Safe Haven

[Livi92]

Maybe a wise choice.. the film doesn't look anything special.
Hope you enjoy Brave and I'm sure we will finally meet one day

[cinefila1]

Well, we at Westfield got to do a Harlem Shake with Josh!

The film started promptly at 6.30. The 'twists' were altogether predictable and the film was nothing special but pleasant to look at. It seemed like a nice little hideaway of a town.

[prettyxcool]

My email said event started prompt at 6pm, so I arrived shortly after 5.40pm and so did a few others, and we were ticked of the guest list and taken into the screening room and told to sit anywhere we liked and take a packet of sweets from the front rows, if we were not sitting there (I think they started to put them out but after a couple of rows got bored doing it? Anyway, the rest of the packets were piled on a table outside the screening rooms and given to people as they came in). 6pm came and went, and the screening room was still only half full, and at 6.15-6.20pm, they announced that the film will start on time at 6.30pm and that the order of the programme will change and we will have the meet and greet (which turned out to be the Q&A) after the film and then the book signing.

What can I say about the film, it was slow and long, formulaic, so full of flaws, but I did enjoy it, it was so mindless and far fetched. My friend and I both spotted the twists way before the end.

At the Q&A, Nicholas Sparks asked who read the book, and only a handful of people put their hands up and most of them were the organisers! So I am wondering is his books better than the films? He has published 17 now. So ashamedly, I decided to b*y one and get it autographed, and have my photo taken in the process! He was very confident, hosting the Q&A by himself, (well this is his 8th book adapted into a film), so may come across as rather smug, and boasted how well the film is doing in the States (and obviously laughing all the way to the bank!)

6/10

[canadian_turtle]

I actually really enjoyed this, but then I'm a sucker for soppy movies and to me it wasn't overly predictable as while I did soon realise that[spoiler]the cop was looking for her for another reason than her being a murderer (I assumed him to be a stalker though, didn't realise they were actually married as she seemed so young. But then that doesn't seem to matter as much in the US...). But I didn't see the twist with the mother coming in the end.[/spoiler] Probably because I was too distracted by the letters themselves (and the little kids, the boy reminded me so much of my brother and when he broke down in the end it broke my heart) and wanting to know more about them. Hope that the book would at least include printed versions of them in the back.

Acting wise I agree than Julianne Hough wasn't very good. She was fine in the sweet/romance scenes with Josh but as soon as she had to portray a larger emotion such as sadness or fear she was a bit all over the place.

Still believe this would've been better suited on the Lifetime channel than in cinema but much prefer it over a slew of other films I've already seen this year.

7/10

The Q/A afterwards was dire. The first time a Q/A I've attended actually made me think of the person on stage (and in turn the film I'd just seen) a lot more negative than going into it. Nicholas Sparks was so full of himself, bragging about his fantastic work and how of course when he writes a book he already knows it'll be turned into a movie and how people are fighting for the rights for them etc. I wanted to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face half the time and the other half of the time I wanted to slap him for talking down on the audience for a) not reading his books (which I'm definitely not doing now unless I can get them for free) 2) talking to us very loudly and slowly (and saying things like: "the difference between a book and a film is that it's a different medium. A book has words, a film has pictures". No shit Sherlock!) like we were a bunch of morons. Ugh.

Thanks for the company funthing29, martadelas and slightly further away Beate and prettyxcool ^_^

[martadelas]

Well, The Notebook it was not. Not by a long shot. Even though all movies based on Nicholas Sparks' books are predictable, at least The Notebook told a good story and was well acted, whereas Safe Haven was trying to be different and failing miserably as the "twists" were very straight up, so to speak, and the story was rather generic. And as for acting, maybe some people should stick to dancing?
All in all this seemed like a decent gap-filler, as in: when you have nothing better to watch or just need some background, might as well watch this without having to actually p*y too much attention.

5/10 and that's because of good company - thanks c_t, funthing29 and Beate!

[cliveas]

Well, we at Westfield got to do a Harlem Shake with Josh!

And he decided that I was the least likely person in the audience to join in with it!

[valda]

Well, we at Westfield got to do a Harlem Shake with Josh!

And he decided that I was the least likely person in the audience to join in with it!

I remember that! He was great fun and it was refreshing to have 2 stars, (Richard Gere on Wednesday) actually talking and interacting with the audience.
Josh was right up in the row in front of us (PCX you missed a great chance) Did n't hear form Nicolas Sparks, which seems like a good thing.

Yeah, so cliche after cliche, plot holes, stupid behaviour and a very very long film. However having said that it was harmless, Josh is great to look at, shame it wasn't just a romantic film vx

[prettyxcool]

2) talking to us very loudly and slowly (and saying things like: "the difference between a book and a film is that it's a different medium. A book has words, a film has pictures". No shit Sherlock!) like we were a bunch of morons. Ugh.

Did he do that, I did not hear that! That's not good!

Well, I started to read the book on the bus journey to work this morning, and already the first chapter is totally different from the film, it is an easy read, and I nearly missed my stop, I was so engrossed!
(ssssh, I picked this one up for free! So when I finish, I will release it into the "wild" (Bookcrossing.com), or pass it to you to continue its journey?

[canadian_turtle]

2) talking to us very loudly and slowly (and saying things like: "the difference between a book and a film is that it's a different medium. A book has words, a film has pictures". No shit Sherlock!) like we were a bunch of morons. Ugh.

Did he do that, I did not hear that! That's not good!

Well, I started to read the book on the bus journey to work this morning, and already the first chapter is totally different from the film, it is an easy read, and I nearly missed my stop, I was so engrossed!
(ssssh, I picked this one up for free! So when I finish, I will release it into the "wild" (Bookcrossing.com), or pass it to you to continue its journey?

Well, if it's free I'll give it a shot! (I just don't want to contribute to Nicholas's wallet by upping the sales of his books even more) Thanks for the offer!

[Beate]

PXC, do ask for some Picturehouse vouchers in return, LOL!