London

Macy left for London today and I'm so jealous I could puke. Just kidding. I'd love to be en route to London, but I'm not feeling nauseous.

I don't know why I'm so madly in love with London. I've never been there in person. However, I've visited vicariously through books and movies, so tonight I thought I'd post a "Six" in honor of Macy's trip -- my six favorite romantic comedies set in London.

1. Love Actually
Love Actually is a charming, distinctly British, Richard Curtis film that weaves together, through vignettes, the tale of eight couples as they struggle to work out their baggage and find love in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The separate story arcs all come together and we discover connections between the characters as the timeline progresses . There's a heck of a lot of British talent in this film--Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Kiera Knightley, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman and so on -- but Bill Nighy provides most of the film's funniest moments as aging rock star Billy Mack. I started cracking up almost the moment he appeared on screen. This is just a fun, feel good movie with a great soundtrack. Check it out if you haven't seen it already.

2. Shakespeare in Love
You remember this one, right? Set in London in the late 16th century, William Shakespeare, as a young playwright. struggles with his latest work "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter". He meets Viola, who has always dreamt of being an actress and they, of course, fall in love and she becomes his muse. Here's a quote from the director--

"A script like this comes along once in a lifetime," says John Madden. "I never expected to find something that I would feel so strongly about. I've spent my life around Shakespeare - I've acted in it, directed it, I've studied it and I've even taught Shakespeare at university - and to find a script that actually gets behind it all and is so incredibly funny and fresh and brilliantly imagined is just wonderful. I am very proud of this film. We all are."

3. Bridget Jones' Diary
The film adaptation of Helen Fielding's bestseller chronicles the trials and tribulations of a thirty something singleton living in London. Bridget drinks too much, dresses unwisely and obsesses over finding love. She also makes foolish choices. Both the book by Helen Fielding and its film adaptation struck a chord with young, single women who identified with its "real" heroine. I loved both the book and the movie. Of course, I loved the whole chick lit phenomenon and I' m a Pride & Prejudice freak. I'm sure you've heard this before but the plot was loosely based upon the masterpiece by Jane Austen. To play that up, Colin Firth was cast as Mark “Darcy” in the film. He is the same actor who played Mr. Darcy in the much-heralded BBC/A&E version of the classic novel.

4. About a Boy
My favorite Hugh Grant movie. I just loved this film. It is an adaptation of a Nick Hornby novel. Grant is perfectly cast as Will, an unemployed, shallow, self-absorbed, trust-fund slacker who has never dated anyone for more than two months because he doesn't want to be involved or take responsibility for anyone. He tries to improve his romantic odds by preying on desperate single mothers in London. He even goes so far as to recruit the misfit son of a suicidal mother to pose as his own son in order to hang out with a particularly interesting "hot mom." Ultimately, his strategy backfires. He ends up befriending the boy and falling for the girl. Hard. A year later, he has an extended family he cares about and feels responsiblity toward. Other than that, all I can tell you is there is a very funny performance of Killing Me Softly With His Song. You have to watch it. Prepare to crack up.

5. Four Weddings and a Funeral
Just like the title says, this movie is about four weddings and a funeral. At the first wedding Charles, played by Hugh Grant, becomes smitten with an American woman named Carrie, played by Andie MacDowell. According to Amazon, this was one of the highest grossing films to come out of Great Britain.

6. My Fair Lady
This oscar winner was adapted from a stage musical based on the play, Pygmalion. I loved this movie as a kid, although I thought Henry Higgins was very mean. Now, of course, I'd say he was arrogant, but it still works for me.

If you're thinking, wow, she forgot Notting Hill, I have to say, while I loved the setting of that film, it's not one of my faves. I thought there was a distinct lack of chemistry, spark and sexual tension between the main characters. However, I did like other aspects of the movie. The flatmate, Spike? Hilarious!

Other movies set in London that I love are Elizabeth , Mary Poppins, Bend it Like Beckham and Snatch. Those are off the top of the head. I'm sure more will come to me later. For now, that should help us all get our London fix.

Have an amazing time Macy.

Cheers and happy writing,
Alyson

Villains Alyson Loves to Hate

This week our Sunday Six is villains we love to hate. In honor of the Academy Awards, I'm picking mine from movies. All of my selections have something to do with the oscars if you think broadly although most were characters in books first.

1. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter of Silence of the Lambs (1991)
While the novels Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, both by Thomas Harris, were critically and commercially successful, it was not until Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter in the film adaptation of Silence of the Lambs that Hannibal Lecter became a bonafide cultural icon. Oscars abound in this selection -- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Anthony Hopkins' performance was truly astounding. When I think great villain, I think Hannibal. Brilliant. Cunning. Psychotic. A renowned psychiatrist turned infamous cannibalistic serial killer. His cat and mouse game with Clarice Starling kept me on the edge of my seat the first time I saw the movie-- and still does, as a matter of fact.

A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. --Hannibal Lecter

Horrified chills!

2. Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Another oscar grand slam here: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Nurse Mildred Ratched, the head administrative nurse at the fictional Salem, Oregon State Mental Hospital, is a fictional character from Ken Kesey's brilliant 1962 novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The self-righteous (and rather sadistic) tyrant obsessed with her own power was portrayed deliciously well by oscar winner Louise Fletcher in the film adaptation. Could I possibly hate anyone more after the way she shames poor Billy and threatens to tell his mother of whom he is terribly afraid, so much so that he commits suicide? Well actually, yes. I learned to hate her even more. With a smooth, bland expression, smiling a tight little smile, she orders McMurphy's lobotomy in a toneless voice. I nearly died when McMurphy was lobotomized. I was breathless with hate and loathing and anguish.

3.Glenn Close as Alex Forrest of Fatal Attraction (1987)
Glenn Close was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category for this role. She hasn't won an oscar yet but she's one heck of an actress who plays one heck of a villain in this role and others. She is scary, scary, scary as the neurotic predatory female who stalks her married, one-weekend lover. She gave men everywhere nightmares. I won't be ignored, Dan! ( he, he)

Glenn Close was also amazing as the conniving Marquise de Mertuil in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), another role for which she was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category. The movie was based on a play by Christopher Hampton which was based on the classic French novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Just one year after Dangerous Liaisons was released, Milos Forman released his vision of Laclos' novel . The movie Valmont starred Annette Benning as the Marquise de Mertuil, and I have to say although I love Annette Benning, she didn't come across nearly as evil and villainous. Glenn is my cold stone beeyatch.

Incidentally, nearly a decade later, Glenn Close was perfectly cast as über-villain Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmations, the movie ( 1996). She totally steals the show! Gotta love to hate Glenn as Cruella!

4. Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962)
I watched this movie as a kid, a rerun on late night television, and I was scared out of my mind. Both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis are amazing. If you haven't seen it, two aging actresses, sisters, live as recluses in a house where Baby Jane, a truly demented former child star "takes care of"-- read abuses-- her crippled sister, Blanche. Bette Davis was nominated for an Academy Award for this role. She didn't win that year, but she has won others.

5. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes of Misery (1990)
The screenplay was adapted from a novel by Stephen King and it features a romance novelist (bonus points!). Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is a famous romance novelist who has written seven novels featuring a plucky heroine named Misery Chastaine. In his eighth Misery novel, he kills her off so that he can begin to work on his version of the Great American Novel. He's tired of the dimestore novelist bit. Upon completion of this Great American novel at a remote mountain location, Sheldon heads out to New York City to meet with his publisher in the midst of a raging blizzard. He veers into a desolate snowbank. He is rescued by unstable ex-nurse Annie Wilkes, who happens to be Misery’s self-proclaimed "number one fan." At first, she nurses Paul back to health in her remote cabin, telling him the roads and phones are knocked out by the storm. She fawns over him until she purchases his eighth Misery novel and discovers that he has killed Misery. Kathy Bates won an oscar for this role. She plays one heck of a crazy nut job!

6. Robert DeNiro as Max Cady of Cape Fear (1991)
Robert DeNiro was nominated for an oscar for this role-- and, of course, he's a highly acclaimed, academy award winning actor. Max Cady is a very spooky, uneducated, scripture slinging, recently-released criminal who has been imprisoned for fourteen years on rape and battery charges. He stalks the family of the attorney who defended him because he knows that the lawyer intentionally buried a valuable document which would have shortened his prison sentence. He's hell bent on revenge. The scenes between him and Juliette Lewis are chilling. Max Cady scared the heck out of me.

7. Jeremy Irons as the voice of Scar from the Lion King (1994)
Consumed with jealousy and the desire for power, Scar is a villain of Shakespearian proportion (think King Richard III). Pure evil. He kills his noble brother, attempts to kill Simba more than once, and hangs out with the creepy hyenas. As my three-year-old says, "Scar is a very naughty lion." This fits here because, of course, Jeremy Irons is an academy award winner.

Honorable mention: Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Who Wears Prada (2006). It just seems unnatural not to mention Meryl on the day of the Academy Awards. She's a hoot in this role, and I actually think she looks fantastic as the ball-busting fashionista mogul, Miranda.