Romantic Films (2012)

Affair to Remember (1957) Rated NR

Nickie Ferrante and Terry McKay meet on an ocean liner and fall deeply in love. Though each is engaged to someone else, they agree to meet six months later at the Empire State Building if they still feel the same way about each other. But a tragic accident prevents their rendezvous, and the lovers’ future takes an emotional and uncertain turn.

Love Actually (2003) Rated R

It’s all about love and holiday cheer in London. The Prime Minister is smitten with his caterer; a widower’s young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother copes with her potentially unfaithful husband; and a lovelorn American is desperately attracted to a colleague.

Moulin Rouge (2001) Rated PG-13

Christian, an idealistic and impoverished young writer who, newly arrived in Montmartre, is haphazardly inducted into a circle of young bohemians led by Toulouse-Lautrec. A comedy of mistaken identities ensues, quickly enmeshing the young poet in a love triangle involving the unobtainable and consumptive Satine, queen courtesan of the Moulin Rouge, and the foppish Duke of Roxbury, his villainous rival for her affections.

The Notebook (2004) Rated PG-13

Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie’s parents who disapprove of Noah’s unwealthy family, and move Allie away. When Allie doesn’t hear from Noah after several years, she meets and becomes engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, with her love still alive for Noah, stops by Noah’s home to check on him. Seeing that their reunion has rekindled a passionate romance, Allie must now choose between true love and the match that her parents approve of.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Rated PG

After hearing a man confess his love for his dearly departed wife on a call-in radio show, a woman falls deeply, inexplicably in love with him. Deciding he is her destiny, she treks across country on a wildly romantic impulse to meet him.

Wedding Films

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) Rated PG-13

Friends Julianne and Michael made a pledge to wed each other at twenty-eight if neither had found another partner. But when the day approaches, Michael announces his plans to marry Kimmy.

My Big, Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Rated PG

Toula is a quiet, devoted daughter in a big, crazy Greek family. Working in her father’s restaurant, she hides behind her family and keeps the world at a distance. One day at the restaurant she finds herself pouring coffee for a man who inspires her to change her life, and the way she sees the world–forever.

The Wedding Singer  (1998) Rated PG-13

Robbie Hart is a master of ceremonies, left at the altar at his own wedding. He becomes someone who can only destroy other people’s weddings until he meets a waitress named Julia. Julia, however, is about to have a wedding of her own and may be lost forever.

The Wedding Planner (2001) Rated PG-13

A romantic comedy about love, marriage and other events you just can’t plan for. Mary (Jennifer Lopez) is a successful, work obsessed wedding planner in San Francisco who finally finds a man of her own (Matthew McConaughey), or so she thinks. He turns out to be the groom in the biggest wedding of her career. Will she get the job or the guy?

Runaway Bride  (1999) Rated PG

An unlikely love story developes when a cynical, big-city columnist comes to a small town to cover the story of Maggie Carpenter, a bride who’s left men at the altar several times.

Celebrity Deaths

This week we have had a couple of Celebrity deaths. Jane Russell, an actress,  died on February 28th due to a respiratory-related illness and Gary Winick, a director, passed away on February 27th from  pneumonia after battle brain cancer. To honor them here is a list of their films.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Rated NR

A musical comedy about the adventures of two beautiful showgirls–an apparently stupid blonde gold digger and her provocative brunette friend–during a voyage from New York to Paris.

His Kind of Woman! (1951) Rated NR

Hard-luck gambler Dan Milner is in sudden luck. He’ll get $50,000 to hang out at a posh Mexican resort. $5,000 now and the big payoff when the reason he’s been sent there is revealed. Of course, the gangsters making the offer don’t expect him to live long enough to collect.

The Outlaw (1943) Rated NR

One of the most controversial movies of its time. The thrilling tale of Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid and their feud over a fiery woman named Rio.

The Paleface (1948) Rated NR

A timid frontier dentist finds himself gunslinging alongside the fearless Calamity Jane as she fights off outlaws and Indians.

The Tall Men (1955) Rated NR

The Allison brothers, Ben and Clint, are ex-Confederate soldiers now trying their hands at robbery. But one attempt to get rich quick leads them into the company of Nathan Stark, a Texas cattle baron with a huge herd to get to market. Along the dangerous journey both bullets and fists are flying as these rough and ready cowpokes take on anything standing in their way, while Ben and Nathan compete for Nella’s affection.

In 1986, Jane Russell wrote an autobiography My Path and My Detours. You might want to check that out.

13 Going on 30 (2004) Rated PG-13

Jenna makes a wish on her 13th birthday to be 30 and grown up. When she wakes up the next day she finds herself, miraculously, just weeks away from her 30th birthday. The new, older Jenna is a successful magazine editor with friends in high places and a lion’s share of potential suitors. The problem is that her mind hasn’t matured with her body and Jenna finds it a little more terrifying than cool to be living on her own.

Bride Wars (2009) Rated PG

Lifelong best friends Liv and Emma have shared a dream since childhood. Each yearns for the perfect June wedding at the famed Plaza Hotel in New York City. Both find themselves engaged at the same time and go to a wedding coordinator to set up the perfect wedding. A clerical error puts them both down for nuptials on the same day at the same time. One of them will have to switch the date. More than the bouquet goes flying when these desperate brides-to-be fight it out for matrimonial supremacy.

Charlotte’s Web (2006) Rated G

Fern is a young farm girl who rescues the runt, Wilbur. Wilbur the pig is saved from certain death and Fern visits him every day at her Uncle Homer’s farm. But it’s Wilbur’s friendship with Charlotte the spider that ultimately saves him from the “smoke house.” Charlotte’s talent for weaving praiseworthy words about Wilbur into her web turns the Zuckerman farm into a tourist attraction.

Letters to Juliet (2010)  Rated PG

“In Verona, Italy – the beautiful city where Romeo first met Juliet – there is a place where the heartbroken leave notes asking Juliet for her help. It’s there that aspiring writer Sophie finds a 50-year-old letter that will change her life forever. As she sets off on a romantic journey of the heart with the letter’s author, Claire, now a grandmother, and her handsome grandson, all three will discover that sometimes the greatest love story ever told is your own”

Starting Out In the Evening (2007) Rated PG-13

Battling illness and unable to finish a novel that has taken him ten years to write, aging novelist Leonard Schiller is slipping into literary obscurity. At one time a famous author, Schiller has been all but forgotten by the readers, colleagues and critics who once praised his works. When Heather Wolfe, an ambitious graduate student, convinces Schiller that her thesis could reintroduce his writing to the world, the reclusive writer is forced to confront his past regrets.

Life is Beautiful (1997) (via What to Watch.)

Here is a review about the Saturday Cinema movie this month, Life is Beautiful.

Rated PG-13 This movie is incredible. To this day, it still amazes me. It’s the only film that has ever had me going along feeling one thing and then in a second completely changes the mood. I believe this film to be one of the top films of all time almost surpassing Citizen Kane. It grows on me every time I watch it. If you haven’t seen this film of a father trying to keep his family together during WWII, you must. … Read More

via What to Watch.  The content and opinions expressed in this review do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the Rice Lake Public Library.

Romantic Films

It’s February, time to warm up those nights with a little romance. Here’s a list of films to help start the spark:

Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) Rated NR

Holly Golightly is an eccentric New York City playgirl determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire. Her next-door neighbor, the writer Paul, is himself “sponsored” by a wealthy woman.

Enchanted (2007) Rated PG

The beautiful princess Giselle is banished from the animated land of Andalasia by the evil queen. She finds herself in the gritty streets of the real, modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that does not operate on a “happily ever after” basis, Giselle find herself adrift in a chaotic world that is badly in need of enchantment. Giselle begins to fall in love with the cynical, no-nonsense divorce lawyer who has come to her aid. Little does he realize that this joyful, wide-eyed innocent is about to enchant him.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Rated R

When Joel discovers that his girlfriend, Clementine, has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind through an experimental scientific procedure, he decides to ease his own pain by getting the same treatment. But, as each memory of Clementine is systematically eliminated, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her and desperately attempts to reverse the process.

Good Luck Chuck (2007) Rated R

It all started when Charlie Logan was ten years old. Breaking the cardinal rules of spin-the-bottle, Charlie refused to lip-lock with a demented Goth girl. She puts a hex on Charlie. Now, twenty-five years later, Charlie is a successful dentist and still, well, cursed. He discovers that every woman he’s ever slept with has found true love–with the next guy after him. Before he knows it, Charlie has become a “good luck charm” for women who flock to him for one-night stands. But Charlie is lonely–that is, until he meets Cam. Cam is a beautiful, but accident-prone penguin specialist. When true romance develops, Charlie realizes he has to find a way to break his good-luck curse.

My Fair Lady (1964) Rated G

A Cockney waif is transformed by a linguistics professor into an elegant lady.

Can’t find what you are looking for here’s a link to our catalog of romantic films.

Some timeless romantic films:

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) Rated PG-13

Doctor Zhivago (1965) Rated PG-13

Groundhog Day (1993) Rated PG

Pretty Woman (1990) Rated R

Pride and Prejudice (1995, 2005) Rated NR, PG