Movies Archives : All About Romance

What to watch after The Lost City?

By Dabney Grinnan|2022-07-11T12:13:44-04:00July 11th, 2022|Categories: Movies|Tags: Movies, romantic adventure films, romantic comedies|

Dr. Feelgood and I (finally) watched The Lost City (6.1 rating at IMDB) and enjoyed it. I, of course, beamed through all the love for romance novels. If you’ve not seen it, Sandra Bullock stars as Loretta Sage, a romance novelist who has lost her mojo–she’s the author of a wildly popular series featuring an adventurous female archeologist, Dr. Lovemore, and her studly perfect lover, Dash. Channing Tatum plays the cover model for Dash–whose real name is Allan–and the two of them, in real life, get embroiled in a wild, adventure. The movie steals from–with respect–Romancing the Stone (6.9 at IMDB), Raiders of the Lost Ark (8.4 at IMDB) , Mr. and Mrs. Smith (6.5 at IMDB), and makes great use of the tropes romance readers love.

Unlike most pop culture which, historically, has belittled romance, The Lost City makes it clear that romance novels are THE BOMB. Channing Tatum is actually moving as he talks about how he […]

The Hating Game (movie) is… just fine.

By Dabney Grinnan|2021-12-11T15:29:59-05:00December 11th, 2021|Categories: Movies|Tags: Movies, the hating game|

This review contains spoilers for the book and the movie.

Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game is justly beloved. As Em wrote in her review, the novel is quirky, funny, romantic, delightful, and most of all, charming. It’s also sexy as hell. Romancelandia was pumped when Thorne’s book was optioned in 2017 and we’ve waited ever since to see Lucy and Josh on the big screen. Yesterday, they arrived–the movie landed in theaters and may also be streamed.

I’ll admit, I’ve been nervous about this adaptation–favorite books so rarely make favorite movies. I watched it with Dr. Feelgood, curious to see what he’d think about it–he loved it, sap that he is. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I enjoyed it and suspect many of you will too.

Let me start by talking about what works.

I give high marks for the casting–Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell not only give lovely life to Thorne’s […]

Best looking on screen couple of all time?

By Dabney Grinnan|2021-10-04T08:17:07-04:00October 4th, 2021|Categories: Movies|Tags: Movies|

A friend came over this weekend and said he and his 22 year old daughter had been discussing this for fun and, no shock, had completely different answers to the question: Who is the most attractive on-screen couple of all time?

His daughter felt it was impossible to beat Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. […]

Bite Me: A Love Story for Our Time by Naomi McDougall Jones

By Guest Reviewer|2019-07-05T14:14:16-04:00July 5th, 2019|Categories: Movies|Tags: Bite Me, Movies, vampires|

I love a good romance story. In fact, there is almost no feeling that I love more than that heart-stretching, swelly feeling when the two lovers have left each other but might get back together but you’re not quite sure they actually will get back together and, oh my goodness, what if they don’t, but they have to, right, because it’s a romance, right?! – feeling. […]

Summer Lovin’ Movie Recs Vol 2

By Jenna Harper|2018-07-24T18:51:21-04:00July 25th, 2018|Categories: AAR Jenna, Movies|Tags: Movies, summer movies|

Back at the end of June, Dabney made some fantastic summer movie suggestions that went straight on my must-watch list. And of course those ideas got me to thinking about some under-the-radar picks that I’ve enjoyed while staying out of the heat. Most of these have been out for a few years, but they still work great if you’re looking for the on-screen equivalent of the light and fluffy rom-com beach read.

Two Night Stand – Starring nerd-cute Miles Teller and the absolutely adorable Analeigh Tipton, Two Night Stand is the perfect antidote for 90+ temperatures and sky-high humidity. Twenty-something Megan has hit relationship rock bottom. When her roommate suggests that it’s time to shake things up by having a no-strings attached hook-up with Alec, a random guy she picked from a dating website, Megan figures she’s got nothing to lose. But their one-night stand turns into a multi-day ordeal as Megan and Alec are literally snowed into […]

AAR at the Movies: Catching Fire

By Enya Young|2017-06-23T08:30:34-04:00November 26th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Jean AAR, Movies|Tags: Catching Fire, Hunger Games, Movies|

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAzGXqJSDJ8

Friday night, my friend and I went to see the second instalment of Suzanne Collins’s massive smash hit trilogy, adapted for the screens. I wasn’t going to see it, honestly. I’d seen the first one, and there was something about seeing the physical and psychosocial trauma that hit me viscerally in a way that the books couldn’t translate. Yes, I knew it was fiction, and yes, I knew what happened anyway. But I found the experience quite frightening, to be honest.

But then the reviews for Catching Fire came out (mainly glowing, in a nutshell), and my curiosity got the better of me. I also had a free movie voucher, and I thought, well, I could save it for The Devastation of Smaug’s Cumberbatched Voice (aka The Hobbit part 2), or I could suck it up, be my age, and see Lenny Kravitz, Jena Malone and Stanley Tucci do their thing. And you know what? I’m […]

AAR Goes to the Movies: Lincoln

By Rike Horstmann|2017-06-23T08:30:48-04:00April 2nd, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Movies, Rike Horstmann|Tags: Movies, Rike|

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAItg1zzhrUBecause Lincoln got rather mixed reviews in German papers and magazines, I didn’t go to watch the movie when it was first on here last autumn. After Daniel Day-Lewis had won the Oscar for best actor in February, it was put on at the local cinema again, and I went and watched it. And boy am I glad I didn’t miss it! […]

AAR Goes to the Movies: Howl's Moving Castle

By Rike Horstmann|2017-06-23T08:30:48-04:00March 28th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Movies, Rike Horstmann|Tags: Movies, Rike|

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UibodUGoL4MHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is among my top 10 favorite books, and may be the one I have reread most often over the years. It received the only A+ review I have written for AAR so far. Which is why I was both excited and worried to hear some years back that it was being made into an animated film by Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. […]

AAR Goes to the Movies: The Master

By Rike Horstmann|2017-06-23T08:30:49-04:00March 5th, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, Movies, Rike Horstmann|Tags: Movies, Rike|

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xENEchTFk-EI wasn’t really too keen to watch The Master, but my husband persuaded me to come along as he’s a huge fan of P. T. Anderson, the film’s director. Well, it proved one of those films I was glad I’d seen, but which I probably won’t want to see again. […]

Oscar Preparations

By LinnieGayl Kimmel|2017-06-23T08:30:49-04:00February 23rd, 2013|Categories: AAR afterhours blog, LinnieGayl Kimmel, Movies|Tags: Academy Awards, LinnieGayl, Movies, Oscars|

For a number of personal reasons I lost my love of the movies for a few years. Except for the Harry Potter flicks I didn’t even venture into a theater, and rarely watched a movie on my TV. For a lifelong movie lover this was pretty drastic.

But a few years ago my love of movies came back in a major way. Sure, I can still go for months — particularly the summer months — without watching a movie in a theater. But I’ll still watch a lot of older movies on my TV. But then November rolls around and the “good” movie season begins for me. Finally, we’re through with all the silly summer flicks and the “grown-up”/Oscar contender movies seem to hit town.

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