Romantic Film review - Reality Bites

So, can you believe Reality Bites is twenty this year?
I watched it again a couple of weeks ago, just to have another peek and see if it has stood the test of time. The answer to that question is, I have no idea, because I just fell in love with it all over again, and officially have absolutely no idea if its just because I love it or because it really is as cool as I think it is that it still looks so cool - if you can work out what the hell I mean by that.

Ok, so I love Reality Bites. I thought Ethan Hawke was the hottest thing on the planet in that film - and I have to say, I still do. He is SO sexy as the moody Cobain-esque Troy that I thought I would die of pleasure all over again. Forget that I saw him as old as me in Before Midnight this year, I loved watching him all dark and Gen-X. I thought he was so 'real' and 'soulful' when I first watched this film. Over time I saw him as a spoiled pretentious brat who can't play an instrument for shit. Now, twenty years on, the older wiser me, sees him as 'real' and 'soulful' again.

Which, lets face it, is totally what you want from Reality Bites.

What I didn't know from Reality Bites was that we used to all be so precious about divorced parents. My god, they go on and on about how close to totally fucked up they are because their parents are divorcing - HA! Can you imagine that today? You'd so be told to harden up. I also didn't realize how bad Lelaina's (Winona Ryder) documentary about her friends actually is, nor how unbelievably cool Vickie (Jeanne Garofalo) was. The dance scene to 'My Sharona' is still cool as cool, even if we have all done it a hundred times and seven-eleven's really aren't quite the generational statement Ben Stiller thought they were.

I did, however, have a hundred moments of hard core clothing memory, as calf length dresses in green with polka dots, Mary Janes, round ray bans, huge vests, hair slicked to my forehead at the front and layered at the back, headbands, mascara and red lipstick, and giant oversize shirts came flooding back.

If you're in your late thirties, early forties and have been married all that time, you should treat yourselves to a Reality Bites night. Get rid of the kids for the night, get a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of cheap wine, a lot of coffee, and some hotdogs, and play your old records really loud, and watch Reality Bites.
Don't forget The Knack Cd's.

Romantic Film Review - I, Frankenstein.

Ok, so perhaps this one doesn't leap to mind instantly when you think of romance, but for the hetro-romance-movie-challenged of us out there perpetually trying to find a romantic film that will appeal to her as well as him - I, Frankenstein is your monster.

First things first - I, Frankenstein goes where none of the other adaptations from the Mary Shelly novel have ever gone before! Frankenstein's monster is HOT! Aaron Eckhart has buffed up, got a sexy six pack, and same dark under eye makeup and looks downright gorgeous. Enough to get any straight woman in the mood. Add to that, he has a girlfriend in this version - Yvonne Strahovski plays sexy scientist Terra Wade who becomes a sort of unconventional love interest of the invented man.

I, Frankenstein is set in the current day and the monster has already battled it out with his creator and won. However, there are now bigger fish to fry as Frankenstein (as the monster is now called) has found he is being chased by demons led by an all powerful leader, Naberius (Bill Nighy) who is leading his demons through a perpetual war with the stone gargoyles that sit in watch over humans from the top and cornerstones of old Gothic buildings around the world. The Gargoyles invite Frankenstein to join them, after all the demons are trying to kill him too, he may as well come on board, but he refuses stating he is alone and that is his curse. However, when he discovers the demons evil plan for him, he has to join forces with them, to ensure the demons are stamped out forever.

In the middle of all these battles is Terra Wade, a scientist who works for Nebarius, although she thinks he is a human benefactor. it is when her client tries to get her to start building another human that Terra realizes she is caught up in something far larger than she knew existed, and evil to its core. When she finds her life threatened, it is Frankenstein who comes to her rescue, and Frankenstein she will find herself sitting on a bed with, caressing his perfectly sculptured body.

It may be a tad silly in parts, but if you suspend your judgement and just enjoy yourself, this one might be a great pop corn movie that you can secretly pretend was hubbies choice for date night. It's romantic enough so that you will feel engaged and invested in the two main characters, and its feisty enough that a man's man won't notice the romance. It can get a little violent, but sending demons to hell isn't quite the same as killing humans, so there is an out for those with a lively imagination.

As I said above, I Frankenstein might be an odd choice to a romance film review, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what's in store.