Movie Notes: Love Actually

Love Actually (2003)
Director: Richard Curtis

A Christmas fantasy about love where almost everyone gets exactly what they want.  It's very well done, and very fun.  It's just so patently unrealistic that I assume it's intentionally so.  At which point, I wonder, why?  I don't know.

The most compelling (by far) of the many stories is that involving the relationship between Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman.  Which makes it the most intriguing thematically as it is the only one that has its feet flat on the ground the whole time.  Is the whole movie essentially pessimistic?  Is the only real experience of love we can expect one of difficulty and pain?  Is it a criticism of sappy romantic love stories?  Is the pain just background to accentuate the unrealistic joy?

Movie Notes: Ernest Saves Christmas

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Director: John R. Cherry III

I watched this as a kid.  I didn't remember it, though I do remember that I loved all of the Ernest movies as a kid.  I'm not sure why.  Somehow, I found Ernest funny.  He is somewhat funny, but he's best in small doses as his humor is not very broad.

That's the beauty of this movie.  Ernest is a supporting character, and that's using him to his best effect.  That's probably the best part of the movie.