I haven't seen many good chick flicks for a while, and either they started looking worse, so I stopped going to watch them, or for some reason I got disinterested in that particular genre of film, losing whatever cliche warm gooey qualities they tend to have. To this fortunate re-discovery of how good they can be, I credit two films I've seen recently. I also credit 3 amazing performances by women.

The Holiday


Imagine Me & You




The first of which belonging to Kate Winslet in the Holiday. It's impossible for me to not gush about her in that movie. I mean, I'm sure its hard for people to not gush about her in a lot of her movies, because she's a great actress, but I'd never seen her in this style of character, and she was amazing as a romantic lead in a chick flick. Which almost sounds degrading in a way, for an oscar nominated actress, but believe me when you see her in this film you'll love it. She's just so damn cute in the movie. It was also her first ever performance in a Romantic/Comedy, and I think she was brilliant.



Also too damn cute is Mr. Jack Black. He's so adorable and sweet in this. Very charming. Seriously, these two and their half of the story (including the old man, who also was working some major cuteage) are the best part of the movie. The other half, being that of Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, which sounds like it would've been the super-pairing of the film, given their both power players in this genre, but at this point we've all seen and know exactly how Cameron would play this part, and does, and Jude Law is only slight more interesting than some of his other roles where he plays a slutty-whimpy-manwhore who can't control his philandering (or nanny-bagging in real-life), because in this film he starts out as a slutty-whimpy-manwhore, but then another side of him is revealed, which I won't spoil, cause it just makes his character more cute. That's not to say their movie wouldn't be as good, it was still great, but there was something more fresh about Winslet and Black as a pair.



But I felt like this could have been two completely seperate movies, and when we came out of the theater I still felt like I could have watched another hour of each story. But the shiniest star was most definitely Winslet, who they seemed to show more of in the film than others, though they definitely didn't focus on her relationship with Jack Black half as much as the Diaz/Law storyline. Still she was so good that her performance will be what people rememeber walking out.

As Sam and I were walking out I was telling her how impressed I was with Winselt in the film, and she was my favorite part, when in another group of girls that we walk past, one girl is gushing to her friends that "Kate Winslet is AMAZING in this movie!!". So my initial reaction felt justified.

I also felt like when I was watching it, it must've been how people used to feel watching old Hollywood actresses up on the big screen, when they just knew there was something powerful and enchanting about these women. You know the Katherine Hepburns and Ginger Roger's of the day, who just captured this magic, this spark, up there. Of course that also might be referencing the old man (who plays an old Hollywood director, so that might have been one reason I was thinking of those comparisons while watching).

But the other thing I loved was how much 'cinema' was incorporated into the film. Kate Winslet had the old man director, getting her to watch all these old movies, and Jack Black's character writes/composes scores for films, and Cameron Diaz's character is a trailer editor while Jude Law is just the outcast as a book editor. How Lame.

I love when movies do that though, and it becomes almost autobiographical in those moments. Some of my favorite films are those who exlpore or examine filmmaking and its magic with people within the films themselves. Cinema Paradiso is an amazing amazing film that is all about falling in love with movies, and one of my all-time favorites.

The other thing I think was funny was that on the way home I decided it was almost like a Love Actually...without actually being at all the same...which didn't make sense to Sam, but when we got home I was looking at reviews of the film on IMDB and interestingly enough one critic made the same comparison. Kate's character also has a little of that Bridget Jones quality if you know what I mean.

I don't know if the director is British or not, which might cause similarities between the British humor of Bridget Jones' Diary, and Love Actually, but I do know that she's a woman, and she wrote and directed the film by herself, which makes me want to give her a high five. It's a hard thing to do, even these days, to convince a studio in a man-driven industry, to let a woman take a script she's written and without tacking on a screenwriter or someone else, and let her direct the picture herself, if still pretty rare. Of course this particular woman, Nancy Meyers also at this point has had some pretty successful films under her belt (Somethings Gotta Give, What Women Want).

I don't want to go into much detail about the movie because it was good enough that people should just go watch it themselves and judge whether they love it or hate it.
I just know that I haven't seen a chick flick that good for a while. Which also might've influenced the intitial reaction I had to the movie since I haven't actually watched that many chick flicks for a while...but it does seem like some pretty shite blockbuster mainstream films have been out these past couple years, doesn't it?

Oh, and one of the BESTEST parts? Guess who was the musical director? HANS ZIMMER!!!! Maggie and Kayla should know that any film that Hans Zimmer scores is automatically gonna be amazing (hello Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own, Lion King 1 1/2 ?)




Anyways, the other movie I watched, that was a great refreshing love story, was last night (though this film's not recent, hell I rented it from the bowling alley) called "Imagine Me & You".



I was just bored and browsing the racks and saw a dvd with Piper Perabo on the cover (whom I loved in everything else she's ever done. (yes even in Rocky & Bullwinkle)



and she appeared earlier this year with a brief appearance as Mr. McHotty Hugh Jackman's wife in the Prestige another highly recommended film I loved.



Though I'm sure most people remember her from Cheaper by the Dozen as big sis dating Ashton Kutcher (lucky biatch), or as "Jersey" from you know that one little film that everyone loved in Junior High, Coyote Ugly:



--oh! speaking of other films, while we were in the theater for The Holiday, previews came on for a film that looks great with Piper Perabo, Many Moore, Diane Keaton and hello luv, LAUREN GRAHAM!! "Because I Said So"..keep an eye out...because I said so)


So anyways, I had to pick this one up, because it was film I'd never heard of before, though it was released in 2005, and you'd assume would've picked up buzz being dubbed as the female Brokeback Mountain or something. Which by the way, I think I liked less than this film. Maybe its cause I'm a girl, so I'm biased, but I definitely think girls are more romantic than guys anyways, so girls falling in love is just cuter than two dudes--who in that movie, didn't even have that great of a love story, it was mostly about lustful scenes, which are left out of this movie, not for the sake of exluding them but rather because this is a lighter film, and a comedy as well, so I think the level of intimacy is appropriately proportionate to the film as the comedy.


It truly is a great love story, and the whole way trough the film you're just rooting for these two characters and you don't really realize until the movie's ended...wow, that was about two girls. Because it does an amazing job of making everyone completely oblivious to that fact, it's just this love story where as this woman Rachel is walking down the isle she has one of those 'love at first sight' moments, and it just so happens to be with a woman.

All of the characters in the film make you fall in love with them instantly (seriously everyone from the little sister to the slutty-manwhore best friend--not played by Jude Law) which is interesting, because you like all the characters so much and are so wrapped up in the romantic leads, that you don't even care that Lena Headey's character (Headey who is an awesome actress resmebld Kiera Knightley at some points, imo) is breaking up Perabo's marriage to her adorable husband of a perfect man (Matthew Goode), who you also love --like all the characters, as I mentioned above. Or at least I didn't, as much as I loved him. Someone else who's married might have more issues with the ethics/morals related to that.





Regardless, there were a lot of things I really liked about this film. One, which is obvious as soon as it starts is that this movie is set (and filmed--two thumbs up) IN LONDON!!! There was some wonderul cinematography, especially for this location. It was great to see all these different gorgeous panaramic shots of the city I loved and left (it was good while it lasted, I'm no city slut). Plus this also meant that the entire cast had accents!! Yay! Piper Perabo was the only obvious American that I spotted, but her accent was beyond perfect. One of the best impersonations I've ever seen in a film. Is it sad that I was paying that much attention to it? It was great though, halfway through I completely forgot that she was speaking unnaturally.

Another thing I loved (and why this is incomparable to Brokeback) is that this film isn't a gay movie. It really is just a love story, one that just as easily could have swapped out the dude, for another chick, and when you're watching it, it doesn't feel like a gay movie (though the genre is starting to develope as a genre itself, and is getting a hold on a certain tone and look).

I really can't say enough good things about the cast, Piper Perabo and Lena Headey had undeniable chemistry (of course they've also worked on another film together before and probably became friends).


Also, I love that it was inevitable that sometime...eventually...in some romantic comedy, during a montage scene or something, a couple would be shown falling in love...not doing other cheesy things like riding the ferris wheel..or bowling...but playing DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION! How amazing is that, hahahaha. I loved it!

Also, I liked that in this chick flick, its the BOY who tears up and makes me bawl. But he's just so damn cute. And cry I did. Also a pleasant suprise was seeing "Niles" from Buffy, playing a completely wacked out Dad/Husband and being quote "as worthless as a fart in a jam jar" lmao. Oh how the British make me laugh. Such odd humor and phrases (another example, "Sweet shit in a bucket! What's wrong with you?")

It was just a very charming movie. And for another "Love Actually" tie in, interesting thing I just saw, on this movie's IMDB page, under recommendations, you know the "if you like this movie you'll also like this one ____", they list "Love Actually". I like it.

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