A movie theater owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller abruptly changed its screening plans and decided not to show the film “Brokeback Mountain.” The film, an R-rated Western gay romance story, was supposed to open Friday at the Megaplex at Jordan Commons in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Instead it was pulled from the schedule.
Don't like it, not at all...while I am tired of Hollywood pushing its twisted morals down our throats, I would rather see these movies fail on their own as opposed to being pulled from screens. It allows the liberals to claim censorship, and adds another martyr to the Hollywood black-tie "A" list. Some inside-Utah details at Hollywood Blogslap:
As locals know, Jordan Commons is owned by Larry Miller, a car-dealership tycoon who also owns the Utah Jazz. A devoted Mormon, hehas also financed production of some LDS-themed films such as "The Work and the Glory" and "States of Grace."
Well, "Brokeback Mountain" was scheduled to open at Jordan Commons this past Friday. It was already playing to record-setting crowds [here we go - ed.] at the Broadway Centre in downtown Salt Lake City (Sandy is a suburb 20 minutes south), and was set to open in two other area theaters on Friday, too.
On Thursday, Miller was being interviewed by KCPW-FM reporter Jonathan Brown, who brought up the imminent showing of "Brokeback Mountain." I haven't heard the interview, which aired on the NPR affiliate Friday, but I gather from Miller's quoted response that Brown was expressing surprise that Jordan Commons, which has occasionally shied away fromcontroversial movies, was showing it.
Miller said, "It's something that I have to let the market speak to some degree.... I don't think I'm qualified to be the community censor."
But here's the thing: Turns out Miller didn't actually know what "Brokeback Mountain" was about until Brown told him.
Two hours after the interview was conducted, Jordan Commons told the local papers to pull "Brokeback Mountain" from its Friday ads, becausethey weren't going to show it after all.
Now, if Jordan Commons doesn't want to show "Brokeback Mountain,"that's fine. Theaters are entitled to show or not show whatever films they want, and they're not beholden to anyone to explain or justify their actions. Whatever your reasons --political, social, moral, financial -- if you own the theater, you can drop a film.
Of course, you should probably do the dropping sometime BEFORE it's too late, not after. In Miller's case, it was too late to change the ads in Friday's paper, and patrons showed up at Jordan Commons on Friday expecting to see the movie.
Bad idea all around. Now the liberal media will be able to claim "overflow/sellout" crowds at the few theatres that are showing "Brokeback" (like the "overflow" anti-war crowds, usually numbering in the hundreds, that show up at tiny venues); and if it does draw (my) expected less-than-steller box office, impuned-upon movie types will claim "suppression!", thus adding the hallowed glow of sainthood to this liberal fantasy flick.
Just let it play, let the market decide, let every American who wants to see gay cowboys the freedom to do so, and pray for a return to movies reflecting the cultural choices of the majority of Americans, not just those of the Left Coast. Or is that the only kind of multiculturalism that Hollywood doesn't believe in?
Link to Hollywood Blogslap here: http://unreelmedia.net/serendipity/archives/42-Brokeback-canceled-at-Utah-theater;-shrieking-harridans-applaud-the-move.html
1 comment:
harridans?
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