Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. The day for expressions of love and rushing to find last minute gifts is always a special time of year. Many couples take some time out to engage in the tried and true relationship pastime of watching films. Unfortunately, the fluffy cloud of romance hovering over Valentine’s Day means that many of us are forced to endure some truly terrible flicks.
However all is not lost, here a handful of movies actually worth watching that Saint Valentine would approve of.
Natural Born Killers
While at first glance Oliver Stone’s controversial classic may seem more suitable for viewing on Halloween, but buried within the films violence and social commentary, is simple story of two people madly in love. Mickey and Mallory Knox, played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis, are a couple bound not only by sociopathic tendencies but intense love for each other.
Admittedly the various crimes committed by the pair over the course of the movie may make it hard for some sofa bound couples to see the romantic side to this cult classic, but scratch the surface of “Natural Born Killers” and it can be pretty heart warming, or possibly shocking.
True Romance
Penned by legend Quentin Tarantino, “True Romance” is another tale of two people committing questionable acts all in the name of love. When Clarence Worley, played by Christian Slater, falls for prostitute Alabama Whitman, brilliantly played by Patricia Arquette, he’s forced into a world of crime.
Whereas the violence in “Natural Born Killers” made it hard to relate to the romance in the film, “True Romance” is able to make audiences ignore the mayhem and carnage simply because the whirlwind love affair between Clarence and Alabama is so endearing. Even when the pair are stealing cocaine and shooting at mobsters it’s hard not to hope they have a happy ending.
Lethal Weapon
Not only is “Lethal Weapon” one of the best action films of the 80s, it’s also a fantastic ‘bromance’. Many films followed the buddy cop template, but “Lethal Weapon” stands out as the best of its genre. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover add a depth to detectives’ Riggs and Murtaugh that was able to stretch out over three sequels.
Whether they’re sharing a witty line or blowing up the obligatory building, Riggs and Murtaugh were the golden couple of action movies. A story of two people realising how much they care about each other should be definitely welcome at Valentine’s, and is only improved if they indulge in some explosions and a car chase or two.
Scott Pilgrim vs The world
This film has all the elements of a traditional Valentine’s night in film. A story of two young people falling in love and having to deal with their pasts has been told in countless tearjerkers over the years. However, when “Scott Pilgrim” came out last year it showed audiences that love stories can still be awesome. Not only were the performances of Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead excellent, but the film was packed with enough humour, pop culture references and great music that it was easy to forget you were watching a love story at all.
Sticking true to its graphic novel roots “Shaun of the Dead” director Edgar Wright was able to capture the spirit of comic book culture and infuse it with enough popcorn sensibility that even if people had never played a videogame or read a comic in their life, they could still love this movie.
While this list may not save many of you from having to sit through two hours of mushy loved-up nonsense, and maybe at Valentine’s it’s ok to do that, hopefully it will give you some food for thought when you sit down and decide what you want to snuggle up and watch with your special someone.