Why Must I Be a Gay Cowboy in Love?

Seattlest has seen a lotta great movies this year, but there's a special place in our heart for the one about the 'mos. No, not that one. The one overtly concerning a love that dare not speak its name. That's right, after enduring perpetual dubbing as a "gay cowboy movie," Brokeback Mountain begins its Seattle run tomorrow at two Capitol Hill cinemas, the Egyptian and the Harvard Exit. Way to know your audience, Landmark.

Having seen the film last week, we found it to be more than worthy of the critical accolades and award nominations it's been garnering. Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is beautiful---the Alberta landscape is downright majestic---and the leading men ain't bad to look at neither. Jake Gyllenhaal, with his big doe eyes and juicy lips, makes a nice bottom, while Heath Ledger, all squint and mumble, is his cowpoke. Out of the two, Ledger's been the one to get overwhelming praise for his performance; at this point, it seems as if an Oscar nomination is all but a lock. With good reason: His embodiment of Ennis Del Mar is a quietly powerful tour de force.

There are some ladies in the movie too, but they don't matter *that* much. Despite being based on a short story written by a woman, this is an uber-manly movie---made by a man, with men, about a relationship between men. Director Ang Lee has spent his entire career tackling the issue of an individual's role in society, and the tension between what is expected and what is longed for, what is desired and what is denied. Here, he explores these themes again, delicately yet on a grand scale. For an epic love story, Brokeback Mountain is surprisingly subtle, with an emotional core that'll get you good.

But personally, we liked the part with the kissing.