Are People Afraid To Criticize Brokeback Mountain?- Page 2

[Plum]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:23pm

Thus proving once again that as soon as you think of a concept, there will be an LJ community for it.

[Luscious]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:27pm

Still think it's a brilliant film on every conceivable level. No one's opinion of the film, good, bad, or otherwise, will ever change my opinion of it, or will ever take away what I felt leaving the theatre after seeing it for the first time. I would love to see it win the Best Picture Oscar (and I still think it will), but whether it does, or doesn't, it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Updated On: 1/30/06 at 11:27 PM

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:27pm

Despite my disappointment with the movie, I still find myself drawn to the the power of the pornstache...

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:28pm

And I suspect that the motives behind creating this thread were disingenuous, as I can't imagine that someone who posts as rampantly as Cruel_Sandwich does wouldn't have caught at least one of the dozens of threads on this board where people did criticize the movie.

Updated On: 1/31/06 at 11:28 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:38pm

"Let it be what it is. A movie."

I think you meant to write "A movement."

BM: The Movement.

That's why some people could be so crestfallen that it might have appeared that the leaders of the movement, Jakey and Heathbar, took The Movement less seriously than it deserved when they giggled at a GD awards show. It's an outrage! Why, it's worse than if Dr. Martin Luther King had laughed during the "I had a dream" speech.

Had they won, my cheeks would have been awash with tears of joy and pride. As it stands now, they ruined everything.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:40pm

Cruel_Sandwich is a provocateur.

(Don't tell him what that means.)

[vbplayer]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:42pm

...and Luscious, that is how it should be. It was your take on the subject matter. And regardless what is posted, good or bad should not sway your opinion. I left the theater with my own thoughts and feelings. Nothing that is said by anyone will change that.

Updated On: 1/30/06 at 11:42 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:44pm

BM-the movement. Uh oh, I see the potential for this thread to go the way many others have-in the terlet, if you get my drift.

[dreaminaret]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:47pm

since I've apparently shown that I have some unpopular opinions this is what I'll say about Brokeback:

I think I would have liked it more had it not been hyped up.

I think it was a good movie. But I saw it after New Year's and by then everyone told me that a) it was perfection b) it is the best movie that I will see in my entire lifetime c) if I didn't like it then there is something wrong with me.

I liked it. But it wasn't perfection. I cried, so I guess you can say it was moving. And Jake Gyllenhaal's performance was great and Heath Ledger has come a long way since 10 Things I Hate About You. And of course the scenery was beautiful. But I just think that it wasn't THE most powerful and most perfect thing I have seen. For example, I wasn't a big fan of Breakfast on Pluto but Cillian Murphy's performance really put me in tears. I cried in Brokeback because of Mr. Twist. Ledger could have been a bit more commanding, the points of confrontation could have been that much more intense, etc. etc. At the end of the day I am not a film maker or film critic so I can't give suggestions or anything. But I don't think that it was God's gift to earth. It was good, but not absolutely fantastic. And I hope it gets some Oscars but I won't kill myself if it doesn't.

[vbplayer]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:52pm

...and Namo, I did not mean "movement", I clearly posted the word "m-o-v-i-e. Practice what you preach. Read the words before you post, and please don't "tell" me what I meant to write....or type as it may.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:54pm

"I just wish people would stop using it as a political statement rather than what it actually is: A good movie."

Cruel: While I understand your assessment of the reaction to the film, I think it's disingenuous to deny the quasi-political aspect to this film, and its ability to transcend the narrow "gay film" genre to reach a larger community. I'll be a little upset if the film wins oscars and no one on the stage mentions anything about homosexuality, because while it is at heart a human story, the fact that the main characters are homosexuals is very important. Even the fact that this movie was made and distributed is sort of a big deal, in my opinion.

That being said, I don't think anyone's afraid of criticizing the movie. Political or not.

[vbplayer]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 12:04am

Undiscovered...I got the joke...over and over again.

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 12:05am

Too much fiber?

[vbplayer]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 12:12am

Not angry in the least. That's not me.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 12:51am

Someone having problems?

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 1:03am

Updated On: 1/31/06 at 01:03 AM

[Peter]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 2:26am

It doesn't necessarily mean that you're homophobic if you don't love the film, but like it or not, the film has become a symbol for the gay rights movement in this country. Already the defeat at the SAG awards was all over the media as some kind of emerging backlash against the film..and its gay subject matter...even though Lee won the DGA award a few days before. I'd bet that even if doesnt get the most nominations tomorrow, but garners several including Best Picture, more reports of a backlash trend will be coming from the media.

Check out any mainstream BBM message board or conservative talk show and you get the impression the religious zealots and bigots are all frothing at the mouth at the prospect that the film loses Best Picture. So perhaps in this case, even though the film doesn't necessarily match your idea of a great gay romantic film, those eggs could be flying our way once again if it loses. Of course, to expect one film to change people's opinions of us is rather silly. Winning the Best Picture Oscar certainly doesn't mean anything at all either in terms of gay rights or acceptance. It does however give me a glimmer of hope though, which is welcomed in light of this corrupt Administration and the bigot currently being nominated to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, gays in this country seem to me to be taking one step forward and two steps back, and the regression seems to always result from a backlash of sorts. No doubt, it will be reflected with this film. When this happens and you watch the religious zealous and bigots are all over the airways and internet claiming a victory of sorts, just tell yourself it was only a film and not a good one anyways. I'm sure many of you BBM critics too will feel justly vindicated.
















Updated On: 1/31/06 at 02:26 AM

[zzannahk]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 2:38am

I think that because some people have found such power within this movie, they may have placed or projected too much of themselves into it. Just because it didn't win doesn't mean that the people who voted are homophobic, it just means it didn't get enough votes. It shouldn't automatically win because of it's subject or message. It is absolutely ridiculous to label the voters as homophobic as an excuse as to why it didn't win. And to get upset at critics for critique that doesn't favor the movie, THAT'S THEIR JOB! If people like it then they like it, if not then not. It is not the end of the world.

Updated On: 1/31/06 at 02:38 AM

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 7:05am

My friends liked the film far more than I did, but several of them admitted that the film had been overhyped.

I thought it was basically BACK STREET in stetsons - only not as good. And I never quite believed the attraction betwen Leger & Glyenhaal.

It did make want to go back to reading some fabulous Fannie Hurst (who probably would have loved BROKEBACK).

Of the critics, Musto has been clear-eyed and very droll about the film (and other Oscar favorites...and Latifah):

"And the Emmy for the gayest upcoming awards show goes to . . . not the Tonys this time, but the Oscars, which will finally have the theater queens out-bitched and out-swished! Yes, this year's Academy Awards—just like the Globes—will be a lavender-tinted celebration of homo love, even if the cowpokes are gloomy, Capote barely touches his boyfriend, and the transsexual doesn't get too sexual. (She's a straight woman anyway.) It was a gay-for-pay year peopled with actors who are on the road to golden glory, especially since in actuality they're totally, certifiably—we're told for sure—straighter than the line to the Kodak Theatre. That makes their performances oh so brave and committed, don't you know, while the gays who play straight all the time (like certain movie stars in their everyday lives) don't ever get recognized for all the challenging work that takes."

"BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is now being used as a moral weather vane to determine how brave and liberal straight people are. "She went with her husband to see it!" someone recently gushed to me about a professional type. Ooh! Bravo! Well, guess what? I saw THE COLOR PURPLE!"


Musto on the soon-to-be-announced noms

Updated On: 1/31/06 at 07:05 AM

[jakebloke]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 7:44am

I must admit that there is some discomfort in posting my feelings about BBM. It's not that I didn't like the movie...I did. But walking out of the theater, I didn't really feel much. It certainly wasn't the powerful movie that I was led to believe by so many people. When I tell friends this, they all seem so appalled. I wanted the movie to be powerful for me. I guess maybe I expected too much. And as a gay man, I'm certainly not homophobic.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 9:20am

Watch CRASH crash through and pull a stunning coup. My cynical take of this a.m.: Limo liberals of Hollywood, afraid to vote against a seemingly big-issue indie, can now comfortably play the race card instead, and feel happy with 'emselves putting a black X next to CRASH rather than a faint lavender one next to BROKEBACK. They'll award Lee and McMurtry, and give the big pize to the race movie.

Win or lose, however, the story, images, and memorable lines of BROKEBACK will enter the cultural lexicon forever, perhaps becoming more of a "classic" if it loses. The very existence of this and four hundred others tells the bigger story.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 9:22am

I would love to see Crash win.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 9:37am

"... but like it or not, the film has become a symbol for the gay rights movement in this country."

Which is, of course, outlandish. Which is why I feel the need to dissent. Which is, of course, often frowned upon. Very much.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 9:39am

Outlandish? If you say so.

Posted: 1/31/06 at 9:56am

Auggie - my thoughts exactly (regarding 3 channels talking about how well CRASH did this morning). CRASH is being positioned by the press as the alternative for BBM for liberals who don't want to vote "gay." At this point, as often as not other agendas (instead of the quality of the film) start to influence Oscar voting.

I certainly don't think people here are afraid to criticize BBM. I just happen to believe that, after all the criticism, BBM is by far the best film that I've seen this year (A History of Violence and King Kong are next).