warning: gushing ahead.
yummy. yummy yummy yummy yummy yummy.
i had forgotten how much i like Colin Firth. i mean, intellectually, i remember, oh yeah, Colin Firth, i really like him. but oh. ummmmmmm. god. i just saw Bridget Jones's Diary, and now i really really want desperately to watch all 6 hours of the Pride and Prejudice miniseries, because i want to see more Colin Firth. i can practically *taste* that kiss. jesus. the real attraction of Colin Firth, though, is in the eyes. the way you can see his heart exactly. the dark, brooding looks, yearning or angry or puzzled or hurt or amused or sympathetic or cherishing... it's subtle and thrilling and just... ummmmm.
so, in more rational discussion, i just saw Bridget Jones's Diary and really enjoyed it. the boy Chad, who i dragged to see it with me, said "it was okay." but he did laugh in places -- i heard him. Renee Zellweger was ditzy and charming and sharp and totally perfectly neurotic [and sufficiently not-thin, damnit, whatever some people seem to believe. i think i must have read a different novel than some of the people out there. Bridget Jones in the novel *wasn't* particularly overweight, she was just obessessed about her weight. there's a difference. i personally don't think weight matters, in whatever circumstances, but baseless whining irritates me] Hugh Grant was wonderfully charming in a convincingly slimy way, and well... Colin Firth *is* Mr. Darcy, whether his first name is Mark or not. [well. to be more precise, he *can be* Mr. Darcy, perfectly. he himself is clearly more that that... and actually, i would say that Bridget Jones gives him a little more range to work with than BBC's Pride and Prejudice. anyway... ] the supporting cast is generally quite good, but we don't see too much of them. the links to Pride and Prejudice seem slim -- definitely there, but slim. this is in part because the movie trimmed the parental subplot -- but i didn't really miss it until thinking about it post-movie, so it probably wasn't bad for the film. anyway, it has to be admitted that this movie *is* extremely predictable [i think it would be even to a person who has never read Austen]. but, well, it's a bloody romantic comedy based on what is basically the pinnacle of romantic comedic literature. so.
besides, i tend to like well-done romantic comedies, and this one is *very* well-done.
well, okay. i probably have a soft spot for even not-so-well-done romantic comedies.
but it's hard to be sure if that applies generally, or just to specific cases. so.
yummy yummy yummy.
great romantic comedies:
Four Weddings and a Funeral [except for the last scene, this may be my favorite romantic comedy ever]
Ten Things I Hate About You [Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles definitely count as yummy. this one is almost shockingly good. also happens to be a modernization of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, replete with clever references to the original]
Pride and Prejudice, 1995 [the only thing i don't understand is how could anyone find Jane more attractive than Elizabeth? and did the mother have to be *quite* so annoying? otherwise, insanely perfect]
Pride and Prejudice, that old version with Laurence Olivier [i still quite like this version, despite deviation from the book]
Grosse Pointe Blank [at heart, i think this is a romantic comedy. of course, i'm the type of girl who thinks hitmen are often attractive. love this movie]
High Fidelity [John Cusack does pathetic so well, and this movie does a great job at looking at romance from a male perspective. the book by Nick Hornsby is also excellent]
Strictly Ballroom [wacky, with killer dancing]
Clueless [based on Emma, another Austen, very fun and charming modernization]
Chasing Amy [arguably too depressing to be a comedy, and yet, it is one. not your typical romantic comedy; very very good]
Much Ado About Nothing [one of Shakespeare's fabulously frothy romantic comedies, done very well]
An Ideal Husband [in which Rupert Everett is brilliant, and everyone else is also very good -- i particularly like Julianne Moore's Mrs. Cheveley]
good, but not great, romantic comedies:
Sixteen Candles [bit too sappy and predictable. but nicely sweet and yearning]
Notting Hill [quite enjoyable and charming]
The Truth About Cats and Dogs [Janeane Garofalo is fabulous, the love interest is just not as captivating in comparision]
My Best Friend's Wedding [Rupert Everett is darling... otherwise, this movie is simply sweet]
While You Were Sleeping [i remember liking this, but i can't think of anything specific to say about it... commentary in itself]
Bring It On [so i've got a big squishy soft spot for adorable punk boys, so sue me]
Practical Magic [yay witchiness!]
hmm. there must be more out there that i'm missing, in both catagories. and i've sort of included some romances that could instead be considered part of other genres... in itself another topic. d'oh.
giving into the temptation of one more catagory:
fun, but mediocre romantic comedies:
Pretty Woman
Miss Congenialty
okay, need to stop before i go totally obsessive about getting this right. may alter list later as i think of things.
on a similar but not exactly the same note, a friend and mine and i were trying to think of a good movie with a bunch of hot guys, that isn't too depressing [which takes out most war movies and The Outsiders, d'oh]. we were also having some trouble agreeing on what guys we actually found attractive. the guys can't be too young [taking out Newsies... ah, to be a 12 year old girl again... or maybe not], and there have to be at least a few -- not just one lust object but many.
it's a much more difficult task than at first it seems.
hrm. i'm not actually obsessed with relationships, they're just interesting to ramble about. perhaps i'll try to get on another topic soon. but first, to consider 4/13/01's parting question:
is matchmaking ever a good idea? and can you do it relatively out in the open, talking to both sides about it, and still have it work? or might that in some cases be the worst possible thing to do, because then even if they do meet they'll be so sensitized that they won't relax or even really consider each other on normal grounds?
god. i'm not sure i can really discuss this intelligently right now. the thing is, i don't usually matchmake. it's just not something i really believe in. on the other hand, i do like to speculate, evaluate, consider. and i like to do these things with the very people i'm speculating about. and i like being blunt, and honest, and clear. but sometimes, it's almost like i have to censor myself to scrupulously avoid talking about certain people to certain other people, because it's awkward to realize that maybe i'm somehow trying to mention them. but i'm not sure if i am or not -- and i'm not sure how it will seem to them, or if i even really care how it seems to them... but then i realize that i *do* care how it seems, because no matter if i was trying to matchmake or not, it's gotta be bad if it seems to the people involved like i'm trying to do so. doesn't it? or is it possible that it can just float, with me saying whatever and they saying whatever, and maybe they'll meet and maybe the won't and it won't have matter what i said? i hope so...
though it might be less embarassing all around to just avoid mention. i suppose. but i'm generally not that good at restraint. so we'll see, i guess
parting question: is it better to be discerning or open-minded?
yummy.