Waiting For Forever (2011) Rachel Bilson

WaitingForForever The Links:
IMDB | RottenTomatoes | FilmCritic


Streaming: Amazon, Netflix


Genre: Romantic Comedy with Dramatic Mystery subplot


STUFF:
PG-131 hr. 35 min..


The Short Story
(Benny & Joon meets Serendipity)
Will Donner (Tom Sturridge) has been obsessed with Emma since they were 10 years old.  What Will and romantic women think is precious in his adult crush, is defined by his brother (and most others including Emma) as a mental illness called stalking.  Will Emma’s reflection on the happiest time of her life with Will change her view?


 

The Best Review You've Never Read

THIS IS THE REASON I STARTED THIS BLOG.  The critics hated this one too.  I’m shocked it only got 6% on Rotten Tomatoes.  This world is waaay more cynical than I thought.  I’m a romantic.  But I likely haven’t finished a Lifetime romance movie and gag at what passes for a lot of (profane) Romantic Comedies.  Contrivance and insincerity should qualify the directors of such schlock for the death penalty in my humble opinion.  But this one really, truly got to me. 

Up until this movie I would say that SERENDIPITY with John Cusak and the amazingly Grace Kelly-like Kate Beckinsdale was my favorite, most recent, romantic comedy.  This may be close.

I identify with a guy who refuses to subscribe to “convention” and “maturity” when it comes to what is and is not acceptable in one’s life view.  Romantics all are I suppose, but many of us only have a distant memory of a childhood crush to sustain our hope and fantasy that indeed, a real soulmate is out there for us all.  And of course, that person won’t care how much money we make, or our idiosyncrasies but “gets us” in a way that allows us to be free, truthful and trusting against whatever might come.

Will Donner lost his parents at a terribly young age.  Emma held his hand and comforted him showing him the first unconditional love he could remember in his life.  He had to move away with his brother and rarely saw Emma after a few visits in their teens.  His brother grew cynical and “grew up.”  Will didn’t.

When Emma, played by Rachel Bison with whom I began my movie crush on in JUMPERS, has to come home to see to her dying (but hilariously sarcastic) father, Will finally works up the nerve to tell her how he has felt about her since they were children.

Although you think you see a conventional romantic comedy ploy coming a mile away in the forlorn current boyfriend of Emma’s who shows up first, Steve Adams does a brilliant job of getting in the fast lane at DeLorean speeds.

Indeed, Will must face maturing and moving on, while Emma must come to grips not only with being obsessed over by a lunatic, but figuring out what is truly important in her life that seems terribly sad despite outer worldly success.

I suppose one reason I relate so strongly to this move is that when I was 15, there was one girl who looked at me and talked to me in a way that no women has ever since.  She defined for me the feminine attention and devotion that makes men want to conquer kingdoms and provide for them all the spoils thereof.  I also have thought of my Rachel often as the disappointments, heartaches and wear of the realities of real-life relationships slowly sandblasted my expectations of what love could be.  Was there a love so strong like that of Jacob for Rachel in the Bible that 7 years of working for her dowry would seem like a day?  Is Song of Solomon with it’s clear evidence of obsessive love truly attainable on earth individually as well as the love Christ has for his Church?  Movies like this one make you believe it is so.

Crossing Delancy (1988) - Amy Irving

The Links:
IMDB | RottenTomatoes 


StreamingAmazonNetflix


Genre: Sweet Romantic Comedy Pitting Jewish Tradition against Urban and Worldly pursuits


STUFF:
PG1 hr. 37 min.


The Short Story
(Some Kind Of Wonderful meets Annie Hall)
The first Mrs. Spielberg - Amy Irving - is in love with her bookstore job where she gets to meet the most influential literary thinkers in Manhattan.  Her Bubbie, (Reizl Bozyk) hires a matchmaker who is pushing the very glamorous but quick witted pickle peddler (Peter Riegert).  


The Best Review You've Never Read
It isn't very often I like a movie that was WELL reviewed by critics (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) but not as well by the public (74%).  Maybe it's because there were less blogging reviewers and thus less morons in print.  Who knows.  It should be a sign of my love for this film that I compare it to SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL.  I don't compare ANYTHING to that masterpiece of romantic comedy.  And, while this is a much more subtle film in every way - it has a charm and sweetness to it leaves you hopefully, happy and contented.


It opens with Amy Irving's character Izzy, obviously mesmerized by the attention of a leading author and the hob nob world of upper Manhattan in which she lives.  Irving still shows a softness and femininity enhanced by an obvious love for her grandmother.  And Bubbie "makes" the film with her loving, scheming and traditional ways.


When set up with the Peter Riegert character, Izzy is not just facing the fear of a mismatch in social class, style and education, we also see her biggest fear is the lack of REAL romance.  And we are continually surprised by the depth of this pickle seller. The writer (thankfully) did not make him a closet Whitman or Joyce, but showed how often we underestimate those who are the very ones to best make our lives better. 


It's not a WOW, tear-jerking love story and not a terribly complex story.  But for those who like tradition, core values and seeing the good guy actually win - this might be one of the best movies you've never seen.


Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

The Great Raid (2005) - Joseph Fiennes, Benjamin Bratt

The Links:
IMDB | RottenTomatoes FilmCritic 


StreamingAmazon, Netflix


Genre: Action Adventure War Pic with Romantic Drama subplot


STUFF:
R,  2 hr. 12 min..




The Short Story
(Shining Through meets To End All Wars)
Star studded prisoner rescue film where Benjamin Bratt, James Franco (yeah, I know), Mark Consuelos plan a very quick rescue of hundreds of American prisoners in a Philippine prison held by sadistic Japanese tormentors under orders to fight to death - and leave no one alive.   Meanwhile, Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) fearlessly spearheads the Manila underground in part to get drugs to her true love, prisoner Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love).

The Best Review You've Never Read
I'll warn you up front.  The critics hated it.  Only got a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes.  It was panned by a LOT of people.  From reading the reviews you would think it was STRIPTEASE or GIGLI.  I remember really, really liking it the first time I saw it, late at night, on Pay-Per-VIew in a hotel room travelling somewhere.  But, with no expectations (I'd never even heard of the film) and no recollection of how sleep deprived or alcohol influenced - who really knows if my recollection was accurate?  Some people have a mind like a steel trap, others like a Styrofoam cooler that has been submerged in a polluted lake for 2 summers.  I leave it up to you which I am more prone to be categorized.


But, on an early AMC cable showing, despite having a backlogged call list, time critical work to do and a blog to plan, I put down everything and watched it all over again.  In my home abode, during non-libation hours.  And I loved it.  Remember - this blog is not THE BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME, but THE BEST MOVIES YOU HAVEN'T SEEN.  And while not, anywhere near SAVING PRIVATE RYAN or DEFIANCE, I was thoroughly captivated for the rest of the movie.  72% of the public agreed with me at Rotten Tomatoes.  (Isn't it funny that critics LOVED the Clint Eastwood film LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA 91% but the public somewhat less.)   The movie did so bad at the theater - (IMDB says it made only $10 Million - basically the budget for a chef and masseuse on a Julia Roberts film) - that it was only shown on about 800 screens for 2 weeks.


This is taken from a real story which, in fact, remains the most successful rescue mission in U.S. military history.  One hundred twenty one, mostly inexperienced Army Rangers, went up against a seriously larger Japanese military force to rescue over 500 POW's.


I think what set this apart from other war films for me was the subplot involving the Manila underground.  Not only was Fiennes woman desparate to help him, she was incredibly strong and selfless why doing so.  This real life character, Margaret Utinsky, went on to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Truman. 


The film looks beautiful and while critics said it dragged, it did NOT at all for me.  And I like war films - but it's not my first choice unless I've been bottled up on a LA or Houston freeway for 3 hours going 15 m.p.h. behind Grandma "I love my brakes more than Geritol".


I didn't know it was a film based on a true story, but footage of the real characters added one a dimension that held me to through credits.  I love my country.  I love our armed forces.  I love it that we stand for good in the world and WANT to win for the underdog - or in the role of the  underdog.


Maybe some people didn't like it because the film depicts sacrificial love, honor, and the superiority not just of the land I love, but of the ideals it stands for.


For me this is a movie I would watch over and over again.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Ramen Girl (2008) Brittany Murphy

The Links:
IMDB | RottenTomatoes | FilmCritic 


Streaming: Amazon, Netflix


Genre: Sweet Small Romantic Comedy with Foreign overtone


STUFF:
PG-131 hr. 42 min.




The Short Story
(Karate Kid meets Like Water for Chocolate)
Anyway, Brittany's character follows worthless boyfriend to Japan and finds kindness from a couple that make ramen soup in their corner restaurant.  The 'ramen chef' is an art/science to be achieved and this ramen chef has no son to whom he can pass his legacy.  A rival chef will force him to sell, and the Brittany character is a total screw up


The Best Review You've Never Read
Whenever I see "sub-titles," my heart locks up like the brakes on a bad 1972 Ford Pinto. I want to be sophisticated, urbane and hip but let's face it - I'm not.  And more often than not - I'm watching this flicks to get away from pressures of life - not the challenge of catching the action on the screen, facial response and still trying to catch the words.  It takes commitment.


And the next studio/producer to release a film with WHITE subtitles against a white robe or black subtitles against the inside of a cave should have their Producers Union card revoked, shredded and fed to the Snakes on a Plane.


But I digress.  I really, really liked this film.


The Japanese subtitles are probably about 50% of the film but I didnt FEEL like it was much of an effort.  There was only one scene between two Japanese characters where I had to actually rewind to catch the dialogue, but that was only because I got distracted by my PDA.  (Damnit Sandra Bullock!  Quit calling me!! hehe).


I've NEVER been a huge Brittany Murphy fan but had no idea she was capable of this kind of work.  She is vulnerable, likeable and although there a few uneven responses - her acting never took me out of the movie.  If this movie had been built up as a something as good as NOTTING HILL or something - I probably wouldn't have liked it.  But it hit all the right buttons for a small, duck-out-of-water, romantic comedy for me.


What I liked most was the identification with someone who felt like life was screwed up, wouldn't give up (although sometimes even WE don't know why we don't), often we find the kindness and love of others packaged in ways we NEED  - rather than what we want.


And for those who need a happy ending - you get it. 

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