Posted by Temsonic on 09/23/16 11:40

"Gunther Gloop" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:46087gF8s4g5U1@individual.net...
> Nobody has broached this topic in here that I noticed. ...due on dvd at
> some point.
>
> I _was_ planning on going to see it in the cinema, but it only got a
> limited release here and by now I've more or less gone off the whole
> thing.
> I was telling a friend of mine I was going to go see it and he sniggered
> and told me to watch out who I sat next to. It appears that most (hetro)
> people I've talked to about it have a similar reaction -apart from women.
>
> Following all the hullabaloo and hype I'm not sure I could now watch it.
> Initially talk was about "a great movie that featured a couple of men that
> 'did it' in a field" -or someplace. Whoopdedoo. I can handle that.
> But by the time it arrived here it seemed to have been hijacked and
> triumphed-over by the 'gay sector', who eventually all seem to boil it
> down to "if you won't see it, you have a problem with your own
> sexuality"... and that type of 'argument' puts me right off ever sitting
> through it.
>
> Although I'm sure it's more than "a gay cowboy movie" (?), I only ever
> see/hear gay people defend/rave about it and/or "liberal media types" who
> are possibly a little too anxious to seem hip/cool.
>
> Apart from Hulk (which most people seem to have hated), I can't say I've
> _loved_ any of Ang Lee's movies to date (which most people seem to love).
> Still, I recognise his directorial talents and range and admire his
> difficult choice of topics at times.
> On the whole, they seem to be the types of movies I would normally love...
> but I appear to be missing that final piece of the puzzle that shows me
> the error of my ways. Some day I might appreciate them more -hope I do!
>
> But anyway, getting back to Brokeback... I'd like to hear some reasoned
> points on what's good about it, from a non-gay perspective?
>
>
> Have any hetrosexuals here seen it or have you all been afraid of who
> might be sitting next to you? Do you have difficulty with your sexuality?
> Are you as annoyed as I am about that phrase being thrown into the
> equation?
> ...Or why _haven't_ you seen it?
>
> Is there anyone left here to discuss it?

I'm surprised someone such as you who very obviously likes to make up their
own mind about films instead of listening to the herd's opinions would let
something like the 'gay sector' or 'liberal media types' liking it put you
off. I haven't seen it yet but I plan to, and it hadn't occurred to me until
now that it might be considered 'un-hetero' of me to want to see it and I
most certainly hadn't worried about who I might be sitting next to in the
cinema. Good god, F-cking Amal is one of my favourite films, and I sure as
hell isn't a teenage lesbian, I don't see why watching Brokeback Mountain
would be any different.

Some of the reactions remind me of Y Tu Mama Tambien, which I thought was an
astoundingly effective film, and lent to my brother-in-law who's not averse
to subtitled films. I described it to him as being 'Mexican with lots of sex
and social commentary' but I'd forgotten about the scene where the two boys
get it on. He came back to me saying he'd really enjoyed it but didn't like
a certain part - can you guess which bit? - and found it 'unnecessary'. Why
some men get so uptight about this really puzzles me but there we go
(suffice to say I'll be wary about letting him borrow any of my Almodovar
films). It's hardly like watching gay porn, it's a love story about people.
Porn never features love or people, it features personality-less bodies for
sexual titillation - not that there's anything wrong with that in it's right
place, but the two shouldn't be confused.

Also, I don't see why anyone should be surprised that it's been championed
by the gay scene. It's not often that anyone makes a mainstream Hollywood
film that doesn't either caricature gay characters or completely play down
their sexuality - look at the flak Oliver Stone took regarding a
historically accurate portrayal of Alexander as being gay, or the fact that
Brad Pitt had to get upset about his... ahem... "cousin" in Troy.

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