Friday, April 12, 2013

Leticia Soto Medina


Hello,
            My name is Leticia Soto Medina and I’m reviewing romantic movies.

One Star: The movie was not interesting at all. Was not worth watching.
Two Stars: The movie was fairly good. However, did not engage the viewer.
Three Stars: The movie meet expectations. It was interesting.
Four Stars: The movie exceeds expectations. It was very enjoyable to watch.
Five Stars: The movie goes beyond expectations. You loved the film, which you would watch again. 

Safe Haven


Safe Haven written by Nicholas Sparks is a movie full of questions about a beautiful woman who suddenly appears in the lads of Southport, North Carolina.  Her horrible abuse at home forced her to take a different path In search of peace. When she gets to Southport she encounters with a kind man that owned a store not to far where she had stabilized herself. She changes identity and is known by a different name in town. She got a job but still everyone started wondering things about her. Alex the store owner which who had two kids but was widowed grow this attraction towards her. At first her terrible past wouldn’t let her smoothen out and feel good for once. As time went by she felt the warmth and protection when she was with Alex.  She has to choose to set free with Alex or live with fear for love.

This film starts off really intense and eye opening; it has the audience asking themselves questions and actually thinking about the movie.  Safe Haven provides extremely good vivid scenes and chemistry between Alex (Josh Duhamel) and Katie (Julianne Hough.) This chemistry makes the film very touching and loving. How sometimes we don’t look for love or is sometimes the last thing we want and boom hits us down deep in the heart.  What I really enjoyed about the movie was the setting how they set up everything so relaxed and peaceful place just as what Katie was I search for.  The water right by Alex’s store, Katie’s home, and the beach where they go to have some fun. In this case both Katie’s role and Alex’s role balanced out. Right when she got to Southport they film started focusing on how their romance started and eventually turn into love for one another. The costumes felt very credible. They were by a lake so people would wear shorts and tank tops etc.  It is always good for a movie to align those things together so the audience can really feel as if they are in the movie.  This movie is good of showing how a thorn takes out another thorn.  However, they could of improved on their relationship grew stronger each day. There are some parts where they have strong bond and the viewer can see how he touches her carefully but desirably at the same time.
Some parts of the movie the audience can feel like something is missing and make conclusions based on the facts provided after. Overall, this movie was fairly good and I give this movie four stars because of its action and passion scenes that contribute more to the movie as a whole. Without those scenes the movie would have probably been sucky. Despite those factors, the movie will make you get chills on some of the scenes of how well the cast collaborated.

Maid in Manhattan


Maid in Manhattan a story by John Hughes. The leading roles are Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes Marisa Ventura is a hard workingwoman at the same time vulnerable of love.  The only man that takes hold of her heart is her son Ty.  Marisa Ventura is a single mother from New York City; she works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. One of her co-workers told her to try on an expensive outfit from a guest that had recently arrived in the hotel Caroline Lane. As nervous as she was of getting caught she tried on the outfit. Her son Ty had been in the hotel that day. While taking the elevator he meet Christopher Marshall. They start conversing and Marshall invites Ty to go for a walk to the park with his dog; Ty politely tells him that he will need his moms’ permission. They go to the Caroline Lane’s room where Marisa was and by a mistaken identity Marshall assumes she is Caroline. Marisa attracts Marshall with her beauty so he invites her to go with them for a walk to the park. The three of then spend time together. Marisa terrified hoping management wont find out about the ruse, she makes a point to avoid Chris afterwards. When Marisa’s true identity is revealed, they know they are from two different worlds. However, Marshall knows everyone deserves a second chance.
 
This film did a good job at keeping the people emotionally connected. Jennifer Lopez, who was Marisa in the film I felt she was the dominant role in the story. I feel that she did great at getting into character and really providing the audience to how it is to work in a hotel located in Manhattan while living in the Bronx.
Ralph Fiennes who was Christopher Marshall in film was the vague actor. With that being said Jennifer Lopez strengths his weaker parts in the movie but some how it still felt like I knew they were just acting. I didn’t feel physically attracted. By that I mean when they would hug it didn’t feel like a hug to me. Or even the way he would look at her. All those little factors are crucial while watching a movie you hope to like. The Costumes were well used and portrayed. Ralph Fiennes did look like a sophisticated political man and so did the people that would surround him. Jennifer Lopez was also wearing clothes that maids would wear in real life; Jennifer would perform tasks that a hotel manager would expect from his employees. The soundtrack fit somewhat of every scene. A part of this movie made me feel like I was watching Cinderella, which I did not like.
This film was good at using their diction appropriately according to the people’s roles within the film and it made the movie a little humorous. Overall, this movie deserves three stars. They could improve the actors skills of the way they would look at someone when they would say “I love you.” Maybe just even tweaking some parts of the movie to make it more romantic and get the audience engage. 

The Notebook



Summary: The Notebook is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. The film starts Ryan Goslin as “Noah” and Rachel McAdams as ‘Allie.” It’s about a young couple that falls in love during the early 1940s. The story is told by an elderly man old Noah who is telling their love story to old Allie who is a nursing home resident. The story follows the two young lovers. Allie’s parents who disapprove Noah’s unwealthy family move Allie away and separate them. Noah writes 365 letters to Allie, which her mother restores them from Allie’s sight. Time passes and Allie gets engage with a wealthy soldier. However, she looks at a newspaper with a picture of Noah expressing the accomplishments he has done with his 200-year-old house. Allie goes back to check how Noah is doing and is faced with the decision to choose between her fiancĂ© and her first love.

This movie does an outstanding job.  They manage to go from past/future since “old Noah’ is the one narrating the story, where other romantic films fail to succeed. Both Ryan (Noah) and Rachel (Allie) share dominant roles since the movie balances to show both views on the situation. It makes the audience engage and have empathy towards what they are feeling and every spark they share together. Is hard not to tear up. The shift through out the time passing strengths the film by engaging the audience to keep watching the movie to figure out what’s going to happen next? The costumes are used correctly according to the time period of the story, including all the surroundings like the stores, the work force, how everything is displayed as a whole. The chemistry showed in this movie is fantastic. The cast makes every scene believable by getting deep in their roles. The passion scenes are irresistible. All the mixed feelings you get just by watching one film are insanely crazy; which in this case Nicholas Sparks does an amazing job. All the sacrifices that Noah and Rachel encounter makes the reader even ask themselves, how far would they really go to be with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, or what will you do for love and if it is all worth living for.  The diction that these actors and actress use is appropriate, very detailed and straight to the point. Many other films have unnecessary vocabulary that tends to throw off the audience or purpose to the tone its being done. Even though this film expresses mixed emotions, it’s still deserves five stars. The movie showed consistency of control and power. It really shows how powerful love can really be. 

Slumdog Millionaire


Summary: Slumdog Millionaire, written by Simon Beaufoy. In Mumbai 2006, 18-year-old Jamal Malik (Dev Pater) a street child from Juhu Slum becomes a contestant in the Indian version of “ Who Wants to be a Millionaire” After being separated from his brother and friend Latika. Latika, his first and only love and that he lost when he was a child. While being In the show police arrest him before answering the last question to win the big prize. They wonder how an orphan can know so much. He then tells the police that every chapter in his life reveals the answer to each question in the show. Latika being the only person to justify everything he says to prove his innocence and break free with his prize. All his life looking for Latika, and it is their destiny to be together.



Slumdog Millionaire portrays how life in India can be for those who suffer from poverty. That factor itself makes the film so alive and vivid of how things are displayed. Jamal’s life is an unending disaster after being separated from his family and his childhood love.  He happens to be a contestant in the India version of “ Who wants to be a Millionaire.’  The answers to the questions link to an event, person, and song of his past so he gets every question right. The soundtrack within the film fits nicely to the action being done or the even happening.  Jamal is the dominant role in this film. The whole movie is based on this path to success and how he encounter gangs, evil people. The desperateness to find his lost love and the only person that he has left. The soundtrack contributes a lot in this movie because it contains so much all at once. It helps the audience get into the setting rather then just know they are watching a movie. This movie does a great job of breaking every step down with critical detail and evidence. It makes it more understandable and easy to follow, which is a really good thing. The costumes the roles make perfect sense. The audience can quickly notice that the people are from India and it makes perfect
sense that their outfits fit nicely into the culture and how people dress in India. This element makes it credible in which case the people will pay attention to the movie. People will actually stay awake.  I give this movie five stars. Everything is clear and precise.  All the bright colors that were used are just a bonus.