Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Greg Mottola recommended Manhattan (1979) in Movies (curated)

 
Manhattan (1979)
Manhattan (1979)
1979 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I love Woody Allen‘s movies, and it’s hard for me to pick only one, but I’d pick Manhattan because so many of his films feel influenced by his heroes — you see some Bergman or Fellini or the Marx Brothers or whoever — and to me Manhattan is the one that most captures Woody. Even Annie Hall has bits of Amarcord in it; it’s a perfect movie, and it’s unique, but Manhattan seems to be the one where Woody does everything he does in his own particular way. One of the things I love about his movies is the tension between the sort of romantic ideals versus his true skepticism about human nature. There’s always this push, this back and forth, about how he loves people and hates people; the misanthropy and the idealism fight each other constantly in the movie, and that’s why I think his films have a special quality. Manhattan has beautiful cinematography and the Gershwin music, and the characters are actually pretty dark and lost and restless, and unhappy. You mix it together and I find it really fascinating. I know some people are really creeped out by him and the girl, but we’ll skip over that."

Source
  
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
1972 | International, Drama, Romance
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I would start with Last Tango in Paris by Bernardo Bertolucci, which I think is amazing. Marlon Brando’s performance is just out of this world. It’s funny; today, I don’t think it would get the same kind of debate because of the sexual nature of some of the scenes, but for me, what was shocking was more the emotional intensity that he brought to the role. There’s a scene he has where he’s sitting at the bedside of his dead wife, and it’s just the most amazing scene of grief. And later, there’s a scene at the end where he’s in this dance hall, and he’s drunk. It’s just a beautiful performance. I think it was just unbelievable.And, of course, there’s also the romantic idea of Last Tango in Paris. I think everyone loves the idea of just him having an affair with a stranger and insisting on staying strangers. It’s a very simple idea, and the beauty of it is that they swap. She wants to know his name in the beginning; he refuses. And then slowly he needs her, he falls for her, and they change roles, and now she doesn’t need him any more."

Source
  
40x40

Will Packer recommended Boomerang (1992) in Movies (curated)

 
Boomerang (1992)
Boomerang (1992)
1992 | Comedy, Romance
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I’m skippin’ past all my movies right now in my mind, just so you know [laughing]. You know what? I’m going to go with Boomerang. Yeah. It was either going to be Boomerang or The Color Purple, but I feel like I’m trying to pick movies that not everybody picks. So I’m going with Boomerang. It was Eddie at the height of Eddie. It was a movie that was different than you had seen him do. The romantic comedy genre, and of course Halle Berry, who was still a fresh face at that time. I really enjoyed the construction of that movie. I’m a fan of the Hudlin Brothers [Warrington and Reginald]. They actually gave me my first internship in this industry. Absolutely. Straight out of college. My first internship was on a movie they made for Miramax, called Ride. I went down to Jacksonville, Florida and I was a camera PA on that movie. I learned a lot about Hollywood production. At that point I had made a movie, but it was an independent film that I made while I was still in college. This was my introduction to Hollywood filmmaking."

Source
  
40x40

Armie Hammer recommended Fight Club (1999) in Movies (curated)

 
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
1999 | Thriller

"Fight Club came into my life when I was an angsty teenager who wanted to burn down the entire world, much like the movie, and I was just like, “Yeah, you f—ing get ’em.” It just so perfectly captured every bit of teenage or young adult angst that I felt. It also is so funny. Like, I watch that movie and I just howl with laughter, it’s just so sardonic and funny, and also weirdly romantic. It’s a wonderful love story, too. I mean, obviously it’s a love story between two very dysfunctional people, but who’s not dysfunctional in their own ways? I think the writing is brilliant, I think that the cinematography is incredible, I think that David Fincher absolutely knocked that one out of the park. It’s a movie that I can watch over and over, and every time I catch a new line, or I catch a new shot, and I’m like, “Oh, wow. I never noticed that’s how they did that before, and that’s such a brilliant way to do that.” Yeah, I just think that it perfectly captures every single feeling of frustration and rage that anyone might be feeling at any moment."

Source
  
40x40

Austin Garrick recommended Notorious (1946) in Movies (curated)

 
Notorious (1946)
Notorious (1946)
1946 | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Had to at least include one from the master Hitchcock. Being the huge De Palma fan that I am, it would be tough to not be a huge Hitchcock fan as well. Bronwyn loves Ingrid Bergman and was the person to introduce me to Notorious when we were younger. What I love about this film is that you get this sincere, Old Hollywood romantic chemistry between Bergman and Cary Grant, in addition to some classic Hitchcock greatness. We project films while we write and record, and this film played a lot during the making of our debut album. Fritz Lang is another one of the greats who I had to have on this list. I first discovered his films through Giorgio Moroder’s 1984 restoration of Metropolis, whose iconic image of the robot on the soundtrack and posters always intrigued me as a child, and once I eventually saw the film, it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. Most who have seen it, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, and M will agree that Fritz Lang is one of the best to have ever done it, but perhaps no one film has earned him that reputation more than M."

Source
  
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
1975 | Crime, Drama, Thriller

"[Sidney] Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon. I mean, I don’t know what there is to say about Al Pacino’s performance as John Wojtowicz. But it’s a really complicated, really emotionally messy, but driven performance. Now there’s a documentary about the real guy called “something” Dog; I forgot the name of it [editor’s note: it’s The Dog], but the doc is just as much worth seeking out. It’s almost kind of neat to see it after you watch the movie. But the way that Dog Day Afternoon unfolds almost in real time over the course of one day in Brooklyn. And the John Cazale character. First of all, it’s just a beautiful portrait of an outlier community. The homosexual community at a specific time in New York, and that niche, there were these tough guys. They were going to do anything for their dream, anything – rob a bank. But nothing they do goes right. But watching him get wrapped up in his own ego and the drama of it and the romance; it’s one of the most romantic movies I’ve ever seen. It’s a really, really beautiful film, but it’s devastating. It’s also a very regional film. I love it."

Source
  
40x40

Julia Holter recommended Roxy Music by Roxy Music in Music (curated)

 
Roxy Music by Roxy Music
Roxy Music by Roxy Music
1972 | Electronic, Rock
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Was it their first album? I don't even know. This and Court And Spark were both records that my parents played when I was young, and I hated. But they didn't play either album that much. My parents are really great but they didn't play them obsessively; they would play favourite songs or pick selections. I listened to this properly when I was maybe 21. It was exciting and dramatic and glamorous. There were these moments, like oboe solos and stuff, that were almost hippy-ish, but they worked so well within the music. I don't know if 'hippy-ish' is the word but I was really into this idea of the instruments going wild and going crazy. An oboe: so cool and weird and a unique combination of timbres. Then, of course, there's the romantic quality of Bryan Ferry's voice, which is why I also love his solo music. And the later Roxy Music, I love also, which everyone thinks is bad but - no, they don't! A lot of people love it. It surprises me that he wrote all the songs on this album. I never knew that."

Source
  
Crazy Days of Christmas
Crazy Days of Christmas
Jill Barry | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I read these long book descriptions it seems that half of the book is given away but in this case it is different. This is cute love story with a lot of uncertainty. I really enjoyed that this book was written taking in consideration both characters views and feelings. That somehow makes the story more attractive and romantic. I think that the name “A Spoonful of Love” suited this book better, because it doesn’t say much about the actual days of Christmas, it’s more about the period before Christmas. I really enjoyed the insight of cook’s life which was very detailed in this creation. The uncertainty between characters feelings was so adorable, just like couple of teenagers. Normally I am not very big fan when there is no proper ending, but this book’s ending was really interesting. Just like something’s ending is a beginning of something new. It left that question mark hanging there. Is there going to be another book? Overall I liked the book, as cute love story but I would like that it would be more twists, more drama, more continuity. It should have the whole thing, not just the beginning …
  
Song to Song (2017)
Song to Song (2017)
2017 | Drama, Music, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Yeah I'm basic, sue me. Part sad travelogue, part Malick faux-poetic tirade, part genuinely exceptional romance - but all in all one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen, left me breathless; the type of grandiose feast for the senses that honestly belongs in a museum. Not even just in the experience > film sense either tbh because what this is really good at capturing is people who are caught in fleeting lives - where they routinely visit some of the happiest places in the world but no one is actually happy - and how their love comes and goes, and sometimes just doesn't work out. Nothing notably momentous or bad always happens, sometimes it just... doesn't quite click. And that's okay. Sumptuous, erotic, funny, romantic, heartbreaking, and for once a romance that doesn't shame these people for simply testing out the waters. I also really want some of whatever Fassbender is on here because that shit looks like it *works*. Say what you will about the guy but no one's making movies like this. By *far* the best artsy love story with music as a backdrop starring Ryan Gosling.
  
Past Perfect Life
Past Perfect Life
Elizabeth Eulberg | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ally Smith has a happy life in Wisconsin with her dad and her friends. Her only worry is her college applications, but that’s normal. But when Ally officially filed them, they send up a red flag due to her social security number. It seems that Ally Smith isn’t Ally Smith. Her real name is Amanda, and now her happy life is no more. Is her whole life a lie? And what’s going to happen now?

If you’re looking for a captivating and emotional read, look no further than PAST PERFECT LIFE! I won this book via a LibraryThing giveaway, and it was so enjoyable! I found this to be a totally mesmerizing book. If I could have, I would have stayed up all night and read it in one sitting (believe me, I tried. Darn responsibilities.). Ally’s voice was unique, sweet, and just so well-done. The book has a teen style, but this Mama couldn’t stop reading. I loved that it was character-driven yet there was almost a tinge of mystery. It’s emotional, funny, romantic, and completely compelling! Highly recommend! 4 stars.