I was a big fan of the Nicolas Cage film Wild at Heart and when I found out it was based on a book, of course I had to read it. Most of the story beats are the same, without David Lynch's theatrical pizzazz. This story is part of a longer volume that I didn't finish and assume tells about our minor characters. Altogether it's a pretty good piece of writing for those who like crime, wild romance, and Big Tuna.
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Hearburn by Nora Ephron
I really liked the movie Heartburn, starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. So the book intrigued me, noting Ephron's other credentials, like the script for Sleepless in Seattle.
The vibe of the book is entirely different. Instead you get Ephron's chatty narrative with many recipes thrown in. The type of intimacy is much different in the book, as you get to know a lot more about the narrator's opinions and general take, instead of just taking in the visuals of her story.
So I would highly recommend this one, along with the film. If you're not having fun with reading, Heartburn will cure that and really suck you in.
With Shuddering Fall by Joyce Carol Oates
For those who don't know, Joyce Carol Oates is one of my favorite authors, easily one of the best to produce work in my lifetime. With Shuddering Fall is her first novel, taking place in the days before air conditioners were common place, in small towns surrounded by country.
It tells the story of a sheltered young girl, stupidly innocent, and hungry for a real experience. As it turns out, these real experiences in life can be pretty awful. And she finds herself a dangerous attachment to a racecar driving man whose talent leans heavily on detachment and dysfunction.
While this isn't my favorite of Oates's novels, it's overflowing with the darkness, juice, and drama her fans have come to expect. If you haven't read anything by her before, I think this is a fine place to start, seeing how it's easier to stomach than some of her other books.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (feat. Nicolas Cage)
Of Cage's extensive filmography, I might have been most dreading Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Despite being long, it looked boring, a historical romance for the World War 2 era. Apprently the book of Captain Corelli's Mandolin was more about the war and less about the romance.
Cage plays Captain Corelli, and Italian officer deployed to occupy a little Greek island, home to Penelope Cruz's character whose husband (played by Christian Bale) had a hard time fighting the Germans. But Captain Corelli and his fun-loving, drinking, and singing band of Italians are not Nazis. In fact, they have no interest in fighting anyone. But the treacherous Germans are unhappy when the singing Captain's troops try to withdraw.
So this wartime story stretches a lot to fit the beats for a romance. But I don't think it's a bad movie. I just think it goes on for too long. But even that, I can forgive because there's a lot of story. It wouldn't have bode well to turn the tragically violent war moments into a montage. So it feels like they tried to make two movies into one in attempts to broaden appeal, but the result is kind of a drag.
- Raising Arizona
- Leaving Las Vegas
- Red Rock West
- Adaptation
- Pig
- Birdy
- Wild at Heart
- Joe
- National Treasure
- Guarding Tess
- Snake Eyes
- Dog Eat Dog
- Color Out of Space
- Mom and Dad
- World Trade Center
- Peggy Sue Got Married
- Zandalee
- Prisoners of the Ghostland
- City of Angels
- Willy's Wonderland
-
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
- Bangkok Dangerous
- Drive Angry
- Army of One
- Lord of War
- Gone in 60 Seconds
- Matchstick Men
- Vampire's Kiss
- Con Air
- Face/Off
- The Boy in Blue
- Honeymoon in Vegas
- Amos and Andrew
- Moonstruck
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
- Bringing Out the Dead
- The Family Man
- Knowing
- The Frozen Ground
- It Could Happen to You
- 8mm
- Grand Isle
- Looking Glass
- Arsenal
- Between Worlds
- Left Behind
- Ghost Rider
- The Humanity Bureau
- Next
- The Weather Man
- 211
- The Croods
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
So this isn't the type of thing I try to write, and I could have read more into the existing reviews. Oh well. I don't consider the experience wasted. Obsidian is about aliens in the mountains of West Virginia, with some connection to the Moth Man. For those of you who don't read fantasy, there are certain rules about Hard Magic and Soft Magic. Armentrout clearly didn't understand these rules. You see, Soft Magic is mysterious and chaotic, and shouldn't be deployed as a means to resolve a story.
Sorry if that's somewhat of a spoiler for those of you who thought this supernatural teen romance was really going to have a tragic ending, only to grow more tragic in its two sequels. The biggest tragedy was the lack of sex in this book.
Zandalee (feat. Nicolas Cage)
In New Orleans, Thierry and Zandalee are having relationship problems, which can happen to even the sexiest of us. Thierry's dad died, and he decides to quit being a poet/professor in order to take over his dad's business. It's a sad time for Thierry, but with his new position, he's about to help Johnny get a job. Johnny, played by Cage, hasn't lost his passion. In fact, you might consider his singular verocity to be problematic as he forces himself between Thierry and Zandalee. You might wonder, 'what's the worst that could happen?', and find yourself surprised at how dark this film really gets. Cage also blesses us with a supreme freak-out, one of his best.
But was this a great film? I think it was pretty good. Instead of setting out to make a 'great' blockbuster, it seems like the creators went ahead and made exactly the kind of self-indulgent film they wanted. And it turned out pretty good, not perfect but pretty good. I enjoyed it.
- Raising Arizona
- Leaving Las Vegas
- Red Rock West
- Adaptation
- Birdy
- Wild at Heart
- Dog Eat Dog
- Color Out of Space
- Mom and Dad
- Peggy Sue Got Married
- Zandalee
- City of Angels
- Bangkok Dangerous
- Drive Angry
- Lord of War
- Gone in 60 Seconds
- Matchstick Men
- Vampire's Kiss
- Con Air
- Face/Off
- Honeymoon in Vegas
- Amos and Andrew
- Moonstruck
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Bringing Out the Dead
- The Family Man
- It Could Happen to You
- 8mm
- Ghost Rider
- The Humanity Bureau
- Next
- The Weather Man
- 211
- The Croods
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Jane, modeled after her writer, went to a very strict school for girls, and came out very religious and disciplined, probably a better person for it all. Then comes the love story, which is fine as far as love stories go. It's hard to approve of Jane's choice of man, since her story takes place in a time when most men were probably worse for their disposition. But he was an extremely eloquent guy, nearly as verbose as Frankenstein's monster.
Moonstruck (feat. Nicolas Cage)
Cher is pretty all right. It's hard not to like her. Though I think there must have been some favoritism going on, like the Academy thought they owed Cher a favor, because I don't know how this film won three Oscars. I don't think cheesey romance films are bad, but none of the characters in this film behave like real people tend to sometimes do. Characters in Moonstruck get engaged, fall in love at first sight, and change the trajectory of their lives based on momentary passions. Is that how all Italian Americans are? Are they all insane?
On insanity, Cage's character Ronny is an actual psycho, smashing things with his "fake-wooden hand", threatening to kill himself, and perpetually blaming his brother for an accident that was his own fault. Maybe that's just how all Italian-American bakers are, only wearing tank tops, never full shirts unless they're going to the Opera. They call this film a romantic comedy, but the comedy aspect is playing on a wheelchair of Italian stereotypes. Maybe if I considered myself more cultured, I'd feel obligated to think it's funny. Like, maybe the Academy thought it was funny because they are laughing at themselves, and they are in the know. Maybe it is considered a comedy in the traditional sense, leaving you wondering what the plot is before revealing it in the end.
What about the romance? Maybe it is the absence of rational motivation that makes this film romantic, because love is not rational. Love can make you deny the factual "bad luck" that might lead you to get engaged to a guy you have no reason to like, the way Cher's character (Loretta) did. Perhaps love is just it's own force, at odds with the world, yet moving the world at its own whim. So maybe my unwillingness to accept this principle is the reason why I didn't think this movie was amazing.
- Raising Arizona
- Leaving Las Vegas
- Red Rock West
- Adaptation
- Birdy
- Wild at Heart
- Dog Eat Dog
- Color Out of Space
- Mom and Dad
- Peggy Sue Got Married
- City of Angels
- Bangkok Dangerous
- Drive Angry
- Lord of War
- Gone in 60 Seconds
- Matchstick Men
- Vampire's Kiss
- Con Air
- Face/Off
- Honeymoon in Vegas
- Amos and Andrew
- Moonstruck
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Bringing Out the Dead
- The Family Man
- It Could Happen to You
- 8mm
- Ghost Rider
- The Humanity Bureau
- Next
- The Weather Man
- 211
- The Croods
The Fires of Winter by Johanna Lindsey
Do you remember the 90s, when images of Fabio Lanzoni graced the walls of every Walden Books store? I do. The original pressing of Fires of Winter didn't have Fabio on the cover, but the repressing did. I like that. For my month of Romance-focused reading, I needed a Fabio book.
Fires of Winter takes place in the 9th century. It tells the story of a Gaelic duchess (or young woman of nobility, are they the same?) named Brenna, who hates doing women's work. Her family gets enslaved by vikings. None of them mind this or even the rapes they endure. None of them mind except for Brenna, who finds that, when first raped, sex isn't as bad as she was taught.
Garrick, our love interest and most present rapist, hates women. He doesn't trust them, and will only deign to use them for sex when he has no choice. So there are a lot of romance novel tropes going on with Fires of Winter. I suppose some tropes are necessary for readers to get a grip on the story, and I think I get it. The spunky woman and her captor are roles in the sexual fantasy of this story. I only wish the story hadn't been otherwise so stupid.
Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel
After a few pages, I thought this would be the equivalent of a Harlequin Romance, only longer. The font seems big, and the spaces between the lines are huge, like in an abridged classic from the (not to be named) dollar store.
My mom reads Danielle Steel, or she used to. And I didn't expect Steel's 100th novel to be so heavy. It's about a hugely successful photographer named Hope, with a tragic past and a lot of money. She meets the perfect guy who turns out to be less than great. Many times I had to put this book down, because it conjured so many dark feelings, wondering about my past relationships. I wasn't all that bad. Still, I really cared about sweet little Hope.
Now I'm left wondering about Steel's other novels. She's written over a hundred, and I do plan on reading a hundred books this year. Maybe my mom can steer me in the right direction.
Angels Fall by Nora Roberts
I found this book at a Goodwill store, very well-loved. For those of you don't know, Noraa Roberts is a big shot in the world of popular fiction. It says so all over the spine, cover, and afterward. From the back cover Nora sneers at us condescendingly in her pearls and power suit. How often should a novelist need to wear a suit, anyway? Does she know that she has more books at Goodwill than every author ever?
In Angel's Fall our protagonist is from Boston, and her love interest is from Chicago. Visualizing the scenes, I failed to give these characters accents. I don't know about you, but books are often more fun for me when I can get a vivid picture of the characters.
That being said, Angel's Fall was an entertaining page turner, and I think it could make a good movie, if you like mystery and romance. It takes place in the mountains of Wyoming, where a runaway chef finds herself working at a little diner, and witnesses a murder. This won't be my last Nora Roberts novel, since her book Year One is on my Goodreads 'want-to-read' list, and it's not like I don't want to read it. Also, I'm very intrigued by the works advertised on the back pages of Angel's Fall. How is she the most successful author of her generation? What can I do to catch 1% of that success?
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Once I read a different retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I'd found it at the Sertoma Thrift Store in Saint Augustine, 2008. In this other retelling, our protagonist had sex with the beast, who was very dog like and smoked cigarettes. Someday, I'll find it and read it again. Beastly was probably a waste of time, but that's how it goes sometimes when you're trying to read a hundred books in a year.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
James writes her story in present tense as an excuse to use passive voice 100% of the time. Perhaps this was a device to highlight the expected submissiveness of our narrator Ana. I don't know if it bears thinking about. I hope the movie's better than the book, but I doubt it will be unless its x-rated.
Virtual Mode by Piers Anthony
I started with the audio book, but the audio book went bad. That's what I get for using Soulseek, you might say. Anyway, the hook for Virtual Mode was so good I had to finish it, for better or for worse.
It starts out as the story of a suicidal teenager Colene, who finds a man (Darius) from another dimension, passed out in the ditch by her house. Darius is from another dimension, out of infinite dimensions (called Modes). Darius is the Cyng of Hlahtar (all the names are ridiculous) and came to Colene's Mode to find a wife; one he can keep instead of divorcing once he depleted her joy. People in Hlahtar can't produce their own joy, so the Cyng has to do it for them.
In Colene's Mode people can produce their own joy, which is great for Darius. Or is it? I don't want to spoil too much for you, but Darius and Colene go to a bunch of different Modes. Don't let the beginning give you an idea of what this story will be like. Virtual Mode changes trajectory several times and ends eventually. It's part of a series, so it doesn't really end, and I'm gonna take my time before reading the other four books in this series.
I Could Happen to You (feat. Nicolas Cage)
Picture it, Queens New York 1994, there's a good cop named Charlie; a self-sacrificing hero, married to a greedy woman named Muriel. Charlie befriends a waitress who can't afford a divorce and has filed for bankruptcy, thanks to her sleezy husband. Every day Charlie buys a lottery ticket for his wife. I bet you can guess the rest. No stress.
I could have seen myself renting this movie at the Family Video by my grandparents' house, and proceeding to watch it a few times every summer. It wasn't that good, but it was not-bad enough, and easy enough to understand that I and my grandparents would have liked it.
In fact, the premise and the delivery were so basic for this film, I wonder if it was meant to be made in the 60s, but got caught up for thirty years in the red tape of some giant film factory. The story of Charlie and Waitress is all over the papers. New York is actually a really friendly town. Diners and coffee shops are the same thing, which I think is still a New York thing. Right?
1. Raising Arizona
2. Leaving Las Vegas
3. Adaptation
4. Birdy
5. Wild at Heart
6. Color Out of Space
7. City of Angels
8. Gone in 60 Seconds
9. Matchstick Men
10. Vampire's Kiss
11. Face/Off
12. Honeymoon in Vegas
13. The Family Man
14. It Could Happen to You
15. 8mm
16. The Weather Man
17. The Croods
The Daughter of Hassan by Penny Jordan
I’d never read a ‘sheikh romance’ before but I knew it needed to happen. This one wasn’t recommended or anything. In fact, I just picked it up at a thrift store. By its worn spine, I could tell it had been read a couple times and must be good. The Daughter of Hassan is the love story of little English Danielle and half-middle eastern, half-French Jourdan. He says French things and Penny Jordan often refers to his chest hair as ‘crisp’.Jourdan's not really a good dude at all, despite his inherent sexiness, among other romantic qualities. Danielle might enjoy abandoning everything in her life to live as the wife of a sheikh with unlimited wealth. Why not? Love is powerful.
Honeymoon in Vegas (feat. Nicolas Cage)
In this 1992 film, Nicolas Cage starts to get really Cagey. He plays a private detective named Jack Singer who, on his mother's death bed, swears never to get married or to love anyone as much as he loves her. Eventually he does agree to get married in Vegas, to his girlfriend Betsy (played by Sarah Jessica Parker). All sorts of strange things can go wrong in Vegas, especially with Jack, who has a personal interest in poker.I think gambling makes a great story device. It keeps us on the edge and gives us a clear view of stakes and odds. It's cool that this film gives us a view of Las Vegas during the daytime, outside of the packed strip. Sarah Jessica Park made a very loveable girl-next-door. In fact, I wish she'd had more roles like this. James Caan (the dad character in Elf with Will Farrell) plays a great antagonist, one you can sympathize with. Honeymoon in Vegas had all of the makings of a truly great film.
However... it failed me in a lot of ways. Jack does go on a crazy adventure with its pitfalls and glimmers of hope. There are a lot of Elvis Presley impersonators, which is fine. I guess they are a very important part of Las Vegas culture? I don't know. While it's cool to see children and black men impersonating The King. IMH, if you don't think Elvis impersonators are the funniest thing in the world, then you will not think this movie is funny.
James Caan's character is a professional gambler, but I don't think his negative traits stick well. He may be a little scummy, but why? What caused it? He's a family man and his family loves him. What is it that causes him to be so severely scummy for no reason aside from greed and lust? Is that just the Vegas Effect? Cage's character is a private eye but his investigative skills have no impact on the adventure. Shouldn't they?
While Honeymoon in Vegas had all the makings of a truly great film, I think it really failed to deliver. For huge fans, there's a Broadway musical based on the film, also called Honeymoon in Vegas. Tony Danza plays the bad guy. With great luck, I'll see it someday and write a comparison.
1. Raising Arizona
2. City of Angels
3. Gone in Sixty Seconds
4. Matchstick Men
5. Honeymoon in Vegas
6. The Family Man
7. The Weather Man
8. The Croods
Raising Arizona (feat. Nicolas Cage)
There is a certain brand of humor, most prominent in 80s adventure games, which parodies the human condition, highlighting the absurd within the mundane. It is with this sense of humor and a stark infatuation with Americana, that the Coen brothers bring us Raising Arizona (featuring Nicolas Cage).
Cage plays a recidivist named H.I. (Hi for short, Herbet for long), who falls in love with his booking officer Edwina (Ed for short), played by Holly Hunter. While Cage’s acting is a somewhat flat departure from his usual mind-bending performances, Hunter really shines in this film. She even has a musical number, beautifully performed like the mom you wish you had.
Let’s face it. The Coen brothers are just great at making movies. They pay attention to the details we don’t immediately come to care about, like the couch in H.I. and Edwina’s apartment. And haven’t you always wanted to hear a story about guys who actually did manage to tunnel themselves out of jail? The violent parts of the film are both bad ass and funny. Aside from the goofy nature of the film, I felt moments of severe tension and tender warmth. It really makes you miss the salad days.
Dude.Cool.25 told me I would be hard pressed to find a Cage film better than City of Angels and worse than The Croods. So I suggest we watch Raising Arizona, which turned out to be very much my thing.
Let’s see those numbers:
1. Raising Arizona
2. City of Angels
3. Matchstick Men
4. The Family Man
5. The Croods
The Family Man (feat. Nicolas Cage)
As a young man, Jack Campbell parts ways with the love of his life to pursue an internship. Later on, Jack is a rich executive at a big holding company on wall street. He makes everyone work on Christmas, but that’s okay. Work is important and at least he gets to have eggnog. So he goes to a jiffy store to buy said eggnog and prevents a robbery. The robber gives Jack a glimpse at the life he never had.
Jack wakes up in New Jersey with the love of his life, and two kids. He’s freaked out because he has to get to work and he’s mad that his Ferrari isn’t out front. Instead, he owns a fairly new Dodge Caravan. Not so bad, but I get it. It’s about the money. Living the life he never wanted, Jack Campbell proves himself to be more of a Jack Ass. Somehow, Jack comes around and learns to prefer the more meaningful life of a family man.
The Family Man is a mind bender and a heart warmer, exactly what you want in a Nicolas Cage film. Cage also has a musical number, which is reason alone to tune in. Aside from the greatness of Cage, I think The Family Man is a bit of a turd. Jack’s never-existent daughter believes him to be an alien impostor. To me, Jack’s life-that-never-was is formed by a Jack that still never would have been.
Let's rank some Nick Cage films:
1. City of Angels
2. Matchstick men
3. The Family Man
4. The Croods
City of Angels (feat. Nicolas Cage)
In
Los Angeles there are a lot of Angels. Mostly they haunt the
library and creepily look at people. Sometimes they are angels of
death. Angel Seth Plate (played by Cage) develops a fondness for a
doctor named Maggy (played by Meg Ryan).
Most of the movie feels like a Meg Ryan film. That's all right. I'd put all of her movies in the top 50% of all films but non are in the top 10%, judging from what I've seen. I haven't actually seen most films. Either way, I like a good romantic comedy.
City of Angels really amps up the drama. So it's half super natural drama and half romantic comedy. There's even a little blood, so it's got something for everyone. The soundtrack is really good. This is the film that brought the Goo Goo Dolls into the mainstream, with Iris. The ambient musak is all good. There's even a somber jam from the great Peter Gabriel.
This is the 3rd Nicolas Cage film I've seen this year. This is how they rank:
1. City of Angels
2. Matchstick Men
3. The Croods
This is the 2nd film I've seen this year about Angles in Los Angeles. This is how they rank:
1. Angels in the Outfield
2. City of Angels
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