Showing posts with label Cinema. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cinema. Show all posts

Girl Power!

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo and I went out after work and drank two Blue Moon’s with a delicious orange slice to celebrate. I also had a quesadilla that wasn’t very good. But, hey, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Or, when in America celebrate anything that gives you a reason to consume mass quantities of alcohol. Oktoberfest- Awesome, Cinco de Mayo- Superb, St. Patrick’s Day- Green Beer!, Christmas- Why not! Egg Nog!. We are a melting pot…I’m not complaining. I drank my beers in honor of my half Puerto Rican- half Mexican friend…Ole! He can get a darker tan than me in the summer and he’s always tan in the winter. Anyway’s, I getting off topic.

I drank my two dee-lish beers and headed in Barnes and Noble (pronounced No-blay) and discovered a great book called, “The Ultimate Guide To Chick Flicks: the Romance, the Glamour, the Tears, and more,” by Kim Adelman. This book has it all. Romance! Glamour! Tears! And More! OMG! This looks incredible. It includes an incredible index of films. Here are few that I’m sure to review in the future;

-Breakfast At Tiffany’s
-Bridget Jones; The Edge of Reason
-Dirty Dancing
-Funny Face
-Kate & Leopold
-Prelude to a Kiss
-Sweet Home Alabama
-Somewhere In Time
-Shall We Dance
-Teen Witch

Apparently, there are rules to the chick flick. I tried to form a definition of “Chick Flick” in an earlier post. Here are some of the rules according to the guide;

1. Create a sympathetic heroine.
2. Offer up a love-worthy hero
3. Don't forget the best friend.
4. Something is wrong with the heroine type.
5. They meet.
6. Toss in impediment to the romance.
7. They dance.
8. Memorable
9. The hero employs the three magic words.
10. Achieve the ultimate happy-ending

I can’t wait to read this thing. I will work my way through the entire list of Ultimate Chick Flicks. I’m also interested in finding out if there is a list of AFI (American Film Institute) top 100 Chick Flicks or Romantic Comedies. I’ll keep you updated. Girl Power!



Beer: 4 manly high fives (out of 5)
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Sleepless In Seattle (1993)

Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
Directed by Nora Ephron

by Joshua Simpkins

I decided my first chick flick would be one of the two films that actually got me into chick flicks. One is“Sleepless In Seattle”. The other is “When Harry Met Sally”. They are both co-written by Nora Ephron. I liked this movie when I younger and I still like it today. So, I ran out and picked up the Anniversary Edition on DVD, rushed home, threw it into the DVD player and grabbed a beer.

I don’t care who you are…man or woman…if you don’t think Tom Hanks is the shit…then you’re lying. Because, he is, most definitely, the shit (pronounced slow like, Sheee- It). Almost everything he has ever done is classic from “Big” to “Saving Private Ryan”. And, if he happens to be in a crappy movie (i.e. “The Ladykillers”) his acting is still superb. When Tom feels it, I feel it…and so do you.

Don’t get me started on Meg Ryan. I think I was in love with her at some point and she is at her best in SIS. In 1998, a friend and I were soo into Meg Ryan, that after we were stood up by our dates we went to see “You’ve Got Mail” with each other. Then, we quickly vowed never to tell another soul. I think I actually kept that secret…until now. Meg Ryan was the It girl for a while. Then she ran off and had a fling with Russell Crowe, got plastic surgery, and now she looks kinda like the Joker. Why did she have to mess with her face?!!!

Ok, so there I am, watching SIS again for the first time in years. The title clears and we see Tom and his son at a funeral. Tom’s upset…therefore I’m upset. Everyone is telling him to get help. He decides to move. Seattle. Enter Meg Ryan looking good with her fiancé, Walter, played to perfection by Bill Pullman (I actually forget it’s him). They are going to her parents’ house so Walter can meet her parents for the first time. He is allergic to everything. Wait….We have a problem. Now, I know that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are going to get together at some point, they have to…but, Holy Crap, she lives in Baltimore and he lives all the way across the country….how the hell is this supposed to happen?…and, Meg Ryan doesn’t believe in signs…Oh, No!...now I’m sucked in. It’s a good thing this Bud Select is so dee-lish.

SIS is the one of the deepest of all the chick flicks. It's like the Charlie Kaufman version of the romantic comedy other then, like, the actual Charlie Kaufman version of the chick flick, “Eternal Sunshine and The Spotless Mind”. Why? Because it works on so many levels and basically retells the story of a movie that is within the movie (kinda like the Charlie Kaufman version of an adaptation of a novel called “Adaptation”). It retells or spins the events of “An Affair to Remember” starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (or is it Karr? I can’t remember) within the action of “Sleepless In Seattle”. How deep is that?

I’ve already rambled on too long about “Sleepless In Seattle” because we all know it’s a good movie.

FORCE THE BOYFRIEND:  10 out of 10 (Eh, why not?)
 
Beer Pairing Recommendation
Bud Select.  Why?  Because I said so!
For more on the chick flick visit IMDB
For more on the beer click here

2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Far and Away (1992)

Update - 7/9/2012 - This is not an actual review for Far and Away.  This is a history of how the site started - conversationally, of course.

One rainy night I was sitting home alone in my furniture-less apartment watching the semi-classic Tom Cruise/ Nicole Kidman film “Far and Away”, directed by Ron Howard, when a friend called and asked what I was doing.

 ME:  Watching a movie and drinking a beer.
 FRIEND:  What movie are you watching?
 ME:  Far and Away.
 FRIEND:  Is that the one with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman that’s
directed by Ron Howard?
 ME:  Yeah.
 FRIEND:  Is there a chick with you?
 ME::No, why?
 FRIEND:  So, you’re telling me, you are sitting at home watching a chick flick
all by yourself and drinking a beer. That’s ridiculous.
 ME:  It’s not ridiculous and it’s not a chick flick. It’s an historical Irish epic
about the Oklahoma land rush starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
that’s directed by Ron Howard.
FRIEND:  It’s a chick flick.
ME:  It’s a swashbuckling romance.
FRIEND:  Does drinking a beer make you feel manlier while watching chick
flicks?
ME:  No, I like beer. It’s refreshing.

And, then it struck me. While “Far and Away” isn’t the ultimate chick flick it does have many elements that would classify is it as such. It is a timeless love story about two people from different classes who overcome the odds to fulfill their dreams of love and happiness. Did my subconscious recognize this? Why was I drinking a beer? Did it make me feel manlier? Why was I wearing a pink rob and socks? Where the hell did I get a pink robe? Wait, this robe’s not pink, it’s forest green. Thank God! Why am I questioning my masculinity? Who cares! I like chick flicks and I like beer. The two actually go together quite harmoniously.

And, then it struck me, again. Why not create a blog in which I review and muse over chick flicks while drinking a beer. You can do it yourself…the rules are simple…the movie must be a chick flick…and you’re allowed no more than two beers. How does one determine what is or isn’t a chick flick? That’s easy. If you even have the slightest thought or question about a movie being a chick flick then I probably is.

If you need more help determining what is or isn’t a chick flick, dictionary.com defines chick flick as follows;

Main Entry:chick flick
Part of Speech:n
Definition:
a movie intended for and marketed to females, with themes, characters, or events more likely to appeal to women than men; also called chick’s
flick
Usage:
slang

You can also start with “Far and Away” starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. It’s directed Ron Howard. Real Men Wear Pink!
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)