Well it's time to address that all important phenomena called "The Chick Flick"! I love my chick flicks, there is absolutely no doubt about that. When life gets a little too mundane or overwhelming, a chick flick can give you that moment of respite; a time of quiet, laughter, love, romance and RELATIONSHIP! Yes, relationships! For us women, relationships are at the core of who we are. They define us in some way, and I say, why not celebrate that! And a chick flick does that in spades.
I watched a wonderfully entertaining video recently on marriage and the difference between the male and female brain. The female brain, this marriage expert explained, is like a complex "ball of wires" that interconnects, pulses constantly, moving about, jumping around, going here , there and everywhere - our own version of the information super highway! Men enjoy their "boxes", focusing on one thing at a time, but we women like everything to relate, and can make a connection out of anything. God made the male and female species different, to balance each other out, to compliment each other. What a wonderful thing!
So, having said that, let's get back to the topic of chick flicks. That wonderful pit stop we take in the race that often is our life, when we need that all important moment to be purely woman, to sit and understand what comes naturally to us. That moment to laugh, to twinkle and sigh with pure bliss.
Now men, have a different reaction to these films. When I tell my husband that I feel like watching a Jane Austin film, he usually sighs and heads for the hills! Our hills being our basement, where he can watch news and sports, with the volume up, and not one Mr. Darcy in sight! Which brings me to my first list of suggestions for satisfying Chick Flicks - Jane Austin. I love Jane Austin, and I know that there are a number of you of the female persuasion who probably do not, but for those who do, well here are some of my recommendations:
- The new BBC version of "Persuasion" and "Sense & Sensibility". I love these adaptations of Ms. Austin's novels. They are fresh and delightful, and the characterizations are wonderful. The scenery is splendid, as is the cinematography. There is a vividness captured here which I love, and I believe they have brought these two books to life. Although I enjoyed the new version of "Mansfield Park" as well, I wouldn't put it in quite the same category.
- And how can you go wrong with A&E's version of "Pride & Prejudice", starring Colin Firth as the enigmatic Mr. Darcy? There is none better, except for perhaps Gurinder Chadha's hilarious and entertaining indian adaptation of the same novel, "Bride & Prejudice"! Oh, how I laughed through this movie. How Ms. Chadha was able to come up with a masala of Jane Austin, Bollywood and Broadway, is truly astounding! The background of India; it's colors, drama, complexity, cultural richness, and fragrance is in itself a character in this film. The intercultural relationship, that is the focus of the film, brings a different element than that of class or wealth. And there is nothing quite as comedic as an Indian mother with three single daughters to marry off! "Bride & Prejudice" is a personal favorite of mine, and I often find myself watching it over again, just to get that flavor of Jane Austin meets Bollywood. Watch it. Tell me what you think!
- Three more favorites: "While You Were Sleeping", "The Proposal" and of course, "Sweet Home Alabama". I love Sandra Bullock. Loved her in one of her first movie's "Speed" (the language is terrible in this movie, so parents beware), and in her most recent chick flick hit "The Proposal" (please note that there is some nudity and some sexual content in this movie).
- I found "While You Were Sleeping" a film filled with charmingly eccentric characters, who in spite of their eccentricities, love, accept and support one another. I laughed often, and loved the cheeky romantic nature of this movie. How beautiful to watch a lonely young lady find love and family to light up her life. Lovely!
- "The Proposal" features an older and yet still beautiful Sandra Bullock, and a handsome and sweet Ryan Reynolds. Again, this is a movie filled with quirky characters. I've discovered that I really like quirky! This movie is likable throughout and filled with funny moments and touching scenes. You do not want to miss Betty White communing with "Mother Nature" and dancing away. Rent it. Trust me, you'll love it!
- "Sweet Home Alabama", How can you not love a movie named after such a great song? Reece Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey head up the cast, and do a wonderful job of meeting this romantic junkie's needs. Humor, romance, quirkiness, and New York meets Alabama - what more could you want? It's about coming home, reconciliation, and accepting and loving who you are and where you come from. It's seeing love and joy in what you considered embarrassing. It's appreciating what you once considered mundane, boring and limiting. It's about making peace with yourself and others. It's a lot more than just a simple, cute and funny movie. Watch it!
- "August Rush" and "Never Been Kissed", are two very different movies, and yet I enjoyed them both equally.
- "August Rush" follows the life of a talented young boy, and the music scenes in this are wonderful. A young boy's search for his parents, a mother's search for her son , and a young rock star's search for his lost love come together in one pivotal moment, and music and love is what calls to them and draws them together. This movie shows us the music in everyday life, the music we often fail to hear in the hustle and bustle of routine and schedules. I am reminded of that story of a famous violinist who played in the subway system of Boston as an experiment, a day before he was supposed to perform before Boston's elite. As the strains of beautiful music flowed from the voice of his violin, only a small child paused to listen and marvel. Perhaps we all need to become like children and take time to pause and marvel.
- "Never Been Kissed" (Please note that this movie does contain some sexual content), is probably one, that may not appeal to the majority, and yet, I enjoyed it. High school, I remember it fondly, but there were still lots of moments, where I wish I had the chance for a do over. Moments that I regret, or with the confidence of hind sight, maturity and age, would like to revisit and change. But would it be any different, or would I still, in spite of being older, meet those moments with the same eyes of insecurity and teen angst? It's kind of fun to watch someone have that opportunity, even if it is only through the form of a fictional movie! A young lady reporter, on her first assignment, goes back to high school undercover, a place, which was the source of many painful memories. My graduating class was small, 110 students in all, and we all got along fairly well. It was a unique and wonderful experience. I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend UNIS for my schooling years, and unlike most schools, many of us in the graduating class had been together since kindergarten. It was a place of internationalism and tolerance, of cultural and religious diversity, among both the faculty and student body. I loved it. It was a place where my father taught. Where my older brother before me, and my younger brother after me also called our home away from home. Every day we commuted 55 miles one way from Princeton to New York City to attend our school. We had the choice to attend a school in our neighborhood, but never felt inclined to do so. But like every other high school there were still "clicks", perhaps not as firmly entrenched as in other schools, or as exclusive or isolating, but they still existed. There were "the cool" kids, "the athletic" kids, "the nerds", "The eccentric ones", "the class clowns", "the theatre group", "the artistic" ones...etc. What was I like in high school? A little strange. In terms of fashion, I always walked on the strange side. I never wore pants, and now of course, I never wear skirts or dresses! I studied Bharath Natyam for many years, and in our performances we used to wear paper flowers in our hair. I decided, that if it was good enough for a performance, why not wear them to school as well? I shake my head now at this. Remember the show "Chips" with Erik Estrada? Well, I got myself a pair of those platform shoes, where with the pull of a button out would pop some wheels, and lo and behold I now had platform roller skates! Yes, weird, definitely not fashionably cool! I was insecure in so many ways, and sometimes overcompensated with louder laughter or speech. I was a nice kid. I liked everyone. There really wasn't anything to dislike about them, it was a good place, with good people. I studied, but never really applied myself as I should. I think my teacher's favorite phrase to my parents was "Mary, has the potential but..." I never really felt very comfortable in my own skin. I wasn't a very funny person, not quick with the repartee, as my son is, or with any form of wit for that matter, but always wished that I could be. My brothers have it in spades. They still make me laugh with their comments and stories. So, that was me in high school. Well, maybe there was more to me than that, but for the sake of brevity we'll keep it to that. How about you? I think that's why I really enjoyed this movie. It's very "teeny", but still fun.
Okay, so for now, I'll leave you with these suggestions. You might like some, you might dislike others, but try one and see. Happy Viewing!
No comments:
Post a Comment