NatalinaLove is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies Part 2
May 27th 2009 23:45
Here is the long awaited, much anticipated, second installment of Love is in the air: A Collection of Great Romantic Movies. First...if you missed Part 1, you better check it out now. I mean it, damn it! Love is in the air:A Collection of Great Romantic Movies Part 1
Now that you're all caught up, let's review what we've learned so far. Beta Girl is a hopeless romantic, with an eye for the quirky and passionate. There was a bit of dissent from the comment section as to Beta Girl's choices. Particularly, it seems that the boys universally dislike Ewan McGregor. I wonder if he'll make another appearance on the list? Read on to find out, and then prepare yourself for the conclusion in the upcoming Part 3!
Dream for an Insomniac
"I am going to circumnavigate his soul until he is anchored on all sides by my love."
Dream for an Insomniac is a movie I saw for the first time just after I got out of high school. After watching this film again more than a decade later, I remembered why I loved it so much.
The beginning is entirely in black and white. Frankie (Ione Skye) is an aspiring actress who works at her family owned coffee shop, Cafe Blue Eyes. Caffeine and anxiety fuel her severe insomnia, and she floats through her daily life in a dream world that fluctuates between whimsical idealism and defeatist sarcasm. She's been on one bad date after another, and can't seem to find the one who ignites the passion that she so believes in. Her family's love of Frank Sinatra helps to shape her mantra "never trust a man that doesn’t have the eyes of Sinatra".
Enter David Schrader (Mackenzie Astin). When he visits her coffee shop and their eyes meet, we see the first bit of color in the film, as his eyes are dazzling blue. This first encounter literally colors her world, and we are now saturated by warm rich hues as Frankie's heart soars. Frankie and David strike up a cute friendship where they exchange quotes by their favorite authors and poets, and she falls desperately in love. As with all great love stories, there is a catch, and Frankie spends her days and nights trying to devise a way to make David hers.
On a personal note to Michelle, my Memphis Belle (I know you're reading this), I will always think of you when I see this film. I remember we first saw it together when we were just young, starry-eyed young ladies. When Frankie said, "Anything less than mad, passionate extraordinary love is a waste of time" it became the motto that we lived by in our idealistic pursuit for Prince Charming. Remember? I miss you, girl!
While the acting is not necessarily top notch, the dialogue is what sold this movie to me. With such great lines as:
"We could be best friends, but we'd still have lust in our eyes."
"We cheer up occasionally, but we get over it."
"Settle for anything and you're doomed. My biggest fear in life is being mediocre. We can't be willing to settle for anything, especially for less than we deserve; we watch other people live out their dreams instead of investing in dreams of our own. We should strive for greatness- life is too short."
"Love, David, Love! Do you love her? I mean does the thought of her the smell of her the touch of her make you quiver? When shes away from you do you wish she were in your arms making love to you? I mean when you see her after not seeing her for an entire day does she make everything ok?"
"There are too many mediocre things in this world to deal with, love shouldn't have to be one of them."
"If you only dream when your asleep, then when you're awake, there’s still nothing there."
"life might suck anyway but it’s better to suck with integrity…right"
I wasn't able to find a trailer online, but I did find this little clip that someone filmed from their own TV. It will have to do.
Immortal Beloved
I really rambled on about the first movie, so I'll try to keep the rest of these a bit more brief. Immortal Beloved is the film that made me fall deeply in love with Gary Oldman. This is the story of Ludwig Von Beethoven and his descent into madness, as well as his untold love story. Although Beethoven famously had many lovers in his lifetime, he once wrote a touching and heartbreaking letter to one he referred to as his Immortal Beloved. After Beethoven's death, his assistant Schindler visits all of Beethoven's women, in an effort to determine the elusive identity of the composer's greatest love, to whom he wishes to deliver the letter.
This film has so many breathtaking scenes. One of my favorites is when one of Beethoven's lovers hides in a closet as she watches him sit down at a newly purchased piano. There had been speculation that he no longer could play due to his severe hearing loss. As she watches secretly, he sits down at the piano, presses his ear against the wood, and begins to play Moonlight Sonata. It is a magical scene that still gives me chills.
Here is that beautiful scene.
This is just one of many memorable and heart wrenching scenes from this incredible film.
Dear Frankie
You didn't think Beta Girl was going to get through an entire list of romantic movies without a Gerard Butler appearance, did you? While I love to look at Mr. Butler in all of his roles, it is this one that I was most moved by.
Emily Mortimer is Lizzie, a single mother raising her hearing impaired son Frankie. Frankie's father was a very bad man, and Lizzie tries to shelter her son from any knowledge of the type of person he was. Instead, she tells him that he is a sailor, on a long mission at sea. Frankie writes letters to his father, to a P.O. box that Lizzie has set up just for this correspondence. She then retrieves the letters and replies to them as though she is Frankie's dad, and mails them back to her home.
Frankie follows the path of this ship that his father is supposedly on, and when he sees in the local paper that the ship is about to dock in their local port, he's certain that his dad is going to visit. Desperate to keep her secret, Lizzie hires a man to pretend to be Frankie's dad during the time that the ship is in town. This man is played by Gerard Butler, and he is only addressed in the film as The Stranger. While he is initially only in it for the money, The Stranger becomes very fond of both mother and child, and an innocent romance blossoms.
One reviewer on IMDb.com said," Dear Frankie is a true hidden gem without the glossy cloak of stardust that you get with so many films." I couldn't have said it better.
Secretary
"In one way or another I've always suffered. I didn't know why exactly. But I do know that I'm not so scared of suffering now. I feel more than I've ever felt and I've found someone to feel with. To play with. To love in a way that feels right for me. I hope he knows that I can see that he suffers too. And that I want to love him."
Secretary is one of my favorite movies. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a young woman who gets a job as a secretary in a law office. Her boss, Mr. Grey (James Spader) is a demanding lawyer who expects perfection. Their relationship turns from professional to sexual, with sadomasochism being the bond between the two.
If you haven't seen the film and that brief synopsis turns you off...wait. This is a very touching story about a girl who comes into the job as a self harming loner with severely low self esteem. She emerges from the relationship stronger and more confident. The woman she was meant to be blossoms with the spankings and the handcuffs. Because, while Lee is the one in bondage, it is really she who is in control. For the first time, she is the one in charge of her own desires and actions, and Mr. Grey is the one who submits to her.
Lots of people hated the end of this movie, but I really liked it. Maggie Gyllenhaal is brilliant in this role, and she manages to pull it off without an ounce of cynicism or silliness. She really shines here. Loved it. Smack!
On to part 3!
Now that you're all caught up, let's review what we've learned so far. Beta Girl is a hopeless romantic, with an eye for the quirky and passionate. There was a bit of dissent from the comment section as to Beta Girl's choices. Particularly, it seems that the boys universally dislike Ewan McGregor. I wonder if he'll make another appearance on the list? Read on to find out, and then prepare yourself for the conclusion in the upcoming Part 3!
Dream for an Insomniac
"I am going to circumnavigate his soul until he is anchored on all sides by my love."
Dream for an Insomniac is a movie I saw for the first time just after I got out of high school. After watching this film again more than a decade later, I remembered why I loved it so much.
The beginning is entirely in black and white. Frankie (Ione Skye) is an aspiring actress who works at her family owned coffee shop, Cafe Blue Eyes. Caffeine and anxiety fuel her severe insomnia, and she floats through her daily life in a dream world that fluctuates between whimsical idealism and defeatist sarcasm. She's been on one bad date after another, and can't seem to find the one who ignites the passion that she so believes in. Her family's love of Frank Sinatra helps to shape her mantra "never trust a man that doesn’t have the eyes of Sinatra".
Enter David Schrader (Mackenzie Astin). When he visits her coffee shop and their eyes meet, we see the first bit of color in the film, as his eyes are dazzling blue. This first encounter literally colors her world, and we are now saturated by warm rich hues as Frankie's heart soars. Frankie and David strike up a cute friendship where they exchange quotes by their favorite authors and poets, and she falls desperately in love. As with all great love stories, there is a catch, and Frankie spends her days and nights trying to devise a way to make David hers.
On a personal note to Michelle, my Memphis Belle (I know you're reading this), I will always think of you when I see this film. I remember we first saw it together when we were just young, starry-eyed young ladies. When Frankie said, "Anything less than mad, passionate extraordinary love is a waste of time" it became the motto that we lived by in our idealistic pursuit for Prince Charming. Remember? I miss you, girl!
While the acting is not necessarily top notch, the dialogue is what sold this movie to me. With such great lines as:
"We could be best friends, but we'd still have lust in our eyes."
"We cheer up occasionally, but we get over it."
"Settle for anything and you're doomed. My biggest fear in life is being mediocre. We can't be willing to settle for anything, especially for less than we deserve; we watch other people live out their dreams instead of investing in dreams of our own. We should strive for greatness- life is too short."
"Love, David, Love! Do you love her? I mean does the thought of her the smell of her the touch of her make you quiver? When shes away from you do you wish she were in your arms making love to you? I mean when you see her after not seeing her for an entire day does she make everything ok?"
"There are too many mediocre things in this world to deal with, love shouldn't have to be one of them."
"If you only dream when your asleep, then when you're awake, there’s still nothing there."
"life might suck anyway but it’s better to suck with integrity…right"
I wasn't able to find a trailer online, but I did find this little clip that someone filmed from their own TV. It will have to do.
Immortal Beloved
I really rambled on about the first movie, so I'll try to keep the rest of these a bit more brief. Immortal Beloved is the film that made me fall deeply in love with Gary Oldman. This is the story of Ludwig Von Beethoven and his descent into madness, as well as his untold love story. Although Beethoven famously had many lovers in his lifetime, he once wrote a touching and heartbreaking letter to one he referred to as his Immortal Beloved. After Beethoven's death, his assistant Schindler visits all of Beethoven's women, in an effort to determine the elusive identity of the composer's greatest love, to whom he wishes to deliver the letter.
This film has so many breathtaking scenes. One of my favorites is when one of Beethoven's lovers hides in a closet as she watches him sit down at a newly purchased piano. There had been speculation that he no longer could play due to his severe hearing loss. As she watches secretly, he sits down at the piano, presses his ear against the wood, and begins to play Moonlight Sonata. It is a magical scene that still gives me chills.
Here is that beautiful scene.
This is just one of many memorable and heart wrenching scenes from this incredible film.
Dear Frankie
You didn't think Beta Girl was going to get through an entire list of romantic movies without a Gerard Butler appearance, did you? While I love to look at Mr. Butler in all of his roles, it is this one that I was most moved by.
Emily Mortimer is Lizzie, a single mother raising her hearing impaired son Frankie. Frankie's father was a very bad man, and Lizzie tries to shelter her son from any knowledge of the type of person he was. Instead, she tells him that he is a sailor, on a long mission at sea. Frankie writes letters to his father, to a P.O. box that Lizzie has set up just for this correspondence. She then retrieves the letters and replies to them as though she is Frankie's dad, and mails them back to her home.
Frankie follows the path of this ship that his father is supposedly on, and when he sees in the local paper that the ship is about to dock in their local port, he's certain that his dad is going to visit. Desperate to keep her secret, Lizzie hires a man to pretend to be Frankie's dad during the time that the ship is in town. This man is played by Gerard Butler, and he is only addressed in the film as The Stranger. While he is initially only in it for the money, The Stranger becomes very fond of both mother and child, and an innocent romance blossoms.
One reviewer on IMDb.com said," Dear Frankie is a true hidden gem without the glossy cloak of stardust that you get with so many films." I couldn't have said it better.
Secretary
"In one way or another I've always suffered. I didn't know why exactly. But I do know that I'm not so scared of suffering now. I feel more than I've ever felt and I've found someone to feel with. To play with. To love in a way that feels right for me. I hope he knows that I can see that he suffers too. And that I want to love him."
Secretary is one of my favorite movies. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a young woman who gets a job as a secretary in a law office. Her boss, Mr. Grey (James Spader) is a demanding lawyer who expects perfection. Their relationship turns from professional to sexual, with sadomasochism being the bond between the two.
If you haven't seen the film and that brief synopsis turns you off...wait. This is a very touching story about a girl who comes into the job as a self harming loner with severely low self esteem. She emerges from the relationship stronger and more confident. The woman she was meant to be blossoms with the spankings and the handcuffs. Because, while Lee is the one in bondage, it is really she who is in control. For the first time, she is the one in charge of her own desires and actions, and Mr. Grey is the one who submits to her.
Lots of people hated the end of this movie, but I really liked it. Maggie Gyllenhaal is brilliant in this role, and she manages to pull it off without an ounce of cynicism or silliness. She really shines here. Loved it. Smack!
On to part 3!
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maybe something to do with how we are disciplined as children, it seems like almost everyone enjoys submitting to an authority in some form or another
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and heres a Youtube with a very familiar song in the background
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i love you!
Comment by Natalina
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Sweet to see Secretary sneak in there and Dream for an Insomniac too.
Comment by Natalina
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Comment by Anonymous
Miss you too! Your Memphis Belle
Comment by Natalina
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I had a crush on Ione Skye around the time of The Rachel Papers.
I love Secretary, but then I've always been a big fan of James Spader, he's up there with my favourite male actors.
Big fan of Oldman too. Have you seen Nil by Mouth which he directed? Um, not really a romantic movie though.
I'm curious how your list will conclude ...
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Well I should say you should just get watching all of the ones you have yet to see gosh darn it!
I have not seen that Oldman movie, but I will now!
My list will conclude in mere moments. Check back!