Brokeback Mountain

Thanks to my good friend Noel, I was able to see an advance showing of the movie to the moment, Brokeback Mountain, which opens tomorrow. I happened to see it at possibly the gayest movie theatre in New York, the Chelsea Clearview Cinemas theatre on 23rd Street and 8th Avenue, which explains the guffaws and shrieks I heard when some hetero sex scenes were shown (I still don't get it why some gay men get grossed out by hetero sex but I guess it wasn't something that surprised me). What actually surprised me was that some people in the audience also made kissy-kissy noises and laughed nervously as the first man to man kiss was shown. That I guess will be the reaction in most theatres across the country but in a theatre mostly filled with gay men? Amazing.

Gilberto, a friend visiting from Venezuela was just as stunned by the film as I was (I loved it) but a couple of friends I bumped into didn't think it was that great. I won't say much else because I hope you go see it and pass your own judgement. I will say that Heath Ledger is stunning in the role of Enis and so is Michelle Williams as his wife.

NOTE: To read the original Annie Proulx story on which the fim is based go to The New Yorker Magazine's archives here; to read Stephen Holden's review in the New York Times (he calls it "moving and majestic") go here; and for Ioannis Mookas less than enchanted review in Gay City News, go here.