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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Jack, I swear...': 20 years of ‘Brokeback Mountain'
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up To me, being shocked by a gay Western was akin to being shocked by a Black version of 'The Wiz.' Because westerns have always been homoerotic as hell. Take Advertisement How about 'Johnny Guitar,' with Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge? Even Doris Day's Calamity Jane sent signals on a gay audience's wavelength. Lest we forget Robin Williams' Advertisement But I digress. Heath Ledger, left, and Jake Gyllenhaal, in a scene from "Brokeback Mountain." Kimberly French/Focus Features Despite its boffo box office numbers ($178 million worldwide), this film really brought out the homophobia in people. Accusation of homophobia were also leveled at the Academy Awards a few months later when, to the shock and awe of critics and Oscar night pundits everywhere, 'Brokeback Mountain' lost the best picture award to 'Crash.' Even Jack Nicholson, who It was widely considered that 'Brokeback Mountain' had best picture in the bag. It had been critically acclaimed. Audiences fell hard for the bittersweet love story between the stoic Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and the more comfortable in his skin Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal). Set in 1963 and covering 20 years of clandestine meetups, the movie focused on the fears and joys of these two men, and the repercussions being on the down low can have on the women they marry. Michelle Williams showed her talents early with her Oscar-nominated performance as Ennis' wife, Alma, who discovers what her husband and Jack are up to in a scene that elicited gasps from my audience. Actress Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain." HO/AFP/Getty Images Ledger and Gyllenhaal also received deserved Oscar nods, as did Rodrigo Prieto's gorgeous Alberta landscape cinematography. The plaintive score by Gustavo Santaolalla, Ang Lee's direction, and the screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana won Oscars. McMurtry was a perfect choice for this adaptation, as the 'Lonesome Dove' author was an expert at writing lonely and lost men. Advertisement I'm not so sure that voter homophobia was the exact reason 'Brokeback' lost best picture—the same group gave Philip Seymour Hoffman best actor that year for his portrayal of gay author Truman Capote in 'Capote.' I'm inclined to think that the first officially out Western was no match for the white liberal back-patting racial harmony nonsense of 'Crash.' I mean, Paul Haggis's movie featured a racism-curing staircase, for Pete's sake! How could the same Academy that awarded the hideous 'Driving Miss Daisy' before 'Crash,' and the borderline offensive ' No matter the reasons it lost, 'Brokeback Mountain' didn't deserve to be bested by 'Crash.' Had I a ballot, I would have voted for 'Munich' or 'Good Night and Good Luck' for best picture, but I certainly wasn't going to argue with my film critic brethren who thought Lee's movie got robbed. I was actually more irritated by Philip Seymour Hoffman's win over Heath Ledger. Hoffman did a fine imitation of Capote, and the Academy loves imitations, but Ledger found the darkest corner in Ennis Del Mar's soul and took up residence in it. Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain." Kimberly French/Focus Features The power of Ledger's performance had precedent; you can see the genesis in his small but pivotal role in 'Monster's Ball,' a movie just as ridiculous about race as 'Crash.' In just a few minutes of screen time, Ledger burns a hole in the screen as the confused son of Billy Bob Thornton's racist corrections officer. Prior to this, Ledger was best known for lighter fare like 'A Knight's Tale' and '10 Things I Hate About You.' Advertisement The role of Ennis Del Mar and how Ledger played him recalled Marlon Brando's daring turn in 1967's 'Reflections in a Golden Eye.' I still can't believe that this cinematic slice of intense gay longing sprinkled with Southern-fried camp was directed by macho man John Huston. Brando played Army Sgt. Pendleton, a married man who falls in lust with Robert Forster. Forster entices him while riding butt naked on a horse, which he does for about 75 percent of his screen time. Brando plays Pendleton like a tightened coil of confusion, unable to put into words the desires that are driving him mad. Much like Ennis, who can only refer to his love of Jack as 'this thing we got goin' on here,' Pendleton is a man of few words driven by a similar fear of being discovered. And like Ledger's performance, this is one of Brando's best. Jake Gyllenhaal, left, and Heath Ledger in a scene from "Brokeback Mountain." Kimberly French/Focus Features When the 'Crash' Oscars debacle happened, I'd just started my career as a professional film critic. I'd also been officially out as bisexual for about 2 years. So, I felt incredibly guilty for not loving 'Brokeback Mountain' like many of my gay friends and fellow critics did. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I felt I should have lifted up the movie more than I did. But I'm an honest critic, so I gave the movie only three out of four stars. It's a bit too polished and austere, and a tad fearful of scaring off straight people. Despite its technical proficiency, the chemistry between the two leads, and Ledger's amazing acting, the movie ultimately harkened back to the old studio system days, where if you were gay, you had to either die horribly or suffer for your 'depraved' sins. That irritated the hell out of me. The last scene destroys everyone I know, yet I couldn't surrender to it. Advertisement I thought about that the other day when I revisited the movie. 'Brokeback Mountain' still holds up, and people are far less surprised by its content nowadays. It seems quaint by comparison with gay-themed films like Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Emma Stone is kidnapped by Jesse Plemons in trailer for ‘Bugonia,' their latest film with Yorgos Lanthimos
By the looks of the first trailer for 'Bugonia,' Emma Stone's latest collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos will be just as brilliantly bizarre as its predecessors. 'Bugonia,' an English-language remake of the South Korean sci-fi comedy 'Save the Green Planet!,' follows two conspiracy theorists who believe Stone's high-powered chief executive character is an alien planning to destroy planet Earth — so they kidnap her. Stone and Lanthimos have previously worked together on 'The Favourite' (2018), 'Poor Things' (2023) and 'Kinds of Kindness' (2024). 'Bugonia' marks their third consecutive film in three years. The trailer — released Thursday by Focus Features — opens with a voiceover, a metaphor and a shot of a beehive. 'The workers gather pollen for the queen,' Jesse Plemons, who worked with Lanthimos and Stone in 'Kinds of Kindness,' says as the trailer cuts to Stone's swaggering CEO. After a quippy kidnapping montage with Plemons and Aidan Delbis' characters set to Green Day's 'Basket Case,' Stone is shown lying unconscious in a bed. Jarring chords alternate with action-packed footage of fist fights and police chases, all framed in Lanthimos' quintessential style. 'How can you tell she's an alien?' Delbis asks. Plemons replies, 'Well, the signs are obvious.' The conspiracy theory — and the truth about the CEO's extraterrestrial status — remain anything but obvious in this initial teaser; fans will have to wait for the film's release. 'Bugonia' is set for a limited run on Oct. 24 before expanding wide Oct. 31. Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone round out the cast.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Trailer out now: Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia features Emma Stone's abduction by conspiracy theorist
Focus Features has unveiled the first trailer for Bugonia, the latest collaboration between director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone. The film, a remake of the South Korean sci-fi comedy Save the Green Planet, follows a pair of conspiracy-obsessed friends who kidnap a powerful CEO, believing she is an alien bent on destroying Earth. Stone plays the abducted CEO, with Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone also starring. Bugonia brings together Lanthimos and Stone for their fourth collaboration, following successful films like Poor Things, The Favourite, and Kinds of Kindness. The project is produced by Stone and Lanthimos through their respective companies, Fruit Tree and Pith Shingles. Alongside them are producers Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe of Element Pictures, Ari Aster and Lars Knusden from Square Peg, and Miky Lee and Jerry Kyoungboum Ko of CJ ENM. The film is based on a script by Will Tracy and boasts a talented behind-the-scenes team, including editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, cinematographer Robbie Ryan, production designer James Price, and composer Jerskin Fendrix. The sound mixing is handled by Johnnie Burn, with Jennifer Venditti serving as the film's casting director. Focus Features Chairman Peter Kujawski expressed excitement about working with Lanthimos, describing him as a "cinematic visionary" and highlighting the unique blend of talent involved. Miky Lee, from CJ ENM, also expressed enthusiasm for the project, noting the fusion of Lanthimos' style with the story's novel narrative. Bugonia will have a limited engagement release in select theaters on October 24, 2025, before expanding to a wider audience on October 31.
UPI
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Jesse Plemons kidnaps Emma Stone in 'Bugonia' trailer
1 of 5 | Emma Stone poses during the "Eddington" photocall at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17. She stars in the upcoming film "Bugonia." File Photo by Rocco Spaziani/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos will reunite once again for the Greek filmmaker's upcoming movie Bugonia. Focus Features released a trailer for the October film on Thursday that shows Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis kidnapping Emma Stone. "Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth," an official synopsis reads. The trailer shows Plemons covering the window with tin foil, and Stone appearing to pass out while holding a clump of her own hair. The upcoming feature is Stone's third with Lanthimos. She previously starred in his 2018 film The Favourite and his 2023 movie Poor Things. Bugonia also stars Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone. Lanthimos directs from a script penned by Will Tracy.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emma Stone Teams with 'Poor Things' Director for Fourth Time in Wild and Unpredictable 'Bugonia 'Trailer
Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in the first trailer for Focus Features' Bugonia, which marks Stone's fourth collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos The film also stars Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone Bugonia is in limited theaters Oct. 24, and opens wide Oct. 31Emma Stone is in for another wild Yorgos Lanthimos ride in the first preview of Bugonia. On Thursday, June 26, Focus Features released a teaser trailer for the upcoming Lanthimos-directed comedy written by Will Tracy, and starring Stone, 36, plus Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone. Bugonia marks the fourth collaboration between Stone and Lanthimos, 51, who previously worked together on The Favourite (2018), Poor Things (2023) and Kinds of Kindness (2024) "Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth," reads a synopsis for the film. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. The trailer begins with Plemons' character Teddy Gatz in a beekeepers' uniform, surrounded by the insects as he says in a voiceover, "It all starts with something magnificent: a flower, then a honey bee. The workers gather pollen for the queen." It's clear Teddy is speaking in metaphors, as the footage soon cuts to Stone's power-suit-clad CEO character Michelle Fuller strutting importantly through an office building. "But the bees, they're dying," Teddy continues. "And that's the way they planned it: to make us the same as the bees." "But it is not in control anymore. We are," he adds, before Green Day's "Basket Case" begins playing over a montage of conspiracy-laced madness between Teddy and his plan partner (Delbis). "How can you tell she's an alien?" the latter asks, to which Teddy replies, "Well, the signs are obvious." is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Bugonia is co-produced by Stone and Lanthimos, as well as Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, Miky Lee and Jerry Kyoungboum Ko. The film comes of the heels of Stone's latest movie Eddington, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May ahead of a July 18 theatrical release. Stone previously won her second Best Actress Academy Award for her head-turning role in Lanthimos' Poor Things. (Her first was for La La Land, in 2017.) Bugonia is in limited theaters Oct. 24, and opens wide Oct. 31. Read the original article on People
