Before it ended, “He’s Just Not That Into You” influenced me to believe that most guys are jerks (myself included).
I also felt resentment toward men, and even confided in my wife the disliking that I had developed toward my own gender.
All of this from/while watching a movie! Read the rest of this entry »
“Love is the only shocking act left on the planet.”
That line—spoken by Ashton Kutcher’s character, Reed, to Jamie Foxx’s character, Kelvin—is heard near the beginning of this motion picture, and in its first movie trailer.
“Valentine’s Day” is a smorgasbord of A-list celebrities in pursuit of love at some level; many of them with each other.
Further, George Lopez’s character, Alphonso, serves as one of the film’s constant figures through the portrayal of his love for his wife, family, and closest friend, Reed.
There is a scene in which Reed asks Alphonso how he got it “right” with the woman that he married; the dialogue that followed is both comical, and personally memorable. Read the rest of this entry »
“Sometimes we forget how to do the easiest thing in the world, which is just to talk to each other.”
That’s the insight spoken by a nameless marriage counselor to the on-screen couple of Jon Favreau’s character, Joey, and Kristin Davis’ character, Lucy.
I dare say that some of this movie’s deepest insights are almost hidden beneath the comedy that takes place in the story.
Nevertheless, there are marital pearls waiting to be found in “Couples Retreat“. Read the rest of this entry »
Some of you have suggested on Twitter that a movie based upon a book should be able to stand on its own.
A person should be able to watch a motion picture without having first read the literature that inspired it. Likewise, a book should be free of a movie to define its existence.
With that said, I feel like I missed something from the beginning of “The Time Traveler’s Wife“. It’s as if I missed the first 30 minutes of this film, or another movie (a prequel) altogether. Read the rest of this entry »
Big dreams live in small towns; roller derby girls do, too.
While I know little about the sport, I do know that Oklahoma (my home state) has three roller derby amateur leagues.
According to one league’s Twitter page bio, the Oklahoma City Roller Derby has been “turning wimpy little OKC girls into women since 2006.”
My wife, and I have plans to go watch a local roller derby match this year now thanks to this movie. Read the rest of this entry »
“Hey, Dennis. Come, and curl some ribbon.”
Those words—spoken by Richmond Arquette’s character, Gary, to Chris Messina’s character, Dennis—segue into one of the most personally memorable moments in “Made of Honor“.
Three grown men sitting around a table, curling ribbon, and filling wedding shower baskets with candles and soaps.
I appreciate a movie that depicts the bonding of men around more than a campfire, and a few hand grenades.
It was the guys’ time to shine in-place-of the girls so often depicted in chick flicks as inseparable friends. Read the rest of this entry »
“Australia” is a movie, but is it a chick flick?
Aside from the film’s length (two hours, and 45 minutes) being a topic of discussion, the aforementioned question was debated among the group that watched this movie with me.
My wife, another couple—Chris, and Stephanie, and I enjoyed the storyline of this motion picture; the run-time, not so much.
“Australia” is a rugged portrayal of a continent by the same name in the early-1940s. There is love, a world war, and even social justice woven into the film’s plot.
There is also a line of memorable dialogue… Read the rest of this entry »
Married? Considering marriage? Then, watch “Cairo Time“, and observe the steps to undoing any matrimony.
The temptations that await an unattended husband, or wife are arguably no different than those faced by the absent spouse.
I caught myself wanting to scream at Tom McCamus’ character, Mark, more than once, “What the H#@! are you thinking?”
More than once he left his wife emotionally, and physically alone. Never mind that she was in Cairo, Egypt; she could have just as easily been anywhere. At work. At home. Read the rest of this entry »
Ramen, it turns out, is more than a brand name for noodles packaged by Maruchan Foods, and sold to college students and newlyweds. I seriously had no idea.
“The Ramen Girl” introduced me to the practice of cooking ramen noodles in restaurants as a form of art—edible art.
As Toshiyuki Nishida’s character, Maezumi, pointed out to Brittany Murphy’s character, Abby, the best ramen is prepared using “ki” (Japanese for “spirit”). Read the rest of this entry »
“There is no perfect love, Lily,” said Queen Latifah’s character, August, to Dakota Fanning’s character, Lily.
That statement came after Lily discovered the untold story of her mother’s life, a woman that she never knew.
As this movie portrayed, there is no perfect love because there are no perfect people.
“The Secret Life of Bees” sparred little in its portrayal of racism in the American South of the early-1960s. The language. The beatings. The segregation. All were present. Read the rest of this entry »
“Bright Star” is the most sensual motion picture that I’ve seen (to date) for this 30-day challenge. I am literally left in awe after what I just saw portrayed through film.
The affection displayed between Ben Whishaw’s character, John Keats, and Abbie Cornish’s character, Frances ‘Fanny’ Brawne, felt so genuine; so real. Read the rest of this entry »
What must it feel like to know love, and yet never find it?
That question came to mind after watching “Becoming Jane“. Perhaps more appropriate would be that same question revised to read, “What must it feel like to have known love, and yet never find it again?”
The dialogue of this film felt highbrow at times in light of its story, and left me wanting to expand my vocabulary.
I even found myself in front of a computer imagining a quill pen and paper in place of a keyboard. Read the rest of this entry »
“Remember when they said we couldn’t have it all?” Mary asked. “I believe we can have it all. You know,” she continued, “the question is, ‘Do we want it?’”
Mary, Meg Ryan’s character, asked those questions of her best-friend, Annette Bening’s character, Sylvia, as the two prepped to enter a friend’s birthing suite.
The latter question proved rhetorical as the two reflected on the opportunities that lay both behind, and before them. Read the rest of this entry »
This is the first chick flick that I’ve seen in this challenge that’s given me both cause to cringe, and reason to shake my head.
The dialogue lacked depth, and the way that this movie took place on two continents stretched the storyline thin.
In its defense, however, “The Other End of The Line” was comical more than once.
Such as when Nouva Monika Wahlgren’s character, Ula, cautioned Shriya’s character, Priya, with the following… Read the rest of this entry »
“May you never steal, lie, or cheat. But if you must steal, steal away my sorrows. If you must lie, lie beside me all the days of my life. And if you must cheat, cheat death. Because I could not live a single day without you.”
Cliché-or-not, that wedding toast from Dominique McElligott’s character, the bride, to her on-screen fiancé, captured both my imagination, and my heart.
Further, Irish-in-its-origin-or-not, the fact that that toast was spoken with an Irish accent only heightened the mood. Read the rest of this entry »
“I don’t want to get over her. I want to get her back,” said Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, Tom, of his love for Zooey Deschanel’s character, Summer.
By contrast, Summer declared elsewhere in this movie that, “There’s no such thing as love, it’s fantasy.”
Such is the emotional disconnect between the leading man, and leading woman of this film. The former is connected by infatuation; the latter by convenience. Read the rest of this entry »
Despite an ice storm, a power outage, and a two hour intermission—my wife and I were finally able to finish “Atonement” four hours after it began.
I had heard of and read this movie’s title in previous conversations, but was unfamiliar with its storyline and cast.
It was not until I saw the film’s trailer online today that I developed a quick appreciation for its plot. Read the rest of this entry »
This movie is another example of a title that I might have never known about had it not been for this 30-day challenge.
With that said…
“Georgia Rule” is no light-hearted fare, although it does have its moments of humor. Further, it is one of the heavier emotional chick flicks that I’ve seen thus far.
Jane Fonda plays a convincing grandmother, Georgia, for her on-screen grand-daughter, Lindsay Lohan’s character, Rachel. Read the rest of this entry »
This movie’s review in three words: Girlfriends. Sex. Relationships. In that order. Okay, mixed-and-matched too.
I must confess that I’m new to the “Sex and the City” franchise; I’ve never even seen a TV episode by the same name online, on HBO, DVD, or elsewhere.
More than once I turned my head the opposite direction during this movie while couples…umm…yeah. I still would have been uncomfortable (at those times) watching this chick flick with anyone other than my wife.
Booty shots and much more aside, this film has its redeeming qualities and memorable quotes. Read the rest of this entry »
There were too many comedic moments in this film for me to capture, and stay focused.
However, I did manage to write down one sequence of dialogue that made me laugh; given the content, maybe it’s my age.
“Adam likes you a lot,” Izzie told her mother. “Yeah, why do you think that?” her mom, Rosie, replied. “He made you a music mix. That’s how boys tell you what’s in their hearts,” Izzie said. Read the rest of this entry »
“Always, always, always a bridesmaid” read the headline from the article written by James Marsden’s character, Kevin, about Katherine Heigl’s character, Jane.
Aside from the spattering of weddings, this movie is chock-full of the fabric worn by women to commemorate matrimony.
Even more specifically, the duds worn by a perpetual bridesmaid, Jane; hence the name, “27 Dresses“.
Admittedly, I had given little thought to the complexities of being a bride, much less a bridesmaid, prior to this film. Read the rest of this entry »
“What if there was no such thing as a mistake?”
That question, asked of Vanessa Redgrave’s character, Ann, as she lay dying, captures the retrospective overtone of this film.
As the movie’s plot unfolds, Ann’s past is relived through her memories of friends, and a man—Patrick Wilson’s character, Harris—that she longingly loved. Read the rest of this entry »
The heaviest movie—emotionally—that I’ve seen in eight days, “Nights In Rodanthe” is a chick flick given to exploring the human experience. Anger. Sadness. Excitement. Suspense.
This film is as much about second chances as it is about the broken people who find those chances. Read the rest of this entry »
Two things: 1. Of the seven chick flicks that I’ve watched to date, this film contains the most sensual kiss. It takes place right before the closing credits between Nia Vardalos’ character, Georgia, and Alexis Georgoulis’ character, “Poupi”.
2. Of all the movies that I’ve seen so far, this film is the first to—a) cause me to feel the sensation to want to cry, and b) feel that sensation multiple times.
Admittedly, I did not, but let me repeat, I wanted to cry. Honestly, it was my pride that kept my cheeks dry. Read the rest of this entry »
“(Sophie), I think you are way too talented, and gifted, and unusual to let anyone keep you from (being you),” Alex said.
“That’s wonderfully sensitive, Alex. Especially from a man that wears such tight pants,” she breathed.
“It forces all the blood to my heart,” he said.
So goes the quippy, and playful banter between Hugh Grant’s character, Alex, and Drew Barrymore’s character, Sophie, throughout the film, “Music and Lyrics“. Read the rest of this entry »
I broke from the mold on this one. I visited the “special features” section of this film’s DVD after the closing credits.
If at all possible, I try to avoid the reviews of any of the movies I’m watching for these 30 days. That includes any “behind-the-scenes”, or “making of” portions of the chick flicks that I’m scheduled to watch. I don’t want any jaded ideas.
But I needed to break my own rule this time; I found out why shortly after I did. Read the rest of this entry »
“Love is supposed to nourish you,” said Uma Thurman’s character, Dr. Emma Lloyd—a radio talk show host, in the film’s opening sequence.
According to Dictionary.com, that means (that to nourish is to) supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth.
So love, it seems, is as necessary as the air we breathe. Read the rest of this entry »
First, let me say that I appreciate Alec Baldwin’s character, Jake, not being some “chiseled” leading man.
Secondly, I heard laughter throughout most of the film; the majority of it came from the feminine portion of the audience. Read the rest of this entry »
Singing is hard enough for some people (myself included), but singing and dancing while acting—wow! I tip my hat in respect.
I needed to watch this movie, last night. “Mamma Mia!” isn’t too emotionally heavy; I smiled throughout most of the film, and even laughed-out-loud at times. Read the rest of this entry »
The first chick flick is finished, and already I’m learning.
Stuff like, a husband should watch “Waitress” just to know how not to treat his wife (see both Earl, and the good doctor).
Jeremy Sisto portrayed a convincingly insecure husband for Keri Russell’s character, Jenna.
His performance had my wife and I both saying, “He’s a jerk”, moments after his role was introduced in the film.
Jenna was “trapped” in every sense of the word. Read the rest of this entry »
