Showing posts with label Top 10 List. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top 10 List. Show all posts

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Top Ten


10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate 
About You 

John Hughes dominated the teen comedy genre in the 1980s with a plethora of endearing, slightly crude films like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Pretty In Pink. Teen comedies continued to enjoy success in the 1990s as the genre moved from sentimental to ironic. Films like Scream and Clueless took a very self-aware look at the teen genre, while other films like She’s All That kept the sentimentality, but lost the edge of Hughes’ work.

One secret gem of the 90s teen comedy genre is 10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger as high school outcasts. 10 Things balances ironic comedy with just enough heart to produce a surprisingly satisfying teen romance. To celebrate this underrated film, here are the Ten Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You:

10. The Shakespeare References. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and the film is littered with references to the Bard. The play’s two sisters, Bianca and Katherina Minola, become Bianca and Kat Stratford (ala Shakespeare’s birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon,) The students attend Padua High School (the city where the play is set). Heath Ledger plays Patrick Verona (who in the play is named Petruchio and comes from Verona). Characters frequently quote sonnets and even the song played at prom, “Cruel to Be Kind”, gets its title from a Hamlet line.  

9. The 90s Clothes. Midriff-baring prom dresses, platform shoes, crop tops and so much gauzy floral fabric. It’s a trip down memory lane to an era of fashion we’d all probably rather forget, but it’s still a little fun to remember.

8. Solid Adult Roles. Any teen comedy is bound to feature a few adults in relatively thankless supporting roles. 10 Things cast a game group of actors as the parents and teachers in the Stratford girls’ lives. Allison Janney (Ms. Perky), Daryl Mitchell (Mr. Morgan) and David Leisure (Coach Chapin) turn in goofy performances that go a long way to fleshing out the world of Padua High. Character actor Larry Miller threatens to steal the movie with a neurotic and, dare I say, nuanced portrayal of a single dad trying to raise two teenage daughters. 

7. The Music. I have to confess, I still have the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack on my iTunes. It’s a fun, eclectic mix of music (with a pinch of ska), and features tunes by Joan Armatrading, Sister Hazel, and Letters to Cleo. The music is mellow and perfectly compliments the film’s laid-back attitude.

6. The Blooper Reel. Are you the kind of person who turns off the TV as soon as the credits start to role? If so, than you may have missed out on this blooper reel which features the cast being both adorable and hilarious.

5. The Decent Script. Alright, it’s not Citizen Kane, but the script is frothy fun with a nice sense of self-awareness. The characters feel fleshed-out, the comedy is genuinely funny, and there are one or two rather poignant scenes that stay on the right side of saccharine.

4. The Solid Central Relationship. While a lot of teen comedies focus on romance, male bonding, and bitchy cliques, the real heart of 10 Things I Hate About You is the relationship between two sisters. Bianca and Kat’s bond feels appropriately antagonistic yet based in love. The girls’ mother is absent (I’ve gotten into arguments with friends about whether she walked out on the family or died, I firmly believe she left by choice) and there’s a nice sense of two teenage girls navigating a new relationship after a big change. There’s also a really lovely scene where Kat explains her descent from popular girl to outcast. It might not pass the Bechdel Test, but it’s nevertheless a nice piece of writing and acting that gives the film more weight than a lot of teen comedies.

3. That Poem. Like many rom coms, there’s not a ton of resolution once the drama is over and it’s time to get the main couple back together. After realizing her date was paid to take her out and ditching him at prom, Kat reads this pseudo-apologetic poem to her English class. It’s a simplistic resolution, but Stiles sells it so well that you almost (almost) don’t notice. Plus according to IMDb trivia: “The scene in which Kat reads the "10 Things" poem was the first and only take, according to the DVD extras. Kat's tears towards the end of the poem were not planned.” Good job Julia.

2. Heath Singing. Some people remember Heath for his intense dramatic work or jumpy personality, but I will always remember him as an adorable Australian serenading a girl’s soccer team.

1. Casting Legit Actors. The real unsung hero of this film is the casting director who had a sixth sense for casting future A-listers. Julia Stiles continued to find success in teen dramas and later onstage and can currently be seen in Silver Linings Playbook. Heath Ledger went on to star in Brokeback Mountain and won a posthumous Oscar for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become a beloved Hollywood presence since his big screen turn in 500 Days of Summer. Compare that resume to other 90s teen comedies like She’s All That or Drive Me Crazy and it’s easy to see what keeps 10 Things I Hate About You entertaining, fourteen years later.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Top 10 List

Top 10 Romances NOT from Rom Coms

  














 When I was crafting my Top 10 Rom Com Cliches, I realized that many of my favorite romantic cliches come not from rom coms, but from other films with romantic subplots. I thought I'd branch out a bit and give you my Top 10 Favorite Romances NOT from Rom Coms. (For purposes of this list, I defined a rom com as any movie in which romance is the central story line. Hence something like Casablanca wasn't eligible even though it's not normally considered a romantic comedy. I wanted to avoid the romance genre altogether.)
 
10. WALL-E & EVE  (WALL-E)
Leave it to Pixar to make me actually care about the very human relationship between two robots.

9. Captain Steve Hiller & Jasmine, David & Constance (Independence Day)
I'm not ashamed to admit that Independence Day is one of my all time favorite films. (Mainly because of this speech.) Along with great explosions, a kickass president and an excellent alien-villain, this movie also gives us Will Smith dating a stripper (Vivica A. Fox) and Jeff Goldblum reuniting with his estranged wife (Margaret Colin). What more could you ask for?

8. Jack Traven & Annie Porter (Speed
Long before the horrible The Lake House, Keanu Reeve and Sandra Bullock made sparks fly on a bus wired to explode if driven slower than 50 mph. It's a high-stakes, high-speed romance with just a enough banter to keep things from becoming too high-strung. 

7. Rick O'Connell and Evy Carnahan (The Mummy)
Sure it's a terrible movie, and the pairing of Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz shouldn't work- but somehow it does. Chalk this one up to my love of history and archeology.  

6. Buddy & Jovie  (Elf)
Before she was the queen of quirkiness, Zooey Deschanel was just Will Ferrell's blonde love interest. Their romance is as sweet and innocent as this film, and their singing-in-the-shower rendition of Baby It's Cold Outside is one of my favorite versions of that song.

5. Anita & Roger, Perdita & Pongo (101 Dalmatians- 1961)
My friends can tell you I've always idolized Anita and Roger's barely-featured romance as a perfect movie pairing. They're funny, sweet and willing to live on a budget to be together. Their canine counterparts are equally loyal and both relationships work beautifully in this animated classic. (A version I consider vastly superior to the 1996 live action remake.) 

4. William Thatcher & Lady Jocelyn (A Knight's Tale
Heath Ledger largely stayed away from romantic leading roles after this 2001 vehicle, which is a shame because he exudes charm in this underrated medieval romp. Shannyn Sossamon isn't quite as strong, but Heath brings enough to the pairing that it doesn't really matter. 

3. Robin Hood & Maid Marian (The Adventures of Robin Hood- 1938)
I've always been a sucker for Errol Flynn and as Robin Hood he's at his Errol Flynn-iest best. Olivia Mary de Havilland has just the right amount of sass to be his onscreen equal.

2. Elizabeth Swan & Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean)
It wasn't until Orlando Bloom took off the elf ears and ditched the blonde wig that I finally fell head over heels for him (to be fair, I was thirteen at the time). He and Keira Knightley have a fantastic smoldering chemistry and add just the right amount of heart to this swashbuckling adventure.

1. Princess Leia & Han Solo (Star Wars)
Two words pretty much sum up what makes this pairing so great. Agree with me? I know


Did I leave one of your favorite non-rom-com romances off the list? Let me know in the comments!


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Top 10 List

Top 10 Romantic Comedy Cliches
(that I secretly love)












 Romantic comedies feature cliches and tropes that pop up in movie after movie. Some get annoying, but others give me a thrill no matter how many times I watch them. Here are my personal Top 10 Favorite Romantic Comedy cliches:


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10. Running to the airport. The love interest is leaving town and our hero has to stop them. There are a lot of variations on this- sometimes it's driving to the airport, other times the character has run through an airport (as in Love Actually) hoping to stop their one true love before she gets on that plane. Whatever the location, it's always an exciting sequence that adds a jolt of energy to the climax of the film.

9. The montage of brooding. Basically something has gone wrong and there's nothing to do about it but brood to some melancholy music. It's a mini-moody-music video and a nice break from the normally chipper rom-com world. Knotting Hill has a gorgeous sequence where Hugh Grant walks down the street and through the seasons to Bill Withers’ Aint No Sunshine When She’s Gone.

8. Realizing you're in love. Something seems to be off, but the main character can't figure out what it is. The, suddenly, it hits her. She's in love! Even though the audience has probably figured out the character's feelings long before she has, the epiphany is pretty exhilarating and usually kicks start a huge turning point in the film. Beauty and the Beast sets that realization to music.

7. The almost kiss. This is a tricky one because it can very easily cross the line from enjoyable-cliche to annoying one. I'm not a fan of the "interrupted kiss" (someone barges in just in time to stop the lip lock.) I'm talking about the brief moment of hesitation that stops a kiss in its tracks. The sexual tension is palpable, but one false move ruins the moment and leaves both characters longing for more. The almost-kiss works beautifully in Enchanted (and you get a bonus “realizing you’re in love” moment!)

6. Telling off a jerk. Our heroine is being held back by someone who generally treats her like crap. Often times it's a boss, a jealous boyfriend or a manipulative friend. After finally realizing she deserves better, our leading lady finally gets to tell off her tormenter. Kate Winslet gets just such a moment in The Holiday.

5. The surprise kiss. It’s a risky move that is likely to get you in trouble in real life, but is thrilling on film. The kiss comes out of nowhere and stops the other person in their tracks. 10 Things I Hate About You subverts the cliché by having Patrick’s kiss fail completely.

4. Confessing your love. A good rom-com will build to that final moment when a character just can't keep silent anymore. The confessor puts everything on the line in the hopes that the other person feels the same way. Sometimes it works out (like in When Harry Met Sally) and other times it doesn’t (like in Love Actually.) Regardless, the confession itself is always a thrilling moment.

3. Kissing in the rain. Completely impractical, but completely romantic. Breakfast at Tiffany’s set the bar pretty high for this one.

2. Singing your love. Similar to "confessing your love" but set to music. Epitomized by Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer

1. The big fight. This might seem antithetical to everything rom-coms stand for, but there’s nothing I love more than a great argument. In a weird way, a fight can show you love someone even more than a kiss. You can’t just let them walk away, you’ve got to make them hear your side of things. While the kiss-in-the-rain scene may be the most iconic one in The Notebook, I find Allie and Noah’s fight to be way more moving. 


You would be hard pressed to find a scene that uses all of these clichés but this one from 2005's Pride & Prejudice makes a valiant effort. It features a love confession, big fight, almost kiss, telling off a jerk and it takes place in the rain. The only thing that could make it better is if Mr. Darcy pulled out a guitar

What are your favorite romantic comedy cliches? Let me know if the comments section below!