Graham Simpkins, The Holiday, 2006

There are some movies that are just keepers.  Ones I enjoy watching over and over.  The Holiday is one of those movies, and though I’m not really a Jude Law fan, there’s something so vulnerable about him in this movie that I’m almost a convert.  Graham Simpkins is a book editor in England.  His sister, Iris, works for a newspaper in Surrey.  When her love life falls apart, she swaps houses with a woman from LA and goes on a two week holiday.  

Stats:

Graham gets phone calls from girls when he’s with love interest Amanda.  One call is from Sophie, the other from Olivia.  Obviously, he comes with baggage.  The truth of the matter is that these two people in his life are his daughters, and he keeps them private, reluctant to introduce anyone to them who might not be there for very long and who might disrupt the fragile balance he and his girls have.  They’re the three musketeers.

When Amanda comes calling to Graham’s house one evening before Christmas, she discovers Graham is not alone.  She says to him, “Are you married?  Tell me quick.”

He shakes his head and spells, “W. I. D. O. W. E. R.”

That moment shines a light on Graham and who he is inside, the world he’s trying to protect, and what his future will hold if he lets someone into this private haven he’s created for his children.

The Look:

Golden skin, blondish hair, blue devilish eyes, and a dazzling smile.  When he puts a napkin over his head, dons his eyeglasses and sucks the cloth into his mouth, he becomes ‘Mr. Napkinhead’, a look that makes him even more lovable.  

Jude Law plays Graham with just the right amount of devil-may-care flare and vulnerability.  He even cries [a little bit–which actually I don’t love] so he’s a really emotionally accessible man in the end.

Leading Lady:

Amanda Woods makes movie trailers.  Meanwhile her love life is in a shambles.  When she trades homes with Iris, she thinks not being around anyone she knows will be a good thing.  Instead, she’s never been more lonely in her life.  Until, that is, she meets Graham Simpkins.  

Amanda’s never gotten over the divorce of her parents.  She doesn’t cry.  At all.  Until Graham shows her love and how to feel more deeply than she’s ever felt before.  They compliment each other.  Who knows how they’ll manage a cross-continental relationship, but I’m rooting for them.

The Final Analysis:

The Holiday is one of those movies I will watch once a year, or so.  When I’m feeling blah, or just wanting an ‘ahhh’ moment, it’s the perfect escape.  Jude Law is a perfect Graham Simpkins and he’s a big part of why I like this movie.  It’s a great romantic comedy and worth the rental.  

Question of the Day:

What’s your favorite ‘ahhhh’ movie when you need a romantic fix?

You know how there are moments that stick in your mind, little snippets of memories that you remember, but for no good reason?  

I have a Will Smith moment like that.  

First let me say that I never watched Fresh Prince when it was a current show.  I catch it every now and then when one of my kids has it on and I like it.  I like the intro song: Parents Just Don’t Understand, and I liked his Gettin’ Jiggy song.  I can’t remember the first Will Smith movie I , but I do remember thinking that he was okay.  

Then I saw him interviewed.  I think it was an interview with Barbara Walters, but again, I’m not certain.  That interview sticks in my mind because of something Will Smith said [I’m going off old memories here and I admit that I am probably remembering it how I want to =)].  He was being asked something about slang and Ebonics and rap [and how his music doesn’t use the same slang that other rap artists use].  

At the risk of alienating himself, Will said what he felt and he said it emphatically.  He said that in his opinion there was no excuse for people who have basic education to use bad grammar [assuming they have a rudimentary understanding of grammar].  He felt like it showed their ignorance and perpetuated a societal perception of blacks that shouldn’t be perpetuated.  He said something to the effect that education is important and if you have an education, you should not be afraid to acknowledge it and/or live your life using your education.  

I’m paraphrasing and, as I said, remembering only the gist of the interview.  While other people likely thought Will Smith smug for his statements and beliefs, I applauded him and my respect for him increased.  He left me with an impression that has stayed with me–that he is smart, has opinions he’s not afraid to share, and wants people to stand up for what they believe.  I admire people who are not afraid to say what they feel and believe, even if it is not the popular belief [not an easy thing to do].  And I admire people who value education and what it can do for a person and their life.

I did a google search to try to find Will’s exact words during that interview.  I couldn’t find a link, but what I did find was a chat room focused on Will Smith bashing.  Although I’m well aware that there are surely as many people who don’t like Will as there are people who like him [I’m in a creative business myself and I’d better understand that not everyone will like me or my books], I was still surprised.  To me, Will Smith is smart, likable,   bold, charismatic, and attractive.  He embodies many heroic traits in how he chooses to live his life–accepting responsibility for the failure of his first marriage, knowing what his values are and standing by them, knowing the importance of education, and recognizing the importance of family.  

He’s not perfect, as none of us are, but from what I can tell, he seems to be living an intentional life.  He makes interesting movies [to me, at least].  But the main reason I will always like Will Smith is because of that interview I saw years ago and the impression he left me with.  

Question of the Day:

Do you have a sliver of a memory that has stuck with you and framed how you see someone or something?  And what of Will Smith–are you a fan?

Trust Me, by Brenda Novak [Mira Books, 2008] 

David Willis: Caregiver

David Willis is part Best Friend, part Caregiver.  He’s continual friend to ex-wife Lynette, peripheral friend to Skye Kellerman, and caregiver to his son, Jeremy.  He’s an all-around good guy who has a deep sense of responsibility toward those he loves and to those he’s made promises to.      

STATS: David has been a cop with the Sacramento Police Force for thirteen years and one case has affected him more deeply than any other.  Oliver Burke, who is at San Quentin for the rapes and murders of several women, almost raped Skye Kellerman.  Had it not been for a pair of embroidery scissors, David never would have had the chance to know–and fall in love with–Skye.

THE LOOK:

He’s tall and lanky.  “We’re talking two hundred pounds of lean muscle, the tightest ass I’ve ever seen and the kind of lips that could keep a woman on her back for weeks.” 

LEADING LADY:

Skye Kellerman is one of three co-founders of The Last Stand, an organization to help victims of violent crime.  Her passion comes from her personal experience with crime–a near rape and murder by a man she helped to put behind bars.  

She and detective David Willis have a tortured love for each other.  Tortured because David has honorable intentions to keep his family intact for the sake of his son–at the cost of his own happiness.  He struggles with mending his broken marriage because of his promise to his son, Jeremy, that he’d move back in and be together again as a family.  He’s noble, almost to a fault, but nobility in this day and age is to be revered.

BOTTOM LINE:

David Willis and his nobility/honorability is a hero to love.  Despite his enormous internal conflict, he manages to stand by both his ex-wife [who has MS] and Skye Kellerman, the woman he truly loves.  

Though he’s a great hero, Trust Me is really Skye’s story.  She loves David, but is resolved to live her life without the man she loves because she won’t be his leftovers.  She knows she deserves more than that and she is ready to give him up because of her own sense of honor.

David and Skye compliment each other.  If they are able to outsmart Oliver Burke and survive his release from San Quentin, they just might have a chance at love.  You’ll have to read Trust Me to find out what happens to Skye and David.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Brenda Novak has created a unique setup for her Last Stand series.  The Last Stand is an organization that supports victims.  This premise itself is noble and gives Trust Me [and the other books in the series] characters who’ve legitimately suffered and who deserve happiness.  

Victims and victim’s rights are tough subjects to talk about.  What do you think of the way Brenda Novak handles a very difficult social issue?

The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Julia Quinn [Avon Books, Harper-Collins, 2008]

When I read the back cover of Julia Quinn’s newest book, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, and saw that the hero was a highwayman, I immediately thought of the classic epic poem called, ‘The Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes.  That poem is in the majority of 7th or 8th grade literature books  [it is filled with figurative language–a teacher’s delight].  The Highwayman has always been a favorite of mine because it’s so much fun to teach and discuss with students who are just discovering poetry.

A highwayman has a special appeal to me and so I bought this book and delved right in.   It didn’t disappoint.  Jack Cavendish-Audley is a charming, Robin Hood character.  He’s a highwayman and smooth as silk.  And just like in Alfred Noyes’s poem, his heart is true and he loves but one woman.

Stats:

Highwayman.  Rogue.  Swashbuckler.  He’s tall, dark, and handsome, rides a stallion name Lucy, and is trying desperately to hide elements of his past that he’d rather remain secret.  He has a deep appreciation for art and can read volumes into the paintings he admires.  He’s not so much into books, or reading of any kind, but a man of remarkable intelligence and impeccable manners, even when he’s robbing you blind.  JQ tends to give her heroes small disabilities that they are able to overcome–it makes the men real and vulnerable and Jack Audley is no exception.

The Look:

With his mask on, there’s not much to look at except his mouth.  “…his lips were so full of movement, so perfectly formed and expressive, that she almost felt she could see him.  It was odd.  And mesmerizing.  And more than a little unsettling.”

Jack has a smooth voice, like fine brandy, and eyes that are heavily-lidded and seductive.  His crooked smile is devilishly charming.  It hints at the secret things he’d like to do to a woman.  His clothes are well-worn [the dowager Duchess of Wyndham, aka Jack’s dear old Grandmama, would call them tattered and unacceptable].  He cleans up well, however, once he’s at Belgrave Hall.

Leading Lady:

Grace Eversleigh, companion to the dowager.  She’s an intelligent, impoverished innocent who is inexplicable smitten by the highwayman.  She reacts to his smile, then to his intelligence and appreciation of art, and finally to his visual caresses.  She’s an honorable woman who balances the [conceivably] in-honorable Jack [highwayman and all that].

The Final Analysis:

Find the Lost Duke of Wyndham!  It’s a fast read, a 3 course meal that is full of satisfying delights, and is as humorous as all of JQ’s other reads.  Jack Cavendish-Audley’s Robin Hood sensibility stems from his core and makes his plundering excusable, and even, one might say, acceptable and worth cheering.  He’s had his share of women [masterfully ensuring that no babies are sired by him], but he has saved his heart for Grace, and only Grace.

Question of the Day:

What is it about the Swashbuckler that is appealing?  Could you overcome the conceivably in-honorable traits of a highwayman?