Have you been to the book store lately?
As always, whenever a movie about a book is released to theaters, that book is featured predominately at book stores. I was at a book store last week with my girlfriend so she could get a study aid for her Praxis II exam. While waiting for her to finish at the checkout counter I glanced over the featured selections at the front table. One book caught my eye, the lauded Brokeback Mountain. Much has been said about this story of two gay cowboys. I never saw the movie, so I can’t really comment on it. I will say that this is not the type of movie I would ever go see. Not because it’s about gay guys or cowboys, but because it’s nothing more than an artsy film to give middle class America something to talk about. I’ve also noticed that “critically acclaimed” movies are often boring, predictable and uninspired. I find my time is better spent watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the latest installment of Robot Chicken.
There’s one thing that struck me about the book however. It’s a short story. A very short story with large print. In an age when Hollywood can’t find anything original to do, we’ve become accustomed to books being made into movies. The one rule about a book being made into a movie is that some portions of the story have to be cut in order to make the film into a viewer friendly length. That’s not the case with Brokeback Mountain. That story is so short they probably had to invent scenes in order to get the movie up to the 134 minutes it presents.
Now if you want to entertain me with a movie about gay guys in traditional masculine roles, you better make it good. Take the gay out of Brokeback Mountain and you have nothing. If you’re relying on the gay element to carry the film, then you’re stretching. You want an idea for a good movie about a couple gay guys? How about having a couple gay astronauts in the Apollo program. You’d have a story of two men pushing the limits of human endurance, reaching for the stars and dealing with the fact that they’re different. That’s a good role model for not just gay people, but everyone. Despite being different, you can achieve great things.
On a side note, I haven’t been blogging for awhile for several reasons. First, it was my birthday and I’ve been taking it easy. Then I went The American Club in Kohler with my girlfriend. And now I’m sick. Despite all those things, I’m sure I would still blog if my girlfriend had internet access at her apartment downtown. Instead I have to take a trek to coffee shops with free wifi access. Which means I have to put clothes on and get off the couch.