Re: OT: What movies have you seen recently?


jjjjjuliep wrote:
> shinypenny wrote:
> > ahmward wrote:
> >
> > > Read the story by Annie Proulx. Larry McMurtrey did a great job with
> > > it. This is real literature not a screenplay made up for Hollywood.
> >
> > I don't have to read the story to guess that the reason Hollywood opted
> > it because it is standard plot formula. And one with a particular twist
> > that would raise controversy and drive up ticket sales.
>
> If you haven't read the story then how on Earth can you begin to make
> assertions like the story is "standard plot formula"?

Because it was - whether as a short story, a novel, or a Hollywood
blockbuster.


> The truth of the matter is that Proulx wasn't even sure the story would
> be published. And this was less than 10 years ago. So for you to
> imply that it's some kind of hackneyed rubbish--"standard plot
> formula"--is pretty off-base, IMO.

I did not imply it was hackneyed rubbish - that is *your* spin on my
words.

I said it left me unsatisfied and wishing it had been more complex. I
didn't even say it was a bad movie.

> There was risk in publishing the
> story and risk in making the film.

The reason I went to see the movie is because I read all the reviews.
They led me to believe that the whole reason it was so great was that
it was a love story that transcends one's sexual orientation. And now
you're telling me that it isn't great because of that, it's great
because it was so risque a topic?


> In your opinion. Anyway, you haven't read "Brokeback Mountain," so how
> are you so sure it's not "rich in details, characterization, and
> complex themes"?

Because before I posted, I read David's post that said it was true to
the short story, so I figured that was a safe assumption.

> If you are familiar with her work, you would see the
> humor in your assertion. Also, Proulx has said this short story took
> her twice as long as a novel to write because of the effort she put
> into making the story "real".
>
> > Perhaps if it had been developed into a novel instead of just a short
> > story there would have been more room to develop the other characters
> > and additional themes.
>
> Just as a haiku is not some embroyonic, inferior stage of an epic, a
> short story is not inferior to a novel.

I never said it wasn't; I only said that the the story was such that it
deserved a whole novel to unravel in.

> I don't care whether you like the short story or the movie. But to
> pass these kind of sweeping comments about literature, to compare a
> short story to _Anna Karenina_,

Seeing as I was an English major, with a concentration in literature as
well as fiction writing (including the short story, novella, and yes
film writing too), I do tend to get carried away and start analyzing
things. It can certainly get annoying even to myself - there are plenty
of movies and stories I'd probably enjoy a lot more if I wasn't trained
to overanalyze them from a literary perspective.

> and then to suggest that this short
> story would have appeased you more if it had been a novel because a
> movie didn't answer questions you had--questions that everything to do
> with your faulty expectations and nothing to do with the intent of the
> author, and to do so over a story you have not even bothered to
> read...well, the mind boggles.

I don't understand why this bothers you so much. Can't someone have a
different opinion than you? Sheesh. I didn't say it was crap. I didn't
say it was rubbish. I didn't say I hated it. I said it was good but not
great, because it left me unsatisfied and wanting *more.* And then I
went on to analyze why it left me wanting me more. And I said that to
me it would've been better if we saw more of the other characters.
Goodness knows we had over 2 hours to develop those other characters!

And who knows, maybe if I did read the short story, I would love it.
What works in a short story doesn't necessarily translate to a movie.
Like a novel, you have much more room in a movie to spread out.


> I don't care if people like or hate the movie. But to dismiss its
> source material as woefully inadequate without having read it--what
> kind of credibility can you possibly establish with that kind of m.o.?

I didn't dismiss the source material - I WAS CRITIQUING THE FILM. ...

> p.s. I haven't seen the film

WHICH *YOU* HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN!!!

> and probably won't for a while (there's a
> lot of sorrow on the fringes of my life now as dear friends deal with
> serious illnesses or losses of their parents, people I've known as long
> as these long-time friends, and I have declared that at the moment I
> can only tolerate escapist entertainment), so I have no dog in this
> fight.

Then I will give you a temporary pass on being such a b*tch.

Speaking of dogs, do you also kick your dog too when you're feeling
down?

jen

.

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