Sliding Doors (1998)

 Pros: You can almost believe that Gwenyth Paltrow is British in real life as she plays a Brit for the second time in a row (or first if this film was released before Shakespeare in Love). We get two different glimpses of her life, one where she manages to catch the Tube and the other where she misses it, and the two alternative lifestyles couldn't be any more different.

Cons: Both men in Helen's (Paltrow's) life are trash. I mean, I do say that a lot, but in this case it is the truth. Gerry (John Lynch) is cheating on her with his ex, Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and she does catch him (eventually) and then the man she ends up, James (John Hannah) seems great, but in reality, he's only separated from his wife and doesn't tell Helen about it. And in both scenarios, Helen suffers a medical situation, miscarriages and tragically in the one scenario, she dies. It's such an awful twist. 

Recommend: Probably not

Grade: B-

Side Notes:

-I do think it's hilarious that Gerry thought he could away with having an affair and Helen wouldn't figure it out.

-Is it better to have experienced happiness and die happy or have to overcome a tragedy just to get to your happy ending?

-Anna (Zara Turner) is the best friend anyone could have ever hoped for.

-When Helen is in the hospital, however, Anna and her family members are nowhere to be found. 

-I do hope Helen gets her happy ending. She certainly deserves it. 

Rocky (1976)

 Pros: While billed as a sports film, it is actually a character study. Lunky Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) might have a rough exterior but is a big softy inside, talks to his goldfish after beating someone up in the ring. He also loves pet shop owner Adrian (Talia Shire) despite the objection of her brother, Paul (Burt Young). While the plot is relatively trite, the acting is solid along with the authentic feel of the film. 

Cons: This is not a sports film. There are only a few training scenes and just two boxing matches in the entire film and Rocky wins his first match, somehow. You don't know how he stops working for the mob and he takes Mickey (Burgess Meredith) back after Mickey kicks him out of the gym. And you don't really know who wins the last, pinnacle boxing match as neither ends up on the ground for the allotted seconds. And it's a shame that this film won the Oscar for Best Picture over All the President's Men, Taxi Driver and Network. All three were far superior than this one.

Recommend: No

Grade: C+

Side Notes:

-Though this film features a prominate black character in Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), he is one-dimensional character, which is such a shame.

-It is endearing at how the whole city wraps themselves around Rocky and supports him.

-We get precious little about Rocky's background and family history. 

-Adrian and Rocky are both animal lovers which is also lovely to see. 

The Bronze (2015)

 Pros: Melissa Rauch shines as the foul-mouthed former gymnast, Hope Ann Greggory. She managed to win an Olympic bronze in the all-around before a career ending injury ruins her career. She's forced to coach up and coming star, Maggie Townsend (Haley Lu Richardson, great) and while she tries to sabotage Maggie at first, she eventually truly helps Maggie even though her methods are a bit odd and unorthodox, but she gets results. While the plot might be tired and true, the acting is great and some of the characters are certainly unique, which keeps this film entertaining.

Cons: The ending where Maggie leaves to train in California with the horrid Lance Tucker (Sebastian Stan) and just forgets her hometown of Amherst, Ohio, is a little odd, especially since she turned him down earlier in the film; that was a bit out of left field for me and ruined an otherwise solid screenplay.

Recommend: Probably, though it is incredibly crass at times

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-The supporting cast is solid and includes Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch and Cecily Strong. 

-Hope Ann is a hometown hero and milks that for all its worth.

-I suspected that the suicide note was a fraud and it was. However, Stan (Cole) should have suspected Hope Ann would have found out the truth.

-It's a miracle Maggie didn't fail that drug test with all that pot in her system.

Blue Valentine (2010)

 Pros: Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling disappear into their deeply flawed characters Cindy and Dean respectively. These are real people with typical, grungy jobs. She's an ultrasound technician; he's currently a house painter though his real passion is caring for Cindy and their young daughter, Frankie. The feel of the film is also completely authentic and ever so rare in Hollywood these days.

Cons: So, while I love a love story, this is also the story of how they fall apart. I'd divorce my husband if he shows up at my office, drunk. However, my main issue is Cindy's previous love life. She breaks up with Bobby (Mike Vogel) or at least gives him the cold shoulder before she hooks up with Dean so I don't understand why Bobby is such an asshole and beats up Dean. It is no longer his concern as to who Cindy dates. Maybe I'm missing something, but that whole thing just seemed odd to me. There were definitely some plot holes that needed to be addressed.

Recommend: Maybe, depends on the person

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-The doctor Cindy works for Dr. Feinberg (Ben Shenkman) recommends her for a new, better job and one of his reasons is that he, too, has a crush on her.

-Cindy's father (John Doman) is a wretched human being, calling his wife's dinner slop. I would never trust him with a small child.

-Frankie may or may not be Dean's biological child.

-I find it hard to believe that Cindy started having sex at thirteen and had more than twenty sexual partners before Dean. 

-Smoking is disgusting. I would never date, much less marry a smoker.  

Love Again (2023)

 Pros: The characters are solid, which makes this film almost worthwhile. Mira (Piranyka Chopra Jonas) is still mourning her late boyfriend when she starts texting his phone which are now routed to Rob's (Sam Heughan's) phone. Rob is dealing with his own issues, his fiance's dumped him and he has to write an article on Celine Dion and he doesn't know where to begin. The supporting characters are also solid and the two leads are great with excellent chemistry.

Cons: The plot is thin and the dialogue is incredibly stilted at times and the ending scene which epically romantic needed some additional dialogue to assure Rob that he was her future. And guys on Bumble are not that attractive, I would know.

Recommend: Depends

Grade: B-

Side Notes:

-It is incredible that all scenes featuring Celine Dion were filmed separately, meaning that she was somewhere else filming her scenes while everyone was else was on the set, though if you look closely enough, you really can tell. 

-The supporting cast includes Brits Russell Tovey and Celia Imrie portraying Americans, while Heughan remains British. Celine Dion portrays herself.

-Heughan's character's name of Robert Burns is not by accident.

-Though Mira's sister, Suzy (Sofia Barclay) has a boyfriend who is never shown on screen.

-Who knows if Mira finishes her new assignment for Celine.

-How long was Rob's deadline for writing that article on Celine?

-Nick Jonas (Priyanka's real life husband) plays one of her dates and he's a complete jerk. 

-They kill off Mira's boyfriend by having a car hit him as he was crossing the street which annoyed me as the same thing was done in Me Before You, they could have killed him off differently. 

-I wish this film included some sort of epilogue as I needed a firmer happy ending. 

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)

 Pros: Brilliant acting (even from Jim Carrey) makes this film worth while. The plot line is also relatively solid. Clementine (Kate Winslet) and Joel (Carrey) break up and desperate to move on, Clem has Joel erased from her memory, leading Joel to do the same thing, only his brain tries to fight the procedure. So, ultimately, the beginning is also the ending.

Cons: The odd subplot between Howard (Tom Wilkinson) who invites the mind-erasing procedure and his secretary, Mary (Kirsten Dunst) is just plain-old weird, sure, it's the age gap but the hypocrisy that he insisted she had the procedure done so his marriage wouldn't be ruined, but it proves that love cannot be stopped nor forgotten. 

Recommend: Yes

Grade: B+

Side Notes:

-Winslet is a revelation in this film. You forget that she's British and survived the Titanic sinking and ever wore a corset.

-The supporting cast includes Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood, as the man who tries to replace Joel and cheats to do so.

-The subconscious is a powerful thing.

-The screenplay is truly clever, despite the odd twist toward the end of the film.

-Despite the characters being completely imperfect for each other, they do love each other and make each other better and I'm glad they find their way back together by the end of the film. 

The Last Letter to Your Lover (2021)

 Pros: The acting is solid is this multi-generational love story, with stand-out performances from Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones. Jenny (Woodley) is faced with a heart-wrenching decision and while everything is improbable, you can feel the pain etched across her face. Jones does well with her contemporary romance which is far more comical. 

Cons: Even though I love a love story, I just felt like the characters were somewhat foolish, risking everything and then just giving up a bit too easily. They were so close to having a happy ending but they just fell short. And Ellie's (Jones's) storyline didn't get the screen time it deserved. 

Recommend: Maybe

Grade: B

Side Notes:

-Joe Alwyn is Jenny's controlling, slightly abusive husband. While he's good, I'm sick of him always portraying an asshole. 

-The casting of older Jenny (Diana Kent) and Anthony (Callen Turner, then Ben Cross) is great.

-The costumes are also a stand-out feature.

-As this is probably the only Jojo Moyes book I've never read, I don't know if any important scenes are left out.

-We never really learn what Larry's (Alwyn's) job is and if they ever had any feelings for each other.

-Never trust a cheater.