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Author Topic: G'day!  (Read 263924 times)

Offline BBM-Intern

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #60 on: May 14, 2006, 11:04:18 PM »
Hi all you living in the lucky country,

Thought I'd give you a short report on seeing BBM in Brisbane at The Schonell - this is for you, Wolf!  The session at 1600 yesterday (Sunday 14 May) was reasonably attended - I estimated around 35-40 in the theatre, which by Brisbane standards is good.   I've attended sessions in other big-chain cinemas and you could practically count the viewers on one hand!  Mixed crowd, mostly females in groups.  Audience was very respectful, no noisy crunching, appropriate giggles and moans, the latter when Alma catches our two boys snogging away in the gangway.  At the end there were a few quiet sobs; for me, I felt as if I'd gone 15 rounds with Kostya Tzuyu, sucker punch after sucker punch, especially after the last confrontation, the hollowness in Jack's eyes, such a sad portend of things to come.  It was hard to breathe and I was almost hyperventilating, had to sit there for quite a while to compose myself and drive home.  I sensed the audience also rode the roller-coaster ride, starts out easy but gathers speed with frightening intensity, I think some of them probably walked away a bit shell-shocked.

A pity there was no-one to join me in cowboy boots or anything, but I didn't care - turned up in my Wrangler shirt (blue denim, like Jack's), jeans and black Resistol hat.  The guy at the ticket counter had a wry smile, when I said, "One for Brokeback Mountain, please" - as if I'd come to watch something else!!  I went to church after that and when I apologised for getting there at the last minute having been at the movies, the pastor said, "Oh no, not THAT MOVIE again!  Everytime I see you, you're dressed for Brokeback..."  Oh, what else can a brokeaholic do??!!

As an aside (I'm sure it was discussed elsewhere), but did you notice just how vulnerable Jack looks when looking at Ennis in the scene, "I gotta say this to you just one time, Jack fuckin' Twist..." - he looks so pleading and open, I just want to drag Ennis away and shush him!  But then again, isn't that one of the themes of the movie, loving someone unconditionally, despite their imperfections - Jack is always there to comfort Ennis despite his own wounding and pain.  Reminds me of a saying I heard of a long time ago, "Sometimes we actually hate the ones we love, because they are the only ones who can hurt us", but then, loving takes courage, doesn't it?

Print of the movie was quite dusty, so there were lots of extra "bits" at the end of each reel, but that worried me none.  Late in the season to get a treat seeing it on the big screen, hey, it's like a gift from above.  A pity the Schonell Theatre is said to close down 30 June, due to voluntary student union funding shortages.  Like it was said earlier, the only reason we're getting a late run is because of independent cinemas, so we need them!

OK, gotta run, catch all youse later.
Love is the only force of nature to embrace, fear is not the alternative.

Offline brianr

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #61 on: May 15, 2006, 05:56:09 AM »
Have just arrived home from seeing Brokeback at the Edge in Katoomba and it really lived up to my anticipations.  The huge screen was great for scenery and also studying the expressions on the faces of Jack and Ennis. This viewing came some way toward affecting me in the same way as the first time. I thought I might have become a little immune after  seeing it at Glenbrook.  We think there was about 100 there - a good crowd for Monday night . I did not see anyone waiting to go into Mission Impossible after we came out.  This was the biggest crowd I  have experienced. Some of the laughter gets to me. I do not see anything funny  about them being spotted thru the binoculars and certainly not when Alma sees them. My heart bleeds for Alma "this aint her fault"
Full marks to Photondancer who would only have just started her 2 hour journey back to Sydney as I type. It was a pleasure to meet another obsessed person :)
I feel rather sad that I might not see it on the big screen again. Almost tempted to return to one of the 8.45pm sessions tomorrow or Wednesday.
My brother-in-law gave me a copy but it is on some strange format (DVX) which will not play on either my DVD or computer.  It was nice of him as my sister told me years ago that he did not approve. He asked her after seeing me hug my then boyfriend at the airport on the way to Europe in 1980.  However he chuckled and said how appropriate  when it turned the computer screen pink.

Offline photondancer

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #62 on: May 15, 2006, 09:24:09 PM »
Oh my lord, that was so worth the journey! It was a romantically misty night, putting me in just the right mood. The Edge is not a full IMAX screen and I suspect the film might have been cropped slightly, but to be so close to the characters and have their faces in such close-up was fantastic. I was able to watch every subtle change in expression and noticed for the first time that Ennis has tears in his eyes when the divorce is announced. He looks even more unhappy than he did at the wedding. And my heart was broken afresh watching Jack's face each time Ennis rejects him. The mixture of incredulity and hurt that sweeps across his face in the carpark after coming down from the mountain as he realises that Ennis is sticking to his guns about this being 'a one-shot deal', won't agree to see him again, won't even shake hands with him. And that aching moment where he visits Ennis after the divorce and is turned down flat; this is the hardest scene for me to watch and it was even harder this time because I could really see his joy as he talks to Ennis, how completely he takes it for granted that his dreams are about to come true. The caressing tone in his voice, the affection spilling out from the way he walks, looks at and embraces Ennis, just before Ennis starts making his inadequate, wretched excuses, nearly did me in.

There were easily 100 people there, maybe more, a much higher turnout than I expected. All ages; quite a lot of twentysomethings, who I assumed were filling in time before MI:3 but no, as Brian said nobody was interested in seeing that. I was delighted by this indication of Blue Mountains' good taste in film. :-) Quite a lot of laughter throughout the film which I must say I preferred to the reverential silence at some of the Sydney screenings. There is a lot of humor in the film and I hated being the only one snickering as Ennis teases Jack, or Alma drily asks Ennis if he's forgotten something. I was a little surprised that people laughed when Aguirre spots our boys. He's a big, mean bastard, more than capable of barging down and hurting them, and that moment always evoked gasps and hisses of fear in Sydney. I looked around during the credits: a lot of people sitting silently, obviously affected, others huddled together discussing it animatedly (repeat viewers, perhaps).

[A quick edit to add that I've listened to the soundtrack every day for the last 3 weeks and had a grand time playing 'spot the soundtrack' during the film, but it's astonishing how much music is _not_ on the CD, some of it being my favorite bits. I do hope they release a 2nd CD collecting it!]

Afterwards I walked in the mist for half an hour musing on love, on the chains we bind ourselves in and how we hurt the ones we love. Really wish I could catch one more Edge session now. Those going tonight, enjoy!
« Last Edit: May 16, 2006, 01:27:23 AM by photondancer »

Offline Wolf

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #63 on: May 16, 2006, 06:48:27 PM »
Morning all  :)

BBM Intern, had a lovely mental image of you turning up to the cinema in your Jack Wear  ;).  And a big thank you for your Viewing Report!  Know what you mean about the hyperventilating - had the same problem myself last nite.  They aught to issue paper bags at the box office - and tissues! 

What you say about sometimes hating the one you love is so true.  the fight the boys had on their final day on the mountain spoke to this effect, beautifully and painfully.  You can guess at the emotions that might come into play in such a situation.  Impossible love  :'(

Had a good chuckle at your Pastor's comment, BTW!

Photondancer, lucky you, getting to meet Brian, seeing Brokeback, and all in a misty Katoomba evening!  Great to read it was well worth the 2 hr train ride.  I'm with you on getting such a great close up of the boys' different expressions of pain and longing.  I REALLY felt Jack's agony when they parted after coming off the mountain.  There's a quick shot of him right after Ennis says "guess I'll see you around", and it just about breaks my heart.  Absolutely searing.

Lovely to hear there was such a good turnout too.  it seems to make a big difference to the experience.  I now firmly believe that largish, appreciative audience does indeed manifest some sort of group angst that is tangible and affecting. 

re: husbands.  the interesting thing about their odd disapproval is that it has nothing to do with misplaced jealousies.  it's purely a manifestation of their straight bloke discomfort with all things gay.  both are being very Ennis-like about it all  ;D ;D.

I'm with you on wanting to go to another Edge session - I think they should run it permanently, once a week.  There seems to be enough of the 'right' sort of people in the mountains to support such a loony venture  ;D

Brian, I thought of you at 6.30 monday night, and again at 7pm, and again at 8pm, etc.  Was very much wishing to be there!  What a funny fellow your brother-in-law is.  Pink screen indeed!  Sounds as tho you have a US dvd, which won't play on regular Australian players.  You may have to buy an all-regions player to watch it.  I managed to find one for only $130, and it's a decent brand.  Incidentally, I thought I'd watch the DVD frequently, and bits of it over and over etc, but neither has happened.  I feel very strongly about only watching it with others, and only on their request.  My father is coming to stay in a few weeks, and he's expressed interest in seeing it, so I'll watch it with him.  As uncomfortable as that may be  :o.

Well, I did end up going to The Edge last night (first time I'd been there) with my neighbour.  We were STUNNED when we walked in. That screen is so bloody huge it's actually quite disorienting!  Felt that same giddy Imax sensation where you don't know where to look  ;D.

We sat in the middle of the back row (my favoured possie, obviously!) and at 5 mins prior to commencement, there was just us and three pairs of older women.  One of these couples we actually knew, which was a surprise.  We talked about how few people were there, when suddenly there was a mad rush of people and in a couple of minutes the place was teeming.  All demographics, but as per usual, the majority definitely in the grey brigade.  A couple of young boys on their own (made me wonder if they were in the throes of finding out who they were.  can't imagine a straight 20 yr old boy would go alone, if at all), and a smattering of young Japanese backpacker types.

That big screen definitely affected the experience.  It was almost too hard to watch in places, and I found myself averting my eyes every now and then.  As seems to be par for the course, the crowd was silent from the outset, a few quiet chuckles at Jack's clowning, and gasps at Aguirre and his binoculars, and Alma's discovery.  We both came away as profoundly rattled as always, if not more so.  My friend was actually sobbing quietly at the end, which was hard to see.  I really felt for her, but had my own reactions to deal with so wasn't much help.  The gay couple we knew were in front of us, and it was their first viewing.  afterwards they sat for the entirety of the credits with us, quietly crying.  One offered words to the effect "I can't think of anything sensible to say, I'm dumbstruck", and "those poor boys, they didn't have a hope did they".   They're both women of roughly Ennis and Jack's age (early 60's) so can imagine there must have been some resonance.

Like Brian and photondancer, we also came outside and were immediately engulfed in a beautiful mountain mist, and 'rushing cold'.  It was a special, and wonderfullly appropriate moment.  Would love to have taken a walk in that mist, as per photondancer, but it was 11pm and we had a long drive ahead of us, so traded the mist in for the interior of my heated car and the Brokeback soundtrack.  Needless to say, we 'workshopped' it all the way home.  Cried some more, laughed, marvelled, cried again, and finally came back to the beginning of the circle.  That is, WHY?.  why does a FILM have the power to move some of us to places we've never been before.  What is the magic ingredient?

On that note, I'm off to do a little more internet research on the above question.  I know there's no answer, but the search for one seems to fill some need, so I'm happy to ride it for as long as I can  ;).

W

Offline photondancer

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Region 1 DVD
« Reply #64 on: May 16, 2006, 11:15:26 PM »
Just a quick one: is the DVD worth buying? I was all set to order it from Amazon, but some of the comments in the DVD technical forum have discouraged me somewhat. Is there a way to find out what features the Region 4 version will have? I would do a web search but I'm at work so even logging into this forum is naughty enough!

Offline jack

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Re: Region 1 DVD
« Reply #65 on: May 17, 2006, 01:20:14 PM »
Just a quick one: is the DVD worth buying? I was all set to order it from Amazon, but some of the comments in the DVD technical forum have discouraged me somewhat. Is there a way to find out what features the Region 4 version will have? I would do a web search but I'm at work so even logging into this forum is naughty enough!
if you want to have the movie at your disposal, it is probably worth it.  you could probably check it out of a local library first to see if you want it.  there is no telling how long before a more customized version will come out.  the current extras are essentially a rehash of things we have seen on tv or the internet.  if you have a whopping kick ass tv to view it on, i woud say go for it.  there are certainly other rationales.  the transfer itself is consider high quality, only the full screen version has some critical pans, the wide is regarded well.

jack
"through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall..."

Offline brianr

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #66 on: May 17, 2006, 04:04:08 PM »
The huge screen was great for scenery and also studying the expressions on the faces of Jack and Ennis. This viewing came some way toward affecting me in the same way as the first time. I thought I might have become a little immune after  seeing it at Glenbrook. 
Further on this, I am a bit bemused with myself. The first time I saw the film back in early February I sobbed for half an hour (very embarrassing fora male) in the food court at Burwood over lunch. I often shed a few tears over a movie but can straighten myself up before the credits end. For the next  viewings I was not not nearly so emotional just  moist eyes at various scenes.
 However I have been reading the screenplay a little bit at a time and on Tuesday I finally completed it and reading the final scene with Ennis and the shirts in the trailer had me sobbing my heart out (thankfully in the privacy of my home). Perhaps it had built up from the night before at the Edge where the situation kept me under control. It led me to send a rather depressing note to the "How Brokeback affected me' thread.  It is so sad to see Ennis in that situation at 40 and although I am quite happy with life at 62 , I can forsee myself like that in my 80's as my only relations are are my sister now 72 and my mother slowly and painfully dying at 96. While I have many friends, I have not had a relationship for 25 years and see no prospect of that.

Offline campfire

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #67 on: May 17, 2006, 06:20:32 PM »
Hi from Melbourne, Victoria to my fellow Australian BBM fans,

I am the  odd one in my friends who has fallen in love with Jack and Ennis , so it really is comforting to know there are people like me in Australia..

I would love to go to the big screen viewings  but I am not in the position to go to Sydney at present time ( work, family ... )

Big Hugs to you all



He came into his life 
like wildfire during Indian summer;
Full of bright light
and uncontainable fierceness.
And even when Jack was gone,
Ennis still felt that warm presence
nuzzled in the depths of his heart..

Offline campfire

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Re: Region 1 DVD
« Reply #68 on: May 17, 2006, 06:23:03 PM »
Just a quick one: is the DVD worth buying? I was all set to order it from Amazon, but some of the comments in the DVD technical forum have discouraged me somewhat. Is there a way to find out what features the Region 4 version will have? I would do a web search but I'm at work so even logging into this forum is naughty enough!

Hi Photodancer,

I have ordered my dvd from Amazon ( got the full screen edition ) and am very happy with it.. Been able to watch on dvd/tv screen or PC with no problems..

He came into his life 
like wildfire during Indian summer;
Full of bright light
and uncontainable fierceness.
And even when Jack was gone,
Ennis still felt that warm presence
nuzzled in the depths of his heart..

Offline Wolf

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #69 on: May 17, 2006, 07:47:44 PM »
Brian, sending warm hugs to you m'dear.  Wish there was more I could do.  Wish I could magically conjur up a mature version of Jack or Ennis for you. 

25 years is along time to be without a life partner, but perhaps the self-reliance you've gained in that time will stand you in good stead when that special someone comes into your life.  I'm praying that he'll be there soon, for the record.  Maybe Brokeback, and/or this forum will be the catalyst! 

In the meantime, I'm thinking of you  :).  Actually was thinking of you this morning.  At my son's school assembly, a short 'sermon' was given on the symbolism of mountains.  The children were encouraged to 'be like a mountain, quiet and still'.  instantly made me think about Brokeback, particularly the 'quiet and still' flavour of the film.  Reference was made to the special relationship mountains have with God, and in child-friendly terms, we were reminded how lucky we were to live surrounded by mountains, and therefore by the most powerful physical manifestation of God.  There was even a mention of something like "a force of nature".  I realise I may be certifiable in saying this, but Chaos sometimes appears very unChaotic.   

photondancer, definitely buy the DVD if you have the right machine to play it on.  The quality is very good, and it's such a comfort to know it's there if you 'need' it.  Jack's quite right about that!  I don't have the huge kickass tv, but have been quite satisfied with watching it on a 60cm screen at close range. 

campfire, welcome!  you do realise that here, we work in reverse.  those that don't 'fall in love' with Brokeback are odd, not us.  we're healthy, fully-functioning-on-all-cylinders, sensitive, brilliant, passionate, highly intelligent individuals  ;) ;).  seriously, please feel free to discourse often on your Brokeback journey, or anything else you feel like chatting about!  As for Sydney screenings, I think the final one was last night - and wasn't actually in Sydney, but 2 hrs west in Katoomba (Blue Mtns).  Upshot, it's no longer on here  :'( .  BTW, I have a brother in Melb.  I must send him my DVD and convert him asap!

w

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #70 on: May 18, 2006, 05:39:56 AM »
Hi from Melbourne, Victoria to my fellow Australian BBM fans,

I am the  odd one in my friends who has fallen in love with Jack and Ennis , so it really is comforting to know there are people like me in Australia..

I would love to go to the big screen viewings  but I am not in the position to go to Sydney at present time ( work, family ... )

Big Hugs to you all





Welcome Campfire...I am the same as you..the total odd one out....

Enjoy the forum :)

Offline campfire

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #71 on: May 18, 2006, 06:13:01 AM »
Thanks Wolf and Lolita for 'welcome' wishes.. :)

He came into his life 
like wildfire during Indian summer;
Full of bright light
and uncontainable fierceness.
And even when Jack was gone,
Ennis still felt that warm presence
nuzzled in the depths of his heart..

Offline photondancer

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #72 on: May 19, 2006, 03:59:21 AM »
Hey Jack, nice of you to mosey on over to our little part of the world! thanks everybody for the DVD advice.

Hi campfire, as Wolf said you're the normal one! see later in my comment for people who aren't normal...Anyway, I only know of 3 friends who've seen it. One, who saw it with me, cried as much as I did but I don't think she went to see it again. She seems very accepting of the fact that I've seen it again (and again) so maybe if I'd pushed, she'd have come along. Another said she loved it but was inclined to view Jack negatively; I hope she sees it again and changes her mind. And a third, to my pain, felt it was slow. She's not incapable of appreciating a good film: we saw and wept over "Water" together. Maybe she just has not had the emotional experiences that would've made BBM resonate for her as it did for us. I sometimes feel that if ever there was a film for the broken-hearted, Brokeback is it.

I am slightly embarrassed to admit I currently watch DVDs on my laptop, a 12-inch iBook. The screen quality is quite good, it's just small. (Ok, tiny). I don't watch tv at all so haven't been able to justify the cost of a wide-screen tv set to myself (especially as I'll be out of a job soon) but I quite recognise that a 12-inch screen is ludicrously unworthy of BBM and I should be ashamed of myself for even considering subjecting it to such degradation. :-) I'll probably end up ordering the region 1 DVD as several friends think they tend to be better quality pressings than region 4, although another friend likes to buy region 2 (UK) as he reckons they have better extras - or they do on the kind of stuff he likes to order, anyway.

Anybody had a look at the IMDb messageboard for BBM? I've been slowly ploughing my way through it for several weeks and it's kind of interesting. The first 100 pages are similar to these forums: people who've come out feeling like they were hit by a train and can barely express how deeply moved and haunted by the fillm they are. But the mood starts to change and from about page 130 onwards (there's nearly 180 pages and I'm up to 154 right now) it's mostly negative. And the most common complaint, by far, is that there's no buildup in the boy's relationship and then they're suddenly having sex and it's just not believable. Ye gods! I wonder if  these are the same people who can't understand why their spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend has 'suddenly' up and left them either. I find it hard to believe there are people so incapable of perceiving, let alone interpreting, the mating dance that makes the mountain scenes so luminous. I really feel there must be something slightly wrong with them.

Anyway, it's time to change the Jake picture on my wallpaper. Since my colleagues have had it easy this week with a shot of him looking about 16, I will raise the temperature again with a dazzling closeup of those sapphire eyes (no. 6 on the Camera Loves Jake thread for the interested). Have a good weekend all!

Offline madameshawshank

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #73 on: May 19, 2006, 04:57:35 AM »
hi there all you darlings...'n Brian ..a special hug for you...

here I am in the wilds of Queensland...viisting.....feel as though I'm surronded by so many who wouldn't give the mountain the time of day....that's why I love this forum sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo and a few zillion more Os...much...only a short computer time..

'nuff to say ..love youse all...

however..come to think of it...I don't know many people personally who've been struck by bbm...what a group we are..what a group..

hugs :)
“I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth… The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us…” James Gleeson

Offline Wolf

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Re: G'day!
« Reply #74 on: May 19, 2006, 04:55:56 PM »
Just giving us a bump to the top  ;)

More hugs to Brian.  Looks like we might get some rain today, my mountains friend!

Photondancer, I loved your post.  Very well said  :).

Cheers to Mmeshawshank in sunny QLD. 

W