"To me you are perfect"- Love Actually

Alright, so I know I'm a little late on this one, but seeing as schoolwork left me too busy to see any new releases yet again, I chose a movie that I only saw for the first time very recently. I've been hearing about this movie for years, and for some reason have never had the opportunity to actually sit down and watch it. After mistakenly admitting I had never seen it, and being chastised by my friend Greg , I decided to finally give in and watch it. For the few who have yet to see it, the movie is a series of separate but intertwined stories of various people and their blooming, or fledgling, love lives.

It seems only fair to warn that I am a bit of a romantic. Movies that are obviously terrible, with poor writing and character development, have repeatedly reduced me to tears as long as there is some element of romance involved. However, I don't think many would argue with me that "Love Actually" is not an example of this. The majority of the stories are touching, well written and humorous. Whether it is the Prime Minister of England, played by Hugh Grant, struggling with his feelings for one of his staff, or Emma Thompsons' character struggling with her husband's potential affair, each story evokes some kind of emotional response. And who could ever forget the infamous cue card scene which is undoubtedly one of the best and most romantic scenes from any movie? (in case you have I will remind you).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2T5yfgsZ0

Perhaps the best thing about about this movie is that it is realistic in the way that it approaches and presents the subject of love to its audience. Not every story ends in happily-ever-after, and nor should it. In 2003, when the movie was released, Statistics Canada showed that almost 16% of people going through a divorce had already had a least one divorce under their belt. Obviously, not everyone stays together and this theme is reiterated in the film making it realistic and relate-able.

Perhaps the only gripe I had with the movie is that there were a few unnecessary story-lines. Colin Firth's love affair with his Portuguese housekeeper doesn't seem to fit the rest of the movie. I just don't buy that he falls in love with her in three weeks without ever having a proper conversation with her (she doesn't speak English).  The scene's featuring the nude stand-ins also seem out of place, and honestly, just made me feel uncomfortable.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie. Women will love the heart wrenching story-lines, and even men will be entertained by the scenes featuring a young Brit attempting to find love in America, if not by the rest of the film.

"You did a good job, so... I thought you deserved a balloon"- No Strings Attached

I actually saw this movie a few weeks ago, and have gone back and forth so many times about dedicating a blog post to it. It isn't that I don't think the movie merits one. As far as romantic comedies go, this is definitely a better one. However, I can't seem to decide whether I think it is genuinely edgy and funny, or whether it tries too hard to push the boundaries. The film stars Ashton Kutcher playing Adam, the same lovable goofball he is known for playing, and Natalie Portman trying her hand in a genre that she is not so accustomed in the role of Emma.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is funny. Sometimes so much so that catching your breath is a difficult feat. I am just perplexed on how a movie can have so many funny one liners and instances, and other times have jokes fall so flat you wonder how they even made it into the film at all. One particular scene featuring a young Adam and Emma at camp is less funny than horrendously awkward, and gives the audience an incorrect first impression on what to expect from the film. Later a scene featuring Emma, Adam and a "period mix" is so funny and clever you are reminded that the writers are decent after all. The humor is generally pretty raunchy. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

There isn't too much to say about the performances of the two main castmembers. It seems all Ashton Kutcher does is play romantic leads. The bigger surprise is Natalie Portman. After her incredible performance in Black Swan, it is stranger to see her excel in a fluffier role such as this, but she does. She has most of the funniest lines and easily carries this movie.

I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to romantic comedy lovers. Although entirely predictable, it is well worth the laughs. A recent Australian survey showed that 500 out of 1000 people polled blamed romantic comedies on destroying their own relationship. So...don't bring a date.