Tempting Office Truancy

I often find that I'm dissappointed by overly-hyped movies because they don't meet my heightened expectations, yet the ones that I personally anticipate for whatever reason, I generally enjoy. I think this is because I A) tend to avoid reviews and testimony because I don't want it to taint my enthusiasm, and B) probably twist my perception after the fact to justify my expectations, thereby resolving any cognitive dissonance.

Which leads me to the following two films opening tomorrow that I've been eagerly anticipating since I first heard they were in the works ages ago:

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe - I have loved The Chronicles of Narnia ever since I discovered them in 3rd grade, even with the generous sprinkling of Christian mythology. As an adult, I've come to recognize that as a vital part of Lewis's fictional world which helps place the fantastic within a framework of familiarity. So I'm hoping the movie captures the wonder of this magical wardrobe world without beating us about the head (Aslan is Jesus!). Anyway, hooray! Finally a live-action/CGI movie of this without people in ridiculous animal suits!

In stark contrast, the other one features three of my favorite things: Wyoming, Jake Gyllenhaal, and gay cowboys. What more could you ask for? Brokeback Mountain has been billed as a love story above anything (hoping to avoid the mainstream stigma of gay cinema), and if it's anything like Annie Proulx's original short story of the same name, then prepare to have your heart wrenched, no matter who you are -- although we'll just see how it's received in the fly-over states. Also, the screenplay was co-written by Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove is still on my ten favorite books list), and directed by Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), so there you go.

The only bummer is that I can't see either of these flicks until the middle of next week at the earliest. So don't tell me if they suck.