Monday, February 11, 2013

Valentine's Day movies from Hallmark to Kink to Zombie

Ack! I can't help myself. No matter how much I detest February 14th, I will watch at least one lovey-dovey movie. I might as well get my playlist in order. Thought someone out there might like a suggestion or two. Here we go. 

Hallmark: Don't judge. My very favorite Hallmark movie, one that I admit to watching more than...whatever. A few times, okay? The Magic of Ordinary Days. This is a period drama with Keri Russel and Skeet Ulrich. Ah, now you're paying attention. We get to travel to the Midwest during the time when the US had Japanese American internment camps set up all over the country. I just discovered it's also a book by Anne Howard Creel. I'm checking that out for sure. This is a slow-build love story where Keri Russel has some eye-opening and growing up to do. And Skeet, oh Skeet with your odd movie roles, love ya.

80's: Say Anything. I don't even have to say anything about it. You all should know this deserves to be mentioned.





90's Romantic Comedy: French Kiss is one of those movies that makes me laugh and dreamy-eyed at the same time. I love the scenery, love Kevin Cline's attempt at playing a rude, slovenly French man, love Meg Ryan's gentle femininity and "can't help herself" personality. Oh, and the soundtrack rocks!



Kink: Before Fifty Shades (and a mountain of books on the same subject that predate the series), there was Secretary. Hot! Smoking hot. James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal have this awesome push-pull-follow-run kind of relationship. This is a damaged souls/like gravitates toward like kind of movie. I loved it!


War: Shining Through with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith is everything you want when love is part of the mix and you're not aiming for everyone-dies-at-the-end-epic.




Classic: The Philadelphia Story with Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart is a love triangle with great quips, black and white ambiance, and I mentioned the cast, right? (couldn't find a blank and white version...bet libraries carry it though)



70's oddball: Oh, the 70's with their weird clothes and colors. Harold and Maude is even less typical than my pick for kink. But I'll tell you this, there is a scene where I laughed so hard I cried. If you can make me do that, I'll love you forever. I'm that easy...



Sci-fi: The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich is like a music video with funny dialogue.





Zombie: Night of the Comet has a blip of a romance undercurrent, but this is my pick because it's my favorite zombie movie of all time. I could have picked
Shaun of the Dead because that's my second favorite. Okay, either one is awesome.





M/M: Shelter is one of my favorites. No one gets beat up walking out of a gay bar. No one dies. Stellar cast, the best music, and a wonderful coming to terms story.





Independent/Foreign: Never Forever with Vera Farmiga, David L. McInnis, and Ha Jeong-woo is a steamy, heart wrenching drama with a captivating love story about trying to give the one you love something to live for.






Tearjerker: In Miss Potter, RenĂ©e Zellweger plays Beatrix Potter, creator of Peter Rabbit. Ewan McGregor plays her irresistible publisher.





My number one pick: Pride and Prejudice! is such an obvious choice. Mr. Darcy. Enough said.

11 comments:

  1. I despise Valentine's Day to be honest, mostly because where I live it turns into "Idiot's Day" where it looks like everyone gets into fights. I used to take my mom out to eat but we once found ourselves in the middle of a brawl at Applebees and we stopped going out.

    However, I do agree with a few of your movie choices. I LOVE The Philadelphia Story, it's one of my all time favorite films. I also love Pride & Prejudice.

    Adria
    Adria's Romance Reviews Among Wildlings

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    1. I cannot believe you had to maneuver around a fight at Applebees. When I was a kid it was New Year's Eve that was full of idiots because people fire their guns all night long. I went to an outdoor concert where a falling bullet hit a girl. Crazy people!

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  2. Pride and Prejudice all day!! Plus a little Leap Year, Ever After, Letters to Juliet and 27 Dresses. Great post! Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven

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    1. Now that is a great marathon. I've seen all of those. I'm a total romantic movie nut.

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  3. You did pick two great zombie movies! I loved Night of the Comet as a kid. No idea how many times I watched it. I watched it again recently - I think it still holds up.

    And what can I say about Shaun of the Dead...it's a classic, as far as I'm concerned. One of the best comedies of all time.

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    1. I love the Shaun of the Dead duo. Did you ever see Hot Fuzz, not zombie, but there were a few really funny scenes.

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  4. Valentine's day is always a horrible, horrible day for me. I loved Secretary though, I will say it was hard for me to look at James Spader the same way ever again.

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    1. I'm the same way about Valentine's Day. For me, it was Sex, Lies, and Videotape that forever imprinted Spader as kink man.

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  5. I rarely watch love stories over and over again. But I do love Greencard, Imagine You and Me, and does Fast Five count?(Maybe not Fast Five, but I can watch that movie over and over again.)

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  6. I know my one sister does not like Greencard and can't imagine why, why I would post that comment.

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