Cinematic Romantic Gems (aka dreams and fantasies)

I just got done watching a movie called "Last Chance Harvey" that I stumbled upon and it was a movie that will be added to my favorites list.

I've not really talked much about movies here, choosing to focus on TV shows and the occasional book but I think the time is ripe (I'm inspired!) to just mention a few of my favorites.

I'm sure no one will be surprised by the list, but go ahead and indulge me. I won't write full, detailed descriptions (do I ever? :P ) ...actually what the hell, I'll just cut and paste the synopsis/review from amazon.com where necessary (it's late and I'm going to take advantage of technology.)

"Last Chance Harvey" is a sweet story about finding love when you don't think you will or your life has just fallen apart. It stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. It actually reminded me a lot of EIGHT of my other favorites and you know what? I just realized they all are the same story! OMG ..is this synchronicity? Nah, just apparently my favorite way boy-meets-girl plays out on the big screen (Four of them do have American's meeting non-Americans outside of America but that's just coincidence.)

1. "When Harry Met Sally" ...sharing that ride to NY together just sets the stage for the rest of their story. (Yeah, we'll skip the synopsis/review on this one...who doesn't know this movie?)

2. "Last Chance Harvey" - Anyone who’s seen the trailer for Last Chance Harvey can easily guess how it ends. In fact, the title alone is a clue. But the destination is hardly the point with movies like this; it’s the journey that counts, and this one is pretty entertaining. You could call director-writer Joel Hopkins’ film a romantic comedy, but it’s not especially robust in either of those departments. This is more of a character study, and veteran lead actors Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are well up to the task of bringing theirs to life. Both are awkward, lonely, social misfits. Hoffman’s Harvey Shine is a bit of a schlub; his gig as a jingle composer in jeopardy, estranged from his ex-wife (Kathy Baker) and daughter (Liane Balaban), he flies to London for the latter’s wedding, only to have her tell him that she has chosen her step-father (James Brolin) rather than him to give her away. Meanwhile, Kate Walker (Thompson) spends her days trying to survey harried travelers at Heathrow Airport, answering her meddling mother’s constant stream of cell phone calls, and awaiting the all-to-inevitable onset of spinsterhood. Harvey has already brushed her off once when, having put in a humiliating appearance at the wedding and missed his return flight to America, he runs into her in an airport bar. What ensues--the initial repartee and sarcastic snarking, the gradual breaking of the ice, the burgeoning attraction, the complications and misunderstandings--is entirely predictable. But it’s also well done. These are people one might actually identify with; when Kate tells him, "I’m more comfortable with being disappointed. I’m angry with you for trying to take that away," one senses a real person in there, which helps raise Last Chance Harvey above its conventions. --Sam Graham Fennessy

3. "Before Sunrise" - This romantic, witty, and ultimately poignant glimpse at two strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who share thoughts, affections, and past experiences during one 14-hour tryst in Vienna somehow remains writer/director Richard Linklater's (Dazed and Confused, Slacker) most overlooked gem. Delpy, a stunning, low-key Parisian, meets the stammering American Hawke, as the two share a Eurorail seat--she's starting school in Paris, he's finishing a vacation. Their mutual attraction leads to an awkward meeting (beautifully played by each performer), and Hawke suggests that Delpy spend his remaining 14 hours in Vienna with him.

Typically, this skeleton is as much plot as Linklater provides; as usual, he's more interested in concentrating his talents on observing the casual, playful conversations between his leads. His tight time frame allows the characters to say anything to one another, and topics ranging from politics to past romances to fears of the future flow with subtle finesse. The short time frame is also cruel, however, because beneath this love affair lies the painful reality that the two most likely will never see each other again and will be left only with memories--an idea Linklater drives home with an effective snapshot conclusion.

4. "Before Sunset" - In 1994, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life) made Before Sunrise, a gorgeous poem of a movie about two strangers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) wandering around Vienna, talking, and falling in love. Ten years later, Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy have returned with Before Sunset, which reunites the same characters after Hawke has written a book about that night. Delpy appears at the final book reading of his European tour; they have less than two hours before Hawke has to catch a flight to New York...and in that time, they walk around Paris, talk, and fall in love all over again. It sounds simple, perhaps dull, but it's written with such skill and care and acted with such richness that it's a miracle of filmmaking. On its own, Before Sunset is moving and wonderful; seen right after Before Sunrise, it will break your heart. --Bret Fetzer (Note: Hawke, Delpy and Linklater all wrote this one)

5. "The Very Thought Of You" - The plot centers around Martha (Monica Potter), an American trying to start a new life in London. She meets three men (Tom Hollander, Rufus Sewell (one of my yummy brits) and Joseph Fiennes, who played the title role in Shakespeare in Love). These three are best friends and all three fall in love with her, but the one she falls in love with feels like he's betraying the others to be with her. Despite the resulting confusion, she pursues him to the end--which makes it unlike most current romantic comedies in which the woman is a hapless love object to be captured by the right guy. But more entertainingly, The Very Thought of You pays particular attention to the ways men delude themselves, because the two friends Martha doesn't care for are both convinced she's hankering for them, which allows for some fairly subtle skewering of the male ego. Joseph Fiennes in particular has a relaxed, winning charm that marks him as a rising star. --Bret Fetzer

6."Jet Lag" - Oscar(R) winner Juliette Binoche (Best Supporting Actress, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, 1996; CHOCOLAT) and Jean Reno (RONIN, THE PROFESSIONAL) soar together in a wonderfully fun and sexy comedy where opposites don't just attract, they collide! Pampered beauty queen Rose (Binoche) and over-stressed insomniac Felix (Reno) have only one thing in common: They're through with bad relationships and have both sworn off the opposite sex. So when an airline strike grounds these total strangers together in Paris -- and they're forced to share the last available hotel room in town -- neither can wait to leave the other behind. But the more they try to go their separate ways, the more obvious it becomes that there's no place else they'd rather be

7. "Garden State" Zach Braff (from the TV show Scrubs) stars in his writing/directing debut, Garden State--normally a doomed act of hubris, but Braff pulls it off with unassuming charm. An emotionally numb actor in L.A., Andrew (Braff) comes back to New Jersey after nine years away for his mother's funeral. Andrew avoids his bitter father (Ian Holm, The Sweet Hereafter) and joins old friends (including the superb Peter Sarsgaard, Boys Don't Cry) in a round of parties. Along the way he meets a girl (Natalie Portman, Beautiful Girls) with demons of her own; bit by bit the two offer each other a little healing. Plotwise, Garden State is familiar stuff, a cross between The Graduate and a Meg Ryan movie, but Braff has an eye for goofy but resonant visual images, an ear for lively dialogue, and a great cast. The result is surprisingly fresh and funny. --Bret Fetzer

8. "Dogfight" - Director Nancy Savoca tackles tough material in the battle of the sexes, late-teen division, and makes it bitterly moving. River Phoenix plays one of a group of youngish marines on the verge of shipping out to Southeast Asia in 1963 San Francisco. On their last night in port, they decide to hold a "dogfight": a contest to see who can get the ugliest girl to go out with him. Phoenix winds up with a pudgy waitress (Lili Taylor), who has dreams of being like her hero, Joan Baez. As he draws her out, he finds himself intrigued by the self-contained world she has created for herself and by the time he gets her to the dance he is regretting his decision--but is too macho to pull out. Barely released, the film features touching performances by both the late Phoenix and the always fascinating Taylor, who gives this character great dignity. --Marshall Fine

One of the things I really like about these particular movies is the idea that you could just be somewhere else, far from home and have this intense, emotional experience and connection with a stranger...yeah. I yearn for that kind of experience. I mean, here you are, in a place where no one knows you, you have no history and you can just re-invent yourself (to a degree of course because no matter where you go there you are.) (Having worked for the airline for the past couple of years, practically every trip I've taken (especially the one to England last year) had me wishing and hoping for some kind of experience like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, these are just movies and movies are not real life but still a girl can dream right?) I also like the idea that love happens and it's out of the blue. It's not because you met someone online or were set up on blind date or were trolling the singles bars. It was because you just happened to be someone you wouldn't normally be and then wham! (Another great reason to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE Sam!)

I also like seeing the stories about adults who aren't so young..."Last Chance Harvey" was about the over-40 crowd. Which reminds me, I need to add another show to my R.I.P TV show list..."As Time Goes By" starring Geoffrey Rush and [Dame] Judi Dench.

This list is by no means complete but it's about 4am and I've reached the point where I will fall asleep. I'm not even going to re-read (and re-read and re-read) and edit this. I'm going to post it as is. Hope coherent. Night.