Martin's Musings

It’s hard to review Brokeback Mountain because so much has already been written and said about it and so my view is already tainted. Accordingly, I went into the movie with extremely high expectations and was ready to just be blown away. Well, I wasn’t. I didn’t really feel the passion between Jack and Ennis, didn’t feel like they really had much of a connection other than convenience and their mutual loneliness, didn’t feel the longing that Ennis supposedly felt, thought the ending was lacking, thought Heath Ledger held back too much to really register any emotion, and kind of felt like the initial sexual experience was sort of forced.

But maybe that’s just me, because on the other hand, the film — which is based on Annie Proulx’s short story — is impressive and really does need to be seen, if only because it treats its subject matter with such respect. That the two guys fall in love is practically matter-of-fact — it doesn’t happen with any swelling orchestral music, isn’t belaboured to make any grand political statements, and it’s allowed to continue without the outside world intruding in any real way. It’s just happening. This is an on-screen relationship like any other we’ve seen before, and yet it’s unlike any other we’ve seen before. And because the movie treats its subject matter with such respect, I initially thought I would take some time before writing about it, so I, too, could be respectful. I was hesitating to dismiss Brokeback Mountain for the reasons I listed earlier, because really, the story itself is moving, the film’s heart is in the right place, and just because I didn’t feel them doesn’t mean all those emotions aren’t there.

I’m thinking I should see this movie again when it actually hits theaters in a week or two and write about it some more then. After all, there has to be a reason why so many critics are raving and calling it one of, if not the best film of the year. I don’t mean to invalidate my opinions, and I don’t want to come off as a lemming wannabe because I didn’t feel what many other people have felt. I just want to be fair, because I do acknowledge that I may not have given the film a fair shot given my expectations. That said, I’m giving it a B for now.

[P.S.: One unexpected cool thing about Brokeback Mountain is the fact that one of my old high school chums, David Harbour, is in it. He comes on about half-way through, playing Anna Faris’ husband and a friend of Jack and Lurleen’s. He’s the guy with the beard — no pun intended.]

Update (1/28): I have seen the movie for the second time. Click here to read my revised thoughts.

I suppose you know what you’re getting when you go to see a Terrence Malick film: beautiful cinematography, sweeping shots of nature (and lots of them), ethereal narration, major actors who have bit parts or who don’t appear until two-thirds of the way through, and a general sense that you’re watching a Very Important Movie and you should just get comfortable because Malick’s in no rush. All that and more is present in The New World, Malick’s latest film — which probably hits a theater near you on January 13 (if it’s not there on Christmas Day). The New World is Malick’s take on the founding of Jamestown in 1607, but instead of it being a historical document of culture clashes, Malick has made an epic love story. And this is not the Disney Pocahontas movie, that’s for sure.

To be honest, I have a hard time reviewing the movie. It’s not that it’s not good — and with sweeping camerawork, a beautiful score, and fine acting by Colin Farrell, it’s quite impressive. I can appreciate the film for what it is, but I just didn’t enjoy it. I just found it hard to connect with. My eyelids were closing at times, the narration got a bit annoying, and I really thought it was quite long — as opposed to Malick’s last film, The Thin Red Line, which was also long, but which I did enjoy. I’m no professional critic, just a frequent moviegoer (this was my 48th film so far this year), so I guess that entitles me to write about the movies I see however I want to. So, I’m not going to give this one a letter grade, because I don’t see how I could give it a B+ or A-, for example, when B+ is the same grade I gave, say, Wedding Crashers, and that movie is in a whole different league from The New World. So let’s leave it at that: The New World is an impressive, beautiful movie, but it didn’t make a connection with me, and I just didn’t enjoy it.

For a change, I bought and actually watched a DVD this past weekend: Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

When I first saw this movie over the summer, I rated it a B/B+, but after a second viewing, I am upgrading my grade to a solid B+. Mr. & Mrs. Smith clearly got a bad rap because of all the Brangelina hype, and too-high expectations from literal movie critics. Now that some time has passed … well, the film is really fun — a great mix of humor and action with some great showpieces, and Brad Pitt gives a typically deadpan funny performance. Continue reading →