Movies That Made You Love

It's Valentine's once again. I'm thinking of the movies that made me fall in love. I mean, the movies that made you feel romance or made you giddy with love. Never mind if you watched the movie alone or with family members. It's that whole feeling of ahwwww. These movies are not the classics like Annie Hall or Casablanca. Certainly these two movies rank up there on so many lists, including the romantic lists. Though there are many things to do on Valentine's day, nothing beats a light romantic comedy to make a Valentine's moment while one is unattached.

While You Were Sleeping and Notting Hill just do it for me. I so identified with Sandra Bullock's character (a simple train station ticket agent with a big crush on one of the regular passengers) that I fell in love with Sandra and looked forward to whatever movie she was in. No matter how bad or corny a movie she made after that, it never just seems so bad with Sandra in it. Imagine being mistaken as your crush's girlfriend and actually living out your fantasy even for just a moment, but in the end reality sets in and still you find love. The same thing with Hugh Grant falling for a famous movie star. Actually, it was the movie star that fell for him. Another fantasy come true perhaps. I'm okay with it. I'm unattached at the moment and still very hopeful. I will have my Hollywood ending.

On Heath

Last weekend, the Velvet Channel showed Brokeback Mountain. Coincidence or planned? So close to the timing of Heath Ledger's passing. I didn't quite get that movie the first time it screened in theaters. With so much hype from the critics and the potential Oscar nominations (at that time), expectations were high. I thought the critics saw something that I didn't see. I just shrugged.

But seeing it again on TV last week, I now get it. The lyrical way Director Ang Lee moves the story and draws out emotion with style really got to me. Those close ups of Heath. What a great actor, I told myself. The pain, sorrow and loneliness were so real and then mean something else knowing that we will never get to see anything more from this gifted actor. I hate myself for not seeing and feeling it then when I first watched the movie. Maybe its the idea of watching it alone at home and without inhibition allowing myself to be taken in. I couldn't stop crying just watching Heath.

What happens now The Joker? News reports have it that Heath started having his insomnia when he was shooting Dark Knight and I'm Not There. How deep and personal did he go to get into character? Perhaps a dark life with a truly very dark ending, or just one of cinema's brightest gems. Thanks for those movies. We won't miss you, Heath.