Here is what you need to know about Valentine’s Day: It isn’t as vile as you may be expecting (Or at least, as I was expecting), but it isn’t exactly good, either. It is Love Actually sans charm, a wisp of a confection with little depth, and a gaggle of very talented actors portraying characters who are kind of cute and maybe occasionally funny but whom you will, for the most part, not really give a shit about because the film doesn’t take any real risks.
Every once in awhile, a melodrama manages to incorporate the typical themes of the genre yet elevate itself above the cliches that go along with those themes. Genuinely moving without falling back on the stereotypes that could easily be expected of it, The Greatest is an excellent example of how melodrama can and should be done.
There’s nothing new here, but who honestly goes into a romantic comedy at this point and expects innovation?
I really wish I could like Nancy Meyers. There aren’t that many successful female directors in the film industry, and I’d like to at least be able to show a little solidarity on that front. However, I find her films so tremendously lackluster, even if they weren’t quietly subverting the girl power they claim to support, I’d still think they were a waste of my time.
The most telling thing I can say about Catch and Release is that it’s melodrama. While I have a lot of issues with the genre, I can’t necessarily hold them against this movie in particular as one small part of a bigger problem. What I can do, however, is point out the problems that are inherently its own.
I feel like I must be some sort of harridan to think so, but I kind of wanted to slap Keats and Fanny both and tell them to put on their big girl panties.
A cute movie; not necessarily my personal taste, but one I can easily see becoming a classic.
To fully appreciate Bonnie and Clyde, I think you have to understand its importance to American cinema.
I thought I’d seen Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? before, but apparently if I had it was long enough ago to forget everything about it. Regardless, I’m glad that I had the occasion to watch it today, because it turned out to be a surprisingly poignant and thoughtful film rather than the opinion piece and top-heavy morality tale I expected.
