Brokeback Mountain - 4/10
I think I must have missed something. Was I supposed to have any sympathy with these two guys? Was the selfish and loathsome way in which they treated their wives, children and families supposed to be justified because they were frustrated at only seeing each other 2 or 3 times a year? I was hoping that any preconceptions were going to be challenged, that I would be swept away in a love story that had no bearing on the fact it was two men. All I could see were 2 guys who appeared to suddenly turn gay because they were cold and drunk. Well, I've been cold and drunk before and I've not felt the need to involve myself in some extreme Greco-Roman wrestling.
I couldn't make out pretty much one word that Heath Ledger mumbled. Michelle Williams and the stunning locations were superb, as were Anne Hathaways brief charms
Ang Lee has already covered this ground before in The Ice Storm and with better results. I'm afraid I was underwhelmed.
Duel - 7/10
You can tell it was made for TV but it's pretty good.
Saleman overtakes truck, truck tries to kill salesman in personal vandetta that leads to 70 mins of tense cat and mouse situations with no real motive. It's basically a pre-cursor to Jaws, with the Shark being replaced by a truck. Dennis Weaver is superb, his descent into panic, despair and paranoia is sublime. It's one of Spielberg's least smaltzy movies and well worthpicking up if going cheap.
If anyone has seen Jeepers Creepers and thought the first 20 mins were the best (before turning into silly monster shite ) then check it out. The opening of this film is a complete rip off of Duel.