Have a Movie Staycation
Summer's here and maybe your friends are jetting off on a holiday whilst you are stuck at home be it for work, family or money reasons. Fear not as now you can have a movie staycation which allows you to take in the sights of Italy, France and even India all from the comfort of your own home. Okay so it may not be as good as feeling the warmth on your back as you go past some Olive groves in Italy but you still can see some wonderful scenery and beautiful old buildings from the comfort of your home.
1 - Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
When successful San Francisco based writer Frances (Diane Lane) learns that her husband has been having an affair she finds herself living in a small apartment block surrounded by other lonely people. Suffering from depression as well as writer's blocks her friends convince her to take their place on a touring holiday of Tuscany, Italy. Reluctantly she agrees and finds herself on a coach going through Tuscany. That is until she spots Bramasole, a villa for sale in a shop window during a stop in a town and then shortly after the coach ends up stuck outside the villa near Cortona. Deciding to explore Frances' holiday turns into a life changing event when she decides to buy the run down old villa and move in, doing it up with the help of some people who will become her closest friends... Read the Full Review
2 - My House In Umbria (2003)
Whilst travelling on a bury train carriage with many others romantic novelist Mrs. Delahunty (Maggie Smith) finds herself a victim of a bomb blast which puts her and the others in a hospital. After being treated Mrs. Delahunty invites the three other survivors; The General (Ronnie Barker), Werner (Benno Fürmann) and orphaned American Aimee (Emmy Clarke) the run of her home in Umbria whilst they recuperate. Along with Quinty (Timothy Spall) who helps Mrs. Delahunty manage her home and affairs they bond like a family all looking out for young Aimee. It is why when her Uncle Tom (Chris Cooper) arrives to take her back to America it unsettles this quasi-family just as much as the snooping of Inspector Girotti (Giancarlo Giannini) who is investigating the bombing... Read the Full Review
3 - A Good Year (2006)
London based Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a stock brokering beast who is willing to bend the rules and stitch people up in order to make money and win big. But then he learns that his Uncle Henry (Albert Finney), who he use to spend his summers with in his Chateau in Provence, France has died and left him the sprawling Chateau. Thinking money Max heads to France to inspect the property and vine yards he now owns with the plan of selling it quick for a lot of money. But as warm memories of his childhood with Uncle Henry come flooding back, a romance with the attractive Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard) and the arrival of American Christie (Abbie Cornish) who claims to be his Uncle's love child Max starts to have second thoughts about selling the estate... Read the Full Review
4 - Shadows in the Sun (2005)
Jeremy Taylor (Joshua Jackson) always wanted to be a writer but bills means he needs to work and so has got set in a rut as a junior book editor. It is how he ends up in Tuscany when his boss demands he tracks down reclusive writer Wheldon Parish (Harvey Keitel) and persuade him to sign with the publishing house even though Wheldon hasn't written a thing in 20 years. But young Jeremy soon discovers that finding Wheldon is going to be hard enough thanks to Wheldon's Italian friends who try to deter the young man and when he does track him down to an isolated house in the middle of nowhere Wheldon is in no mood to sign any contract. But for Jeremy he finds the beauty of Tuscany intoxicating and with the encouragement of Wheldon starts to focus on his own writing whilst also becoming distracted by Wheldon's incredibly beautiful daughter Isabella (Claire Forlani)... Read the Full Review
5 - Letters to Juliet (2010)
With her fiancee Victor (Gael García Bernal), Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) should be enjoying the sights of Italy, especially Verona where they are staying but with Victor opening a restaurant back in America he sees the holiday as an excuse to seek out food and wine supplies. Fed up of all the food and wine trips Sophie decides to go around Verona on her own and is how she comes to meet the "Secretaries of Juliet" who each day collect up the letters left in the cracks of the wall beneath Juliet's balcony and respond to them. Having offered to help she discovers a letter which has remained behind a brick in the wall for over 50 years left by a lovelorn Claire (Vanessa Redgrave). Much to Sophie's surprise her response to the letter leads to Claire showing up in Verona with her grandson "Secretaries of Juliet" who thinks the whole thing is stupid. But with Sophie's help and with a reluctant Charlie the threesome start scouring the region for Claire's first true love Lorenzo (Franco Nero)... Read the Full Review
6 - Eat, Pay, Love (2010)
To many Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) had it all, she was married with a nice home and a good career but for ever reason Liz felt lost in the life she was living and no longer being true to herself. Deciding to take action she decides to divorce her husband, quit her job in New York and going on an around the world adventure for a year. Her travels take her firstly to Italy where she discovers a passion for food which she had never experienced before. Then from Italy she heads to India where in search of answers to what is causing her dissatisfaction with life learns the art of meditation. And then from India she heads to Bali where in the beauty of the country she discovers not only the meaning of life she has been looking for but also love as well... Read the Full Review
7 - Only You (1994)
When she was a child Faith (Marisa Tomei) messed about with an Ouija board and believes the message she got told her who she would marry, Damon Bradley. But many years later and Faith is getting married, except she never met Damon Bradley and it has always been on her mind. So when she receives a call on her wedding day from someone called Damon Bradley, Faith and her sister-in-law to be Kate (Bonnie Hunt) rush to the airport to catch him before he flies to Venice, Italy. Having arrived too late Faith and Kate end up on the next plane to Italy in the hope of tracking down the mysterious Damon and finding herself seeing many of the sights of Italy as her search takes her down to the beautiful Positano... Read the Full Review
8 - A Good Woman (2004)
The year is 1930 and having found herself broke the infamous Mrs. Erlynne (Helen Hunt), a lady who according to the rumour mill is of ill repute, leaves New York for Italy and the Amalfi coast where she plans to spend time with the rich and in particular the recently married Robert Windermere (Mark Umbers) who along with his wife Meg (Scarlett Johansson) are vacationing there. Soon the local socialites start to gossip when Robert spends time with Mrs. Erlynne whilst Meg finds herself fending off the flirtatious Lord Darlington (Stephen Campbell Moore) who is smitten with her. And whilst this is going on Mrs. Erlynne also finds herself being charmed by Tuppy (Tom Wilkinson) an English nobleman. But is everything as it appears especially when Meg discovers that her husband has been spending time with Mrs. Erlynne... Read the Full Review
9 - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
Following her husband's death Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) learns that he has left her with debts to pa. Graham (Tom Wilkinson) who having had a good career as a judge decides enough is enough and quits his job whilst Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean Ainslie (Penelope Wilton) are dealing with no retirement fund after Douglas invested it in their daughter's internet business. Working class Muriel (Maggie Smith) is in need of a hip replacement operation but faces a long wait to have it done in the UK. Then there are Norman (Ronald Pickup) and Madge (Celia Imrie) both getting on in years and both looking for, well for Norman it is love whilst Madge is after a wealthy husband. Each of these people end up arriving in India to stay at the run down Exotic Marigold Hotel, run by the enthusiastic Sonny (Dev Patel) who's life is complicated thanks to a domineering mother and a girlfriend who he won't take to meet her. But as all these people settle into the hotel they all find their stay in India a life changing experience... Read the Full Review
10 - Driving Aphrodite (2009)
When Georgia (Nia Vardalos) arrived in Greece she went there to teach, but when budget cuts put pay to that dream she ended up working as a tour guide, not something she enjoys as none of the tourists are interested in the Greek history she tries to tell them about. Her latest tour is another bad deal with a caveman of a bus driver, a bus with no air conditioning and a bunch of moaning tourists only interested in the gift shops. But one tourist is different, Irv (Richard Dreyfuss) actually listens to what she has to say and discovers much to her surprise that someone on the tour has feelings for her... Read the Full Review
11 - Stealing Beauty (1996)
19 year old Lucy (Liv Tyler) arrives in Tuscany, Italy to the artists retreat her late mum use to stay at to spend time with her mum's friend having not been there for a few years. But Lucky has an ulterior motive other than seeing those close to her mum and getting her portrait done by bohemian artist Ian (Donal McCann) as she hopes to solve the riddle of who her father is as having read her mother's diary she believes she was conceived during her mother's time there. But Lucy also wants to find the local boy who four years earlier she had her first kiss with in order to lose her virginity to him... Read the Full Review
12 - Roman Holiday (1953)
As a young woman Ann (Audrey Hepburn) would like to have some freedom, unfortunately Ann just happens to be a Princess on an official tour of European cities which means her life is organized for her. During a visit to Rome she manages to escape and after heading out and enjoying the nightlife ends up falling asleep on the street. Just as the young Princess is about to get in to trouble American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) spots her and takes pity on her, taking her back to his to sleep it off and only realises that he is paying host to a Princess in the morning. Spotting one hell of a story he decides to spend the day with her, taking her a tour of Rome on a scooter so she can see the sights but finds her warming to the young woman who just wants to enjoy life... Read the Full Review
For those who enjoy foreign cinema I also suggest Baaria, Il Postino, Cinema Paradiso, Loose Cannons and Priceless for more movies with beautiful scenic views.