It's too early for a Films of the Year list, and too obvious to do a Christmas one (it's all burnt in our brains by now anyhow. Gremlins, Muppets Christmas Carol, Home Alone, etc. – yawn, rinse, repeat), so instead I'm making a "Cinematic Hopes and Dreams for 2013 List," including clichés I hope never to see again.
1. I hope to see more films where men and women in a romantic situation are of same age.
If the woman is younger then the man then I hope attention is drawn to it, instead of it being accepted as the norm in Hollywood.
Or if it is vice versa and the man is younger then the women, then attention is not drawn to the age difference or the film is not about a woman rediscovering her sexuality after a messy divorce.
2. I wish to see more romantic comedies and love stories with balls.
Silver Linings Playbook started out as an interesting exploration into living with bi-polar disorder, but quickly descended into “you will be fine with the love of a good or similarly mixed up woman.” I enjoyed the film and the performances, yes but it was not the gritty drama I hoped it would be.
It needed to grow a pair and lean into the darkness.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a far more successful portrait of depression, and Rust and Bone for love against the odds.
3. Further note on that – I wish to see a film where someone’s problems are not totally fixed by the love of a good woman.
How about sort of fixed, but they had some other stuff going on which helped with their emotional or spiritual journey, too.
Or how about they work things out alone, and that’s okay.
I enjoyed parts of Lola Versus, not only because Greta Gerwig is incredibly watchable, but because I admired the bravery of an ending where she decided to try and strike out on her own for a while.
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