Love Actually (2004, VHS)

Preamble Hot men. Gorgeous, but non-threatening women. Hormones. Relationships. A wedding. Christmas. Bitchin' music. My gawd! Could you ask for a more perfect movie?! The Story This is gonna be difficult to explain. The story is really about relationships - love, desire, betrayal, lust, forgiveness, and possibilities. It involves several people, all intertwined in one way or another however, you don't figure this out until much later. I'm not going to list ALL of the stories - just some of them :). Daniel (Liam Neeson) is a recently widowed man who has a moody, but adorable eleven year-old...

The truth is, the old question about the half-full/half-empty glass is utterly useless. Now sure, it s a whimsical pseudo-Koan that pseudo-adults in suits and dresses that wear their tags on their sleeves can pop into the conversation with a wink over the martinis they don t like but are oh so fashionable. But, it s a question with no pragmatic application, and mainly because the triviality of the question s posture is such that the nay-est of nay-sayers will readily play along with glass half fullness . Instead of glasses and their contents, I prefer to look at weathermen (err... persons)....

Okay, some things just need to be said. And someone has to say them. I nominate me. So here s the thing. Love Actually is just a really stupid, lame, ridiculous movie title. It matters not one bit whether the movie is horrible or brilliant, the title just doesn t roll off the tongue. There, I got that out of the way, and I feel much better. But really, with all the money it undoubtedly took to make this film, all the stars taking part in it, all the complicated plot work, and they couldn t think of anything else to call it? It s like going to the trouble of putting together Bouillabaisse and..

My first thought when I read about Love Actually was "You've got to be kidding." Eight love stories all at once. I say, I say, it just ain't possible. Then finally, I decided to take the plunge. Smart move, self. There is no secret surprise that everyone's been holding back, y'all. This is actually eight (or more) different love stories, all happening at the same time, just before Christmas. Sure, there are connections -- this guy is this girl's brother, these two work at the same place, but ultimately the connections are superfluous. What matters here is that magical four letter word that we.