I saw Brokeback Mountain tonight.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Winston
Herring

No, it's just that you seemed to complain an awful lot about some people, such as my humble self, not feeling like acquainting themselves with this film.

I'm not complaining; simply stating that I find your reasons disingenuous at best, inadequate at worst.

It's a reductio ad absurdum to make Ang Lee's film or E. Annie Proulx's novella 'gay people's personal problems' and then compare the film (unfairly, as you haven't seen it) with a documentary about breast cancer!

Some things you give a damn about, others, like gay dramas playing in the theatre in perfect accordance with the mainstream ephemeral interest in these matters...

See, it seems to me you formed your judgment not based on the director's credentials, the actors, the plot, the mise en scene, the cinematography (all things pertinent in deciding to see a film, one might think) but instead on a pre-existing bias towards gays- given that you 'complained' or harped on about their 'personal problems' so.

I had, given our previous correspondences, perhaps expected better- that's all.

[Winston]

Ah, the bias toward gays, yes that must be it.

It could never be that I'm just not interested in the subject covered by the film - as I've stated over and over again in different ways right here in this thread.

(Though not, as you claim, by "comparing" it with a documentary on breast cancer. You will note I mentioned such a film wouldn't interest me either, that's not a comparison of the two films, one real, one imaginary, it's a statement of preference as to what I would pay to go see in the theatre. Nice try though.)

And you'll have to pardon me, you still appear to have a hard time accepting that others just can't muster enough interest to go watch Brokeback Mountain.

[Sprayber]

I had to see Rent with my girlfriend so I've seen my quota of gay movies and muscials for the next couple of years.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Sprayber
I had to see Rent with my girlfriend so I've seen my quota of gay movies and muscials for the next couple of years.

Everybody has AIDS!

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Sikander


Everybody has AIDS!

And sings about it.

[MOBIUS]

Nice to see the undercurrent of homophobia is never far away on Poly...

Many 'heterosexual' films fit exactly the same bill: People who love each other but are forbidden to show it for whatever reason - Romeo and Juliet springs to mind...

Now if people like Winston were to say that he didn't like soppy romance movies, or whatever that would be fine in my books. But he doesn't...

[Winston]

I don't have to, since "soppy romance movies" hasn't come up during the debate.

But if I did say so, would it make you feel better MOBIUS? If I said I like soppy romance movies, just not gay ones, would it make your PC world fall apart?

Or is it that you want me to declare I hate soppy romance movies, with the exception that if they're gay ones, I'd be storming to the theatre on opening night?

Important questions, I think. Or not.

[MosesPresley]

In defense of Winston and all the other uncomfortable straights trying to articulate their lack of desire to see this film, but showing their obvious curiousity, due to the media hype and evidenced by their posting in this thread, I submit the following.

The reason straight men don't want to watch a film with gay men is simple. To be a straight male, you can't have homosexual relationships or be seen doing anything remotely homosexually related without calling your heterosexuality into question. To be heterosexual is to literally walk the straight and narrow. To use a popular idiom, "once you play for the other team, you are not allowed back into the locker room." For a heterosexual to have his sexuality questioned would be socially catastrophic. It would call into question their identity and all of their core values. A complete realignment of their existence would have to be done. Gay and bisexual men on the other hand can watch heterosexuals without having their sexuality questioned. In the eyes of the straight community, they are already compromised. Heterosexual men can't even watch the Lifetime channel without having their manhood called into question.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by MosesPresley
The reason straight men don't want to watch a film with gay men is simple. To be a straight male, you can't have homosexual relationships or be seen doing anything remotely homosexually related without calling your heterosexuality into question. To be heterosexual is to literally walk the straight and narrow. To use a popular idiom, "once you play for the other team, you are not allowed back into the locker room." For a heterosexual to have his sexuality questioned would be socially catastrophic. It would call into question their identity and all of their core values. A complete realignment of their existence would have to be done. Gay and bisexual men on the other hand can watch heterosexuals without having their sexuality questioned. In the eyes of the straight community, they are already compromised. Heterosexual men can't even watch the Lifetime channel without having their manhood called into question.

So am i screwed now that I've seen Rent

[MrFun]

Originally posted by MosesPresley
In defense of Winston and all the other uncomfortable straights trying to articulate their lack of desire to see this film, but showing their obvious curiousity, due to the media hype and evidenced by their posting in this thread, I submit the following.

The reason straight men don't want to watch a film with gay men is simple. To be a straight male, you can't have homosexual relationships or be seen doing anything remotely homosexually related without calling your heterosexuality into question. To be heterosexual is to literally walk the straight and narrow. To use a popular idiom, "once you play for the other team, you are not allowed back into the locker room." For a heterosexual to have his sexuality questioned would be socially catastrophic. It would call into question their identity and all of their core values. A complete realignment of their existence would have to be done. Gay and bisexual men on the other hand can watch heterosexuals without having their sexuality questioned. In the eyes of the straight community, they are already compromised. Heterosexual men can't even watch the Lifetime channel without having their manhood called into question.

That's strange -- when I saw Brokeback Mountain with my friend (who is gay as well) I had the impression that we were in the minority, and that most of the people watching it with us were straight -- some were women, but there were straight men there too.

Although, I should note that most of the straight men who were there seem to have been with a girlfriend, fiancee, or wife. Maybe they dragged their man out to see it?

[Winston]

Originally posted by MosesPresley
In defense of Winston and all the other uncomfortable straights [...]

Some defense.

No, it's lack of interest, honestly. Coupled with a slight annoyance over the whole "if you don't go see this movie, you're just perpetuating the awful and unfair treatment of gay people in the world today"-routine that lies implicitly in a number of posts to this thread.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Winston


Some defense.

No, it's lack of interest, honestly. Coupled with a slight annoyance over the whole "if you don't go see this movie, you're just perpetuating the awful and unfair treatment of gay people in the world today"-routine that lies implicitly in a number of posts to this thread.

I don't have a problem with people such as yourself, who have no interest in seeing the movie anymore than I would have a problem if you were not interested in seeing Chicken Little.

The problem I had, was what I thought Daz meant -- that films dealing with real life issues of gays in a realistic, profound way are to be denigerated as silly and laughable.

[Winston]

Fair enough MrFun.

Though you'll have to allow for some amount of pointing and snickering when apparently one of the main characters is named Ennis.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by MrFun
Although, I should note that most of the straight men who were there seem to have been with a girlfriend, fiancee, or wife. Maybe they dragged their man out to see it?

ding ding ding ding. You got it right


My girfriend has been talking about it. I'm counting on her to forget about it since there are a couple more movies she wants to watch.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Winston
Fair enough MrFun.

Though you'll have to allow for some amount of pointing and snickering when apparently one of the main characters is named Ennis.

Ok -- I will allow you two days for snickering but after that, I will tie you up and force feed you spoiled, canned spinach if you continue after the two days.