Search

Search only in certain items:

Letters to Juliet (2010)
Letters to Juliet (2010)
2010 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
9
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Sophie’s life is heading in a good direction. She is the best fact checker at the New Yorker, engaged to an up-and-coming chef and is headed on a romantic trip to Verona, the setting of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Romeo and Juliet. But when Sophie discovers a multi-decade old letter written to Juliet she finds herself on a new and exciting adventure in the spirit of true love.

The film hitches its wagon on rising star Amanda Seyfried as the leading lady, playing romantically-inclined heroine Sophie. Amanda plays opposite Christopher Egan as Charlie, a pessimistic and overly protective grandson of Claire, a romantic adventurer and ideal parental-figure, played by the ever-enchanting Vanessa Redgrave.

It was easy to expect that this would be the same old American twenty-something in love tale, but I was unexpectedly surprised by the depth and honesty in “Letters to Juliet”. While it is much more a love story than a comedy, the film tackles a number of the usual subjects –love, loss, and destiny– in new ways. Throughout the film are touching scenes that blend laughter and keen, realistic emotion, without the all too familiar awkward result.

And it is hard not to smile while watching “Letters to Juliet”. The infusion of a love story mixes well with the films other themes: the importance of family and the value of cross-cultural perspectives. These complex themes support the romantic story so well that the experience is less like a fantasy and more akin to a well-layered tale told by a close friend. Mix in the stunning landscape of Italy and “Letters to Juliet” becomes a magically honest story about the quest for true love.

Filled with quality acting, romance, and many kinds of love while speaking across generations and cultural viewpoints, “Letters to Juliet” manages to pull at the heartstrings and share an inspiring and uplifting tale.
  
Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal #1)
Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal #1)
Zen Cho | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fabulous Magical Regency Romp
Sorcerer to the Crown is a Regency era fantasy novel packed with romance, mystery, and adventure. Fans of historial fiction and gaslamp fantasy like Jonathan Strange & Mister Norell, the Chrestomanci series, or A Great and Terrible Beauty will enjoy this romantic romp through an alternative London where magic is a gentleman's sport and issues of race, class, and gender are as worrying as the general decline of magic in England.

Zacharias Wythe charms as the stoic Sorcerer Royal and Prunella Gentleman, the snarky orphan with a troubling amount of magical talent, is easily his match. The relationship between the two has a Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet quality that still manages to feel fresh and unique.

Cho has crafted a wonderful fantasy world replete with interesting characters and intriguing mysteries, it's easy to see why this book gained a nomination for 2016's Locus Award for Best First Novel.