I still can't really wrap my head around the fact that I am moving to England for a year, and who knows what after! I'm very excited and also very nervous, having never been in Europe before, and never traveled without my family in my life. But, this is what living is all about!
Under the Tuscan Sun
Okay, so yes, this is a typical rom-com with all the clichéd setbacks, story arcs, and a main character that is a middle-aged-recently-divorced woman starting anew in a foreign land. With that being said, I found it enjoyable to watch and thought there were several real and emotional moments. Not that it is realistic, but there are actually scenes where Diane struggles to feel at home in her new surroundings instead of waltzing into the fairyland of "Tuscany," so I found those bits relatable. Diane Lane did a good job making herself somewhat likeable and sympathetic and the scenery in Italy was just beautiful!
A Little Romance
It was quite a surprise to see Diane Lane again but this time, so young! I really, really enjoyed this movie. The main characters are very cute and the storyline is definitely precocious, but it was all well done. In this movie, little Diane and a young french boy fall in love and run away from Paris to Venice, Italy, to visit the Bridge of Sighs so that they may kiss under it at sunset and have eternal love. Diane is cute, but the little French boy steals the show with his adorable accent and movie-star-mimicking ways.
A Little Romance
It was quite a surprise to see Diane Lane again but this time, so young! I really, really enjoyed this movie. The main characters are very cute and the storyline is definitely precocious, but it was all well done. In this movie, little Diane and a young french boy fall in love and run away from Paris to Venice, Italy, to visit the Bridge of Sighs so that they may kiss under it at sunset and have eternal love. Diane is cute, but the little French boy steals the show with his adorable accent and movie-star-mimicking ways.
Enchanted April
Beautiful depiction of a small castle in Italy, though it also paints England in very ugly, gray hues. Not much to say here...mostly I found this story rather silly and unbelievable, and most of the characters aggravating, but the images of Italy did really make me want to go there. This is also an older film, which made the movie look fuzzier and more washed out than its modern day counterparts, which I felt added to the whimsy and wistfulness of the movie.
Im Juli (In July)
Before Sunrise and Before Sunset
I've already mentioned these two movies often on this blog. Two of my favorite movies that I have watched many times before. They are beautiful, realistic, and poignant, and the first, Before Sunrise, has a wonderful feelings of spontaneity, being lost and wandering about in a foreign place, and the resulting feelings of intimate discovery. The two main characters meet on a train and decide to get off together in Vienna to spend one night talking and roaming the city before one must leave for America. The result and the connection they find with each other is really magical. Before Sunset picks up after nine years, when they reunite in Paris once again.
Im Juli (In July)
I recently watched this for the first time and thought it was fantastic. Very whimsical and improbable, and maybe a little too cheesy or sweet for some, but I thought it was a very fresh take on romance. A lot of getting lost, random adventures, and the exhilaration of letting things go and immersing yourself in strange places and the company of strange people. This movie is also quite funny!
Two For the Road
One of Audrey Hepburn's classic films, this movie was very well done and well acted by all, telling a story of a couple that fall in love, out of love, and back in love (sort of) while traveling in Europe. It was told with lots of vignettes and flashbacks, and quite a lot of cutting back and forth, while I found to be refreshing and served as a contrast between the years. It reminded me a bit of Blue Valentine the way it cuts back and forth between happy past and unhappy present, except it is not as depressing and painful. While I don't remember too much about the scenery, the earlier scenes in this film show the couple freely backpacking and hitchhiking their way about, while falling in love, without a care in the world, a nice fantasy for the traveler-wannabe. Audrey does a couple of other movies that are good and have a "Europe tourist-y" theme - Sabrina and Roman Holiday.
One of Audrey Hepburn's classic films, this movie was very well done and well acted by all, telling a story of a couple that fall in love, out of love, and back in love (sort of) while traveling in Europe. It was told with lots of vignettes and flashbacks, and quite a lot of cutting back and forth, while I found to be refreshing and served as a contrast between the years. It reminded me a bit of Blue Valentine the way it cuts back and forth between happy past and unhappy present, except it is not as depressing and painful. While I don't remember too much about the scenery, the earlier scenes in this film show the couple freely backpacking and hitchhiking their way about, while falling in love, without a care in the world, a nice fantasy for the traveler-wannabe. Audrey does a couple of other movies that are good and have a "Europe tourist-y" theme - Sabrina and Roman Holiday.
A Room With A View
Another classic, albeit with a very small portion of the film actually dedicated to travel. However, the scenes of Venice are amazing and shot very beautifully. Not to mention this is just a great and classic story. I have read the book as well and it is just as enjoyable as the movie. It was a treat to see Helena Bonham Carter so young.
Summertime
Personally, I didn't like this movie at all, despite the fact that Katherine Hepburn stars. I found her character to be juvenile and the plot to be very unnatural, with confusing twists. There were a lot of questions unanswered, and it was hard to understand why the characters do as they do. I cannot understand how she got an Academy Award for this as the movie really did nothing for me. However, there were lovely views of Venice (this is getting redundant. Okay, I guess I need to get myself to Venice and Italy in general).
Summer Lovers
I liked this movie purely for the beautiful, beautiful scenery of Santorini, Greece, which utterly convinced me that I must go to this magical place someday, as well as just the laid-back vibe of all the locals and tourists in the movie that are beaching, skinny-dipping, having a bonfire, or partying. Not to mention everyone in the movie was beautiful, tan, and skinny too (not to mention naked!). The plot (a three-way relationship) was almost besides the point for me.
Another classic, albeit with a very small portion of the film actually dedicated to travel. However, the scenes of Venice are amazing and shot very beautifully. Not to mention this is just a great and classic story. I have read the book as well and it is just as enjoyable as the movie. It was a treat to see Helena Bonham Carter so young.
Summertime
Personally, I didn't like this movie at all, despite the fact that Katherine Hepburn stars. I found her character to be juvenile and the plot to be very unnatural, with confusing twists. There were a lot of questions unanswered, and it was hard to understand why the characters do as they do. I cannot understand how she got an Academy Award for this as the movie really did nothing for me. However, there were lovely views of Venice (this is getting redundant. Okay, I guess I need to get myself to Venice and Italy in general).
Summer Lovers
I liked this movie purely for the beautiful, beautiful scenery of Santorini, Greece, which utterly convinced me that I must go to this magical place someday, as well as just the laid-back vibe of all the locals and tourists in the movie that are beaching, skinny-dipping, having a bonfire, or partying. Not to mention everyone in the movie was beautiful, tan, and skinny too (not to mention naked!). The plot (a three-way relationship) was almost besides the point for me.
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