#1
Posted: 12/20/05 at 1:00am
It's going to be a busy moviegoing season, and since I don't have my own blog, I thought I'd act ridiculously self-important and start a thread for my movie thoughts. Let discussion ensue!
(KING KONG on page 3)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (a.k.a. "I always suspected that Jake Gyllenhaal was a bottom!")
SPOILERS - WATCH OUT!
I finally saw it yesterday, and was relieved to find that the film lived up to my expectations: gorgeous cinematography, fantastic performances, beautifully refrained direction from Ang Lee....and yet there was something oddly unexpected. Having never read Proulx's short story, I had assumed that the movie was a romance. But I was hard-pressed find anything romantic about BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN: its loneliness, frustration and regret make it all too real and raw. Despite the intensity of their feelings, this was certainly not an affair I wanted to find myself in, and I felt pity for Ennis and Jack for the doom of their love.
Interestingly enough, the movie seems more powerful in retrospect than in the theatre: I wasn't too moved while watching it onscreen, but ever since I left the cinema the film has been lingering in my mind and haunting me. I was glad to find that, despite the actors' proclaiming it simply being about "two souls who find each other," the characters are gay, gay, gay: Jack, after all, picks up other men to satisfy his sexual urges. Yet, although it's apparent that the culture of 1960s rural America is what is preventing these cowboys from accepting their natural tendencies and building a life together, the film is not a gay diatribe. Rather, it's a sad and brooding study of how the insecurities and pressures we face make us accept a life that is less than what we dreamed. Ennis doesn't just refuse Jack because he fears society will crack down on him: he's a good father who needs to make money to feed himself and his daughters; he can't just ride off into the sunset with Jack. I think it's this universal theme of inescapable regret that will make this film appealing to a larger audience.
Jake Gyllenhaal is good, but this is Heath Ledger's movie. His performance is fascinating and he steals every scene he's in; when his character breaks down emotionally, he's positively startling. His clenched jaw and tense mumbling is such a brilliant manifestation of the inner turmoils that paralyze him.
Ang Lee is perhaps the most versatile director in Hollywood, and thankfully he redeems himself here from the unfortunate faux-pas of THE HULK. Actually, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN reminded me of his ICE STORM, with its refrained tension, character depth and sense of communal tragedy. I just love his style of filmmaking -- both detached and poetic, which is a perfect combination for a film about an unrequited love between cowboys.
(KING KONG on page 3)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (a.k.a. "I always suspected that Jake Gyllenhaal was a bottom!")
SPOILERS - WATCH OUT!
I finally saw it yesterday, and was relieved to find that the film lived up to my expectations: gorgeous cinematography, fantastic performances, beautifully refrained direction from Ang Lee....and yet there was something oddly unexpected. Having never read Proulx's short story, I had assumed that the movie was a romance. But I was hard-pressed find anything romantic about BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN: its loneliness, frustration and regret make it all too real and raw. Despite the intensity of their feelings, this was certainly not an affair I wanted to find myself in, and I felt pity for Ennis and Jack for the doom of their love.
Interestingly enough, the movie seems more powerful in retrospect than in the theatre: I wasn't too moved while watching it onscreen, but ever since I left the cinema the film has been lingering in my mind and haunting me. I was glad to find that, despite the actors' proclaiming it simply being about "two souls who find each other," the characters are gay, gay, gay: Jack, after all, picks up other men to satisfy his sexual urges. Yet, although it's apparent that the culture of 1960s rural America is what is preventing these cowboys from accepting their natural tendencies and building a life together, the film is not a gay diatribe. Rather, it's a sad and brooding study of how the insecurities and pressures we face make us accept a life that is less than what we dreamed. Ennis doesn't just refuse Jack because he fears society will crack down on him: he's a good father who needs to make money to feed himself and his daughters; he can't just ride off into the sunset with Jack. I think it's this universal theme of inescapable regret that will make this film appealing to a larger audience.
Jake Gyllenhaal is good, but this is Heath Ledger's movie. His performance is fascinating and he steals every scene he's in; when his character breaks down emotionally, he's positively startling. His clenched jaw and tense mumbling is such a brilliant manifestation of the inner turmoils that paralyze him.
Ang Lee is perhaps the most versatile director in Hollywood, and thankfully he redeems himself here from the unfortunate faux-pas of THE HULK. Actually, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN reminded me of his ICE STORM, with its refrained tension, character depth and sense of communal tragedy. I just love his style of filmmaking -- both detached and poetic, which is a perfect combination for a film about an unrequited love between cowboys.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Updated On: 12/21/05 at 01:00 AM
