by Mary Beth Gentle
Love is in the air in Hollywood. Some desks in the Hollywood cubicles are scattered with rose petals, while dishes of little candy hearts adorn others and a few are even draped in black with warnings to stay clear until after February 14th. But, no matter who you are or what your view of the heart shaped holiday might be, Hollywood has always been more than happy to fill our Valentine's Day with a love story or two.
From the classics to the current favorites, if this Valentine's Day involves a movie night, you will have more than enough to choose from. If you decide to go the classic movie route, then topping my list would have to be An Affair to Remember. For me, nothing says 'romantic movie' like Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr falling in love, falling apart and finding each other again. I don't care how many times I have sat and watched that movie, it still gets me right in the heart, every single time. Another of my favorite classic love stories is a romantic comedy called, The Shop Around the Corner. You may know this one as the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks remake, You've Got Mail. But, if you haven't seen the original starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan as two pen-pals who find love, trust me, it's worth the rental!
An addition to the Valentine Day movie list this year is La Cucina. The triple-award winning film featuring Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) in her feature film debut opposite international star Joaquim de Almeida (The Burning Plain and 24), super-model-turned actress, Rachel Hunter (A Walk in the Park) and Showtime's L Word pin-up girl Leisha Hailey has just been released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
La Cucina is a slice of life about the ways in which we search for love. In the kitchens of neighboring apartments, two conversations go late into the night. Downstairs, young successful Lily (Hendricks) squares off in an emotional duel with the dashing and sophisticated older man, Michael (de Almeida). In the kitchen above, the very pregnant Shelly (Hailey) is terrified that becoming a mother will drive her husband away and turns to her lesbian friend Jude (Hunter) who is in a long-term relationship for advice. Through the night, as they cook up culinary delights, they share their dreams and fears, they argue and they reveal their darkest secrets on their quest to figure out what makes a relationship work. Delving into the tangled web of their lives, La Cucina also reminds us, in mouthwatering detail, that food and love go hand in hand.
La Cucina was written by award winning screenwriter and novelist, AW Gryphon. Recently, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with her about her latest film...
What was your inspiration for writing La Cucina?
I love to cook. I love the kitchen. And I love what the process of preparing a meal does to people. In my experience, the kitchen is the least self-conscious room in the house. People relax, they eat, they drink. People tend not to over think things in the kitchen, they just live - and they talk. For me, the best conversations always happen in the kitchen, and one night after a doozey, a friend of mine suggested that I write it down. The idea swirled around in my head for a few years, and then one day I just decided it was time to put it down on paper. Seven months later we began filming. Just like that.
How closely did the final film follow your original script?
The final movie is not too far from the script I wrote. There were some dialogue adjustments, as to be expected. The neighbor paying guitar was not in the script at all, that was an idea that the Director brought to the table. That character (Ian Ball) was also our composer and is the lead guitarist in the band Gomez. The biggest change was that in the original script all of the characters lived in various parts of Los Angeles, and in the final product they are all neighbors living in the same apartment building.
La Cucina won Best Screenplay at the Bragacine International Festival of Independent Cinema and in addition to it's DVD release, has been airing on Showtime.
And if you are looking for a Family movie night this Valentine's Day, then the Disney Channel has a brand new one premiering just for the occasion, Starstruck. Written by the wonderful screenwriter, Annie DeYoung, Starstruck is a music and adventure-filled movie about a Hollywood pop star who, after unexpectedly meeting a down-to-earth Midwest girl is faced with either following his heart or doing what is best for his glitzy career. The movie stars the Disney Channel favorite, Sterling Knight and Danielle Campbell and premieres Sunday, February 14th on the Disney Channel.
So, no matter if your Valentine's Day is filled with rose petals, candy hearts or draped in black there are plenty of movies out there to fit your mood and remind us that when it comes to Hollywood - Love is in the air! Happy Valentine's Day!
