I went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie over the weekend.
I never saw the first one and had no interest in seeing the new one, but a friend invited me to join him on Saturday night, so I accepted, as I wasn't going to have any other offers that night. My time would have been better spent writing Christmas cards or working on a long, tedious winter project I have vowed to complete, but I chose instead to suffer through a Saturday night screening of a blockbuster film during its opening weekend. (It wasn't bad, but I don't enjoy the big screen experience all that much, as annoying people irritate me in a hurry.)
I don't get excited by much of what Hollywood churns out these days. It's not that I'm sophisticated and too highbrow for the latest Tom Cruise action flick, I just don't find a lot of movies to be that entertaining. Actually, I'm rather dumb when it comes to those smart, sophisticated flicks. I struggle to follow the nuances of many movies and often fail to see the brilliance of stories other people rave about.
I see the occasional superhero flick, forgettable comedy or disposable horror flick, but what I like as much as anything is compelling storytelling. Although many of them are a little too cheesy, I enjoy chick flicks. Many of them lack the sharp, memorable writing that sticks with you months or years down the road, but they need a compelling story to carry the film, even if the story relies on some fantastical element.
So what's the opposite of a chick flick, and what movies would fall under that classification? Are there genuine male chick flicks? One of my favorite movies, Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy," might be the male version of a chick flick. It's driven by characters and story, with relationships woven into the story line, yet it has humor and biting dialogue that you don't get in a typical chick flick.
If I'm right, if Chasing Amy is the male chick flick, why can't I find more of them in the theater, or are they out there and I'm just not noticing them?
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