Brokeback Mountain

This is a good movie. It may not grow to be a blockbuster because a lot of people are still nervous about dealing with intimate relations between men. And that's a pity because this film is not a "gay" movie. It's a love story, and a gripping one at times.

The setting in the Rocky Mountains is absolutely gorgeous. The cinematography alone is worth the price of admission. The two young stars, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, did a great job of portraying two simple country boys who come to love each other very deeply (no pun intended!).

It was surprising at first to see a fairly graphic depiction of gay sex on screen between two big Hollywood stars. There were quite a few gasps and sniggers from the audience. What an enormous risk those actors had to take in portraying these characters!

I was so pleased to see a full house at the preview screening at the Arclight in Hollywood and I hope that good word-of-mouth will get this film seen by many people. It's another winner from director Ang Lee, who became a star with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well as Hulk, Sense and Sensibility, and The Ice Storm.

Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, the touching screenplay was written by the legendary Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove, Texasville, Hud, Terms of Endearment, and The Last Picture Show. Pretty good resume, don't you think?

Give Brokeback Mountain a chance. It's worth the effort.