Brides At War

I think it is safe to say that I love my rom-coms. From your quirky indie gems like 500 days of summer, to your tear-stricken Titanic, I’ll watch them all. Well at least try to.

So the latest one added to the list? Bride Wars. Typically, this was released over a year ago, but I only watched it recently as is my trademark... This cat-fight comedy about two best friends wanting their respective perfect weddings is a solid laugh from beginning to end.  Providing enough spark to get even the most tenous couple through.

Our leads, Anne Hathaway (recently Oscar nominated) and Kate Hudson, both want June weddings at the Plaza. And why not? It is, after all, the only place to get married. But what happens when your weddings are booked on the same date? Well all out war, that’s what according to this film.  Hathaway and Hudson give the term Bride-zilla a new meaning. From dying one’s hair blue, to spraying the other a ‘blood orange’, it gets increasingly crazy such that it makes you wonder why these two even were able to 'force' men to marry them in the first place!

Enough jokes for a lazy Sunday afternoon rental. So grab your Vera Wang loving girlfriends, some chocolate and cosy up to this flick.

Rating: C (5.5/10)

Nine! Well The Cap's Got His Work Cut Out...

Ones To Watch #13 - Nine

#13

Nine (dir. Marshall)

Expected Release Date: TBA

Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Stacy Ferguson, Kate Hudson & Sophia Loren

Studio: The Weinstein Company

Would you just look at that cast! You don’t need me to tell you the extent to which it must have taken to put this ensemble together…

Nine, directed by Chicago director Rob Marshall, is based on the musical of the same name, with the original play written by Mario Fratti who was inspired by Federico Fellini’s 8½ (for me the greatest film ever made). The play was called Nine as “when you add music to 8½, its like half a number more”.

Personally I can’t reimagine 8½ as a musical. The whole notion sounds ridiculous, however, the play has been running strongly since 1982 achieving countless awards since its conception.

So, what is the potential banana skin? Well, my largest gripe is with director Rob Marshall. Chicago was a fun though dramatically limited film with some excellent song-and-dance scenes scattered throughout. That it won Best Picture over The Pianist at the Academy Awards shows what numbnuts the members can be (no doubt a conversation for another morning…). Marshall’s follow up feature, Memoirs of A Geisha, was silkily woven but ultimately singly layered and lacking in any sort of emotional resonance. You just get the feeling that without a strong script Nine could end up following the same path.

BUT! And what a marvellous and intriguing BUT! Daniel Day Lewis in the lead role is the most exciting casting choice of 2009 and Nine will hopefully provide another chance to watch the Cruzster (tm) steal the limelight.

Just for those enticing subplots alone, Nine would make my top 20.