DVD Review: Love Again

Love Again
(DVD Love)

Love Again is a romance film with some comedic undertones, and also featuring a soundtrack comprised almost entirely of Celine Dion music, including 5 all-new Dion songs — and Dion appears as herself in the film! Mira Ray (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) is still recovering from the tragic death of her longtime boyfriend (and near fiancee), John. When her younger sister tries to push her back into the dating scene, Mira is reluctant but willing. Meanwhile, Rob Burns is a British writer working as a music critic for a New York City newspaper/website. Rob has just been assigned to write a profile piece on Celine Dion, who is about to start her new tour, but finds no connection for himself to Dion’s soaring love-filled songs.

 

Until he starts receiving heart-wrench text messages on his newly-assigned work cellphone, from an unidentified young woman pouring out her grief and loneliness. The sender is Mira, texting her late boyfriend’s old number. When Rob doesn’t immediately respond back, he finds himself pulled into a quest to find the woman with her heart on her sleeve. And with the love advice of Celine Dion, he may actually have a chance.

Heartfelt performances, great music, terrific chemistry between the leads, and some laugh-out-loud humorous moments from the supporting cast. Though the central relationship is tinged with sadness, regrets and uncertainty, this still falls into standard RomCom territory, and I enjoyed it tremendously…enough so as to go out and buy the film’s Celine Dion-heavy soundtrack on CD!

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Lost City

The Lost City
(DVD Lost)

I’ll be honest — I wasn’t expecting much from this rather lightweight action-comedy-thriller, so I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it turned out to be. Sandra Bullock plays steamy adventure romance author Loretta Sage, who’s gotten into a bit of a rut with her series of novels. When a crazed billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe in an over-the-top performance as Abigail Fairfax) kidnaps her, believing she has the knowledge to lead him a legendary lost city in the jungle, it is up to Loretta’s long-time hunky cover model Alan (Channing Tatum playing against his typical “action hero” role, as a bumbling, frightened yet persistent klutz) to attempt to launch a rescue of his friend and meal-ticket, even though he has no idea what he’s doing. Throw in Brad Pitt as Jack Trainer, a fatalistic mercenary, and you’ve got enough laughs, stunts, explosions and exotic scenery for you to almost overlook how silly the plot is. Bullock and Channing have surprisingly good comedic chemistry. Turn off your brain and just let yourself be entertained for two hours!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, the two action/romance/comedy films from the 1980s featuring Kathleen Turner as a romance novelist who gets sucked into adventures.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)

The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)

(DVD Broken)

 

I hadn’t seen any trailers or promos for this one, so when I saw that the DVD had come out at WalMart, I immediately placed a hold on it at the library. Then my wife ended up bringing home a copy from her library branch before my hold had even come in! Great minds think alike!

 

Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) is a 20-something art gallery assistant whose life is upended by the end of her long-time romantic relationship AND her being fired from the gallery shop she accidentally sabotaged. Lucy has compulsively collected mementos from all her failed relationships — her shelves in the flat she shares with two friends look like a tchotchke shop. A soused Lucy accidentally gets into the car driven by Nick, thinking he’s a Lyft driver, and goes off on an inebriated rant. Nick gives up on convincing her he’s not her driver, and drives her home. Later, she connects back up with him in the boutique hotel he’s remodeling, and a friendship begins. Happenstance leads to one of Lucy’s mementos being put up on the balcony wall of Nick’s “hotel”, with a caption explaining how it represents a broken relationship — and the Broken Hearts Gallery has begun. Lucy’s skills with social media turn the concept into an underground success, and Lucy and Nick become ground zero for people wishing to donate their own mementos of broken relationships.

 

There’s a lot more to this than it sounds — relationships fluctuate, job possibilities come and go, Nick’s future hotel is in question, and the question of “Will Lucy and Nick” every really connect is central to the whole thing. Suffice it to say, despite road bumps and detours along the way, this really is a Rom-Com.

 

I really enjoyed this!

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Broken Hearts Gallery web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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DVD Review: Leap Year

Leap Year
(DVD Leap)

A little late for "Leap Day", a week ago, but what the heck...

I had to watch this one again on February 29th, 2020, as another Leap Day came and went. It’s a charming romantic comedy film, focused on the “opposites attract” concept. Anna (Amy Adams) is from Boston, where she’s a successful “stager” — staging homes or apartments for potential buyers. She’s in a long-term relationship with cardiac physician Jeremy (Adam Scott), who gives her a pair of diamond earrings on a night that she anticipated him proposing to her. They’ve been angling to get a flat in one of Boston’s most prestigious condominiums, which caters mainly to married couples. When Jeremy has to fly to Dublin, Ireland, for a medical conference, Anna decides to take a leap of faith and follow him — planning to take advantage of an old Irish tradition that women can propose to their beaus on February 29th in a Leap Year.

Unfortunately, her plane is redirected, and through a series of travel misadventures, she finds herself in a small seaside Irish community at a quaint but struggling bar/inn run by Declan (Matthew Goode). They both rub each other the wrong way, but against each of their better judgments, Declan agrees to drive Anna to Dublin, to meet her Leap Year deadline in two days. More misadventures ensue and Anna and Declan are both forced to reassess their impressions of each other. There’s lots of funny and romantic bits and pieces over the course of two hours in this film, including some humorous supporting roles — the gents who hang out in Declan’s bar and get into heated disagreements were a hoot. Sadly, John Lithgow as Anna’s ne’er-do-well father is under-used — in fact, he shows up in the “deleted scenes” special features in a couple of great scenes that would have worked really well in the film, and makes one wonder why the editor cut them.

Overall, Leap Year is a fun and satisfying rom-com, with two stars that actually have great chemistry together. And a charming film to watch during a year that actually is a Leap Year!

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Leap Year movie Facebook account ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Foul Play (on DVD)

Foul Play
[DVD Foul]

"Beware the Dwarf" is the whispered warning given to Goldie Hawn's character early in this film, which starts starts a series of comical, farcical adventures. At its heart, Foul Play is a romantic comedy, but it also has some strong mystery elements in it as well. Hawn is her typically bubbly, confused self, and Chevy Chase (in his first starring film role since hitting it big in Saturday Night Live) is the San Francisco detective who has to investigate when bizarre things start happening. This a a goofy, romp of a movie -- don't expect anything serious at all. Also features Dudley Moore (prior to his starring role as "Arthur") in a quirky turn, and Burgess Meredith in a vaguely creepy supporting role. Great music and great scenery, but it is Hawn and Chase and their clumsy romantic escapes that make this a fun film to watch. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ See Scott's Reviewer Profile and more of his reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of Chevy Chase's other films, particularly the "Fletch" movies, or any of Goldie Hawn's other comedies.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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Can't Buy Me Love [on DVD]

Can't Buy Me Love
[DVD Can't]

Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson star in this 1987 classic romantic comedy about a nerd who pays the head cheerleader to be his girlfriend so that he'll become popular. -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Say Anything, Better off Dead, Pretty in Pink and other 80's classics along with Love Don't Cost a Thing which is a remake of this one, available through Interlibrary Loan.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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This Means War

This Means War
[DVD This]

CIA agents FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) are partners and best friend until they each fall in love with Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). Each determined to win her affections they sabotage each others' dates, but when real bad guys get involved they're forced to work together again. A good date movie with a lot of good comedy and action moments. [If you like this, you may also enjoy The Bounty Hunter starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, Killers with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, or Star Trek starring Chris Pine.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official This Means War web site ]

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Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed
[DVD Something]

I am a sucker for romantic comedies. No matter how predictable the story line may be, I get pulled right in. Something Borrowed is about two women who have been friends since childhood. Darcy is about to marry Dex, the handsome guy that her best friend Rachel has had a crush on since law school. Dex and Rachel spend a night together and Rachel soon finds herself caught between staying loyal to her best friend and following her heart. Something Borrowed is funny and has a lot of heart. The cast of Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Colin Egglesfield is great. If you are a fan of The Office, John Krasinski is also in the film and provides a lot of laughs. [If you like this, you may also enjoy these other romantic comedies: While You Were Sleeping, Love Actually, Sabrina, and The Holiday.] -- recommended by Alyse S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Something Borrowed web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Some Like it Hot

Some Like it Hot
[DVD Some]

This 1959 comedy, directed by Billy Wilder, is a spoof on the 1920s era gangster movies. Two down-on-their-luck musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) witness a gangland slaying in Chicago and must leave town. Their only way out of town is to join an all-woman dance band for a two-week gig in Florida. Joe and Jerry dress as women and talk their way onto the train that is taking the female musical group to the sunshine state. On the train they must keep the ruse up to avoid being tossed off at the next station. Things become complicated for Joe when he meets Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) and falls in love. How does he woo her when she thinks that Joe is a woman? Wilder took advantage of the changing entertainment landscape to make this risqué, gender-bending comedy. In 1959, the movie moguls and their studios were weakening, television was threatening and the Production Code with its censorship restrictions was losing its influence. The action is non-stop in one of the most successful films of 1959. It was nominated for six Oscars and won one academy award. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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The Thin Man

The Thin Man
by Dashiell Hammett

Nick and Nora Charles set out to solve a murder in this sophisticated film. One of the best aspects of the movie is the banter between William Powell (Nick) and Myrna Loy (Nora). At one point, Nora chides Nick for bringing her to New York, just to make a widow of her. He replies that she wouldn't be a widow for long. Without hestitating, Nora responds, "You bet I wouldn't." That's another reason for watching this film: Nora wants to help solve the murder. She is a very strong woman for the time (the film was made in 1934). Another great scene between Nick and Nora takes place on Christmas morning, as Nick uses an air rifle to demolish the ornaments on the tree. Nick's antics do not fluster Nora one bit. The movie is fun to watch and Powell and Loy are two of the best. -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ Wikipedia entry for the book/film The Thin Man ]

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No Reservations

No Reservations

I enjoy watching "romantic comedies", and the trailers for this film certainly made it seem as if this film fit that bill. There certainly is some romance in this film. There also is some comedy. But, surprisingly, there's even more dramatic character study. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Kate, a driven, organized head chef at a trendy Manhattan eatery, who finds herself suddenly burdened with two unexpected people in her life -- her orphaned niece, and a exuberant, free-spirited sous-chef with a love for life. For what, on the surface, appears to be a light comedy, there's some suprisingly serious angsty-ness here. Kate goes through a lot of introspection as she adjusts to suddenly becoming a single parent. Overall, a very satisfying film, though not the laugh riot that the trailers might have led you to believe! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official No Reservations web site ]

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