People laughed at the same places in our showing, JZ. Although the Alma scene you mention got as many audible groans of concern, so that made up for the laughs.

I mean, it's not that the dwarf didn't at times deserve some laughs with his dark snarky contempt for Edmund. But intrinsically comic just for his dwarfism, by full conscious intent of the director? Um, no.

Exactly. There were times I laughed with Ginnarkbrik, but I didn't feel there were times we were supposed to laughing at him.

Yeah, I didn't get the comic relief impression off of him at all. The only laugh where he was concerned that I heard that seemed out of place was when Susan shot him. Of course, I could have been distracted by the horde of 14 year old girls sitting directly behind me that were endlessly chattering throughout the entire movie and going to the bathroom en-masse every 15 minutes.

Of course, I don't have a lot of respect for the general public as audience members, anyway. The first time I went to see FoTR I had a bunch of stoned frat boys sitting next to me who said to each other "Dude, look at his feet. Look at his feet!" every time a hobbit was on screen and had numerous debates over whose turn it was to go to the concession stand.

And then there's the geniuses who mindlessly giggle at everything a local theatre group does, even though some of their stuff is deadly serious or tragic.

What the hell is wrong with people?

Speaking only for myself, as someone who was at least tempted to laugh during that first scene where Alma first sees Jack and Ennis together, I think part of the reason for the laughter was the way it was played. Even though I knew it was unappropriate for the moment, there was just something about the actress's expression, at least at first, that came across as somewhat comic. I can't pinpoint why, but I did get a flash of Dawson's creekness just then.

I'm not at all surprised by the reaction, JZ. Gay men are capable of horrific misogyny like anyone else, yeah?

I've had the experience of gay men talking about women as filthy creatures. "But, oh, not YOU, honey." Whatev.

It's sort of similar to the looks of death white women sometimes get from black women when they're dating black men. Like we're this awful witches STEALING from them.

I was talking to a friend about Brokeback, and that I expected there to be the reaction you got, JZ. He was doubtful, but some of the ugliest misogyny I've heard expressed has come from the mouths of gay men.

I'm not shocked at all, just saddened. I plan to go on a weeknight, avoid the big crowds.

I can't pinpoint why, but I did get a flash of Dawson's creekness just then.

Maybe it helps that I've only ever seen two episodes of DC in my whole life, one of which didn't feature her at all and the other of which involved her slow painful death? So the only blip she's ever made on my radar (though I didn't even consciously remember it was the same actress until reminded) was already weighted with tragedy and death. Even if I didn't quite remember why, possibly I just came in to the film primed for Sadness Response instead of 90210-Knockoff Response at the sight of her face.

Ugh, Allyson. That kind of cozy "You can understand me and laugh at the rest of your kind because you're not like them even though you're one of them" is depressing and nasty in all its flavors. Of which, unfortunately, it has way too many.

Oh yeah, there's definitely a contingent for whom the horrible In Living Color insults aren't over-the-top behavior.

I think Alma may invite some hostility later on if they filmed that kitchen scene where she's taking shots at Ennis after building her own life away from him, but when she first runs across Jack Twist she should be a completely sympathetic character who's being wronged .

The Chicago Tribune movie writers have their top-10 lists up, and one of them has Serenity at #10!

OK, so I'm letting my freak flag fly here. But Joss Whedon's sublime sci-fi mini-epic gives his groundbreaking "Firefly" television series a proper sendoff.

Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") marshals his cast of outlaws to take on an intergalactic government tinkering with human DNA. The end result is a shocking (not everyone makes it out alive), pulse-pounding space thriller that puts a brick on the gas pedal, then dares you to jump out the airlock.

Mr. Whedon, sir, may we have another?

I agree, Matt.

Alma lost ALL of my sympathy in the kitchen scene. When they were married, that's one thing -- not only was he cheating on her, but she had to live with the fact that he'd probably never loved her at all. But bringing it up again once enough time had passed for her to be pregnant by her new husband was purely petty and mean-spirited. I felt great pity for her, but no sympathy.

Matt, the scene in question was filmed, but IMO it had enough buildup to give you a deeply uncomfortable sympathy for both of them. He was tormented, lonely without the daily presence of his daughters (though still unable to respond to their please for affection and attention), and no more free than he'd been when he was married. She had cobbled together a new life, but it wasn't the one she had expected, and it was made clear in a couple of brief but vivid scenes that the marriage had been extremely miserable for her, and that the divorce had happened without any real talk between them. The reason why the marriage died was never named until that moment at the kitchen sink, and the screenwriters, Lee, and Michelle Williams all made you feel how suffocating those years of silence had been. She attacked with cruelty and venom, but there was truth behind it -- it'd just been festering and turning poisonous in all that unspoken time. The scene showed her ugliness and cruelty, but it was damn effective at making you understand where it came from.

Or, er, in light of Jessica's post, clearly YMuddledUnwillingSympathyMV.

Have I mentioned that this film totally wrecked me in every good way?