Troublesome Fun Suspense Abounds in Lady Kop Makes Trouble @Amy_Stewart

"Last year I threw a man against a wall when he made me angry. I'd been trying not to do that anymore."

This is a terrific, fun historical mystery novel. I regret that I missed out on reading the first one. I'd had a digital ARC on a Kindle that was unfortunately stolen.

We have a really spunky heroine here, not without her flaws, as she does let a criminal get away. She's one of the New Jersey's first lady deputies--only there's a hold up with her actual badge. She's a jail matron when she's not chasing down sham German doctors in the subway station.

Her sisters are entertaining as well though not as prominent.

There's more than one case going on here--not just the escaped convict. There's a situation with a woman who shot her boarder. There's a look at life in the jail and different criminals' situations. There's a problem with the sheriff's wife and this shows us the attitudes at the time and how difficult it was for women to break career barriers.

Perhaps the thing I enjoyed second to the heroine herself and her determination is the secondary characters. They are memorable and each one is unique. The reporter in the ladies' hotel. The mother in her sick bed. The jailed woman afraid of her husband. Each has her own story showing something dealt with during this time.

Only a few things bothered me. Why was Rathbone paying for Von What'sHisFaces escape if Von owed him money? Seems like throwing good money after bad. And why did Constance show up for her reporter portrait attired as she was if she'd had time to go home and talk to her sisters? I'd think she'd have cleaned up while there.

But I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and plan to read the third installment. This is going on my list of favorite historical mystery series.

The Theory of Everything Shows the Evolution of Love

When I first contemplated watching this movie, I thought to myself, "But how can it be a romance when we already know they get divorced later in life?"

But I was intrigued...and I watched it...and I must say despite the fact that Jane and Stephen get divorced later, that this is a story about love. There are many different kinds of love and you can love someone one way and later find you love them another way. You don't stop loving them; your love just changes. I think this movie should have been called The Evolution of Love. I do.

The movie starts in 1962(3?) Cambridge and we meet a young student Stephen who is working on his PhD and Jane who is majoring in some kind of poetry. I saw something special in Jane right away. This is a girl/woman is one tough cookie. The girl Jane does not take no for an answer. When she finds out her boyfriend has only two years to live, when Stephen's own family warns her she should walk away now, she sticks to her guns. She's going to marry the man she loves and enjoy what times she has with him.

Woman Jane is amazing. She has to juggle small children as well as an invalid Stephen, so it's like having a grown kid on top of the little kids. I don't mean this in an insulting way, but she has to dress him and feed him and all that, and it's obvious she has her hands full and for many years her husband refused to hire outside help.

And you can tell at times that she's unhappy but she's hanging in there. And she's faced with some difficult choices. And she never breaks down.

She does not walk away until Stephen basically tells her to. And then finally she's permitted to find her own happiness.

And yet she still loved him; her love just evolved into a different type.

There are parts of the movie dedicated to Stephen's theories. I didn't understand much of it. It confused me, to be honest. If you are proving your theory from a few years ago wrong now...what makes this theory right? And why are theories so applauded when they're constantly proved wrong? It's all very confusing to me. Thankfully the movie didn't expand on that stuff too much. I may have blown a brain fuse.

But I really enjoyed this movie, the settings, the acting...omg, the acting was something. I applaud them all, especially the actor who played Stephen. And I walk away from the sofa now with a new thought planted in my head...as long as there is life, there is hope.

I bought this movie expecting a romance or a dramatic biography about the famous physicist, but I think Jane's strength stole the show.

Thousand Pieces of Gold Features Feisty Female from China Making Her Way in the American West

I had no idea this was based on a true story and a book with the same title penned by Ruthanne Lum McCunn. It only crossed my radar at all because it was recommended to me on Amazon Prime.

Released in 1991, this is a gem that is still worth watching today. It follows the story of Lalu as her family falls on hard times in 1880 China, forcing her father to hand her over one day to a slave trader/wife seller, who then sends her off to gold-mining San Francisco where she's purchased and then taken to a saloon in Oregon.

It's there that things go from bad to worse. Her "owner" Hong King uses her badly and plans to sell her to the rest of the town, but a man named Charlie says he won't have slavery on his property. This made me think. The woman has been enslaved longer than anybody, haven't we? Almost twenty years after the battle against slavery was fought and won, women were still being enslaved, bought and sold, raped and beaten.

She brandishes a knife more than once to keep an unwanted "customer" at bay and refuses to lie down for any man but her "husband" Hong King, even though she loathes him. 

Circumstances finally take her away from the awful Hong King and when presented with the opportunity, Lalu immediately attempts to make her own path in the American west whether by taking in laundry or running a little boarding house of sorts. I laughed out loud and with glee when Lalu brandished a knife at the breakfast table. "You don't like my pancakes?"

We also see the hostility and deportation of the Chinese in Oregon. And romance lovers will not be disappointed either.

Long story short, this is not a woman who sits back and accepts whatever crap fate hands her. She makes her own fate, against all odds. Def a historical western movie worth watching. I thought the story, acting, settings were all marvelous. I'd watch this again.

Post WWII Female Secret Agent TV Show Coming to ABC In January

No, I'm not being paid for this. As someone who watches only period dramas, an occasional documentary, and sometimes a Mysteries at the Museum, my TV pickings are really low. Matter of fact, because I seem to only watch PBS on Sundays, and nothing else, my husband has been threatening to get rid of cable.

"You can't do that!" I screech at him. "You never know when something really awesome is suddenly going to air on like, History channel or something."

Well, even if he takes that leap and cancels our Direct TV packages, thankfully a period drama is coming to ABC in January. I figure some of you would like to know about it. I only found out about it because my husband heard of it somehow.

So, to get to the point, Marvel's Agent Carter is premiering on ABC January 6th. I was already able to set my recorder to record the series. You should be able to as well. If not, mark it on your calendars or put a note/reminder in your phone.

And here's the 411 as well as a trailer:

From Wiki:

"Marvel's Agent Carter, or simply Agent Carter, is an upcoming American television series created for ABC by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise.

The series features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter, with Hayley Atwell reprising her role from the film series, as she must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark while trying to navigate life as a single woman in 1940s America. Several characters from Marvel Cinematic Universe films appear throughout the series. It is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television, with Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas serving as showrunners.

The series was officially ordered on May 8, 2014, and is scheduled to debut on January 6, 2015, during the season two mid-season break of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Island at War Shows What the British Channel Islands Endured During German Occupation

I went through a range of emotions whilst watching this 6-hour TV series on Netflix. Shame, sympathy, shock, elation. I shook my head, cheered, gasped, cursed people's stupidity, nodded...

The show follows 3 different families and a handful of German soldiers. Though a fictional island, it's based on the happenings during the real Channel Islands' invasion. Due to its low population, England has abandoned it, rid it of all military occupation, and left it for the German clutches. It's too close to France...

Normally I'm all about the women, be it a book or a movie, but this time I was taken more with the men in this show. Wilf, the police officer who finds himself tested repeatedly. He must protect his family, maintain his dignity when the Germans seem too eager to bring him down, and he visibly battles with what he feels is wrong and right. He toes the line very carefully between outright disobedience and doing as he's told. He does this in such a manner that I was cheering for him even when he was "taken down a few pegs".  He manages to do his job while at the same time, making it clear where he stands: with the island.


The Senator. At first I found him cowardly, but in the end, I loved how he tells the people, "We must must keep our humanity." I also loved how he fought for his wife. I didn't expect that.

And there's another man, he seems bad at first; he's playing both sides, but in the end it's not necessarily what goes in his pockets. Though fond of money, without his special "powers" he wouldn't be able to help the local spy. It becomes very clear where his real loyalties lie. Artfully done.

I did not like any of the women, and that's a big flaw. The producers/directors/whoever really did us wrong in this one. While I admired the Jew for hiding in plain sight, at the same time I disliked her socializing with a German soldier. While she kept spurning his advances, at the same time, why did she go out with him at all? And the two sisters, declaring these Germans were merely human too....singing and dancing and kissing them after they executed a man. I'm afraid I didn't care for the young pilot and his declaring "You're stupid." There's a mother whose staunch refusal to serve Germans in her store evaporated into a business requiring her to meet a German in his room and profiting off her own people...and more that I shan't mention. The only remotely admirable woman is Wilf's wife.

Regardless, I became very wrapped up in all their lives. There are plenty of touching moments of rebellion too, such as when the town stands in silence, facing German rifles, to honor the executed man. And of course, there's the story of war, a reminder that it's not glamorous, that it's brutal and cruel, and in the end, there are no true victors. I don't appreciate being left hanging as to the complete outcome of these people's lives though. The war wasn't over when the series ended. If you aren't going to make a second season, at least wrap everything up the first time. Grrrr!

The Iron Lady

"A man should be encouraged to stand on his own two feet. For those that can do, they must just get up and do. And if something's wrong, they shouldn't just whine about it. They should get in there and do something about it, change things." 

"I will never be one of those women...who stays silent and pretty on the arm of her husband. Or remote and alone in the kitchen."

I knew very little about Margaret Thatcher before watching this. I knew she was Britain's first Prime Minister. That's it. Thus, I found this movie not only entertaining and educational, but a learning experience.

It's done in a very unique manner. The modern-day Margaret is very old and one could say, "losing her mind". But honestly? I sort of see it as spending her remaining days on earth where she wants to be: in the past with those she loves, her dead husband, her son who is in South Africa... and of course she reminisces and through these memories we watch the younger Margaret rise from shopkeeper's daughter to a member of Parliament to Secretary of something (I forgot) and finally, to her own shock, PM.

(I can see why fans of MT are offended by the version of her going "batty", but as I said above, it didn't bother me because I saw her mind going where she wanted to be. I also think some of this was guilt. While she seemed convinced she'd done what was right for her country, she didn't seem convinced she'd been a good wife. I would have, however, have preferred they cut back on the modern scenes a bit to make more room for her rise to PM.)

And despite her husband's complaints, I don't think a thirst for power drove her. I think she honestly wanted what was best for England. She became PM in a turbulent time, when there were strikes, no electricity, garbage all over the street...

And she also battles with motherhood. We see a touching scene in which she's driving away from her children...in more ways than one. The sixties and seventies were a time when women hadn't quite figured out how to master it all. I wonder at times, have we still?

I enjoyed watching this version of MT, her speeches, the way she stands up to the men who question her. I cried with her daughter as she realized MT wasn't all "there" at times. I can't imagine watching one's mother lose her memory. I laughed the moment she said her twin pearls were non-negotiable. I cheered when she spoke to the U.S. Secretary of State about Pearl Harbor...

But where was the queen in all this? Did she never assist the PM in any decisions? Funny that we never even see a meeting btw the two.

Meryl Streep...she did superb. Incredible acting. I was completely convinced.

I watched this on Netflix.

Belle: A Magical Feel-Good Movie About Humanity and Love

"Laws that allow us to diminish the humanity of anybody are not laws. They are frameworks for crime."

I love a good period drama, but I especially love a good period drama that actually teaches me about something that occurred in history that until now, I never knew about. This is the case with Belle. It's not just a story of a mulatto woman being raised among the lords and ladies, but also the story of the Zong, a slave ship on which traumatic circumstances caused it to be a crucial step in abolishing the slave trade.

On the Zong, the traders claim to have ran out of water, a huge problem for ships in the 1700s. They had a LONG way to go. They threw the slaves overboard, chained to one another, to drown, and wrote it off as "lost cargo" and a "must in order to save the lives of seamen" aka white men.

Once back on English soil, they tried to claim insurance money for the dead slaves.

And this "lack of water" excuse passed muster in the low courts, but when it made it to the high courts, it was another story. Some facts came to light...and in order not to spoil the movie for those of you who haven't seen it, that's all I'm going to say on that. However, Belle's caregiver/uncle is the judge overseeing this case.

Behind his back, Belle is trying to do whatever she can to ensure the outcome does not go in the traders' favor. Meanwhile, a wealthy man is trying to win her hand and she believes it's her only chance to marry, because despite her wealth, most English gentlemen won't marry a woman of color. But can she act as though her Negro mother is a shameful secret? Can she shun her heritage?

It's very interesting to see what happens. I was holding my breath and at one point--the end--actually shed tears of happiness. I became quite engrossed in this tale. It's true, by the way. It's based on a real woman. Also cool to watch was how the family changed from being, "But she's a Negro! You failed to mention that. We can't raise her in this house" to "She's one of us" despite the fact they wouldn't let her eat at their dinner table.

That brings me to some things that confused me and thus knock off a bike. If they love her so much, if they accept her as they seem to, why is she eating alone still? If her father loved her mother as much as he claimed to, why was she living in the slums? And why in the world was Belle so rude and nasty to the clergyman's son upon first meeting him?

But an inspiring movie. Belle was truly a strong woman who stood up for herself, her heart, and her beliefs.

I highly recommend this one. I rented this on Amazon.

Affinity Shows Us Two Very Different Women in Very Different Prisons

I debated whether to bother reviewing this for Book Babe. I didn't dislike the movie. On the contrary, I was wholly engrossed in it. But it does not contain strong heroines. They are rather weak, really. One is weak in heart, lonely, a prisoner in her own home and way of life. She's a prime example of how one could have every materialistic possession, money, and title, and yet still be miserable and alone. Desperate.

She's the perfect prey and easily duped by a young prisoner, another woman, whose prison is an actual cell and perhaps, her own depravity.

I guess the prisoner's character is strong...stronger than the lady's anyway. But she too is weak to things, matters of the flesh, the heart, and overly desirous of what the lady has. Yes, material items can weaken us.

That being said, I'd like to talk about the good things in this movie: It's entertaining, suspenseful, has terrific costumes and settings (Victorian England), and shows us how very rough life in a women's prison was back in these times: their cells, their bathing process, their hair being shorn, their items being stored in drawers and riffled through by whomever wishes to, the dark rooms used for discipline.

There's a supposed spiritual theme too, as the prisoner claims that spirits speak through her. As a matter of fact, a spirit named Peter Quick is, of course!, the actual murderer...not her. *winks*

The acting was superb, as I found myself duped as well. Didn't see the results coming. Not at all.

The cons: The movie was very dark, and I don't mean in nature (which it is) but the lighting. I get London is a rather dark and foggy place at times, but everyday? The prison I expected to be dark, but the rest of it, it seemed they dimmed everything.

My last quibble...as the closing credits rolled by I found myself scratching my head and asking, "So, was Peter Quick fake? Who was that face then? Is she a spiritualist? What the hell?"

I hate being left with questions.

BUT, for those who love a suspenseful period drama, this is a great flick to get your hands on. Note: there is some very mild lesbianism--nothing but kisses. Also note, this is based on a Sarah Waters book, which I have not read.

I bought this DVD on Amazon.

The Duchess: A Movie That Shows Just How Badly Women Were Oppressed

I wanted to watch this movie because 1. It's from BBC. They rarely do wrong. 2. It's a period drama with amazing costumes. 3. It says on Amazon, "A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life."

I don't know how the heck she was involved in politics beyond promoting her lover and introducing him to crowds, to be quite frank. That's literally all we saw in this movie regarding her politics, beyond a few witty remarks about freedom during a dinner.

BBC missed the mark with this one, though I'll admit that this movie really showed us just how very oppressed women were in the late 1700s, early 1800s. We were merely chattels, baby-birthing machines. If the husband said, "I'm going to have my mistress live right here, under your very  nose, at your very dinner table, and if you don't like it and accept it, I'll just take our kids away from you," that was law. By law, according to this movie, it was a husband's right, even, to beat his wife with a stick, as long as it was no wider than his thumb.

"Thomas Gainsborough Lady Georgiana Cavendish"
by Thomas Gainsborough - Unknown. Licensed
under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons -

But in all honesty, I hated this movie. Was it eye-opening? Yes. But so very miserable and they didn't show me what made this woman remarkable at all. So if she wore a giant feather in her hair, everyone copied her. Whoopee doo.

The movie portrays her as a woman who merely rebelled against her husband just long enough to get knocked up and then lived the rest of her days under his thumb, with his stinking mistress right under her nose. Not a very remarkable woman at all, not unless you give  her points for being accepting of BS.

Frankly, I wouldn't have wasted my time making a movie about her. Or if I had, I would have actually focused on this supposed political career or whatever she had.

A miserable two hours.

I rented this on Amazon Prime.

Skirts Ahoy: A Musical Movie Featuring the WAVES

I watched this on TCM recently. Now, I confess I'm not that into the old musicals. The musical scenes are really cheesy. This was no exception. I found myself fast forwarding most of them. I mean, let's be realistic, who is going to start singing, dancing, and swinging around chairs in the middle of an upscale restaurant? OR even sillier, put on some sudden underwater performance with two children? (And singing to a water toy was a bit much.)

But...I watched this because it's a comedy about WAVES (the first ladies in the Navy). The WAVES were started during WWII, 1942 to be exact. This is not a biographical movie, however, but a comedy and musical. It follows three women during basic training.

Whitney Young (Esther Williams) is a runaway bride with a reputation for making trouble. Even though her uncle can pull strings to get her an officer position, she say she "doesn't want it to be easy" and wants the same privileges or lack of as the other ladies. She rises based on her own merits and starts a romance--really rocky at first--with the base doctor. She's a cool character and does the gist of the singing. As I said, I fast forwarded those.

Mary Kate (Joan Evans) is a jilted bride. She is really spineless at first, wants nothing more than to go home and play house. I didn't like her...but then when her former beau pays her a visit, whoa, the claws come out!!! LOVE the scene in which she says she no longer thinks him good enough, or something along those terms. You'd have to see it, but I guarantee you'll be delighted to see this gal grow a backbone.

Yancy (Vivian Blaine) is a girl who joined the WAVES just to find a man she's crushing on. Can't say she ever grew on me but she was funny sometimes.

Liked: Some of the funny bits. Watching Mary Kate grow. The rocky romance between Young and the doctor. Enjoyed watching these ladies try to get their men... Liked the uniforms. Got a kick out of it when they misbehaved and got punished for it.

I've never seen another WAVE movie before, but I imagine life as a new WAVE was pretty similar to this--minus the dancing. They had to do chores, get up early, taking swimming lessons, and they got leave here and there. They also faced reprimand and chose squad leaders.

Disliked: The theme and especially the song about "what's a gal without a guy?" Too much of the tale implied these women HAD to have men to be complete. The musical scenes were cheesy. As I said above, nobody just starts singing and dancing in the middle of a pool or restaurant. Also didn't care for the sudden love confession at the end, when there was no inkling whatsoever he felt anything for her...hum. 

Fun fact found on IMDb's trivia page for this movie:
Esther Williams "designed the swimsuits in the film (with the help of Cole of California), after seeing the Navy's swimsuits for women. Esther describes the old ones as "cotton sleeveless T-shirts" that were not at all good for swimming. She spoke to the director of the Navy, who then made the swimsuit the new official swimsuit of the US Navy."

Stag Hunt by Laura DeLuca

For those of Book Babe's readers who like a strong heroine, look no further. Stag Hunt is here. A quick read/novelette, it's a great pick me up when you need that boost of feminist power. In it, the the heroine not only dresses as a boy, but attempts to take down the legendary and powerful stag. If she succeeds, she'll not only win the princesses's hand in marriage for her brother, but put a stop to an impending war--if she doesn't succeed, YIKES! Folks didn't take too kindly to gals that dressed as lads back then. LOL

In ancient Britannia, the warrior who brought down the king stag was named the defender of the land.

Eartha’s brother Balen has been in love with Princess Galiene since they were children. Upon the death of the High King, the tribesmen of the realm vie for the throne, and with it, the hand of the fair princess.

Balen is desperate to win his lady, but a rival tribesman is equally determined to keep them apart.

With her brother, her dearest friend, and the country she loves all hanging in the balance, Eartha must do the unthinkable to ensure her brother’s victory in the stag hunt. Sometimes true love needs a helping hand...or some blood to be spilled.

Purchase

Amazon * Goodreads

About Author Laura DeLucaLaura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

What would possess a freed slave in the pre Civil War south to risk her freedom and go back to Richmond where any person of color can be grabbed and sold?


The chance to be  spy, of course...and in the process free ALL the slaves, not just herself.


Though a very long read, I enjoyed immersing myself in Mary's story the last four days. It starts with her as a child and her mother keeps telling her that Jesus has a plan for her.. (No, this isn't a religious book.)


There's so much food for thought in this book, I can't possibly cover it all... from "we in the house" to African Americans that are free looking down on those that aren't to the big question, "Why stay in slavery?" There's prejudice, there's white people that say their abolitionists yet boss servants around just like slave owners, there's a young African American woman trying to get educated and make the most of herself, realizing her place in life, risking all for family and love.  There's Quakers, snotty Philadelphia people, brash Confederate soldiers, Jeff Davis and  his horrid wife... There's an incredible cast of characters and at the middle of it all is Mary.


Having already ready much of Civil War history, I grew a tad bored as it got into war details, but I still learned something new here and there or read a different POV. I especially was impacted by the whole, "Lincoln isn't fighting for us. He's only freeing us to increase his army" part. That's not a direct quote, but a part of the book's story line. Too often, we nowadays forget some of the real history behind that war. It's been sugar coated to make people look like heroes. 
In my opinion, the real heroes were people like Wilson and Mary Bowser, and even Miss. Bet. 

Favorite quote: "History's not so bad once you get past who's who and start learning what they did to each other. Those whites can be as nasty to one another as they are to us, if they're kings and queens and whatnot."


This was an ARC from Amazon Vine.

Movie: Rains of Injustice

I know this is Book Babe, but once again, I watched a movie related to a book I have read about a real life heroine and I thought to share. This movie was released in 2010 and stars Michelle Rodriguez, Cesar Evora, and Juan Fernandez.

The book I'm thinking of is In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This movie is not based on that book, but has enough similarities.. As a matter of fact, Butterflies has its own movie and I have no idea why they have made two movies of the same topic and woman, but I liked this one enough. The woman is Minerva Mirabel and it is about her and two of her sisters and how they planned an uprising against the dictator Trujillo. They failed and had an unfortunate death, but they have gone down in Latin history.

As with many other historical movies, a lot of pertinent information is left out. I recommend one reads the above book I mentioned first OR familiarizes themselves with Dominican Republic history first. The movie follows Minerva and pretty much neglects her other three sisters. Minerva spurns Trujillo's advances and discovers that he is watching her as she lives her life. She goes to law school and cannot continue her classes until she gives a speech applauding El Jefe... When she graduates, for some reason, the governement denies her a license to practice.. Gee, I wonder who is behind that?

There are uprisings, weapons caches, men imprisoned, people tortured.. and lots of awesome cars! My complaints: 1. Everywhere Minerva goes, all men stop and stare at her. Come on, let's be realistic. 2. Trujillo looks constantly constipated. Either that, or he is smirking at all times.. I really couldn't tell. 3. Very little about the other sisters.

Still worth the trip to Blockbuster though. Favorite part: When Minerva tells her friend, "I prefer books before men."

Minerva Mirabel

Movie: Princess Ka'iulani

Tonight I watched a movie about the real Princess Ka'iulani of Hawaii. It was released on dvd in 2010 and stars Q'orianka Kilcher as the princess and Shaun Evans as her English love interest. I know I'm Book Babe, but I thought some of my followers would be interested in this.

In the time when Hawaii was conforming to the ways of the white man and trying to be peaceful, the American land owners began taking over. It started off with placing a gun to the Hawaiian king's head and forcing him to sign a new constitution stating that only land owners could vote. Who were the land owners? White men.

Princess Ka'iulani was the niece of this king. When things get heated in Hawaii, she is sent to live with a family in England and falls in love with a young man. But when her uncle dies, she must go back to Hawaii and help her aunt who is losing the throne. Hawaii is about to be anexed.

Needless to say, she lost Hawaii, but she did gain the Hawaiian's people right to vote and be American citizens. She died one year later.

This movie chronicles all of that. I enjoyed it very much except for the love scenes in England.. They were predictable and somewhat stupid. (Cavorting on the seashore and all that...and ankle and the bicycle PUHLEASE).  And I think the makeup people went a bit overboard with the actresses' top lip...

My favorite scene (and I may not have it word for word...) is when the princess says to her English man, "What will it fade to without me? What will I fade to without it?" Something like that. Powerful words, referring to her home of Hawaii...

For those that may have read the book, The Last Aloha by Gaellen Quinn, I recommend this movie.

Princess Ka'iulani