The Ice Storm

Ang Lee, USA, 1997
3.5 out of 4 stars

It’s not as if it’s not clear what was happening, but I wasn’t entirely certain what it all meant when the film was done. Nevertheless, it made a very strong, positive impression on me. It sounds dumb, but the “ice storm” was more literal than I expected, and this led to some very beautiful shots. In fact, the imagery in this film does indeed, as at least one critic remarked, make Ang Lee’s work on Brokeback Mountain look lazy. Much of what happens in this film (although eventful, there isn’t a “plot” per se) is unnerving but also rather mundane, but for the most part, James Schamus’ screenplay avoids the obvious and expected. The only exception seems to be the ending, which as I hinted, baffled me a bit; I wasn’t opposed to it per se, but it did seem like I was missing something. In conclusion, this is a good film that went over my head.

Source: Fox DVD
29 April, 9:08 PM

Brokeback Mountain

Ang Lee, USA, 2005
3 out of 4 stars

First off, I really don't see what the big deal is about watching two men have sex, make out, and what not. I felt some trepidation about seeing it only because it was socially generated. But I saw a far more graphic gay sex scene last year in Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together so really I knew it would not be a big deal. It would actually be an interesting experience to watch that movie not knowing that they're going to get it on.

If anything bugged me about that movie, it would be how they portrayed the main female character, the way the ending kinda dragged, and finally, that it's not as good as is being said by so many. Also, it shouldn’t be forgotten that there have been "gay films" before. The fact is that this is a blockbuster gay film, which is a cultural landmark for reasons that aren't exclusively tied up with the artistic or entertainment value of the film in and of itself. I'm glad it's doing well, but I also doubt that any red state woman is going to vote in favor of gay marriage (if it comes up on the ballot) after seeing it.

Source: Universal 35mm print
22 January, 1:20 PM