I'm not really sure what happened this month, but May was full of great romance and romantic comedy movies. In fact, eight of the nine films on this list (including honorable mentions) could be described as such. Weird.
Oh, and one last thing: I've decided to try out video embeds this month to spice up the blog a bit. Anyways, let's get on with it.
Film of the Month: Blue Valentine (2010)
Directed by Derek Cianfrance.
Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
When I told a friend about how great I thought Blue Valentine was, he started complaining about how movies shouldn't revolve around such mundane storylines. Real people live these lives, so it's boring to watch. That was his point, and, to an extent, I can understand it. In fact, one of my least favorite films of the month (Somewhere) suffers from this exact problem: absolutely nothing happens and I was completely bored the entire time. However, Blue Valentine is not one of those movies. Sure, almost everyone has lived through a relationship gone awry, but to suggest that simply being able to relate to the story makes it mundane is ridiculous. Blue Valentine may not have monster trucks exploding on mountaintops or gunfights on top of the Eiffel Tower, but it still has some very intense, dramatic moments. The film was originally given an NC-17 rating, for that matter. BV displays the anatomy of a wilting relationship in an extremely creative and effective way: by contrasting it with how the relationship began. My favorite film of 2009, 500 Days of Summer, used a similar contrast (with very different intentions, though). Scenes of this couple's broken home are interlaced with scenes of them falling in love. This is an excellent way to tell a story and immediately connected with me emotionally on multiple levels. I also must quickly mention the acting in this film. Williams was amazing in her role and deservedly received an Oscar nomination for it. To me, though, the real star of the film was Ryan Gosling. Ever since seeing 127 Hours, I have proclaimed Franco's performance to be the best of the year. No more: Gosling was by far the best actor of the year. If you have any interest in this film genre at all, please check out Blue Valentine.
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Honorable Mentions:
Before Sunrise (1995)
Directed by Richard Linklater.
Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.
Before Sunrise is, honestly, just as good as Blue Valentine, and I almost made it the film of the month. Hawke and Delpy work so naturally together in this movie that it doesn't even look like they are acting. Also, being a Linklater film, it's got a lot of philosophical ideas interwoven in the romance. A very unique movie with one of the best sequels of all time, too.
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Bridesmaids (2011)
Directed by Paul Feig.
Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, and Rose Byrne.
Going into Bridesmaids with very low expectations, I wasn't sure just how much I actually liked it after it was over. Was it really that great, or was it just better than expectations? When I found myself convincing my entire family to go see it instead of The Hangover Part II and laughing even harder the second time, I knew the answer. Disregard the title: this movie is hilarious for women and men.
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District 9 (2009)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp.
Starring Sharlto Copley and a bunch of prawns.
I actually saw District 9 in theaters. I had been out for drinks before I saw it though, and maybe that's why I left underwhelmed and disappointed. Whatever the reason, I re-watched D-9 last month and thought it was really great. It works not just as a political statement but, more importantly, as a sci-fi film. And with all these effects, it only cost $30 million to make? That's impressive.
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Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch.
Starring Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, and Charles Coburn.
Not to be confused with Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait, this film is about a man trying to convince Satan to let him into hell by telling him his life story. It's actually a love story, and the fantastical parts of the movie are pretty silly, but the overall movie is cute and interesting. Also, kudos to the filmmakers for portraying Satan as a nice guy all the way back in the 40s.
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The Red Shoes (1948)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
Starring Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, and Marius Goring.
You can tell that Darren Aronofsky watched The Red Shoes before he made Black Swan. Tonally and structurally the films are very different, but Aronofsky borrowed a good amount of his camera technique and choreographic ideas from The Red Shoes. Check the clip I've attached for an example. That's not a bad thing, though. Just like Black Swan, The Red Shoes managed to make a movie about ballet exciting.
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The Science of Sleep (2005)
Directed by Michel Gondry.
Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Alain Chabat.
Michel Gondry's films always leave me with, if nothing else, some very unique visuals. The Science of Sleep is probably the best example of this. In a world where the main character can't tell the difference between dreams and reality, you'd better have some fantastical imagery. Gondry doesn't disappoint, and the blurring of the dream/reality line extends to the viewer, as well, leaving you wondering what actually happened. In a good way.
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Tangled (2010)
Directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard.
Starring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.
I actually like Tangled better than Disney's last film, The Princess and the Frog (other than that awesome Keith David scene). It's got a lot of the usual cheesy Disney stuff, but it's also got some pretty fun humor for all ages. The highlights of the film were definitely the horse and the chameleon, who didn't even need to speak to bring across their goofy personalities. If this is the trend Disney plans to follow with their animated films, I can support that.
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When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Directed by Rob Reiner.
Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
I'm not really sure how I went this long in life without ever seeing When Harry Met Sally, but I'm sure glad I finally checked it out. Although very similar to Annie Hall (probably the best romantic comedy of all time), WHMS stands apart for creating a lengthy, decades-long romance between these two characters. I know a lot of guys (like me) haven't checked out this movie, probably because a lot of women say it's great and that usually signifies that it's a chick flick. Just try it out, guys. It's really great.
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Other (Good) Films From May:
Before Sunset (2004)
Billy Elliot (2000)
Crank 2: High Voltage (2009)
Mother (2010)
A Soldier's Story (1984)
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