Desperate Housewives (2004-2012)

Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama mystery series.  The main setting of the show is Wisteria Lane, a street in the fictional American town of Fairview in the fictional Eagle State. The show follows the lives of a group of women, seen through the eyes of their dead neighbor. They work through domestic struggles and family life, while facing the secrets, crimes and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their — at the surface — beautiful and seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood.

 

 

The show features an ensemble cast, headed by Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp and Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis.   Brenda Strong narrates the show as the deceased Mary Alice Young, appearing sporadically in flashbacks or dreams. 

 

 

 

Desperate Housewives is great!  Life behind closed doors is about to be revealed as suburban life takes a funny and dark turn.  :) xx



Jack and Sarah (1996)





Jack (Richard E. Grant) and Sarah (Imogen Stubbs) are expecting a baby together, but a complication during the birth leads to the death of Sarah. Jack, grief-stricken, goes on an alcoholic bender, leaving his daughter to be taken care of by his parents and Sarah's mother, until they decide to take drastic action: they return the baby to Jack whilst he is asleep, leaving him to take care of it. Although he struggles initially, he eventually begins to dote on the child and names her Sarah.

 

 

Despite this, he nevertheless finds it increasingly difficult to juggle bringing up the baby with his high-powered job, and though both sets of the child's grandparents lend a hand (along with William (Ian McKellen), a dried out ex-alcoholic who, once sober, proves to be a remarkably efficient babysitter and housekeeper), he needs more help. Amy (Samantha Mathis), an American waitress he meets in a restaurant who takes a shine to Sarah, takes up the role as nanny, moving in with Jack after one meeting.



Although clashing with William and the grandparents - especially Jack's mother, Margaret (Judi Dench), Jack and Amy gradually grow closer - but Jack's boss has also taken an interest in him.



Jack and Sarah is a wonderfully warm British comdey about loss and love. Enjoy! :) xx 

Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)

Charlie (Hugh Grant), is always the best man but never the groom.  Determined to avoid even a hint of commitment, this handsome English gentleman is notoriously late to every wedding.  But today he's in for a real surprise because not only did he forget the ring... but he also just caught a glimpse of the girl of his dreams (Andie MacDowell)! 

 

 

 

 Elegant, festive and very, very funny, Four Weddings And A Funeral is engaging entertainment from beginning to end. :) xx 



 



Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss (Hugh Grant) takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones and the ups and downs of their ill-fated relationship prove hilarious and touching at once. Thrown into the mix are Bridget's band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance (Colin Firth) who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive.

 

 

I love this film!   Boy meets girl, girl hates boy but loves him deep down! Add in gorgeous Colin Firth as Mark Darcy and kissing in the snow, what more could a girl ask for?!  This is a lovely movie to watch if it is raining or you are unwell with chocolate and a warm drink. Enjoy! :) xx 

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is an 1848 novel by Anne Brontë (the third and obscurest Brontë sister) under the pseudonym Acton Bell. It was her second and final novel, after Agnes Grey. It is generally considered the most shocking of the Brontë's novels, it deals with immoral themes of adultery and vice, as well as domestic abuse. The book outsold that of Wuthering Heights, penned by her sister Emily. The book, set in rural Yorkshire, is narrated by Gilbert Markham, neighbour to the mysterious young widow, Helen Graham, who moves into a nearby mansion, Wildfell Hall.

 

 

 

 

The scope of 1996 adaption is grandiose, sweeping across the foggy moors to inhabiting the darker and moody corners of Helen Graham's home. Rather than being dull the greyness of the composition is crisp and refreshing. We see the characters in sharp contrast and can read their characters well. The setting veers between the crooks and corners of Wildfell and its surroundings to the gaily lit ballrooms described by Helen in correspondence with Gilbert. Most of Gilbert and Helen's encounters happen outdoors, alluding to the freedom Helen craves as opposed to the violence, entrapment and uncomfortable secrecy imposed by the domestic sphere. However Helen can not be wholly free and soon her past catches up with her necessitating her to leave Wildfell, not before communicating the truth of her situation to Gilbert with whom she has formed a romantic attachment.

 

Young and new to society in London, Helen, (Tara Fitzgerald) meets the handsome Arthur Huntington (Rupert Graves)  He charms her off her feet and proposes marriage. At first, the young Mrs. Huntington is happy, but it's not long before her husband's true colours start showing through. He abandons his pregnant wife in order to enjoy himself in London ... and eventually, he comes back - his bad points have deteriorated and he's now a full-blown alcoholic and womaniser with a foul temper and a tendency to violence, and eventually, Helen has enough and decides to leave.


This story is dark but I really like it!  The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a magnificent piece of storytelling. Enjoy! :) xx

Sliding Doors (1998)

 

 

 

The movie “Sliding Doors” with Gwenyth Paltrow is a story about a girl (Helen) who leaves for work one morning, having several things go poorly. Upon getting to work (late), she learns that she has been fired from her job. Leaving the office building, she races to make the soonest subway home, and at this point in the movie, we learn what would have happened if she made the train, and if she hadn’t.

 

In one story, as she races down the stairs to make it before the doors close, she has to side-step a little girl who is in the way. This split second occurrence causes her to miss the train, only to find out that there aren’t any more trains– so she is stuck with finding a different way home. In the process of finding a taxi, Helen is mugged, goes to the hospital and arrives home to find her live-in boyfriend, Gerry (who is an unemployed author that Helen is financially supporting), in the shower. In this version, Helen becomes more and more miserable with her life and her relationship. She is working two jobs to support her boyfriend, Gerry, not knowing that he is carrying on an affair. She continues to muddle through life, enduring the hardships, until eventually her pain gets higher than her fear of making changes. The affair is eventually discovered and Helen breaks up with Gerry. Immediately after this, she is involved in a tragic accident, and Helen is hospitalized, but she is stable and recovers well. Upon leaving the hospital, she runs into a man named James in the elevator.

In the other story, when Helen races down the stairs to make the train, the little girl is pulled out of the way by her mother, allowing Helen to get on the subway just as the doors are closing. She sits next to a man named James, who attempts to strike up a conversation with her, showing interest in getting to know her better. Upon arriving home, she catches her boyfriend Gerry cheating on her with another woman. In this version of the story, Helen breaks up with Gerry and ends up eventually forming a happy relationship with James. She endures other hardships in this version of the story, including a continual struggle with the trust issues from her previous relationship, though it appears that the bond between the two and the goodness of the relationship will win out in the end. This doesn’t prove to be true, though. When stepping onto the street at the end of the movie, Helen is involved in a tragic car accident and is rushed to the hospital. James sits by her bedside until Helen eventually passes away.      

 

 

 

A nice romantic film to watch to relax or make you feel better! :) xx