| Steve's List (in no particular order): 1. Love Actually The ensemble of ensembles among romantic comedy films. This bona fide box office hit boasts of a predominantly British cast without the benefits of a Harry Potter label (think Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, and Bill Nighy). The cast members are involved in different subplots and their stories intertwine to build a 136-minute running time. Its main flaw is also the source of its charms: relying on all those convoluted stories to deliver the most laughs and warmth that a feel-good movie is supposed to do. That the film was set during Christmas makes it a favorite to be part of one's Holidays and Valentines viewing tradition. 2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind One of the most thought-provoking films of the past decade within and beyond its genre. Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) are former lovers who underwent procedures to erase all their memories about their relationship. The story traverses along Joel's mind as he tries to revisit these memories while undergoing the procedure and proceeds with unexpected twists and outcomes. 3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days This became an instant favorite of mine as soon as I watched it because of the chemistry between Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson in this film. Andie Anderson (Hudson), in the process of writing an article, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", proceeds to find a man to date and to whom she'll do all the wrong things women do in relationships. Almost simultaneously within the same metro, advertising executive Benjamin Barry (McConaughey) makes a bet with his boss and coworkers that he can make any woman fall in love with him in just ten days. Barry's coworkers, aware of Andie's search for a subject in her article sets her up to be Barry's "target" girl. The film proceeds with the opposing quests of Andie (to make Ben break up with her) and Ben (to make Andie fall in love with him). 4. The Devil Wears Prada Another favorite of mine mainly due to Meryl Streep's outstanding performance as the cold-blooded Miranda Priestly, a fashion magazine editor. For this role, Streep earned various award nominations, including an Academy Award for Best Actress. Andy (Anne Hathaway) gets a job as co-assistant to the steely and uber-demanding Miranda Priestly. Andy tries to manage the demands of her job and her relationships with her boss Priestly, co-assistant Emily (Emily Blunt), and beau Nate (Adrian Grenier). 5. Aladdin Yes, one year after Beauty and the Beast (see Merle's list), Disney delivered yet again with another quality fairytale movie, this time about two lovers overcoming the odds and circumstances surrounding them from birth to complete a happily-ever-after ending. "A Whole New World" and the idea of having your wishes granted - how lovely. | Merle's List (in no particular order): 1. Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightley Version) From the very beginning of the show, when the beautiful piano composition (by the brilliant Dario Marianelli) starts to play and weave into the picturesque rural scenery, the feeling that the movie was going to be a memorable one was already swelling inside me. And this feeling never faded. When Elizabeth Bennett (Keira) meets the haughty but extremely rich Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), their stubborn characters immediately get into a proverbial sword fight. The movie explores this relationship and how the two finally begin to understand each other and rein in their pride and prejudice over the other. The movie's success depended highly on Keira and Matthew's chemistry and acting ability and both certainly delivered. Matthew Macfadyen embodied the Mr. Darcy that almost every girl dreams of. Along with a charming musical score and a fantastic supporting cast, this movie is pretty much perfect in my eyes. 2. Penelope Penelope is a chick flick that revolves around a girl named Penelope (Christina Ricci) who was cursed with a pig-snout for a nose and who has been locked inside her home for the past twenty or so years. The only way to break the spell is to find someone of her own kind to love her truly, which spurs on all the matchmaking soirees the mother hosts in their home. In one of the soirees, Penelope meets Max (James McAvoy), a gambler who unexpectedly helps Penelope come out of her shell. Ultimately however, it is Penelope who affects more change in Max, when she runs away from home on an adventure, and begins to come into terms with herself and her curse. The movie has great cinematography, and a very eye candy production set that certainly brings a quaint fairytale charm to the show. Once again, the chemistry between the two central characters was undeniable. But more than anything, what I liked about the show was how they were able to turn what could have been a cliched plot into a unique movie with little surprising twists, and brilliant character developments of the whole cast, which had the movie steering away from the fairytale evil vs. good cliche. 3. 13 Going on 30 This is probably the obligatory "Be careful what you wish for" type of romantic chick flick movie every girl should have on her top chick flick list ;) And there's definitely a WHOLE LOT of these kinds of movies out there. Jennifer Garner was perfect as Jenna Rink, a 13 year old in a hurry to grow up, be successful, and be a beautiful, popular girl. When she gets her wish and turns 30 however, she realizes she's thrown away some things along the way, particularly her friendship with best friend, Matt Flamhaff (played by the very, very, very lovable Mark Ruffalo), who has loved her ever since. Mark Ruffalo played the part of the pining best friend character just as flawlessly - it was hard not to gush over him. 4. Beauty and the Beast I absolutely love this film, and a lot of people must love it too, considering it was the first animated film to be given a Best Picture Oscar nomination. There's always something captivating about the idea that a man can change for the better because of his love for a woman, and this movie is perhaps the shining example of such a notion. The soundtrack is also praise-worthy, and fits perfectly with the fairytale. 5. While you were Sleeping I included this film on my top 5 list mainly for 2 reasons. One - because I felt it would be a mortal sin not to include a Sandra Bullock flick in my top 5, considering that I'm a huge fan of hers and find that she is perfect for the chick flick genre. Two - because the chemistry between Sandra and Bill Pullman was just so wonderful and charming, that it was hard not to smile like an idiot throughout the film as you see their relationship unfold. Charming is perhaps the one word to really sum up this movie - its cast, the plot, and the backdrop (set during Christmas time). |
Other Notes:
From Steve: "I'm surprised with Merle's pick for a Sandra Bullock movie - I always thought Miss Congeniality whenever Sandra's name comes up. Need to watch Pride and Prejudice soon."
From Merle: "I'm ashamed I've never watched Love Actually yet, but from watching a few scenes and trailers from the movie over on YouTube, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love it as much. Devil Wears Prada is in my top 10 list of fave chick flicks. I'm slightly surprised with your choice of Aladdin but yes, I do agree that was a good animated film as well :) Not in my top 15, but I certainly enjoy watching that one and wouldn't mind watching it again."
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