Love Monkeys!

Now that we've done with the carnage and the morbidity, I thought the next logical step would be to talk about those scenes of romantic...ness... Yes! It's time for the geek's favourite romantic scenes! It's also probably time for a disclaimer, since I have been known, on occassion, to read a little too much into the relationships between certain characters... (coughlegolasandaragorncough!) Moving on...

So, what immediately springs to the geek's mind when discussing those scenes of romantic tingliness? Well, really, we might as well call this "favourite Colin Firth scenes". Mr Firth has a monopoly on the industry. In Bridget Jones's Diary, the blue soup scene will forever make women world-wide heave a happy sigh -- yes, he loves us, just as we are. In Love Actually we were happy once again to see him in a wet shirt, but happier still to see him being the most kind, sweet man imaginable (the driving home scene is particularly good for Firth-warm-and-fuzziness). And, of course, no woman anywhere can withstand the look that Mr Darcy gives Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. The smile that will live forever in the hearts and minds of all of us not yet married to very attractive British men (but who absolutely will be someday, dammit).

Of course, if we're talking about romance and English celebrities, we would be remiss not to talk about the King of the Romantic Comedy; Hugh Grant. Whose high-point in the genre as far as I'm concerned is in Love Actually. Whether he's dancing around British Parliament like an idiot, or running door to door looking for the woman of his dreams and being forced to sing Christmas carols by evil munchkins, Hugh Grant always manages to be rather lovable, even when he's playing a bit of a prick.

But we can't let the English have all the glory! Ewan McGregor (who's Scottish, you see, which evens it out quite nicely) is perfect in Moulin Rouge. It had never occurred to me before Moulin Rogue, but I can say that after having seen it, I would rather like to be serenaded with a medley of popular love songs atop a giant elephant. All the same, as much as every woman would like to be serenaded (especially by Ewan McGregor), I think it was his grin that really won me over. Yes, perfectly lovely. (Though I'm still a stalwart fan of the Duke. Minus the more violent psychotic tendancies, of course.)

And then, of course, there are the forthcoming scenes of romanticness. As in the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King, wherein, somehow, we're not sure how, David Wenham happens to look dashing and handsome and romantic, unnaturally large ears and all. He even GLOWS. This has somehow become my favourite part of the Extended Edition preview (well, besides Faramir and Pippin grinning at each other like idiots, but that's no great surprise) -- Eowyn and Faramir and their romantic glow. Lovely.

As always, there are a great many other scenes which I haven't mentioned for one reason or another. Peter and Wendy's fairy dance in Peter Pan comes immediately to mind, as does Aragorn and Arwen's reunion at the coronation in Return of the King. But, as always, I'm expecting you people to fill in the blanks for me. So, go to. :)