Movie Review: The Notebook (2004)

Movie Review: The Notebook (2004)

IMDB Rating : 8.0/10

Plot:

The Notebook is based on one of the most beautiful romantic story ever told. A novel by the the legendary Nicholas Sparks. The movie first takes you to a nursing home where an elderly man opens an old Notebook and reads out romantic tale to her fellow patient, an old woman. The story is about a local country boy who falls in love with a heiress one summer but they are soon separated by the girl’s parents as they thought of the boy as trash.

The Girl, Allie, then moves back to his house away from Noah leaving only the memories and promises of teenage love behind.

Noah enlists for the army to fight in World War II where Allie becomes a volunteer nurse in a hospital for wounded soldiers, where she meets an officer named Lon Hammond, Jr. a young lawyer who is handsome, sophisticated, charming and comes from old Southern money. The two eventually become engaged, to the delight of Allie's parents, but Allie sees Noah's face when Lon asks her to marry him.

When Noah returns home from the war, he discovers his father has sold their home so that Noah can buy the abandoned house, fulfilling his lifelong dream to buy it for the departed Allie, whom by now he hasn't seen for several years. While visiting Charleston, Noah witnesses Allie and Lon kissing at a restaurant; he convinces himself that if he restores the house, Allie will come back to him. Later, Allie is startled to read in the newspaper that Noah has completed the house, and she visits him in Seabrook.

In the present, it is made clear that the elderly woman is in fact Allie, who is suffering from dementia and cannot remember any of the events being read to her. Duke, the man who is reading to her, is her husband, but Allie cannot recognize him.

Back in the forties, Allie returns to Seabrook. She and Noah renew their relationship and make love at Noah's now restored house. In the morning, Allie's mother appears on Noah's doorstep, warning Allie that a jealous Lon has followed her to Seabrook. Allie confesses to Lon that she has been spending time with Noah. He is upset but says that he still loves her. Allie tells him she knows she should be with him, but she remains indecisive.

In the present, Allie becomes briefly lucid and remembers that the story Duke is reading is the story of how they met. Young Allie appears at Noah's doorstep, having left Lon at the hotel. Elderly Allie suddenly remembers her past; after finding out about her illness, she herself wrote their story in the notebook with instructions for Noah to "read this to me, and I'll come back to you". But Allie soon relapses, losing her memories of Noah. She panics, not understanding who he is, and has to be sedated. That same night Noah is hospitalized with what seems to be another heart attack.

When released from the hospital, Elderly Noah ("Duke") goes to Allie's room to find her lucid again. Allie questions Noah about what will happen to them when she loses her memory completely, and he reassures her that he will never leave her. She asks him if he thinks their love for each other is strong enough to "take them away together"; he replies that he thinks their love could do anything. After telling each other that they love one another, they both go to sleep in Allie's bed. The next morning, a nurse finds they have died in each other's arms.

Review:

This movie is undoubtedly one of the most heart touching lovestory till date. The beauty lies in the story where two soulmates are separated for no other reason than society barriers. But love finds its way.

If you ever want to see a flawless example of a movie which is redeemed from mediocrity solely through the cast, there is hardly a better one than this.

Noah and Allie being the most awesome couple and Nick Cassavetes being the greatest director created something worth watching with your partner but be sure to stack a pile of tissue papers.

This movie has set a trend of Notebooking people as an alternative of emotional blackmail.

But still the ratio of enjoying a heavy movie like this one depends deeply on viewer’s mood. If you’re not in for teary climax, this one isn’t for you.

The Notebook has moments which makes it memorable and the magic doesn’t die even after watching it again and again.

A potently rich story about the power of love, The Notebook is heartbreakingly beautiful and achingly real.

Notebook is not about How you get your Love, its all about How You Keep It.

From performances to music to dressing each and every detail is perfect. Well for me it is.

So without further ado I would rate this one of my favorite:

****1/2

Reviewed By : Adina Farid

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Movie Review: Upside Down

Movie Review: Upside Down

Plot:

French-Canadian romantic science fiction film written and directed by Juan Diego Solanas, starring Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst.

To watch this film, these things must be understood :

Hero Adam lives in a two-planet home world, unique from other planets or planetary systems as it is the only one that has "dual gravity". This phenomenon of dual gravity allows the two planets to orbit each other in what would otherwise be impossibly close proximity. There are three immutable laws of gravity for this two-planet system:

1. All matter is pulled by the gravity of the world that it comes from, and not the other.

2. An object's weight can be offset using matter from the opposite world (inverse matter).

3. After a few hours of contact, matter in contact with inverse matter burns.

The societies of the two worlds are segregated by law. While the upper world (Up Above) is rich and prosperous, the lower (Down Below) is poor. Up Above buys cheap oil from Down Below and sells electricity back to Down Below at higher prices. A person from Down Below going Up Above (or having contact with anyone from Up Above) is strictly forbidden and can be punishable by incarceration or death. People from Up Above regularly visit Down Below to experience novelties like dancing on ceilings. The only physical connection linking the two worlds is the headquarters of the "TransWorld" company.

This movie is a lovestory with gravitational twist. Adam lives in the Down Below which is relatively poor and fells in love with Eden from the Up Above.

They meet on the mountains and Adam uses a rope to pull Eden towards Down, and they head to the woods for a stroll. They are later discovered, and while Adam frantically releases Eden back to her world, he catches a bullet in his arm and drops her. Helpless, he watches Eden lying motionless on the ground as blood oozes from her head. When he returns home, his aunt Becky is arrested and her home is put to the torch.

After ten years we see Adam working on a beauty cream when he sees Eden on a television show whom he assumed dead for so long. After watching her alive and working in transworld he makes an attempt to go Up Above by getting a job in Trans World.

With the help of Bob, Adam meets Eden by putting Up-material in his clothes to disguise himself as a worker from Up, using Bob's name as his own. But Eden doesn't recognize him because of amnesia from the accident as a teen. The Up-material in Adam's clothes starts to burn so he has to return to Down. Later on, Bob is fired but as he leaves, he secretly gives Adam his ID to help him exit the TransWorld building and into Up. Later, by calling Eden through Bob's phone, Adam manages to get a date.

Meanwhile, his cosmetic cream becomes of great importance to the company. While Adam is doing a presentation of the cream, Eden enters the lecture hall and discovers his true identity. After she flees the auditorium Adam runs to find her but Bob's ID, having been terminated, lands him in trouble. He escapes to Bob's house. He shows him that mixing liquids from both gravity fields can make a hybrid solution that resists both gravitational fields and simply floats between the two. Adam then reveals that he didn't give TransWorld the main secret ingredient of his compound, leaving the company unable to manufacture the product without him.

With Bob's help, he goes back to the restaurant where he met with Eden before and finds out she has begun to recover old memories of him. But the police arrive and he has to run. Upon returning to his planet he goes to the mountain top where he met Eden. Eden comes to find him and they meet again as they did long ago. But police are on their trail and, as they fail to escape, Eden is arrested while Adam falls the remaining distance between worlds. But he survives because of a vest containing inverse matter which he still had strapped to his torso. TransWorld agrees to drop the charges against Eden if Adam gives them his formula and never contacts Eden again.

Now Adam has gone back to his old life, believing he will never see Eden again. But Eden, not so easily dissuaded, goes to Bob for help. Bob finds Adam and surprises him by showing he can stay Down without the help of the opposite-matter accoutrements; Bob has been able to use Adam's methods to create a way to negate the effect of gravity. Bob tells him he had purchased the patent of his beauty cream before TransWorld attempted to do so. He finishes by informing him that Adam also has a "date" with someone.

The film ends with Eden revealing she has become pregnant with twins. Adam tells of their act and how it has changed their societies forever, the two worlds now in permanent physical contact and equalized in wealth and status as well.

Review:

This Lovestory with a gravitational twist is a little hard to digest with all that physics involved. However it’s a creative move and the special effects are outstanding.

Cast is good but performance wise this movie is a let down.

"In spite of its wonderfully unusual premise and talented cast, Upside Down fails to offer much in the way of compelling drama to anchor its admittedly dazzling visuals."

The whole concept of dual gravity is brilliant and so much could be done to enhance its attraction but blending it into a romance that dull was just like wasting the bright idea.

This movie is an eye-candy if regarded to its visuals but story wise it fails every criteria.

Performance Ratings:

Adam:

Jim Sturgess.

What a mess. He looked more like a puppy in need of shelter than a man who owns a formula of a golden fate.

More to your disgrace he wore the Worst Hair-style ever!

**½

Eden:

Kristen Dunst.

Even though she has done well but there is always some unknown nagging thing about her that you never like.

Not at her best here.

***

Bob:

Timothy Spall.

Best as ever.

One can never say negative about his performance.

****

My Rating For This Love Tale Is: 
**1/2

Reviewed By : Adina Farid

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BOOK REVIEW: Let It Snow

BOOK REVIEW: Let It Snow 

by John Green , Maureen Johnson Lauren Myracle

Plot :

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and friendship.

Summary:

The Jubilee Express

This story follows teenager Jubilee Dougal, who has been forced to spend Christmas Eve with her grandparents after her parents are arrested for participating in a riot over a set of miniature decorative houses. While on the train ride to her grandparents' place in Florida, Jubilee meets Jeb, who is trying to contact his girlfriend back home but is unable to find cell phone service. 

She also runs into a group of cheerleaders, whom she attempts to distance herself from due to them annoying her. She grows further annoyed and exacerbated after the train gets stuck in a large snowstorm on Christmas Eve. While trying to call her boyfriend Noah, Jubilee runs into Stuart, a fellow teenager and employee of Target.

 After talking with him for a little while, he invites her to spend Christmas with him and his family. Jubilee agrees and is welcomed into his family's home. Stuart's mother comments that she hadn't seen Stuart this happy since before he discovered his girlfriend was cheating on him. Meanwhile Jubilee continues to tell Stuart about how wonderful Noah is, only to realize that Noah has not contacted her at all that night. She calls Noah up and confronts him.

 When Noah cannot respond to her queries over why he couldn't at least show some concern, she breaks up with him. Stuart comes to comfort Jubilee and the two kiss. Feeling guilty, Jubilee tries to sneak out and is discovered by Stuart, who tells her that everything will be OK and not to let Noah walk all over her. Her phone rings with a phone call from Noah, only for Jubilee to toss the phone into the snow and kisses Stuart, after which the two walk back to his home together.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle

The story  follows a boy Tobin and his friends, the Duke (a tomboy whose real name is Angie), and JP, who are watching movies at Tobin's home while his parents are out of town. They're lured to the local Waffle House by a phone call from their friend Keun, who tells them that a group of cheerleaders has entered the store and are practicing their routines, as well as requesting to play Twister. 

Thinking that traveling to the restaurant with the game would be a waste of time, Duke is initially reluctant to go but is persuaded by Tobin, who tells her that there will be hashbrowns. On the way to the Waffle House the trio's car crashes into a snow bank close to the restaurant, losing one of the tires. They forget the Twister game in the car and must go back for it at one point, but eventually make it to the Waffle House.

 Once inside, they run into the character of Jeb, who is still trying to reach his girlfriend. He asks them if they know anyone by the name of Addie. The three say no, and he asks them that if they see her, to tell her that he was coming and that she would know what he meant. Tobin then attempts and fails to make conversation with one of the cheerleaders. 

While he's returning to his seat, he notices that Duke is sitting outside on the sidewalk, clearly upset and crying. He goes outside to find out what is wrong, only for her to tell him that she's upset that nobody thinks of her as a girl and that she was jealous that he'd flirted with the cheerleader despite her feelings for him. Tobin tells her that he had been unaware of her feelings, but that he had also had a crush on her all along. The two then kiss.

The Patron Saint of Pigs

The third story follows a girl named Addie, who is depressed because she broke up with her boyfriend Jeb. The backstory of her relationship with Jeb is told, about how the two had instantly fallen for each other, but that Addie had kept trying to change Jeb. This resulted in Jeb feeling inferior and the two fighting. After one fight Addie had gotten drunk and made out with someone else, telling Jeb it was over. Upset, Jeb had taken a train to meet his family on an Indian reservation, unaware that Addie has sent him an email apologizing and hoping to work things out.

 When he didn't call or respond, Addie assumed that the relationship was over and cut her hair short and dyed it pink as a way to show that she wanted a change. She calls her friends over to talk, only for them to tell her that she can be self-absorbed and doesn't think of others. Disagreeing, she states that in the morning she will purchase a teacup pig as a gift for her friend Tegan while she is on break from work at Starbucks. The next morning at work Addie ends up getting caught in conversation with a woman who claims to be a "Christmas Angel" and says that people forget to do things for others when they get wrapped up in themselves. This causes her to forget to pick up the pig, who has been adopted by someone else. Upset, Addie manages to get the address of the woman who adopted the pig, who ends up being the woman she spoke to earlier. 

The woman informs Addie that she took the pig to teach her a lesson and gives Addie the pig. Addie then returns to work, where she sees Stuart and Jubilee and Tobin and Angie, the couples from the two previous stories. Tobin sees her name tag, which prompts him to tell her that he had met Jeb and that he had a message from her. After hearing the message Addie's spirits lift and suddenly Jeb walks into the store, having arrived shortly after the others. The two embrace, and then Jeb tells her about the train ride and his attempts to call her. As he tells her about various things he saw on the way, Tobin and Duke are drawn into the conversation as they recount that they had gone to see them at the Waffle House. Jubilee then realizes how everyone's lives have been brought together and how it had all changed for the better.

Review:

This is the perfect book to curl up with when it’s cold and snowing outside. It is one of those reads that just makes you want to snuggle up on your couch, a hot cocoa or tea in hand and enjoy the winterly atmosphere. In fact, the only thing missing for my perfect reading experience was the fireplace and snow.

I don’t want to give too much away about the stories themselves because I think it is best to go into this book unprepared and let yourself be surprised. I liked all three stories, but The Jubilee Express and A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle were slightly better than the last one, The Patron Saint of Pigs.

 The first one was the funniest. And all the stories were linked together like those movies, ‘Valentine Day’, ‘New Year’s Eve’ and ‘Love Actually’.

All in all, this short story collection is perfect for you if you are looking for a light and fun Christmas/winter read.

 The stories are sometimes hilarious, sometimes sweet, slightly crazy, full of lovable characters , provide you with a nice Christmas/winter feeling, make you laugh out loud and are just great to get lost in. I'm positive I'll pick this book up again some coming winter.

My rating for this light and funny book is : 

***1/2

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! 

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Movie Review: A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember

Cast :

Shane West as Landon Rollins Carter

Mandy Moore as Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan-Carter

Peter Coyote as Reverend Hegbert Sullivan

Daryl Hannah as Cynthia Carter

Lauren German as Belinda

Clayne Crawford as Dean

Al Thompson as Eric

Paz De La Huerta as Tracy

David Lee Smith as Dr. Carter

Jonathan Parks Jordan as Walker

Matt Lutz as Clay Gephardt

Plot:

“You have to promise you won't fall in love with me.” 

One of the most touching romantic movie ever, ‘A walk to remember’ is a tale of teenage love and promises which makes you believe that miracles do happen. It released and spreaded love in year 2002.

Adaptation of Nicholas Spark’s out of this world novel this movie conveys a story of young and popular Landon Carter who never thought of falling in love with an introvert and Reverend Sullivan’s daughter Jamie Sullivan. After playing a dangerous prank on his classmate, Landon is forced to spend time in various after-school activities, such as tutoring disadvantaged children and performing in the drama club's spring musical. 

For the first time in her life Jamie approaches Landon and asks for his help for charity work while they are acting together in a school play.

Landon being the most popular boy in the bunch tries to avoid her company and makes fun of her by adding sarcastic comments. In answer to that Jamie refuses to help her with script and somehow he manages to learn it on his own.

During the play, Jamie astounds Landon and the entire audience with her beauty and voice. Landon kisses Jamie during the play, which was not in the script, and Landon tries to get close to Jamie, but she repeatedly rejects him. Soon thereafter, however, Landon's friends publicly humiliate Jamie by altering a photograph of her and placing her head on the body of a scantily clad woman. Landon angrily confronts his former friend, punching him and publicly siding with Jamie. Afterwards, Landon and Jamie begin a relationship in which Landon dedicates most of his time to her. He discovers that she has a wish list, and sets out to make all her ambitions come true, such as taking her to a state border so that she can stand on either side of the line and, thus, be in two places at once. 

She warns Landon not to fall in love with her and finally tells him about her serious medical condition that she is suffering from terminal Leukemia and has no hope.

Her disease gets worse by the time and she collapses in her father’s arm and is taken to hospital where Landon learns that his father is going to pay for her medical attention which will be given to her at her own home. He goes to his father and breaks down in tears and makes up with him after a very long time.

Jamie believes that Landon is an angel from Heaven sent down for her relief and thanks God in every condition. Landon however is sad and angry with God for taking away the only precious gift of his life, his Love. He goes on fulfilling Jamie’s wishlist.

In the end he asks Reverend Sullivan to marry his daughter and he agrees. They are married in the same chapel as Jamie’s parents where she makes a ‘walk to remember’ by walking down the aisle in a poor health but living the most precious moment of her short termed life.

After Jamie’s death Landon spends his life just like Jamie wanted to. In the end when he says that Jamie never got his miracle, Reverend Sullivan tells him that he is her miracle.

“she did get her miracle, Landon.

Her miracle was you.” 

Review:

This is a kind of movie you can never express in a negative way. It won’t only leave you tearful but also longing to see more of this charming couple.Another best feature of this movie is its sound. Mandy Moore has captivated many souls by singing ‘Only Hope’ the way only a true believer can.Although it’s an old flick but the magic can never fade. It leaves you awestruck just Landon when he sees Jamie in school play costume blooming like a rose.

Last but never the least is the ‘Walk’. You can actually feel that burden of Jamie’s ill being on your heart as she takes step towards Landon and clutches your heart with a never ending feeling of true and unconditional love.

Just like me anyone who sees the movie will thank the person who recommended it.

But before you see it, prepare your hearts for a romance-full heart attack!!

“It was, I remembered thinking, the most difficult walk anyone ever had to make. 

In every way, a walk to remember.” 

Performance Ratings:

Mandy Moore (Jamie Sullivan) :

Kind, wonderful, beautiful and gentle. For once you believe the girl on your screen is the real Jamie Sullivan and she is actually going to die!

Hats-off!

As for the songs; Mandy sang magic.

****½

Shane West (Landon Carter) :

Shane West has done a commendable job with Landon’s character summoning the ‘bad-boy-falling-in-love’ attitude!

****

Now as for the Overall rating:

****½

Reviewed by : Adina Farid

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