This article was linked on one of the feminist blogs, that was objecting to the totally illogical deployment of feminism as a scapegoat and a crack about how “unromantic” condoms are. Those are both pretty lame things, but not as lame as the actual premise of the article:

But new life has recently come from surprising sources: Superbad and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, two movies that, while middling in themselves, should be seen as following and expanding upon an innovative precedent first set by Wedding Crashers, that of the man-crush romantic comedy. Although it seems to have gone unnoticed, the secret to Wedding Crashers success was that it was a romantic comedy in which the two buddies are the real couple.

My problem is not so much the premise that a lot of movies purport to be about one thing but are actually about how two dudes love each other, in a totally manly way, but rather that this guy acts like that is a new precedent in any way at all. I would suggest that Justin Shubow maybe should have done some research. He may have come across the word “homosocial.” Also, buddy cop movies, which actually follow the tropes of romantic comedies, but replace sex with foiling some villains. Also, the Westerns and action films of Howard Hawks with special emphasis on Rio Bravo. Also, Beau Travail. Also, Lord of the Rings. Also, Western culture.

Also, his diagnosis of a manliness shortage caused by feminism? Maybe not totally wrong. Well, mostly wrong, but my pet theory (which I probably stole from someone, but who knows) about why you get things like Scrubs and Superbad, which push homosocial love (once called “romantic friendship”) to such an uncomfortable degree (and that this is funny) is because of the increased visibility of actual homosexual relationships. The queer subtext of stuff like Montgomery Clift and some guy comparing gun sizes in Red River — or a tender moment between Frodo and Sam — is pretty unavoidable now. . Intense same-sex relationships are regarded with suspicion (think of Jason Lewis’s creepy jealousy of Ben Affleck’s new girlfriend in Chasing Amy). So, making it funny and embracing the uncomfortable is one way of dealing with it dramatically.

Where was I? Oh yeah, belated weekly movies.

  1. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938): I can admit that this is a seriously flawed movie, but I love Katharine Hepburn so much in it: she is so unrepentantly selfish in this movie. “You’ve torn your coat.” Classic.
  2. Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004): When I first saw this, I actually thought it was the weaker of the two, I think because the last chapter is so much less kill-y than the end of Volume 1. But upon reflection and a repeat viewing, I think it might be equally as awesome. The whole ending sequence with Beatrix and Bill is basically amazing. Uma Thurman and David Carradine act the shit out of that thing.
  3. Elizabeth (Shekhar Kapur, 1998): This has held up really well. I’d actually forgotten how much I remembered from this — all the stuff with Vincent Cassel cross-dressing, the whole” I will have one mistress here… and no master” speech, how cold she is to Joseph Fiennes by letting him live because he made her that much stronger, the last scene where she virgins up. Also, who knew Daniel Craig and Emily Mortimer were both in this? It’s pretty fantastic, and the production design is appropriately epic. I can’t wait for the sequel, Elizabeth is going to kick some Spanish armada ass.