Dear John
When a guy leaves for the army, he writes letters to a girl he met over the summer.
I guess this one’s mildly better than The Notebook, but they’re both pretty lackluster. This one did take some refreshingly unexpected turns in the story.
The dialogue is very basic and kinda painful at times but some good things are said.
I don’t like either of them and their love doesn’t make me melt or sob for joy. Maybe Sparks isn’t the love story writer for me.
Morning Glory
A woman gets put in charge of a failing morning show.
I know nothing about morning news or what’s involved in making morning shows, so this is an interesting look behind the teleprompter. But the story seems a bit messy on every front. Everyone and everything is flustered and lacks focus.
The main girl is a go-getter and she knows what she wants to do. But aside from the main conflict, we didn’t see her failing or struggling to figure things out. We’re told she’s too young and inexperienced to be a producer and it’s never really shown why. I would’ve liked to see her fail a few times at other work issues. And her whole, “I’m so awkward and can’t stop talking, tee-hee, aren’t I cute?” is irksome, at best.
I don’t know if I buy Harrison Ford as a grumpy man. I like him better as Indiana and Han.
Did I like this movie? It’s…okay…? You’d probably appreciate it more if you watch morning news shows.
Timeless Love
A woman wakes from a coma to find the man and children she dreamed about are fake. Until she meets the man.
You know when you’re watching a movie that’s obviously not good but you want to keep watching it? Yeah, that’s this movie. It’s so cheesy and the acting is not commendable and it kinda looks cheap. But it has moments of goodness, very fleeting moments of goodness. It’s still extremely awkward and lame, but if you need to watch a chick flick, there are worse choices.
But the whole knowing him before they’d even met, is never explained. I don’t know what explanation I’d accept, so it’s probably for the best that they didn’t try.
We Love You, Sally Carmichael!
A man wants to keep his identity as the author of a popular YA series a secret.
Every reader (of YA or other genres) should watch this movie. It’s such a great premise and it’s adorable and hilarious. I had a lot of fun with its unexpected genius and how it pokes fun at readers of trashy books.
One minus is the use of the “secret” trope. The thing when someone is utterly betrayed when they discover a secret was being kept from them and all of the sudden they can’t be friends with the secret keeper anymore. Why is it so hard for the betrayees to see the situation from the betrayer’s point of view? It’s really not that big a deal and they shouldn’t take so long to get over it. Sure, ask why they didn’t tell you, but if they have a good reason, try to be a bit more understanding.
If this story ever happened in real life, people would lose their minds in outrage. I’d laugh and love that author.
An Inspector Calls
A man interviews a family about a girl’s recent suicide.
Ooooo, this is very intriguing. I like a good mystery and detecting story, but this one takes that idea in an unusual direction. The acting is good, the simplicity is deceptive, the pacing…We had some homemade ice cream that night and I thought, “Oh, we’ll pause the movie in a bit and get some.” After the movie was over, we finally did. Another twist in the mystery format is that it doesn’t expect you to solve anything because the point is it’s telling you the answers. I don’t want to say too much else, but that ending is memorable. I’d recommend watching it.
Seven Dials Mystery
A man gets murdered. Detecting ensues.
They don’t make ‘em like they used to. This brought some serious Peter Wimsey vibes (Wimsey is a favorite of mine) and that charming early 20th century English poshness that you can’t get in American television. It’s very well acted and has great dialogue. And I actually like the female lead, which is impressive. The mystery has a classic twist but the journey to the twist is more enjoyable than the reveal. If you like Agatha Christie or English mysteries, you should check this out.