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| A weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves |
Hate it or love it, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow and my only way of celebrating it — mainly because I'm single but also because I'm not a fan of this commercial festivity — is to join the Thursday Movie Picks series as this week we are asked to pick three to five of those movies in which couples meet in cute ways.
Good choices though I only really love one of them.
ReplyDeleteLove Actually and the meeting of Prime Minister Hugh and his new employee is a perfect fit. Such a sweet, charming film though I also love the sad Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman vignette.
I liked JGL in 500 Days but can't stand that girl so my enjoyment of it was tempered by that.
Words fail how much I hate all the Sunrise/Sunset movies. I doesn't help that it features two of my least favorite performers.
I decided to do a theme within the theme as a tribute to one of the queens of romantic comedy-Doris Day.
Pillow Talk (1959)-Ultrachic interior designer Jan Morrow (Doris) and wolfish songwriter Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) battle over their shared party line without ever meeting. One night when Jan is enduring a bad unwanted date with a client’s drunken son at a nightclub Brad sees her dancing. Instantly attracted and knowing he’s poison to her if she hears his name he pretends to be Texas rancher Rex Stetson. Laying on the charm and aw shucks naiveté he sweeps Jan off her feet soon falling for her himself but when Jan’s other beau (and friend of Brad’s) Jonathan (Tony Randall) discovers the deception he hurries to let Jan know she’s being taken for a ride. Complications ensue but true love eventually wins the day.
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)-Jennifer Nelson’s (Doris) father Axel (Arthur Godfrey) runs a tourist boat with a glass bottom off Catalina Island and to help business Jennifer swims underneath dressed as a mermaid complete with tale. One day Bruce Templeton (Rod Taylor) hooks her fin and they bicker until he returns her costume. Later she discovers he’s her new boss at her day job in a research lab, tensions and sparks continue to fly.
Lucky Me (1954)-Candy Williams (Doris) is a member of a cash strapped traveling vaudeville troupe stranded in Miami who are forced to work at a hotel when their leader Hap (Phil Silvers) tries to scam the place out of a lavish meal for them. Staying at the hotel is Broadway producer Dick Carson (Robert Cummings) working on his new show. The superstitious Candy goes for a walk one morning and in trying to avoid a black cat crossing her path jumps to the side causing Dick to smash his car into a wall while she walks on blithely unawares. Dick takes the car to a garage and the mechanic loans him the garage’s jalopy while he works on the car. Heading back to the hotel he again espies Candy now jumping along the sidewalk to avoid cracks and distracted he runs into a fire hydrant. Candy apologizes and takes him for a mechanic, he plays along which eventually leads to complications before love and Broadway success for all wraps things up.
I'm so, so sorry to hear that! I love the Before trilogy and Before Sunrise is one of my all time favourites.
DeleteI love all of these choices!
ReplyDeleteYAY!
DeleteI have not seen the first 2 films but I saw the last one many times and love it. There are a few first cute meetings but I love this first meeting. I had no idea what this week meant and just went with cute...oh well.
ReplyDeleteYou really should check out Linklater's Before trilogy, it's terrific!
DeleteI haven't seen any of these movies, but I would love to! Great list!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yes, you would check them out :)
DeleteI've seen all 3 films. (500) Days of Summer and Before Sunrise are great picks while I have mixed feelings on Love Actually as I only like some parts of the film but the stuff about the guy going to America, Laura Linney's bit, and Martin Freeman's segment didn't work for me at all. Plus, I don't think I can endure Hugh Grant dancing except for the post-credits scene in Paddington 2 as that was fucking hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI can never endure Hugh Grant lol I don't know why but I never liked him. Not even when I was supposed to love him in Notting Hill.
DeleteBefore Sunrise is my favorite film from the trilogy. I've always viewed the trilogy as a 'growing up' series, I wonder if it'll still be my favorite now.
ReplyDeleteI rewatched it last year and I still feel the same, Sunrise is still my favourite. Although Sunset is probably the best one.
DeleteWe match on 500 Days! Love Actually is a solid pick> I don't love it as much as most people do but it's a decent movie. I've never seen the Before trilogy. I need to get on that.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on Love Actually. It's enjoyable but I didn't love it. And please do watch the Before trilogy :)
DeleteI love Love Actually and the particular pair you chose, how they met was really funny.
ReplyDeleteI know right?!
DeleteStrong shouts. I do like Serendipity so I'd include there's, especially as it more than a nod to former romcoms
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe but I've never seen Serendipity.
DeleteI like all the picks here, they make so much sense and I think Love Actually is a brilliant choice!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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