John Tucker wears Prada

Actually, John Tucker didn’t wear Prada. Instead, he wore a red g-string. But I am getting ahead of myself.

(Spoiler alert! Stop reading now if you don’t want to get any spoilers from either of these two movies…)

I watched “John Tucker must die” a few days ago. I wouldn’t really have been interested in watching it if it weren’t for the fact that Sophia Bush was in it, and as a big One Tree Hill fan, I felt that it would be nice for me to give her some support by watching a movie she was in. Especially after her divorce with Chad Michael Murray, who ended up getting engaged a few months after the two of them broke up. Of course, she probably won’t get to feel this support I am giving her, but then again, maybe that was just my excuse to watch another check-your-brain-in-the-door movie, which seems to be my favorite type of film to watch nowadays.

I was told that “John Tucker…” was supposed to be this year’s “Mean girls” and although the stories don’t really match completely, I could see quite a few similarities – three girls who get a fourth innocent/naïve girl to join their forces, a lot of plotting and deception, the nice girl turning into a bad girl and then finally becoming good again, a final speech/confession in front of the entire student body, and reconciliations flying all around in the end. So another happy ending which makes for fun viewing, at least to me.

The highlight? I guess it has to be the kissing scene between Sophia and Brittany Snow. It’s not exactly Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair in “Cruel Intentions” but, well, let’s just say I would mind getting my hands on the DVD when it comes out hehehe. (And for you ladies out there, as I mentioned, John Tucker played by Jesse Metcalfe from Desperate Housewives fame does actually appear on screen wearing just a red thong. So I guess this movie has something for everyone.)

Would I recommend this movie to other people? Probably not unless you really enjoy these kinds of formulaic chick flicks. And for most people, I think this is a film you can choose to catch on HBO. On the other hand, a movie that I would recommend people see (although well it’s a bit too late coz it’s no longer showing) is “The Devil wears Prada”. I saw this movie about a month and a half ago with Kathy and her friend Krisette. I actually think I caught it during an advanced screening because we watched it on a Tuesday (normally movies start showing on Wednesday, right?) and I was pretty sure that it wasn’t showing yet the week before that. Anyway, I was just supposed to have dinner with Kathy but she said that she and Krisette were watching “The Devil Wears Prada” after dinner and so she asked me whether I was interested in joining them. I have always been a huge Meryl Streep fan, and I think Anne Hathaway is pretty hot, so I decided to join them.

Suffice it to say that this movie has to be one of my favorites movie this year (I don’t know when “Proof”, the one starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal, came out, but I did see it on VCD a couple of months back and that is probably my favorite movie that I watched this year. Back let’s get back to “The Devil…”). The humor in this movie was sharp, quick, and very witty. And I love how it evolves slowly from a comedy at the start, focusing on the laughable side of fashion and the shallow entertaining aspect of people’s personalities, into a drama, delving into deeper issues related to the politics of getting ahead in one’s career and methodically unveiling the different layers of its initially-depicted-as-one-dimensional characters. This change in tone happens so seamlessly that you don’t actually realize that the tempo of the film has changed. You just notice towards the end of the movie that the emotions being stirred in you aren’t the ones that make you chuckle and laugh anymore. In any case, I liked this movie so much that I recommended this movie to so many other people who ended up watching and enjoying it just as much as I did. I actually watched it again with Anne, Tricia and Jan, and once the show was over, Tricia remarked to me that she now understood why I said I wouldn’t mind watching it again.

The movie does a great job of making you appreciate the fashion industry and the volumes of work that go on behind the scenes to bring new styles and trends to the world without necessarily being brainwashed into thinking that you have to follow fashion more closely and adhere to its "rules". It’s funny too that similar to her character in “The Princess Diaries”, Anne Hathaway once again goes through a makeover. Of course, this time around she starts off looking pretty decent (not like in “The Princess Diaries” where she really looked quite bad before her metamorphosis), but just with no fashion sense, or at least none when you have her stand against all those model-esque women. But then she starts putting on Chanel and Jimmy Choo, and in no time she's sizzlin'. In fact, one of the more memorable scenes in the movie is a kind of montage where Anne is making her way to work and she is shown in several different awesome outfits.

The cast in this film really did a great job, with special mention going out to Stanley Tucci who I have never seen play a gay role before. But few could argue that this movie doesn’t belong to Meryl Streep. From the moment she makes her first appearance to the very last word she utters (“Go!”), she takes command of the screen, amazing the audience with her uncanny performance and having them eagerly anticipating her next scathing remark. You see her playing this character and you really do think that she IS an ice-queen bitch editor of the biggest fashion magazine. What I really found interesting is how she created and defined her character. Most of the traditional bitch women we see in TV and movies are tough, strong-willed women with a propensity to raise their voices along with their eyebrows. Not Meryl. Throughout the movie, she keeps her voice soft and calm, leading to a chilling effect (amazing to think that not once in this movie did she actually scream or shout). You do see her raise her eyebrow every now and then but more often than not, it’s a dismissive look she gives (sometimes she doesn’t even make eye contact with the people she talks to) that makes the people around her feel worthless and inadequate. Those combined simply make her bitchiness even more effective. In another memorable scene, Meryl systematically rips Anne apart with her tirade on Anne’s cerulean blue sweater. You watch that scene and you can practically feel demeaned and degraded right alongside Anne. Simply put, Meryl puts in another fantastic performance, and I would be surprised if she doesn’t get another Oscar nomination.

I was surprised that the movie was still showing in the cinemas a week and a half ago (it must’ve been its fifth week), but then again maybe not. It does have great appeal to a lot of different people on a lot of different levels. You can watch it to see all the great fashion, or to see beautiful women in beautiful outfits, or to see Meryl at her finest, or to simply watch what I think is a well-written and well-made film.

(Oh and since I’m kinda recommending movies to watch here, if you can get a hold of a ‘Proof’ DVD or VCD, I suggest that you do.)