Brokeback Mountain: It's Time to Boycott Hollywood

[Ortho]

kaymart:

Explain the remark please, If you read my post I said "They use that figure (how many seats they filled) to show how “popular” the movie is. In other words if people know its about the “gays” don’t even go see it to check it out unless this is the type of movie you wish to see more of. Personally I don’t care if it shows them in a “good light” or a “negative one” I have no desire to watch two men in love, and I hope and pray that none of my children go to see this.

Explain it? Sure. You said, “If this film and others like it had a ‘poor showing’ maybe they would re-think the type of movies they make.”

Since you introduced the notion of a “poor showing” I asked if you predict a poor showing if the film wins the Oscar.

 

[Ortho]

miguel:

Of course the Hollywood ideologues will delude themselves and try to equate propaganda success with an Oscar win. But the real measure of that is seats filled. And that’ll be disappointing…due to the offensive subject matter. How many heterosexual males are chomping at the bit to go see this? They’ve turned off half the potential audience right there. I can’t imagine too many heterosexual females filling those seats either. And then there are those who’ll skip it for moral reasons…those pesky Christians who take their faith seriously…you know, those folks who came out in droves for The Passion. They’ll be staying home. It’s all very predictable, unless you’re a Hollywood ideologue.

If it wins the Oscar, the propaganda will have been a success.

OK. If it’s very predictable, what do you predict for Brokeback’s total revenue by the end of summer. Currently it is $36 million on a production cost of $14 million and an unknown marketing cost.

 

[miguel]

Ortho:

If it wins the Oscar, the propaganda will have been a success.

…for a day or two among the Hollywood types. But they weren’t the target. At least you concede it’s propaganda.

Ortho:

OK. If it’s very predictable, what do you predict for Brokeback’s total revenue by the end of summer. Currently it is $36 million on a production cost of $14 million and an unknown marketing cost.

More than $36 million but much less than The Passion. How’s that for a safe prediction.

 

[kaymart]

Ortho:

Explain it? Sure. You said, “If this film and others like it had a ‘poor showing’ maybe they would re-think the type of movies they make.”

Since you introduced the notion of a “poor showing” I asked if you predict a poor showing if the film wins the Oscar.

If it was to “bomb at the boxoffice” then I doubt it would win an Oscar. Unfortunately “Gay is In” so knowing Hollywood it will probably win lots of Oscars

 

[Al_Masetti]

Weren’t there some expensively produced, highly acclaimed movies that totally flopped at the box office?

The movie “Reds” comes to mind. I have no idea how much it cost. But it touted an early Communist supporter. And it had almost as many attendees as “Ishtar” (which in the dim recesses of my mind was named after some pagan god or something).

 

[MikeinSD]

Perhaps Brokeback Mountain is just a good movie that will win some Oscars. And maybe some folks don’t like the movie. Happens to alot of acclaimed movies.

 

[nan]

“I don’t have to stick a fork in my eye to know that I’m not going to enjoy the experience.” Priceless! Just the way I feel about this movie. Now I’m waiting breathlessly for Ortho to post his review…

 

[rlg94086]

I think that’s accurate. I read the review posted by someone else ( decentfilms.com/sections/reviews/2645 ) and the reviewer gave it 3-1/2 stars out of 4 for “entertainment value” and an ‘F’ (-4 on the -4 to +4 scale) for morality. These movies often get an Oscars, and they get an added boost because they take an immoral view on life. For example, Oscar-winning American Beauty was an excellent film based on cinematography, screenwriting, acting, etc., but I’m sure it also received an ‘F’ for morality.

MikeinSD:

Perhaps Brokeback Mountain is just a good movie that will win some Oscars. And maybe some folks don’t like the movie. Happens to alot of acclaimed movies.

 

[Lilyofthevalley]

Anyone else find it ironic that the main characters were guarding sheep, and the title of the movie includes “broke” and “back” in it?

 

[Ortho]

miguel:

…for a day or two among the Hollywood types. But they weren’t the target. At least you concede it’s propaganda.
More than $36 million but much less than The Passion. How’s that for a safe prediction.

Of course the studio is pumping out propoganda to win an scar. Tahts’ how they play the game.

Good guess, but a bit light on precision.

Brokeback revenue is now $44 million. It is closing on Narnia in terms of revenue/production cost.

 

[Ortho]

Al Masetti:

Weren’t there some expensively produced, highly acclaimed movies that totally flopped at the box office?

The movie “Reds” comes to mind. I have no idea how much it cost. But it touted an early Communist supporter. And it had almost as many attendees as “Ishtar” (which in the dim recesses of my mind was named after some pagan god or something).

Same star, too.

 

[Ortho]

“I don’t have to stick a fork in my eye to know that I’m not going to enjoy the experience.” Priceless! Just the way I feel about this movie. Now I’m waiting breathlessly for Ortho to post his review…

I’m trying. I’ll get there. Just a little more time and I will enliven your artistic sensibilities.

 

[Edwin1961]

A movie trailer entices and rises the desire to see a particular film.

Taking a quote from Genesis one could conclude the following:

“The audience saw that the movie trailer was good for viewing, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So the audience went to the film and watched it; and they told others about the film and they saw it.”

Sounds familiar huh?

*"The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. " * Genesis 3:6

IMO, as responsible Catholics and Christians we need to be vigilant about what is pleasing to the eyes and the senses.

I mentioned this once before in another thread:
You can put a dress on a pig, and it’s STILL a pig. Hollywood can dress up Brokeback Mountian all they want, but it still promotes a “disordered” lifestyle. (Disordered lifestyle as described in the CCC).

The USCCB’s review of Brokeback Mountain

 

[kaymart]

Well put Edwin:thumbsup: Perfect. As I stated before even the people who just go to “check it out” for themselves and leave there unhappy with the film, already plopped down 8-12 dollars to add to the gross income this film is making. When you do this you help movies like this become “Box Office Hits”

 

[miguel]

Ortho:

Brokeback revenue is now $44 million. It is closing on Narnia in terms of revenue/production cost.

…still way behind on total revenue and unlikely to catch up. And Narnia is a good movie to compare it with since they came out at the same time.

 

[Libero]

Boycotting this is completely stupid.

There are like a maximum of one thousand people here who would say they would do it anyway. How many of those regularly go to the cinema, or would even see a film like this?

It’s your own fault if you do not like Hollywood productions, when you refuse to accept the difference between fact and fiction.

 

[bones_IV]

Libero:

Boycotting this is completely stupid.

There are like a maximum of one thousand people here who would say they would do it anyway. How many of those regularly go to the cinema, or would even see a film like this?

It’s your own fault if you do not like Hollywood productions, when you refuse to accept the difference between fact and fiction.

Libero, I’m confused here. You say “it’s your own fault if you do not like Hollywood productions”. It’s my fault that I hate the movie Brokeback Mountain? Another question, is why is boycotting so dumb? I don’t believe it to be so. The more people boycott, the more viewers hollywood looses.

 

[miguel]

Libero:

Boycotting this is completely stupid.

There are like a maximum of one thousand people here who would say they would do it anyway. How many of those regularly go to the cinema, or would even see a film like this?

It’s your own fault if you do not like Hollywood productions, when you refuse to accept the difference between fact and fiction.

Boycotting is stupid if you want to see more movies like this made. It is not stupid if you want to see less movies like this made.

 

[Libero]

Libero, I’m confused here. You say “it’s your own fault if you do not like Hollywood productions”. It’s my fault that I hate the movie Brokeback Mountain? Another question, is why is boycotting so dumb? I don’t believe it to be so. The more people boycott, the more viewers hollywood looses.

Boycotting this is silly, it is fictional, boycott something for a proper reason, and when you think it will really make an effect. Do you think that the fact that 70 angry Catholics are refusing to go to a hollywood film is really going to scare the film industry?

And if you are going to boycott something, take it seriously. Do not rent or buy DVD’s, do not watch films on televsions, do not buy papers or magazines that relate to films, do not watch film award ceremonies etc.

Boycotting is not stupid, but in this moment I feel it is wrong. There are about 30 people saying they shall boycott Hollywood, this action will acheive nothing. If you are going to try and propose a boycott, don’t do it here where you know a load of the people will simply agree with you, do it somewhere else, where more and more people will stop and think.

 

[Edwin1961]

We know movies are FICTION, (even some documentaries are fiction too), but when the Fiction is about subjects that the majority of the public distastes, then it’s just a bad product. Then it shows in the box offfice reciepts.

Then explain this, why in 2005 was the box office take the lowest in 20 years. Answer: Bad movies, bad product. I think it’s the Bottom Line.