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Guy Movies:
We can't help but love...
Just like the remote control, movie watching with the opposite sex might become more of a chore than a treat. Fortunately, once in a while there are movies that can cross the gender barrier. Traditional guy movies differ from girl movies in many ways - for one, Julia Roberts movies don't usually include an alien popping out of her chest (although I can sense that some of you wouldn't mind that) or a shoot-out at an abandoned factory (again, I can sense that if she were the casualty, you might watch it). But that doesn't mean that guy movies are all about the grunting and the senseless violence. Some of them can be downright smart and entertaining. And, in true Happygrrls fashion, we will tell you which ones. ¤ C.Ho. and Michelle
Goodfellas (1990)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Why We Love It: Mobster movies have never been my forte, but after hearing so much about this film and then having to watch it for my film class, it helped me realize that mobsters have feelings too! "As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster," says real-life Henry Hill, an average boy who grows up to become one of the most wanted organized criminals in New York. The movie spans over twenty years of Hill's life as he goes from drug dealer to hitman to FBI snitch. Not for the faint of heart, but one of the best mob movies ever made.
DVD: Click here.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Why We Love It: With such a kooky title, you know that you're going to get a pretty unconventional movie. And Pulp Fiction is weird, unconventional, and bizarre. But that's the allure of this film. Nothing is as it seems. The unpredictable is the predictable. And John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson actually have chemistry. Who would've though?
DVD: Click here.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
Why We Love It: Who is Kaiser Soze? And so The Usual Suspects has us captivated from the beginning, when we meet the five men who will learn this the hard way. This is a thinking man's movie, and one so well made that it earned Kevin Spacey an Oscar and cemented his career in Hollywood. Even today, die-hard fans will argue over the real identity of Kaiser Soze: "The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world he didn't exist." So, is Soze who we think he is? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.
DVD: Click here.
Swingers (1996)
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: John Favreau, Vince Vaughan, Ron Livingston
Why We Love It: It's not your typical macho or a blood and guts flick; it's an ultra cool comedy about the loneliness that Mike (Jon Favreau) feels after he beaks up with his girlfriend of six years. His friends try to snap him out of his funk by taking him out to meet women at every bar, party and lounge in Hollywood. I know the plot might sound weak and juvenile, but this movie has some of the funniest dialogue ever written. It also answers the age-old question on how long a guy should wait before he calls a girl.
DVD: Click here.
Gladiator (2000)
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Why We Love It: Even though Russell Crowe has been getting pudgy around the middle, you can catch him in his full glory in this 2000 epic film about Maximus, a Roman general who comes home to find his family slaughtered and a bounty on his head. With nothing left, he is forced to become a gladiator and seeks revenge on the prince who has wronged him. Great action scenes, and nothing beats seeing Crowe wrestle with a tiger.
DVD: Click here.
Kill Bill: Volume I (2003)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu
Why We Love It: Which guy wouldn't love to see a hot chick kick some ass? And which woman wouldn't want to see a hot chick kick some guy's ass? Perhaps it was good that Quentin Tarantino took some time off; his offering in 2003 was one of the best (and campiest) movies of the year. Uma Thurman truly shines as The Bride, a hitwoman who is almost assassinated on what is to be one of the happiest days of her life - and by her ex-lover, no less. Some truly witty and hilarious dialogue, and when you combine that with Tarantino's love for kung-fu movies, you truly can have it all.
DVD: Click here.
