Frequent Flyer Program: How many times have you gone to Brokeback?

[No more beans!]

The theaters release their next week schedules today and BBM is still in the theater where I've recently seen it for yet another week. I really thought tomorrow would be the end so I did a dance of joy knowing I still have a few more chances to see Ennis and Jack a few more times on the big screen just as the DVD comes out. I won't have withdrawl symptoms!!!!!

Thank you to whoever decided to keep it at the Regal (with 4 shows a day still) for another week!

I thought from this post that you must live near us, but then I came across another one where you indicated "Regal in Oaks, PA".

Our Regal is in Winter Park (Orlando), FL, and they're the only theater left around here as well. Coincidentally, they too just extended BBM for yet another week, and with four shows per day!

[pwday]

9 1/2.   

This one was a trainwreck.  I left work a little early, as I have done a few times now, so I could catch the 3:15 matinee, which doesn't really start until almost 3:30.  I've learned this so I can wait until the last minute to leave work, and so I don't have to watch those same previews again.  Anyway, this time I got there and there were only four other people in the theater.  Two groups of two.  This was the smallest audience I have been in for Brokeback.   

Apparently, because there were so few people there, or for whatever reason, both groups of two decided that it was okay to chat.   The entire time.  Through quiet guitar and scenery moments.  Through ALL moments.  I asked them nicely to be quiet.  That had no effect.  I moved further away.  That didn't help.  I shushed them.  That didn't do a thing.  I moved again.  Still, both groups were chatting away. 

I couldn't get into the movie because I was so distracted, and it felt almost sacriligeous to me.   These are the very people that will leave the theater and say 'well that was okay but I don't see what the fuss was about.'   That's because they weren't paying attentiion.

But I digress.  So, I sat there stewing when I should have been off in Wyoming and Texas, wiping the tears from my eyes.   Scenes that always get me went by and I didn't feel a thing, except anger at the chatterboxes.    Then, just after Jack blew up at his father-in-law at Thanksgiving, which these people found hilariously funny for some reason,  I had had it.   I stood up, and, in my outdoor announcement voice, said "I give up.  You folks enjoy the show," and left.   Who knows, they probably laughed at me.

This is WAY out of character for me, but this is not just any movie, as everyone here knows.  I was more upset than I might have been otherwise.  I then spoke with the theater manager, (I was shaking because I was so nervous... I don't get angry like this often).   She was very nice, promptly refunded my money, and said that she'd go in and say somethinng to the rude talkers.    I hope she did.

This was one bitch of an unsatisfactory situation. 

So, to provide some closure to the experience, I came directly home and brought my story here to like minded people who I knew would understand.    You folks get it 

I am so lucky to have found this website. Thank you for listening.   I feel much better now.   

[paintedshoes]

Honey, I know exactly what you mean.  I had a popcorn chewer at my ear the last time and I wanted to scream!  I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for you.  No wonder you left.  It has become almost a holy ritual for me to engage in this film.  I almost can't even say "watch" because it is such an interactive experience.  I know that saying "holy" may offend some people, which I don't mean to do.  And I'm not going around the bend to the "Church of Ennis and Jack" as I saw on another thread.  But I find that i will almost prefer to see it at home on the DVD, since NO ONE can interrupt or interfere with "MY TIME" with the boys.

I hope you have another opportunity to see it on the big screen, and if so, that you have a better audience with whom to share it.  Hugs.


modified:  Sorry, no more beans, just saw that you call it "going to church".  No offense meant."

[pwday]

thanks, paintedshoes.  I knew you'd get it!

I did get some good news today... the manager told me that it will be there until at least March 30.    So, I will get to see it on the big screen again, thankfully.  I'll just take a couple of days and then head back.   Hopefully next time there will be a better audience.  It's funny, I just posted the other day about what a great audience I was with last time, and it was the same 3:15 matinee.

I modified mine also because of the church reference. Whoops.

[aintnoreins]

pwday: So sorry to hear that! It still amazes me how people can have such disregard....

Saw it for the 5th time today - swore I was quitting after 4 (the emotional recovery time after each viewing was not boding well for my massive amounts of grad school work), but then it started showing at the little second run theatre down the street, and it was just calling me...

The past few times, my heart has actually started pounding in anticipation of certain scenes. And I still, still notice new things and grin at previously noticed ones (and try to keep from giggling as my mind fills in "captions" I remember from the photo captioning thread here...).

I thought it was going to be a pretty empty theatre, but it wasn't - I had people directly in front of me and behind me, and then a girl sat down right next to me. I kind of inched away and wanted to warn her that the waterworks would start about an hour in, but she ended up crying when I was, so it was okay 

But the women behind me! They were the clucking chicken types! They weren't bad at first until Ennis got married. They voiced a lot of sympathy for Alma, and then started tsk-ing at Jack & Ennis at the motel. When Jack and Ennis met up each time subsequently, they'd cluck "oh, again," and comment on the scenery. By the end, they were thoroughly confused: did Lureen know? Did Jack's parents know? Was Jack planning to bring the Mexican up to live with him at his folks? *facepalm* At the end, despite all of this, I was sobbing as usual, and they were kind of just like, "That's it? Oh. Hmph." and left. ergh!! Guess they were better than the teenybopper girls I had a few months ago... they just giggled the entire time.

Sorry, just needed to get that out of my system, and like pwday said, I knew you all would understand...

[BayCityJohn]

Looks like tomorrow is the last show here in Northern Michigan. I will be going for the 26th time. I didn't make it the last 3 nights like I thought I would. But it is still playing for at least another week in Ann Arbor, about a 2 hour drive so I might have to check it out down there too. It would be interesting to see if the audience is more than 10 people down there. It's a big college town (U of M).

I don't really feel like I will be missing anything if I don't see it on a big screen for awhile. I have every frame memorized. And I am lucky to have a 60" TV at home to watch my DVD when it arrives.

If anybody else in my area wants to go tomorrow please PM me and let's do it.

[BocaGarrett]

Saw it 14 times in the theater.  Would've been 15 but I saw it advertised in a particular theater one time and when I got there I was informed that the theater was closed and had been for some time!?!?!  Anyway, it's not playing anywhere near me anymore so I will probably have to wait until April 4th to see it again on the DVD.

Is it April 4th yet?

[bibra]

I saw the movie twice at the cinema, then my sister bought a DVD back from Thailand, at the end of January.  She gave me the DVD in mid February and I have watch it almost every day since.  It is the best movie I have ever seen in over 50 years of watching movies and I would prefer to watch it again that some other crap on the box. 

[pwday]

Ten.   
I feel much better now.

aintnoreins:  your story was funny... sounds like the same people were at your show that were at mine yesterday.  I didn't want to hear what they were saying, but did I hear "well at least she got custody" after the divorce, and a few other comments. 

[aintnoreins]

Ten.   
I feel much better now.

aintnoreins:  your story was funny... sounds like the same people were at your show that were at mine yesterday.  I didn't want to hear what they were saying, but did I hear "well at least she got custody" after the divorce, and a few other comments. 

Seriously? sheesh!

I have one more I'd forgotten about until this morning, and then I'm done, I swear! 
When Ennis finds the shirts (which of course is usually when most of the theater is silent or sobbing), the women behind me were conferring back and forth because they were confused about why Jack's parents would keep the bloody clothes from his "accident." (!!!!)
That was the point where I nearly turned around and began one of the Greatest BBM Lectures of All Time, but fortunately, one of the women in the group explained quietly that no, these were the old shirts, etc., and then they had to talk that one over for a while. 

Can't wait for the DVD... my reactions get more (i don't know why not less) intense with each viewing, and I think an audience of one will suit me better from here on out...

[pwday]

That was the point where I nearly turned around and began one of the Greatest BBM Lectures of All Time

It's probably best that you didn't do it,  but the thought of it is pretty damn funny. 

[BocaGarrett]

At one of my showings I sat near two older women who really DID NOT get the movie at all.  After the stuff on Brokeback Mountain when they were showing the stuff in the 4 years Jack and Ennis are separated before they are reunited together, one of them actually commented "I guess they're not queer anymore."  I couldn't believe I was hearing this spoken aloud in a movie theater!

They made other disdainful comments about BBM all the way through it, at one point one of them even said, "this is really a rather stupid picture."  I was half sure they were going to walk out before the end of it, they really didn't seem to like it at all.  Their comments were starting to annoy me, I almost said something at one point.

I guess not everybody who goes to see BBM, GETS BBM.

Sad really.

[pwday]

I just found where there is a separate thread ('natch)  for audience reaction.  It's in The Impact section.   I suppose we should be making these observations over there....

[Jack Nasty]

Just found out Brokeback didn't leave my theater this week!  I may go for a hike up Brokeback tomorrow!  (that would be #13) There are some other movies that I might like to see but they can wait. Big screen Brokeback time is running out!

[Poohbunn]

I just found out that a movie theater just a mile away from where I wa going will pick up Brokeback this weekend. I thought I had already seen it in the theaters for the last time. Now I have at least once more week!  Hee Ha.  Numbers 10 and 11 on the way!
-- Pooh