Jack, I swear...

Brokeback Mountain

I think that Brokeback Mountain is sometimes forgotten when people try to think of great movies made in the last decade. It's hard to imagine why, because this film has so many fantastic elements: the acting, the music, the photography to name a few. There is so much right with this movie, it's a shame people don't remember it.

So much of what makes Brokeback Mountain great are the performances. Both Ledger as Ennis and Gyllenhaal as Jack give fully realized, heart wrenching performances, but for entirely different reasons. Ledger is filled with self hatred and denial, but he can't help the way he feels for Jack. It's painful to be with Jack, but it's painful to be away from him. There is never any doubt in a viewer's mind how much Ennis loves Jack and how much it kills him. Ledger emanates love, homophobia, and fear simultaneously throughout much of the film. He is controlled and understated, but all feelings read so clearly across his face, by either an eye flinch or tightened jaw. When Ennis loses Jack, one's heart aches. Watching Ennis smell and clutch Jack's shirt, as if he's imagining Jack in it, hugging him back, brings a lump to my throat just thinking about it. To turn the lump into tears, we have the final scene of the film where Ennis looks at Jack's shirt and a picture of Brokeback in his closet, which I saw as his heart. He longingly looks at both and apologizes to Jack, for all their lost time and the things he never said. He then closes his heart and keeps Jack locked away in there. His performance truly should be remembered as one of the best this decade.

Gyllenhaal's performance is equally heartbreaking. Jack does not have the self-loathing Ennis has. He knows who he is and knows who he loves, and it kills him that he has to hide it. Unfortunately Gyllenhaal's performance was overshadowed by Ledger's but Gyllenhaal is not to be forgotten. When Jack is rejected by Ennis following Ennis' divorce, Jack's cracks begin to surface. They will never be together, all they will have are short, stolen moments in the woods. Gyllenhaal is the soul to Ledger's heart in the film.

Michelle Williams is amazing as Ennis' wife. She perfectly captures the feelings of a woman who feels scorned and rejected by her husband and does not understand the "lifestyle" choices he's made. I believe Anne Hathaway is completely under appreciated in this film. Though she doesn't have too much screen time, she makes her few moments count, especially in her final scene. On the phone with Ennis, she goes through her rehearsed script of how Jack died. We simultaneously see her heartbreak at losing her husband and her anger at him for his secret life shine through her eyes. These four actors are the foundation of this wonderful film.

Brokeback Mountain is beautifully photographed. The sweeping shots of the mountains of Wyoming are not to be missed. The blues are so blue, the greens so green. This open, beautiful, never ending country serves as the perfect contradictory back drop to a world of suppression, fear, and loss. This endless and sweeping landscape seems like it would be a great place to nurture and let love grow. Emphasizing the heartache that can exist is Gustavo Santoalalla's beautiful score.

Brokeback Mountain has spawned one of the most famous movie quotes of the decade, "I wish I knew how to quit you." Make fun of it all you want, but in the context of the film, the line is so overwhelming and powerful. The two of them are so deeply in love, but they can't be together. Ennis can suppress his love and push Jack away, but that won't change how they feel. Jack is in love with him, no matter how many other people he's been with, no matter how many times Ennis has rejected him, Jack can't quit. It's really quite a moving and powerful line.

This movie should not have lost to "Crash" for Best Picture. Each year I lose more and more faith in the Oscars.

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

I guess this is a Heath-centric entry. Both Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight are two of Ledger's most memorable performances and they couldn't be more different. As the Joker, Ledger disappears into the role. There is no trace of any of Ledger's previous performances. His voice, physicality, and line delivery all read insane. Without a care or hesitation, he'll kill someone. He is psychotic, menacing and creates the perfect nemesis for Batman. In my more recent viewings of The Dark Knight the way the Joker fought Batman struck me. It reinforces his insanity and evil. In many action movies, the fights are very clean. They look choreographed and well rehearsed. When the Joker attacks Batman in their final fight, the Joker flails around, arms waving, kicking, squirming, throwing his whole body into it. Nothing about it is clean. Ledger looks like a crazy person just released from a cage. Ledger deserved every accolade he got, it's a shame he wasn't around to enjoy it.

Netflix

Rudo y Cursi-Kept coming about this recent Mexican film during my assistantship.
Jaws-Haven't seen the whole movie. It's time.
Let the Right One In-Netflix Instant. This movie is so powerful and beautifully photographed, I must see it again.