Baby it's cold inside: RedMo cinema salon
After the aside in my last post on the lameness of Pretty Woman, reader and possible parent-of-feminists StotheL wants to know:
Asking me about romantic films is like asking a vegan to recommend a rib joint. My first answer was "none." Then I thought, what about Remains of the Day? The Little Thief? The English Patient? Is there a theme here apart from the lack of recent titles? Aren't there any happily-ever-after movies I dig?
None leap to mind. I avoid Hollywood romances. It's one of the things Hombre loves about me: no mushy stuff in the Netflix queue. Movies about people who find True Love with the One Person Meant for Them leave me stone cold, because I don't buy the notion of hanging one's happiness or the meaning of life on another person. It seems lazy, deeply unfair to the "love interest," fraught with peril on both sides, and a clear-cut case of don't-try-this-at-home.
But what if I've missed something worthwhile? What if the time spent watching Spirited Away and Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser and Jackass would have been better spent watching something romantic? Come to think of it, Spirited Away was sort of romantic. Sen and Haku acted out of genuine friendship in a way that led Sen to hone her personal courage. And then they each went their own way without a bunch of weepy drama. But that's a movie about kids, and I presume we're talking about grownup romance here. I'm drawing a blank.
So I put the question to you, dear readers, in case you're going to be sleeted at this weekend like I am -- are there any good, intelligent romantic films out there?
Next time: I don't much care for teddy bears, either.
What is a good romantic movie, to your mind?
Asking me about romantic films is like asking a vegan to recommend a rib joint. My first answer was "none." Then I thought, what about Remains of the Day? The Little Thief? The English Patient? Is there a theme here apart from the lack of recent titles? Aren't there any happily-ever-after movies I dig?
None leap to mind. I avoid Hollywood romances. It's one of the things Hombre loves about me: no mushy stuff in the Netflix queue. Movies about people who find True Love with the One Person Meant for Them leave me stone cold, because I don't buy the notion of hanging one's happiness or the meaning of life on another person. It seems lazy, deeply unfair to the "love interest," fraught with peril on both sides, and a clear-cut case of don't-try-this-at-home.
But what if I've missed something worthwhile? What if the time spent watching Spirited Away and Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser and Jackass would have been better spent watching something romantic? Come to think of it, Spirited Away was sort of romantic. Sen and Haku acted out of genuine friendship in a way that led Sen to hone her personal courage. And then they each went their own way without a bunch of weepy drama. But that's a movie about kids, and I presume we're talking about grownup romance here. I'm drawing a blank.
So I put the question to you, dear readers, in case you're going to be sleeted at this weekend like I am -- are there any good, intelligent romantic films out there?
Next time: I don't much care for teddy bears, either.
Labels: crackpot notions
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