Day 12: Hope Floats

Day 12: Hope Floats

Okay Day 12 gets some definite mixed reviews in my book. There are moments in Hope Floats that I just feel all gooey and absolutely love, there are some all too real scenes like where the kid is begging the dad to take her with him that make me weep and thus do NOT fall in my category of RC and then there are some of the dumbest dissolves that I thought for sure the director or editor’s are on crack when they made this right? So, this movie is just all over the place for me. I have some friends (and now coworkers) with very strong opinions for and against this movie and I must say, I just feel sort of "eh" about it.

Lets just get right to my list hmm?

• Giddy: We have some great giddy moments here, like the dancing “Dancing is just a conversation between two people…talk to me”, and pretty much anytime Harry Connick enters the screen, not to mention that over the top cheesy end where she sees the one clear picture of him standing there with flowers.

• Lies: No lies.
• Big Emotional Outbursts: We have them here. The scene with the daughter begging for her dad, that scene rips me up, but to be honest somehow doesn’t belong in this movie.
• Dance Sequence: We have the mom trying to cheer up the daughter and the sizzling scene on the dance floor with Harry and Sandra.
• Wedding: No. boo.
• Rewatchable: Yeah but probably after all 30 other movies I now I own J
• Love: Ah well… there is supposed to be this great love with Sandra and Harry but honestly, all I see is a guy pining over a girl that isn’t ready to love him. And then she just changes her mind after seeing a picture of him at work. Hmm.. I needed a bit more.
• Fantasy: It being set in a small town in the south can be sort of a fantasical setting for some.. I grew up in the South… so not really for me.
• Journey of the Main Character: She has to come to like herself and accept what’s been thrown at her. Do I believe I see this transition… well…
• Body Count: 1! The Grandma dies. And MAN was she cool!
• Music Montages: There are a ton in this film but I’m not crazy about the songs so…
• Strong Female: The Grandma definitely is. And well… I think that is the goal for Sandra’s character, to become strong and independent.

Day 11: Gross Point Blank

Day 11: Gross Point Blank

And this is what I’m talking about! Finally we have a body count in a cute, funny romantic comedy! I adore Gross Point Blank. This is the perfect mix of an action movie and an RC. Its funny, dark, sexy at times and has a fantastic soundtrack! Lets check this one off shall we?

• Giddy: There are some great ones here: the first time they see each other again how they kiss, the holding of the little baby Robbie at the reunion, the way he runs to save her Dad from being offed, and oh dear lord just them even playing the song “Let My Love Open the Door”. Great lines abound as well: “Its just as if everyone had swelled” when talking about their reunion, “If you love something set it free, if it comes back to you its.. well.. broken”, “You need a swift spiritual kick to the head that alters your reality forever”, “People say to forgive and forget, I say forget forgiving and learn to accept”.
• Lie: Nope, not really, part of the great humor of this piece is that he’s telling the truth to everyone but no one believes him.
• Big Emotional Outburst: There is nothing like a man screaming he’s in love with you when he has a gun in one hand, blood all over himself and a frying pan that he’s beaten a man to death with in the other. That’s love!
• Dance Sequence: The dancing at the reunion is okay- just a little embarrassing to be reminded how much white people 80’s dancing sucks.
• Wedding: We don’t have a wedding but we have a Wedding dress – which I still haven’t been able to figure out why they are there at their reunion in their wedding dress? Who gets married at their reunion? I smell a dick producer move where some producer said “You know statistically girls like to see wedding dresses in romantic comedies and don’t like to see blood so if you are going to have this much blood we need a wedding dress”. But no one explains why these 2 extras show up dressed up, its sort of just accepted, and we move on.
• Rewatchable: Yes! Yes! Yes!
• Love: Oh this love is eternal! It saves his soul, it causes him to dream of her night after night. It’s that kind of love – that kind my parents have – that kind where you meet the person wayyyy early on in life and they are just always going to be the one. Highschool sweetheart kind of love. Verrrrrrrry romantic!
• Fantasy: Sexy, brilliant man freaks out one night and finds out he’s actually perfect fit to be a trained assassin, comes back for the love of his life into sweet town and gets her back… yeah I’m saying the fantasy is pretty strong in this one too.
• Journey of the main character: Here I believe we have quite a journey, the start of a man growing a conscience over the lives he’s taken. That’s pretty deep but it’s kept light with funny side characters and love, beautiful, great chemistry love.
• BODY COUNT: 15! 6 of which are in the first minute! YAY!!!! Seriously there is nothing like a good body count when you are frustrated with your own life.
• Music Montages: I don’t quite remember there being one, but there are definitely great background songs. I was watching this movie on my computer at work and suddenly from the other room I hear one of my coworkers scream I LOVE THAT SONG!
• Strong Female: Oh yes Minnie Driver is AMAZING! Strong, cool, funny, goofy. I want to be her when I grow up. Seriously!