Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain

2.5 Stars

The other night we saw Brokeback Mountain. Some people are calling this the best picture of the year, but I would not agree with that at all. I thought there were some outstanding performances, especially by Heath Ledger, but overall I was only mildly entertained by this film. Without giving anything away, I thought the story advanced a little too quickly in the beginning, and that through me off for the rest of the movie. I never got to the point where I really cared that much about what happened to these characters.

I’m also someone who can be distracted by poor technical details. This story spans over 20 years, but I thought the aging of the characters was horrible. Their aging process basically consisted of bad wigs and cheesy tape-on mustaches. I know this has nothing to do with the story, but it’s distracting when something like that looks more comical then believable.

I wouldn’t totally discourage someone from seeing Brokeback Mountain, but I would just say go in with realistic expectations, and don’t believe all the hype.

9 thoughts on “Brokeback Mountain”

  1. Just got back from the theater. I’ve heard so much hoopla about what a beautiful, life chaning movie this is…..honestly though, I left the theater pretty unaffected. I completely agree with your thoughts.

    “I never got to the point where I really cared that much about what happened to these characters.”

    That pretty much sums up my thoughts. Not a bad way to spend a Monday afternoon, but there has certainly been better movies made this year.

  2. Poison Wrapped in a Beautiful Package.

    In my opinion, there is no denying that Brokeback Mountain is a beautifully made movie in terms of the acting and cinematography. The wrapping is stunning. Unfortunately, the subject matter is ugly.

    If you go to see Brokeback Mountain, look around at the audience while the homosexual love scenes are happening on-screen. Those men who aren’t looking away, or minimally flinching in pain, are the homosexuals who are present. That’s fine.

    But the rest of the audience will be visibly repulsed.

    For a heterosexual male, there is simply nothing enjoyable about watching two men having “sexual intercourse.” The scenes of them kissing and fondling and rolling around in the mud without clothes are even harder to watch.

    Call me a homo-phoebe. Please. I’m proud of it.

    The truth is, heterosexuals are repulsed by the act of a man doing a man. Scientists have even done tests where they have taken MRIs of men’s brains while showing them photographs of naked men with erections. The MRIs shows that the observer’s brains gets inflamed. The observer has a reaction of wanting attack and fight.

    If someone calls you a homo-phoebe for being repulsed by one man “B..F…ing another man, then wear the name proudly. It’s normal for being repulsed by the act.

    The homosexuals who watch this movie will beat the drum for the message it delivers. They will say it was because of social prejudice that the two men didn’t blissfully live out their lives together. After their initial homosexual affair, both men had gone on to get married (to women) and have kids. Over the next twenty years, they had secretly met a few times a year on weekend excursions on Brokeback Mountain. We feel their pain — the fact that they can’t demonstrate their love in public. It’s the fault of “society” (and their upbringing) that they have to hide what comes natural to them. That’s the message.

    All of the above said, I have to admit that I was moved by the movie. It is a love story that by its end (if you can make it through all three hours) you have to feel something. You have to be emotionally involved. But for me, it wasn’t the gay lovers who had pulled my heartstrings as much as the women they were married to and the kids they fathered. Based on the reaction, the audience felt the same way. After all, it not easy for a wife to witness the husband she loves kissing another man.

    If you haven’t seen the movie, my advise is, if you like to watch mean fondle each other, than by all means check it out. If you don’t, than stay away. You probably won’t like it.

  3. First off, BBM is not three hours, it is 2 hours 14 minutes.

    Quote:
    “If you go to see Brokeback Mountain, look around at the audience while the homosexual love scenes are happening on-screen. Those men who aren’t looking away, or minimally flinching in pain, are the homosexuals who are present. That’s fine.

    But the rest of the audience will be visibly repulsed.”

    I saw this film during a matinee with 50-60% seniors -many couples- over 70 years old, lots of women, some younger straight couples and some gay people. You could hear a pin drop the sudience was so quiet and the seniors I spoke with on the way out loved the film. Age has nothing to do with tolerance.

    You cannot hide your repulsive attutide and who gives a shit Jim, what you think. My best friend is not gay. He and his wife saw it with me and loved it! You are repulsed by gay affection because it threatens you.

    Go stick your head in the ground. Change is coming whether you like it or not.

  4. You are absolutely correct, Steve. I am threatened by the broad promotion of homosexuality. I prefer to live in a world (or at least my neighborhood) where men are with women and they create kids naturally out of love. This is my choice, just as being a homosexual is your choice. It may have never occurred to you that if everyone were gay the population would die off in about 100 years. There is a reason men and women are together. Besides the pleasure of the sexual act itself, it guarantees more babies and the future survival of the society. I have no problem with you or anyone else engaging in homosexual acts within your own home. I just resent the fact that it’s being promoted as a “force of nature,” as with this movie. The hard truth is heterosexuals are turned off by the act of homosexuality. That’s all I’m saying — that as a heterosexual I was turned off by the homosexual loves scenes. If you think I’m in the minority then you are out of touch with the real world. In the theater where we watched it, my girlfriend and I couldn’t help but notice that many people squirmed in their seats during those scenes. I know it is politically incorrect for me to say I don’t enjoy watching two men get it on. But I don’t enjoy it. I understand that you would like me to stick my head in the ground and therefore not notice nor state anything negative about the movie, or about homosexuality. But I’m not an ostrich, I am a human being and I have just as much a right to state my opinion as you have the right to state yours

  5. I am neither a homo-phoebe, nor a homosexual.
    I happen to agree with the both of you. I don’t care if someone is gay, but there are others that DO care.. so be it!

    They have a right to have opinions about people just as much as you do. And as much as being a homosexual is a way of the future, that also means that we can expect to find more homo-phoebics.

    You cannot escape either, so here’s a thought.. DEAL WITH BOTH!! there will never be a happy medium in this world if we dont just accept that we’re all different, with different opinions and different ways of living on this planet.

    In my opinion, you should BOTH stick your head into the ground, this conversation has become completely ridiculous.

  6. what the heclk is wrong with you people!! seriously!!! i thought that this movie was a REALLY good movie!! it’s not just about gay, it’s about relationships, and love, and how fucked up people are for discriminating against gays!! and i did care about what happened to these charcters! they were two guys firguring out who they were and where they belonged in the world! and i thought it was a very ver VERY good love story that made me cry, even after the movie was over, i still cried!!
    i guess you guys dont know what a good movie is! seriously! because this was probably one of the best movies ever!!

  7. honestly….i thought this movie was amazing. I’ve always been a proud supporter of gays But you don’t have to, to love this movie. love dosen’t have a gender And i think this is a trully beautiful movie. It touched me in to many ways. The acting was very well done. These things that happend are very life-like and could happen to many people. This is a very simple-storyline movie. i would recomend it to anyone. After all, i had to buy the movie the day after i saw it becasue it was so good. there are many different oppinions. If you are looking for a simple, yet different love story, this is the movie for you. i give it…..4 stars or at least 3 1/2
    go see it
    its good
    do it
    common..
    no really its good so go see it! just keep an open mind while watching, and a box of kleenex beside you.

  8. u ppl r confusing
    wtf is wrong with gays? they are people too. who took a study? and how come no one heard about it? Its your own problem that ur scared by them honestly. love dosent have a gender, so if a guy and guy or a girl and girl want to get together, thats their own buisness. you knew that it was going to be a gay movie, so why did u see it, if it discusts you? and why are you writting about it in here. maybe you gay and afraid to show it? don’t take that seriously your problebly but why else would a straight guy go to see taht kind of movie then look around to see everyones looks? you trying to be like them?ok sure some parts of teh movie were un-nesasary but common. what were you expecting? you went to see a gay movie.
    just accept ppl for who they are. one day gay marriage will be legal.
    so ya thats all i have to say.
    p.s im not lez
    p.p.s in the future, dont go see movies about gay guys if your just going to bitch about it the next day

  9. say what you want, but this is one heck of a love movie. heterosexual or homosexual, the real thing is the anguish portrayed by the actors, especially heath ledger was unbelievably moving…. Kudos to ang lee..

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