Utah and Brokeback Mountain - Fact or Fiction!!
I'm sitting here perusing the Salt Lake Tribune online (the newspaper I subscribe to) and was inspired to create the following Fact or Fiction based upon the news coverage and comments and more comments relating to the Megaplex 17s cancellation of its Brokeback Mountain showing.
The movie is cancelled in Utah.
FICTION. The Megaplex 17 is one theater in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake. It premiered at the Broadway, our local independent theater in downtown SLC, on Dec. 28th. I attended a show there on opening night and it continues to play there until people stop coming to see it (at least according the the Salt Lake Film Society's most recent e-mail!). The opening weekend of Brokeback Mountain was the Broadway's biggest opening weekend ever. It is also playing in two other theaters in SLC and is opening up in other cities along the Wasatch Front this weekend.
The movie is too controversial for the Mormons in Utah.
FICTION. The movie is doing very well here. I know several people who have seen it and/or plan on seeing it - Mormon and not Mormon. As with anywhere else, our community is more diverse than we are given credit for.
The move by Larry H. Miller has made Utah look bad nationally by highlighting prejudicial behavior.
FACT (sadly). I'm sad to see that Utah is being labeled as a place of complete intolerance over this incident, especially by the actions of someone who has such a presence here (owns this theater chain, owns the Utah Jazz, owns several car dealerships in the SL valley, plus many other investments). The whole thing could have been avoided if Larry H. Miller's theater would have simply not booked the showing. If it's never booked there, it never gets yanked at the last minute and there is no news coverage as the movie will continue to open in other theaters - therefore, a moot point. To me it sounds like the Megaplex needs to hire better people to screen movie content before it books the show. And he has made no comment about pulling the movie! Crazy!
I'm hoping to find time to see this movie again, because I LOVED it!!
The movie is cancelled in Utah.
FICTION. The Megaplex 17 is one theater in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake. It premiered at the Broadway, our local independent theater in downtown SLC, on Dec. 28th. I attended a show there on opening night and it continues to play there until people stop coming to see it (at least according the the Salt Lake Film Society's most recent e-mail!). The opening weekend of Brokeback Mountain was the Broadway's biggest opening weekend ever. It is also playing in two other theaters in SLC and is opening up in other cities along the Wasatch Front this weekend.
The movie is too controversial for the Mormons in Utah.
FICTION. The movie is doing very well here. I know several people who have seen it and/or plan on seeing it - Mormon and not Mormon. As with anywhere else, our community is more diverse than we are given credit for.
The move by Larry H. Miller has made Utah look bad nationally by highlighting prejudicial behavior.
FACT (sadly). I'm sad to see that Utah is being labeled as a place of complete intolerance over this incident, especially by the actions of someone who has such a presence here (owns this theater chain, owns the Utah Jazz, owns several car dealerships in the SL valley, plus many other investments). The whole thing could have been avoided if Larry H. Miller's theater would have simply not booked the showing. If it's never booked there, it never gets yanked at the last minute and there is no news coverage as the movie will continue to open in other theaters - therefore, a moot point. To me it sounds like the Megaplex needs to hire better people to screen movie content before it books the show. And he has made no comment about pulling the movie! Crazy!
I'm hoping to find time to see this movie again, because I LOVED it!!