Day 107: Casanova

You would, wouldn't you? I mean, I don't care what your usual 'type' is, you would. I don't believe anyone wouldn't have slept with Heath Ledger. Look at his face. Easiest decision ever. I went into this film thinking, how could he persuade all these women to have sex with him and disregard all the dangers to their reputation? But two seconds in and it was obvious. He made them feel loved and he obviously gave them a good time, and he was beautiful while doing so. Babe.

Casanova (Heath Ledger) is a man who enjoys the more beautiful things in life, more specifically, he enjoys beautiful women. And he enjoys them often. But after meeting Francesca (Sienna Miller) he isn’t interested in anyone else and does his best to be near her. It all becomes a muddle of mistaken identity and lies but once the truth is known, it’s all about the love in the end.

I loved it when Casanova tries to marry Victoria (Natalie Dormer) and her father is going on and on about how she’s a virgin and she’s never had an impure thought. All the while she’s standing in the background just bubbling with so much sexual frustration that she breaks a birdcage and then later she breaks the bridge. Love it. She just wants some sex, can’t fault the woman there. Actually that seemed to be what everyone wanted. Maggie from The Walking Dead (Lauren Cohan) plays a nun in this and I yelped when I saw her. Love Maggie, she is excellent. And as a sex mad nun is even better, my goodness.

Anyway. Lots of sex and lots of lying. The film was alright, I’m not all that fussed on it, to be honest. Heath is a babe, as always.

6/10

Day 65: Brokeback Mountain

In the Summer of 1963, Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis (Heath Ledger) look after sheep on Brokeback Mountain. They both realise they’ve found a rare connection and over the years they live for the time they spend together.

Jack is quite the dreamer. He wants to be with Ennis all the time, not for them to just meet up every so often, so he suggests they get a place together on a ranch. But Ennis is realistic and tells him that they could never do it because they’d be killed if anyone found out and besides, they both have families now. It breaks my heart when Jack looks sad and disappointed. He just wants so badly to be with Ennis but there are so many things in the way. So when he hears that Ennis got a divorce, he drives 14 hours to see him thinking they can now give it a chance, but he’s shot down again. I know Ennis was finding it more difficult to deal with his feelings than Jack but his keeping him close but distant at the same time just wasn’t fair. The last time they see each other they fight and we get the line everybody knows, “I wish I knew how to quit you.” It’s been 20 years and he can’t get past him and he is finding it too much to bear. Jack, my baby.

I don’t think there’s anything sweeter than the moment depicted in the image at the top of the post. They’re together and they’re happy. I’m going to pretend that’s how they always were.

8/10

Day 42: 10 Things I Hate About You

Heath Ledger is such a babe. I just need to get that out there. I find his face enchanting and I just want to kiss it anytime he’s on screen. Anyway, moving on.

Feisty teenager, Kat (Julia Stiles), just wants to get through high school with the minimum amount of contact with the assholes that seem to populate the place. Her sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), wants to be able to date but their father is rather protective and so she can’t date until Kat does. And because this is a ‘90s film, it inevitably ends up meaning that a boy is paid to date the girl. And he then falls in love with her.

I know the heart wants what it wants and it doesn’t need to explain or justify itself but I cannot understand why Cameron likes Bianca. She forgets his name immediately upon him telling her it and she shows no interest in him whatsoever. Obviously she ends up liking him and they’re cute together but I just don’t get why he was so focused on her to begin with when she barely even looked at him. I always wish in films the person would just go “right, s/he isn’t interested, I’ll move on.” But that might be too sensible. And it's not as if people are that good at doing it in real life, so maybe it's too unrealistic to expect it to happen in a film.

Beautiful angel Patrick (Heath Ledger) is paid to date Kat but you can see right away she intrigues him and that he likes being around her. When he tries to pretend he’s casually bumping into her at the concert and he watches her dancing, the way he’s smiling is a clear indication it’s more than just about the money for him. I just love the scene when they’re in the pedalo and he’s saying how he gets her attitude and that he can see she thinks if she disappoints people straight off then she doesn’t have to live up to their expectations. And then he says she messed up because she never disappointed him. Ugh, he is so smooth. I would be smitten. Hell, I am smitten and it’s just fiction.

“Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.”

8/10

Day 34: A Knight's Tale

Born a peasant, William (Heath Ledger), takes a chance at changing his future and sets out to become a knight. While achieving his dream he meets Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon) and the two quickly fall in love. He competes in various jousting tournaments and becomes the man he wanted to be.

I love how hopeful this film is. His father sends him off to work for a knight in the hopes he can have a better life, he hopes that Jocelyn will return his love for him, he hopes to be a great knight. So much fulfilled hoping. How sickeningly unrealistic! Just kidding. He wants to change his future for himself and you end up believing him when he says, “A man can change his stars.”

But where there is happiness, there is a petty little man. Count Adhemar decides for himself that he shall be married to Jocelyn and so clearly hates William because she loves him. Jocelyn is definitely not interested in Adhemar and makes it obvious at every step but that doesn’t seem to put him off in any way. I understand he doesn’t see her as a person in her own right and is more concerned with showing off his power and ability to take what he wants but come on, man. Why do people consistently go after those who show no interest? I think you should only go for someone who clearly wants you as much as you want them. If you don’t, you’re selling yourself short and you should never do that. Always go for the one who sees the brightness in you. Don’t settle for any less.

It was so easy to show how good you were back then. Being a brave knight raised you in the minds of others and you were given the time of day by people who might otherwise ignore you completely. I wonder if there are as many instances in life now where we can show ourselves to be brave. And even then, what is brave to one person might not be for another. Is bravery saving orphans from burning buildings? Is it the person who pushes someone out the way of an oncoming car? Or is it “… the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow’” (Mary Anne Radmacher)?

Oh, and to keep up the pattern of talking about looks, I love how she smiles when she thinks of him. Smiling like that is probably a sure sign of love.

It seems I can only blog when I repeatedly listen to Frightened Rabbit’s ‘The Woodpile’. Nothing else works. Some insider knowledge for you there.

8/10