Hit and miss

Nothing says Oscar like a sweeping epic grounded in tragic romance, but just because you build it doesn't mean the awards will come (just ask the filmmakers behind Snow Falling On Cedars or Cold Mountain). Two movies opening in limited release today perfectly illustrate both the perils and rewards of the Serious Movie.

The good one is Brokeback Mountain, which may turn out to be the best movie of the year. Christened long ago by the media as "the gay cowboy movie" (which reminds me of Cartman's South Park joke about how all indie movies involve "gay cowboys eating pudding"), Brokeback is a movie that defies such simplemindedness simply by being excellent. Yes Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal play gay cowboys, and yes, there's a lot more to it. Their love story isn't earth-shatteringly new, but thanks to the contributions of everyone involved it feels like it is. There's more humanity here than in anything else I've seen onscreen in 2005.

Romantic movies are rarely this deeply felt or passionately rendered and there's hardly a single aspect of Brokeback Mountain that isn't a resounding success. From the performances (Ledger has been an Oscar favorite for months now and I sincerely hope he will win, while Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams are also deserving of nominations and the entire ensemble, including Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid, Linda Cardellini and Kate Mara, is excellent) to the technical contributions (especially cinematography, editing, score) to the fantastic adapted screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (from Annie Proulx's well regarded short story) to the man in charge of it all: Ang Lee, a world-class director working in peak form. The movie spans decades but never loses its focus or its power. This one will be around for a long, long time.

I could continue gushing but I think you get the point. And I know I'll return to the topic in my top ten list for the year. In the meantime, if you've seen the movie and want to read more I suggest Kenneth Turan, Owen Gleiberman and especially J. Hoberman, who doesn't flat-out rave the movie (it is The Village Voice) but makes a lot of fantastic points.

While Brokeback is well on its way to a Best Picture Oscar nomination (and, who knows, maybe even a win), on the flip side is Memoirs of a Geisha. What appeared to be a lavish epic poised for Oscar glory is in reality just another disappointing adaptation of a bestselling book.

So many directors had been rumored to take on this project (from Steven Speilberg to Kimberly Peirce to-!-Spike Jonze) that it's easy to say the disappointment begins with the final selection of Rob Marshall, who makes this his follow-up to the unfortunate Oscar winner Chicago. (At least we can be grateful that Brett Ratner didn't get the gig.) After two movies Marshall has more than proven he can mount a lovely production, now he needs to pay closer attention to illuminating the emotional content of his scripts. The novel is supposedly rich in detail but, outside of the dazzling costume and production design, the movie feels utterly empty.

The acting isn't bad. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon co-stars Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh have been reunited here and it definitely feels so good. But both women are so captivating it makes the pain of the film's lack of depth even worse. They deserved more. That goes quadruple for the celebrated Gong Li, who manages a few moments of true grace in a role that is otherwise so hateful it defies logic. Youki Kudoh (the only Japanese actress in a central role) is the only actress who gets to play a range of behavior, and does it well. There are some guys in the movie too, but they're not very important.

In fact, the film's fatal flaw is its entirely unconvincing romance. The genesis of it is laughable and there's little chemistry between Zhang and default male lead Ken Watanabe. Although, to be fair, they are given so little screen time together that it's difficult to even develop it. (It also may not have helped that of all the key players Watanabe, the movie's lone Oscar nominee, is the one whose English I had the most trouble understanding. Actually the only one.)

Some movies, like Brokeback, make every second count. Geisha meanders and ultimately says nothing.