This is your home for my take on movie news, my random thoughts on films, awards season discussion, box office predictions, dvd dates, ingenue whoring, and sexed up pics of celebrites. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone out there in the blog universe!
posted by Darren at 11:17 PM
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The Family Stone is a pretty, liberal fantasy facade in which the free spirited, forward family in a New England town welcome in the big city, uptight, slightly conservative girlfriend of their son for Christmas. One son is a pot smoking film editor, one daughter a bitchy, poorly dressed most likely student - what she does isn't quite identified i don't think, and another son is deaf, gay, and planning on adopting a child with his black boyfriend. By the end, of course, someone will have revealed they have cancer, scenes of forced slapstick will have occured, the gay couple will hold hands while walking down the street, everyone will indulge in a nice group hug as the lefties proudly pull the stick out of the conservative bitch's ass then pat themselves on the back at a job well done. And you know what?
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Por ejemplo...
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American Film Institute's Top 10 Films of 2005:
Los Angeles Film Critics Association:
Terrence Howard - Crash
posted by Darren at 9:45 PM
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I had the privilege of the seeing the film at a special screening in NYC on Sunday at the Walter Reade Theatre near Lincoln Center. The screenwriters were present, as I previously mentioned. The second screening was an Entertainment Weekly sponsored screening in Philadelphia (home to me for a brief year some time ago) on Thursday evening. It was wonderful being able to see this film twice before its theatrical release. Both audiences applauded at the end of the film.
Brokeback Mountain is the story of two poor country boys, not a day over twenty, who are hired as ranch hands to tend sheep on the fictional, majestic Wyoming mountain. The stoic one is Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) who doesn’t say much and mumbles a lot. Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the more lively of the two, a wannabe rodeo rider. The two begin the summer of 1963 doing their job on the mountain, but as the days go on, they forge a friendship. Eventually one cold night of drinking, Ennis sleeps outside the tent freezing when Jack invites him in. Half passed out, Ennis finds himself fully awake when Jack makes a sexual advance, one Ennis at first violently rejects then violently reciprocates. In the morning, they say nothing. Meeting up later in the day overlooking the sheep, Ennis refers to the events as a “a one shot thing” and Jack adds “it’s nobody’s business but ours.” The next night, they tenderly make love. And thus, the epic saga of Brokeback Mountain begins. 
The years wear on, characters come in and out of their lives. Jack, once vivacious and a free spirit, has conformed and Gyllenhaal fully utilizes those sad, puppy dog blue eyes. Ennis grows increasingly confused and bursts with fits of violence, pushing those who care for him away. I’ll stop there, but know what follows is not a happy picture. 
Hey, there’s women in this! And what gals they are! Such as Jake’s plight, Michelle is stuck with having the Oscar clip to end all Oscar clips. She’s so phenomenal in her confrontation scene that I think many forgot just how subtle, yet expressive she is in several other scenes. Her eyes say it all. Ang Lee is famous for the way he uses “quiet glances” and Williams is the reigning queen of those in the film. Michelle demonstrates the ability of a fine character actress, with the face of the sweet girl next door. Miss Hathaway is seen less yet has a strong arc. Lureen is only described two times in the story: first, as a sweet Texas rodeo queen. Secondly, again as sweet, but as cold as snow. These descriptions are about 15 years apart, and Hathaway is only seen in spades in the film. Her total screentime doesn’t exceed 10 minutes. However, you see that arc. In particular, Hathaway’s final scene may be one of the few that plays better in the film than it does in the book. That icy, cold detachment in her voice is eerily there, and that little bit of breaking Hathaway gives Lureen in her triumphant final scene lets the actress slam that baby right out of the ballpark. A lot has been written about potentially being distracted by some of the wigs of the character, but she is a wealthy, tacky Texas woman. What do you expect? 
Gustavo Santaolalla is fastly becoming the most exciting film composer working. This is, by far, his crowing achievement. The blend of guitar and violins in the score creates such a sad, contemplative mix. The track on the soundtrack titled “The Wings” – used twice in the film, most effectively at the end – is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful pieces of film music I’ve ever heard. It adds an extra layer of sadness to the film with the way the music flows over that final scene when you consider a line of a dialogue Ennis tells his daughters earlier in the film. Think for a moment about what “The Wings” is referring to. You know all those sappy scores that typically accompany films like this? You won’t hear any of that here. Gustavo also wrote several of the songs in the film, the apex being “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” which I was hoping would be better utilized in the film. (It’s the song that’s playing in Jack’s truck on his way back from Wyoming before he goes to Mexico.) Watch for a cameo by indie rocker Mary McBride as a country bar singer singing another one of the soundtrack’s great tunes “No One’s Gonna Love You Like Me.” All of the music in the film fits perfectly. There is even some more famous stuff present such as Linda Rondstadt’s “It’s So Easy.” 
THE BOTTOM LINE:
posted by Darren at 11:11 PM
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I've been looking forward to this movie since its first announcement. No, not when Ang released Hulk. I'm talking all the way back when Gus Van Sant was attached and wanted Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to star. (This thought now scares me.) I believe it may have been 1998. Nothing happened with the film and eventually Van Sant and Damon and that other dude went on to other things. While promoting Hulk, Ang Lee announced this would be his next project. I had all but forgotten about it. It seemed exciting that this film would be made. I adore Ang Lee's films. Even I liked Hulk. It's criminally underrated. The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are about two of my favorite all time movies. I love films that take their time and completely absorb you, fully evocative. Rumors circulated about potential casting (fan picks were Viggo Mortensen and Brad Pitt). In January of 2004, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were cast. As a Gyllenhaalic since 1999, this was terrific news. I believe I sent out a mass e-mail regarding the casting, as I had a tendency to do when I didn't have a blog. Ah, the pre-blog Darren days. I might as well have been churning my own butter and sewing my clothes. Yes, Gyllenhaal as a gay cowboy. If that's not news worth delighting in, I don't know what is. Heath Ledger - I was unsure of. He had demonstrated charisma in the dismal A Knight's Tale and the enjoyable 10 Things I Hate About You. But The Order sucked. So did Four Feathers. I thought he looked great in the movie, even though he looked very androgynous - a look I don't typically go for but somehow did for him. However, there was one shining ray of hope in his filmography: Monster's Ball. He's barely in the film for 10 minutes, but created such a lasting impression. At this point in time, I hadn't read the short story from which the film was based. I had no idea that his character Ennis Del Mar was practically his Monster's Ball character extended to feature length. The two leads were cast, and the movie would begin filming in the summer.
As you can hopefully see, I'm looking forward to this movie, my most anticipated movie ever, more for these reasons then some of the obvious ones. Yes, it is "that gay cowboy movie." But once you hear the story, I'd doubt you say that. While the story wouldn't be at all the same if they weren't gay or cowboys, by the end, it hardly matters. I could really care less about the sex scenes and if they are shocking or not. They are there, and therefore the film is faithful to the short story. I can't tell you how in line to perfection this film is for me.
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