Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Ten on Tues….Wednesday

I have been following several blogs that participate in these blog topics. Mirth on Monday, Ten on Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, uhhhhh, I can’t think of what Thursday is, and Eye Candy Friday. Well, it isn’t as if this blog is overflowing with content. I have been wanting to participated for a while and just too lazy, but yesterday, I decided to do Ten on Tuesday……and you see when it got posted. What can I say.


10 Favorite Romantic Comedies

1. Serendipity – I have always loved John Cusack and his character in this movie cracked me up. I liked he and Kate Beckinsale together a lot. Pity there isn’t more time with them together in it. Then add Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon as the respective side-kicks and it gets better. I like John Corbett too, but he was driving me crazy as Carrie’s whiny, never happy boyfriend on Sex and the City about the time this movie came out, so when they made him hilariously goofy and stupid here, it made me happy. Eugene Levy as an insanely crazy salesman who kind of gets the whole thing started is just the right topper. And also, the music choices were wonderful. I enjoy the soundtrack too!

2. Love Actually- Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley round out a huge cast. This movie came out during some rough single years from me and I enjoyed the idea that love is almost never perfect, and can be really silly and that love with the wrong person won’t work. But it is Andrew Lincoln’s character Mark whom I would have married on the spot. First, at his best friend’s wedding he hires an orchestra to play the Beatles song Love. He does this because he is actually in love with the bride (Keira Knightley’s character) and has been forever, but no matter, it is a sweet gesture. Later in the movie, on Christmas night, he shows up at her door. He has a boom box and a bunch of poster signs he has written. Christmas carols are playing on the boom box and when she opens the door, he holds up a sign that says “Say it’s just the carolers.” At that moment Keira’s husband says “Who is it”. She of course, says it’s just carolers and then stands amazed as Mark flips through his posters, which very sweetly declare he is in love with her. I LOVE that scene. I love that they take Hugh Grant, usually the suave and sophisticated love interest and make him a rather silly, but single prime minister who falls in love with his catering head of staff. I love the actor and actress who fall in love in INCREDIBLY awkward positions while standing in for the main actors in a porno. It’s a great one.

3. Bridget Jones Diary- I was a singleton in the days this movie came out and I had to commiserate with Bridge. But to have to pick between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, ah, such hardships. Mark Darcy (Firth) acts like an ass through half the movie, but he is still awfully yummy and it makes me happy that she lands him in the end. When she shows up to a tarts and vicars party dressed as a tart only to find the theme has been changed make me laugh every time.

4. The Slipper and the Rose: The Cinderella Story-This movie was filmed the year I was born, but I remember staying at my grandparent’s house one summer when I was about 8 or 10 and watching it on the Disney Chanel. I thought this movie was the best ever. Handsome prince, pretty but oppressed princess, music, multi-layered humor throughout and all built on the Cinderella story, but from the prince’s perspective. The music is wonderfully catchy, but the lyrics are marvelous. I don’t know that I got them at that age, but I watched it twice and taped it to take home. Well, it was on Betamax, and we all know that went the way of the dodo very quickly. I remembered the name and that I loved it, but it is a rather obscure movie. Recently my mother caught it on tv and raved to me about this wonderful movie and I said “The Slipper and the Rose. That’s the one I loved as a kid.” She bought it on DVD for me one Christmas and I watch it at least every 6 months.

5. Pretty Woman-That same old Cinderella story, with a racy edge. It came out when I was in 8th grade and I was NOT allowed to watch it. But, in high school I was a prolific baby sitter and I first saw it on VHS while waiting for some parents to finish their date night. I watch portions of it frequently on TV now. I LOVE the scene where she returns to a shop where the saleswomen wouldn’t help her the day before. They start fawning all over her now that she is dressed the part and she says smartly: “You guys work on commission right?” They agree and she holds up her bag and says “Big Mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.” and whisks out while they saleswomen stand with their mouths open. Love it.

6. Emma-Jane Austen had a wicked sense of humor and it was played so well in this movie. Jeremy Northam was delicious in the role of Mr. Knightley.

7. Forget Pairs-Every time I see this movie, it makes me laugh. It is older and I have no idea where I saw it first, but it has always been one of my favorites. My God, the father-in-law who reads the billboards and signs as they drive.

8. Sliding Doors-Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah starred in this one. I admit, John Hannah is not the most sexy of leading men, but in this story, he works so well. I love the line where she is standing the bathroom doorway with a positive pregnancy test and her friend tries to cheer her up. “You can’t tell from one. They can be inaccurate.” Gwyneth replies, “I bought three packs, 2 in a pack. That’s six. You can tell from six.” This movie was not very popular and I used to own a DVD of it, but I can’t find it anymore. Great movie though. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. And someday, I will use this line: “Gerry, I'm a woman! We don't say what we WANT! But we reserve the right to get pissed off if we don't get it. That's what makes us so fascinating! And not a little bit scary.”

9. Grease-I admit, bending the genre a bit. My mother watches this movie almost every time it comes on television. I loved it for the music. I loved it for the sheer silliness. I live that John Travolta used to be really cute and that Sandy manages to get him in the end.

10. Shakespeare in Love-Ok, I guess I just love movies with Gwyneth Paltrow and a fake English accent. Really though, this movie so cleverly writes so much of the Shakespeare legend and lore into it, while being hilarious and being a great story. A pox on both your houses! Ben Affleck looks good with his goatee in his part, but Ray’s little brother Joseph Fiennes, HOT! I also love Colin Firth. Even as a bad guy, I love him.