(500) Days of Summer

This is a movie I frequently go back to. Personally, watching it at different points in my life gave me different revelations. This must be at least the 5th time, I lost count at some point. But only this time did I notice the disclaimer: "Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely accidental. Especially Jenny Beckman. Bitch." I laughed out loud, paused the movie, and googled. Surprise surprise or actually no surprise at all, since most literary expositions and artistic endeavors birth from emotional upheavals, Jenny Beckman turned out to be the ex-gf/muse of scriptwriter Scott Neustadter.

(500) Days of Summer, refers to 500 days with a girl named Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Told from the perspective of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), it starts from Day 1 of meeting Summer to Day 500 where he finally gets over her. We get on a rollercoaster with Tom, and ride alongside with him through apprehension, trepidation, joy, bliss, frustration, heartache, confusion, loneliness, and then finally reconciliation. Maybe there is some magical formula behind this indie hit, but I'm oblivious to it. All I get out of this every time, is that there are many things in love that are irrational and incomprehensible, but deep down inside you just know.

Friends with Benefits

The film, which works off this seemingly simple premise, sparkles because of the onscreen chemistry between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. Their unpretentious and brutally honest banter is not only an entertaining pleasure to watch, it is refreshing take from sickening sweet nothings and cheesy doe-eye moments of Rom-coms. Jamie (Mila Kunis) is a fast talking and smoking hot New York headhunter who becomes fast friends with her successful Californian prospect Dylan (Justin Timberlake). Friends to best friends, these two make a pact to be bedroom buddies. Sex without emotional attachment, convenience without commitment, unadulterated pleasure without love, none of which coexist between friends, much less best friends. The term "no strings attached" is really just an idealistic expression, isn't it?