In university, I rushed to write an essay about Michelle Obama’s image in the media. Fast forward to last night, when Michelle came to Toronto on her book tour and spoke in front of 15,000 fans. The pre-show was a highlight reel of Michelle’s most memorable moments in the media and in the White House. Ellen DeGeneres did something similar at her show in March, without a photo with Queen Elizabeth.
A few minutes before Michelle came onstage at the Scotiabank Arena, a few Canadian stars came out to reflect on their own stories. ELLE Canada’s Editor in Chief Vanessa Craft appeared first and I just met her last week at a fashion industry event. Next, Dan Levy talked about storytelling as an actor. He has appeared on this blog a few times, so that was a fun surprise! The Property Brothers also spoke, but separately.
The Scotiabank Arena hosts the biggest stars who come to Toronto. I’ve seen many concerts there over the years, including the Arkells last month. On Sunday, Ellen DeGeneres delighted her Canadian fans with a special visit and shared her story with two nearly sold out crowds. I attended the afternoon event, surrounded by thousands of women who adore Ellen.
“Josh does not complete me. I complete myself.” I loved hearing this quote as I sat in the movie theatre alone watching Isn’t It Romantic. It’s a refreshing type of romantic comedy that I saw after visiting the movie’s pop-up shop on Queen St. West on Valentine’s Day.
Isn’t It Romantic is about a young professional in New York who becomes unconscious and enters an alternate universe. It’s an alternate universe where Natalie (Rebel Wilson) gets to critique the romantic comedies she grew up watching and experience that lifestyle at the same time.
All of a sudden she’s got it all, including a handsome, wealthy boyfriend. She’s recognized as a superstar at work and she has an amazing walk-in closet too. After Natalie walks into her magically renovated apartment for the first time, she says, “You win. I’m going to love it, not list it.” Through a mix of authentic and fake looking scenes, the movie makes New York look beautiful. Obviously I loved how they recreated Prince St. in SoHo!
The satirization of a rom-com within a rom-com is very meta. Sometimes you’re laughing at how the whole story develops and sometimes it’s funny to see how the alternate universe is so phony. For example, when Natalie tosses things out the window, like an alarm clock, someone acknowledges and appreciates it, which would only happen in fantasyland.
I don’t think this movie will become a classic like the movies it mentions, such as Sweet Home Alabama, The Wedding Singer, Pretty Woman and 13 Going On 30. After all, how could it? A movie mocking rom-coms can’t be as iconic as the original rom-coms.
But it’s timely. It’s a modern romance without any texting. Natalie only looks at her phone once to check the time. She also jokingly references her tracking device while talking to Blake (Liam Hemsworth). “Sometimes my Fitbit says ‘Wanna stroll?’ but when you say it, I don’t want to smash you!”
This movie is fresh, vibrant and charming. Or shall I say beguiling? (You’ve got to see the movie to understand why!)
All of Rebel Wilson’s outfits looked like they were tailor-made for her body, proving that anyone as talented as her can look gorgeous in a leading role. And in the age of inclusivity, I think that’s important. It’s good that they mocked how cheesy gay sidekicks can appear in movies. It’s good that the main actress was a plus-sized woman who killed it and made Priyanka Chopra’s character look like an idiot. It’s good that this movie came out when it did. I hope that going forward, studios will release movies that offer a mix of criticism and escapism. That’s important, isn’t it?
The cold weather isn’t going away anytime soon, so get cozy, stay home and binge watch new shows from HBO!
If you’re curious about corporate America like me, you’ll love Succession. It’s about a wealthy family in New York that owns a media empire. The show illustrates how they navigate work, power, money and relationships.
Sharp Objects is a limited series about a journalist who investigates a murder in a small town. How could you say no to a show starring Amy Adams?
Favourite Twitter account: An impossible question! I’m obsessed with all 2000+ accounts I follow.
Entertainment
It’s no secret how much you love Leonardo DiCaprio and many other stars from pop culture. Do you identify as a fangirl? I think “fangirl” is such an unnecessary pejorative. What does gender have to do with loving something, you know? And why do we dismiss loving something as a feeling or act reserved for youth? Fans fuel industry. They’re important. But while I’ll always be a fan of Leo, my love and affinity has cooled a bit. I mean, I think it had to! You can’t keep Titanic momentum up for over 20 years. At some point, you have to remember that he was in Woody Allen’s Celebrity.
You’ve watched Titanic over and over again, so what was it like to see Kate Winslet in person? Oh man, I’m surprised you remember that! Probably unsurprisingly, it was very . . . normal? Ordinary? TIFF is strange because you see people you’ve watched in film and TV for years, and they all-of-a-sudden are right there and look like anyone you’d see in a restaurant. But it was obviously cool to see Kate Winslet, albeit very briefly!
