Tampopo (1986) – Hadn’t watched that in probably twenty years. Still makes me hungry for some good ramen. (I probably need to watch this back-to-back with Eat Drink Man Woman (1994).)
Kate & Leopold (2001) – For a time-travel movie, this has an unconscionable number of anachronisms and just plain simple mistakes. On the other hand, the movie signals fairly early on that it’s going to take Back to the Future rules and push them even further (the inventor of the passenger elevator gets plucked out of time to modern-day New York, and in consequence, all of the elevators in the city — and presumably the world — stop working until he returns).
Because the point is that this isn’t a time-travel movie, it’s a rom-com with time-travel trappings. And since, by this point, Meg Ryan was the acknowledged Queen of the Rom-Com, it’s a meta-rom-com too; Meg plays a consumer consultant who, among other things, recommends mercenary changes to the final edits of rom-coms because of results from test screenings.
Also, Hugh Jackman’s character fixes malfunctioning toasters. Yay!
It’s a Disaster (2012) – It’s an apocalyptic ensemble dramedy! Four couples (well, five, but one’s always late) get together for their traditional Sunday brunch. It’s already a little awkward because Tracy (Julia Stiles) is bringing her new boyfriend Glen (David Cross) for the first time. Then it gets more awkward when the host couple let it slip that they’re getting divorced. And then it gets still MORE awkward when they find out that the city’s on lockdown because someone set off a dirty bomb downtown, possibly with biological weapon or nerve gas components. So they’re stuck inside together, possible for the last six hours of their lives.
The acting is topnotch, the characters are well drawn, and I was surprised that even in the final moments, when the weight of their situation is bearing down on them, there was still an honest laugh to be had. Well done.