30 Days of Rom Coms

First Impressions: Sir Kevin Smith at his finest, quilts another piece of the View Askew universe to "Clerks" and "Mallrats".  "Chasing Amy" is another '90s rom-com set in New York, but feels more authentic somehow than "As Good As It Gets" which feels like a set piece. Smoking in restaurants. Smoking in general. Pay phones. Shopping for CDs.  I miss the '90s (except for the smoking in restaurants). Kevin Smith is known for his dialogue, so no surprise it's snappy and captivating.  The joke is that Kevin Smith sets the camera for a medium shot and films.  I think it works. Personal Reflections: " No, it's unfortunate that you're in love with me. It's unfair that you felt the fucking need to unburden your soul about it." "Chasing Amy" seems an apt choice (though completely unintentional) given that this was Pride weekend.  Oddly, the voice of reason in a rom-com comes from 1997, the SAME YE...

First Impressions: Why hasn't this movie ended yet?  I would also say it's more of a dram-com, light on the com. We go from a kitschy west coast LA greeting card company to '90s New York.  I tried to pretend it was Seinfeld. Please don't reference the name of the movie in the movie.   Minor appearances by Maya Rudolph, the guy who plays Avon Barksdale in The Wire , and Seth Green. Personal Reflection: "Why can't I have a normal boyfriend? Just a regular boyfriend, one that doesn't go nuts on me!"  I found myself mentally playing 'kill, marry, fuck' throughout.  I decided on kill Helen Hunt, Marry Jack Nicholson, Fuck Greg Kinnear.  Only because Jack would die the soonest. Being from the late nineties, Jack Nicholson tells Cuba Gooding Jr not to knock on his door even if, "...some fudge packer you date becomes the first queer President of the United States..."  When asked how he writes women characters so well, he s...

First Impressions: Impossibly cute and immaculately scored, "(500) Days of Summer" is more rom than com.  Many songs in this movie have made it onto play lists I've made, so based on that alone, I have already decided to like it. The aesthetic is very Wes Anderson, with the omnipresent narrator, vintage outfits and architecture, and preternaturally wise pre-pubescent sister.  Having watched and loved every Wes Anderson movie, again, I decided to like it. I don't know what kind of person could possibly pass up Tom Hansen played by the ever-adorable Joseph Gordon Levitt.  That's the one question that puzzles me about this movie.  I suppose I felt as confused as he did about the events that transpired. Personal Reflection: "I love how she makes me feel like anything is possible and life is worth it." I fell for Tom, so it was hard for me to understand the movie at times, which is actually really meta since "(500) Days of Summer" is a...

First Impressions: As I write this I am listening to Janet Jackson's Miss You Much .  This is the opening song to "200 Pounds of Beauty" where we learn that Hanna is the voice behind Korean pop sensation Ammy.  This song alone is worth the price of finding a decent quality version of the movie with English subs.  The more I listen to it, the more I realize how much it foreshadows the movie. The Plot: Being a foreign rom-com, I feel it's necessary to re-cap the plot for those who might not be into subtitles or grainy DVD rips.  Hanna is an overweight (presumably 200 pound) woman who works as a sex phone operator as well as the voice of a pop star known as Ammy.  Hanna is a sweet and sensitive woman with a voice that captivates the guy who manages the talent and Hanna's big crush.  I can't remember his name but he reminded me of Tuxedo Mask, brooding, always in formal wear, and around when there's danger. We learn that Hanna regularly visits her fat...

First Impressions: More 'com' than 'rom', I was skeptical this fit the genre until the drunk driving Missy Elliott scene, and confirmed when Andy finally scares up the courage to call Trish.  Being an Apatow film, I was expecting a bro-com.  I enjoyed the pacing and the writing more than "13 Going On 30".  I love Catherine Keener.  I love her voice and her smile.  Entertaining cast. Both "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "13 Going On 30" have main characters whose child-like innocence offer delightful contrast to the tedium and complexity of adult relationships.  Jenna and Andy truly enjoy who they are.  They avoid adult relationships; Jenna dumps her New York Ranger bf (which I interpreted as a mainly sexual relationship) at some point off-screen to re-ignite friendship with Matty.  Andy has his hobbies and also elects friendship over romance. Personal Reflection: "Of course it doesn't feel right.  What feels right hasn't...

<** Spoiler Alert **> There's probably going to be spoilers. </**Spoiler Alert **> First Impressions : First of all, Jennifer Garner's skin is fucking flawless.  The expletive being necessary after over one hour of immersion in PG-13 Fantasy Rom-Com land; Fantasy Rom-Com being a recognised sub-genre that includes movies with an element of magic, like, say Wishing Dust that knows what's in your heart of hearts ;-) On the topic of Jennifer Garner's face, her lips call to mind Molly Ringwald, in particular Andi from "Pretty in Pink".  I feel like "13 Going On 30" is an alternate universe imagining where Andi and Ducky end up together, a topic to be visited in greater depth on August 27th. Personal Reflection: "You don't always get the dream house, but you get awfully close." In a literal sense: at 13, Jenna didn't understand the dream house and threw it in Matty's face.  At 30, she understands the imp...

Over the next 30 days I will watch one Romantic Comedy (henceforth  known as a rom-com) per day.  I will then blog my reaction and interpretation.  I will also post a viewing schedule, should anyone reading wish to join in on the anthropology of the genre. The 30 films have been carefully curated by crowd sourcing (ie. asking people I know to name their top rom-coms) and then weighted by the number of duplicate mentions, so films with one vote float to the top of the list and are then sorted in strict alphabetic order.  Films with more votes get weighted down and are shown closer to day 30, with the "heaviest" film at the very end. I love movies and tend to watch movies where someone gets killed within the first 10 minutes.  I love Tarantino, and have long considered "True Romance" or "Natural Born Killers" to be my top "romantic" movies, though I wouldn't append the selector "comedy" to either.  In high school, my favourite boo...