finally got around to seeing some films this weekend. thoughts:

-David Lynch's Eraserhead rocks my world. definitely had some fucked up dreams last night, though. need to see Lost Highway now...

-The Squid and the Whale is amazing. very well-acted, extremely well-crafted dialogue, very poignant yet not-too-heavy at the same time. i highly recommend it; good commentary on humans/divorce/parenting/the malleability of children.

-I had some friends over friday, several of whom were of the opinion that Brokeback Mnt was "too slow, had no plot" and even it is was about a man and a women, they said they wouldn't have liked it. last night i finally saw it, and i honestly think these ppl (good friends of mine) are being really shallow - the whole point of it is that it wasn't b/w a man and a woman. if the love story was "too slow" it was b/c it wasn't just a love story - it is about so much more (society, discrimination, the West, civil rights, etc etc etc). am i stupidly judging them for this, or are my friends being insensitive to the struggles highlighted in this film?

>>as a disclaimer, i'm sure everyone's thoroughly sick of talking about this film, but i've been really out of touch w/anything pop culture for quite a while now. would enjoy to hear others' opinions if anyone's interested.

I liked it but when people say it was slow/boring I don't begrudge it if only because it IS very slowly paced, so I at least understand where they're coming from. People can be very dismissive in ways that don't make any sense to me, and that is much more frustrating.

My friend isn't seeing it (he doesn't watch anything but 'great' movies) because he (observantly) pointed out that when anyone says its a good movie they say just that - "yeah, its really really really good" - always with a hint of reservation. As good as it is, not exactly a stunning achievement in film (still better than Crash. Oh wait, I haven't seen Crash.)

I caught The Squid and the Whale yesterday and, while I enjoyed the performances and the effort put into it, I loathed everyone in the film to such a degree that I ended up turning on the film. It was a rather revolting experience. The soundtrack is a must-own, however.

If people don't like a film you like I wouldn't ditch them solely because of it. There are so many people that don't feel Brokeback Mountain works for them that are very much for gay rights and equality. I think there are three camps: Those who were over the moon about it, those that are compassionate that found it boring, and those that are so homophobic they cannot deal with the film's subjects.

It's that third group that you should be concerned about.

I got The Squid and the Whale from Netflix, just haven't had the time to watch it yet. Will get on it.

And I've got Brokeback Mountain at the top of my rental queue, so hopefully I'll be seeing that sometime next week.

yeah, for sure. and i have no problem w/a difference of opinion about the quality of a film (it's very subjective, after all), but i think i took issue with the "there's no plot" comment - as if they couldn't appreciate the nuances of the struggles of the characters in the film (having failed marriages, fearing public exposure, having to deny one's true identity, publicly living a lie, etc. etc.). to cite my own bias: I'm probably predispositioned to interpret their reaction as insensitive, since they are both extremely christian and (at least one of them) have expressed ambivalence about the "rightfullness" of homosexuality in the past.

you're also spot on w/the Squid & the Whale - all the characters (right down to the "brother" tennis instructor) are quite despicable. can understand that sentiment.

I have some very close freinds who would not stop talking about how incredible, moving, poignant, brilliant, revolutionary and utterly amazing Crash was when they saw it.

I now hate them and their ass faces.

And you expect people to be tolerant of your lifestyle choice? Pfft...

kev is a god.

I wouldn't discard them because of this. Now, if they dislike The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada I would drop them like so much, um, stuff that you, um, drop.

I too try to base my friendships on if they liked certain movies. For instance, a lot of my friends didn't like The Passion of The Christ so I stopped talking to them, people simply aren't worth your time if they don't like certain movies. Shallow pieces of shit.

I completely understand where you're coming from. When I was in fifth grade, I formed the Johnny 5 Club. Only kids who thought Short Circuit was the best movie ever (next to Star Wars and the Neverending Story, of course) were allowed in. I distinctly remember this one kid breaking into our playground fort and telling us that Steve Guttenberg was a poo-poo face. We beat him senseless with a wiffle ball bat and shoved an Autobot up his butt. Good times.

Now, there's a reason not to like them.

I finally saw Brokeback this past weekend and I was very disappointed by it. It wasn't so much that the film was boring and slow moving -- I just didn't feel for the characters in any way, shape or form. These guys obviously had inner conflicts and frustrations throughout virtually their entire adult lives, but I didn't feel that coming through on the screen. Where was the relationship between them? I didn't get the sense that either guy genuinely loved the other as much as they just enjoyed a few weekends of gay sex each year.

I thought the woman who played Jack's mother showed more emotion in her 2 minute scene at the end than Gullyfish or Ledger did through the whole thing [/obvious overstatement]. Her expressions told me more about the struggle her son had been living (and her real empathy and love for him) than any other scene in the movie. Similarly, I thought Michelle Williams did a good job portraying the inner lie Alma lived with as she lived in her own world of isolation and rejection.

Overall, I'd give the movie about 3 stars out of 5.

I find that the best Westerns have all been slow-paced. Sure, Stagecoach and whatever. But the best (G,B&U, Once Upon A Time in the West, The Searchers, Unforgiven) have all been leisurely. Savoring the setting is half the fun.

I can't say I ever expect peoples tastes to follow mine so the idea that anyone gets bent outta shape over a movie is just loopy. I saw my interests wane away from my friends as far back as seventh grade. What I always find puzzling is how someone gets what I'd distinguish as 'bad taste' and how they become consistent in this regard. I suppose it all depends on what you look for.

I still haven't seen 'Brokeback' yet but I'm looking forward to it. Listening to people talk about how slow movies are makes me think how easily people become bored now if they're not entertained within seconds.




exactly.

I posted in this thread? wierd.

I would agree. I did think that the film did a great job or portraying the West -- not only the spectacular vistas, but the desolation of the towns.

saw brokeback saturday. i went in expecting to be disappointed, figuring much of the positive attention was attributable to gay backing (opposite of gay bashing). excellent movie, though. cinematography was great. you had the differing reactions between the two main characters over the constrictions that society imposed. the ending was powerful

ledger's vocal affect was kinda annoying. and his character didn't seem to change much over the years, unlike his counterpart. also thought anne hathaway's character was inconsistent in behavior

my gay roommate didn't like the movie. but he's a dumbass

one delicious irony is that the theme music is similar to that of the wholesome family TV show '7th heaven'

is that kenny chesney in your avatar? i always thought it was a woman..

yes, good pt here. on an aside: i think my favorite scene is when what's-his-face (more flamboyant character; guy from Donnie Darko) and his father-in-law argue over whether the TV should be playing during dinner. the expression on his wife's face (after he wins the argument) is simply priceless. quality moment.

my question was aimed at whether their interpretation of the film was a reflection of their support (or more appropriately, lack-there-of) of gay rights.

Yes, this was a great scene, particularly when jack stands up to cut the turkey after the father sinks into his seat. Also, when the wife glances at the boy afterward giving him the "See, you're daddy isn't such a spineless wimp afterall" look.

precisely.

SPOILER ALERT

i sensed that the father-in-law had jack killed. but the ambiguity was nice. also nicely left unexplored was whether ennis thought that jack's death was truly an accident

hmm, interesting about the fater .... i had never thought about that. i don't think it's ambiguous about the "accident" though - it's pretty clear he was murdered, whether by his father's doing or someone else's.

I don't really know. How sincere are your friends regarding these issues? It's kind of hard to spin someones support or stance based strictly on watching a movie.

Brokeback Mountain was absolutely amazing. I didn't figure I could possibly like it as I pretty much knew the whole arc of the film and what happened at the end thanks to people not being able to shut their mouths everywhere about it.

It kept growing and growing and became a deeper, more heartfelt, emotional film as it progressed and I was just about in tears by the films end. Just an astonishingly great film.

I have no idea what the deal was with how Jack was killed, though. The wife told the story, but Ennis was imagining some scenario that played out like the one he knew of from childhood? Did it happen? I think now that is the film's only flaw as I just didn't know what to believe.

Actually, that's not true. Even in the short story it is left open to interpretation - was he murdered for being gay - or was it simply an accident, yet Ennis, because of his deep self loathing and own internalized homophobia, simply couln't imagine that it was anything other than the violence he witnessed as a child?

I find the second scenario to be far more haunting and sad.

no, no, no! i don't think that scene was in ennis's mind. that never even occurred to me. i think it was what ACTUALLY happened. had that been in his mind he certainly would have shown more emotion, no?

now i have to watch that part again sometime. damn

INTERESTING ... for one, i didn't even know there was a short story, and i interpreted the scene as gooch did (see below). i didn't have any doubt the wife was lying while telling the story about the tire (her face & affect). what if they BOTH knew the story was a lie?

no, no, no! i didn't say i thought the wife was lying. i considered that possibility but it would've been totally out of character for her. i have no idea why she seemed so cold in that scene. if she WAS lying than her character wasn't developed enough (don't think it was anyway), which would be a flaw in the movie

her character was somewhat more fully realized by Anne Hathaway's performance than almost any others in the film.

horseshit. she has three real scenes: the one where she eagerly fucks the gay guy, the one where she displays pride when her husband chews out her father, and then, inexplicably, the one where she recounts the (presumably) phony tale of her husband's death while smoking a cigarette

you just like her tits