'Sleeper'
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Oh, I loved Sweet Home Alambama, even though Reese was a bitch through most of it. Nice touches, and I LOVE Josh Lucas.
I also loved Down With Love, which was just sheer ridiculousness but so much fun.
I hate My Best Friend's Wedding. It's just foul. I love the singing in the restaurant scene, but even Rupert Everett doesn't make up for the rest of it. For him I watch An Ideal Husband.
The best rom-coms were made 70 years ago anyway. Well, OK, there were probably a lot of crappy rom-coms in the 30's and 40's, but most of the stuff that's still available are gold.
Personal faves:The Lady Eve, Holiday, The More The Merrier, and I Know Where I'm Going!
I want to see a rom-com where the woman decides to choose her exciting professional single life instead of going for the hunk who wants her to settle in the boonies and raise kids, because love and kids is more important than personal and intellectual fulfillment.
Three words: My Brilliant Career
There are those, but they're indies, mostly. Which means less "exciting professional life," and more "The devil you know" Like "Friends With Money" Or you could do what I do and rent movies from the 70s.
I also loved Down With Love, which was just sheer ridiculousness but so much fun.
I had issues with Down with Love. I don't think it quite worked for me, and the third act was, well, ridiculous. I think maybe I would enjoy it if I saw it again knowing that it was supposed to be ridiculous, but it confused me the first time.
I LOVE Josh Lucas.
I just saw him in Session 9, a creepy little horror film recommended by John Rogers. It's worth checking out.
I Know Where I'm Going!
One of the best movies ever! Wendy Hiller is just so terrific, and the hunky Scots male lead is gorgeous and has such wonderful chemistry with her.
hunky Scots male lead
Roger Livesey. *siiiiiiigh* I have had a raging crush on him for... going on 25 years now.
He's a Powell & Pressburger regular -- he is also terrific in A Matter of Life and Death (which is like my favourite movie EVEEEERR) and Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (although in the latter, I had a bigger crush on Anton Walbrook.)
I was watching the David Suchet Murder on the Orient Express last night, and found it interesting how the Princess Dragamirov was portrayed so differently in that version than Wendy Hiller's performance, who was better with the aristocratic tone, but her princess was much frailer than the TV version (don't know if that was due to her health or just the way the character was written).
What?!? No one mentioned Bridget Jones Diary as a great modern romcom? I love it--although the sequel sucked and I pretend it doesn't exist. I actually have a soft spot for 13 Going on 30. I like the underlying message that to have real love you have to work on who you want to be in the world and that's the important thing. Oh, and I liked Enchanted bunches.
Favorite rom-coms of the last 30 years or so:
Amélie, Bella Martha, Clueless, The Cutting Edge, French Kiss, Green Card, Groundhog Day, Moonstruck, Pretty Woman, Say Anything, Sweet Home Alabama, While You Were Sleeping, Working Girl, Year of the Comet