What's your favorite book about true love?

Happy Valentine's Day!
I wanted to feature a romantic movie on this special day.  Unfortunately, there are 2 mediocre chick flicks in theaters right now, nothing I can highly recommend.

One of them is based on the newest Nicholas Sparks books, and because this blog is all about reading and writing, I thought I'd feature this one below from my movie review blog.

One of my all-time favorite movies about true love is "The Princess Bride."  What is yours?


Movie Title:      The Choice

Grade:   C-

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 49 minutes

In a Nutshell:    My husband says that the definition of a Chick Flick is when two good-looking guys fall all over themselves for one spoiled girl.  If that’s true, then this is definitely a Chick Flick, although not a very good one.

One of the obvious choices in this formulaic movie isn’t just which guy to choose, but there are several others.  

Uplifting theme: 

• “Life just keeps unfolding.  If you sit still, it’ll pass you by altogether.” – Gabby (Teresa Palmer)
• “Life is held together by choices – all sizes.” – Gabby
• “Opportunity is missed by most people, because it’s dressed up in overalls and looks a lot like work.” – Thomas Edison, as quoted by Shep (Tom Wilkinson)
• “Every path you take leads to another choice.” – Travis (Benjamin Walker)

Things I liked:

• Most of the movie takes place lakeside with beautiful views.
• Cute puppies!
• Teresa Palmer looks like the All-American girl next door.
• Nicholas Sparks tries to add depth to his romantic stories.  His most recent tale-turned-Chick-Flick was “The Longest Ride.”  You can see my movie review of that film here.  That film did it much better than this one.
• If you’re thinking about cheating on your boyfriend, you’ll see what a two-timer feels like.
• There’s a funny proposal scene.

Things I didn’t like:

• Everything about this movie is clichéd, even the clothing.  For example, he wears a tank top to show off his muscles and she wears a white t-shirt in the rain.
• A lot of movie critics are begging Nicholas Sparks to stop writing such cheesy love stories that then get turned into sappy movies.
• Benjamin Walker drinks bottles of beer in a weird way.  I know that seems nit-picky, but it bugged me.
• They try to have clever chit-chat, but it comes out forced and predictable.  The actors look like they’re acting.
• SPOILER ALERT:  A happy ending is an easy out.  The harder ending would have been to write something more interesting.
• Both Travis and Gabby are too cocky for my taste.  They fight and bicker from the very first moment they meet, which is a clichéd, although not appealing, form of flirtation.
• What kind of character does a girl have who jumps in bed with another guy when her boyfriend has only been gone a few days on a business trip?  Does true love excuse lack of integrity or morality? Um...nope.

Funny lines:

•  “What are you doing?” – Gabby

“Walking towards you real slow.” – Travis

“Why?” - Gabby

“Cause if I ran, I’d scare you.”  - Travis

• “Mama, he’s a walking cautionary tale.” - Gabby

Interesting lines:

• “Has anyone ever said no to you?” – Gabby

“No.” – Travis

“Then, I’m making history.” - Gabby

• “Your friends, family…that’s all you can count on in this world.  That’s what I believe.” – Travis
• “I kind of fell into the Bible.  He wanted to burn it.” – Shep
• “If you see a man sleeping on the cold floor, there’s sure to be a pretty woman nearby.” – Shep
• “There’s no shame in being a broken man.  I should know. You just pick up the pieces and start rebuilding.” – Shep
• “That’s all any woman wants…a man who’s going to fight.”   (for her)  - Monica (Alexandra Daddario)

Tips for parents:   

• Girls falling out of their bikini tops.
• One girl flips the bird.
• Some profanity.
• Two people jump in bed together on their very first date.
• Take the opportunity to talk to your family about “Do Not Resuscitate” orders.  

Another Nicholas Sparks book turns into a Chick Flick

I write a movie review blog, but whenever the movies come from books, I like to include those reviews here on my author web site!


Movie:   The Longest Ride

Pg-13, 2 hours 8 minutes

Grade:   B+

In a Nutshell:   What I thought would just be a sappy, preditable Chick Flick turned out to be a romance with great depth and heart.  We recently saw the beautiful Britt (Brittany) Robertson in Tomorrowland , looking like a spunky teen with gorgeous hair.  A minute later, she’s all grown up and falling in love.  Her boo is the handsome Scott Eastwood whose life revolves around the “toughest sport on dirt”, bull-riding.  He’s the old-fashioned gentleman and hero that every girl wants.

The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.   Also featured in two love stories for the price of one are: Alan Alda, Oona Chaplin, and Jack Huston.  I love it when stories intersect and it works well in this movie.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Ruth asks “What right do I have to be happy when there is so much suffering in the world?”  Young Ira wisely states “What right do you have to not be happy?”  Despite life’s trials and challenges, we need to find our own happiness.

·         “Even an accident will have purpose and direction.” – Black Mountain College art teacher

·         Luke explains to Sophia that “All bull riders get hurt.  It’s not a matter of if, but when.”  I think that’s true for humans in general.  We’ll all get hurt emotionally in our lives.  The idea is to get through it gracefully and with love.

·         “Love requires sacrifice.  Always.” – Ira

·         “We focused on all the things we had, rather than the things we didn’t.” - Ira

Things I liked:

·         I live in Las Vegas where “Cowboy Christmas” takes over the town every December.  It was fun to see the bull-riding trials before that big championship.

·         I love the cute  look of a skirt with cowboy boots.  Another good  look is a shy cowboy holding a bouquet of flowers.

·         The film is full of great country music from the Pistol Annies, Black Pistol Fire, The Wild Feathers, Ryan Adams and more.  The Longest Ride (Original Soundtrack Album) will surely be popular.

·         Beautiful North Carolina scenery near where my mother grew up.

·         The first kiss can really say a lot.  Ira explains “Our first kiss – it was the promise of everything to come.”   Couples often spend their lives trying to recapture that original magic.  An older Ira sadly noted “It’s a scary thing how the people closest to you can become strangers.”

·         SPOILER ALERT: I love inspiring World War II movies.  I was surprised to see a cowboy chick flick include a war twist.

·         Sophia explains that her favorite comfort food is a Polish dumpling called “Koldenny”. Want to see what it looks like?
 

·         I thought Ruth was so sweet to her students.  A good elementary school teacher can truly change the direction of a child’s life.

·         The film touches on childless couples and the painful process of adoption.

·         SPOILERT ALERT: The target audience will love the sweet, fairy tale ending.

Things I didn’t like:

·         Over two hours long, some guys in the audience may find new meaning to the title The Longest Ride

·         The ingredients are pretty predictable.  Somebody’s gotta get wet and have to get undressed at some point, right?

·         Both couples include a spunky girl and a quiet, country boy.  Maybe more variety would have added increased depth to the characters.

Funny lines:

·         “I want a cowboy!” – One of Sophia’s sorority sisters

·         “She has the coldest hands I’ve ever felt.  I think she soaks them in ice water before she comes by.” – Ira Levinson  (the wonderful Alan Alda)

·         “How are you feeling?”  - Sophia to Ira

“The better question is how do I look?” – Ira

“Very handsome.” – Sophia

“That’s all I care about.” - Ira

Sappy lines that girls fall for every time:

·         “Our chance at being together was greater than being apart.” – Ira

·         “Today started out like any other day, but when you walked through the door of my father’s store, looking so beautiful and vibrant, I knew my life would never be the same.” – Young Ira (Jack Huston)

·         “I just don’t know how to make this work.” – Luke

“I don’t either, but I know that I want to.” – Sophia

·         “I love you so much, even if that means it doesn’t include me.” – Ira

·         “it’s only 8 seconds.  That girl could be the rest of your life.” – Kate (Lolita Davidovich)

·         “Ruth had an eye for talent.  I only had eyes for Ruth.” - Ira

Tips for Parents:

·         There are moments when you see some naked parts during pre-marital sex, including Scott Eastwood’s bum.  Both couples end up in bed.

·         Mild profanity.

Good for Britt Robertson for having two movies out this summer!