Bareback Mounthim review: sounds about right
No, I have not seen the movie in which Heath Ledger gives a spectacularly sensitive performance for the ages, but this review dovetails with everything else I've heard from people (normal people, not Hollywood apparatchik rubberstampers) who have seen it: Dull; plodding; and interspersed with shots of lovely mountains and Very Beautiful and Honest Gay Sex [TM].
The reviewer says interesting things about the movie's depiction of marriage and family life.
Could never've guessed.
posted by Patrick at 2:19 PM
12 Comments:
Interesting that he mentioned Yaoi. (Pronounced "Yowie" in local anime fandom.) I have often figured that anime otaku these days tend to be hentai to the max.
That said, Yaoi appeal to young girls seems to be a mirror image of the male porn staple of watching two women lez it up on-camera. Never understood either, but then I'm weird.
9:34 AM
Who is this writer, do you know?
I perused rense.com a bit, not my style, but I'm interested to know a little more about the writer.
I like the article, (might even lift it from you, with a nod to you of course) esp this: "In a society that is purposely and effectively dumbed down, the rarest and most valuable of commodities is discernment."
so true, so true...
3:15 PM
Continuing on the Bareback/Yaoi thread, the theme of the essay appeared to be that we are raising a generation of females who are "fag hags" -- sexually attracted ONLY by homosexual males. Which seems to defeat the whole purpose, but then I'm weird.
9:27 AM
Don't know rense. Have seen some fag hags, though.
3:27 PM
Saw another good name for Bareback Mounthim on Dom's blog: "BM"
Uh...yeah.
6:32 AM
BM! lol!
9:26 AM
KFI talk radio in Los Angeles (mouthiest morning & afternoon drive-time shows) has been running BM ads in heavy rotation -- like one every commercial break, 4-6/hour.
It's like when I first got MTV back in '84 and EVERY video was by Twisted Sister.
9:35 AM
Ah yes, Bill Handel and John & Ken. The only things more obnoxious than LA traffic.
Notice the BM voice-over never says a damn thing about what the movie is about...Just that corny, breathy male voice promising the unspeakable delights that will follow if you see the movie. "Heath Ledger is astonishing...a triumph for Jake Gyllenhaal."
Gag me with a different metaphor!
9:39 AM
Just that corny, breathy male voice promising the unspeakable delights that will follow if you see the movie.
"Unspeakable delights that will follow if..."? In a "breathy male voice"? That sounds like a bad gay pickup line.
P.S. Apparently there's a fad starting at sports events to taunt the other team by yelling "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN! BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!" at them.
12:50 PM
Yes and yes.
1:40 PM
OK Patrick, my review of Brokeback Mountain. I assume after we have talked about other 'controversial' movies you trust my judgment to be fair . Lucky for me, I just watched it tonight and then read the review in your blog, which is helpful.
Boring… No. I found the lack of over stimulation & cram packed dialog a refreshing return to old school movie making where the viewer is drawn in by a path of crumbs and is allowed to invest as much or as little as they desire. The fact it was calm and quiet was very very very enjoyable for me. If anything this was the best part of this movie.
Propaganda? Yep. I’d have to say I agree.. but not overtly persuasive propaganda. Personally, I didn’t fall for it. I didn’t believe it. And I refuse to believe it based on what I saw. I actually wanted to see the moment when two men who were “straight” changed or even discovered they were gay – both of which I would have accepted. Any sort of enlightening experience, that never happened. The relationship between these two men was dysfunctional and awkward to say the least.. a convenient way to escape reality for bliss (which is such a romantic ideal) at best. To call that love or even promote that as love is wrong (in my opinion) on so many levels.
I’m not ready to say a man can’t love another man but this movie didn’t do anything to promote the cause as far as I’m concerned. An Oscar would be based entirely on political agenda. Although, I do believe the actors involved in this film did an outstanding job. I found them to be believable and I grew an attachment to their characters.
However in the review it said: “the violence is presented not as a result of the sex, but rather the result of a backwards people, mindless ignorant hicks, who's judgmental religious intolerance killed those beautiful martyrs.” The deaths in the film were violent and caused by ignorant people, it had nothing to do with religion – it was never mentioned or implied. The review it self implies death by such means is a direct result of a same sex relation in a very scary way. That statement alone sounds supportive of such acts of violence.
I have my own theories on the negative implications of this movie and they have nothing to do with two men having sex. I’ll keep them to myself.
10:12 PM
Shawne: Nice summary/review.
Winston: You're right about the mindless hype, but piddly art films don't get elevated to multiple Golden Globe/Academy Award status, or get constant radio rotation ads, and the non-stop references on TV shows -- always glowing and rapturous, with any hint of negative review being ritually defamed as hate speech.
BM's aim is to focus on the "love between two men" while hoping we don't notice that it breaks up marriage, and breaks the hearts of children. Not to mention those unpleasant rectal tears.
Its advocacy is built in; it doesn't "try to make gayness palatable" to the unwilling masses. It's just a story that features homosexuality as a given, not even argued for.
That's why it's brilliant as propaganda, and why Christians should think twice about hoping it'll go away.
8:45 AM
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