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my mum beat me to the punch with watching mina le's newest video "why aren't romcoms romantic anymore" (which is a fantastic and quick dive into romantic comedies and their history btw) this was one of my favourite reads last year so i was very pleased and surprised to hear it mentioned in her video.
genuinely i don't always read a lot of non fiction, unless it's a topic that interests me and so a lot of my reads are based around films and art. this book is a great look into some of the most memorable romcoms and th stories behind how they were made. i will always be biased towards when harry met sally and also sandra bullock's romcom run so it was definitely a treat to see them both in there.
like mina, i'm also hoping we head into a romcom boom as someone who does look to them for comfort and escapism. i want more romcoms back in theaters! no more streaming only. if i want to fantasize about having a nice house and a meet cute, i should get to watch that on the big screen the same as everyone who fantasizes about riding sandworms does, dammit!!!
Sep 23, 2024
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honestly, i canât and wonât shut up about this movie.
you could be laughing your ass off at ryan reynolds and sandra bullockâs the proposal, you could fall for matthew mcconaughey in how to lose a guy in 10 days, and you could awwwâed at hugh grant and julia robertâs notting hill.
but, when harry met sally just hit different. the way that it feels relatable and real, the sweetness of every scene without having it too cringey?!
meg ryanâs fit in here is just to die for. i strive to dress up like sally every frickin day. and the way billy crystal ate in portraying harry?! people slept on him for too long! ugh. just⊠chefâs kiss đ€đŒ
they really donât make romcom like this anymore do they?
Dec 31, 2024
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Oooooh, I love this questionâ for context, when I was in university this is what I did my gender and film thesis on, and itâs a really interesting thing. The answers could be, briefly: Marvel, Katherine Heigl, industries skewing toward white male audiences, and raunch comedy.
At the time (and now, if weâre very honest) there was a misconception that women audiences and Black audiences would go to see films with white male protagonists, while white men wouldnât pay to see women and Black men and Black women in filmsâ movies like Barbie, and Black Panther, and Wonder Woman really disprove this, but studios arenât particularly brave, and can be particularly biased. So Spider Man is a safer choice than 27 Dresses, but it costs much more to make Spider Man; so a studio that used to put out 5 mid-budget romantic comedies will consolidate that budget and make one Fast&Furious, or Avengersâ these are also easier to franchise, because itâs hard to make a series of a movie that ends in happily ever after (Bridget Jones being the exception that proves the rule).
Additionally, around the early 2000âs the tone of romantic comedies shifted pretty radicallyâ we shift from Sleepless in Seattle to No Strings Attachedâ the movies are raunchier, they tend to play on one trope (type A woman embarrassed by but ultimately in love with a slacker man). Katherine Heigl was in a few of these, and while she didnât write these roles and wasnât responsible for poor audience reception, we associate her with the âdeath of romcomsâ for that reason. The romcom used to be a mid-budget vehicle for female actors to gain stardom/recognition (Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, etc.) but Katherine Heigl got very typecast and the fear of getting stuck as one kind of actor made those roles less appealing. So the movie theater romcom died, and we had these almost TV movies with Justin Timberlake and starlets transitioning from TV to film. There were a few notable indie romcoms from that period (Garden State, 500 Days of Summer) but these notably revolve around a male protagonist and the female characters are more stagnant. Even now, the few romantic comedies that come out are stylistically much differentâ theyâre wealthier (Anyone But You) and more photoshopped feeling. Compare a Norah Ephron apartment with the settings of a romantic comedy from 2020 on, and youâll see a stark visual difference.
Mar 13, 2024
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When Harry Met Sally is my number one rom com and movie, always. My Big Fat Greek Wedding is another one I love. Recently watched The Wedding Planner (Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey) and loved it. Runaway Bride (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere) is also good.
I Want You Back, When We First Met, No Hard Feelings are enjoyable. Romancing the Stone was great, you can also watch The Lost City (Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum) which has tons of parallels to Romancing the Stone.
This time of the year I always try to watch Lovehard, Serendipity, While You Were Sleeping, and The Holiday.
I don't know if this (or any of the above recs) are what you're looking for but Much Ado About Nothing (1993) is in my top 10 favorite movies.
Dec 29, 2024
Top Recs from @plurkmurk
going to see challengers on my own today! and i'm very excited. i'm someone who actually doesn't mind going to the cinema alone. i've done it so many times over the years, and totally do not get people who say it's sad. if i lived somewhere where i could go to late night screenings on my own, i would do it all the time.
sometimes i end up making a friend, sometimes i just get to sit and get sucked in and then i get to leave and choose my favorite place to eat. it's a nice way to spend a day on your own, and i think more people (especially people in their 20s) should take themselves on little dates.
May 2, 2024
if i had a comfort sitcom, this would be it :,) sadly it only has two short seasons, so i've seen every episode at least 10 times. (if you're going to watch it, make sure to look up the right episode order because it aired out of order.)
when i'm at a loss for what i want to watch, i put it on. somehow despite having seen it a bajillion times, the gags still land. there's also something so inherently 2000s about it with its slightly outdated jokes and energy that i find charming. it's the same way i feel about 2 broke girls. it's just fun hjinks with people who are kind of messed up!!!
Oct 30, 2024
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to me figs smell like summer. i love fig scents, especially if they smell a bit more green than fruity. my favorite perfume smells a bit like the green-ness(?) but also fresh, clean dirt after the rain.
if not fig, i am very much a sandalwood person or blackcurrant one. i like smelling nice but not necessarily floral. :)
May 11, 2024