Cheap Chocolate Day is just around the corner, oops, I meant Valentine's Day, so for this week's Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, we are asked to pick three to five films involving romances. I've been watching a lot of these movies in the past few weeks so to make this task a little harder I decided to pick three movies with boos.
10 Years (2011) - Oscar Isaac
It follows a group of friends on the night of their high school reunion. The plot is bland and predictable, the characters are dull, but there's something worth watching this for, the romance between former geek now rock star Reeves (Oscar Isaac) and his high school crush Elise (Kate Mara). They have a pretty good chemistry and Oscar Isaac is so dreamy. He plays the guitar and sings and basically exists. He even wrote the song.
Before We Go (2014) - Chris Evans
A woman misses the train from New York to Boston and a street musician spends the night trying to help her make it back home before her husband does. That's a pretty weird storyline, I know. It has that Before Sunrise vibe but it never seems to take off. It's not a very good movie, to be honest. But Chris Evans and Alice Eve are wonderful, they have a wonderful chemistry and they'll keep you watching until the end.
Laggies (2014) - Sam Rockwell
A nearly 30-year-old woman stricks an unlikely friendship with a 16-year-old girl and goes living with her and her single dad (Sam Rockwell) for a week and obviously falls in love with the girl's father. It's not very believable, but this one is actually good. It's entertaining and fun, and it works as a coming-of-age, friendship movie and romantic comedy. And Sam Rockwell's character was voted best gorgeousness in his senior year. Of course, he was. I mean, have you seen him?
I haven't seen any of those
ReplyDeleteWait Oscar himself wrote that song?! That scene were he was singing it to her made me cry so hard
ReplyDeleteYES SAM!!!!! I LOOOOVEEEE HIM <3
You didn't know it?! He co-wrote it with another dude. Nobody cares about the other dude though
DeleteI've only seen Laggies which I wasn't thrilled with but I thought it was okay. I've had Before We Go in my Netflix queue for years. I need to get on that.
ReplyDeleteMy love for Sam has a lot to do with me enjoying that movie haha
DeleteI've heard of both Before We Go and Laggies but have seen none of these and your not quite ringing endorsements doesn't make me want to run out on the hunt. But your point about how the chemistry of two performers can make their portion of a film or even the film itself worth seeing is very true.
ReplyDeleteSince the choices for romantic films is so vast I simplified my picks by choosing three favorites.
Waterloo Bridge (1940)-A distinguished officer walks slowly across London’s Waterloo Bridge one evening during WWII pulling a talisman out of his pocket he falls into a reverie of his great lost love. On that same bridge in WWI then young soldier Roy Cronin (Robert Taylor) meets ballerina Myra Lester (Vivien Leigh-fresh off GWTW) when they are forced into a shelter during a bombing raid. Falling almost immediately in love they plan to marry but Roy is called to duty before they can and Myra pledges to wait for him. Having stayed out with him beyond curfew she is dismissed from the ballet and when Roy is reported killed in action full of hopelessness she falls into a life of degradation. On the stroll a year later in Waterloo Station Myra meets Roy, recently released as a prisoner of war and he whisks her off to his family estate in Scotland but is it too late for the pair? Beautifully directed by George Cukor, tragic and heart wrenching romance was the personal favorite of both Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor of their respective filmographies.
The President’s Lady (1953)-In 1789 newly appointed Tennessee Attorney General Andrew Jackson (Charlton Heston) seeking living quarters at the farm of the Widow Donelson (Fay Bainter) meets her daughter Rachel Robards (Susan Hayward) recently separated from her abusive husband Lewis. They strike up a friendship and after an abortive attempt by Rachel to repair her marriage fall in love. Word soon arrives that Lewis has divorced her and the pair marry. Two years hence they discover that Lewis never finalized the papers and their union is bigamist, he is now suing on the grounds of adultery however. Truly free they remarry but scandal plagues them for the rest of their days as Andrew rises higher and higher in politics towards the presidency but their love remains strong. Tender romance with a very strong central performance by Susan Hayward looks at the mores of an earlier time and shows that mudslinging and the damage it causes are nothing new.
Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)-Young naïve Angie Rossini (Natalie Wood) finds herself in quite a predicament after letting her guard down once and having a one night stand with feckless musician Rocky Papasano (Steve McQueen)….she’s pregnant. Seeking Rocky out she finds he at first doesn’t remember her but he steps up to help with the situation and despite interference from her very Italian family, his former showgirl squeeze and Rocky’s fears an attraction slowly blooms but there are bumps ahead before romance triumphs. Two movie stars at their peaks make this both gritty and swoony at the same time.
I haven't seen any of your picks, but I'll check them out because those casts are on point!
DeleteI do love Oscar Isaac BUT I really don't like Kate Mara, she irks me so. Same with Laggies, LOVE Sam Rockwell but not keen on American Keira Knightly, its jarring to hear her.
ReplyDeleteI like both Mara and Knightly but you're so right about Knightly's American!
DeleteThis might be pretty sad, but I haven't watched any of these.
ReplyDeleteYou have to watch Laggies!
DeleteLAGGIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAS! :D
ReplyDeleteThe only one I care to see is Laggies since I like Sam Rockwell. I’m not a huge romance person but the last one sounds ok
ReplyDeleteYAY another Sam lover!
DeleteI have seen 10 Years, but don't remember much including Oscar Issacs singing. I rather like Laggies too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it was possible to forget Oscar singing
DeleteGreat choice, You share great review on movies and I love to read. I enjoyed your blog post. These great reviews help me to choose my taste of movies. Among all of them I found Before We Go for myself. I will watch Full movie later. Thanks for aware me about the movie.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! And thank you for reading my blog!
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