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This topic comprises 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Author
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Topic: Brokeback Mountain Pulled From Local Theatre
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Jason Black
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1723
From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 01-13-2006 08:58 PM
I didn't bother reading all the posts prior.. but, in a nutshell, based on what I've seen PERSONALLY over the last many years is that CONTROVERSY sells tickets. Good, bad, indifferent, it puts asses in seats and THAT my friends, is the bottom line, no pun intended.
So what if this guy wants to pull a film? Have none of you never had a film pulled last minute, say, OPENING DAY? I damn sure have. And guess what.. The local level Management is damn near ALWAYS the one who gets the blame. Again, right, wrong, or indifferent,it's the reality of the situation.
Trust me, anyone who wants to see this movie WILL go see it regardless if they have to drive to the next town or wait until it gets a little closer to them. You think Foucs Films doesn't know this? They aren't stupid.. Hype sells tickets.. Like I said earlier.
End of story.
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Eric Hooper
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 532
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: May 2003
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posted 04-21-2006 12:45 PM
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3733667?source=rss
Miller at the U.: Second thoughts about 'Brokeback'?
Emotional meeting: The Utah magnate acknowledges the issue is more complex than it seemed
By Jennifer W. Sanchez
The Salt Lake Tribune
Larry Miller may be having a change of heart about yanking "Brokeback Mountain" from his Sandy movie theater complex.
On Thursday, Miller met with about 30 University of Utah students, faculty and administrators - some who opposed him speaking on campus today for a U. community event because he pulled the gay romance film in January.
After the two-hour discussion, where some people shared their personal stories about being gay, Miller said there were some issues he was going "home [to] think about.''
"Now, I understand how something I said inadvertently made them feel demeaned as individuals," Miller said after the meeting closed to the public and news media. "Maybe their well-being trumps my beliefs, my rights to express myself."
Still, some folks said they are going through with the "silent protest" today during Miller's speech in the student union ballroom. Organizers are calling the protest a "celebration of free speech," where they will sit holding banners and listen to Miller. His speech about the "rewards of investing in higher education" kicks off the university's first campuswide open house, Discover U. Days, this weekend.
People said Thursday's meeting was respectful, warm and honest, and they were pleased with Miller's willingness to reach out to the gay community and discuss his decision to pull the movie.
During the meeting, folks talked about coming out to their families about being gay and the heartbreak of not being accepted. Others talked about the fear of being physically harmed while walking in public with their partner, said Kathryn Stockton, the U.'s gender studies program director.
"I felt like he cared about what we had to say," said Charles Milne, coordinator of the university's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Campus Resource Center. "I wouldn't say we changed his mind, but I think he did come away with ideas he had to process."
By pulling the movie from the Jordan Commons movie complex, Miller said he thought he was demonstrating a "social statement," but he didn't think about the consequences, perpetuating gay stereotypes or "the toes I had stepped on."
"In 2006, it's wrong that they have to live in that fear," he said about the stories he heard during the meeting.
Kt Farley, a U. student and employee, started an online petition in March asking the university to rescind its invitation to Miller and issue a formal apology.
Supporters had said Miller did not represent the ideals of open dialogue and respecting different viewpoints.
About 1,600 people signed the petition that Farley called a success. She said she just wanted to make sure the university takes the gay community into consideration when making decisions. "We're a contributing part of the campus community," she said.
jsanchez@sltrib.com
[ 04-21-2006, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]
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Eric Hooper
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 532
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: May 2003
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posted 02-08-2007 03:26 PM
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5182227?source=rss
Miller says he now thinks 'Brokeback' ban was wrong
By Lya Wodraska
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/08/2007 01:05:49 AM MST
Jazz owner Larry H. Miller has changed his views of the gay and lesbian community enough to acknowledge he was wrong to ban the movie "Brokeback Mountain" from his theaters.
Have his feelings evolved enough to accept an openly gay player on his basketball team? He doesn't know.
Wednesday, when word spread that former Jazz player John Amaechi is releasing a book in which he reveals he is gay, Miller said he probably would allow "Brokeback Mountain" to be shown if the movie was released now, calling his ban a bad decision.
"Not because I got beaten up over it, but because it was a knee-jerk reaction," he said. "You have to choose your spots to draw your lines and I didn't choose a very good one."
Miller's ban of the blockbuster movie made national news and made him the center of a national debate. He said he has developed a more open view after meeting with members of the gay and lesbian community at the University of Utah in April.
"It was good for me in a couple of ways," he said. "I learned a lot about them with some open and honest dialogue. It didn't change my way of thinking or theirs, but we all realized after talking with each other we have a better understanding of each other.
"I'm still outspoken on issues, but I know I have to look at people's feelings and lives. I'd like to say I'm more understanding now. To say I'm tolerant would be less accurate, but I am more understanding."
Miller's softened views were welcomed by some in the gay community.
"Unless you didn't have a heart, I don't know how you can go through that experience and not have a change of heart," said Valerie Larabee, executive director of the Utah Pride Center. "We all know Larry Miller has a huge heart. Just look at what he has done for this state and his philanthropy. He is showing some growth."
Kim Hall, acting director of the University of Utah's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, said she hopes Miller's new open-mindedness will make him a "bellwether for LDS culture."
Miller, Hall said, "was willing to participate in the educational conversation, and you have to respect him for that."
The meeting changed minds on the other side of the issue, too. Bonnie Owens, co-president of the University of Utah Lesbian and Gay Student Union, was one of several gay students who met with Miller in April to discuss his views. She says everyone expected a tense conversation, but Miller defused it by listening attentively to students' stories about feeling ostracized because of their sexuality.
"He was so much more receptive than we thought he'd be," Owens said. "He really did want to find out why people were upset about that."
Owens hopes other prominent Utah leaders will follow Miller's example: "If he can come out and say, 'I was wrong to discriminate against a group of people,' then who knows who's next? Maybe Orrin Hatch?"
Miller admitted he was unsure how he'd handle the situation if a current Jazz player came out as gay.
"I have to think from the standpoint that everyone has the same rights as anybody else has, I believe that," he said. "Here, in this market, we do have a responsibility to uphold certain standards, although I know these guys aren't angels. I'd have to consider it and think about it some more. I don't know if I can answer that right now."
---
* Tribune reporter CHRISTY KARRAS contributed to this story
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