Yeah, but the John Waters movie wasn't pushed as a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster (whatever happened to Divine's Oscar nomination?). And as for the stage musical, that's hardly mainstream these days.

I've been lying here watching HGTV, and they've been showing the trailer for BBM at almost every break now. Did you know that if you don't watch the movie you won't be part of a historical, groundbreaking moment, and risk never seeing Heath Ledger's "revolutionary" performance? If I were a gambling woman I'd wager real money the film ends up part of the standard social studies curriculum in high schools across the nation.

I should say, the musical mentioned in this comment.

On the other hand, having filmed all that stuff didn't relegate Waters to the, um, backwaters forever; by now he's considered No Weirder Than Woody Allen.

I think the thing that is keeping the pedophilia and bestiality films, etc, at bay is simply the fact they are illegal acts and the lack of consensuality is readily apparent within those acts. Homosexuality was also illegal for a long time but not because of the lack of consensual behavior but rather because of imposed religiously inspired moral constraints. The consensual nature of homosexual behavior within the construct of "adulthood" sets it apart from the pedophilic acts since the latter has in most cases has a lopsided power construct with the older individual taking advantage of the underdeveloped psyche and confusion of youth for their own personally greedy purposes. As for the bestial acts ... hell I don't even want to understand what drives that.

I must agree with Andrea that in any event the BBM film is being overhyped ... you can see the same thing at any gay cowboy bar on a Saturday night ... does it need to go to the silver screen?

At least some people are going to read this and think:

"They have gay cowboy bars?"

Yep...they sure do ... AND believe it or not there is a Gay Rodeo Association ... with local and nationwide chapters.

Life is sure interesting.

One thing that kinda got me about the movie was also the fact it's kinda marketed like they ARE "real" cowboys when in reality they are sheep herders .... man does that open itself up for some cliche's .... LOL

Well, I don't think any movie "needs" to be made, so whether or not anything needs to be on screen isn't really relevant. The problem I am having is that I think is that this story is really rather too slight for the blockbuster movie treatment, which is why the bombastic ad campaign just looks embarrassing. The ad campaign for, say, the Lord of the Rings movies were just as bombastic, maybe, but at least the material warranted the Sturm und Drang, if not the hype.

The trailer for this didn't strike me as being particularly bombastic, but then I saw it many months ago. What with Oscar® buzz and all, they may well have decided to go for a harder sell; it wouldn't be the first time Hollywood changed an ad campaign in mid-release.

Oh, you haven't seen the new trailers. Believe me, the bombast is up to eleven. I didn't make up words like "ground-breaking," "historical," and "revolutionary." The critics quoted licked the film so hard they've left visible drool marks. Gay is the new African-American.

Focus Features' Web site, at least, is still showing the original theatrical trailer, but they've hyped up the text surrounding it.

PunditGuy notes:

The film's distributor, Focus Features, knows where they make their money. They make it from "joe public", the every day types who like to head out to the theatre on weekends. Focus understands that while a certain segment of the viewing public is pro-gay, a larger majority isn't, and they won't go to see Brokeback Mountain because it helps homosexual advocacy groups. The larger majority will see the movie if it is entertaining and well made.

And if it can be sold to them as a Sweeping Hollywood Epic.

Have nothing to say pro/con the BBM: I usually avoid the high of the hype and see the object of speculations months after, if it still holds. 90% of the time it isn't, so my movie consumption is streaming to 0.

As to Ron's puzzlement with motivation behind bestiality: what if it's LOVE?

Faggots!

Well, it hasn't opened here yet, and won't until Friday.

Yep...they sure do ... AND believe it or not there is a Gay Rodeo Association ... with local and nationwide chapters.

And there used to be a "Great Gay Rodeo" not 50 miles from where I live.

And at the risk of breaking backs -- er, I mean hearts -- I'll add that the rodeo is named for the town in which it was located: Gay, Georgia. Now its major civic event is the twice-yearly Cotton-Pickin' Fair. Can't imagine why they stopped hosting the rodeo.