Movie Review: This Means War

As with most movies that I go into without any expectations whatsoever, this movie totally blew me away.

First off, it was a romance with a twist, just the sort I love!

Secondly, it showed Tom Hardy in a totally different light, *light* being the operative word. He actually smiled a few times and when he fell in love, I totally felt it.

*Aside* – anyone want to guess how many times I'm going to use the word "totally" in this post, lol?


**Spoiler Alert**

Tuck (Tom Hardy) and FDR (Chris Pine) are two secret agents who accidentally start dating the same girl. Being competitive, and not wanting to give in, they decide to carry on dating Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) and let her make up her mind about which one of them she wanted. They lay down some ground rules about how the dates should go, which they then proceed to break in the most incredibly hilarious ways.

This was also a movie where the secondary character totally (oops!) made the story extra special and almost stole the show, IMO. But seriously, the writer in me adored this film even as the girlie in me fantasised about having two hot guys (oh btw, how did I not know Chris Pine was 6"1?) fighting over me *sigh*

If you haven't seen it yet, Go. See. It, Now!

I tot— absolutely adored it and, for someone who rarely watches the same movie, twice, would tot—ack! watch this movie again and again.

Enjoy the trailer
 

Romancing The Stone

I caught Romancing The Stone last night on TV, and was reminded why I like this movie so much while I watched it. And with a romance writer's eye, the answer was not only a young Michael Douglas (although of course, that sure helped) but also the characters, their conflicts, and their journey.
Made in 1984, it took in an astounding $86.5 million at the box office, with an additional $36 in video rentals (according to Wikipedia).
Romancing The Stone has something for everyone. Danger, a couple of baddies, and romance. Needless to say, I'm looking at the romance elements in this post - dissecting them to see how the writer did it!

The heroine, played by Kathleen Turner, is Joan Wilder, romance novelist.
She dreams of love, and has fantasies about her romance hero, Jesse. She's also pretty buttoned up. Lives alone except for a very dotes on cat. All somewhat predictable stuff. We see a glimpse of her world before, but only a short one. Because the inciting incident, when she receives a treasure map in the post and gets a panicked phone call from her adventurous sister, who's been kidnapped, begins the story quickly.
Joan has a choice. Can she travel to Colombia? Alone? To save her sister?
She decides she must. And there is the first turn into the story. When she meets Jack T Colton he IS her fantasy hero. Until, that is, he opens his mouth. He's mercenary. Wants money to take her to her sister, and has his eye on the treasure map. Joan doesn't trust him, and rightly so.
As the story progresses, Joan gains in confidence, has the help of 'her greatest fan', and gets more gorgeous and free as she begins to live her fantasies, rather than just imagining them.
And Jack's arc is equally strong. He remains true to type through much of the film, holding back, following his own agenda. But when faced with the choice of Joan's death or the loss of the stone, he chooses Joan.
Weaving in other plotlines and characters adds to the excitement and watchability, but the characters of Joan and Jack and their journey form the backbone that the entire film hangs off.
In all, although this is an old movie, I think it is a perfect example of how to do a 'romantic suspense movie' well, so if you haven't watched it for a while, or (gasp) were too young to catch it the first time around, why not give it a rewatch?

Exceeding Expectations

Since it's still Friday in most parts of the world, this blog post isn't technically late. Much.

I would have posted something earlier, but I got caught up watching a Christmas movie. You know, one of those made-for-TV movies that appear at this time of year, with not a single familiar face in the cast and a predictable story line? As you might have guessed, I'm not a big fan of these kinds of movies. [Give me The Proposal any day!] But this one really hooked me.

It was called A Christmas Kiss. Romance readers will recognise the story line as a tried and tested theme: girl kisses hot guy, then finds out he's her bosses' boyfriend. Okay, so the usual trope would be he turns out to be the boss, so the movie makers at least managed to put a fresh spin on this one.

What I enjoyed about this movie was that it has a fresh, young, contemporary feel, and wasn't too schmaltzy. Whether you adore every holiday themed movie out there, or whether you're more picky like me, watch this film. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

There was only one thing I didn't quite like about this film, and it was only as the end credits rolled that I finally worked out what it was. The hero.

As a romance writer, I've diligently studied what makes a good romantic hero, and I've developed my own ideas of how a hero (especially an alpha hero) should behave. And it's spoiled me. I can no longer sit back and enjoy a book or movie without constantly measuring up the hero against my own very high expectations.

A hero who manages to get through an hour and a half of TV time not realising that his girlfriend is a witch spelled with a B, and in all that time doesn't realise that the girl he kissed right at the start of the movie is the heroine, just doesn't measure up for me.

So I'm going to dig out my battered copy of The Proposal and remind myself how a true alpha hero behaves. Because Ryan Reynolds always exceeds my expectations - especially when he's shirtless.

Movie Review - Only You

Every so often, an old movie pops up on TV, which, even though I've seen it loads of times, I have to watch. Only You is one of those movies. Made in 1994, it stars Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr, and I love it.

Marisa plays Faith, a woman who believes utterly in destiny, and that every person on earth has a soul-mate. At the beginning of the film, when she is only eleven, she earnestly tells her brother, Larry:
Soulmates are our destiny.
We all have one.
My soulmate is the one I'm supposed to wait for, the one that will wait for me.

Playing with a ouija board, Faith learns the name of her soulmate, Damon Bradley. And later, a meeting with a fortune teller confirms that Damon Bradley is her destiny, although the fortune teller warns her : The truth is, you make your own destiny, don't wait for it to come to you.

As an adult, without meeting Damon, she accepts the proposal of her exact opposite, the practical and unromantic doctor, Duane. But even then she longs for romance, watching romantic movies with a soundtrack of 'Some Enchanted Evening,' and declaring that love is all to her disollutioned sister-in-law, who plays the perfect counterpart to her romantic lead.

Ten days before her wedding, Faith learns that Damon Bradley is in Venice, and, dressed in her wedding dress (which she's trying on) immediately dashes to the airport to find him.

What happens next is a delightful romance, where she meets the man of her dreams (played by Robert Downey Jr,) falls in love with him, and then rejects him when he admits that he is not, in fact, Damon Bradley, but is the man of her dreams in every other aspect.

I won't spoil the ending by explaining any more about the plot, but I find this story beautifully crafted. Echoes run through it in complex webs. On a date with Robert's character, Peter, (while she thinks he's Damon), they have so much in common - so many things they both love, that it is obvious they belong together. As if to confirm it, a street musician plays 'Some Enchanted Evening' as they walk past, and they stop to dance in the street....
Swoon.

If you haven't seen it, and you love romantic movies, track down Only You. You'll love it!

TV Show Review: Blue Bloods

I’m a huge fan of Tom Selleck. I fell in love with him from way back in the day when he was Magnum PI, through to Three Men and a Baby. I wasn't so sure about his role as Monica's squeeze in Friends but doggone it, I forgave him for it.

So imagine my whoop of joy when I saw him featured in the newish series of Blue Bloods last year. I watched, I loved and I believe this is his best role yet.

In Blue Bloods, Tom plays Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, the second of three generations of a New York Catholic cop family, with two sons played by Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes.

Blue Bloods is more than just Tom Selleck, although his dimples on the rare occasions he smiles on the show makes me melt (Shallow? Moi?).

There are three things that make Blue Bloods special for me: Family - the way this family support each other through rights and wrongs. Integrity – the way Tom’s character struggles between the fierce need to protect his family and the pressure of being Police Commissioner. Great Drama (spoiler alert) – the common thread that runs in the show is the loss of Tom’s first son under shady circumstances and this thread crops up throughout the series and keeps the show just that little bit more interesting for me.

But even without these elements, I’d watch just for Tom's dimples and Donnie Wahlberg's bad boy looks.

Yes, apparently I'm that shallow, lol!

Crazy Heart

A couple of weeks ago, I turned on the movie channel to see a movie I missed when it hit cinemas a couple of years ago, Crazy Heart.

The TV blurb said:
A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

and I knew that Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell were in it, and that it had been the recipient of two oscar wins - Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for it, and the a song for the movie, The Weary Kind, also received one - and Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Supporting Actress too.

I've always loved Jeff Bridges' work - but somehow the idea of this movie had failed to inspire me to go see it, but for those who haven't yet, I must just say chase it down and watch it. It's fabulous!
Jeff Bridges playes Bad Blake, a faded, country music superstar, who drinks, smokes, and takes full advantage of the numerous opportunities to go to bed with the middle-aged groupies who flock to his performances in run down bars. He's out of shape, has been married numerous times, and has a son he hasn't seen since the kid was a nipper. Hardly hero material. But in my opinion, this is the best role I've ever seen Jeff in. He commands the screen, and even though he's overweight and rocketing towards distruction, he's still totally gorgeous.
When he meets the much younger Gyllenhaal, who plays music journalist, Jean, the sexual tension is palpable. And as they start into an affair, their individual conflicts are so strong, the story became so real, so poignant, that I was rooting for their happy ever after. There's a fantastic performance by Robert Duvall too, who plays Bad's friend.
My current hero inspiration is Colin Farrell, who plays Bad Blake's former protegee turned country music superstar. Colin doesn't appear in the credits, as he didn't want to take the focus from Jeff, but even if he had, the incredible charisma of Bad Blake would have wiped the floor with him.
The story is full of interesting twists and turns, and lots of heartbreak along the way - but ultimately, Bad's journey is an inspiring one, that grabbed me from the moment Jeff appeared on screen, and didn't let go until the closing credits.
I don't want to give any more away, so will leave you with the trailer to whet your appetite!
Enjoy!

Movie Review: Red Riding Hood

For weeks I drove passed an eye-catching billboard and thought "I have to see that movie!" Luckily it came out on DVD fairly quickly, and this weekend I got to enjoy director Catherine Hardwicke's take on this classic fairy tale.

For those who don't follow these things, Catherine Hardwicke directed Twilight (the first movie in the series). Since she worked as a production designer before becoming a director, it's no surprise that this latest movie is a visual feast. Red Riding Hood is sumptuously designed with stunning costumes and sets.

Don't expect historical accuracy. Do expect a fairy tale quality with more than a dash of sinister thrown in.

The film stars Amanda Seyfried of Mamma Mia and Letters to Juliet fame, and the back up cast is phenomenal: Gary Oldman, Billy Burke (also the dad in Twilight), Lukas Haas and Julie Christie. And for those who enjoy their eye candy (like me!), there are two rather attractive young men to ogle: Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons (son of Jeremy).

Interestingly, Shiloh Fernandez made the shortlist for the role of Edward Cullen in Twilight. He has a remarkable resemblance to Robert Pattinson, though without the squashed nose. I would have loved to see him in the role, but since that's never going to happen, I'll take whatever I can get of him!

As for the movie itself ... I loved it. Just the right balance of drama, action and romance for my tastes - and it's beautiful to look at! Go take a look for yourself.

Remember Me

We usually preserve movie reviews for Fridays here on Minxes, but in honour of remembering New York on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I'm breaking the tradition and featuring the film Remember Me.

Set in New York, this is a ponderous, atmospheric film starring Robert Pattinson and Pierce Brosnan, which centres around a family dealing with loss, each character handling the loss of a son and brother in a different way.

I found the film a little too slow moving, and spent most of the movie wondering just what the point was. The point is made clear in the closing two minutes of the film. Two minutes which pull all the film's strands together, give the entire movie a new twist, and leave viewers with an image so graphic and moving that you'll remember it long afterwards.

That final image is still clear in my head months after watching the film, and still brings a lump to my throat.

Our condolences to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, and to those who are gone: you will be remembered.

Movie Review: The Adjustment Bureau

I sum up this movie in one word: “INCREDIBLE”

As a die-hard movie buff, I tend to get totally anal and do a bit of research before I watch any movie to see if it’s worth my time. This carefully honed craft (aka procrastination) means I can usually tell within three minutes of starting any movie if I’m going to love it or hate it. Yes, call me a movie diva!

With The Adjustment Bureau, although I’d seen posters for it, nothing really pulled me to research it. All I knew was that it starred Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. To be honest, I don’t even physically remember requesting this movie, so when I came across it, I just shrugged with a “why not” attitude.

It started off a bit dull – a young, charismatic front-runner in an election campaign, effing up at the last minute due to something he’d done back in his even younger and stupid days. How many times have I seen that in a movie? But then I started wondering why Matt’s character (David Norris) was being portrayed as so young? What was it about him that had made so many people want to vote for him?

Heh, I soon found out his political career had nothing to do with the move! Well, it did in a way…but…read on…

**Spoiler alert**

This was more, so much more than a political movie. At the heart of it was a gut-wrenching love
story. Cue my writer’s happy-ever-after-loving wheeeeeee! Basically, the powers that be - “the adjusters” or angels in men in black suits, had been tasked with keeping David Norris's career on track no matter what.

His destiny, laid out on some funky moving paper tracker thingy, was supposed to be “adjusted” so that it absolutely did not collide with Elise's (Emily Blunt’s character) for the simple reason that their love would impede his intended meteoric rise to become President of the United States.

So he was given a choice – lose the love of his life or watch her lose the one thing she yearned for most – to be the incredibly amazing dancer she was.

At first he arrogantly believes he can have his cake and eat it and boy, does he try hard to! But when the very thing she cares about it threatened, he makes the hard choice.

He gives her up. For a while. But fate being what it was, she crosses his path again. And the fireworks really kicks off when his “guardian angel” tells him that Elise is about to marry someone else.

My heart was in my throat the whole time he was evading the “the adjusters” in order to get to his true love. I cried when he got his girl. And cried even harder when the big boss, “The Chairman”, finally agreed to let him keep her because…well…their love was just too damn strong.

I defy any romance reader or writer to watch this movie and not be moved or inspired to let your fingers fly over your keyboard after your very own happy ever after.

It was awesome, awesome, awesome! Ten out of ten and definitely a keeper for me.

Movie Review: The Next Three Days

I started watching this film with two prejudices. First, I'm not a great fan of Russell Crowe. Not because he's not a brilliant actor. He is. But his off-screen diva antics have put me off over the years, so I tend to watch his films only grudgingly.

Secondly, I'd seen the trailer for this movie and again rolled my eyes because it seemed like another wrongly-accused protagonist, government-conspiracy caper.

Well, I was wrong. About ten minutes into the film I was hooked.
Russell's character was so believable, his love for his son unshakable and his belief in his wife's innocence so steadfast that I found myself rooting for him to win, win, win. Even when he had to make a very bad, no TERRIBLE! decision in order to succeed in his quest to free his wife, I was still rooting for him.

Of course, things inevitably go wrong, which is what makes this film a thriller and I had tears in my eyes and my heart in my throat during the last half hour. But of course, like a good romance novel, it all came to a great and very satisfying end. If you get the chance to, watch it. You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy the trailer...

Can we also please apologise if you've tried to leave comments on the Minx Blog over the last few days - Blogger has had some issues that are hopefully now resolved. Our fingers are firmly crossed.
We're extending all of our competitions to take account of this, so you have until Sunday to leave your comments and be in with a chance to win.

Happy week-end everyone!

(Movie review posted by Jo P for Maya)

Movie Review: Blood and Chocolate

I'm an impulse spender, but even so I've never in my life bought a DVD unless I've first seen the movie - until I stumbed across Blood and Chocolate in a sale bin.

I'd never even heard of this movie or the book it's based on. For that matter, I'd never even heard of most of the actors. But Hugh Dancy's name was on the cover and since so many of my friends rave about him, I thought "What the heck". Judging from the cover, I actually thought that French actor Olivier Martinez was the hero of this film, since he looked so gorgeous and the image of Hugh was, to say the least, unflattering.

But I am so glad I picked this up, as it's definitely a keeper. If you enjoy paranormal romance, or romance with a dark edge, then you have to watch this movie!

The story is set in Bucharest, among a secret society of mythical shape shifters known as the loup garoux. The kick-ass heroine, Vivian, is one of the shifters. She falls for a visiting artist played by Hugh Dancy, and is forced to choose between her lover and her people (A no-brainer, in my opinion). Though I was concerned at first that such a strong heroine would overpower and unman an artist hero, Hugh's artist was more than man enough to match this heroine. And I think I've just become Hugh Dancy's biggest fan.

The film kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, the romance was deliciously intense, and with two gorgeous men to ogle, Blood and Chocolate has it all.

Anything Goes Friday – Movie Classic - The Philadelphia Story and a new competition

The Philadelphia Story is my favourite movie. In its original form it’s a total classic. It was made in 1940 and remade in 1956 as High Society. But don’t let that put you off. The original is fantastic and here’s why.

First the cast. It’s a huge ensemble cast of Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, and John Howard. The director is legendary George Cukor, and the scriptwriter was Donald Ogden Stewart. The acting is brilliant. And the script? The script is to die for.

Here's a dialogue run featuring CK Dexter Haven (Grant) and his ex wife Tracey Lord (Hepburn):
C. K. Dexter Haven: Sometimes, for your own sake, Red, I think you should've stuck to me longer.
Tracy Lord: I thought it was for life, but the nice judge gave me a full pardon.
C. K. Dexter Haven: Aaah, that's the old redhead. No bitterness, no recrimination, just a good swift left to the jaw.

The story begins just before the wedding of Tracey Lord (Hepburn) to George Kitterage (Howard). But she’s been married before, to C K Dexter Haven (Grant), who turns up with a gift, just when everything is going badly wrong for the Lord family.

There’s a complicated side plot, featuring Tracey’s father and uncle, and a couple who move in to do a ‘social segment’ for a newspaper, played by Stewart and Hussey.

James Stewart’s character, the disillusioned reporter Macauley Connor is prepared to hate the rich, entitled heiress Tracey, but falls for her instead. His photographer, Elizabeth Imbrie is in love with Macauley, and accepts his infatuation with Tracey stoically. He’ll come back to her in the end. She knows it, we know it. But getting there, that’s where the fun begins.

Cary Grant is suave, charming, and totally irresistible (IMO) and must have been delighted to be given such a wonderful script to play with. Tracey Lord is hailed as a goddess by most of the men in the film, but CK Dexter Haven knows better. He knows her faults and loves her despite them.

Also, the opening sequence is the funniest thing I’ve seen. Ever. I’m totally incapable of watching it once, I have to rewind and watch it at least twice before continuing the film. And, as this is a classic film, it can be picked up for buttons most everywhere. Try it, it’s a delight.


Now hot news just off the presses about a great new competition!

The National Trust, Mills & Boon and The Lady short-story competition. Readers are encouraged to submit a romance based on or in a National Trust property – be it about a proposal on a coastline, a wedding in a castle, a love affair between butler and housekeeper. The winner will see their story published in a late summer issue of The Lady. The story should be 1,500 to 2,000 words.
For rules and more details see The Lady, or The National Trust competition link.
For those living in the UK, there are also two hour writing workshops at National Trust Properties with our favorite Mills and Boon authors and one Mills and Boon editor, for £15. This competiton is closing on 31 July, so if you're interested, get writing!

Finally, the winner of Wednesday's Heidi Rice competition is Joanne Pibworth. Please drop the minxes an email with your address, Joanne and Heidi's book will be winging its way to you.

Anything Goes Friday - Friday films

Today we have two for the price of one. Two minxes - Lorraine Wilson and Suzanne Jones reviewing two films.

"The Accidental Husband"

The older I get the less patience I have. So nowadays if I put a dvd in the player and don't like what I see I hit the eject button, sometimes after only 5 minutes!
The other evening I put 'The Accidental Husband' on with very little expectation. In fact I was dreading another romcom cliche but to my relief it wasn't anything of the sort - it was fresh and funny and it made me giggle, lots. Quite an achievement given I'm exceptionally grumpy in recent months and was really stressed out before I watched the film. I believe I even said 'ahh' at one point but thankfully only the dogs were around to hear me :-)
And when the black moment hit I found I genuinely cared about the characters getting it together.
I don't like giving out spoilers so I'm not going to tell you too much about the plot. The basic line is that radio host Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman) advises one of her listeners to break up with her boyfriend and the jilted ex (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) then sets about getting his revenge and she ends up, um, accidentally married. Really it works, honest and it will make you laugh.

The only cliche was that the guy Emma (Uma Thurman) was originally 'settling' for (played by Colin Firth) was new-mannish and the guy she was supposed to be with was an alpha fireman. But with a cliche like Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a fireman's uniform who cares?
In short the film did everything a romcom should - it made me laugh, made me care and it made me leave it playing until the credits were rolling.

Lorraine Wilson



For our second film, take one coachload of assorted tourists, a sprinkling of breathtaking Greek scenery, a hairy-man bus driver and the delightful Nia Vardalos as the tour guide and what do you get?

Driving Aphrodite is what.

There are no baddies, no exciting chase scenes and the humour is gentle rather than laugh-out-loud funny. But, I really enjoyed it and huge thanks to lovely Judy Jarvie for recommending it.


In my experience, men with beards sometimes have something to hide, however, you'll be pleased to know the hairy man in this film soon cleans up his act and undergoes a metamorphosis into a creature who is extremely easy on the eye. Worth watching for his beach scene alone.

Definitely a movie for a Saturday afternoon and definitely to be watched with a large box of chocolates.



Enjoy.

Suzanne X