Hey, great article, Kirby. I missed it yesterday. ** When Larry David writes this, you know 99 percent of it is how he really thinks. After all, this is the co-creator of "Seinfeld" -- who was honored by the Gay & Lesbian Association Against Defamation (GLAAD) -- for co-writing the famous (and hilarious) gay-themed "not that there's anything wrong with it" episode. The gay community loves him and there was an episode in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" this season illustrating what Larry David thinks would happen to him if the gay community saw him congratulating one of their own for turning straight -- despite its impossibility, in that a person doesn't CHOOSE to be gay, it's inherited. (Of course he's turned into a pariah in the episode, then redeemed again at the end, but by accident.)
** I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain, and it's playing on 4 out of 5 screens at a single Landmark theater located in the heart of San Diego's gay community, which is Hillcrest, north of downtown. The release is very limited, the per-screen average is high, but for success, it requires recommendations from straight friends to get straight people (esp. straight men) to see male frontal nudity, two men passionately kissing or having sex (however discreet) w/each other. Heck, I'm a big fan of early Woody Allen. He's straight, but it's no fun watching him kiss ANY woman. So I'm not wild watching two men kissing, an unrequited gay romance -- maybe for the same reason some gay people aren't interested watching an unrequited romance w/two straight people slobbering all over each other. ** But it's a moot point. I HAVE to see it. I'm 100% sure Brokeback is going to score a nomination on Jan. 31 for Best Picture. I can't break my track record of seeing every film since 1964 that's ever been nominated for Best Picture or Best Director -- BEFORE awards night. It won't make $100 mil. And don't expect a slew of gay-themed pictures marketed to mainstream America after this. The ads in big city papers are painful, they go out of their way to note high praise received from midwestern critics. That's not gonna work. The film's true success depends on people getting past their "preferences" and "prejudices" -- to see a film they don't wanna spend $10-to-10.75 to see. Even in NYC, there's resistance. ** Some films addressing gay, transgender, transsexual issues as dominant themes -- may garner critical praise (Boys Don't Cry, Monster), but are never commercial outside big cities. But if you're a film nut, a high caliber director like Ang Lee demands your attention. So in truth, if Brokeback had been directed by an "unknown," I would've ignored it. I can't now. -koose! ----Original Message Follows---- From: Kirby McDaniel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Kirby McDaniel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Cowboys are my Weakness Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 15:12:10 -0600
From Jan 1, NY TIMES.
Kirby McDaniel www.movieart.net Cowboys Are My Weakness By LARRY DAVID SOMEBODY had to write this, and it might as well be me. I haven't seen "Brokeback Mountain," nor do I have any intention of seeing it. In fact, cowboys would have to lasso me, drag me into the theater and tie me to the seat, and even then I would make every effort to close my eyes and cover my ears. And I love gay people. Hey, I've got gay acquaintances. Good acquaintances, who know they can call me anytime if they had my phone number. I'm for gay marriage, gay divorce, gay this and gay that. I just don't want to watch two straight men, alone on the prairie, fall in love and kiss and hug and hold hands and whatnot. That's all. Is that so terrible? Does that mean I'm homophobic? And if I am, well, then that's too bad. Because you can call me any name you want, but I'm still not going to that movie. To my surprise, I have some straight friends who've not only seen the movie but liked it. "One of the best love stories ever," one gushed. Another went on, "Oh, my God, you completely forget that it's two men. You in particular will love it." "Why me?" "You just will, trust me." But I don't trust him. If two cowboys, male icons who are 100 percent all-man, can succumb, what chance to do I have, half- to a quarter of a man, depending on whom I'm with at the time? I'm a very susceptible person, easily influenced, a natural-born follower with no sales-resistance. When I walk into a store, clerks wrestle one another trying to get to me first. My wife won't let me watch infomercials because of all the junk I've ordered that's now piled up in the garage. My medicine cabinet is filled with vitamins and bald cures. So who's to say I won't become enamored with the whole gay business? Let's face it, there is some appeal there. I know I've always gotten along great with men. I never once paced in my room rehearsing what to say before asking a guy if he wanted to go to the movies. And I generally don't pay for men, which of course is their most appealing attribute. And gay guys always seem like they're having a great time. At the Christmas party I went to, they were the only ones who sang. Boy that looked like fun. I would love to sing, but this weighty, self- conscious heterosexuality I'm saddled with won't permit it. I just know if I saw that movie, the voice inside my head that delights in torturing me would have a field day. "You like those cowboys, don't you? They're kind of cute. Go ahead, admit it, they're cute. You can't fool me, gay man. Go ahead, stop fighting it. You're gay! You're gay!" Not that there's anything wrong with it. Larry David appears in the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.