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| 9 | panoramix Disc |
26 | 20  |
[ Buy It ] |
December 16, 2005
December 16, 2005
Universal
R (Restricted)
Ang Lee
Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Valerie Planche, David Trimble (III), Victor Reyes, Lachlan Mackintosh, Michelle Williams, Larry Reese, Marty Antonini, Tom Carey (III), Dan McDougall, Don Bland (III), Steven Cree Molison, Anne Hathaway, Duval Lang, Dean Barrett (II), Hannah Stewart, Scott Michael Campbell, Mary Liboiron
"not that I don't respect Ang Lee as a director, but why does he always make such controversial films? Brokeback... I don't understand all the buzz, it wasn't as good as everyone said it was Maybe I didn't get the "point" or something, It was "beautiful" at times, but far from being a masterpiece. But one good thing came out of this movie, in an recent EW magazine interview, Matt Damon states that he was offered (or given the oppurtunity) to be one of the leads in this film, his reply is below (forgot exact quote, but main point is made)::: "I have done a gay movie, and also a cowboy movie, what would my fans say if I came back with a gay cowboy movie?" LOL"
- projecthurley, gave it a 3/5
"If I wanted to watch a movie about two cowboys eating chocolate pudding I would"
- CynicalAssault, gave it a 1/5
A sad, melancholy ache pervades Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee's haunting, moving film that, like his other movies, explores societal constraints and the passions that lurk underneath. This time, however, instead of taking on ancient China, 19th-century England, or '70s suburbia, Lee uses the tableau of the American West in the early '60s to show how two lovers are bound by their expected roles, how they rebel against them, and the repercussions for each of doing so--but the romance here is between two men. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two itinerant ranchers looking for work in Wyoming when they meet and embark on a summer sheepherding job in the shadow of titular Brokeback Mountain. The taciturn Ennis, uncommunicative in the extreme, finds himself opening up around the gregarious Jack, and the two form a bond that surprisingly catches fire one cold night out in the wilderness. Separating at the end of the summer, each goes on to marry and have children, but a reunion years later proves that, if anything, their passion for each other has grown significantly. And while Jack harbors dreams of a life together, the tight-lipped Ennis is unable to bring himself to even consider something so revolutionary.
Its open, unforced depiction of love between two men made Brokeback an instant cultural touchstone, for both good and bad, as it was tagged derisively as the "gay cowboy movie," but also heralded as a breakthrough for mainstream cinema. Amidst all the hoopla of various agendas, though, was a quiet, heartbreaking love story that was both of its time and universal--it was the quintessential tale of star-crossed lovers, but grounded in an ever-changing America that promised both hope and despair. Adapted by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana from Annie Proulx's short story, the movie echoes the sparse bleakness of McMurtry's The Last Picture Show with its fading of the once-glorious West; but with Lee at the helm, it also resembles The Ice Storm, as it showed the ripple effects of a singular event over a number of people. As always, Lee's work with actors is unparalleled, as he elicits graceful, nuanced performances from Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway as the wives affected overtly and subliminally by their husbands' affair, and Gyllenhaal brings surprising dimensions to a character that could have easily just been a puppy dog of a boy. It's Ledger, however, who's the breakthrough in the film, and his portrait of an emotionally repressed man both undone and liberated by his feelings is mesmerizing and devastating. Spare in style but rich with emotion, Brokeback Mountain earns its place as a classic modern love story. --Mark Englehart - Amazon.com
Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping epic that explores the lives of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. The complications, joys and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver emotionally charged, remarkably moving performances in "a movie that is destined to become one of the great classics of our time" (Clay Smith, The Insider). - Description
