Reese Ryan Romance

Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

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V is for Villain (Best Movie Villains of All Time)

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Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie in Django Unchained.What would the heroes we love–James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Sherlock Holmes, and James West (YES, I said James West) be without the villains who made them shine–Goldfinger, Owen Davies, Professor Moriarity, and Dr. Loveless?

The video below is one of countless lists compiled of the greatest movie villains of all time. Many of my choices were on the list, including Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (that was a seriously creepy, weird film), Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery (I grab my knee caps every time I think of her), Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher Cutting in Gangs of New York, and Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

There are a few I’d add to the list. Javier Bardem–proving he is a masterful at portraying complicated, creepy villains–for his role as Silva in the most recent James Bond film, Skyfall. Daniel Day-Lewis for his role as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood (I don’t care if he was the protagonist, that guy was definitely a villain). Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen in Gangster Squad (Shivering, just thinking about the opening scene). Leonardo Dicaprio as Calvin Candie in Django Unchained. 

Who are your favorite villains of all time? Why do we love to hate them?

Publicity photo from Django Unchained.

 

T is for Timer (The Movie)

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I saw a review for the movie, Timer, on another blogger’s site several months ago. (Sorry! I can’t remember who it was.) She included the trailer, below. Immediately I was intrigued. A rom-com with a touch of science fiction and angsty characters? I was hooked. So I added the movie to my Blockbuster queue and forgot about it.

TimerPosterThen it arrived. My husband gave me the usual “Not another chick flick” eyeroll. But I was excited. More excited than I’d been about the arrival of a movie in awhile. I put it on the speaker next to the TV and went about my day, figuring I’d watch it over the weekend. Only that was three or four weekends ago.

So finally, after a little pouting from GQ because I was hogging up the Blockbuster movie queue with my unwatchable girly flicks (my words, not his) I decided to watch the movie. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The story of smart, anxious orthodontist Ooma (Emma Caufield) and her family was sweet, funny, and made me think. How would we approach life differently if life, love, or success came with a guarantee?

I have a thing for movies that examine alternate realities, like Butterfly Effect and Sliding Doors. And while this movie didn’t follow alternate possibilities, I couldn’t help but think in terms of them the entire time.

In addition to an interesting plot the movie is filled with deliciously flawed characters who make all degrees of questionable choices. Yet, we know enough about them to understand their behavior and still care about them.

The movie didn’t end the way I hoped, but that was okay. Because Ooma’s actions were in line with her character and I could understand the decision she didn’t make.

The story made me laugh, cry, and think. Most of all, it made me a little envious. I want to tell stories like that.

Have you seen the movie? If so, what did you think? What kind of stories do you enjoy reading, watching, or spinning?

Note: This post originally appeared on my old blog, Mindful Banter.

S is for Side Effects (The Movie)

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I adore this movie, probably my favorite film of the year thus far. It is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle, stuffed with yummy goodness.

SideEffectsPosterSide Effects is a provocative psychological thriller  featuring Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum as Emily and Martin Taylor, a couple who has the world at their feet, until Martin is busted for insider trading. He does a stint in prison and they lose everything. Emily suffers with debilitating depression because of this and is still having difficulty adjusting when Martin comes home from prison.

Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) begins treating Emily when she ends up in the emergency room after running her car full-speed into a cement wall. After a consult with her former psychiatrist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and at Emily’s urging, Dr. Banks prescribes the drug Ablixa–a drug that has an unexpected side effect.

We watch Martin and Emily’s world dissolve, but the fallout from the tragic results of Ablixa’s side effects also sends Dr. Bank’s world crashing to the ground. His judgment called into question, he soon becomes a pariah in the medical community. When he simply can’t let it go, he too loses everything and refuses to give in until he discovers exactly what went wrong.

I loved this movie upside down and inside out. Rooney Mara and Jude Law play their characters brilliantly and the story is magnificent. The only thing I didn’t like was a rather painful scene near the end which I found nauseating, mostly because it seemed like one of the two characters involved was painfully uncomfortable with it. But, my lips are sealed until you’ve seen it.

The movie turned out not to be what I expected, it was so much better. Definitely giving this one two thumbs up. Have you seen it? I’d love to know what you thought of it. If you haven’t seen it–do. As soon as you possibly can.

 

P is for Pentameter by the Jazz Quintet Chroma

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Pentameter by ChromaOne of the things I love about social media is discovering topics, people, music, and books I might not have learned about otherwise. That’s what happened when saxophonist, composer, and educator, Brian Plautz of Chroma, followed me on Twitter a few weeks ago.

During the past month while I’ve been doing a lot of writing and revising I’ve shifted to a heavy rotation of jazz. So finding the album Pentameter by Chroma was simply perfect.

Chroma is a jazz quintet that features Plautz on sax, Alex Conroy on guitar, Joel Hill on piano, Brian Benton on bass, and Matt Raphaelian on drums. Pentameter features original jazz compositions with a melodic contemporary sound that also reminds me of jazz greats like Grover Washington and Joe Sample. I honestly can’t tell you enough how much I love this album, or how many times I’ve listened to it. The creative muse definitely approves.

Listen to the album below, or get your own copy. It’s available on Bandcamp where you can name your price. (Tip: Listen to all the tracks a few times first. Once you appreciate the melodic sound and pure genius of the compositions, you just might be feeling a bit more generous.)

What are you currently listening to?

N is for New Adult

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TheEdgeofNeverbyJARedmerskiNew adult is a trend in fiction that has caught fire in the past year or so. The first new adult romance I read was J.A. Redmerski’s book, The Edge of Never. I absolutely loved the story of Camryn and Andrew and am eagerly awaiting the release of The Edge of Always which will be told primarily from Andrew’s point of view.

But, what is new adult? Even many writers are still asking this question. Many have said it’s simple YA with sex. Not true. New adult fiction targets college-age readers and has a heroine about the same age, while the hero is sometimes a little older. The books deal with very adult themes and the sensuality level gets pretty hot. In fact, many could be categorized as erotic romance. The genre also doesn’t hold to the more rigid restrictions of romance. Many opt for a happy-for-now (HFN) ending, rather than a happily ever after (HEA) one. Also, since many of these top new adult authors published their books as indies, they aren’t bound by many of the rules that publishers and editors often impose on writers. Many writers–and obviously readers–find this refreshing.

Below is a video from Nightline in which Juju Chang talks to new adult fiction fans, and three new adult indie authors who’ve made a huge splash in publishing, including Colleen Hoover, the author of Slammed.

Have you read new adult? What do you think of the trend? Is it here to stay? Who are your favorite new adult authors?

K is for the Kevin Hayden Trio

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One of the few things I’d say I inherited from my father is his love of music. I fondly remember sitting on the couch in our living room while he played one album after another. He was a big jazz fan so I listened to lots of Grover Washington, The Crusaders, Miles Davis, Joe Sample, and Nina Simone. But he also introduced me to my all-time favorite band–Earth, Wind & Fire–and numerous other musicians.

Illegal Playlist nowAs soon as I was old enough to buy my own records I began to build a collection of 45s. (I had a stack of those little yellow inserts.) Every time I got my allowance I was plotting which record I’d purchase next. But my love for music quickly blossomed and I developed an eclectic musical palate. What am I listening to? Depends on the day or my mood. One day it’s Neo Soul–Maxwell, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Musiq, and India.Aarie. The next it’s adult alternative. Later that day I’m listening to rock, or classical.

The beauty of liking so many genres is that it multiplies your chances of discovering something new. Lately, I’ve been on a serious jazz kick, prompted by another group which we’ll meet when we hit the letter P. But today I’m introducing you to another jazz group I met recently via Twitter–The Kevin Hayden Trio. Kevin Hayden is a drummer/producer/composer and the band is based in Milwaukee. (Shout out to the Midwest!). Love their sound. It’s everything I love about classic jazz, but with a unique contemporary twist. My favorite track is “Ice in the Sun.” Six minutes and nineteen seconds of pure listening pleasure. My dad would love it. I can envision him sitting in his favorite spot on the couch, eyes closed, head nodding to the music. And that makes me happy.

Sample the album below, or visit their website here to get your very own copy of Illegal Playlist. 

What are your favorite music genres? Which artists would you like to introduce us to?

H is for Hindsight (or The 20/20 Experience)

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Life is full of tough decisions and everyday choices that can ultimately change the course of our lives or the lives of others. We ponder some decisions long and hard, yet still make the wrong choice. After the smoke clears, the right choice–the one we should have made–becomes glaringly evident.

Ahh…the beauty of hindsight.

The 20/20 Experience - Justin TimberlakeSo we don’t always make the right choices, and yeah…sometimes we royally eff things up. But the important thing is that we learn the lessons in life that every interaction, every consequence, every relationship is designed to teach us and use that information to make better decisions going forward.

Artists tend to take the lessons of hindsight a bit further, using them as inspiration for fictional tales, to create deliciously-flawed characters, or to write songs with which listeners easily identify. Justin Timberlake’s latest effort, The 20/20 Experience is my current obsession. (My husband and son are this close to staging a hunger strike if I play it aloud again.) There are a myriad of reasons I love this album. Just to name a few:

  • It’s classic JT, but from the more mature perspective of a man who has made some mistakes and learned some lessons.
  • The entire album is pretty much a heart-melting love letter to his wife. (Swoon.)
  • He and producer, Timbaland are a match made in artistic heaven.
  • Several of the songs have a classic funk sound. (Remember when people used actual bands who played actual instruments? People still do that.  Here’s proof.)
  • I love that half the songs on the album are essentially two different songs. (See my post on Fusion to explain this illness.)

Thankfully we’ve moved beyond the little 45s I spun in my room growing up because this the tracks “Pusher Love Girl,” “Spaceship Coupe,” and “That Girl” would be completely worn out by now.  You can listen to the entire album below.

What are some of the best lessons you’ve learned in hindsight? Are there some lessons that can only be learned this way? What do you think?

 

C is for Character #AtoZChallenge

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skyfall-wp1-1024As an avid reader, a film fan, and a writer, I’m obsessed with quirky and interesting characters. More specifically, I am drawn to deeply damaged characters whose occupation and actions reflect their past experiences.

Situations in life are rarely black and white. The same is true of people. Heroes often have a dark side, or an ugly past. Villains often have some redeemable qualities, or a past history that provides insight into their character.

I prefer my heroes rough and a bit gritty, and my villains with a vulnerability that allows me to feel some compassion for, or insight into them. Skyfall, the most recent film in the James Bond franchise provides both.

Daniel Craig portrays Bond with a raw vulnerability that we haven’t seen before. I’m a long-time fan of the franchise. Yet I much prefer my Bond bleeding and broken, than polished and nearly perfect.

Dame Judi Dench’s character, M, is a heroine in the Bond movies, but in this film we see glaring fissures in her character, and their tragic consequences.

javier-bardem-skyfall-posterSilva, the villain brilliantly portrayed by an ultra creepy Javier Bardem, is a complicated mess of a human being who manages to be irredeemably wicked, yet deserving of compassion.

Each of these characters reminds us that the line between good and evil is rarely delineated with an electrified fence. Sometimes the line is barely visible. We don’t realize we’ve crossed it until we’re on the other side. What classifies us as being in one camp or the other is whether we choose to return to the other side.

It’s no secret that I love deliciously-flawed characters. Such intricate, layered characters escalate the level of another important C, conflict. With each character waging a war internally, it’s no surprise that Bond and Silva are embroiled in an external conflict of epic proportions, leaving carnage in their wake.

What about you? Are you a purist who prefers a knight in a shining armor–hold the chinks? Or do you like your heroes and heroines with a hardened edge?

Music Monday 1 – Love is Complicated

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I’ve been watching on the sidelines for a few weeks and today I was inspired to jump onto the Music Monday Blog Hop hosted by Meg at the Book Asylum. Music Monday is a blog hop that showcases songs which remind us of specific books.

Music Mondays @TheBookAsylum

The inspiration for my first Monday Music pick struck when I heard Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” while riding in the car the other day. I still love this song, and haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the past three days.

Complicated – Avril Lavigne

Makes me think of . . .

Private Passions (Private, #4)

One More Day (The Alexanders, #1)

I love me some Mary J. And while this isn’t my fave Mary J. Blige song, I think she expresses a sentiment with which many can identify in “Mr. Wrong.”

Mr. Wrong – Mary J. Blige

Makes me think of . . .

Private Paradise (Private, #2)
Private Pleasures (Private, #3)

So Music Monday #1 has revealed my current Jami Alden addiction. The woman has sexy contemporary romance on a string. Seriously.

So What About You?

Do either of these songs make you think of a specific book? Or do any of these books make you think of other songs? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

Today’s Soundtrack: Lego House by Ed Sheeran

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One of my biggest discoveries of the  2013 Grammys was Ed Sheeran, who performed with Sir Elton John. I adore the ability of singer/songwriters to pack a powerful, emotional story in the relatively small space of a song. Sheeran is a talented storyteller, though he tends to weave stories that are dark and tragic.

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Source: sbtv.co.uk via Reese on Pinterest


Today I am ironing out some kinks in the storyline of my current work-in-progress which features a hero and heroine who have dark, tragic events in their pasts that have shaped their lives and define their relationship. So making Ed Sheeran’s + the soundtrack today just seemed natural.

I often think of my life having a soundtrack. Do you? If so, what’s playing on your soundtrack today, and why?