And here’s my hijack, just because you made me think of it. I always thought that the easiest affair for me to accept would be gay. If Mr. singular1 told me he was leaving me for Mr. twickster, that would hurt less that him leaving me for Angelina Jolie - he needed something I could never give him, so for me, it would be total no-fault and it would be less painful than not being as good as the other woman. Then me and twickster could just sit around and watch reality television together and make occasional snarky comments about our boys during the commercials. You bring the popcorn, girl - I’ve got a flat-screen! 
I would LOVE to see this movie, but it is not showing in my crappy town. Sensorship at it’s finest here , folks. Sheesh. :rolleyes:
Well, I guess that answers the question, “Will it play in Peoria?” 
No, wait, Peoria’s in Illinois, isn’t it? I always get those states confused . . .
You’re on!
You got any objections to a friendly cat in your lap?
Not at all – saves me the trouble of bringing my own.
OK - now all we have to do is hook the boys up and it’s partytime!
I can’t believe lieu passed up StumpBroke Mountin’…
He’s slipping.
This concludes my sophomoric hijack.
:eek:
Or SURE, ask us to stop making jokes and then just lob one over the plate!
How about Bare-Back Mount-Him?
OK - I’ll stop
Okay, so I finally saw this flick last night and - while I thought it was a well-made movie and definitely worth seeing, man is it a bummer! I’m not a normally sentimental type and usually shuck off big melodramatic heart-tuggers with a “wotta shame” and a shrug. But I have to admit that I got into a brooding, miserable funk after I left the theater.
Not that anybody asked, but here’s some of my comments on the film (with spoilers. Beware!)
Things I liked:
- That the story takes the time to develop the relationship between Ennis & Jack before showing them get at each other. They start out as two strangers awkwardly thrust together, and director Lee takes the time to show them become friends before they become lovers. Not only was it realistic, but it gave their eventual hook-up more depth: they weren’t hooking up with someone they never planned to see again, they got to know & trust each other enought that they felt they could do this.
- The fact that the wives (and girlfriend and at least one kid) were not ignored. I don’t know if this was an intentional comment by the film-makers, but it makes an interesting comment; “Well meaning” Christians are fond of stating that gay guys only need “the love of a good woman to turn them straight.” (I was told this myself a few times), but is it really fair to the “good woman” to expect her to take on the task of ‘turning’ gay guys?
- Jack putting his S.O.B. father-in-law in his place. To be fair, Jack was kind of using Lurene (to hide his sexuality, for her money) so the father-in-law’s dislike wasn’t totally unjustified, but man! What an a**hole!
Things I didn’t like;
- Jack’s death. Not only was it melodramatic, it seemed to vindicate Ennis’ P.O.V. that they dared never come out. And anyway, I think the more heartbreaking moment was when Ennis visits Jack’s folks and Jack’s father inadvertantly lets slip that he had another boyfriend (Jack’s dad: “Jack kept saying he & his friend Ennis would rebuild that cabin and live in it one day. Lately though he talked about livin’ in it with some other guy.”)
Something I’m undecided about (it’s a technical matter about Jack & Ennis gettin’ it on, so I’ll put it in spoilers so as not to frighten any squeamish heteros):
When Ennis is about to ‘bugger’ Jack, he swaps spit on his dick to lube it. That’s something I don’t imagine a ‘newbie’ would think to do. Was this meant to imply that perhaps Ennis had already had sex with another guy? Or am I just naive? Do straight guys ‘lube’ themselves before having sex with a woman? Even so - spittle ain’t no KY jelly! I reckon Jack warn’t sittin’ on his keister the next day!
Yes, but you might not be able to find a ticket. I went on Saturday afternoon, and the next ten shows were sold out! I ended up buying a ticket for the first available show, which was on Sunday afternoon. I arrived an hour early, but still had to wait in an enormous around-the-block line. Although plenty of people in line were joking about the male/female ratio, and how the men’s restroom would be more crowded than the ladies’, there was a good mix of gay and straight couples of all ages and appearances. There was also a real sense of cameraderie and excitement at the fact that a mainstream movie was addressing this subject.
I share the opinion of others who have seen the movie - it is very, very, very depressing. There was a lot of crying in the theater. The only nice thing for me was being able to walk out with all of the happily open gay couples, and realize that at least in my corner of the world, things don’t have to be that bleak.
My girlfriend and I just saw it on the “extended” release circuit, which in the gay mecca of Atlanta equals one art house cinema in Midtown, the epicenter of queerness here. :smack: 
:mad:
I’m very dissappointed with the limited release schedule so far. Tonight’s 7:00 show was sold out by 2:00pm, so we got into the 7:35, and we had to line up out the front door while waiting to be seated.
Excellent film. I hope the mainstream gets a clue and goes to see it. It will be critically acclaimed. It will win a boatload of awards. And it could be so much more if it gets middle America thinking, which I believe it is very cabable of doing.
Beautiful movie. Heartbreakingly sad - I was all teary at the end and movies don’t normally do that to me.
Question: When Jack’s wife is telling Ennis what happened, is the beating what actually happened, or just what Ennis is imagining?
What or where is “middle America”?
I ask as someone from the first “gay rights” state, just north of the first state to repeal its sodomy law.
Join the club…still waiting for word when it will be shown in Las Vegas…however, the marketing is very clever and they are doing it exactly right.
They are letting word-of-mouth push this film to stratospheric hype…as mentioned, people are buying tickets days in advance. A gradual wide release will guarantee to make this a hit film as the press reports lines of people trying to get tickets. It’ll make it the “hot new film” to see, plus with the rave reviews and nominations for awards - the marketing people are spot-on. I used to work for a film studio and whoever is in charge of this film had better get a huge bonus.
Of course, I am still pissed it isn’t showing here (yet), but it is only a matter of time - and at least I will be clever enough to buy tickets early, or go to Fandago or whatever.
Is this thing EVER coming to Australia?
taps fingers impatiently
“Limited release” here tends to mean “shown for two nights in Sydney and Melbourne”. Rawr.
It is all over the place.
From seeing the trailer and reading about the movie in Newsweek… I had the impression that the duo aren’t gay, gay. Just two men that love each other. Seems contradictory I know. It’s a love story between two people who happen to be males. Am I wrong ? Where did I get this funny idea that its not a gay movie ?
I think I’m curious about watching this movie because I sincerely think they (american movie producers) can’t manage to make a decent love story… much less a love story between 2 men.
NinjaChick: Here’s my take on that:
I think it was deliberately left unclear whether that was what actually happened or whether that was just what Ennis imagined (based, of course, on what happened to that old guy when he was a kid – the one his father might or might not have had a hand in killing). My personal belief is that that is what happened, but I could see arguing the other way. If it is what happened, where did the wife’s story come from – is that what she was told, to save her feelings, or is that the version she made up, to protect her self-image?
Here’s what I’m noticing about the labels being associated with the film…
Ang, Heath, and Jake (largely the only folks I’ve seen interviewed with respect to the film) have repeatedly said things like “It isn’t a gay story. It is a love story.” Though when pressed they do discuss homosexuality in general, and do not deny that there are homosexual acts and themes in the film.
The gay media has repeatedly said things like “Despite comments by Ang, Heath, Jake, the studio, and others assocaited with the film saying ‘It isn’t a gay story. It is a love story’… the film is most definitely a gay love story.”
I’m inclined to agree with the gay media. Ennis and Jack are as “gay” as their environment and circumstances allowed them to be at the time. However, I don’t really give a flying f*ck what anyone calls it, I just want people to see it.
[spoiler]Two graphic illustrations of gay hate crime support this, as well as the lengths to which both characters attempt to balance their relatioship with the lives that they are supposed to be living, what family, friends, and society expects of them. Both of them pay the price of significant sacrifices, in each of their two respective worlds, in their (failed) attempts at that balance.
Jack’s character attempts to look for something similar to what he has found with Ennis elsewhere in his life. first with stumbling, tentative, and dangerous advances in his Marlboro Man world, and later with trips across the border to Mexico looking for male prostitutes. How anyone can not categorize Jack as gay, especially for that period, is beyond me.
Jack is much less cautious with his choices than Ennis. Ennis chooses to confine himself to a forced and ultimately unsatisfactory heterosexual paradigm when not directly in Jack’s presence. Their dichotomy of caution (and lack thereof) in many things is established early in the film, and reinforced often, with both characters ultimately paying tragic prices for their respective choices.[/spoiler]
Things get a little murky in that we have contemporary society (succumbing more and more to the Gay Agenda each day, mwuahahaha!) contemplating a homosexual relationship between two cowboys in the pre Stonewall era (from which we are escaping from more and more each day, mwuahahaha!).
It is key to keep the period and the degree of social stigma (both within the larger society at the time, and particularly within rural country society at the time) in mind when dissecting the character’s motivations and actions.
When all is said and done, people associated with the film want it to be seen and appreciated. They are playing the best cards to the mainstream in order to make that happen.
Some of the gay community (media and allies included) are weary of walking on eggshells with respect to such things, and are vocalizing their desire to call it what it is and not pussyfoot around things.
The Arts community, and folks who don’t have any issues with any of the subject matter covered in the film (nor issues about what labels are used, or how the film is described) just want it to be seen and appreciated.
And caught in the middle of it all, is “middle America”, who I largely believe don’t know what to think, don’t care, are letting other people make up their minds for them, or (hopefully) are willing to be a little adventurous for a couple of hours and make up their own minds.
Just my $0.02.