Currently browsing the "Romance" tag.

Love and Other Drugs

Love and Other Drugs is a bit of a mess, just like life is a bit of a mess sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an enjoyable mess. The movie seems to be one thing, then another, then another. You can’t label it easily and I like that about it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One

Okay, I must confess. I’m a rather ignorant muggle when it comes to the Harry Potter franchise. I haven’t read the books, and I don’t think I’ve seen all the movies. But I don’t live under a pop culture rock, so I can definitely understand and appreciate their appeal. And I can attest – with a certain amount of confidence – that the penultimate Potter flick, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One will satisfy most if not all of the HP fans, young and old, and leave ‘em wanting (and waiting) for more. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait eight friggin’ months! Part Two doesn’t hit theaters until July. And therein lies the movie’s only real flaw. HPATDH Part One draws you in from the very first frame, cruises along at a steady clip, and ends – abruptly. No fair! What am I supposed to do now? Read the book!?

The Next Three Days

Sometimes, ya just have to let a few things slide and enjoy the ride. That’s how I feel about The Next Three Days. All in all, it’s a satisfying action flick that pushes the boundaries of believability but skillfully avoids the nasty trap of predictability. It’s a crime drama and psychological thriller wrapped in a bit of a romance – without the overt heaviness and brutality of the critically-acclaimed, recently-released heist movie The Town.

Charlie St. Cloud

I see dead people. Or, at least, I see Zac Efron seeing dead people in the fantasy romantic drama Charlie St. Cloud. The movie is part Ghost, part Ghost Whisperer and part Sixth Sense, so it’s fairly easy to stay one step ahead of the dialogue and plot, with just a few exceptions.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Ka-Ching! There’s no way this franchise won’t continue to make millions (upon millions upon millions), no matter what the critics – or any Twilight naysayers- might have to say about it. The first Twilight movie was pretty bad. Actually, it was really, really, almost comically bad. But two satisfying sequels later – and all is forgiven.

Letters To Juliet

Letters to Juliet is a total chick flick but (thankfully) not a weep-fest, so you can leave the tissues at home and bring on the popcorn! The consensus among the audience of mostly women – of varying ages – was that the movie was “cute”, and I concur. It’s not great. It’s not high art. It’s not particularly thought-provoking. But it is indeed cute. And it definitely left me itching to embark on a road-trip across Italy. (Who’s in?!)

Princess Kaiulani

What?? You’ve never even heard of the Hawaiian princess Victoria Kaʻiulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawekiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn? Well, frankly, neither had I. But she does have an interesting life story that is told – and acted- fairly well in this arty indie flick, though it takes a half-hour or so to really get into it. It’s a rather strange hybrid of a movie – part biopic, part epic romance, and part docudrama with some scenes that are reminiscent of those cheesy historical reenactments found in documentaries we all watched in grade school (or at the museum). It also features some gorgeous cinematography showcasing the natural beauty of Hawaii.

The Last Song

“Tonight, on a very special Hannah Montana… Miley turns into a bratty sourpuss for 20 minutes, then meets and kisses a hot guy on the beach and veers back toward the sweet smiley Miley that 10 year old girls everywhere have come to know and love. And somebody dies. So you’ll cry.”

Valentine’s Day

Garry Marshall is brilliant. He made a mildly entertaining movie with an A-List cast and a name that virtually guarantees it a place in holiday rerun history. Valentine’s Day is like Crash-light. Really, really, really light. It follows a bunch of folks whose lives intersect in various ways as they break up, make up, find love or survive singledom on Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon