Brokeback Mountain (2005)
DIRECTOR: Ang Lee
CAST: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid
REVIEW:
While the comparison might not occur to everyone, Brokeback Mountain (adapted from a 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, with the movie screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry) is a spiritual cousin to such films as Witness, Bridges of Madison County, and The Remains of the Day. All four films, while depicting characters living very different lives in different times and places, are at their core about the longing between two people who are unable or unwilling to bridge the gulf that separates them. Obviously, the distinguishing factor setting Brokeback Mountain apart is that its forbidden love affair, unlike the above films, is between two men, and while the homosexual aspect will make some viewers uncomfortable, to pigeonhole it as a “gay cowboy movie”, as some have dismissively done, is a disservice and an oversimplification. The complexity of the characters’ dynamics defy such easy labels. Continue reading
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (2005)
DIRECTOR: Andrew Adamson
CAST:
William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent
voices:
Liam Neeson, Rupert Everett, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Michael Madsen
REVIEW:
It’s no secret that the massive success and critical acclaim of The Lord of the Rings and run-away Harry Potter mania have revived the fantasy genre as a viable and fertile ground in the eyes of many, and their popularity has inspired any number of films, mostly also adaptations of popular books, to aspire to their heights, but none have managed it. Many of these are inferior flash-in-the-pan wannabes like The Spiderwick Chronicles and Eragon. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, an adaptation of the first in C.S. Lewis’ beloved seven-book series, has a more respectable pedigree than that, but it’s unlikely to threaten Rings or Potter for a few reasons. Continue reading