Posts

Day 30 - 10 Things I Hate About You

First Impressions: "10 Things I Hate About You", released in 1999, on the cusp of the new millennium, has a Hughs-ian feel.  The plot is timeless, based on Shakespeare's " Taming of the Shrew".   The writing is clever, possessing a self-awareness characteristic of millennial films. The camera loves Heath Ledger.  I don't know why but I noticed that a lot of the shots seem to linger on Heath.  It could also be his charm and nothing to do with camera angles.  The shots of Joseph Gordon Levitt and Joey Donner are ordinary mediums or close ups, but Heath Ledger seems to have the camera following his every move.  Could it be the gaze of not one, but TWO female screenwriters? Personal Reflections: " Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want." One thing I didn't notice in previous viewings was that in the first scene where she's in her English class, the teacher sends her to the office not because she was b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 29 - Say Anything

First Impressions: I find as I get to the top of the list, I have less to say, so I'll just "Say Anything".  See?  See how bad that is? "Say Anything" is an iconic movie from 1989 with a grand gesture scene has been parodied to death and yet is still as powerful as ever.  Personally I would be very moved to be serenaded by a boom box playing Peter Gabriel in the year 2017.  To even track down a working boom box shows the perfect combination of committed and cute. Personal Reflections: "She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." Lloyd Dobler.  He's not a guy, he's a man.  The women in his life ensure that is the case.  He is proof that perfect boyfriend material does not require a high-paying job as a lawyer or more likely plans to pursue some fashion of print media.  Lloyd Dobler is just a decent guy who, like Andie, is going to live his truth and follow his moral compass where ever it takes him.  He...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 28 - Bridget Jones's Diary

First Impressions: "Bridget Jones's Diary" is a 200 level course with a prerequisite in Rom-Com 102 which is Jane Austen's contributions to the genre.  Drawing from " Pride and Prejudice" and starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth, "Bridget Jones's Diary" just works. And not solely because it ends with a song by Van Morrison. Bridget works at 'Pemberley Press" and Colin Firth's character is Mark Darcy.  A surge of triumph for all the Jane Austen fans out there. "Bridget Jones's Diary" shows that sticking to an upbeat soundtrack full of motown classics is the way to go.  Pay heed, "Crazy, Stupid, Love". Personal Reflections: "I like you very much — just as you are" Like "Love Actually" Hugh Grant enjoys relationships with subordinates.  According to some psychologists, women prefer 'alpha males', men in positions of power or control who possess what are...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 27 - Pretty In Pink

First Impressions: I don't know how many times I've seen "Pretty in Pink"; it's definitely been fewer than the number of times I've seen "The Breakfast Club" which is in the double-digits. "13 Going On 30" (first on the list) pairs with "Pretty in Pink" in a way I could not have predicted.  "Pretty in Pink" is not a course unto itself like "The Notebook" but is part of a required 200 level course called Intro to Teen Rom-Coms.  "Pretty in Pink" was supposed to end with Duckie and Andie together but was re-written to reflect the preferences of the test audience.  "13 Going On 30" is the original ending to "Pretty in Pink".  Written in 1986, is it the vast head-start in becoming a classic that has "Pretty in Pink" with multiple votes, or is there something to the test audience wisdom that has it near the top of the list? Personal Reflections: "If somebody does...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 26 - Crazy, Stupid, Love

First Impressions: "Crazy, Stupid, Love" is a well-written multi-story rom-com featuring actors we've seen on the list: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" follows the interconnected formula of "He's Just Not That Into You" and "Love Actually", tackling generational love arcs.  "Crazy, Stupid, Love" is a critical success and has its moments, but as an iconic movie in the top five?  No.  There is one scene that sets this movie apart from the chaff and that is Ryan Gosling's big move.  If not for the "Dirty Dancing" scene, I can't see this movie breaking the top five. When I finished the movie I felt like there should have been some Van Morrison.  I feel like the writers missed a big opportunity not ending the movie with ' Crazy Love' by Van Morrison.  Personal Reflections: "I have loved her even when I hated her... only married couples'll under...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 25 - 50 First Dates

First Impression: "50 First Dates" is a touchstone rom-com because it draws from the genesis of rom-com, "The Notebook".  The videos are basically Noah's notebook as is Lucy's personal journal.  The writers took a fraction of "The Notebook" and created an entirely new movie with as much concentrate as the source.  If Rom-Com 101 were a class, the syllabus would be all about "The Notebook".  "The Notebook" is Chaucer and "50 First Dates" is Shakespeare. As we crack the final five rom-coms of the list, we are in the midsts of movies with multiple votes.  As far as I'm concerned, these are the criterion choices, the ones that speak to us forever with infinite re-watch value.  I am surprised by the Rotten Tomatoes critical review of "50 First Dates" versus the audience score, 44% to 65%.  Audiences watch with their heart and get it where critics seem to see only the deflective 'gross-out humour' ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 24 - What Women Want

First Impressions: Released in 2000, "What Women Want" pre-dates "Mad Men" by 7 years, yet the initial resemblances exist between Nick and Don Draper.  Both are New York ad-men who grew up around the commodification of women: Don Draper in a 'whore house' and Nick in Vegas showgirl back-rooms.  The result is that both are unable to empathize with women although their jobs demand they understand women to sell them products.  I think Don Draper said it better: "What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons."  Personal Reflections: "No games.  Just sports." "What Women Want" is a look at a self-professed bachelor (and misogynist) who through magical intervention is able to hear the thoughts of women.  The transformation turns him into a woman in some ways, sympathetic to them, proffering advice as to how best to deal with the men in his co-workers' lives. Of course, he also uses his ability to read th...
Post a Comment
Read more