Jack, I swear...
December 16, 2005: I talked Angie into driving to Raleigh with me to see this movie on opening night. It was showing at the Rialto theater, which has since become my favorite theater in the state. There is only one screen, a reasonably priced concession stand, and beer and wine available at a small bar. The inside is beautiful with old-fashioned sloping theater seating, instead of that stadium seating that has become the norm, and a UFO shaped light in the center of the ceiling. Everything has an art deco feel and genuinely adds to the feel of a night at the movies. Considering the content of the film, the sold out audience was about 80 percent homosexual men. The reason I include this detail is that watching a movie with the appropriate audience can seriously add to the experience as it did on this night.
Before the movie, the theater owner politely told the audience that this was a "quiet" movie and to respect their fellow movie goers with their silence. And boy is this movie beautiful. Ang Lee uses film as his paintbrush as he captures every shot with the eye of a true autuer. This cinematography coupled with the simple story of forbidden love played out beautifully by the late great Heath Ledger and Jack Gyllenhaal, made for my favorite movie of 2005. The highlight of the film is when the characters reunite after a couple of years and without hesitation embrace with a heated, passionate kiss. The audience at the Rialto erupted in applause, and the thought of this moment still gives me goosebumps.
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