Blue Valentine (2010)

During the 26th Annual Sundance Film Festival in January 2010, many films were introduced to the world. Many films that went on to do well among public audiences. Films such as Winter’s Bone, Waiting for Superman & Happythankyoumoreplease. Another film, directed by Derek Cianfrance, entitled Blue Valentine also seemed to get a lot of attention due to its deep drama induced story about a married couple played by Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams. After a good showing at Sundance as well as other festivals, Blue Valentine finally found its way into theaters nationwide.

The story begins with the couples’ daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka) looking for her dog, Megan, who has gotten out of the yard. After not finding her, she wakes up her father, Dean (Ryan Gosling) who playfully disturbs the slumber of his wife, Cindy (Michelle Williams). The audience is then introduced to the occupation of both; Cindy is a nurse while Dean is a painter. Like every other married couple, they go through their trials and tribulations as we are taken through a routine day in their life. The story is filmed in such a way that shows the two as they are in the present while flashing back to tell the origin of how they came to be.

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The Proposal (2009)

           There probably have been about a million different takes on the “date-night” favorite, the romantic comedy.  I for one think these different plays on two characters falling in love are a good thing.  It keeps the genre fresh and always delightful.  The Proposal directed by Anne Fletcher continues the flow of somewhat unique plotlines.

            The story begins where else but in New York City with aspiring editor Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) trying to work his way up the corporate ladder as the executive assistant, or secretary, of Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock).  Margaret is a “take no names, unforgiving” type of business woman.  She doesn’t play games and is all about getting work done.  An unexpected dilemma concerning her legal status in the U.S. presents itself when the company’s top executives inform her that she will be fired and deported back to her homeland of Canada. 

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Keith (2008)

           Not your typical romance chick-flick, Keith directed by Todd Kessler, poses a different spin on the outlook of teenage high school romances.  Although still about love and trying to find one’s self, it dives a little deeper into the fact that you simply cannot control what turns your feelings take.  No matter how hard you may try. 

            Natalie (Elisabeth Harnois) is a high school senior who pretty much has her hand in just about everything.  Star tennis player, straight-A student and year book editor, her schedule is kept pretty full in order to give her that edge in acquiring a scholarship to Duke University.  Not really having much time for herself, she meets and takes an interest to a transfer student named Rafael (Ignacio Serrichio).  They begin to spend time with each other and eventually become a couple just when she is paired up for a chemistry assignment with a care-free, rebellious unorthodox student named Keith (Jesse McCartney).  At first, he is quite un-cooperative with her in completing their project which annoys her and she tries to get out of working with him but to no avail. 

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Romance Films ♥ N.Y.

             In the light of my ongoing romance fiction, I’ve decided to combine that genre with the backdrop of my hometown for my 100^th posting.  A feat that some might consider small but that I am personally quite proud of.

  With other popular cities such as Spain, Italy and some spots in the Caribbean which are known for their uber-romantic effect on unsuspecting visitors only seeking a cool vacation spot, New York is sometimes forgotten.  It’s probably just as special to get down on one knee in Times Square or Central Park as it is to do the same underneath the Eiffel Tower.  Yes, the Big Apple goes by many names and yields countless reputations for several different things, both positive and negative, but it is quite the romantic environment.  Not actually having done this myself because I am hip to the enchantment that can take over one’s mind, especially a love-sick female. I dare any guy to take their girl or one that they may be trying to impress into the city that never sleeps and leave without her staring at you with those googly eyes.  Especially if you take them shopping along Fifth Ave.  Better be toting a pretty big wallet if you want to do that.

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Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it yet again; Tyler Perry sure can write a drama-filled story. His latest black-opera (black soap opera) is no different. Why Did I Get Married Too? continues the telling and going-on’s of four married couples and lifelong friends from its 2007 predecessor. The entire cast returns to try to answer that question that almost everyone who has ever been married or even engaged may ask themselves: “Why?”


Terry and Diane (Tyler Perry & Sharon Leal) are the first couple that we meet and it seems they have recovered from their episode in the first film quite well now with two children and seemingly more in love than ever before. Marcus and Angela (Michael Jai White & Tasha Smith) are still the ever arguing and constant bickering duo that they were before and the audience wonders how they haven’t managed to split up yet or kill each other for that matter. Troy and Sheila (Lamman Rucker & Jill Scott) are still together after Sheila’s disastrous marriage to Mike (Richard T. Jones), have moved to the south and have come across some financial issues. Gavin and Patricia (Malik Yoba & Janet Jackson) seem like they might be fine but are obviously concealing some possible issues from the rest of their friends.

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She's Out of my League

I think everyone has been there at one point or another in their lives. Either you have been the half of a couple who is considered the average-looking one and your better half is somewhat of a super hottie or perhaps it’s been the other way around where as you are the “dymepiece” of the relationship and your partner is the one shivering away in your shadow. Regardless what your situation, I think everyone can relate. She’s Out of my League puts this situation on the screen for all to scratch their heads together and present the question that real life is afraid to ask; “What does she see in him?” Or the other way around of course.

Jay Baruchel plays Kirk, an average guy who works airport security and is still not over his ex-girlfriend from years past. With nothing very special about him, he works with his friends, has a run-down car and his ex-girlfriend still hangs out with his parents and family with her new boyfriend. One day a near perfect woman comes through the security checkpoint and loses her phone. Who should happen to find it but Kirk. He eventually returns it to its owner whose name is Molly. For whatever reason, she takes a liking to him and they begin dating.

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The Back-Up Plan (2010)

Jennifer Lopez seems to love the romantic comedy. I think she’s done more of those types of films than any other. Let’s face it; they haven’t really turned out all that great. I will admit, I did take a liking to Angel Eyes, but that wasn’t a romantic comedy, so never mind. Her latest, but not greatest, is The Back-Up Plan.

The premise, although not completely new, is pretty simple. A single woman, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez), is finally ready to have kids. One problem, she doesn’t have the other ingredient needed, that essential part being a man in her life in order to do so. So, she decides to have herself artificially inseminated to try to become pregnant and is completely fine with doing the single mom thing. Enter Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) and a chance meeting between him and Zoe when they accidentally get into the same taxi-cab. He asks her out, sparks fly, they begin to date, yadda yadda yadda. The real plot begins when she discovers her doubtful attempt at pregnancy has ended in success. Now, she has to make a decision: tell him or not to tell him? That is the question…that almost no one has ever had to actually do before in real life.

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The Bounty Hunter (2010)

After seeing the trailer for this run-around romantic comedy, I felt like it had potential. Sure the concept of ex’s being forced to sort of work together has been done numerous times before but I figured pairing these two stars together would shed some unused light on the topic. Sadly, I was wrong. Not completely, The Bounty Hunter does entertain in some sense of the word, but doesn’t quite provide the substance needed to really be a full movie. This might be bad because this type of story really doesn’t need much substance to be considered entertaining.

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Remember Me (2010)

For those of you who have faithfully followed my film critiques, you might be aware of my struggles with un-bias and giving credit where it is due to certain genres and film styles. Styles that in my pre-critic life I would not have taken a liking to. I felt like I was making wonderful progess in this plight after seeing and giving reviews on certain movies with no favoritism whatsoever. Well, if I made it over a hump with those previous films, then this one surely puts me over the mountain. Remember Me easily fits into the romance-drama category. A category that, although I do possess a “hopeless romantic” side, I don’t usually find myself enthralled in a story that fits within this class of film. Somehow, someway I found myself doing just that with this movie.

The story begins in a part of Brooklyn, NY; which I am very proud to say is my hometown, born and raised. However, the story also begins in tragedy. One of our main characters, Ally (Emilie de Ravin), witnesses firsthand the death of her mother at a very young age. This leaves her father, Neil (Chris Cooper), an NYPD police officer, to raise her alone. Fast forwarding to the future, Ally now attends college in New York City and still lives with her very protective father. Unbeknownst to her, she shares a class with Tyler (Robert Pattison), who also has his own family demons.

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The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Ok, so yeah, I did it. I actually went to see the third entry in the mega phenomenon that the youngsters and even some adults call The Twilight Saga. For whatever reason it has turned into a colossal revenue grossing blockbuster over the last couple of years. Based on novels that I haven’t decided to actually read at the moment written by Stephenie Meyer, the film versions have every pre-teen, and again even grown people of legal drinking age and beyond, yearning for the films’ releases even way before they are scheduled to be released. Now, I did see the previous two chapters. I was told by a very forceful friend that I had to watch Twilight with her and I was dragged by another to the theater to sit though New Moon.

The first was what I expected, teenage melodrama with a vampiric twist that I thought was stealing straight from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (a show that I actually happened to be a huge fan of). If I was reviewing movies back then, I would have given it a very subtle “2 out of whatever it was”. I felt the second was even worse. Although it had some potential because of the CGI created wolves, the story was boring and slow while the acting was even slower. If felt like one conversation between any two characters took at least 25 minutes to even begin to make any sense at all. I would have given it a very dismal “1.5”. I’m being generous with the “.5”. I remembered referring to it as a “waste of two hours of my life”. With Eclipse on the horizon, I swore my Twilight days were over. But that was before I decided to try to become a film critic. So, since it is a film, I must critique it, and once again do so without bias. So here goes:

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Sex and the Cities (2008 & 2010)

- This is dedicated to my good friend Sally-

thank you for your sometimes

harsh but honest

opinion and support

As an aspiring film critic, I realize that I can’t solely see movies that I would normally be interested in or even excited about. I also realize that I can’t be biased, positive or negative, toward a certain film based off of whether or not it’s my kind of movie. Thus far, I have also realized that I haven’t really seen any movies that I wouldn’t normally see unless I was with someone else. Namely, the ever so popular sub-genre of “chick flicks”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve see plenty of girlie movies in my time but it was always with an actual girl. Since I don’t have that luxury at this current moment, I really haven’t taken an interest in them.

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Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)

In 2008’s “visual CD album”, Michael Cera (Superbad, Youth in Rebellion) and Kat Jennings (40yr Old Virgin) are two high school seniors who come in contact with each other through a chance meeting in “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”. Norah (Kat) asks Nick (Michael) out of depseration to pretend to be her boyfriend for five minutes in order to impress a rival. Only problem is, unknowingly to Norah, that same rival happens to be Nick’s very recent ex-girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena). That kicks off a night to remember that showcases late night NewYork City in all its glory which gives visual definition to why it’s called “the city that never sleeps”.

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