Brokeback Mountain: the five-minute review
I finally went to see Brokeback Mountain last night. After going along to see so many (erm, a couple in the past year, I think) sci-fi movies to please Dr B., I was thrilled to take him to see a movie with feelings! And drama! And breathtaking Wyoming scenery! (Which turned out to be filmed in Alberta). After all, I had burst into tears on the train to work a few weeks ago while reading the last few pages of the short story upon which the movie is based.
Instead, I spent more time trying to tell the digitally-multiplied sheep from the real ones, than being carried away by the story. Annie Proulx's writing is so engaging and gut-wrenching, her images so dense in their conciseness, that any movie, no matter how talented the cast and director, was bound to disappoint me. Let me stress the facts that it is a good movie, yet it failed to blow me away like the short story did.
Dr B. had no expectations but was not impressed either. And then requested a movie with lasers for our next cinema outing.
Update (Wed 15 Feb): it turns out that Dr B. felt miserable all day yesterday and could not stop thinking about Jack and Ennis. So I guess it worked.