Movie Review: Safe Haven (2013)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

Director: Lasse Hallström

Starring: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Colbie Smulders and others

Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller

Country: USA

The film is based on Nicholas Sparks’ best selling fiction novel of the same title. I don’t usually go for romantic movies nowadays because it just makes me ‘eeehk’ 🥴 but this was recommended to me by a friend AND the hot + charming Josh Duhamel is one of the lead so why not 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve watched a few Nicholas Sparks movie adaptation and this one passed the vibe. The story was easy to follow and I liked the setting of the film. The locations were peaceful and breezy. It reminded me of summer. I didn’t read the book though so I’m not sure if the story is exactly as it is in the book but I enjoyed watching this for sure; it makes your heart throb— the good and the bad kind. Although, I kind of expected the surprise ending so it didn’t come as a shock to me but nonetheless had my tears falling 🥺

Josh Duhamel did a good job portraying his character Alex, the sweet sensible guy 🤩 so did Julianne Hough as Katie 💗 and let’s not forget Colbie Smulders as Jo 😉

Movie Review: Cinema Paradiso (1988)

"A Timeless Film for People Who Love Cinema"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Cinema Paradiso

1988

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers: Giuseppe Tornatore, Vanna Paoli, Richard Epcar

Starring: Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Agnese Nano, Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli, Leo Gullotta, Pupella Maggio

Genre: Drama, Romance

Country: Italy, France

Giuseppe Tornatore’s ‘Cinema Paradiso’ is exceptionally heartfelt and truly depicts the wonders of movies. It follows the coming-of-age story of Salvatore “Toto”, a local boy from Giancaldo, Sicily, Italy and how he developed his love for films at a young age under the influence of Alfredo, a projectionist at Cinema Paradiso. Later on, Toto learned the process of creating that work of art which is called ‘film-making’, cultivated his passion and became successful in his profession as a film director.

Cinema Paradiso is a story of love, friendship, family and one’s pursuit of one’s dreams. The growing platonic relationship between a mentor and a mentee, a local boy and his love for his natal home and the budding interest that eventually grew as a love for films. The characters were exquisitely portrayed by the actors as if it were all natural—from the young and heedless Toto to the charming adolescent Salvatore and eventually the big-shot director that he became, Toto’s mother, Alfredo, and other characters; their acting was truly rich.

This movie made me feel a lot of emotions and I even found myself shedding a tear or two. Some scenes were sentimental such as when Salvatore came back to Giancaldo as an adult to attend Alfredo’s funeral. There was a feeling of nostalgia—for childhood, for youth, feelings, moments, people and places that are now just mere memories. It made me realize how one’s decisions and choices can make a great impact in our life and can alter our path anytime. So whatever we decide to pursue later on in life, we should make sure that we love it and we enjoy doing it. Sometimes, when we are in the path of chasing our dreams, we tend to sacrifice some things and lose some people along the way. That’s okay, it’s all part of life. We should accept the fact that people come and go and despite that, life should continue to go on because it does not stop for anyone. It is amazing how works of art such as films can make us feel a surge of emotions. Personally, something I am thankful to have experienced the magic of cinema in my life. All in all, this is a beautiful movie. A must watch especially for movie connoisseurs, filmmakers, film enthusiast, film-buffs and lovers of the arts.