Valentine's Day Watchlist: Something Old, Something(s) New, & Something Blue
Timeless ❤️ films you can watch whenever, a Gal-/Pal-entine's bonus, + a love story (all my own)
❤️ Something OLD
Now, Voyager | (1942) | [Trailer] Dir. Irving Rapper
Bette Davis, plays Charlotte Vale, a traumatized “spinster” born to a wealthy New England family, with the misfortune of having an abusive mother (Gladys Cooper) who seeks to keep her down. A kind psychiatrist (Claude Rains) and a benevolent sister-in-law (Ilka Chase) conspire in the best of ways to get Charlotte out of the grips/talons of her mother and into a healthier environment. The result is transformative, and as any good love story will teach you, where self-worth/self-love blossoms, so does romantic love. As Charlotte befriends a married architect named Jerry (Paul Henreid), and the two discover what it is to be truly understood and seen. This film goes to places you wouldn’t expect in its profound and poignant depiction of love in all its manifestations (motherly, sisterly, you name it). The result: It exceeds LOVE expectations.
, a go-to Substack for classic American films + food pairings, reviewed this Bette Davis/Paul Henreid romance staple and instantly got me hooked.[Read the Full Flicks & Forks Review here]🔗
What could be sexier than a dapper man lighting one cigarette? Lighting two of them, because he always remembers his dame.
Side Note: Paul Henreid might rival Harrison Ford, in the hottest no-one even realized he was Jewish guy department:
Bette Davis’s Demure Wardrobe
❤️ Something NEW
This Time Next Year | (2025) | [Trailer] Dir. Nick Moore
Romance readers everywhere know Sophie Cousens. She was a TV producer before writing NYT-best-selling romance books and doing screenwriting in England. Her books are multilayered and spotlight the tenuous balance of work, family, and romantic love in sometimes implausible but always human-centered stories.
Imagine my delight when I discovered her most well-known and arguably her most popular book, This Time Next Year, is now streaming free in the U.S. on the Roku Channel app. It centers around two characters who happen to suffer the misfortune of being born on January 1st, and one of whom is a “name stealer” (no more spoilers). Apart from the frenemies-to-besties-to-lover theme, I forgot how much this love story is really about the moms/caregivers and how the birthing process (and pain) connects mothers in such deeply therapeutic ways. I loved that the movie leaned into this, especially as it translated to more screentime for Bridgerton’s Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) and Monica Dolan while also managing to give us plenty of Emily in Paris Aflie (Lucien Laviscount) and Sophie Cookson as Minnie Cooper gazing, whose chemistry is spot on.
❤️ Something BLUE
Edward Scissorhands | (1990) | [Trailer] Dir. Tim Burton
Iconic Quote:
Kim: Hold me.
Edward: I can't.
A grotesque “monster” with scissors for hands and, therefore, an inability to touch and know people intimately (without disfiguring them) couples up with the most popular, pretty girl at school. In what universe is this a possibility? In a Burton-verse - a magical, inventive, and inspired world that defies societal norms. The visual splendor of this film and its characters fits the “zany” bill to a tee, and the story, a tragic fairy tale, binds viewers to this film. The scene where Ryder as Kim dances enraptured by the ice shavings Edward creates, is an unforgettable one.
[Read the Full WEIRD Romance Films List Here]🔗
❤️ Something NEWER & BLUER & FRENCH (an updated Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind)
The Beast | (2023) | [Trailer] | Dir. Bertrand Bonello
Description: The year is 2044: artificial intelligence controls all facets of a stoic society as humans routinely “erase” their feelings. Hoping to eliminate pain caused by their past-life romances, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) continually falls in love with different incarnations of Louis (George MacKay). Set first in Belle Époque-era Paris Louis is a British man who woos her away from a cold husband, then in early 21st Century Los Angeles, he is a disturbed American bent on delivering violent “retribution.” Will the process allow Gabrielle to fully connect with Louis in the present, or are the two doomed to repeat their previous fates? (Credit: YouTube)Iconic Quote:
Gabrielle: You can’t erase the beast within.
Encompassing 2.5+ hours of time traveling with futuristic, surreal elements, this film is not for the impatient or faint-hearted, but you will have rêves (French for “dreams”) long after. I can’t get this one out of my head, mostly because there is so much to think about, nor can I bear the ending entirely, but I’ve come to terms with it. Alas, if there’s a price to be paid for admiring Léa Hélène Seydoux’s performance for over 2 hours, I suppose this is it.
Side Note: The male lead, Brit George MacKay was a replacement for French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who died in a ski accident. I speculate that the decision to make this film bilingual was based on MacKay’s casting. He does a fine job.
Feb/March Film Club
Last month, our subscriber chat Film Club theme was twin films, the Elvis edition. [Catch up here] 🔗
The people have voted: Dirty Dancing is our Feb Film Chat discussion on Sunday, 2/23.
Galentine’s Day/ Palentine’s Day & Platonic Love
Here’s to celebrating love in ALL its forms, especially the ones that friends offer—platonic love. On Substack alone, I have so many friends I consider myself lucky to know and who make life better. I’m not going to start writing those names out because I will miss others, and doing that would be a disservice to those people.
Per AI: The term "platonic love" originated in the 15th century from the writings of Plato and the interpretations of Marsilio Ficino. In Plato's philosophy, love progressed from attraction to bodies to attraction to souls and ultimately to union with truth.
It was only in the mid-18th century that "platonic friendship" and "platonic love" were commonly used to signify an intense but sexless relationship.
, where my new favorite Notes on TV shows all happen these days, got me thinking about Gal/Pal-entine’s Day or platonic love, which led me down the path to this oldie but goodie on one my top TV ride-or-die femme pairings of all time.On The Legacy of “Dead to Me” - 80s Gal Pal Reverence, Coping with Loss & The Exceptional Load of Being Female - Letter #1
This discussion is a 4 part exchange between Jen McAleer (Jen's Substack) and Beth Lisogorsky (Beth's TV & Film Recommendations). Letters 1 & 3 will be posted on Beth’s Exceptional Video Playlist (right here!) on Fridays and Letters 2 & 4 on Jen’s Substack on Wednesdays.
Speaking of gal power, check out Yara & Gillian’s latest on the theme of unrequited love:
Clicking + Waiting
I love reading and watching romance, and last year, I took a chance on writing one. Curious?
"...in the hottest no-one even realized he was Jewish guy department--" Haha.
Great choices.
I haven't watched Bette in ages. She was an original.
This Time Next Year sounds intriguing.
"The year is 2044: artificial intelligence controls all facets of a stoic society as humans routinely “erase” their feelings" - I see this happening IRL. We humans are training AI to be smarter... to the point it's going to be "I, Robot" or "Terminator" situation in the future. For shits and giggles, I looked up the actors you mentioned in the side note for this movie. I remember hearing about that actor who died in a skiing accident! He was a good-lookin' dude, too!