Love on the Silver Screen

All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people.

-- My Man Godfrey

I was hugely amused to find a post - in a thread at Avon Authors message board about favourite romantic films - that says, "Bend it Like Beckham (Funny, and the scottish coach was cute!)". *Evil grin* Jonathan Rhys-Myers dislikes Scotland [as an old tradition goes]. That said, I do second that poster's recommendation of Bend It Like Beckham, but not as a romantic film, but as a lovely story about friendship. I just don't understand why so many listed Pride and Prejudice in threads such as that. It's a TV mini series, not a feature film. Yet I see it cropping up in almost every thread about romantic films. Weird. Speaking of which, there is a blog that keeps track of all things to do with Jane Austen. Austenblog. Here is a page that explains what Austenblog is all about. I'll have a Newcastle Brown Ale, if you please. :) My ten favourite romantic films [in no particular order]: The Thomas Crown Affair Strictly Ballroom I Know where I'm Going Harold and Maude My Man Godfrey The Abduction Club Hope Floats Time After Time Love and Basketball The Apartment Flashdance [I don't care what people say, I love this film!] Truly, Madly, Deeply The Lady Eve Say Anything... Practical Magic Sixteen Candles [Michael Schoeffling may be the dim-witted type but he's welcome to my palace anytime] 10 Things I Hate About You Love With the Proper Stranger A Room with a View Gregory's Girl Grosse Pointe Blank [which is surprising as I can't stand Minnie Driver] And I Hate You So Out of Sight OK, I can't count. I have to admit that I'm truly a sucker for Doris Day's romantic comedies from the Fifties and Sixties. These DD films are the basic essence of Chick Lit. A friend last year summed it up: "Chick Lit is the love child of Jane Austen, Doris Day, Holly Golightly and Annie Hall". I did think of stealing it as I knew she'd be too drunk to remember anything that night. But it happened at her 40th birthday bash where she was depressed enough to blast her head out with a serial row of Pink Gin shooters. The following morning, my conscience fought with the inner devil, and won. Unfortunately, to this day, she refused to believe that she said it. I'm still bitter that I listened to my conscience. Actually, I just realised that I haven't seen Down With Love [Renee Zewelleger and Ewan MacGregor], which is supposed to be a tribute to Doris Day's films. Hm, I wonder if it's worth getting a copy? Speaking of Chick Lit: Chick lit is the romance novel's newest home wrecker On the other side of the romantic coin: Leave Her to Heaven - it's a mind blower. Gene Tierney's underrated acting talent was out in full force in this one [she did it again in a later film, Laura, but I strongly believe that Leave Her to Heaven has her best performance]. It's been said that she considered her beauty a curse because it didn't allow her to realise her [seriously underused] talent as she was constantly given roles that didn't allow her to do anything but be a mannequin. A pity. On a lighter note: Aarvark Archie's Rude Humour. Quite a few in Funny Pictures made me laugh:

• Honest Advert
• Steep Slope
• It Must Have Been All The Excitement
• Dive, Dive, Dive! [note: there is nudity in this photo]

Be good, be bad & be safe.