I watched Brokeback Mountain today with a few of my friends, and I while I think it's over hyped it's still a great movie. It started out almost painfully quite, Ang Lee certainly took his time before letting anyone speak.
Now before I go any further, just let me encourage you to watch the movie for yourself, because it's really good. Ok, having said that, I think I'll put the rest of my post in spoilers. View them at your own risk.
Now before I go any further, just let me encourage you to watch the movie for yourself, because it's really good. Ok, having said that, I think I'll put the rest of my post in spoilers. View them at your own risk.
Spoiler:
I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting out of this movie, except I thought that the amount of time in the beginning of the movie would focus far more on the time they spent on Brokeback Mountain. I also expected it to slowly develop their relationship until it reached a logical point of mutual attraction. So when they suddenly started having sex that first night they spent together in the tent it seemed very abrupt. It's almost like Ang Lee forced this part of the film. My gut reaction is that it was one of the weaker parts of the film. It wasn't as explicit as I thought it would be, but for some reason as a straight male I must say the spitting scene disturbed me the most out of all of the sex scenes. It just seemed very improbable, but maybe that's just my opinion. Still after that scene the movie just kept on getting better and better. When Randy Quaid spotted them frolicking certainly started a trend of confronting their relationship head on.
Probably the most shocking scene of the movie was when Heath Ledger's wife in the movie saw them making out. Not just a hug and a peck on the cheek, but seriously going at each other. All of us were like "whoa! I can't believe that just happened!" Even though he disgusted her for the entire rest of the movie, her reaction of shock and denial seemed quite believable. I didn't think that Jake would because the more successful one of the two, because he looked like a piss poor cowboy, though I guess that's life. I like how this movie never flinched. Ang Lee did a wonderful job of subtly showing how life can isolate people. He also demonstrated many times throughout the film that society doesn't people who are different (although it applied almost solely to homosexuals I do think it has larger meaning as wells). I found it very refreshing that Brokeback Mountain showed that people can't just run away to some happy little Hollywood fairy tale place and live a wonderful life. This movie felt real. The ending hit the right note. Quite yet powerful. It certainly made me sad. The movie was gorgeous. I want to live (well maybe just visit) Wyoming after watching this movie. This movie has numerous breathtaking vistas in it. I highly recommend it.
A couple of random thoughts:
*I'm glad that this movie didn't introduce HIV/AIDS as the generic 80's homosexual tragedy.
*I hated that Heath Ledger's character basically mumbled throughout the film. Yes it's realistic, and he nailed the accent, it just bothers me.
*Speaking of his character, the only thing he seemed like he had going for him was his daughters. Other than that he had a sad life.
*Jake Gyllenhaal's character was certainly gay, but Heath Ledger's character didn't seem gay. He simply seemed like he loved Jake Gyllenhaal, and it wouldn't have mattered if he was a guy or a girl. I guess this is open to interpretation.
*Never mindlessly attack a guy who calls you an ass until you size them up.
*When Jake Gyllenhaal told off his in-laws that was awesome! One of the better scenes in the movie.
*Anne Hathaway was hot in this movie. She's certainly grown up since the Princess Dairies. Michelle Williams wasn't hideous, but she certainly wasn't very attractive.
*Spending a holiday with your ex-wife, children, and her new husband seems like one of the most uncomfortable experiences ever.
*Despite how many awards this movie should/will earn I think it will have a very difficult time shedding its "gay cowboy movie" description.
*It seemed like this movie had places where it emphasised heavy breathing for no reason, or maybe many of the characters had asthma from the excessive amount of cigarettes they smoked.
A sad very human movie full of real characters, and lot of beautiful cinematography. Watch it with an open mind if you get a chance.
Probably the most shocking scene of the movie was when Heath Ledger's wife in the movie saw them making out. Not just a hug and a peck on the cheek, but seriously going at each other. All of us were like "whoa! I can't believe that just happened!" Even though he disgusted her for the entire rest of the movie, her reaction of shock and denial seemed quite believable. I didn't think that Jake would because the more successful one of the two, because he looked like a piss poor cowboy, though I guess that's life. I like how this movie never flinched. Ang Lee did a wonderful job of subtly showing how life can isolate people. He also demonstrated many times throughout the film that society doesn't people who are different (although it applied almost solely to homosexuals I do think it has larger meaning as wells). I found it very refreshing that Brokeback Mountain showed that people can't just run away to some happy little Hollywood fairy tale place and live a wonderful life. This movie felt real. The ending hit the right note. Quite yet powerful. It certainly made me sad. The movie was gorgeous. I want to live (well maybe just visit) Wyoming after watching this movie. This movie has numerous breathtaking vistas in it. I highly recommend it.
A couple of random thoughts:
*I'm glad that this movie didn't introduce HIV/AIDS as the generic 80's homosexual tragedy.
*I hated that Heath Ledger's character basically mumbled throughout the film. Yes it's realistic, and he nailed the accent, it just bothers me.
*Speaking of his character, the only thing he seemed like he had going for him was his daughters. Other than that he had a sad life.
*Jake Gyllenhaal's character was certainly gay, but Heath Ledger's character didn't seem gay. He simply seemed like he loved Jake Gyllenhaal, and it wouldn't have mattered if he was a guy or a girl. I guess this is open to interpretation.
*Never mindlessly attack a guy who calls you an ass until you size them up.
*When Jake Gyllenhaal told off his in-laws that was awesome! One of the better scenes in the movie.
*Anne Hathaway was hot in this movie. She's certainly grown up since the Princess Dairies. Michelle Williams wasn't hideous, but she certainly wasn't very attractive.
*Spending a holiday with your ex-wife, children, and her new husband seems like one of the most uncomfortable experiences ever.
*Despite how many awards this movie should/will earn I think it will have a very difficult time shedding its "gay cowboy movie" description.
*It seemed like this movie had places where it emphasised heavy breathing for no reason, or maybe many of the characters had asthma from the excessive amount of cigarettes they smoked.
A sad very human movie full of real characters, and lot of beautiful cinematography. Watch it with an open mind if you get a chance.
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