Tag Archives: Romance

Apr 23 2020

Can You Keep a Secret? (2019) Movie Review

Director: Elise Duran

Writer: Peter Hutchings (Screenplay) Sophie Kinsella (Novel)

Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Tyler Hoechlin, Kimiko Glenn, Laverne Cox, Suntia Mani, Kate Easton, Judah Friedlander

Plot: Thinking they’re about to crash, Emma spills her secrets to a stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…Until she later meets Jack, her company’s young CEO, who now knows every humiliating detail about her. Based on the blockbuster NYT bestseller.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Charmingly Entertaining

Story: Can You Keep a Secret? Starts when a junior marketing assistant Emma Corrigan (Daddario) is having a truly nightmarish day and her flight home does have a perk, getting bumped to first class, only turbulence causes her to admit every secret in her life to a stranger.

The problem for Emma comes the next day when that stranger turns out to be the owner of her company Jack (Hoechlin) who is visiting and the two make a deal to keep everything a secret.

Thoughts on Can You Keep a Secret?

Characters – Emma is a junior marketing assistant, she is on her first assignment which goes terribly wrong, she thinks she is about to lose out on a promotion until her flight home sees her get a free upgrade to first class, her fear of flying strikes when turbulence hits unleashing her to reveal all her secrets to a complete stranger, only to learn that this stranger is her boss, Emma starts to think about her own life, seeing that her ordinary life isn’t everything she wants in life. Jack Harper is the boss of the company, he is one half of the partnership which made the company and he is coming to see how people are operating in his business and his visit sees him getting close to Emma, in a way he hasn’t done before, he does keep his secrets closer than most, which goes against everything Emma has revealed to him. We do meet the best friends in Gemma and Lissy that get laughs in their own ways and the co-workers that will get the laughs but show the struggles Emma is feeling.

Performances – Alexandra Daddario is great in the leading role, she brings to life the often clumsy awkward character with ease, with Tyler Hoechlin working very well in the love interest role, when it comes to the supporting cast, we do get a couple of laughs through the film filling their roles with ease knowing how to get the laughs or hearts required.

Story – The story here follows a marketing woman who ends up going to make a fool of herself revealing her secrets to a stranger only to learn he is the boss of her company and a new romance comes from their new friendship. The story is based on a best selling novel which does show us how hard falling in love can be, shows that being with somebody doesn’t mean you are in love and life can’t just pass you by, you need to take a run and jump to make the most of it. The story is told in a charming and enjoyable way that we can enjoy and relate too.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy comes from seeing how Emma reacts to everything that is happening to her in her life, with the romance being what makes her enjoy her life more.

Settings – The film uses New York as the setting, I don’t know how many times I say, I love this for a setting for romance because of how you never know who you will meet.


Scene of the Movie – The play.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Sometimes Gemma doesn’t feel like a real person.

Final Thoughts – This is a charmingly entertaining romantic comedy that will get plenty of laughs throughout, showing the heart required for a film.

Overall: The Secrets Out, This is a Treat.

Can You Keep A Secret? will be available on Digital Download from 4th May and can be be pre-ordered

Mar 2 2020

Little Women (2019) Movie Review

Director: Greta Gerwig

Writer: Greta Gerwig (Screenplay) Louisa May Alcott (Novel)

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk

Plot: Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on their own terms.


Tagline – Own your story

Runtime: 2 Hours 15 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Not My Type of Film

Story: Little Women starts as we meet Jo March (Ronan) who is selling her first story anonymously to the paper, one of four sisters, with Amy (Pugh) an aspiring artists aiming for Paris, Meg (Watson) a dressmaker, and Beth (Scanlen) the musician, who have all grown up to want to achieve more than any women of their era could imagine.

As the four women looks to make their own identity, they all seem to fall for the charms of Laurie (Chalamet) who at different times of their lives, pushes them down a path they shouldn’t have gone, as they look to break boundaries.

Thoughts on Little Women

Characters – Jo March is the author, the one telling the story about her sisters lives, living in New York away from the family, using her writing abilities to make a name for herself, she is the oldest of the girls and usually watches out for them. Meg is the dressmaker that has followed a more traditional life of marriage over following the dreams like the others. Amy is the youngest member of the March family, an artist who wants to be in Paris for her work, she often has learnt from her sisters decisions, being left behind at times, looking for attention when the older ones are invited to events she isn’t. Beth is the musical one, she is the shiest and her timid nature makes her the one you will learn the least about. Marmee is the mother of the girls that is always there when they need someone, she will encourage them to achieve greatness in their lives. Laurie is the young man that seems to be involved with all of the girls, his character confuses me a lot, because he decides he loves each of them over the course of the film.

Performances – Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh got the Oscar nominations for their performances, they are the two strongest of the performers in the film, while Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen don’t get enough time to shine on the same level, Laura Dern is great impact performer, while Timothee Chalamet does everything he character is meant to, even though he confuses me with what is going on.

Story – The story here follows four sisters as they look to follow their ambitious and become experts in their fields of different arts, only they must battle against the era that claims a woman can only be around for love, something they all look to have to go with their successful ideas. This is based on a classic novel that is considered one of the greatest ever written, the story shows how women wanted to make a different becomes something not just wives, this is important to see in the modern times too. Where this story doesn’t seem to work is the constant time jumps, spending most of the time talking about not wanting to get married only for the next scene to be all about love, this is confusing at times, with the character of Laurie that doesn’t seem to make sense either. I can see that I am not the target audience for this film, which is why it is harder to get any sort of enjoyment in the story.

Romance – The romance in the film focuses on the four women who want to have careers and will end up falling in love along the way, it still feels more arranged, rather than natural love.

Settings – The film uses the settings wonderfully to make us feel like we are part of the era, experience houses in the countryside.


Scene of the Movie – We could have a hit.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Laurie is a confusing character.

Final Thoughts – This is a film that is doesn’t seem to be hit what I enjoy watching, it has strong acting, though the story is hard to follow at times though.

Overall: Not My Thing.

Feb 14 2020

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – N – The Crying Game (1992) Movie Review

This is under N because of director Neil Jordan who did win an Oscar for the film.

Director: Neil Jordan

Writer: Neil Jordan (Screenplay)

Starring: Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitaker, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent

Plot: A British soldier kidnapped by IRA terrorists soon befriends one of his captors, who then becomes drawn into the soldier’s world.


Tagline – The movie everyone is talking about… But no one is giving away its secrets.

Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Tense Romance

Story: The Crying Game starts when British solider Jody (Whitaker) is kidnapped by the IRA with Fergus (Rea) being one of the captors, one that befriends him, while Maguire (Dunbar) wants to keep the operation professional, with a good chance of wanting to kill him at the end of their demands.

After the hostage situation goes badly, Fergus heads to England in search of Jody’s girl, here he gets to meet Dil (Davidson) a hairdresser that he looks to get to know more about.

Thoughts on The Crying Game

Characters – Fergus is a member of the IRA who on his latest mission becomes friends with the hostage and after things go bad, he wants out of the terrorist group, he tries to start a new life where he meets the partner of the hostage, getting conflicted with his own feelings, even after his past catches up with him. Jody is the solider that is the hostage that befriends Fergus during his capture, he shows Fergus that they might be on opposite sides, but they both just want to live. Dil is the woman that Jody is always talking about back home that Fergus comes to see and falls for, she does however have a secret which will leave Fergus shocked, while any more detail about this character is spoiler heavy. Jude is one of the partners in the IRA, she has been baiting the soldier and then spends her time searching for Fergus after the incident which went wrong.

Performances – Stephen Rea is brilliant in the leading role showing the remorse of somebody that didn’t want to be involved in murder, looking like he is trying to make up for it through the film. Jaye Davidson is wonderful too with their first role, which nabbed them an Oscar nomination. Forest Whitaker and Miranda Richardson in the supporting roles are both strong when they need to make the impact in the film.

Story – The story here follows an IRA fighter that sees his latest mission go sour, leading him to want to make up and escape the life he had been thrown into. When it comes to any film about the IRA, we will always have to step carefully, while this shows a member wanting to new life, which shows how difficult it could be to get out off the life, while also showing us how what seems like a normal relationship for him, could take a dramatic turn needing someone to look at themselves when it comes to love. We do see the story in two clear acts, with one being the hostage situation, the other being the aftermath, which does keep the pacing at a nice entertaining level.

Crime/Romance – The crime side of this film shows us just how the IRA would operate, how things wouldn’t always go to plan, while the romance comes from Fergus trying to put his life back together after what happened in Ireland, showing us how love can change people.

Settings – The film uses two main locations, firs the hideout in Ireland where the soldier is held captive, then we move to London to show a new life, new setting for Fergus to learn about.


Scene of the Movie – The surprise.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Knowing the surprise going in.

Final Thoughts – This is an interesting story that seems to be about remorse and recovery after being involved in a terrible incident, one that love looks to fix, however unlikely it is for our leading character.

Overall: Surprise crime romance.

Feb 1 2020

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nomination – A – The Apartment (1960) Movie Review

Director: Billy Wilder

Writer: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond (Screenplay)

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Krushen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday

Plot: A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.


Tagline – YOU’VE NEVER HAD MORE FUN in the Motion Picture!!! Movie-Wise…Love-Wise…Laugh-Wise…Or Otherwise…You’ll Rave About This One!!!

Runtime: 2 Hours 5 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Timeless Classic

Story: The Apartment starts as an office worker in New York C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) lets his bosses use his apartment for their affairs, he has a whole calendar set up, which sees him hoping it will give him a chance at a promotion, C.C. is also trying to get to know the lift girl Fran (MacLaine), who unaware to him, has been involved in one of the affairs.

As both C.C. and Fran learn about each other are up to, they both try to end the situations they find themselves as they start to fall in love with each other.

Thoughts on The Apartment

Characters – C.C. Baxter is an officer worker, he lives in a small apartment in New York and he lets his executives use it for their affairs which in exchanges hopes will get him a promotion, he does have a growing relationship with a lift girl, which puts his apartment situation in trouble. He is a shy but confident man who is always trying to make people happy in his life. Fran Kubelik is a lift girl that has been involved in one of the affairs with the executives, she does get on well with C.C. too, she does want an honest man, but has been caught under the spell of the married man that lies to her for what he wants. Jeff D Sheldrake and Joe Dobisch are two of the executives that are using C.C. for his apartment, they are offering him promotions for this, despite the fact he will do anything for them.

Performances – Jack Lemmon is brilliant in the leading role, we see how he has gotten himself into a difficult situation and how he will remain calm getting out of them. Shirley MacLaine is wonderful too, showing the naïve nature in her character. In the supporting roles Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruchen are all wonderful too, showing us the characters they are playing with ease.

Story – The story here follows an officer worker that lets his bosses use his apartment for affairs, while he hopes to get himself promotions up the office block, until he get involved with on of the girls in the building who is also involved in when of the affairs. This sees how one man knows he can make a little bit of money on the side, looking to get promoted quicker, only to find himself questioning his morals when it start to get too close to home. It does paint nearly all the executives as cheaters and does show us just how naïve the women are meant to be during this time. This story shows how love can come from strange places, but the good people will always get what they deserve.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy in this film comes from the different situations the characters find themselves in, with C.C. trying to stay on top of the appointments in his apartment. The romance shows how C.C. could find himself in a position where he does fall in love but can’t do anything about it.

Settings – The film uses New York as the settings, which does show us the two main locations in C.C.’s life his massive office building and his cosy apartment.


Scene of the Movie – New Year’s Eve.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does seem to show both the manipulative sides of men and the naïve sides of women.

Final Thoughts – This is a classic for its time, it has brilliant performances from everyone involved and shows us just how complicated love can be.

Overall: Must watch classic.

Jan 25 2020

ABC Film Challenge – Catch-Up 2019 – Y – Yesterday (2019) Movie Review

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: Jack Barth, Richard Curtis (Screenplay)

Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Sophia Di Martino, Ellise Chappell, Meera Syal, Harry Michell, Vincent Franklin, Ed Sheeran, Joel Fry

Plot: A struggling musician realizes he’s the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed.


Tagline – Everyone in the World Has Forgotten the Beatles. Everyone Except Jack

Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Enjoyable Throughout

Story: Yesterday starts as we meet musician Jack Malik (Patel) who when he isn’t performing, works a dead-end job in a cash-n-carry. Jack gets his first festival in Latitude Festival thanks to his manager Ellie Appleton (James), which makes Jack realise he might walk away from music, until on his way home a shocking event around the world sees all power down for 12 seconds and Jack gets hit by a bus, waking up in a world where The Beatles never existed.

Jack uses the ideas that The Beatles never existed to start singing the songs, which sudden thrusts the spotlight onto the young singer, who sudden burst into international stardom, only can he live with the knowledge of the music he is singing is from the most famous band in the world.

Thoughts on Yesterday

Characters – Jack Malik is a small-time musician who only performs in his own free time, while trying to balance a part-time job in a warehouse. He does have talent, only he hasn’t been discovered yet, he is about to give up when he gets hit by a bus in a freak event around the world. He wakes up to discover he is the only person to have heard of The Beatles and decides to use this knowledge to give music on more crack, where his rise to super stardom is sudden and he must learn to adapt to this new career. Ellie Appleton has been the best friend, manager, rodeo and driver for his music career, secretly in love with him, unable to give up her teaching career to follow his new success. Rocky has been involved in music only he tends to let people down, he is however the only person that Jack can turn to for help for his new stardom. We get to meet Jack’s parents who have always supported him, Ed Sheeran playing himself discovering the new talent in Jack and the manager who takes Jack to the next level with his debut album.

Performances – Himesh Patel is brilliant in the leading role where he handles the singing with ease as well as the troubles that his character goes through in his sudden rise to fame. Lily James as the girl next door figure is wonderful to watch to, never looking out of place in the manager role. The rest of the cast do nothing wrong, you might see a couple of weakness in some of the performances in the film though.

Story – The story follows a musician that is involved in an accident only to discover that when he wakes up, The Beatles don’t exist, using this knowledge to make himself a mega star, while dealing with his own love problems. This is a story that does work if things are kept just around the idea of The Beatles not being around, where the story does seem to use as a little joke, other major products or bands also haven’t existed either, they are only used for jokes rather than being proper points in the story. Away from that weak point we do get to see the struggling to deal with sudden fame and the guilt for using the songs of somebody he idolises. This story is one that can be enjoyed even if you are not a Beatles fan too.

Comedy/Musical/Romance – The comedy in the film will get laughs where it needs to, we aren’t given constant jokes either, with the music side of the film playing into the strengths of all Beatles fans who will get to enjoy their favourites. The romance in the film does take centre stage, with how the two are left to wonder what if through their lives, showing how people are tempted to let people go or not for stardom.

Settings – The film uses the small town where Jack is from, which shows the struggle of a small town musician, LA where things move so fast and Liverpool where the inspiration can be found.


Scene of the Movie – Wembley.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The other random disappearing products, just being a joke, rather than a point in the story.

Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable comedy musical, that will show the importance of love in the world, how music can make people famous and just how far people will go for a chance of stardom.

Overall: Enjoyable