creator Peter Jackson, earned only technical nominations, losing out in the major categories.

George Clooney picked up three nominations: as supporting actor for his role as a steadfast CIA undercover agent in "Syriana" and best director and co-writer for "Good Night."

It was the first time ever that a contender was honored with acting and directing nominations for two different movies.

Along with best-actor contender Ledger, and directing nominee Lee, "Brokeback Mountain" scored nominations for Michelle Williams as supporting actress, Jake Gyllenhaal as supporting actor and Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for their screenplay adaptation of Annie Proulx's short story.

The acting categories were a mix of familiar Oscar faces such as past winners Judi Dench and Charlize Theron, veterans like Clooney, Witherspoon, Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn and Felicity Huffman gaining their first academy attention, and young performers such as Williams and Amy Adams.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, the best-actor favorite for his remarkable embodiment of Capote, joined Ledger in the best-actor category. Hoffman has triumphed at earlier film honors, including the Golden Globes.

Along with Hoffman, Ledger and Phoenix, the other nominees were Terrence Howard as a small-time hood turned rap singer in "Hustle & Flow" and Strathairn as newsman Murrow in "Good Night, and Good Luck."

The best-actress race presumably will shape up as a two-woman contest between Huffman in a gender-bending role as a man about to undergo sex-change surgery in "Transamerica" and Witherspoon as singer June Carter, Cash's musical companion and future wife, in "Walk the Line."

Huffman won the Golden Globe for best dramatic actress, while Witherspoon earned the Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy. Witherspoon beat Huffman on Sunday for the best-actress prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Also nominated for the best-actress Oscar: Dench as a society dame who starts a nude stage revue in 1930s London in "Mrs. Henderson Presents"; Keira Knightley as the romantic heroine of the Jane Austen adaptation "Pride & Prejudice"; Charlize Theron as a mine worker who leads a sexual-harassment lawsuit against male co-workers in "North Country."

"Brokeback Mountain" led a wave of independent films that scored big in the nominations, instead of the studio fare that normally dominates the Oscars. Other than "Munich," most bigger budget movies that had been on the best-picture radar, such as "Walk the Line," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Cinderella Man," were overlooked in the top Oscar category.

The year's biggest hit, "Star Wars: Episode III _ Revenge of the Sith," earned only one nomination (for makeup) _ but was shut out otherwise _ including the visual-effects category, a blow to George Lucas and his Industrial Light & Magic outfit that has pioneered special effects. The visual effects nominees were "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," "King Kong," and Spielberg's "War of the Worlds."

With key prizes at earlier Hollywood honors, "Brokeback Mountain" heads into the March 5 awards as the best-picture front-runner, potentially the first film with explicit homosexual themes to claim the grand prize at the Oscars.

The film stars Ledger and Gyllenhaal as Western roughnecks who share a summer of love while tending sheep together in the 1960s, then carry on a lifelong romance they conceal from their families. Williams co-stars as Ledger's wife, who overlooks her husband's affair to try to hold her family together.

Weisz, playing a humanitarian-aid worker in "The Constant Gardener," won the supporting-actress prize at the Golden Globes and SAG awards, giving her the inside track for the same honor at the Oscars.

Along with Weisz and Williams, supporting-actress bids went to newcomer Adams as a big-hearted Southern waif in "Junebug"; Catherine Keener as "To Kill a Mockingbird" author Harper Lee in "Capote"; and Frances McDormand as a miner coping with debilitating disease in "North Country."

Besides Gyllenhaal and Clooney as a bullheaded CIA agent in "Syriana," nominees for supporting actor were Matt Dillon as a racist cop in "Crash"; Paul Giamatti as a boxing manager in "Cinderella Man"; and William Hurt as a ruthless mobster in "A History of Violence."

Hurt was a bit of surprise since he only appears for a few minutes at the end of the film in scene-stealing role.

Lee, who won the Directors Guild of America honor Saturday for "Brokeback Mountain," is the clear favorite to win the best-director Oscar.

Along with him, Spielberg and Clooney, other directing nominees were Paul Haggis for "Crash" and Bennett Miller for "Capote."

It was the first time since 1981 that the same five movies were nominated for directing and best picture.

And for the first time since the animated feature film category was added in 2001 that no nominees were made using computer-generated imagery. The nominees: the hand-drawn "Howl's Moving Castle," and the stop-motion films "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" and "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

Oscar nominees in most categories are chosen by specific branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, such as directors, actors and writers. The full academy membership of about 5,800 is eligible to vote in all categories for the Oscars themselves.

ABC will broadcast the Oscars live March 5 from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, with Jon Stewart as host.

[JustSkipIt]

We had a sitter last weekend and went to see this movie. It was amazing. On one hand, it's absolutely sad and heartbreaking. I felt after watching this movie the type of long-lasting disapointment and sadness that I can only remember feeling after two other movies: Running on Empty and Longtime Companion. It's the type of sadness that keeps me awake at night.

But... (and this is a very big but)

I also felt elated and happy. Why? Because the movie is so beautiful and so perfect. I felt honored as a human being to have someone create a piece of art that is so moving and powerful. I have an incredibly short attention span. It's a joke among our friends that I think every every every movie is 20 minutes too long. Seriously, I generally think that after the director thinks a movie is good, someone should come in and cut 10 more minutes. But this movie. I would not have cut a line, a scene, a shot. Every shot in this movie is important and powerful. The performances are amazing and in some places very daring.

I know that we're lucky. The movie was showing at a theater about 3 miles from our house. The crowd was pretty large, assorted demographics, and there was no cat-calling or rude comments in the film. And I know that some people don't have as much of a chance to see it. If you can, I recommend seeing it on the big screen because the shots are huge (mountains, you know?) but if not, rent it in a few months.

[billy]

More awards for Brokeback Mountain.

Western romance Brokeback Mountain emerged as the big winner at the Orange Bafta awards, winning best film and director for Ang Lee.
Jake Gyllenhaal also won an award - as best supporting actor - for his role in it playing a gay rodeo cowboy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4724066.stm

In the end, it was Brokeback Mountain's evening, not The Constant Gardener's - with the results almost a carbon copy of the Golden Globes.

Nonetheless an exuberant Ang Lee talked up his admiration for the British.

"I feel very connected here," the Brokeback Mountain director told reporters.

"This is where I learnt how to make period films and how to make English language films. I made my breakthrough here. I very much feel the embrace of English."

Even lead actor Heath Ledger, a notoriously reluctant star, was enjoying the moment.

"Everything came together. Creatively it was very rewarding and personally it was very rewarding, " he said, clutching the hand of his co-star Michelle Williams, with whom he recently had a baby daughter.

"The films this year show extreme maturity and courage," added co-star Jake Gyllenhaal.

"I hope we have the opportunity to make more films like this because I personally can't turn back."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4730952.stm

[Jennpurr]

Does anyone else here think or feel that Jake is gay?


Jen

[Candleshoe]

I have high hopes for his sister, does that count?

[boomstick79]

Ah Maggie Gyllenhaal, be still my heart....
Am I the only one on the board who wasn't particularly fussed over Brokeback Mountain? I finally managed to get to the cinema to see it last night, and was eager to watch it as I am a fan of both Jake Gyllenhaal and Ang Lee, but I found it kind of like Memoirs of a Geisha which I also saw recently. Looked beautfiul but was, well, on occasion quite boring. I can appreciate a film with a gentle pace but this film took an age to inject any passion for me. The only time I really sat up and took notice was at the family Thanksgiving (I assume it was Thanksgiving?) when Jack confronted his father-in-law and hit a real spark.
I thought Heath Ledger deserved credit for his portrayal of Ennis, who doesn't so much act as breathe the part, but I just wasn't as hooked as I hoped to be. I really wanted to like this film, and I didn't hate it by any stretch of the imagination, but it left me kind of ambivalent toward it. I seem to be the only one who feels this way however. Ah well, perhaps I should give it another go?

~Lou

[billy]

Does anyone else here think or feel that Jake is gay?

Wellllll...

“Heath almost broke my nose in [a kissing] scene. He grabs me and he slams me up against the wall and kisses me. And then I grab him and I slam him up against the wall and I kiss him. And we were doing take after take after take. I got the [bleep] beat out of me. We had other scenes where we fought each other and I wasn’t hurting as badly as I did after that one.”

http://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2004/11/heath_ledger_ge.html

I'm sure he loved it.

There's also a quote from the short story on that site but I resisted the urge to include it here since I didn't think most kittens want want to read about 'rasping stubble' among other things.

[Alcy]

Hi boomstick,
I completely agree with you. Although I never really had hugely high hopes as I have often said I have no class when it comes to movies, if it doesnt involve hot chicks, explosions and big guns then I'm less likely to love the movie. Still, I like Jake very much and Sense and Sensibility is one of my all time favourites (even without explosions and guns!) so I knew it would be a sensual feast.
I thought it as superbly acted, Jake well-deserving of his Bafta win and the scenery was quite majestic but all in all...I fond it boring. I'm going to say this is because I never connected with the characters & didnt identify with them. I'm also not a fan of movies that span a huge time line and are slow paced, simply because I'm an MTV generation gal.
I also felt the audience I viewed it with were decidedly uncomfortable with the film, they laughed at inappropriate moments which was a shame, but expected.
I will say yay however for a gay-themed movie hitting mainstream in such a big way, now if we could just have a lesbian one...

[Krazy Dreamer]

I saw this film about two months ago, and I have to say that it had and has had a profound effect on me. I found myself very much relating to Ennis. I can't really explain why. I think maybe it had something to do with the quiet way he suffered. It made me very grateful to #1 live in the present time, and #2 to be a woman.

Still, the film had such a strong emotional impact on me that I became physically ill and started bawling like a baby, and I'm not the type of person to cry over films or anything for that matter. In fact I don't think I have cried in the last three years at all. Only two other films have sparked such a strong reaction in me, Titanic and Boys Don't Cry.

That said, it was a very good film, one not to be missed. I love how the film breaks stereotypes. I mean how much more macho can you get than a cowboy? And then to combine that with homosexuality was brilliant. It’s such a contradiction to some people’s minds. It was a very unique experience, and one I feel privileged to have been able to see, especially after growing up in the homophobic 80’s.

[boomstick79]

If you are interested in the relationship between the Western genre and the idea of cowboys and homosexual identity, there is a programming theme at this years London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival with emphasis on the Western genre. Some of the screenings include Johnny Guitar, Red River and Brokeback Mountain. I work for the British Film Institute so it's part of my job to pimp out our film festivals .
Admittedly it would be kind of hard for you to see the films in the States, but if you check out the website http://www.llgff.org.uk you'll find some further info, film criticisms and links if you want to look for more information. Also Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's film The Celluloid Closet touches on the same subject with some good clips emphasising the link.
I am still undecided about Brokeback Mountain as to whether I liked it or not, but I welcome the discussion on it

~Lou

[Hemiola]

Well, I finally saw it.

I liked it, but I feel that it was far from perfect. It certainly is full of gorgeous views of what used to be called the "Big Sky Country", but I felt that the film contained an awful lot of unnecessary padding: not just the vista shots but a lot of the pauses and the "lingering looks" were really (IMHO) a bit overdone.

That said, the acting was first-class. I agree with some of those who had difficulty following some of the dialogue, which is in thick Western dialect (?possibly coached?). Nonetheless the essence got through. I certainly agree with the overall tone of sadness that pervades the film, and I especially sympathize with Alma (Michelle Williams' character), who discovers that her marriage is, basically, a lie.

I must mention that Anne Hathaway is really gorgeous as well as being a fine actress/singer/dancer.

Now, I have a question. Those who have not seen the film should stop reading here.......
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When Lureen (?sp?) describes Jack's death to Ennis, he has a vision of Jack being bashed to death instead of dying in an accident. Is this something he actually knows, or is this just something he thinks happened and that Lureen is keeping from him???

I just have to mention that, being a "classical" music person, I really wished that instead of the twangy "country" stuff, they had played Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" during the sheep-herding scenes.

[JustSkipIt]

[spoiler]When Lureen (?sp?) describes Jack's death to Ennis, he has a vision of Jack being bashed to death instead of dying in an accident. Is this something he actually knows, or is this just something he thinks happened and that Lureen is keeping from him??? [/spoiler] You can use the spoiler tag to cover spoilers.

Anyway, my perception is that it's Ennis's vision of what that type description means. But I also took it as some version of the truth. It's possible that everything is exactly as Lureen says but I wouldn't think so.

[HalfCamel]

I thought Ennis had that vision because... well remember when he was telling Jack about those two men that lived together and got beaten to death? Then Ennis' father took him down to see one of the bodies and then told him the story of how it happened? That, I think, pretty much scared him for life and that's why he had the vision, because he was remembering what happened. That's what I think.

[Gatito Grande]

I agree with some of those who had difficulty following some of the dialogue, which is in thick Western dialect (?possibly coached?).

Well, that ain't Western Australian dialect that Ennis is speaking, so I guess it would have to be!

GG Hemiola: you raised the same question that I have (um, I guess not here). There's just a lot of different ways to interpret it that scene. Out

[Krazy Dreamer]

I agree with some of those who had difficulty following some of the dialogue, which is in thick Western dialect (?possibly coached?)

Intriguing. I hadn't even noticed an unusual dialect. It seemed very natural to me. Of course I grew up in south-eastern Colorado if that gives you any indication as to what type of dialect they are speaking, which makes sense as Wyoming is Colorado's neighbor to the north.

On another note, I am actually in awe of Heath Ledger's performance as he captured for me in his character a lot of my own true life emotions. I truly enjoy watching actors/actresses who have this talent.

[hahler]

I have not seen the movie yet but my life has been altered and not for the better.
I am a lesbian and a cowgirl and my day jobs have dried up and my life has been threatened and some of my horses have been killed by poison as some of you know already. Big city society maybe ready for gay movies but the cowboy way of life is not. Alot of the riders on the gay rodeo curcuit are now going underground because of it.
i think that the intentions were good but nobody concidered the ramifacations(sp) of what would happen to those of us that live that lifestyle.

that was my serious moment this month
dawn