The Best Of...Alternative Romance

We all know those soppy heart-warming romantic films...well to counteract the merriment I have compiled a list of 21st century cynicism. ENJOY.
____________________________________________
1) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

This is actually my favourite film of all time! Not only is the narrative beautifully composed but it touches upon the instability and frailty of human relationships. The synopsis follows like this: After a painful break-up, a couple undergo a radical new procedure to erase each other from their memories, yet it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with. 

Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is a shy emotionally-withdrawn man, who lives a bland existence in a one bedroom apartment, downtown New York. It is not until a random encounter on a train with the erratic flame-haired beauty Clementine (Kate Winslet) that things start looking up. Having been instantaneously drawn together by opposing personalities the two embark on a tentative romance yet unbeknownst to them they have already been lovers. Month before, after a messy fight, Clementine had approached the 'Lacuna' agency, who offered her a radical procedure to erase her memory of Joel. Heartbroken, Joel decided to do the same meaning much of the narrative is told through a surreal series of his memories, as they are being slowly erased. Upon seeing happier times of love with Clementine from earlier in their relationship, he struggles to keep her memory alive as the procedure wreaks through his mind.

Eternal Sunshine is something special for sure...it is remarkably sweet without being mushy or unrealistic. The acting is so fluid and convincing that is actually make you really pine for the two characters to find one another again. There are some wonderfully surreal moments within Joel's memories that are both humorous and deeply moving. Although the narrative in non-linear and can be confusing when jumping through big clumps of time, those who enjoy slightly unusual, almost anti-realist films will enjoy the dream-like quality to the flashbacks.
__________________________________________
2) 500 Days Of Summer (2007)

The tagline reads  'Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't'. From this alone we should gauge that this is far from the usual optimistic tale of boy meets girl. Hailed as the definitive anti-rom-com, this deliciously indie venture jumps from various days within the 500-day span of Tom and Summer's relationship. Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a greetings card designer is an optimistic 20-something living in New York. He longs to find the one and believes he has found her when he spots the beautiful free-spirited Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel)- a fellow whimsical oddball and avid fan of The Smiths. Unfortunately for Tom, Summer doesn't believe in true love and seems to go out of her way to avoid getting attached to anyone. However, despite her inital reluctance over the passing months the two are drawn together and the film jumps to and fro through the various stages of their relationship from day one (the awkward first glances) to the soul-crushing 500th day (where ties are finally severed).

It is interesting to note that the film was what the industry liked to call a sleeper hit meaning it was an overnight success, unknowingly launching the careers of it's two young leads (evidence- Joseph was recently in the Hollywood blockbuster Looper alongside Bruce Willis while Zooey soon landed the lead role in New Girl, which is now in it's second season). The chemistry throughout between Joseph and Zooey is so perfect as they bounce off each other so naturally (for a while I was wishing they were a couple in real life!) making the film such a pleasant delight, despite its sad moments. A must-see for any fans of independent and alternative cinema...or for those (like me) who fancy the pants of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (he is the ultimate cutie).
__________________________________________
3) Blue Valentine (2010)

Ahhh a film to bring the mood right down. Blue Valentine is one of the films that has stuck with me the most. It charts the counter-development of a young urban couple's relationship (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) from the jittery first days of courtship to the eventual breakdown of their marriage years later. Like 500 days, the film is non-linear meaning it skips randomly to different times in the relationship. As the film begins we see the disequilibrium and the frustration that exists between the couple...we get the sense that the passion has been lost between them. The husband Dean (Ryan Gosling) is an unambitious college drop-out, who despite his faults and laziness, cares deeply for his wife and their young daughter. His wife Cindy (Michelle Williams) is a worn-out hardworking nurse who struggles to juggle the stress of work, along with the pressure of keeping her husband happy.

Both Gosling and Williams give performances of a lifetime with unusual power. Although many scenes are difficult to watch and can be deeply upsetting the overall product is profound and will leave a lasting impression. The reason I believe it deserves a place on this list is because despite the overall depressive tone, there are some beautifully sweet moments during the couple's earlier years that truly lift the film, thus (in my eyes) making it worthy of the 'romantic' drama label.
__________________________________________
4) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Finding love two weeks before the apocalypse is hard. man. Although the film divided critics, I watched this last week and actually really enjoyed it! As the title states the world will be crushed by an asteroid in a months time. While anarchy and street crime is rife all around the world, life for Dodge Peterson (Steve Carrell) pretty much continues as normal. His maid still comes to clean his house, and he still goes to work (as an insurance provider...how ironic). However the appearance of a young British girl names Penny (Keira Knightley) crying at his windowsill, changes his life forever. They forge an unlikely friendship and subsequently decide to take a road trip to reunite Dodge with his high school sweetheart, before the asteroid hits. On their travels they encounter a whole host of colourful characters and crazy scenarios, all of which are delightful and unexpected. 

While some have been critical of the age gap between Carrell and Knightley's characters I feel this is slightly unfair as it is the quirkiness of the romance that blossoms between them that felt like the film's strongest asset...it was brave and unconventional. Nevertheless a romance set during the apocalypse was inevitably going to end on a sad note and the final scene did give me a little wobbly tear, at the edge of my eye. For that reason, it made it on this list.
__________________________________________
5) Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012)

Yet to see but it sounds amazing! Has anyone seen it and loved it? Comments are always welcome! :)

The Best Of..Underrated Comedies About High School

Ahhh yes. We are all aware of those wonderfully sweet 80's coming-of-age flicks.. Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles (I could go on). These are the ones you will pull on your fluffy socks and slouchy pj's to...let the feast begin - ready to feed your stomach and soul. From there you proceed to bury your face in a mound of sticky-sweet popcorn delight (fresh from the microwave, of course) whilst reaching over to click that all important 'play' button. That nostalgia hits you as soon as the trancy 80's pop soundtrack fades in. You have been invited back to highschool.

The cinematic treats of The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink offer comfort, hope and a warm buttery sensation - the kind which you are unsure whether you have overdone the popcorn or if the emotive receptors in your brain have actually melted, from the cuteness of it all. 

However while these films are adorable and John Hughes (director of a majority of these 80's successes) is a genius, in creating timeless pieces that really capture the spirit of American youth, I feel some other rather decent releases, from that decade, have been unfairly overlooked. Hughes's bittersweet flicks are indeed very hard to rival but here I have compiled a (VERY SHORT) list of alternative, underestimated, teen high-school comedies that are certainly worth a watch.
_________________________________________________________________________________

1) Heathers (1988)

 'Dear Diary, my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count' Veronica Sawyer

Made in the late 80's, Heathers is a cult classic- a deeply black comedy about the highs and lows of high school life, with a murderous twist. Pretty and perfect Veronica Sawyer is unusual. She is finally part of the 'clique', every girl would die to be a part of, yet she can't wait to escape..in fact she might just kill to get out of it .

For Veronica, her so called best friends are the three 'Heathers' which the title refers to and are the stereotypical vain, self-absorbed bitchy girls, who feel they rule the school (very much the 80's version of the Plastics from Mean Girls). She loathes everyone of them, and seems to endure their company, as they go about their daily duty of terrorising the unpopular geeks and pranking the fat girls. Her life is however changed by the appearance of J.D, an enigmatic young rebel, equipped with all the gear required to make an impression: a daring smile, a super cool motorbike...and violent sociopathic tendencies. They begin a surprisingly quite sweet love affair but when they start bumping off each Heather, one by one..you know the film has taken a lethal twist. Out go the roses and in comes the drain cleaner and dynamite. This is the very definition of explosive love.

The greatest shock came from my realisation that I could actually endure 102 minutes of Winona Ryder (her raspy, whiny voice grates much less than usual) and how breezy the film passes scene to scene. The casting choice of Christian Slater (who looks very much like a 80's Logan Lerman) with Miss Ryder is gold, seeing as the couple do have brilliant on-screen chemistry and are awfully convincing as a teen version of Bonnie & Clyde. If you crossed Mean Girls with a less explicit Natural Born Killers then BOOM...you would have Heathers. It's a surprisingly honest assessment of the brutality of high school cliques and certainly shakes a bloodied fist to the fluffy idealism of Pretty in Pink. 

'Best friends, social trends and occasional murder' [IMDB] the tagline is the perfect summary.
_________________________________________________________________________________

2) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

'I'm not hostile, I'm just annoyed' Kat Stratford

Alright, you caught me! This isn't from the 80's, but from a decade later - the wonderfully moody 90's!..a period when every man and his dog was experimenting with this new 'grunge' trend of long dangly hair and being generally miserable. Here we have no exception as our two romantic leads generally trudge along with this ideal ...the 'chick' Kat wears khaki crop tops exposing her various belly-button piercings while the 'dude' Patrick, paid to court her, is an uncaring rebel who likes to set anything and everything alight with his pocket lighter...hardly Romeo & Juliet, right? 

Well you would be correct there. However, it is the atypicality of this film to the usual formula, that provides it's strongest charm...it is purposely unconventional in order to be more realistic about the attitude of youth. Speaking as one, teenagers generally are like this. A miserable group of sods. This is a story of boy meets girl, but not as you know it..

Bianca Stratford is the most popular junior in school, the girl every boy wants to date. However the issue lies that her father is a control freak and creates a rule that she can only date when her sister does. Unfortunately her sister is Kat Stratford, renowned man-hater, lover of Shakespeare's poetry and a violent hockey player. Cue the search for a willing suitor..

   There is no doubting the casting choices are flawless, with the late Heath Ledger playing our rebellious outcast and hero Patrick Verona, while the quietly gorgeous Julia Stiles plays Katerina 'Kat' Stratford- our unsociable and proud feminist heroine, who is deeply resentful towards the notion of love and affection. Throw in the early acting talents of Joseph Gordon Levitt (he is SO adorable in this) as a sweet optimistic geek, pining after Kat's sister Bianca, and the cutting wit of Larry Miller, as Kat's father, and here we have it...a perfect pudding of clumsy teen courtship and dramatic prom showdowns. The fact the film is actually based upon a Shakespeare play (The Taming of The Screw) immediately adds 100 cool points, making it the hippest film to cure post-exam stress. It's 90's teen grumpiness and honesty at it's best... with a surprisingly fulfilling conclusion.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Any others you think I have missed? Please comment.