The events of last week...

...made me go back re-read JEB's Brokeback Mountain review. It's so well-written, so thoughtful. A great review of an even greater movie.

I watched this film for the third time this past Sunday. My friend's mom had never seen it, and now seemed like the appropriate time. If you haven't seen this movie, I so highly recommend that you do. I have yet to see I'm Not There or, obviously, the latest Batman installment that will hit theatres this summer. I would be shocked if either of these performances will hold a candle to the subtle and compelling acting done by Heath Ledger in Brokeback.

Ang Lee's direction is not to be dismissed, but the Ennis Del Mar character is the heart of the movie. The broken, devastated heart. He speaks very little, instead communicating with his hollow eyes and sideways grins. So engrossing is this character, I forgot to remember I was watching the film as my own private memorial for a late, great actor.

The media has inundated us with all the foggy details surrounding his death. It's sad to see such things exploited. But watch the movie, and you might understand why, in the inconsequential world of Hollywood, losing such a talent is truly a great loss. It is sad to think of how many great performances he still had in him.

Sadder still that he was a father of a two year old.