Same Time Next Year Meets Sheep-herding

Rating: 5/10 (21 March 2006)

Bless the academy for ignoring the political hype and rewarding the superior film - Crash. Brokeback is just a gay version of Same Time Next Year except that movie grew the relationship and the people changed and actually had conversations. It was a richer version of the story that I frankly liked better. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner was considered courageous and ground-breaking but who remembers it today or puts it on a list of great movies. Brokeback's first 45 minutes are a bore of sheep herding and eating beans and nice scenery. This is a movie where a life long love is unjustified by anything we see or hear on screen. What holds these men together besides lust? Who knows? It is a shame there was no way to make Angels in America a theatrical release because there is a far better written film with a real wow factor. It is not hard to believe that Brokeback came from a short story because there is very little story, very few great scenes (although the great ones are great) and a lot of padding. A good movie - yes. An Oscar winner - NO! Of course criticizing this film is not permitted amongst those who seem to believe that a liberal challenge to conservative bigotry should should win Oscars instead of writing and acting. Now that the movie has lost the Oscar it may be remembered at least for that.