Archive for the ‘Best Date Movies’ Category

Before Sunrise

Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Movies Online

In a world where characters seem to cautiously approach a tentative friendship before diving into an impulsive romantic relationship, it is almost refreshing to see both happening at once. From the moment American Jesse meets the luminous French Celine there is a soul connection that defies definition.

At first, Celine seems to overwhelm Jesse with her intellectual wanderings and yet she playfully allows him to tease her. The chemistry is phenomenal and the sheer beauty of various scenes made me realize how the simplicity of the settings actually enhanced the emotional aspects.

Throughout the entire movie you never feel that you are on the outside looking in, although I think that is the underlying attraction. I was so mesmerized by the script I felt I became each character as they were speaking. This is bliss for anyone who loves the sheer honesty of life itself. Jesse and Celine delve into philosophy, creatively describe their first romantic feelings and enjoy a spontaneous merging of the minds.

When they meet on a train heading to Vienna, neither imagine they will encounter a reality that is better than any fantasy. There is a sweet innocence pervading this entire movie with an underlying erotic tension that never seems to find complete fulfillment on screen. While the ending of this movie is more melancholy, the ending of Before Sunset is more than delicious.

Cast

  • Ethan Hawke – Jesse
  • Julie Delpy – Céline
  • Andrea Eckert – Wife on train
  • Hanno Pöschl – Husband on train
  • Erni Mangold – Palm reader
  • Dominic Castell – Street poet
  • Adam Goldberg – Man sleeping on train (uncredited)

Tags: ,
Posted in 1990s Date Movies, Best Date Movies | No Comments »

There’s Something About Mary

Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Movies Online

Ted (Ben Stiller) plays a nerdy guy, with terrible luck, who has spent the last 13 years obsessing over Mary (Cameron Diaz), the high school dream girl who got away. Ted hears she is living in Miami and hires a scumbag detective (Matt Dillion) to track her down. From there all sorts of wacky hijinks ensue- involving Puffy the dog on speed, a psychopathic murderer and Mary trying on Ted’s organic “hair gel”.

Slapstick comedy has long been a part of Hollywood cinema. But this film takes it to a new level with its hilariously disgusting gags and over the top silliness. It’s a sort of “stupid” movie for smart people. The plot is outrageous and all the characters, besides Ted and Mary, are idiots. This is, of course, very much intentional on the part of the Farrelly brothers. I suppose the point might be that these two good hearted souls still manage to find each other despite all the liars, phonies and bad fortune. But the social satire still takes a back seat to the comedy as this movie ranks very high on the “laughs per minute” meter. An extremely funny film that is among the best of it’s type.

Cast

  • Cameron Diaz as Mary Jensen/Matthews, an orthopedic surgeon whom Ted has been in love with since high school.
  • Ben Stiller as Ted Stroehmann, an awkward and shy young man who loves – and possibly is obsessed with Mary.
  • Matt Dillon as Pat Healy, a sleazy private detective whom Ted hires to track Mary down, only to fall in love with her himself.
  • Chris Elliott as Dom “Woogie” Woganowski, Ted’s best friend and has a fetish for Mary’s shoes.
  • Lee Evans as Tucker / Norman Phipps, a Pompano teen who falls in love with Mary after delivering a pizza and pretends to be a British architect in order to woo her.
  • Lin Shaye as Magda
  • Jeffrey Tambor as Sully
  • Markie Post as Sheila Jensen, Mary’s mother.
  • Keith David as Charlie Jensen, Mary’s step-father.
  • W. Earl Brown as Warren Jensen, Mary’s mentally disabled brother.
  • Sarah Silverman as Brenda, Mary’s crude best friend.
  • Khandi Alexander as Joanie
  • Willie Garson as Dr. Zit Face / High School Pal Bob
  • Harland Williams (uncredited) as Hitchhiker
  • Brett Favre as Himself, Mary’s former love interest.

Tags: ,
Posted in 1990s Date Movies, Best Date Movies | No Comments »

While You Were Sleeping

Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Movies Online

This is one of my favorite romantic comedies. I think what it gets right is something others don’t focus on. It is not enough to just have a great couple, but you have to create a world for them as well. The supportive roles are just as important as the leads.
I think most women like Sandra Bullock, because she beautiful, but not so beautiful that we cannot relate to her. She is smart and very funny. She is a good person who deserves love. I think it’s great that there is this guy she idealizes and projects all of her romantic fantasies on to. Of course, if she ever talked to him that would end quickly.
She ends up being drawn into this kooky family, which is what she is really looking for…not just love, but a home. Bill Pullman is very attractive as a good down to earth guy who sees how wonderful she is. There are so many warm and wonderful moments in this movie.
I think the humor is the other thing it has going for it. Michael Rispoli is hilarious, as is Sandra. I think guys who are not that into romantic comedies may be able to deal with this one because of the humor.
My favorite scene is when she is pouring her heart out to the Peter Gallagher character in the hospital. The loneliness and sadness is something we have all felt at some point.
A wonderful movie all around.

Tags: ,
Posted in 1990s Date Movies, Best Date Movies, Featured Articles | No Comments »

Titanic

Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Movies Online

If this incredible films winning of eleven Academy awards including Best Picture and Best director and being the highest grossing film of all time doesn’t speak for itself I don’t know what else would. “Titanic” is quite simply one of the best tales of a true life tragedy interspersed with a fictional love story ever made, all of which combines to make director James Cameron appear a true genius which in terms of being a film director he is.

I will freely admit that I’m not a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan but when it comes to this film he did an exceptional job in the role of Jack. Instrumental in the success of this film, beyond the exceptional script, is the performance given by the ever beautiful Kate Winslet in the role of Rose. Noteworthy are the performances given by the supporting cast to include the likes of David Warner, Kathy Bates and Billy Zane and of course a couple of James Cameron’s staple actors who crop up in almost all of his films in Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein.

As testimony to the brilliance of director James Cameron one only needs to take a look at his list of directorial and script credits which includes; “The Terminator,” “Aliens,” “The Abyss,” “T2: Judgment Day,” “True Lies” and “Titanic.” With a list such as this one James Cameron has most certainly gone down in history as one of the most successful directors/screen writers in history and deservedly so. It would be nice to see him take a break from television and take up the film directing mantle once again as one can almost call it a sure bet film when he’s in the director’s chair.

The Premise:

On April 14th, 1912 one of western civilization’s most tragic events occurred when a ship thought to be unsinkable did exactly that, struck an iceberg and sank killing hundreds of passengers in the process as the ships builders seemed to have made one mistake after another in the construction of this “magnificent” vessel.

Director/screen writer James Cameron concocts a glorious love story around this true life tragedy and quite poignantly portrays the disparity of classes aboard the vessel as the first class passengers live in the lap of luxury even during the “abandonment” of the vessel while the poor are treated with palpable disdain to include being locked below decks after the ship begins to sink.

While the true story of this movie is the sinking of the ship told through Cameron’s brilliant writing and direction there is whole myriad of other things going on that are not noticeable but would’ve been had they been done incorrectly, chief among these are the costumes and the sets of the Titanic.

The truly fictitious portion of this tragedy is told through Rose Dawson Calvert (Gloria Stuart) as she regales present day treasure hunters of her time on the Titanic and the gloriously passionate but brief love affair between her and Jack Dawson who was a free spirited artist who taught her how to live despite his destiny…

I highly recommend this film to any and all who are fans of what movie making is all about!

Tags: ,
Posted in 1990s Date Movies, Best Date Movies, Featured Articles | No Comments »

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Movies Online

The main thing that drives this remarkable story is acting. There plot is interesting, enough, and the romance is fine, but neither of them are in themselves interesting enough to create a compelling movie. The two people who do that are Depp and DiCaprio. Leonardo DiCaprio is 100% convincing as Arnie Grape, a mentally retarded young man from a dysfunctional family. After seeing it for the first time, my pop-culture staved friend asked me if the person playing Arnie was in fact mentally retarded. Depp is also convincing as Gilbert Grape, and performs as much through his face as through his voice. Juliette Lewis, however, is just…weird. She talks and acts basically like a druggie, and her performance in the trailers alone almost prevented me from seeing the movie.

The plot is basically a chronicle of the weeks leading up to Arnie’s 18th birthday. He has a morbidly obese mother, a resentful 15 year old sister, and his older brother and sister who act as the mother and father figure for the family. He also has a penchant for climbing water towers, which eventually leads to trouble.

Cast

  • Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape
  • Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape
  • Juliette Lewis as Becky
  • Mary Steenburgen as Betty Carver
  • Darlene Cates as Bonnie Grape
  • Laura Harrington as Amy Grape
  • Mary Kate Schellhardt as Ellen Grape
  • Kevin Tighe as Ken Carver
  • John C. Reilly as Tucker Van Dyke
  • Crispin Glover as Bobby McBurney

Tags: ,
Posted in 1990s Date Movies, Best Date Movies | No Comments »

Fiddler on the Roof

Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Movies Online

Fiddler on the Roof is the 1971 American film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. It was directed by Norman Jewison. The film won three Academy Awards, including one for arranger-conductor John Williams. It was nominated for several more, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Chaim Topol as Tevye, and Best Supporting Actor for Leonard Frey, who played Motel the Tailor (both had originally acted in the musical; Topol as Tevye in the London production and Frey in a minor part as Mendel, the rabbi’s son). The decision to cast Topol as Tevye instead of Zero Mostel was a somewhat controversial one, as the role had originated with Mostel and he had made it famous.

Recording was done at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. Most of the exterior shots were done in Croatia: in Mala Gorica, Lekenik, and Zagreb.

The film follows the plot of the stage play very closely, although it omits the songs “Now I Have Everything” and “The Rumor”. It takes place in the Jewish village of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia in 1905 and centers on the character of Tevye, a poor milkman, and his daughters’ marriages. As Tevye says in the introductory narration, the Jews have relied upon their traditions to maintain the stability of their way of life for centuries; but as times change, that stability is threatened on the small scale by Tevye’s daughters’ wishes to marry men not chosen in the traditional way by the matchmaker, and on the large scale by pogroms and revolution in Russia.

Cast

  • Chaim Topol as Tevye
  • Norma Crane as Golde
  • Leonard Frey as Motel Kamzoil
  • Molly Picon as Yente
  • Paul Mann as Lazar Wolf
  • Rosalind Harris as Tzeitel
  • Michèle Marsh as Hodel
  • Neva Small as Chava
  • Michael Glaser as Perchik
  • Raymond Lovelock as Fyedka

Tags: ,
Posted in Best Date Movies, Classic Date Movies | No Comments »