By: Zed News TeamAlthough love is once again in the air during this month, be careful not to take a big breath of it unless you are six feet away from other people. There is no doubt that this has been a crazy 11 months, but with the fast approach of Valentine’s Day those of us at Zed News have decided to share some of our opinions and experiences on this holiday from years past and suggest some cute romantic movies. By: Priya MigneaultTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You is the second film in this series of young love. The first film starts off with Lara, a 16 year old from Virginia, having her secret love letters she has written over the years accidentally sent out, one of whom is her sister's ex-boyfriend Josh. Lara and Peter, one of the recipients of her love letters, pretend to be a couple in order to make Peter’s ex jealous and persuade Josh that she no longer has feelings for him, however as the film unfolds Peter and Lara end up falling in love with each other and becoming a real couple; this continues on into the second film. In this installment to the series John Ambrose, another one of her love letter recipients, enters the picture, causing conflict between the couple. I think we can all admit that Lara Jean Covey (LJ) and Peter Kavinsky are cute and so is their teenage romance throughout the films. However, this movie exaggerates high school love and allows for unrealistic expectations about dating, school, friends, and wealth. In all honesty the school boards are not busting out a ton of money on dances and decorations, and neither are teenagers when they go on dates because we do not have a ton of money to spend. In the film there are pieces that are realistic such as when LJ is dancing in her room getting ready for her date, the awkward family gatherings, the doubt that LJ and Peter both feel in their relationship, and the uncomfortable but necessary conversations around sex and intimacy. High school romance is wonderful in a lot of ways, yet there are challenges and tuff conversations about boundaries that need to be had and I think this movie demonstrates that. On the other hand, in real life ex’s are not as mean as the show portrays, when I was dating someone me and their ex’s actually became good friends and we were completely chill around each other. There are also unrealistic expectations about Valentine’s day, romance, slow dances, love triangles, and money. Although a lot of young couples would like to go to dinner or to a nice ski resort in the mountains, they simply can not afford it and shows like this sometimes raise ideals of high school romance that just can not be met. Also, it is rare to find even one amazing guy, let alone two who are openly interested in you. In my last romantic high school relationship Valentine’s Day was not a massive deal to my partner and they made that very clear when they were surprised that I bought them a nice gift. For the occasion I bought them a poetry book and made them a card; this was keeping in mind that I spent a lot of money at Christmas on them and we went out for dinner downtown and to the zoolights. We were both short on income and I told them they could combine my 16th birthday and Valentine’s Day gift, to which they bought me a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I thought it was funny, but I also thought they were kidding because they are vegetarian and they could not even have the chicken with me. As a matter of fact they were not and I probably should have seen to the end of our relationship then and there. All this to say that the allure of young love is rarely ever the kind portrayed in the media. It’s not glamorous, filled with dinner dates, slow dances, or flowers. It is showing up for each other when one person is showcasing something they are proud of, cute walks along the river, skating trips, Tim Hortons coffee, late night texting, trips to the beach, and stay in movie nights. Young romance is not like the movies and does not follow a script, but there still is a lot to love about it and a lot to learn from it. I hope that everyone experiences it at some point and is able to put the ideas they have of it aside and focus on what is in front of them. By: Kristina LanuzaDirty Dancing Dirty Dancing is definitely a classic romance film, first released in 1987 and taking place during the early 1960’s. It’s a popular film and it’s still iconic to this day, and for good reason — it’s a genuinely good film that depicts romance in an almost fantastical way, leaving you either cooing at the main couple or finding it hard to watch the screen during incredibly cheesy moments. Frances “Baby” Houseman is fresh out of high school when a summer spent at a resort with her family happens to lead her to what would soon become love with the resort’s dance instructor, Johnny. Dire circumstances lead her to become his dance partner and, through multiple dance sessions and considerable growth from beginning to end, they fall into each other's lives perfectly. The two’s relationship was, in its own way, really cute and reflected the views of what love was back when it was being filmed and released. A man and a woman, slowly but surely hopelessly falling in love with each other. A forbidden love, looked down upon by Baby’s father, yet she wrings up the courage to continue on pursuing her relationship with the charming dance instructor. Well, the fact that we still love a good forbidden love story hasn’t changed since then and neither is the fact that people still look to chase ‘true love’, or a love at first sight. One thing that has changed for sure, however, is the apparent roles of each person in a relationship and stereotypes placed on those relationships. While now we would say that gender roles don’t really define a relationship, you can see a clear placement of who plays what part in Baby and Johnny’s relationship. The male partner is typically depicted as stronger and overall the protective type, there to look over the more delicate girl — although, Baby does have moments in which her own determination and courage definitely shine through. It’s a great film, that’s for sure. It portrays finding love and romance as this turbulent journey, kick started by one major event and leading you by the hand into an unforgettable dance and that take on romance is both cheesy and enchanting at the same time. It doesn’t speak to all romances in real life, not everybody has the chance to be swept away to a summer resort that could change your life forever, but it plays to our fantasies of what we want that spark between two people to feel like. Dirty Dancing is definitely something that you should eventually watch, whether it be for that 80’s romance charm or simply for the iconic lift scene and banger soundtrack. By: Heather ParkLegacies Legacies is a tv-series filled with action, magical world, and also romance. The first season aired in 2018 and it is still going, they are releasing their third season that airs every Thursday, although from the amount of romance we see and the undying love truly makes you gush and love the show all over again. Legacies is based around a girl in ‘the Salvator School’ which houses and teaches young supernaturals such as vampires, witches, wolves, and even a phoenix (Landon) on how to control their powers. At first because of some chemistry between Landon and Hope they have a very rocky beginning, after Landon lies to Hope about a magical artifact being stolen she has lost patiences with him. The show itself starts off with little to no romance indicating that not all romances are ‘love at first sight.’ It tells us that every romance story is long and hard to keep those we love close even if by circumstances the boy breaks your heart over a million times. The show gave me many exciting moments that made my heart flutter at the cute scenes, and it also reminded me that I would prefer show and mature type of romance shown in the TV series, veruses the students who go all lovey dovey in hallways while I'm trying to get to class. I believe this series is a perfect show to tell us that romance isn’t always easy, and in the end people need to lean on others in times of need. By: Silvana S.My Girl My Girl is about Vada, a 11 year old girl whose father lives in a funeral home in Madison, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1972. Her mother died two days after she was born and always thinks she’ll join the dead in the funeral home. Her grandma has a disease which makes her unable to sit down and control her mind. Her best friend is Thomas, an unpopular kid. They ride their bikes around the neighbourhood and hang out. They hang out by a treehouse by the lake. Throughout the film there are signs Vada misses her mom, never knowing her. Her dad Harry is in love with Shelly, which grosses Vada out. Vada has a crush on her fifth grade teacher. Vada steals money from Shelly's cookie jar to afford his writing class. In the writing class Vada is the only kid and when she is asked to write a poem she makes it out to be about ice cream. But the adults in the class tell her poems should be based on something a bit more serious. I picked this because at the time I was Vada's age and it doesn't have dumb romance, it's still a valentines day movie but not in a love way. It connects with Valentine's day because it's about friendship. The movie says a bit about friendship but really portraits the show don't tell aspects of cinema. It shows Vada and Thomas hanging out but they're just friends, they have aspects that they care for each other but not in that way, it really explains that not every girl and boy relationship is romantic. Again this movie certainly doesn't have a love triangle, unlike all, (most) of Valentine's day movies it focuses on friendship, not what makes you throw up. I've thrown up once in my life and trust me it is not fun. Want to read more? Check out our other articles and reviews below:
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