- Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past
An off-beat comedy adapting Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for a modern audience. This movie features Matthew McConoughey in the lead role, as he contends with past relationships coming back to haunt him. A barrel of laughs (and larks) that would tickle even Ebenezer Scrooge’s funny bone. Think ‘High Fidelity’ –but with less nihilistic angst and more “alright, alright, alright”.
Light-hearted and not too heavily themed, for a quirky reimagining of a somber holiday staple. Really, what else could you ask for? Oh and did I mention Jennifer Garner stars in the supporting role. Well she does and does so admirably. Brilliant chemistry and whatnot.
NEXT.
- Casablanca
A true classic! Black & white cinema for the ages – if you haven’t heard of Casablanca – you’ve probably been living under a WiFi-less, gargantuan-sized rock. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star as club owner Rick Blaine and Ilsa; a wayward traveller who ends up a patron in “Rick’s Americain” a Moroccan nightclub located in Nazi controlled territory during WW2, Morocco being in possession of Vichy, France. As they become embroiled in resistance led intrigue, a budding relationship forms between the two while wartime espionage unfolds around them.
All’s fair in love and war, that is, until the Axis Powers get involved.
Yikes.
Please note: Casablanca has some regrettable depictions of minorities and women. Despite this fact – it’s still revered as an ageless piece of cinema ranking high on lists of exemplary films. Click here for further info on balancing cultural relevance of film and improving insensitive/outdated representation: https://www.jefferson.edu/news/2022/03/how-can-the-media-improve-representations-of-diverse-identities.html
- True Romance
Quentin Tarantino written. Christian Slater acted.
And…Elvis.
(No, sorry, that’s an extreme oversimplification.)
A man with a serious Elvis affliction or rather fixation by the name of Clarence (Christian Slater) falls in love with Alabama (Patricia Arquette) a winning, bubbly prostitute with a heart of gold – and a past that just won’t leave her alone. Gary Oldman and James Gandolfini play dual-antagonists; pimp and mafia enforcer doing everything in their power to ruin the eloped lovers’ chance at happiness.
Christian Slater’s portrayal is unrelentingly cool in a retro-hipster, greaser throwback, clicks with the manic pixie dream girl – mid 2000s, sort of way. Bonnie and Clyde meets Romeo and Juliette stylized for Gen X. With that Tony Scott directorial touch AND inimitable Tarantino dialogue, flawless alt-flavour, and impassioned rawness all rolled into one.
Literally one of my favourite films of all time. Totally endures due to eccentric characterization as well as an impactful plot .
- Reindeer Games
Reindeer Games is a steamy crime-addled story of mistaken identity, starring Charlize Theron, Ben Affleck and Gary Sinise in the main slots.
An ex-convict assumes his dead cellmate’s identity as a ploy to date the man’s unwitting sweetheart…finding out all too late that her brother has other, more deadly plans in store. An intense game of cat-and-mouse soon deteriorates into collateral damage, as passions flare, spawning a (superbly) watchable interplay of emotions. What unfolds onscreen is a squall of love, greed, and betrayal ensnaring all involved.
‘Reindeer Games’ , a brooding psychological-thriller with fast-paced elements at play – is undeniably fun while being a product of its time. Theron and Affleck’s performances play well off of each other and Sinise ups the stakes tenfold – the “scenery-chewing” villain who keeps the plot moving through providing conflict after conflict. The dude’s basically the Grinch-on-steroids, figuratively speaking. There’s also some genre-rich action on full-display in the form of the heist team disguising themselves (ironically) as Santas during the climactic robbery.
Hmmm… surprisingly festive.
- The Wedding Singer
Love stinks is the catchphrase. Adam Sandler is the guy who said it – or rather sang it.
Drew Barrymore and Sandler star in this love story about a down on his luck wedding singer, who meets a woman and quickly falls head over heels for her. The cynical antics of a desperate man affect more than just his unrequited darling, soon involving a whole host of characters on a wild and uproariously zany ride. Christine Taylor, Alexis Arquette, and Matthew Glave along with Steve Buscemi and Jon Lovitz appear in this Sandler led, awkward 90s rom-com that brought audiences closer together – while making them laugh, or at the very least chuckle.
Heartwarming and hilarious.
- Creed
Treading the same footsteps as the Rocky series: Creed I, II, and III, all have a strong romantic subplot one that forms the backbone of their individual stories. Much like Rocky’s reliance on Adrien and the love that fuels his quest to make something of himself – Adonis Creed’s son fights with the help of his mentor Rocky Balboa but also with the unshakable support of Bianca Taylor. His new flame and in later films, his wife.
At their core the Rocky films are best read as love stories swathed in a sports-flick veneer with purposeful and positive messaging on race relations and class tensions. And these spin-off films are no different, while at the same time offering something fresh for a new generation. Continuing Apollo Creed’s (Carl Weathers) story by following the challenges and struggles afforded his scion adds a meaningful quality – to what could be viewed as reviving an old property purely for financial gain. Smart decision by the filmmakers to avoid a shallow retread in continuing Rocky’s story.
The Creed trilogy? ALL more than solid additions to the franchise!
Click here for my review of Creed III: https://welldonemovies.com/2023/12/08/creed-iii-review
- Bruce Almighty
Excerpt from the Guardian News:
Love me! Love me! LOVE ME! LOVE ME! ” The speaker is Jim Carrey; he plays Bruce, an unemployed TV newshound who has been granted short-term divine powers by God, and he’s trying out his new divine prerogative of command on Jennifer Aniston, the girlfriend who has just left him. He is of course addressing all of us in the audience as well. And like Jennifer, we find that direct orders won’t work – even for the Almighty. This has some very funny moments and lines in its first act, and then jettisons the comedy in favour of a self-important deadly serious feelgood ending.” [1]
-Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian
Sources:
-https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jun/27/artsfeatures1
