I put this on my tumblr and Twitter feeds, and just felt “What the heck, might as well post it here too.”
Happy Valentine’s Day to all, from the Little Tramp (City Lights, 1931).
Tuesday’s Overlooked ♥ Is All About LOVE ♥
In the spirit of celebrating the day of love, I have decided to compile a list of overlooked films that have a romantic bend to them. Last week I mentioned one of those films, Love Jones, and was inspired to expand that idea to a list of my favorite films (yes some are guilty pleasures) whose theme is love but did not get much love when they were released.
Love and Basketball For a long while this title was one of my favorite films of the previous decade and it continues to resonate with me. It earned its director Gina Prince-Bythewood an Independent Spirit Award and great buzz at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. The film stars a rarely disappointing Sanaa Lathan and House‘s (TV) Omar Epps.
♥ ♥ ♥
A Walk in the Clouds Yes, yes, I know – it’s a Keanu Reeves romantic drama – but truth be told, I kinda like this film. The basic metric is the following: if after having seen a film in its entirety, if I can watch it again, then it is okay in my book. Blame the retro, old-movie stylizing of the piece or its lushness and beautiful photography. Whatever the reason some films click with members of the audience and this one does that with me. This is based on a 1952 film from Italy, Four Steps in the Clouds.
♥ ♥ ♥
Serendipity It surprises me that this film does not get shown in syndication so much or maybe it does and I am just not paying attention to it. Serendipity it is an offbeat, love story about the presence of fate. This 2001 confection stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.
♥ ♥ ♥
Kate and Leopold was a lovely, entertaining 2001 romantic comedy, which spans two centuries, starring Meg Ryan and a very dashing Hugh Jackman.
♥ ♥ ♥
Last but certainly not least, while not necessarily overlooked, the mind-bending valentine Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind deserves mention on this Valentine’s Day just because it is an awesome movie (and NOT the fact that it was partially shot in my hometown of Mount Vernon, NY). This is definitely in my top 2 Winslet performances.
♥ ♥ ♥
♥ What are some of your favorite romantically-themed films? ♥
An American Version of "Love Actually?"
I recently saw the trailer for a Valentine’s Day 2010 release of the same title. The trailer made me think (as I suspect many, many others thought) about what is in my mind the quintessential, ensemble cast, romantic comedy, 2003’s Love Actually. I love this movie. And on the basis of the trailer for Valentine’s Day, it makes me appreciate Love Actually all the better.
Don’t take my word for it, watch the trailer.
Tell me what do you think?
