Fave Film #22 – Bridget Jones’s Diary

2001

Cast Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth

Bridget Jones has decided that this is the year for change, so she keeps a diary detailing her thoughts, sorrows, and exploits.  She’s sleeping with her boss and dealing with the break-up of her parents 35 year  marriage, but she’s still charming, sweet, and a little too obsessed with finding a man.

Why I love it - I will start with the obvious reasons first – Hugh and Colin.  Yes, yes, Renee was fantastic as Bridget (actually this may be my favorite Zellweger role), but it was the two leading men that kept my attention from wandering.  They were both perfect as the men on either side of Bridget.  I could, and have, watch these two in anything.  Colin did steal my heart in this one as a man of few, but absolutely romantic, words and longing gazes.

As for the movie, it had wit and humor and a main character that I both wanted to shake and hug, which is no small feat.  The girl is laugh out loud funny.  Bridget’s journey from clueless to fierce was wonderful to watch.  And Renee was fearless as Bridget, showing off the weight she had to gain for the role. 

I liked it better than the book and that’s not easy for me to admit.  Perfect casting and great writing make this a lighthearted comedy worth watching.

Here’s my complete list of Top 100 Movies.

Fave Movie #50 – Made in Heaven

1987

Cast- Timothy Hutton & Kelly McGillis

Mike is a young man in the 1940’s when he is killed saving the lives of others.  He is welcomed in Heaven where he meets Annie, a new soul who was born there, and falls in love.  Only in this Heaven everyone is eventually sent back to Earth and Annie is the first to go.  Mike strikes a deal with Emmett, the man running things up there, and Mike is sent back as a baby.  He has thirty years to find her or he will lose his true love for eternity.

Why I love it- This love story is original, romantic, heartbreaking, and pure fantasy.  The version of Heaven is not what I picture when I think about it, but it was not so heavy handed to be offensive to anyone.  This is a Heaven where you can fall in love, learn new talents, and be happy and there is nothing wrong with that. 

The love story is so pure.  They are meant to be together, but it won’t be easy.  They have to struggle and grieve and hold on to hope.  And it’s about finding your life’s purpose and being good to people, because you will run into them again in this life or the next.

What really brings this story together for me, in addition to the wonderful Timothy Hutton, is the hauntingly beautiful music.  The song, We Never Danced, will make you sit through the credits happily.  I’m including a video that plays it twice with clips of the movie.  I’d recommend stopping after the first one finishes so you don’t see every scene of the movie.

A few fun facts-I am pretty good with faces and I watched this movie quite a few times in the 90’s, only I never knew who Emmett (the guy in charge of Heaven) was.  When I included this movie in Monday’s meme I found out who Emmett was and was SHOCKED!  It was uncredited and is supposed to be a surprise so I won’t spoil it.  But I warn you, if you can’t figure it out the first time you’ll have to watch it again to see.

And for you 80’s rock star fans, Tom Petty, Ric Ocasek, and Neil Young all make cameos.

 

Monday Movie Meme – It’s all about love

Feature Presentation…

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

…we thought that instead we’d focus on the emotion of love, which is what drives a marriage after all. But most of us don’t get to experience the type of love and romance that is portrayed in the movies. If you could live any movie’s love story, which one would it be?

Before I give my answer I would like to wish the hosts of this wonderful meme, the Bumbles (Andy and Molly) a wonderfully romantic anniversary!

This is a tough one, to choose only ONE love story to live?  Let me list the parts of four that I would love to take part in.  Let’s start with the most cheesy movie on my list – Made in Heaven with Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis.  They were a couple who met in Heaven and then one had to leave.  Would the other leave Heaven, of all places, to follow her?  Of course!  That’s commitment.  Here’s the trailer of the film.  You may want some wine with the cheese.

And this moves right into my next one, Serendipity, with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.  It’s all about listening to your heart and keeping your eyes open to the clues of the universe.  And never letting yourself settle for second best. 

And next I need a dose of reality with When Harry Met Sally starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.  As much of a romantic as I am I very much hate being put on a pedestal.  I want my guy to see me as I really am and love me anyway.  And he should be my best friend.

Okay, enough reality, I also want devotion, so my last pick would be The Princess Bride with Cary Elwes and Robin Wright.  This man endured death for her and his answer to her requests or desires?  “As you wish.”  Sigh.

What do you think?  Am I asking too much of my husband?  What would your movie be?

Fave Movie #85 – The Ref

1994

Cast – Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Judy Davis

Directed by Ted Demme

Gus is a thief.  He barely escaped his last heist and now he is stuck in a small Connecticut town on Christmas Eve because the police have blocked all of his routes out of town.  He takes Lloyd and Caroline, a married couple on the brink of divorce, hostage in their own home until he can figure out a way to escape the cops.  Except the bickering couple drives him nuts and the number of people coming to the house keeps growing. 

Why I love it- This is a dark comedy that is a perfect foil for the fluffy, feel-good holiday movies.  My favorite parts of the film are the rapid-fire, anger-filled exchanges between Lloyd (Spacey) and Caroline (Davis). This couple is riveting to watch and the small details of their unraveling marriage come out in bits and pieces, perfect to keep you watching.  How can they hate each other so much?   Leary was perfect as Gus, the long-suffering thief forced to put up with these rich people who seemed to have everything. 

Then the extended family arrives for dinner and the laughs provide relief from the uncomfortable family dynamics that come to an explosive head.  Glynis Johns as Lloyd’s mother and Christine Baranski as his sister-in-law were perfection!

After I watched this movie again yesterday I read that Demme had a different ending for Gus, but the test audiences hated it so he changed it.  Apparently he regretted doing so and I think I might have to agree with him.  I may have liked it even more the first way.   I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s something to think about if you watch it.

The movie’s not perfect, but there’s more good than bad and it has surprising depth.  If you dislike swearing, this may not be the movie for you.

My Top 100 List

Words Behind the Pictures Challenge- Fast Times at Ridgemont High

When Michael posted about this challenge I knew I had to try it.  I love reading and I love movies, so the challenge was a good fit.  This month we had to read the screenplay and watch the movie and the chosen subject was Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  I was not excited.  I was just a few years too young to have seen this movie when it came out and have really only seen enough scenes here and there to know it was not something I’d like.  Anyway, on to the challenge…

The Screenplay

Michael provided the screenplay on his blog and I read it on one sitting last Friday at my computer.  This was my first screenplay and my first experience reading anything that long on my computer and I liked the first, but didn’t necessarily enjoy reading it on my computer screen.  It was relatively short, so it wasn’t too bad. 

This screenplay was really the bare bones of the movie making process and I enjoyed reading it in that initial stage.  The description was so minimal that the sky’s the limit as far as your imagination goes.  I can’t really say I loved the story.  It had the stoner, the experienced girl, the use sex as a weapon girl, the shy boy, the solid older brother, but none of them were that recognizable to me.  Which leads me to 

 The Movie

I totally loved watching the script come to life.  The great cast and setting and additions to the script all made the movie fun.  And truly, Sean Penn as Spicoli was the best thing about the movie. 

They did change some things from the script.  Instead of using Carls Jr. and McDonalds’s they changed the fast food places to generic names.  Why do they do that?  And the abortion clinic scene was a bit different, in the movie they chose not to show that she was scared.  And when the girls were discussing sex by the pool I actually thought the script was more funny.

I liked the movie way more than I thought I would and if not for this challenge I don’t know if I ever would have sat down to watch it.  And I loved seeing the progression from script to movie.  This was a good challenge.  Why not join us next month by visiting A Few Minutes with Michael?

Monday Movie Meme- It’s all about the schooling

Feature Presentation…

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

This week’s movie topic is all about School…”Share on your blog movies touching upon the world of education.”

The Breakfast Club – The ultimate high school movie I reviewed here.

Grease – I love to sing along with this classic.

Can’t Buy Me Love – Shows the lengths one will go to just to be cool.

The Karate Kid – Caught the fly way before President Obama did it.

Election! – Overachievers unite!

Visit the Bumbles and see other school favorites.

 

Fave Film #69 – Ever After

1998

Cast- Drew Barrymore, Dougray Scott, Angelica Huston

This is a  romantic retelling of the fairytale Cinderella as the great great great granddaughter of the real Cinderella wants to set the record straight.  Danielle was a tomboy who never knew her mother and loved her father, and was excited by the prospect of a new mother and sisters.  When her father dies she becomes a servant to her new family.  After a few chance encounters with the Prince of France Danielle begins to hope that there could be a future for her that did not include cooking breakfast for her evil stepmother.

Why I love it – I am a sucker for romance and this one touched me when I first saw it at the theater and again when I dragged my husband to see it too (we were newly married and I probably would not try that now 11 years later )  I thought Drew Barrymore was wonderful as Cinderella.  She was sweet, sympathetic, fiery, and brave.  And Angelica Huston as the evil stepmother was fantastic!  The casting of these two was perfect as was the rest of the supporting cast.  Prince Henry was a cutie and he won my heart when he took Danielle to a library for a date.

The casting was great, but I equally liked the retelling of the fairytale, full of strong women and the magical Leonardo da Vinci.  Although Danielle was the servant, it was Henry who would have to make sacrifices to marry her and the only power she had was over own mind.  She was a tough and vulnerable Cinderella.

Why did I watch this last night?  My husband and I watched the season premiere of House this week (yea, he’s back!) and his doctor was very familiar to me.  I didn’t know who she was but I kept waiting for her to turn evil.  About halfway through I yelled out, “That’s the evil stepsister!”  And it was, Megan Dodds.  As I watched the movie again I was amazed by how good she was at playing crazy.

My Top 100 movie list

Movie Meme

Feature Presentation…

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

This week’s movie topic is all about Work…

In honor of the Labor Day holiday here in the U.S. we thought we’d focus this week’s topic on movies centered around work – finding a job, getting a job, loving a job, hating a job – you get the idea. Here are some that we thought of while being lazy Bumbles enjoying our long weekend away from work. Share on your blog movies all about making a living and then link back here at The Bumbles.

Here’s my list…

1. The Sound of Music – (governess)  A nun, a love story, a sing-a-long, and social commentary.  It has it all.

2. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- (politician) A feel good drama.

3. Adventures in Babysitting- (babysitter) I was a babysitter, but I never had a night like this!

4. Baby Boom -(executive turned baby food maker) Love this movie.  Diane Keaton was great.

5. Major League - (professional baseball players) -I have to represent my Cleveland Indians

Visit the Bumbles to see other lists!

Monday Movie Meme – Fear Factor

Feature Presentation…

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

This week’s movie topic is all about Fear…Share on your blog movies that caused you to hide under the covers (visit the Bumbles for other lists)

Fave Film #3 – Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the theater

1961

Cast- Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard

Directed by Blake Edwards

Last night my husband took me to dinner at Lola’s (for you Iron Chef America fans it is Michael Symon’s restaurant in downtown Cleveland).  We had a scrumptious dinner.  Then we went down to the Palace Theater where they were showing Breakfast at Tiffany’s on the big screen and hundreds of other classic movie buffs joined us.  As this is one of my favorite films it was a perfect date night. 

Holly Golightly is an escort to wealthy men and Paul Varjak a kept man who is also a writer.  When the two become neighbors a true friendship blossoms before they find themselves drawn to each other in a more physical relationship.  But Holly is a complicated woman and not one easily caught.

Why I love it- First, I am a huge Audrey Hepburn fan.  I find her lovely, fascinating and beautiful.  I think I’ve seen most of her films and this is her iconic role.  Holly is a crazy mess of a girl and one that I could identify with from the very first time I saw the movie years ago.  She is such a flawed individual that I can’t help but love her. 

Before this movie I only knew George Peppard from watching the A-Team in the 80’s, so I was very surprised to see him as the good looking leading man, or ‘the shy, bookish type’ as Paul would say.  I loved his earnest portrayal of a man in love with a woman who didn’t quite love herself yet.  Every woman wants a man who won’t give up on her.

Watching it this time I loved the day they spent together doing things they had never done before, starting with champagne before breakfast and ending with them in bed.  It was a fun and playful day that really showcased their relationship.  And although there was a lot more to this movie it is ultimately a love story.

I love Holly’s style, Audrey’s singing Moon River, Cat, and the whole cab/rain scene at the end.  There really isn’t anything I don’t like about this movie.

This is loosely based on the novella by Truman Capote. 

Now watch and listen to the song that won an Oscar that year for Best Music, Original Song