Shattering the Celluloid Ceiling
February is the month of Valentine’s Day and of love, so it’s the perfect time to discuss romantic comedies. Over the past few years, Netflix has produced a plethora of original rom-coms. While not all of them are top-notch quality (yes, I’m thinking of the slew of Noah Centineo vehicles they made after the success of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018)), they’ve proven themselves to be the top studio for this sort of movie.
Trying to arrange a date is an immense task, and some Hollywood films make it appear ever so easy! There's never any issues getting a resturant reservation, nobody gets held up in traffic and no-one walks into the resturant with their blouse inside out (not, that this has happened to me *ahem*). Everything seems to go according to plan and the couple have a great time. It's enough to make you feel just a little bit down. However, don't worry! I have managed to find some pretty awful dates that didn't go well for the characters involved. Happy Belated Valentines Day everyone!
“I can't stand romantic comedies." We’ve all met someone like this. Whether or not this is a genre that you like, love, or simply feel abhorrently about, I believe that there are some classics that are embedded in the history of film that can’t be discredited. Ones that warm even the coldest or most cynical of us. Since I think that these lie within the very fabric of what makes movies like this so comforting, these are five I’d suggest for anyone. However, we all have our own tastes and sentimental trappings when it comes to ”feel good” cinema, or "cry your eyes out” romance. Find your own, but if you need help, check these out.
I find that the best love stories are not romantic in nature but live within the friendships we have. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day and in honor of BFFs everywhere, are some movies you can enjoy with your ride-or-die.
“It’s done,” Céline Sciamma said through laughter, “I don’t need your approval!” Ten minutes earlier, a lengthy applause break punctuated the film screening and Sciamma was welcomed to the stage with a standing ovation. Sitting in a folding director’s chair on-stage in the sold-out Music Box Theater in Chicago, IL, Sciamma shared insights on the filmmaking process during a question and answer session with the audience. The early pre-screening of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019) was part of a press tour preceding the films wide release in the United States.
Joan gives us a list of her favourite romances from horror for Valentine's Day! 1. “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992): A horror story based on eternal love complicated by the side effects of eternal life. Great art direction and Richard E. Grant is awesome as a psychologist stumped by patient Renfield’s obsession with flies. Why I love it: Gary Oldman in blue tinted shades indulging in absinthe. 2. “Crimson Peak” (2015): When a tall, handsome stranger (Tom Hiddleston) professes his desire to take aspiring author Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) away to his family mansion, what could possibly go wrong? Gothic and darkly beautiful, this is a romance that only Guillermo del Toro could tell and Jessica Chastain nearly walks away with the film as the dominating, manipulative Lucille. Why I love it: The candlelight waltz with Tom Hiddleston.
Over time we’ve been blessed with a lot of many amazing couples on screen. Sometimes, the film is incredible, but the relationship? Not so much. Depending on the film, the toxicity of the coupling can accentuate some of its intentions, other times, it’s not even recognized as such. I think the sense of awareness for the subjects makes a real difference. There are a lot of ways to look at toxic relationships in films, and these are several that should get attention, but as you’ll see, it's for differing reasons.
