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December 24, 2005
Brokeback Mountain
At first blush, I wasn't sure the movie lived up to the hype. I'm a little frustrated by all the chatter that surrounds December openings. I particularly feel jilted by knowing too much about movies before I see them. I prefer to allow them to unfold naturally, especially films like Brokeback Mountain. Since it takes place over the course of many years, it's better not to know anything past the first arch.
It has a lyrical, slow pace to it. The primary characters are well drawn, and the secondary characters work well at being part of the film's world, even though they don't get much time to develop. Heath Ledger absolutely melted into his character; it was a brilliant performance.
And since the film has been haunting me since it ended, I must concede that it is worthy of its hype. But I'm definitely not going to attempt to watch any romantic comedies for awhile; I don't have the stomach for over-the-top love stories. This one was quite enough for me for awhile.
More info:
IMDB entry
Greg's Previews says it was filmed in Calgary, Canada. Why do I remember New Mexico being thanked in the credits?
Ebert's Plot Summary Really no need to read it before you see the movie. Although I'm glad he wasn't sure about a plot point towards the end of the film, since it troubled me too. The review also reminded me to put some Ingmar Bergman films on my Netflix queue.
Posted by cj at December 24, 2005 03:10 AM