Wandering through the Shelves: Valentine's Day

Showing posts with label Valentine's Day. Show all posts

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #345: Romance Tropes Edition - Forbidden Love

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Romance Tropes Edition - Forbidden Love

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month.

February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

Well when something is forbidden the more the heart wants. Here are my three picks:

Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Heir of feuding families fall in love. I really like this one. It has the whole period setting and the leads were actual teenagers who had great chemistry. They exude the very youthfulness, flirtatiousness and naivety of the characters.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)
A writer falls for a courtesan who belongs to a duke. I love this movie. It's so spectacular and lively and they work in the contemporary love songs so wonderfully well.

Underworld (2003) & Underworld: Evolution (2006)
A vampire falls for a werewolf. My very short synopsis makes it seem these movies are romance flicks...when they're more like urban action horror with some romance. Anyway I love the first two Underworld movies. They're fun action movies and have great world building.

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Thursday, February 11, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #344: Romance Tropes Edition - Friends to Lovers

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Romance Tropes Edition - Friends to Lovers

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month.

February 11 - Romance Tropes Edition: Friends to Lovers
February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

Well this should be quite easy as there are plenty of titles to choose from. Here are three that I like:

P.S. It was brought to my attention by Sonia that the July 8 theme was missing. I've just now added Female Athletes as the theme for that date. You can check the TMP page for the updated schedule.

Yesterday (2019)

After an accident, a struggling musician wakes up to an alternate world where The Beatles doesn't exist. I was really wanting to love this and although I didn't quite love it, I still enjoyed it. It was cute and fun. If you love The Beatles and just pop music in general I think you'd enjoy this too. There's also a side romantic story where the main character has a best friend who's supported his journey as a musician. However, as he becomes more successful it puts a strain in their relationship and he comes to realize that there is something more than a platonic friendship between them.

Something Borrowed (2011)

A little drunk after a few drinks, a woman admits to her friend from law school that she had always had a crush on him, the same friend who is now the fiance of her best friend. I haven't seen this in a long time but I know I'm in the minority in that I enjoyed this movie.

We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)

Two sets of couples are friends and each of the spouses is having an affair with the other's spouse. I saw this once a long time ago so I don't remember much other than I like it and thought it was a good drama about some very messy entanglements.

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Thursday, February 4, 2021

Thursday Movie Picks #343: Romance Tropes Edition - Fake Relationship

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Romance Tropes Edition - Fake Relationship

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month.

February 4 - Romance Tropes Edition: Fake Relationship
February 11 - Romance Tropes Edition: Friends to Lovers
February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

Today is the first of the Romance Tropes Edition which will run the whole of February and is something that I hope will be an annual edition. Until recently, I've been a big book snob and had avoided romance novels. Now I read quite a lot of them and they are so much fun. The Romance Tropes Edition is very much inspired by the sub-genres and popular tropes in the romance novels I've read. Today's theme is an extremely popular (Netflix's Bridgerton, a book adaptation, if you've seen it, it has this very trope) book trope; the premise usually has two characters for some reason or other pretend to be in a romantic relationship when they actually aren't but eventually fall in love due to spending so much time with each. Anyway Bridgerton is a TV series so it will not count. Here are my movie picks:

Wedding Date (2005)

A woman hires a male escort to pretend to be her date to her sister's wedding to make the best man who was her ex-fiance jealous. It's been a long time since I've seen this but I remember enjoying it. One I'd like to watch again

The Proposal (2009)

A boss gets her assistant to agree to marry her and they pretend to be engaged in order for her to
escape deportation. I think this will be probably be popular this week since this is also one of the most successful romantic comedies ever. I didn't love it, but thought it was okay.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

A teen girl's secret love letters (ones that were never meant to be sent) get mysteriously mailed out to her crushes. To avoid being confronted by a neighbour (one of the receipients of the love letter) about the very letter, she engages in a fake relationship with another letter recipient who sees it as an opportunity to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I love the book which was just super adorable and this is a great adaptation. It is charming, funny and the leads had great chemistry.

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Thursday, February 13, 2020

Thursday Movie Picks #292: Meet Cute

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Meet Cute

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With Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought Meet Cute would be a fun theme. But you know what, it has been pretty hard to remember how characters meet in a movie. I feel like I'm missing some good ones but here are the ones that I do remember (some vaguely) and that I like. And most of the ones I picked the couples don't really get a happily ever after...all they have is a little romance.

Leap Year (2010)
A woman trying to make her way to Dublin to see her boyfriend gets stranded in Dingle due to bad weather and meets a surly local innkeeper. I really enjoyed this. It's the whole personalities clash at first thing and the whole scenic road trip after that...very charming.

Stardust (2007)

A young man finds a woman in a crater and asks her if she has seen the fallen star he's been looking for, not realising she is the star. Oh I love this movie and their first meeting is just funny and charming.

Once (2007)

A guy busks on the streets at night, playing and singing his own song. A girl approaches and starts questioning him about his song and why he doesn't perform it in the day instead of the popular songs by other artists he usually does. I love how the movie just jumps straight into the first song and their first meeting and she is so direct but in a curious and not in a mean way. Out the three Carney movies, this is still my favourite.

Romeo + Juliet (1996)
While admiring the aquarium that forms part of a wall of the men's bathroom, Romeo sees Juliet on the other side of it. It's this magical beautiful scene with the blues and yellows of the aquarium and the shy flirty looks they give each other. The imagery of their first meeting here is pretty iconic.

A Little Romance (1979)
A girl waits in one of the rooms in Versailles as her mother visits her director friend shooting a film there. A boy on his school trip at the palace sees her and asks for her name and she says "Lauren" to which he replies "Call me Bogie". "Why" Lauren asks and the boy says "Because they belong together". Which I think the girl doesn't really get as she is not a movie fan as he is. This is of course a reference to Bacall and Bogart...anyway...I just thought this is just the cutest movie meet cute ever.

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #85: Valentine's Edition: Love Triangles

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share three movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you're up to it one of each.For further details visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is the Valentine's Edition: Love Triangles

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Love triangles; love them or hate them, you can't deny they add some interesting drama.

The Wings of the Dove (1997)
A woman asks her lover to woo a dying heiress in the hopes that her generous nature meant that she would include him in her will. That is possibly one of the most terrible idea: voluntarily putting a relationship into a situation it won't survive.

X-Men (2000-present)
I grew up watching the X-Men cartoons so I think one the first love triangles I was aware of is the Cyclops, Jean Grey and Wolverine one which of course came to the big screens in 2001 when X-Men finally got a movie adaptation. Now I'm curious if they will continue with the love triangle thing with the new X-Men series of movies espcially since in Apocalypse Jean Grey and Cyclops are teenagers and Wolverine in these movies is still Hugh Jackman.

Twilight (2008-2012)
Even if you've not seen the Twilight movies, I'm sure you've heard of the Bella, Edward and Jacob love triangle, so how can I not include it here. One of the reasons Bella's choice of partner is made a huge deal is that by choosing Edward she is choosing immortality while picking Jacob means she remains human. Which is sort of odd because I think even if she had chosen Jacob, it's not as if she would be free from a supernatural life since Jacob is the alpha in the wolf pack and if she bore his children, they would likely be alphas too. Not quite the normal human life eh?

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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

Thursday Movie Picks #7: Dramatic Scenes
Thursday Movie Picks #16: Haunted Buildings
Thursday Movie Picks #24: Movies Driven Entirely by People Talking
Thursday Movie Picks #14: Found Footage Movies
Thursday Movie Picks #22: Movies that Feature a Family Secret

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #84: Valentine's Edition: Movies with Memorable Declaration/Confessions of Love

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is the Valentine's Edition: Movies with Memorable Declaration/Confessions of Love

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Persuasion (1995)
The memorable declaration of love is a letter written by Wentworth to Anne. We all knew he used to love her, proposed to her 8 years before, but Anne was persuaded to reject his proposal by friends and family because he was beneath her class. So that declaration that he was still in love with her was something that was a long time coming and it's such a beautiful letter, the most perfect swoon worthy love letter.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Granted I find that Mr Darcy's declaration is presented in a slightly cheesy side here with both him and Lizzie drench from the rain, still this is Pride and Prejudice so how can I not choose it. If Wentworth has the best love letter, than Darcy possibly has the worst proposal but it is a spectacularly worded mess of a proposal.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
This is a after all a modern Shakespeare adaptation so of course Kat finally admits to liking Patrick through a poem.

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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

If you are participating be sure to add your blog post to the linky widget below (Enter your Blog Post URL, your Blog Name and your email {which will remain hidden}). Please also visit the other participating blogs, spread the word about this meme, and also link back to my blog on your own Thursday Movie Picks post :)

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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #83: Valentine's Edition: May-December Romance

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is the Valentine's Edition: May-December Romance

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What's considered as a considerable age difference in a May-December romance? Ten years has been quite normal so I'm going with anything beyond a decade.

Jane Eyre (2011)
Based on one of my favorite books, this is my favourite movie adaptation of it. Gist of the story, young governess falls for the older master of the house who has some secret hidden in his large manor.

The Girl in the Café (2005)
I think this is actually a TV movie but I found it very good, one of those quiet sort of romantic drama movie. The couple here is Bill Nighy who plays the older civil servant who meets the girl, played by Kelly McDonald, in the cafe. They're very awkward and very sweet and he invites her to a work trip to see if their bond is real which isn't really the sort of trip you'd invite to get to know someone.

Harold and Maude (1971)
How can I not pick this! A teenage boy falls in love with 79 year old woman, it's weird, it's funny, it's sad and that soundtrack! Did you know the soundtrack was never released for the movie until 2007 and that was only in limited copies in vinyl. I don't even think it's been made available digitally since then. Most of the songs are on Cat Steven's other albums but one of the main songs is only available on the soundtrack :(

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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

If you are participating be sure to add your blog post to the linky widget below (Enter your Blog Post URL, your Blog Name and your email {which will remain hidden}). Please also visit the other participating blogs, spread the word about this meme, and also link back to my blog on your own Thursday Movie Picks post :)

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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #82: Valentine's Edition: Star-Crossed Lovers

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is the Valentine's Edition: Star-Crossed Lovers

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A quick Google on "star-crossed lovers" is one where their relationship is doomed to fail due to external forces. So as long as it fails, you're good.

I started this week's picks with some bad star-crossed lovers movies but have since flipped and went with the ones that I like/love.

Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Well of course I had to begin with a Shakepeare adaptation and had to choose one. I really love this version, the more I see it the more I love it. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as Romeo and Juliet were really good in this, they gave it their all and so did everyone in it bringing the characters to life in a contemporary setting. Have you seen the more recent 2013 version, that one was so dull and soulless.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Satine and Christian make up the ill fated couple in this and once again another Baz Luhrmann movie and another favourite. Didn't think the whole reworked contemporary pop songs would work in it but they did! I heart them.

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” - part of the quote from Shakespeare Julius Caesar that became the title of the book. The star-crossed lovers in this are two teens who meet at a cancer support group - so you know how it ends.

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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

If you are participating be sure to add your blog post to the linky widget below (Enter your Blog Post URL, your Blog Name and your email {which will remain hidden}). Please also visit the other participating blogs, spread the word about this meme, and also link back to my blog on your own Thursday Movie Picks post :)

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Thursday, February 12, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks #31: Unrequited Love

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Unrequited Love

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Last week we covered romantic comedies, today I thought lets do a little heartbreak...the unrequited love type. As Toulouse-Lautrec from Moulin Rouge says "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" and don't the characters in my picks know it. Now there are quite a number of unrequited love movies so I put up my own parameters before getting down to my picks today. First, there must be some confession of love and a rejection, because otherwise, how can there ever be a surety that the love is unrequited. Second, the parties must not come together by the time the movie ends in the they-learn-to-love-each-other-in-the-end (so no Sense and Sensibility). Third there are no obsessive stalker films (so no The Story of Adele H). So here are my picks: two favourites, a hidden gem and one bonus.

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Love the movie. It's cute, quirky and funny. And I love that they did a reversal on the genders going for the opposite of the gender often assumed to be the more romantically and emotionally invested in a relationship. Oh Tom...it's sad that his heart broke, but it he had it coming, he was just not hearing anything Summer way saying.

I Capture the Castle (2003)

Set in the 1930s England, 17 year old Cassandra's father is suffering from a bad case of writer's block, with no income her family struggles to survive in their crumbling castle. That is until their landlord, a pair of American brothers, come to check on their English estate and may just save them financially if one of the brothers marry Cassandra's older sister Rose. This is a sweet coming of age movie based on a book I love and it has not one but three unrequited love so lots of wasted hearts here. As Cassandra would say "It's like some hideous party game.Everybody's dancing, and nobody's getting the prize they want because it's all thirdhand and second best."

Two Lovers (2008)

Joaquin Phoenix puts in a really good performance as Leonard a depressed suicidal guy who finds himself between two new relationships. The first is with the daughter of his family's friend who wants to save/care for him. Leonard is charming and funny but also awkward, sad and vulnerable and you can't help but think that the second relationship with the charismatic tall blonde party girl next door, who he falls for fast, is bad news.

Bonus...

Love Actually (2003)
This is a bonus because I already picked this last week and because the unrequited love story here is only one small story in a mosaic of love stories but the Mark and Juliet story is so perfect for this theme and it's so sweet that I just can't resist mentioning it once again.

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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

Thursday Movie Picks #11: Nautical Movies
Thursday Movie Picks #22: Movies that Feature a Family Secret
Thursday Movie Picks #13: Zombie Movies
Thursday Movie Picks #16: Haunted Building
Thursday Movie Picks #21: Movies Adapted from a Play (non-Shakespeare and non-musical)

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks #30: Romantic Comedies

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Romantic Comedies

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This week we're back to regular programming and with Valentine's Day less than two weeks away it's fitting that the theme this Thursday is Romantic Comedies. My picks today are favourites:

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
I thought Renee Zellweger was adorable as Bridget, the 30 something singleton, who tries to get her life together as part of her new year's resolution but almost always end up doing and saying all the wrong and embarrassing things landing her in some hilarious situations making this a very fun and funny watch filled with some catchy pop music.

Love Actually (2003)
I watch this often, it is pretty much my comfort movie. Love Actually is funny, cute and it not only feature romantic love but other types as well. And what is it with British romantic comedies???...they seem to have the best pop soundtracks.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

This is a super cute fun period comedy. Desperate for a job after a recent dismissal, middle age Miss Pettigrew takes on the position of social secretary to the glamorous and charming but ditsy singer Delysia (adorably played by Amy Adams). Basically Miss Pettigrew's job is to assist Delysia in getting the West End role she is working towards including ensuring the different men Delysia is juggling do not meet and clash, including the piano player Michael who is in love with Delysia and wants her to leave with him and go to New York.

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So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

Thursday Movie Picks #6: Movies about Time Travel
    Thursday Movie Picks #8: Movies set Locally
    Thursday Movie Picks #12: Unstable Characters
    Thursday Movie Picks #14: Found Footage Movies
    Thursday Movie Picks #20: Foreign Language Movies - French

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