The Decoy Bride (2011)

Genre: rom-com
Lead peeps: Kelly Macdonald and David Tennant
Brownie point#1: The Scottish island of Hegg makes for a delectable backdrop against which an unlikely love develops, out of thin air and pesky press coverage.
One-phrase frame: James, a published author previously plagued by writer's block,
                                        comes back to Hegg after his long-awaited sophomore novel 
                                                             hits the stands,
                                                     so he can tell Katie the book's dedication is meant for her,
                                             and not Lara, the big-screen darling ex-fiancee he'd been 
                                                        trying to marry for most of this movie.

Catch and Release (2006)

Genre: romance
Lead peeps: Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant
Brownie point#1: Even though the pining-over-a-dead-love story's been done to death, Garner is more charming than Hilary Swank can ever hope to be, and Olyphant... well, he just looks so darn cute! 
One-phrase frame: As Gray arrives, out of the blue, at [her dead-fiancé's BFF] Fritz's beach house,

she starts rattling away, tail between her legs

for having belittled their [color-me-shocked] love as "nothing, less than nothing,"

but Fritz swoops in mid-rant for the reassuring kiss, and, when they stop to breathe,

rejoins: "What took you so long?" 

Falling Up (2009)

Genre: romance
Lead peeps: Joseph Cross and Sarah Roemer
Brownie point#1: A story set mostly in a Fifth Avenue building, which is as splendid a New York setting as they come 
One-phrase frame: Henry's just been on a datemeeting arranged, and paid for, by Scarlett,

the Penthouse-dweller-equal-opportunities-advocate-but-really-just-another-trust-fund chick

who lives in the building he works in,

as a doorman,

which is a level of fraternization that both his boss and her mommy-dearest frown upon.

KisSoundtrack: Peter Von Poehl - The Story of the Impossible

L'arnacoeur (2010)

Genre: rom-com
Lead peeps: Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis
Brownie point#1: The funny and the sappy deliver quite the performance, a side-by-sidedness working hand in glove with wit, well-rounded supporting characters and an engaging, if flimsy, script - which is all to say, great stuff!
One-phrase frame: Alex and Juliette close off the flick with a much-awaited lip-lock,

which, 

despite him having been hired by her dad to undo her happiness with fiance Jonathan,

we can see going somewhere just because... we dare to dream 

that such a bona fide fairy-tale-esque happy-ending conquers all else.

KisSoundtrack: Peter Von Poehl - The Story of the Impossible

Doctor Who (2005) - "Voyage of the Damned"

Genre: sci-fi
Lead peeps: Kylie Minogue and David Tennant
Brownie point#1: The Doctor's Titanic-from-outer-space hijinks was among the best Christmas specials of the revived cult TV show
One-phrase frame: The Doctor gets saved from the clutches of a fiery death

(though we never quite buy it, death being impending for him)

by Astrid, a sweet, wide-eyed little waitress - self-effacing too...

and quite literally as it turns out,
'cause she ends up coming apart at the molecules, which he then sends off into space

with a heart-stopping kiss..

À Deriva (2009)

Genre: drama
Lead peeps: Vincent Cassel, Camilla Belle and Laura Neiva
Brownie point#1: The Brazilian scenery alternately lightens and underlines the plot's heavy blows
One-phrase frame: Filipa and Artur share some kisses on the sea cliffs

a relationship she quickly dismisses, 

as her family's having a rough time of it

(yes, the scary "D" word's looming)

and the pedestal she's got her father up on

is quickly shattering before her eyes.

From Within (2008)

Genre: horror
Lead peeps: Elizabeth Rice, Thomas Dekker and Kelly Blatz
Brownie point#1: Lots of bible-thumping townies die a cruel, cruel death
One-phrase frame: Aidan and Lindsay are saying good-bye,

because he needs to blow his brains out,

to stop a curse from killing off all the townspeople,

who are (mostly) guilty of burning Aidan's mom alive

on grounds of witchcraft.