THE PUBLIC was asked to submit reviews of the, controversial, Oscar-nominated, gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain. Here are two of the responses we received. If you have seen the movie and want to submit a response for publication, you may do so by emailing your response, in no more than 250 words to entertainment@gleanerjm.com.
The editor reserves the right to condense reviews and correct errors of fact, spelling or grammar.
Brokeback asks for tolerance
Yes I went to see the controversial movie, Brokeback Mountain.
The movie, I thought was a bit boring, despite the stimulating content. With the exception of one or two very explicit love scenes, it almost passed as just another love story - almost. I was not convinced either that it deserved a 'Best Picture' nomination.
It was a very good movie. Not excellent and certainly not great. What I liked most about the viewing was that I did not have to suffer the verbal onslaught of obscenities when the men had intercourse.
I half expected it but was pleasantly surprised when I heard only silence. Lovely silence. Was I really in Boom-Bye-Bye country? Could it be a sign that we are growing as a society? Hardly. But it's a start.
Would I recommend that you go to Brokeback? I sure would. Why? Because it's not just a movie. It is an introduction to the world of gays who have been a part of our lives since there were cowboys.
It reveals to the viewer the tremendous emotional strain and difficulty that many gay men face, and may soften the way we view the gay community. There were times during the movie where I felt such pity for Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger). There were times, too, when you saw just ordinary people instead of gay people. The movie asked us, I think, to be more sympathetic and less hostile and judgmental towards homosexuals.
Overall rating: 7/10.
Deborah Courage, dcourage@hotmail.com
Enough said
Three words: SICK. TWISTED WRONG.
Simon Tomlinson,
simey_t@hotmail.com
