Welcome back to Mac Claire, your curated destination for all things Music, Arts & Culture; I'm so glad you've made it to my little corner of the internet! 👩🏻💻 Today I'll be talking about my favorite Valentine's-themed movies, art, music, television and more, and I can't wait to share them with you- so let's get to it! 🥳
Food & Beverages
1. Pink Velvet Macchiato at Dunkin'
Dunkin' is known for releasing great limited edition menus every holiday season and Valentine's Day is no exception! This year you can find heart-shaped donuts with delectable fillings and the crown jewel: the Pink Velvet Macchiato. It's described by Dunkin' as having "red velvet cake flavor and hints of smooth cream cheese icing" with a light pink color that exudes Valentine's spirit: d e l i c i o u s. 😍
Photo Courtesy of Dunkin'
Books
1. Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It, Various Authors (Introduction by Elizabeth Gilbert)
Eat Pray Love is the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert in which she journeys through Italy, India, and Indonesia on a "search for everything" after her divorce. After Gilbert's book was released in 2006 readers all across the world were inspired to go on journeys of their own and hence Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It was born: a collection of short essays by some of those readers. Though this book is not about Valentine's Day, I love that every entry touches on themes of love: self-love, finding the love you deserve, love of life, love of career, and more.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Gilbert
Music
1. Lover, Taylor Swift
2. Sea of Lovers, Christina Perri
So many genres of music scream "Valentine's Day!" to me, but these two pop music highlights immediately came to mind when coming up with my list of favorites. Swift's 2019 album Lover is full of bright tones and flowery imagery and is said to "celebrate the full spectrum of love". Sea of Lovers is a song released in 2014 by Christina Perri; it's about how one life-changing love can guide you out of the dark, stormy seas. I particularly love this song because it reminds me of one of my favorite romantic scenes from Jane the Virgin, the hit romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela. Here's the scene featuring the song so you can get the full effect: https://youtu.be/bvSXaTk8V28.
Photos Courtesy of Wikipedia
Movies
1. Valentine's Day (2010)
This charming rom-com takes place within one single day, Valentine's Day, and follows the intertwining stories of numerous characters who are at various stages in their relationships and romantic lives (young love, newly engaged, recently single, married for decades, etc.). Though it didn't get the most stellar reviews from the critics, Valentine's Day was directed by one of Hollywood's most beloved directors, Garry Marshall, featured a star-studded cast (including Taylor Swift, Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Emma Roberts and George Lopez), and is the perfect feel-good movie to watch this weekend while snuggled up with a cocoa. 💕
Photo Courtesy of IMDb
Television
1. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975)
2. A Charlie Brown Valentine (2002)
To me, it doesn't feel like a holiday is truly here until I watch the corresponding Charlie Brown animated television special. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Valentine were released many years apart, but both still follow Charles Schultz's Peanuts comic strip characters. In these two specials we see the Peanuts kids in the week leading up to Valentine's Day and then on Valentine's Day, giving out their cards and gifts and attending a party. All Peanuts content has been moved to Apple TV+, so that is the only place you can stream the specials this year, but you can also purchase them on DVD.
Art
1. The Swing, Jean Honoré Fragonard, 1767, oil on canvas
2. Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Antonio Canova, 1793, marble sculpture
3. The Kiss, Gustav Klimt, 1907-1908, oil on canvas
For my Valentine's art favorites I have selected three works that exude love. Two are paintings and one is a sculpture. The Swing is the most jovial work, depicting a playful yet scandalous scene. Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss is an immaculately carved sculpture depicting the mythological story of Psyche and Cupid. Canova captured the moment of Cupid waking Psyche from her slumber so well that you truly feel you've intruded on a passionate, intimate moment. Lastly, The Kiss depicts a kiss on the cheek in all its sweet, gentle, simplistic beauty with gorgeous gold leaf, silver, and platinum. It became Klimt's most popular work and the pride of Austria.
Images Courtesy of Wikipedia
And that's the end! I hope I was able to introduce you to a new movie, song, artwork, or more this Valentine's Day; there's nothing better than increasing the Music, Arts & Culture in our lives.
Did you enjoy this article? Let me know with a heart and a share! Every little bit of engagement helps me grow my audience. You can also connect with Mac Claire on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Spotify! To make sure you never miss an article, click the "subscribe" button below to get the weekly email.
Next week's article is A Look at Romance Movies! I'll be taking a dive into some of the best romance movies out there, my favorite romance movies, and discussing what puts the best ones at the top of the list. If you're a fan of rom-coms, romantic dramas, historical romance, etc., this is the article for you! See you then 👋🏻.
Thank you for reading and I'll talk to you soon!
~Claire
Комментарии