Tag: Romance

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Movie Review

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.

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Movie Review

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.

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Movie Review

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

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Movie Review

The Aftermath (2019) Movie Review

Director: James Kent

Writer: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse, Rhidian Brook (Screenplay) Rhidian Brook (Novel)

Starring: Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke, Alexander Skarsgard, Flora Thiemann

Plot: Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.


Tagline – In The Aftermath Of War, The Last Thing She Expected To Find Was Love.

Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Entertaining Romance

Story: The Aftermath starts five months after World War II, Rachael Morgan (Knightley) is joining her husband Lewis (Clarke) in Hamburg in the post-war reconstruction, taking the house of architect Stephen Lubert (Skarsgard). After struggling to adjust, Lewis suggests letting Stephen and his daughter Freda (Thiemann) remain in the house on the top floor.

Lewis knows the troubles between the two sides will still be there, but is understanding and wants to bring the people together, while Rachael isn’t sure who to trust with reputation of the past, which only leads to her question Stephen more about his past, while the two slowly start an affair that could risk everything for the two.

Thoughts on The Aftermath

Characters – Rachael Morgan is joining her husband in Hamburg, she has suffered the loss of their son during the war and isn’t the most convinced about moving to Germany post-war, she doesn’t like living with Germans, only to learn they have suffered the same as she has because of the war. She does start an affair with the owner of the house, one that will see her want to leave the pain of her marriage. Lewis is the soldier assigned to help out in Hamburg, meaning his family would join him, he does have more patience than many of the British soldiers, knowing that the war being over is more important than who killed who in the conflict. He does come off like a genuine person that wants things to change for the good. Stephen Lubert is the man whose house the couple must live in, a once famous architect who lost his wife in the war, he is thankful for being let remain in the house and must convince the British he had nothing to do with the Nazi party, while falling in love with Rachael. Freda is the daughter of Stephen who has grown a resentment towards the British, she is easily led by the younger fighters who still believe the war to be on, getting caught in a position she should never have been put through.

Performances – Keira Knightley in the leading role is great to watch showing us just how great she is in these roles, she is surrounded by two strong supporting roles from Jason Clarke and Alexander Skarsgard too.

Story – The story follows a wife that must move to Hamburg to be with her husband as he starts to try and lead the rebuilding of Germany after the war, only to fall in love with a local whose house they are living in. The most important factor to shown in this story is the loss the four main characters have suffered because of the war, the British couple lost a child, while the Germany’s lost a mother and wife, they never got a true chance to grieve because of the conflict, which has caused even more tension between the two sides. When it comes to the affair, it does show that people who have been through the worst can be there for each other. Outside of this, we do get to see how people were truly affected by the war and would do extreme things to get their own revenge for the loss in war too. Only we don’t focus enough on this side of the story, instead it is all about the romance, which is everything you would have seen before.

Romance – The romance in the film does take centre stage, sadly, because this isn’t anything we haven’t seen before and we did have a lot more interesting side arcs we could have invested in.

Settings – The film is set in Hamburg and does show the devastation of the war, with the destroyed buildings showing us just how helpless the innocent would be even after the war.


Scene of the Movie – The Ice River.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The romance isn’t as interesting as the story that revolves around Freda.

Final Thoughts – This is a nice simple post-war romance movie, it has great performances, even if it does focus on the weaker aspect of the story instead of a more interesting one.

Overall: Nice Post-War Drama.

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Movie Review

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) Movie Review

Director: P.J. Hogan

Writer: Ronald Bass (Screenplay)

Starring: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco, M Emmet Walsh, Rachel Griffiths

Plot: When a woman’s long-time friend reveals he’s engaged, she realizes she loves him herself and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.


Tagline – A comedy about finding your heart and losing your head.

Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Simple Rom Com

Story: My Best Friend’s Wedding starts when successful author Julianne Potter (Roberts) who learns that her best friend Michael O’Neal (Mulroney) is getting married, which turns the switch in her mind that she is still in love with him. Julianne decides to wants to try and break up the engagement, when she learns Kimberly Wallace (Diaz) is completely aware of the position Julianne will have in Michael’s heart.

As Julianne’s plan to try and win Michael back, things get complicated when her editor George (Everett) comes to support her, which leads to her panicking and claiming they are engaged.

Thoughts on My Best Friend’s Wedding

Characters – Julianne Potter is a successful author, she always put her career ahead of love, which is why her best friend is Michael and not her partner, she learns about his engagement and decides she wants to break them up, she is always planning on trying to stay ahead of the game, though she isn’t brave enough to say how she really feels. She doesn’t come off as likeable, which is the point sometimes selfish and always unsure about wanting to commit to anything. Michael is the best friend that is going to get married, he wants Julianne back to celebrate with him and must decide how to take the next stage of his life. Kimberly Wallace is the woman that is marrying Michael, she knows how important Julianne is to Michael, which will see her trying to watch over her action. George is the editor for Julianne that is trying to give her the best advice during her decision.

Performances – Julia Roberts in the leading role is solid enough, it does seem to go against the nice woman characters that she is used to playing. Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett do a simple enough job in the supporting roles.

Story – The story here follows a woman that wants to break up her best friend before he gets married and must start to focus on her own life. This story does show how love can come and go, but will always be there, it is about whether you take your chances at the right times or whether you want to become the bad person by trying to take somebody else’s happiness. It shows just how far Julianne would go to make something out her past relationship no caring who she steps on. It doesn’t paint the main character as being very nice, because they are purely selfish.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy is basic through the film, it doesn’t get too serious with the laughs. The romance in the film is more about how Julianne believes she loves her friend and will try to fight for his love.

Settings – The film uses the wedding preparation settings for the backdrop for most of the film, we get to see where the character would be and how they would look to get what they want.


Scene of the Movie – The lesson learned.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Julianne isn’t a likeable character.

Final Thoughts – This is a basic rom com, it does show how people can try to make up for their mistakes in love, but in the end, it does end up feeling like nothing much happens.

Overall: Basic stuff.

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Movie Review

Always Be My Maybe (2019) Movie Review

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Writer: Michael Golamco, Randall Park, Ali Wong (Screenplay)

Starring: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, Keanu Reeves, Susan Park

Plot: Everyone assumed Sasha and Marcus would wind up together except for Sasha and Marcus. Reconnecting after 15 years, the two start to wonder – maybe?


Tagline – There’s Always Been Something Between Them

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Rom Com 101

Story: Always Be My Maybe starts when we get to meet two friends Sasha and Marcus who have grown up as best friends into their high school era where they almost become a couple, only their friendship falls apart. 15 years later Sasha (Wong) has become a major celebrity chef, heading back home for the latest restaurant opening. Marcus (Park) has followed his father Harry (Saito) into the family business, getting high on the side.

When the two reunite they see the changes they have both been through and start looking at what could once have been between the two despite having their own relationships on the side.

Thoughts on Always Be My Maybe

Characters – Sasha was once Marcus best friend before becoming one of the biggest celebrity chefs in America, she has restaurants across America and now looks to return home for the latest one. She starts to see her relationship crumble and with her old best friend walking back into her life, she is left to wonder what if. Marcus was Sasha best friend too, he never made too much of his life, working with his father, getting high and being part of his small band, never leave San Francisco. With Sasha back in his life, he must decide if it is finally time to take a chance on life. Harry is Marcus father that has always let him do his own thing, they both lost his wife and mother to Marcus. Veronica is Sasha best friend who is always there for business and personal issues, she knows about the previous friendship.

Performances – Randall Park and Ali Wong are both fine in the leading roles, they do struggle with balancing the ideas of their stand-up routines, with realistic conversations, which shows through the film. The supporting performers do get the better laughs, with more realistic nature to everything happening.

Story – The story follows two childhood friends that almost became more that have gone onto live very different lives until they get a chance to meet up again 15-years-later to put forward the question once more about what could have been. We do have deeper side to the story, which explores the ideas of not taking chances in life, when you meet somebody who will go everywhere. The idea that the two get a second chance does make most of the story feel like a straight to TV level of storytelling and while it doesn’t completely fall into relying on stand-up jokes, we do get more than we need to. The story does have a proper heart which is the important factor needed, only it just doesn’t do much more outside of this.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy is mostly miss until Keanu Reeves arrives on the scene, where he will give laughs through the scenes with ease, while the romance elements are everything we have seen before.

Settings – The film is mostly set in San Francisco which is always a nice backdrop, it does show the different lifestyles the two are living with where they feel more comfortable.


Scene of the Movie – Double date.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It offers nothing new to the rom com.

Final Thoughts – This is a by the book rom com that does get saved by an outrageous cameo, which is the clear highlight of the film.

Overall: Simple and Fun.

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Movie Review

Marriage Story (2019) Movie Review

Director: Noah Baumbach

Writer: Noah Baumbach (Screenplay)

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Merritt Wever, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Alan Alda

Plot: Noah Baumbach’s incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Runtime: 2 Hours 16 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Powerful

Story: Marriage Story starts as we meet theatre director Charlie (Driver) and his wife actress Nicole (Johansson) they are about to go through a separation, with Nicole starting a new life in LA where she is trying to return to the television or film, moving away from the New York theatre lifestyle.

With the lives going on completely different directions, Nicole is pushed into getting a lawyer in Nora Fanshaw (Dern) which sees the two looking at a divorce, something neither thought would come their way, where they end up seeing the darker side of a break up even if they want to remain friends for their son.

Thoughts on Marriage Story

Characters – Nicole is an actress, mother and wife, she is given a chance to leave the theatre and return to television, while the couple are going through a separation and her moving to LA. She has given up a lot of her dreams for her marriage in the past, which is one of the reasons why she wants to get a divorce. Charlie is the theatre director, father and husband in New York, he wants to stay in New York running his theatre company. He is more stubborn that he wants to admit. Nora Fanshaw and Jay are both the lawyers hired to represent the divorcing couple, they show their ruthless sides whenever the two are trying to get the upper hand.

Performances – Adam Driver gives us one of the best performances of the year, where he shows one that suddenly sees his whole life come crashing around him, showing the signs of his anger of everything happening. Scarlett Johansson is fantastic too where we see how she is escaping from a trapped life showing her character start a new life. Laura Dern and Ray Liotta are both great in the supporting roles usually getting the bigger and louder scenes.

Story – The story here follows a couple that are going through a separation that turns into a messy divorce as they expose the problems, they both had through the years. The best way to describe this story is brilliant, when we break it down, it shows how relationships can break down and how two people want to end things calmly and for the right reasons, remaining friends for their son. It shows us how things can get out of hand when lawyers get involved and how everybody seems to know best apart from the two who are going through the breakup. We see how lives can change, people can move on and how holding on can be heart breaking. It is watching how both Nicole and Charlie are reacting to how everything is spirally out of hand which is easy for the highlight of the storytelling.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy in the film is brilliant, it does get a perfectly laugh when needed, while staying straight when it doesn’t, the romance does show us how love can go from the heights to the end.

Settings – The film uses the two main settings of cities, New York and LA, the locations are used to show how the lives will need to be changed, not just for Nicole and Charlie, but their son too.


Scene of the Movie – Let’s try and talk this through without a lawyer.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The timeline isn’t the best.

Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the best films of the year, it shows us how love can end and how a divorce can spirally out of control, the two lead performances are easily within the best of the year too.

Overall: Awards Guaranteed.

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Movie Review

500 Days of Summer (2009)

Directed by Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray-Gubler, Clark Gregg, Patricia Belcher, Rachel Boston 

This is not a love story. This is a story about love. The tag line sums of this movie perfectly. It’s a story of a boy Tom who meets a girl at work called Summer, He thinks she is ‘The One’ and after a little bit of a fling. Until Summer decides she doesn’t want anything serious, Tom goes on the roller coaster of emotions and we get to see how he gets though the 500 days of Summer. Tom gets help from his two best friends McKenzie, Paul and even his little sister Rachel who is surprisingly more adult than her age would show.

The Story is something a lot of people can relate to as it’s a dead-end job that Tom just filled even tho he dreamed of being something better. Can this doomed relationship give him the confidence to take the next step in his career? With some great chemistry between Tom and Summer that sparkles at the start but fizzles out as the relationship grew. Having great locations from an Ikea store to a hill-side park in the middle of the busy city. The music through out the movie are great classics from The Smiths, Morrissey and Beatles conversation keep the music lovers interested in the storyline.

Overall Movie Rating 93% it’s a rom-com that everyone will enjoy as it is a position everyone would have been in some when during their love life. Action junkies will not be interested that much but overall a very good romantic comedy that all will enjoy