Tag: Romance

Home Again (2017)
PG-13 | 1h 37min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 8 September 2017 (USA)

Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her.
Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Writer: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Stars: Nat Wolff, Reese Witherspoon, Lake Bell

The director here is a first timer. While it is clear to apprehend some of her lively and positive messages about women and love, all characters are too flat for what this is. The movie watches more like a Hallmark channel movie than a full fledged wide release.

Reese Witherspoon delivers the best performance but it’s probably the worst of her career. It isn’t from any failure at acting. It is the script. A couple times, especially at the end, I felt I was watching an episode of Leave it to Beaver. The rest of the cast need not be mentioned, they are lifeless. Again, the script is mostly to blame. I think the three young men are just so excited to be in film with Witherspoon that they are led by their wiggles and this is served as the audience’s exquisite torture.

It boggles my mind why one of the highest paid and esteemed actresses on earth would accept such a role. There are no real characters, there is no plot or conflict and the solution is sort of a Leave it to Beaver one at that. We need great rom coms but not like this. Do not waste your time or money on this film.

1/10

As you look into the history and legacy of this film, you see it’s undeniable influence on motion pictures. It’s very well written and the acting is superb.
Title: Cactus Flower
Number of times I’ve seen it: 1
Genre: Comedy, Romance
MPAA Rating: M
Year: 1969
Director: Gene Saks, known for “The Odd Couple”
Top Billed Cast: Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, Goldie Hawn
Brief Synopsis: A dysfunctional romance gives way to an unexpected love affair for the couple with other people.

Goldie Hawn looks to be about 20 years old. Walter Matthau’s character ought to be slapped for having an affair with her. Of course, I’m joking. The characters weave together in this film like mixing paints, The ending is unexpected, somewhat, my wife saw it coming. If they had more romantic comedies like these, I think there’d be more happy couples in the world. I highly recommend this one 100% just like the critics at Rotten Tomatoes do.

Labor Day (2013)
PG-13 | 1h 51min | Drama, Romance | 31 January 2014 (USA)

Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited.
Director: Jason Reitman
Writers: Jason Reitman (screenplay), Joyce Maynard (based on the novel by)
Stars: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith

Director Jason Reitman is a Canadian. He’s known for Up in the Air, Juno, and Thank You for not Smoking. Labor Day would seem to be the most serious drama he’s done yet, although all the films have serious topics.

I really liked this film because it showed a kidnapping where the criminal actually gave something to the victims. They argue later it was a valuable experience, maybe the most valuable of their lives. It’s a paradigm shift. I don’t know if I would call it a romance however.

The mother is odd with her son. I think he takes a lot of her depression on himself and he’s more or less her caretaker emotionally. When this new dark figure takes them both hostage it seems like a terrible crime about to happen but they seem to learn from him, it is a symbiotic relationship. That’s what makes this story a bit odd but no less enjoyable than any of the director’s best films. I would have liked to have seen the mother and son’s characters and past fleshed out a lot more.

While not a straight ahead romance, it has some romance features. I would recommend it as a compelling drama and somewhat of a romance.

8/10

The Other Half (2016)
1h 43min | Drama, Romance | 10 March 2017 (USA)

A bipolar woman and a grief-stricken man struggle to forge a simple life.
Director: Joey Klein
Writer: Joey Klein
Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Tom Cullen, Henry Czerny

This director is an actor attempting to make the crossover to behind the camera. He does a good job. He has the incredible actor Tatiana Maslany backing him as exec producer and lead actress in the film. While I questioned a couple times why he would want to make this film his directorial debut, I can say he earned my respect and I am curious to see what he tackles next. This appears to be a movie about loving through the weaknesses of your partner. In other words, when you don’t have the package you thought you signed up for and must still stay.

The boyfriend is from Downton Abbey and a lot of other stuff. He does an ok job I’d say, as good as most could do alongside this amazing Maslany force we’ve seen grow in that last 5 years. Orphan Black is just one example of her talents and skills. I eagerly await any project she does.

This is a dark looking film but its message is clear and cutting. How do you love another whose need outweigh what you can give. This couple seems determined to do so. Is it touching or stupid? Her father might say the latter. She has severe Biploar. This means she is given to fixaton and manic episodes. He is grief stricken. Does it matter how much he loves her if he cannot help her? The final scene had me thinking all sorts of thoughts. It’s good but not very developed and like I say, hazy at times in appearance and meaning. For dedicated love story and/or bipolar movie folks, it’s a

9/10

Some Freaks (2016)
1h 37min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 4 August 2017 (USA)

A charming romance develops between a boy with one eye and an overweight girl, though when she loses her weight after going to college, their relationship is tested in devastating ways they never dreamed would happen.
Director: Ian MacAllister McDonald
Writer: Ian MacAllister McDonald
Stars: Thomas Mann, Marin Ireland, Lily Mae Harrington

This is the director’s first endeavor and I applaud him for what he has done here.

I can’t speak for the “studs” and homecoming queens of the world because I was most certainly a geek and maybe even a nerd by all standards. It’s those types this film appeals to. An overweight, but pretty, girl gets in the good graces of older men by giving them blowjobs. Through time she gets away from that but still has trouble believing anyone could really love her. At the same time, a young man with a glass eye and a very geeky disposition starts falling for her but his relationship skills are certainly lacking as well. What results is a roller coaster of emotions from both of them as they enter into a serious relationship. Maybe that’s too early in life to be trying that? The middle 8 is that she gets hot. Through working out and changing her diet, you almost can’t recognize her. This makes for a whole new set of dysfunction. Do we sometimes love people because they are too ugly to leave? This is one thought woven through.

An interesting side character is the jock/bully who has an eye for the “fat girl.” This was a little unclear in its presentation but I think it shows that even the pretty people have hidden ugly things that keep them from true love.

This is a fun little independent high school movie. It’s also deeper than usual for the genre. Some of the characters are a little hard to interpret and the best friend of the young man is horribly miscast. Maybe he knew someone on the casting committee?

7/10

This is great: a bio pic about a comedian trying to make it and how he fell in love with his girlfriend. Oh, and there’s some Pakistani ethnic issues that threaten the relationship as well since he is Pakistani and she is white.

The Big Sick (2017)
R | 2h | Comedy, Romance | 14 July 2017 (USA)

A couple deals with their cultural differences as their relationship grows.
Director: Michael Showalter
Writers: Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter

I had seen Kumail’s work here and there and I’ve always thought he was a chill comedian. IN fact, in this film, something I noticed was how calm he is, even in face of rejection or turmoil. As the smooth dialogue would transpire I’d think to myself: “I wonder if it went down this smooth in real life?” I’m really impressed the way he broke out with this film that essentially a love story of how he and his girlfriend (now wife) met. I find that charming.

The director Michael Showalter has some good stuff on his resume. The film I recognized the most was My Name is Doris with Sally Field. That was a fiction but it watches like a bio pic. He shows the dark side of Doris, not just the funny one. This ability shows up in his directing on this film, he’s done a stellar job here.

Zoe Kazan plays Emily, Kumail’s love interest. Hear me when I say this: she embodies the character. I think she was a great casting choice. I never miss a chance to see a Zoe Kazan film and this one is no exception. I loved her in this. She actually resembles the real Emily. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter play her parents. They do a great job testing and finally accepting Kumail. The hospital scenes are really the heart of the film. A sub plot of the film is his family’s attempts to arrange a bride for him. These scenes are funny and add a lot to the believability of the characters. It’s all done without pushing Pakistan into your face, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding does with the Greek culture. It’s subtle and keeps you curious. Another sub plot is the Improv club where Kumail and his friends are honing their craft. They all live on the cheap which is fun to see as the camera travels into and among their zone.

For romantic comedy fans, this one’s a must. I give it my highest recommendation!

10/10

At time of writing this, the film is still in theaters.

Enter Hemingway, Melville, London … you will like what’s being served at this table. We’ve heard of nature being our indifferent enemy but what to do when that enemy is our own nature. We have not yet begun that process in film and literature, but it’s here in this film … along with a few others through the years.

Two Lovers and a Bear (2016)
R | 1h 36min | Drama, Romance | 16 December 2016 (USA)

Set in a small town near the North Pole where roads lead to nowhere, the story follows Roman (DeHaan) and Lucy (Maslany), two burning souls who come together to make a leap for life and inner peace.
Director: Kim Nguyen
Writer: Kim Nguyen
Stars: Dane DeHaan, Tatiana Maslany, Gordon Pinsent

I almost always love the film when the director also wrote the film. In this case it is Kim Nguyen doing both artistic roles. My hat goes off to him, and I assume he wears a hat also because like me, he is shaved bald. (Gotta love the brother!). I don’t know much about him other than he is known for this and two other films and he is a Canadian: War Witch (2012), Two Lovers and a Bear (2016) and The Marsh (2002). I would put stock in him because this film is something quite different than we are used to seeing. Human v Nature/Human v Self. It’s a gritty psychological drama and God forbid IMDB plot keywords would let us toil in ignorance of these features:

“Plot Keywords: sex on table | sex scene | topless female nudity | female nudity”

Yes, Orphan Black star, Tatiana Maslany, bares her breasts. That’s the easy part of nature no one is too worried about.

All these facts plus the plot basically is two lovers at the North Pole in a barely functioning town. Why they are there is not explicitly mentioned, at least not as much as the breasts are displayed. 😉 There is something about an abusive father in her past and he … likes the drink and he likes the hard drink. Sometimes you gotta just go “right now.” Other times maybe your demons are better dealt with by a heater. This couple is fraught with demons and they decide it’s time to go into the snow, into the storm but not without the help of a very helpful? bear. Dane DeHaan seems to like him. BTW DeHaan is there and does a good job as such. Not much more is needed from the, I wonder if he even likes the White Stripes.

This is no family movie. It’s also not a sweet romance, unless you think of Moby Dick as romantic. Having said that, there is a lot to think about romance here, maybe how “not” to support a lover with baggage. For a gritty tale of love? turmoil and t*** on a table, I do recommend.

9/10

Streaming on Amazon video for $3.99

At time of publishing, July 2017, this film is streaming on Netflix.

The music of the Beatles is incredible. You tap your foot to it, some people think of it as the best music in the world. What’s more, they hold this view even though the band has been broken up since 1969. This film is visually stunning and equally incredible in its presentation of Beatles songs with a modern take.

Across the Universe (2007)
PG-13 | 2h 13min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical | 12 October 2007 (USA)

The music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.
Director: Julie Taymor
Writers: Dick Clement (screenplay), Ian La Frenais (screenplay) | 3 more credits
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson

Julie Taymor is the director. You may know her directing efforts from films like Frida, the biographical film about the mysterious Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The female lead, Evan Rachel Wood, has been in several successful films which include: The Wrestler and The Ides of March. The male lead, Jim Sturgess also has some big films under his belt with Cloud Atlas and The Best Offer. These two lead us through the music in the film well. It’s like a 2 hour and 13 minute music video. Each song is stitched together in a cohesive story that really works.

Themes of Vietnam and young love are addressed through the music. There isn’t one boring scene. If you love the music of the Beatles this film is for you. If you don’t know their music, this would be a great way to get introduced! It is rather long for movie like this and there are some songs that are interpreted less for the music and more for the dark elements of war. This film isn’t for everyone so that’s why I give it

7/10