Titanic (1997) / the world's greatest love story, or what?

directed by James Cameron / starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Gloria Stuart, Bernard Hill, Kathy Bates

To write a post about Titanic. What an intimidating, yet alluring thought! I have decided to take on the challenging, yet inevitable task. This will probably take a very long time... And yes, it did: I began writing this post in September 2010; and I try not to rewrite much because it's interesting to see how my perception of the film has changed since then (good luck trying to guess which parts I wrote just now and which in 2010 or in between...). With the rereleased 3D version now playing in theathres, this was the perfect time to finally finish this post. I don't know if I could ever say enough about Titanic, or ever find the right words to express what it means to me, but here's my best shot.

It's been 84 years, and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.

 Every has their own Titanic story. This is mine: When the film came out, back in 1997, I wasn't old enough to see it in cinema (my parents made sure of that), so I just bitterly listened to my Spice Girls cassettes and tried to shut out everyone around me, going on and on about this cool new movie and Leonardo DiCaprio. When I finally saw Titanic on my twelfth birthday, the counterreaction had already begun, and it wasn't that cool to like it anymore. And anyway, I didn't understand much about films back then. I must have been about 15 or 16, when I watched Titanic for the first time in years, and actually saw what they had been fussing about back in the 90s. Since then, I've watched the film regularly, somehow growing more and more fond of it everytime. It just never seems to get old. Every time I watch it, I feel just as strongly as the last time. If there indeed will be a day when I'll outgrow Titanic, it won't be anytime soon. I can see myself still weeping over the story when I'm 80.
 

 God himself could not sink this ship.

Titanic is a huge film, a great film, and anyone saying something else is still stuck with that counterreaction. Yes, I can accept that it is not for everybody's taste. Yes, I can accept that the love story is a bit much for some people. Yes, I can accept that some see the story and certain scenes as corny and sappy. And yes, I know some people think it's insuperably unrealistic that, for example, Rose didn't die of hypothermia, but come on; it was established a long time ago that being a major character in a film gives you an edge in what you can live through. Just shut it, haters. I ain't gonna listen to no haters.

While I understand (though not necessarily agree with) the criticism, I don't understand or accept the dismissive attitudes many people have towards Titanic, JUST because there is a love story. All that "the most expensive chick flick in history" crap. It's just as much a historical portrayal of a time and an event as it is a love story. It is fucking annoying and so offensive that if something attracts unusually lot of attention from young girls or women, it's immediately labeled as trash. Makes me furious. But ha ha, you stinky little haters. God himself could not sink this movie, and that's a fact.

Ah, forget it, boyo. You're as like to have angels fly out your arse as get next to the likes of her.

Kate is such a babe as Rose. Of course, Kate is always a babe, and actually so much more than just a babe, she's amazing and incredible and awesome. But Kate as Rose is a real package. That wavy red hair, those rosy lips and cheeks, that curvy figure, and that enviably gorgeous wardrobe. On the count to three, name your favourite Rose outfit! One, two, three, the white light pink/light blue one she wears on the night of the lovemaking and the accident! Contender number two is the dark red dress, with all the lace and the exquisite embroidery and the white gloves, the one she wears for the dinner and the "real party" in the steerage. And there are more favourites, but better leave it at that. (The dress in the picture does belong to those favourites, though.)

Rose might be my all-time number one movie beauty, but there is more to the character than her gorgeous looks. Her unwillingness to fall into the mold desingned for her, and to do what's expected of her makes her a very special, empowering female character. Of course she has her damsel-in-distress moments, and she only gets the chance to grow into an incredible, independent woman because a certain gentleman comes along, but there is admirable strenght and fearlessness in Rose all along (I'm all the time writing "Kate" instead of "Rose"...). You go, girl, fight that stupid 1910s discriminating class and gender role system!

You have a gift, Jack. You see people.

While Kate is clearly the star of the film, the rest of the cast shines, too. There's really no one who wouldn't give a satisfactory performance. Everyone from Bernard Hill's Captain Smith, the horrible Cal and the awesome Unsinkable Molly to the crew members, snooty rich people and the little boy who cries for his father in the flooding hallway (hello, tear streams), they all do a great, convincing job, bringing alive a variety of interesting characters; some based on real people, some not, but they all make me want to know their backstories, how they ended up on Titanic and what happened to them.

And Leo, oh, Leo. Leo is such a little boy. A damn cute one, though! I can't understand how come I never had a crush on Leo's Jack when I was younger, and on the age when I practically had a crush on everything that moved and resembled a man. I almost feel like having a crush on him now, for crying out loud! If only I hadn't overgrown all that foolishness by now... Ahem. Ok let's change the subject.

When the ship docks, I'm getting off with you.

This is crazy.

I know. It doesn't make any sense. That's why I trust it.

The lines above are probably my favourite lines of the whole film. Those are the last words they say before the tiny little iceberg incident, after which everything begins to go straight towards hell. This is the last happy moment. Often in an epicly epic film like Titanic the characters are easily shadowed and overruled by all that epicness. You're just 'WHOA THAT'S FREAKING EPIC!!' all the time and don't really mind if the characters are blown up or torn to pieces, because that'll give a good opportunity for some more epicness.

Iceberg, right ahead!

 However, when watching Titanic, when the moment I know will once again end all the joy and happiness is inevitably approaching, I want to freeze the frame right there and pretend they lived happily ever after. Because I genuinely care about the characters. Sometimes when watching the movie recently I've almost felt a kind of an anxiety - like I wanted to jump through the screen and single-handedly help the ship turn the couple of extra metres and avoid the damn iceberg and give Jack and Rose their happily ever after they so much deserved. Maybe I should get a shrink to tell me what conclusions I should draw of this kind of behaviour? Oh well, maybe he'd just say I've watched the film a few times too many and am forgetting that there's no use jumping through the screen for rescue because the ship already sank a century ago. And that maybe Jack and Rose never really deserved the happily ever after, because ultimately the relationship wouldn't have worked anyway. We've seen Revolutionary Road, right? They would've ended up cheating, bored and pissed off, anyway! ... Okay, now I'm just kidding. Jack + Rose = true freaking love! (Ok. This I wrote sometime in 2010-2011. I'll get back to the topic later, with some new points of view.)

 Well, I believe you may get your headlines, Mr. Ismay.

I believe you did, too, Mr. Cameron... Or have you established the name "King of the World" already? Hah. I don't like James Cameron. I think he seems greedy and arrogant and unpleasant, and it's a shame, really, that he happened to make this one great movie, because otherwise I'd be free to dislike him all I want. Oh well. I will forgive him some of his greed, because this one special thing happened to come out of it. Just cancel the Avatar sequel and I'll forgive you some more! Hmh? Maybe I'll forgive you for making the first Avatar? Sound good? No? Didn't think so. You greedy bastard. Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go on and praise your film some more.

You jump, I jump, right?

Titanic is full of legendary scenes and iconic lines. Everyone has moments in their lifes when they feel like going, "I'm the king of the world!", or "I'm flying, Jack!". Seriously, tell me you've never recreated those moments yourself? Haha. I'm just waiting for the day when I get to spit a "I'd rather be his whore than your wife" at somebody's face. That'd be epic!

All those legendary moments, and the whole story, reallly, have obviously spawned countless parodies, some better than others. All the same, it all proves that Titanic is one of the biggests things in popular culture, EVER. It is always safe to joke about and refer to the movie, because everyone has seen it. Really, everyone. If there is one movie that you can assume all the people in the room have seen, it's Titanic. Titanic is just that big. (This section also could've had "Freud, who is he? Is he a passenger?" as a headline. Haha.)

I'll never let go, Jack. I promise.

Titanic is a special film for me. It's one of my ultimate favourites. Some days I feel like it's THE favourite. Oftentimes it duels over the first place with Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings usually wins, but, granted, mostly because I actually like Peter Jackson a lot. Sorry, Jim Cameron. Your loss. Ha! I know. That really must have broken his heart.

Anyways. Number one favourite or not, Titanic rules, and it has always been a significant part of my life as a film fanatic, and it remains so. I'll never let it go.

Dawson. Rose Dawson.
 
Finally, here is something that has recently (actually recently, as in April 2012 recently) occured to me about Titanic. It is not really a tragedy. Um, okay, strike that. I don't think I can get away with saying something like that about a story where 1500 people die. What I meant was, the tragedy is not that Jack dies and so him and Rose don't get to have a life together. The tragedy is that a life was lost to save another. As we know, Jack saved Rose, in every way that a person can be saved. Without Jack, she would've either jumped to her death from the back of Titanic that night, or lived on to marry Cal and to eventually end her miserable life in some other way.

So, that the paths of those two people came together was crucial to the survival of Rose. Now, what if Jack and Rose both had survived the accident (and they might have, Jack too, had Rose gone with that second life boat Jack and Cal put her in; really, think about it!) and, like they'd planned, run off to build a life together? Maybe they would've been happy, right? Then again, maybe they indeed would've turned into that Revolutionary Road couple I was joking about earlier. I mean, they did not really know each other, or really love each other. Obviously they fell in love, in the way people often do, meaning they were intensely attracted and drawn to each other; but they did not have time (they knew each other for like three days, after all) to grow into love; not the epic, romantic kind of love, but the deep caring kind of love that comes out of years and years of mutual life. I mean, haven't we all experienced those sudden, epic, forceful emotions, when a young, silly heart thinks it knows what it wants and needs? Epic is epic, but epic is also unrealistic.

I'm not saying Jack and Rose did not care about each other, because evidently they did. He filled a void in her painfully empty life, and I'm certain she was just the person he wanted to have on his side in his last moments, just the person he was happy to die for. But the complicated, real life beyond the decks and halls and cargo holds of Titanic might have ruined that young, innocent, perfectly blooming love.

I am sure Rose did grow to really, deeply love Jack; at least the memory of Jack. But it's not like she was never able to let him go and love again. Her heart came to life thanks to Jack, but it didn't die with Jack.

In that way, it is not a tragedy that Jack died and Rose had to go on without him. He had already lived quite a life, while she was stuck in a path where she couldn't find happiness. Ending up on that ship together was the best thing that ever happened to both of them. Jack died, but got to experience something amazing in the last days of his life. And his death had a noble purpose that made it count, and he died knowing that. Rose went on, like Jack as his dying wish asked her to. She never let go, and lived a full, happy life.

Before, I looked at Titanic as the world's greatest love story. But now, I guess, I look at it more as the story of how Rose was saved. I don't know, maybe this is the way everyone else has always viewed the story, but this was kind of an epiphany for me. Maybe I'm just slow. Or maybe I've been too blinded by the epic romance to see the bigger picture.

...Or maybe I've just turned into a cynical old woman, who doesn't believe in epic romance anymore. Haha. (If only... I wrote this previous part some days before I went to see the movie in cinema, and afterwards I almost felt like erasing the whole thing. Screw the mature and sensible and realistic definitions of love! I just can't help it, the Titanic romance still gets me, and it gets me so hard. And god damn my pitifully romantic self, but I fell in love while they fell in love, felt their passion and excitement, and was happy to do so. Surely it is not the best love story ever, or anything, but when it comes to epic, larger than life, mindblowing love, there's no topping Jack and Rose. I so want to be eighteen and fall epicly, even if momentarily, in love and run around a luxorious ship doing things and feeling things I've never done or felt before! Yes! Epic is good, epic is great! Let's just skip the iceberg.)

A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets. But now you know there was a man named Jack Dawson and that he saved me... in every way that a person can be saved. I don't even have a picture of him. He exists now... only in my memory.

A Christmas Tradition vol. 2: The Holiday

Although The Holiday's status as a Christmas film (or as a film in general) doesn't quite reach the level of Love Actually in my book, it is still a wonderful mix of romance and that lovely christmassy atmosphere. Thus there must be no December without The Holiday!

(I guess this'll be on TV today. Shame I'll be at work, it would've been nice to watch it with all the five trillion commericial breaks... not.)

Kate Winslet is as lovely as ever as the heartbroken Iris. I've never been the biggest fan of the comedy of Jack Black, but he's quite sweet and likable and to prove that he's funny too, I've linked one of my favourites scenes below. Cameron Diaz is a bit plastic and stuck doing similar roles, but I don't really mind her. And Jude Law, well, he's always a pleasure to look at. Arthur played by Eli Wallach is my absolute favourite character. The old man rocks!

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you twice... and then linger a long time on the second kiss."

"Call me old fashioned, but I don't believe it to be appropriate to have sex with a woman who is unconcious."

"Miles. You really are an incredibly decent man."

"I know. It's always been my problem."

"Iris, in the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend."

"What exactly has got into you?"
"I don't know. But I think what I've got is something slightly resembling... gumption!"

"I'm looking for corny in my life."

Plus this awesome scene that also includes the awesome cameo by Dustin Hoffman...

"Can't go anywhere..."

Two traditions down, three to go! I've already started with the third one, it's a book.

P.S. My Lost marathon is only the finale away from being complete. Yay! I also finally went to see Rare Exports and it was very good. It's funny how you suddenly get things done when you are too pissed off to do any school work...

My TOP 5 favourite women in Hollywood today

Because I'm shamelessly female and probably never get totally over my passionate fangirl-ism, I tend to write about male actors more than it would probably be healthy. And as much as I adore my RDJ, River Phoenix, Sam Rockwell, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy, of course, I thought I could for once leave all the testosterone out of a post and concentrate in the gorgeous, beautiful, talented, AWESOME ladies of Hollywood. Because, thank god, they're not all meganfoxes there. Here are the best of the best!

5. Keira Knightley

She kicked some pirate ass in The Pirates of the Caribbean, she was nominated for an Oscar for potraying Elizabeth Bennet in The Pride and Prejudice, she sweeped James McAvoy off his feet in that oh-so-gorgeous green dress in Atonement, she bent it like Beckham, she was cute as a button eating banoffee pie in Love Actually, she was a face of a Channel fragrance... and she's only just 25! Next I'm looking forward to seeing her in Never Let Me Go, alongside Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan.

FAVOURITE ROLE: I'm biased, yeah, but the only honest answer here is Atonement. She might not always be the biggest chracter actress, but she worked excelently together with the awesomeness also knows as James McAvoy. (No testosterone... Right. I'll shut up now.)

4. Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is the brain of Hollywood. She's always seemed so smart and sensible, staying away from the crazy partyscene and thus the tabloids. And good for her! Majority of people probably know her best as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels... Not so good for her. But anyone who's seen her in Closer, Léon, V for Vendetta or Brothers, for example, knows she's capabale of much more than just that horribly corny 'Anakin you're breaking my heart, boo hoo' melodrama. I also have a certain admiration for anyone who shaves her head and still manages to look outstandingly beautiful.

FAVOURITE ROLE: The red-headed, wild, mysterious, erratic what's-her-name in Closer. The upcoming Black Swan might challenge that, though...

3. Marion Cotillard

When I think about the French actress, one of the first things coming to mind is her little speech about/to Kate Winslet in the Oscars a few years back. It was one of those 'previous Oscar winners talk about the year's nominees' thingys, that easily are awkward, unnatural and corny, but she sounded so sincere making it really touching. Other than that, she did a role of a lifetime as Edith Piaf, which also made her well-known among international audiences, too, fortunately! She was a rare bright spot (not literally, though) in Nine and releaved another side of herself in Inception. I'm exited to see what she is yet to accomplish in the future, which surely will be bright for her!

FAVOURITE ROLE: The unexpectedly evil memory of Leo's wife in Inception. Who knew she can be so creepy.

2. Meryl Streep

There's not anough space. Well. 16 Oscar nominations. Been married for like 30 years. Funny (those accents in the end...). Gets older in a NORMAL, natural way. And still looks splendidly beautiful. Is a great role model. I've often said I want to be Meryl Streep when I grow up. Who wouldn't? She just seems to have it all together, but in an admirable way, not in a way that makes you jealous. Because she is so humble and sweet and genuine. She's a freaking godess!

FAVOURITE ROLE: Tough one. I have yet to see embarrasingly many of her older movies. I should make it another official project. Well, I'm not going to be entirely obvious, so I won't say Mamma Mia!, but I'll go for another silly answer - The Devil Wears Prada. Because she is just colder that ice in that one.

1. Kate Winslet

Oh, Kate. The lovely Kate. No adjective describes her better. I just adore her! I adore her down-to-earthness. She once said in an interview that she uses the subway. I can imagine her sitting next to me in the Tube and then accidently burping or something and then going "oh, sorry about that!". I adore her because she's so heavenly beautiful and always looking so elegant on the red carpet, on those pretty, simple dresses. And I won't even begin with her talents. Okay, maybe just a little. She makes us cry and she makes us laugh and she astounds by the feelings she is able to potray without words, so effortlessly. Just think about the brilliantly ominous scene at the breakfast table towards the end of Revolutionary Road. P.S. She likes being naked in movies. And she makes it cool!

FAVOURITE ROLE: I want to say Titanic. I also want to say Revolotionary Road and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Little Chidren. And I also feel a bit like saying Extras. So, I won't give you a specific answer. Because I love Kate whatever she does. (Though nothing tops her beauty in Titanic. Damn! If all the women in the world looked like that I'd change my sexual orientation right away. Haha, kidding. Kind of.)

A few HONORABLE MENTIONS aka consolation prices, because there are so much more women in Hollywood worth a mention.

1) Cate Blanchett. Great presence, guaranteed talent. She potrays the most beautiful non-human creature ever, Galadriel.

2) Anne Hathaway. A sweet girl-next-door, with a bit of an edge. Very likable as a person.

3) Maggie Gyllenhaal. The other half of my favourite pair of siblings in Hollywood. A special mention to her little role in the Sam Mendes film Away We Go.


Now, please protest!

Everyone's favourite Kate + some catching up

The lovely, lovely Kate Winslet has a birthday today! I usually don't bring up people's birthdays, but since I've been starving my blog for a few days now, I thought this could be a nice excuse to write a post. And she really is quite lovely, isn't she? I could make a habbit of just posting a random picture of Kate Winslet on the days I have nothing else to say. Yeah, she's lovely. Happy birthday, birthday girl!

Also, I added the most popular lables to the sidebar and apparently I talk too much about Lost. Nah, well, soon I've said everything I have to say about the sublject, and then I'll probably shut up for a while. Anyway, the Complete Marathon is going quite well, I'm two episodes away from finishing season 3! Looks like the more school work I have, the more Lost I watch. Makes sense, really.

The last book in The Hunger Games trilogy is also almost finished. Well, there's still a hundred and something pages left but I think I'll wait for tomorrow night and then dig in for the last time. Wow. Why do good books end so soon? ... Maybe because they are good? Duh.

This post is starting to look like a news broadcast of my life, so I might as well keep going:

I'm currently working on a massive post about my favourite actor and I'm putting a bit too much time and energy on it, but since it's not just a favourite, but THE favourite, it's only fair that I do.

Today I wrote a causal analysis on 3D movies and I can tell you it's one of the crappiest texts I've written in a while.

I also tried to learn French by listening to one of those educational CDs while I was cooking lasagna, and my French upstairs neighbours were singing Beatles very loudly and not very well, and I thought about turning the volume up and really pissing them off, but I didn't.

I think French is really difficult.

I'm looking forward to Saturday and a friend+boyfriend's housewarming party (they've lived in the flat for five months now, but who cares) and I could gladly just skip the rest of the week and jump straight to that. Motivation, where are you?

That concludes our broadcast tonight. (Isn't it great to sometimes write shamelessly beside the point? Speaking of which, we got an unusually cool assignment at school - to sit in a cafe or some other public place for 45 minutes and just... write. That'll be, eh, interesting, I'm sure...)

EDIT // I just got a kick out of this... If Facebook existed years ago. Haha. "Oh it'll be a killer alright."

Student life makes you watch movies you have nothing to say about, so you just sqeeze them all in one post. (It also makes you lazy.)

I guess the title says it all. My lectures began again last week after a loooooong summer, and the switch back to normal life didn't treat me very gently. I'm hoping this is a passing phase, and I'll soon be inspired to write proper posts about proper movies. Until then, here's some uninspired thoughts about movies I saw last week, with quite a hazy head. 

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

directed by Peter Jackson / starring Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey

Watched this because of Kate Winslet, of course. And because of Peter Jackson, too. BUT (I can't believe I'm saying this) I'm beginning to wonder if PJ actually is a very good director, or a director to my taste. Besides that one little trilogy, I haven't really liked any of his movies. Though I've only seen this one, Lovely Bones and Meet the Feebles, none of them really worked for me. But sure, a normal person couldn't have made Middle Earth so freaking real and amazing, so I'll always be a PJ fan. I haven't said anything about Heavenly Creatures, but I guess I don't have anything to say. Maybe I watched it in a bit indifferent mood, but I didn't get much out of it. But Kate is cool no matter what she does.

Leap Year (2010)

 directed by Anand Tucker / starring Amy Adams, Matthew Goode

 A boy meets girl and they very much dislike each other, and then they experience somtething cool together and then they are in love. The end. Someone really put some thought on the plot of Leap Year. Hope they got a rise. No, but seriously, you've seen this pattern a million times before, but it's always quite nice to see it one more time. Especially if the boy is played by Matthew Goode. And there was actually one scene I liked a lot - the ine on the bed of the motel, with Dream a Little Dream of Me playing in the background. And Ireland is of course damn beautiful.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

directed by Ron Clements, John Musker / voices by Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos

 It's becoming quite clear that Disney makes films for kids and Pixar makes films for the whole family. In case you didn't know, I ADORE Disney, so I really, really wanted to love this film, but well, I didn't. It's not a bad film, of course, but it's no Beauty and the Beast. I wonder if the kids of today will watch The Princess and the Frog twenty years from now and feel the way I do with Belle and Simba and Pocahontas... No? I wouldn't want to think that the Disney movies are getting worse, maybe I'm just getting old and boring? But I guess they are. Well, Disney had their hour (well, it lasted a bit longer than an hour) and now they have to share the stage with Pixar. And why not, they doing quite slendidly! I just don't want old Walt to glance down from his cloudy retirement mansion and frown upon what they're doing with his good name.

 But anyway. I think it's very cool that a Disney princess has now journeyed from Snow White to pitch-black - Tiana is the first dark-skinned Disney heroinne ever! Also, the frail, delicate, high-voiced, snow-skinned, ebony-haired little princess is only a long-lost bad dream, when Tiana takes the stage with that kick-ass attitude and a serious case of workaholism. And his prince is a bit of an idiot. Still, no matter how modern this princess is, she still has the mandatory annoying animal friends. Tiger can't change her stripes and Disney can't change its most sacred princibles.

The songs are alright, so none very memorable. Visually the film was stunning. That picture above is just an example. Next, Disney will do its magic to the story of Rapunzel, and despite everything, I'm kind of looking forward to Tangled. Though the prince seems silly again. I guess that's the new Disney trend.

 

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)

directed by Paul Hoen / starring Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers (I thought they were an actual band or something... I guess not? Or are they...? Oh well.)

So why in the name of all things good and holy (I kind of stole that from Lost. Sorry, Hurley) did I watch a movie called Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam?? Here's your answer: cable open. I spent my Friday night quite cosily in front of TV, watching Disney Channel. Ah, some high-quality entertainment! And this was on. So I watched it. Duh. And it was so überly High School Musical-y that I would've felt disgusted if I hadn't been so amused. All they've changed is the setting. The songs and the characters are just the same. Though this one had much more annoying female lead. (And HSM is better. Ahem, it's just one hell of a guilty pleasure, you know.) Poor kids, having to watch junk like this. It's just so bad... that I feel ashamed saying that I had no problem sitting through it.

Dear Walt, don't look down.

Quills

Quills (2000)

Directed by Philip Kaufman. Starring Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine.

Long story short: In the Napoleonic France, the Marquis De Sade is imprisoned at an insane asylumn. From behind the bars he manages to slip out his erotic texts to be published.

Well. I'd never heard of this film before I found it at our local library, where I picked it up because I love Kate Winslet and the whole cast seemed pretty good. And... well. I'm not sure what to think about it. But it certainly wasn't an avarage Hollywood movie, no.

Geoffrey Rush didn't get his Oscar nomination for nothing. He's truly disgusting as the obscene Marquis, who can be charming and persuasive if he wants. Yeah, and he obsessively has to write down his dirty stories that kind of whirl around his brain. Otherwise he goes ever more nuts. It's quite creepy, really. But Rush plays the controversial role very well.

 Kate Winslet is great, again, as she always is. She plays Madeleine, a young laudress, who has somehow befriended with the Marquis. I guess she's intrigued by the taboo. It's the 18th century, remember, so nauhgty stories are kind of a no-no, you know. But Kate is just wonderful. I just love that woman! Michael Caine also means guaranteed excellence. He plays Dr. Royer-Collard, who arrieves at the asylumn and engages in a battle of wills with the Marquis. I've never seen him play anyone so unpleasant, and it was odd to dislike him. But he rocked the role.

Then... Joaquin. Joaquin oh Joaquin. Why oh why did you stopped being a great great actor and went a bit, um, weird? Quills made me remember how very good he used to be. His character, the asylumn's priest, is a kind, decent man, but on the other side his struggling with temptation and supressed feelings. And Joaquin plays him like a true Phoenix can be expected to. Sigh. If only these stunning performances would've kept on coming... Please clear your head, man, and keep doing what you do so so well! Pretty please, oh Joaquin?

 (Ooh, he used to be so handsome, too. Damn.) Quills is a daring film. Not necessarily one to be watched with your parents, or any relative, if you know what I mean. It's an interesting film, too. I forgot to mention that it's actually based on real people and events. It's a rare potrayal of the mentality of those people in that place, at that time. At times it's sad, tragic, but funny and charming, too. Kind of. It kept a hold of me the whole time. It's a bold, unique film with an excellent cast. It's not for everyone - some might think it crosses over to the wrong side of good taste - and I'm not going to "warmly recommend" it, as I often do. But well, if you're up for a bit different film experience, why not give it a shot.

Here's a trailer, which I think is pretty good. I like Napoleon's little feet hanging above the floor as he sits on that far too high chair. Haha. And the last shots... I say this once more. Joaquin oh Joaquin.

(Now I'm kind of glad I don't grade the films I write about. I have no idea what I'd do with this one.) 

"In order to know virtue, we must acquaint ourselves with vice."

My favourite TV shows 4/5

2. (part 2/2) Extras

Sharing the second place with Glee is a little British TV show called Extras. I first got familiar with Extras through a friend, who showed me some YouTube clips. I was immidiately convinced that I would like this show, so I bought both seasons and the Christmas special from London. And I'm glad I did!

Extras is about, as it says in the poster's wonderfully ambiguous tag line, the story of a man with small parts. In other words, it's about Andy Millman, who works as a movie extra and desperately tries to gain bigger roles and fame. Ricky Gervais plays the leading role in a very hilarious way, and he's also pretty much behind the whole show.

This is British humour at its best! The main characters get themselves into awkward and embarrassing situations, and it gets even worse when they try to talk themselves out of them. The word I'd like to use here is "myötähäpeä", but I don't know if there's a word for it in English. Anyway, at times, "myötähäpeä" is almost unbearable!

You have to give some respect to these world-class actors, who agree to star in a small tv show, only to make fools out of themselves. And they've got some HUGE stars! Ian McKellen, Samuel L. Jackson, freaking Robert DeNiro! What's funny is that they always play "themselves", or rather the parodies of themselves. It's great to see that some superstars are still willing to laugh at themselves. Here are a few examples of my favourite guest star appareances in Extras.

Kate Winslet talks dirty. In a nun costume. "Oh fuck my fucking knees!" And this one's almost a legend: "If you do a Holocaust movie, you're guaranteed an Oscar." Indeed you are. Ricky Gervais knows best. And I just love Kate Winslet! Seriously, who doesn't!

Orlando Bloom is over-confident about his charm. Plus bitterly mocks Johnny Depp. Who knew the pretty-faced, constantly confused-looking Legolas can do comedy? And I thinks it's so amusing how Maggie isn't even slightly interested in Orlando, although she tries to hit on basically every other man.

Daniel Radcliffe tries to loose his good-boy-imago. I just genuinely like Daniel! Not his acting in particular (though in addition to Extras, I've only seen him as that boy who does magic and stuff and has like a weird scar on his forehead, can't remember the name...), nor his looks, but I just like how he seems so abnormally... normal! I base this assumption on all the interviews I've seen and read. I really wish him only success for his post-Potter life. (Gosh, remembered the name, after all.) Right, and Daniel in Extras. He's SO FUNNY. SERIOUSLY! (Sorry for exploiting the caps lock, but he's HILARIOUS.) "I've done it! With a girl. Intercourse-wise." Ooooooh dear god...

I also have to mention this wonderful line delivered by Chris Martin of Coldplay (he's doing one of these "hey, many people die because of the lack of clean water, please help!" ads): "Can we get on with this? I've got to do AIDS and Alzheimer's and landmines this afternoon and I wanna get back for Deal Or No Deal. Plus Gwyneth's making drumsticks."

However, it's not only the celebrity guest stars that make extras funny. The main cast is awesome, too. Some of the funniest scenes are the ones between Andy and his, frankly, idiotic agent Darren. Just a flash of that stupid grin and I'll start loosing it... And of course there's Shaun Williamson playing Shaun Williamson, or, as he's often refered to as, Barry off Eastenders.

And here's my favourite: Maggie Jacobs, Andy's best friend. She's just, um... kind of slow? She also has that wonderful accent. She and Andy work just perfectly together. I could give you a dozen examples, but here's one:

Maggie: "I think I need to go for a wee. That's the third one already..."
Andy: "Good. Well, keep me posted throughout the week. Maybe keep a journal."

And another one...

Now I'll stop before this gets out of hand.



Number one will have to wait until the end of the month, when the best show ever ends and possibly my life as I know it, too.

Iron Man 2 tomorrow! I can't believe I'm going to pay for it, I didn't even like the first one that much! Well, anything for RDJ... And sure, Sam Rockwell comes with the bargain, too. I'll report back to you!

My TOP 5 favorite movie couples

I'm a sucker for a good movie romance. Here are my favorite movie couples of all time!



5. Cecilia & Robbie (Atonement)

If I had to name my favorite movie - strictly just one - I would probably refuse to do that because it's quite impossible, but if I absolutely HAD TO, I think I would say Atonement. It is a very beautiful film, both visually and story-wise. It's one of those films I just need to watch regularly. (The book is excellent, too.) Oh, and it really fired up my love for James McAvoy, who's been my favorite actor ever since. The story of Robbie and Cecilia is not the happiest one, quite the opposite, but they are granted their moments: the library scene (just smoldering hot), their hands secretly touching each other in the dinner table, when they meet after a long time in the cafeteria and Cecelia puts her hand in Robbie's cheek... Oh yes. I really want to watch it again, it's been too long!

"Robbie."
"Cecilia."
"I love you."
"I love you."


4. Jack & Ennis (Brokeback Mountain)

First, how awesome are Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger? Answer: very. Movies this slow usually mostly bore me, but this one I can watch again and again. It's really so much more than a "gay cowboy movie", ugh, I hate that term. It has a lot of beautiful moments, which Gyllenhaal/Ledger act just perfectly. When they meet for the first time after four years and just jump on each other... I could watch that scene a million times.

"You know, it could be like this, just like this, always."

3. Celine & Jesse (Before Sunrise/Before Sunset)

This couple stands out, as their story is less epic and dramatic than the rest - they are actually the only ones on this list, who stand a chance to live happily ever after. Sometimes realism rocks! I ADORE these two little movies. They always make me want to pack my bags and go wander around Europe alone. The chemistry between Celine and Jesse is SO REAL, their story feels SO REAL. This is the kind of thing I want to experience myself! They just click! They are not without their problems of course - there wouldn't be a movie if there weren't problems - but it feels REAL (hi, my name is Broken Record, nice to meet you!) and like it could actually happen in real life. YES. It's awesome. They have talked about making a third one, but only when everyone's stopped waiting for it. There was a gap of nine years between the first two, so I wouldn't hold my breath, but... I like where we were left in the end of the second one.

"Maybe we're only good at brief encounters, walking around in European cities in warm climate."


2. Satine & Christian (Moulin Rouge!)

I might be talking rubbish, but I dare say that Moulin Rouge! was the first movie I really fell in love with. It's also, no doubt, the movie I've watched the most times - I can't give you a number, I lost count a long time ago. This is earth-shattering, life-altering, larger-than-life love... and of course it ends in tears. Maybe that's what makes it so powerful. After all, that's what the whole movie is about - Christian telling their story that ended too soon. Ewan McGregor is just dreamy in this film. He's even better as this romantic, poor, sensitive young writer than he is as Obi-Wan Kenobi (and that's saying something!). His singing is just... aah! I just melt away everytime he starts singing Your Song. Or anything, really. Oh, where's that soundtrack, I feel like melting!

"Come what may, I will love you, until my dying day."


1. Rose & Jack (Titanic)

There's really no other option here. Number one has to be the most epic, the most heartbreaking, the most legendary love story of all. (Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler don't stand a chance here, for my opinion they were never meant for each other.) Titanic is just... well, it's Titanic! I don't think I need to explain myself. There won't probably ever be anything quite like Titanic, for me at least. I was just glancing through some of the lines, and almost got shivers just doing that. Jack and Rose just are Jack and Rose, and you can't really beat that. (I feel like saying something nasty about the main couple of Avatar - see, I can't even remember their names! - but I won't, because it would imply that I'm bitter because of the huge success of a film that relies only on special effects and boys and their toys and the greed of JC and because Titanic should always be Cameron's most successful film and it isn't anymore and it's stupid . And I'm not bitter. Eh... Am not! Much.) Titanic is a very special film for me, and 'epic love story' is practically just another way of saying Jack and Rose. Amen. (And Kate Winslet is my second favorite actor, right after Mr. McAvoy. Leo's not terrible either.)

"When the ship docks, I'm getting off with you."
"This is crazy."
"I know. It doesn't make any sense. That's why I trust it."