Monday, October 26, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
love, hollywood style
i wouldn't call myself a movie buff, but i do watch my fair share of movies. while i generally dislike movies that are focused on sports, war or that are "action-packed," i do enjoy a desperately shitty romantic comedy along with with the usual fare. over time, i've noticed an emerging trend within this genre of movie. one of three things nearly always happens; one: a couple will experience this whirlwind romance (often demonstrated with a 30 second montage accompanied by a cheesy 80's song), breakup, then realize they love each other and make up (and out) in the middle of a street while it's raining; two: two people who are best friends see each other through their respective relationship crises (although sometimes it's only one person with the relationship and the other pining away silently for the best friend)and ultimately realize that who they really love is each other; and three: people falling in love during the mad rush of christmas time.
for instance:
movies with pivotal moments in the rain
garden state - after trekking around on a wild goose chase, andrew (zac braff) finds the meaning of life in the obnoxious sam (natalie portman). they seal their relationship beginnings by standing on top of a giant yellow truck in the pouring rain and screaming into an infinite abyss. ahh, love!
castaway - kelly (helen hunt) runs through the rain calling after chuck (tom hanks) as he drives away. as chuck stops and gets out, kelly jumps in his arms and they embrace in a passionate kiss as raindrops fall on them.
kelly: "i always knew you were alive. everyone said that i had to stop saying that; that i had to move on. you were the the love of my life."
chuck: "i love you too kelly. more than you'll ever know."
pretty in pink - after getting dumped because of social class differences (i.e. because she's poor), andie (molly ringwald) and her best friend go to prom together. blaine (andrew mccarthey) apologizes to andie for being an asshole and they make out in the school parking lot while "if you leave" by omd plays.
spiderman - the famous upside down kiss. thugs attack mary jane (kirsten dunst), spiderman (tobey maguire) saves the day, they kiss in a thunderstorm and her nipples show.
chasing amy - after getting into an argument at a bar, holden (ben affleck) and alyssa (joey lauren adams) take their fight into the parking lot where he tells her her loves her while it's, you guessed it, pouring down rain. this is my favorite romantic rain scene so i'll post his speech for those who aren't familiar with it:
"i love you. and not, not in a friendly way, although i think we're great friends. and not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although i'm sure that's what you'll call it. i love you. very, very simple, very truly. you are the-the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. and i know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line is-is-is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. but i had to say it. i just, i can't take this anymore. i can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you. i can't-i can't look into your eyes without feeling that-that longing you only read about in trashy romance novels. i can't talk to you without wanting to express my love for everything you are. and i know this will probably queer our friendship - no pun intended - but i had to say it, 'cause i've never felt this way before, and i-i don't care. i like who i am because of it. and if bringing this to light means we can't hang out anymore, then that hurts me. but god, i just, i couldn't allow another day to go by without just getting it out there, regardless of the outcome, which by the look on your face is to be the inevitable shoot-down. and, you know, i'll accept that. but i know, i know that some part of you is hesitating for a moment, and if there's a moment of hesitation, then that means you feel something too. and all i ask, please, is that you just - you just not dismiss that, and try to dwell in it for just ten seconds. alyssa, there isn't another soul on this fucking planet who has ever made me half the person i am when i'm with you, and i would risk this friendship for the chance to take it to the next plateau. because it is there between you and me. you can't deny that. even if, you know, even if we never talk again after tonight, please know that i am forever changed because of who you are and what you've meant to me, which - while i do appreciate it - i'd never need a painting of birds bought at a diner to remind me of."
blah blah, she turns straight for like ten minutes and they fuck. this one could be considered a repeat offender, i suppose, because it also incorporates that whole best friends in love theme. with that in mind...
movies where best friends fall for each other
my best friend's wedding - julianne (julia roberts) tries to sabotage her best friend mike's (dermot mulroney) wedding after she realizes she's been in love with him for years. he doesn't accept her, though, and gets married to his fiancee, leaving julianne alone with her other best friend, a gay guy.
made of honor - hannah (michelle monaghan)and tom (patrick dempsey)are best friends. she goes away to scotland and while she is gone, tom realizes that he's in love with her and plans to tell her when she comes back. when she comes back, she announces she's geting married and asks him to be her maid of honor, completely unaware that he's in love with her. kind of like my best friend's wedding, except this time they end up together.
st. elmo's fire - leslie (ally sheedy) and kevin (andrew mccarthy) are best friends, but kevin is also best friends with leslie's fiance, alec (judd nelson). alec divulges to kevin that he cheats on leslie even though they are going to be married and kevin realizes that he's in love with her. one night, alec and leslie break up after she finds out he's cheating on her and she gets drunk and goes home with kevin. he admits he loves her and they have sex. (hot shower scene alert!) alec finds out and gets pissed off but somehow they all end up just being friends in the end, with leslie dating neither alec or kevin, leaving kevin heartbroken.
when harry met sally - a classic! harry (billy crystal, who is uncharacteristically sexy in this movie)and sally (meg ryan) are friends throughout the span of something like ten years and always set each other up with their respective friends. they discover at a party that they are attracted to each other but do not act on it. one night, after sally finds out that her ex is getting married, harry comes over to console her. they end up sleeping together and the next morning harry is awkward and leaves. they cool off for a few weeks. then, at a new year's eve party, sally watches couples dancing and realizes that she feels lonely without harry by her side. she decides to leave the party early when harry appears and declares his love for her and they make up and kiss, then ultimately get married.
movies where people fall in love over the holidays
these are self explanatory. i'm not exactly sure why this is such a prevalent theme except that people are always drunk over the holidays, so maybe that's it.
the holiday
you've got mail
dan in real life
i'll be home for christmas
the family stone
love, actually
sleepless in seattle
etc, etc.
so if i'm to take this as an example, everyone is meant to fall in love with their best friend on christmas while it's raining, or something. then again, i didn't get into all the movies that center around falling in love on airplanes, during natural disasters, on foreign vacations...
for instance:
movies with pivotal moments in the rain
garden state - after trekking around on a wild goose chase, andrew (zac braff) finds the meaning of life in the obnoxious sam (natalie portman). they seal their relationship beginnings by standing on top of a giant yellow truck in the pouring rain and screaming into an infinite abyss. ahh, love!
castaway - kelly (helen hunt) runs through the rain calling after chuck (tom hanks) as he drives away. as chuck stops and gets out, kelly jumps in his arms and they embrace in a passionate kiss as raindrops fall on them.
kelly: "i always knew you were alive. everyone said that i had to stop saying that; that i had to move on. you were the the love of my life."
chuck: "i love you too kelly. more than you'll ever know."
pretty in pink - after getting dumped because of social class differences (i.e. because she's poor), andie (molly ringwald) and her best friend go to prom together. blaine (andrew mccarthey) apologizes to andie for being an asshole and they make out in the school parking lot while "if you leave" by omd plays.
spiderman - the famous upside down kiss. thugs attack mary jane (kirsten dunst), spiderman (tobey maguire) saves the day, they kiss in a thunderstorm and her nipples show.
chasing amy - after getting into an argument at a bar, holden (ben affleck) and alyssa (joey lauren adams) take their fight into the parking lot where he tells her her loves her while it's, you guessed it, pouring down rain. this is my favorite romantic rain scene so i'll post his speech for those who aren't familiar with it:
"i love you. and not, not in a friendly way, although i think we're great friends. and not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although i'm sure that's what you'll call it. i love you. very, very simple, very truly. you are the-the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. and i know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line is-is-is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. but i had to say it. i just, i can't take this anymore. i can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you. i can't-i can't look into your eyes without feeling that-that longing you only read about in trashy romance novels. i can't talk to you without wanting to express my love for everything you are. and i know this will probably queer our friendship - no pun intended - but i had to say it, 'cause i've never felt this way before, and i-i don't care. i like who i am because of it. and if bringing this to light means we can't hang out anymore, then that hurts me. but god, i just, i couldn't allow another day to go by without just getting it out there, regardless of the outcome, which by the look on your face is to be the inevitable shoot-down. and, you know, i'll accept that. but i know, i know that some part of you is hesitating for a moment, and if there's a moment of hesitation, then that means you feel something too. and all i ask, please, is that you just - you just not dismiss that, and try to dwell in it for just ten seconds. alyssa, there isn't another soul on this fucking planet who has ever made me half the person i am when i'm with you, and i would risk this friendship for the chance to take it to the next plateau. because it is there between you and me. you can't deny that. even if, you know, even if we never talk again after tonight, please know that i am forever changed because of who you are and what you've meant to me, which - while i do appreciate it - i'd never need a painting of birds bought at a diner to remind me of."
blah blah, she turns straight for like ten minutes and they fuck. this one could be considered a repeat offender, i suppose, because it also incorporates that whole best friends in love theme. with that in mind...
movies where best friends fall for each other
my best friend's wedding - julianne (julia roberts) tries to sabotage her best friend mike's (dermot mulroney) wedding after she realizes she's been in love with him for years. he doesn't accept her, though, and gets married to his fiancee, leaving julianne alone with her other best friend, a gay guy.
made of honor - hannah (michelle monaghan)and tom (patrick dempsey)are best friends. she goes away to scotland and while she is gone, tom realizes that he's in love with her and plans to tell her when she comes back. when she comes back, she announces she's geting married and asks him to be her maid of honor, completely unaware that he's in love with her. kind of like my best friend's wedding, except this time they end up together.
st. elmo's fire - leslie (ally sheedy) and kevin (andrew mccarthy) are best friends, but kevin is also best friends with leslie's fiance, alec (judd nelson). alec divulges to kevin that he cheats on leslie even though they are going to be married and kevin realizes that he's in love with her. one night, alec and leslie break up after she finds out he's cheating on her and she gets drunk and goes home with kevin. he admits he loves her and they have sex. (hot shower scene alert!) alec finds out and gets pissed off but somehow they all end up just being friends in the end, with leslie dating neither alec or kevin, leaving kevin heartbroken.
when harry met sally - a classic! harry (billy crystal, who is uncharacteristically sexy in this movie)and sally (meg ryan) are friends throughout the span of something like ten years and always set each other up with their respective friends. they discover at a party that they are attracted to each other but do not act on it. one night, after sally finds out that her ex is getting married, harry comes over to console her. they end up sleeping together and the next morning harry is awkward and leaves. they cool off for a few weeks. then, at a new year's eve party, sally watches couples dancing and realizes that she feels lonely without harry by her side. she decides to leave the party early when harry appears and declares his love for her and they make up and kiss, then ultimately get married.
movies where people fall in love over the holidays
these are self explanatory. i'm not exactly sure why this is such a prevalent theme except that people are always drunk over the holidays, so maybe that's it.
the holiday
you've got mail
dan in real life
i'll be home for christmas
the family stone
love, actually
sleepless in seattle
etc, etc.
so if i'm to take this as an example, everyone is meant to fall in love with their best friend on christmas while it's raining, or something. then again, i didn't get into all the movies that center around falling in love on airplanes, during natural disasters, on foreign vacations...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
september playlist
ramjam - black betty
yeah yeah yeahs - heads will roll
inxs - what you need
phoenix - fences
aimee mann - save me
of montreal - wicked wisdom
css - alala
brainiac - nothing ever changes
the zombies - tell her no
yann tiersen - summer '78
sebastian tellier - la ritournelle (mr. dan's mix)
yeah yeah yeahs - heads will roll
inxs - what you need
phoenix - fences
aimee mann - save me
of montreal - wicked wisdom
css - alala
brainiac - nothing ever changes
the zombies - tell her no
yann tiersen - summer '78
sebastian tellier - la ritournelle (mr. dan's mix)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
the test
when i was fourteen, i started seeing a shrink. my mom didn't want anybody we knew to find out that i was seeing a psychologist, so we drove two hours away to the next big city. "people talk," she told me. "there's nothing else to do so people just talk about other people. it happened to mrs. portillo when she took james to see dr. cavazos."
i personally didn't care if anybody found out. the thought even sort of excited me. i felt important and deep. i thought my problems were complex and that seeing a doctor gave them credence. i imagined that after my sessions, my doctor would step into her office and call a coworker, perplexed over what i'd told her. "it's unlike anything i've ever heard," she'd say. "she really has a hard life," she'd sympathize. i wore my depression like a badge of honor.
during my allotted hour, i'd tell my doctor, "dr. josie," about how i wanted to have sex with my fabricated boyfriend and how glorious i felt when i smoked weed. i told her that my mother hit me with her hairbrush and that she never let me borrow her clothes. when she administered the rorschach test, something i thought was only done in the fifties, i carefully examined the pictures and claimed to see things that i knew very well i didn't, like ponies mating or a baby with a club foot. "hmmm," she'd say as she jotted down notes and i'd smile, sure that i was impressing her.
on the drive back home, my mother would always try to ask me what we'd talked about. looking out my window, i'd tell her that the doctor thought i was very smart for my age and thought that i didn't need to be there, and that it was probably my mother that needed to be on the couch. i'd sneak a glance at my mother, her eyes brimming with tears, and suppress a smile. then this woman that i'd called a monster behind her back would stop to fill up her car and get us hot dogs from diamond shamrock. we'd ride in silence the rest of the way home, me with my walkman, she with the thoughts i'd implanted in her head.
i personally didn't care if anybody found out. the thought even sort of excited me. i felt important and deep. i thought my problems were complex and that seeing a doctor gave them credence. i imagined that after my sessions, my doctor would step into her office and call a coworker, perplexed over what i'd told her. "it's unlike anything i've ever heard," she'd say. "she really has a hard life," she'd sympathize. i wore my depression like a badge of honor.
during my allotted hour, i'd tell my doctor, "dr. josie," about how i wanted to have sex with my fabricated boyfriend and how glorious i felt when i smoked weed. i told her that my mother hit me with her hairbrush and that she never let me borrow her clothes. when she administered the rorschach test, something i thought was only done in the fifties, i carefully examined the pictures and claimed to see things that i knew very well i didn't, like ponies mating or a baby with a club foot. "hmmm," she'd say as she jotted down notes and i'd smile, sure that i was impressing her.
on the drive back home, my mother would always try to ask me what we'd talked about. looking out my window, i'd tell her that the doctor thought i was very smart for my age and thought that i didn't need to be there, and that it was probably my mother that needed to be on the couch. i'd sneak a glance at my mother, her eyes brimming with tears, and suppress a smile. then this woman that i'd called a monster behind her back would stop to fill up her car and get us hot dogs from diamond shamrock. we'd ride in silence the rest of the way home, me with my walkman, she with the thoughts i'd implanted in her head.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)