Imagine Me & You (UK, 2005)

I am gobsmacked I liked this film. It was sold as a romcom, a genre I usually dislike but this is much more romance than comedy, and featured upper middle class… …people. However… the generic spin of making the lovers – who are apart at the start – lesbian and the charisma of Lena Headey [...]

The English Patient (US, 1996)

I’ve not read the novel so can’t comment upon the efficacy of this adaptation but it seems flawed. As in my post on Tamara Drewe, I had to (try to) suspend any class prejudice when dealing with characters who are posh but I think I was genuinely unconvinced by elements of the relationships between the [...]

Before Sunset (US, 2004)

This sequel to 1995′s Before Sunrise throws the protagonists back together for the first time since their liaison in Vienna 10 year’s before. What happens after a romantic ‘one night stand’ which was truly romantic? The answer to the question plays out over this film’s 70-odd minutes with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, both credited [...]

House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu, China, 2004)

One of the most sumptuously shot films in cinema, House of Flying Daggers wears its heart on the screen mixing outrageous action sequences with high octane romance. I saw the film when it was released and thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography and action sequences though failed to appreciate the romance. I certainly noticed the romantic narrative [...]