Happy Valentines Day!
There is something about Valentines Day, that I have always loved so much. When I was a little kid I remember buying those packages of little Spice Girls Valentines Day Cards (the ones you wrote a name on and stuck a little chocolate heart onto). I would stay up late the night before the big day, and write all my little classmates names on these cards. The next day, we would always have these paper bags taped to the side of our desks.. and we would all mill around the classroom dropping little cards into each other’s bags. Up until Grade 5/6 you are required to give one to every kid, or else you look like a complete asshole. After that it became sort of an optional free for all… and I have the saddest little story for you about this.
It must have been Grade 9 or 10, and by this time Valentines Day was just a fun little thing at school. We still had the little paper bags, and these singing telegrams were a huge thing. Nobody ever sent me one, thank GOD.. the about of cringing I would have done might have killed me. I remember that year everyone was handing out their cards, and chocolates, and I was DESPERATELY hoping for this boy I was obsessed with, to maybe give me one. Spoiler Alert: he absolutely DID not. I kept looking and looking into my little bag, and it was desolate in there. Just empty. I was so depressed about it, and tried to laugh it off.. and I will NEVER forget what happened next. My Best Friend in the world Tina, waltzed over to me a few hours later.. and was all like “you should check your bag”, and she had filled it with a bunch of chocolates, and cards. I knew they were all from her, but it was literally the SWEETEST thing ever. I love you Tina! Thanks for trying to make me feel like less of a social reject haha.
These days, I am not nearly as desperate about Valentines Day. I still love getting those little paper ones, and mailing them to my friends for a laugh. My Husband and I have a little tradition of staying in, buying tons of chocolates for each other, ordering our fav “bad food” (also a PSA: Wendy’s now delivers in Downtown Vancouver), and Ryan always lets me pick ANY MOVIE I want to watch. We have pretty similar tastes in TV and Movies, so I always go out of my way to pick some incredibly cheesy classic Romantic Comedy to make him watch haha. He loves it. This year I’m trying to decide between “Never Been Kissed”, and “She’s All That”. I’m in a nostalgic mood.
I decided to make a list for you guys, of my all-time FAV Romantic movies. It was impossible to narrow it down, but I’m pretty happy with my final list. I will attach the official plot blurbs from Google for you as well, just so you get a hint what you are in for. You have probably seen all of these.. but in case you haven’t, enjoy!
I hope you all have an amazing Valentine’s Day, and I will see you all soon with my February Wrap Up.. and some other fun things!
xo,
Carly
Ps, I will also attach some photos of some adorable festive cookies I found at Whole Foods… and a few other Valentines Day inspired photos of Me and my Books.. what else is new?
1.) “Closer”
A Very Intense/Slightly Depressing (In a GREAT WAY) Romance.. with an INCREDIBLE cast. Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen & Jude Law. LOVED this one so much.. I’ve probably re-watched it 100 times. It’s such a juicy love-square of a thing.
Google Plot Summary
(Alice (Natalie Portman), an American stripper who has moved to London, meets Dan (Jude Law) on the street. While looking at him, a taxi hits her. After taking her to the hospital, Dan begins dating Alice. A year later, Dan — who has written a novel about Alice — is bored. He flirts with photographer Anna (Julia Roberts). Pretending to be her in a chat room, he leads dermatologist Larry (Clive Owen) to an accidental meeting with Anna. As the years pass, both relationships disintegrate.)
2.) “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind”
An Absolute MUST Watch Classic. I want to dye my hair blue or orange.. every SINGLE time I watch this. It’s such a genius concept.. and it’s shot so beautifully. I think it’s hands down Jim Carrey’s best work.
Google Plot Summary
(After a painful breakup, Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her former boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from her mind. When Joel discovers that Clementine is going to extremes to forget their relationship, he undergoes the same procedure and slowly begins to forget the woman that he loved. Directed by former music video director Michel Gondry, the visually arresting film explores the intricacy of relationships and the pain of loss.)
3.) “Blue Is The Warmest Color”
This is maybe the sexiest movie I’ve ever watched? Also the acting is STUNNING. It’s such a real, and authentic feeling movie about first-love. I adore this so much. PLEASE watch this. I think I’m in love with Lea Seydoux after seeing this, and trust me.. you will be too.
Rotten Tomatoes Plot Summary
(BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR centers on a 15-year-old girl named Adèle (Exarchopoulos) who is climbing to adulthood and dreams of experiencing her first love. A handsome male classmate falls for her hard, but an unsettling erotic reverie upsets the romance before it begins. Adèle imagines that the mysterious, blue-haired girl she encountered in the street slips into her bed and possesses her with an overwhelming pleasure. That blue-haired girl is a confident older art student named Emma (Seydoux), who will soon enter Adèle’s life for real, making way for an intense and complicated love story that spans a decade and is touchingly universal in its depiction.)
4.) “Like Crazy”
This movie blew me away.. with how real it felt. It’s such an intimate look into this young couples love story.. and you feel like you are living it with them. It was unnerving actually, how immersive it felt. Also the wonderful Anton Yelchin stars in this.. still can’t believe he’s gone. RIP. Also Jennifer Lawerence is actually in this as well, in a minor (and one of her first) role.
Google Plot Summary
(While attending college in Los Angeles, Jacob (Anton Yelchin), an American, and Anna (Felicity Jones), who hails from London, fall madly in love. However, the young lovers are forced apart when Anna violates the terms of her visa and must return to England. Jacob and Anna discover the difficulties of maintaining a long-distance relationship in the face of their changing lives. Yet, no matter how often circumstances pull them apart, they always find themselves back together again.)
5.) “Call Me By Your Name”
A Beautiful Love Story.. set in the most GORGEOUS area of Italy. Also Timothée Chalamet…. just WOW. That “peach” scene though…. if you know, you know. The final scene of this film, when the credits start rolling.. might be the most amazing little bit of acting/film that I’ve ever seen.
Google Plot Summary
(It’s the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who’s working as an intern for Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.)
6.) “Ruby Sparks”
I really loved this quirky little movie, starring real-life couple Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano. I find Zoe Kazan so magentic.. I think I love every movie she’s ever been in.
Google Plot Summary
(Young author Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano), once a literary darling, is having trouble composing his next novel. Following a therapist’s advice, Calvin pulls out an old manual typewriter and creates a vivacious, flame-haired woman he dubs Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). Overnight, Ruby leaps from the page into Calvin’s home as a real flesh-and-blood woman. And, what’s more, she’s unaware that she’s actually a fictional character and that her actions and feelings are dictated by whatever Calvin writes.)
7.) “Romeo and Juliet”
No Words. I think Tina and I watched this EVERY weekend in high-school. Leo was really just in his absolute peak-hotness here. I love everything about this whole movie. The aesthetic, the acting, the clothing, the cinematography.. and LEO and CLAIRE DANES. Just 100%. Love the creepy fish-tank scene the most.
Google Plot Summary
(Baz Luhrmann helped adapt this classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy for the screen, updating the setting to a post-modern city named Verona Beach. In this version, the Capulets and the Montagues are two rival gangs. Juliet (Claire Danes) is attending a costume ball thrown by her parents. Her father Fulgencio Capulet (Paul Sorvino) has arranged her marriage to the boorish Paris (Paul Rudd) as part of a strategic investment plan. Romeo attends the masked ball and he and Juliet fall in love.)
8.) “Roman Holiday”
A beautiful timeless Audrey Hepburn Classic.
Google Plot Summary
(Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck),who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann’s regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.)
9.) “Brooklyn”
Loved this coming-of-age/first love movie, starring the beautiful Irish Actress Saoirse Ronan. This movie is set in 1950’s Brooklyn.. and while being visually stunning.. it’s also the perfect love-triangle romance.
Google Plot Summary
(Young Irish immigrant Eilis Lace (Saoirse Ronan) navigates her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her past disrupts her new vivacity, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.)
10.) “Pride and Prejudice”
I think my FAV version of this, will always be the Colin Firth one.. but this is a close second. Keira Knightley is so stunning, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen the entire time. Such a perfect movie.
Google Plot Summary
(In this adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) lives with her mother, father and sisters in the English countryside. As the eldest, she faces mounting pressure from her parents to marry. When the outspoken Elizabeth is introduced to the handsome and upper-class Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen), sparks fly. Although there is obvious chemistry between the two, Darcy’s overly reserved nature threatens the fledgling relationship.)
Also PS, HAD to include a movie I loved (probably too much) when I was a teenager.
Bonus #11
“A Walk To Remember”
Google Plot Summary
(Set in North Carolina, “A Walk To Remember” follows the rite of passage of a jaded, aimless high school senior (Shane West) who falls in love with a guileless young woman (Mandy Moore) he and his friends once scorned. The two develop a powerful and inspirational relationship in which they discover truths that take most people a lifetime to learn.)
Thanks so much for Reading,
I hope you all have a very Romantic evening.. or an evening full of too many chocolates!
xo,
Carly
(All Images of Me & Books @Carly Ingram Photography 2019)
(All Images from Movies @Google Images 2019)
Also I’ll just go ahead and insert this amazing Jon Snow Valentine I found online… You’re Welcome.
