(This is going to be a post-mortem in reverse.)
The day started with a trip to go see Brokeback Mountain. I wasn't expecting to go see it, but the fact that it had just opened up in Milwaukee at the Oriental Theatre was too good to pass up. Pardon me as I wax nostalgic, but the Oriental holds a special place for me. Apart from the fact that it is the most gorgeous cinema I have ever been to, it also is one of the two places where independent films show in Milwaukee. It is also where I saw Trick, the first gay film that I ever saw in public. So seeing Brokeback Mountain at the Oriental was something that I felt I had to do, as I'm a big believer in signs. So much so that I violated my rule to see films in their first week of release. (Brokeback Mountain only opened in Milwaukee yesterday!)
Much has already been said about the film, and I don't feel that I can add anything worthwhile. All I can say is that it is extremely moving, and that is not a phrase I use lightly. Anne Hathaway manages to make you completely forget of her Princess Diaries past and in the same vein, Michelle Williams really comes into her own as an actress as Alma del Mar. That said, it really is Heath Ledger's film. Although you may strain to understand what he says, his face and emotional reactions speak volumes. Gyllenhaal does a superb job as Jack Twist ("Jack NASTY!" as Alma puts it), and honestly, both him, Ledger, Ang Lee, and Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana deserve all the awards they have received and have forthcoming.
The audience at the 1 PM showing that I went to was a true surprise. Now granted, I have the worst gaydar on god's green Earth, but it seemed to me that the audience was mostly middle-aged to elderly women, a few college gays and their fag hags, some cineastes, with middle-aged gay men sprinkled throughout. As I exited the theatre, I overheard several women talk about how Ennis reminded them of their father or grandfather who was from Wyoming or other rural parts of the US. Basically, go see it if you can. It really does not feel like 3 hours after the first 15 minutes. (I don't know if I'm in a more emotional state these days than normal, but I teared at the end, and I don't tear. Ever,)
Afterwards, I had planned to go out drinking in Bayview along National Avenue, which is the hub of Gay Milwaukee. Of course, first I had to actually find National Avenue which proved to be easier said than done. It's rather embarrassing, but given that I grew up outside Milwaukee, I really cannot drive myself around it without help from a map. Eventually, I found Triangle, which I think is a rarity in Milwaukee--a bar open before 5 PM. Triangle, I like. It may not have any videos (the music was proved by Sirius's Big '80s channel), but the atmosphere was very laidback and friendly. I could've done without a man with a home contracting business slurring in my ears trying to pick me up, but nowhere is perfect.
The real destination of the evening, however, was Fluid for one singular reason: I wanted another t-shirt! The one I had purchased several years ago had gotten too small (or I had gotten too big) and I wanted a replacement. So after having a drink at Triangle, it was off to Fluid...since it was after 5.
I was planning on actually heading home after getting the t-shirt, but as I was going up S. 2nd, I noticed Boom, which I remembered was a pretty nice bar with (drumroll, please) videos! I couldn't pass it up and had another two MGDs there (Why is MGD so hard to find outside of Milwaukee?!) , since it was still happy hour.
Isn't it evil that $2.50 beer is flowing in a place where you basically have to drive yourself home? My kingdom for the four counties to come up with some sort of non-bus reliant transit system!
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