This weekend I gots two events; a wedding and the Oscars. So I figured, what would a Pop Culture blog be without the obligatory “Top blah, blah, blah” post?
So in honor of my friend’s upcoming nuptials tonight and the 84th Annual Academy Awards I give to you……
The Top 5 Movies Oscar Loved About Love
1. Romeo and Juliet (1936)
I'm honestly not sure who's who in this picture.
They got 4 nominations but no wins. Shakespeare never got nominated for anything other than Potentially Gay Guy Most Likely To Knock Up A Cougar. Thank God everyone realized he was pretty badass after he died or else we may have missed out on getting to see naked teenagers when we had to watch the ’68 version (also nominated) in English class. But I digress…we were discussing the 1936 version weren’t we? It was beautiful, it was lavish, it was…..NOT NEARLY AS AWESOME AS THE LEONARDO DICAPRIO ONE!! Come on! Paul “I love you, Bromeo” Rudd was in it for Christ’s sake!!! 60 years can do a lot for a story. I’m not going to lie, I’ve never even seen the ’36 version and if it wasn’t for that one time in 6th grade I probably wouldn’t have watched the ’68 version, but I sure as hell have seen the 1996 EPIC MASTERPIECE OF TRUE LOVE AND TEEN ANGST, BAZ LUHRMANN’S, ROMEO + JULIET!!! When Harold Perrineau shouted “Row-Mayo!!” I was enchanted. Screw puffy shirts, layers of velvet and swords! Long live Hawaiian shirts, greasy hair and handguns! Huzzah!
- “They turned it sideways!! That’s a kill shot!”
This may have had something to do with the fact that I was a 15 year old girl at the time…..maybe.
2.) West Side Story (1961)
See above . Add Singing, Dancing and Puerto Ricans. 11 nominations, 10 wins. Oscar likes things to be a bit more ethnic.
I just recently saw the revival at the Cadillac Theatre here in Chicago. This particular production was going for the “gritty reality” of musical street gangs. There was a dance rape. We took my 10 year old Goddaughter. She did take away one very valuable lesson though; Never bring a knife to a rumble. It wasn’t the best show, but it may save a life.
This is actually pretty similar to the Romeo & Juliet poster from '36
3.) Tootsie (1982)
I love this movie. LOVE IT!!! I have a handful of movies that I call “Sleepy Time Movies” (or S.M.T.) and this is one of them. “Sleepy Time Movies” are the movies you can turn on when you can’t turn your brain off and you need to go to sleep NOW!! It might seem odd to use “movie I can immediately fall asleep to” as a compliment, but it is. One of the highest. I am so familiar with it and so comfortable with it, it’s a lullaby of hilariousness and soothing 80’s instrumentals. Of all the movies ever nominated for an Oscar in the history of Oscars, this may be my favorite. And when it comes to the topic of love, Tootsie has it in spades. Michael (Dustin Hoffman sans wig) loves acting. Sandy (Teri Garr, who incidentally is in the S.T.M., Mr. Mom) loves Michael. Michael loves Julie Nichols (Constance from American Horror Story) who loves Dorothy (Dustin Hoffman w/ wig) but doesn’t love her, love her. And Julie’s father really does love Dorothy, so much so that he proposes marriage. This movie is worth watching if only to watch Charles Durning hit on Dustin Hoffman, who I think kind of looks like a Republican presidential candidate. The entire thing comes to a close with everyone loving everyone and Michael having finally gotten the money needed to produce his roomate’s (Bill Murry) play….Return To Love Canal.
10 nominations, only Lang took home a statue. Oscar also like things to be pretty.
You were expecting that damn "I'm flying, Jack!" picture weren't you?
4.) Titanic (1997)
Nominated for everything. Won everything. Made everyone involved ridiculously famous. Even the props found work after the Titanic sunk (wait..was I supposed to preface that with “spoiler alert?” My bad, won’t happen again). The necklace even starred in a Britney Spears video:
Do you think he wore his astronaut suit when he "went down and got if for you?"
Technically still a love story even though everyone died at the end…..uh…spoiler alert….oops, I did it again.
5.) The Artist (2012)
I haven’t seen it because it’s all old and black & white and foreign and silent and stuff, but according to it’s Wikipedia page it’s lovely and if it’s anything like this….
…I’m in.
P.S. Why is this backwards…am I wearing the Mirrormask? Is this a French thing? I’m so confused.
In all seriousness though, Jean Dujardin has a face to die for and while I haven’t yet had a chance to see The Artist I look forward to both his and his eyebrows’ adorably French acceptance speech on Sunday.
Veux-tu être ma petite-amie?
Oui.
Enjoy your weekend kids (all 25 of you who find me here). I’d like to tell you I’ll post something tomorrow, but I’ll be shitfaced during the bulk of the day and chances are you aren’t going to get much more than some haphazard photos of a wedding modified with various photo apps. Something to look forward to though, ain’t it?
As for the Oscars, I’m pretty excited to see the clips for Best Supporting Actress ’cause at least two of them will probably have poop in them
Come on, Mr. Sunshine 