Valentine’s Day is a romantic ritual with societal trappings aplenty to choose from: candlelight dinners, hearts and flowers, candy, jewelry … the cliche list goes on and on for those in need of intimate inspiration.
But what’s it all mean?
Isn’t the most important thing to take a few moments out of your hectic schedule and show that special someone how much they mean to you? To spend a little quality time, just the two of you?
So why not forgo the frills this year, skip the stress, and enjoy a cozy, couch-bound night with your dearest, savoring each other’s company – and some of the most iconic romances of the silver screen?
And I’m not talking about Tom and Meg (sorry, Seattle). No Kate and Leo here either.
Want to really step up your romantic gesture game?
Maybe this year try saying it with armed robbery?
How about a punk passion play with all the sex, drugs and rock you can handle?
Or a vampire-themed teenage dream (sans glitter) with real fangs?
Pop the corn and slip into some comfy clothes, love birds. Here are my romantic recommendations for a Valentine’s Day movie night with some of cinema’s craziest couples.
1. “Sid and Nancy” (1986)
The real life story of Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman himself) and Nacy Spungen (Chloe Webb), come to livid life in this is a film about one of the music world’s craziest couples. The ups and downs (oh so very deep downs) of the romance between the notorious Sex Pistols’ bassist and his groupie girlfriend is a wild ride through the ugly side of passion. The story starts with a heroin-fueled murder and ramps up from there. Think you and you paramour fight a lot? Screen this cult classic and get punched with perspective.
2. “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)
A landmark love story and an iconic achievement among the storied annals of 20th century American cinema, this Arthur Penn-helmed masterpiece further mythologized the true life story of Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), the notorious Depression-era bank robbers.
Today regarded as one of the landmark movies of the so-called “New Hollywood” era, this flick flipped the bird at time-honored taboos and brought American movies into the bloody, violent modern age in a hail of bullets.
3. “Near Dark” (1987)
Discovery one half of the ‘80s one-two punch that kickstarted the sexy, young vampire sub genre, but managed to keep its fangs (take a lesson “Twilight” fans). This film — along with the almost simultaneously released and far better known “Lost Boys” — brought vampires out of their castles and into a new century.
In this horror-western hybrid, a small town farmer’s son reluctantly joins a traveling “family” of vampires in a Winnebago with blacked-out windows after falling for, and being turned by, a beautiful young drifter.
4. “I Love You Phillip Morris” (2009)
Based on another too-crazy-to-be-fake love affair, this darkly comedic biopic stars Jim Carrey as the straightest of the straight and narrow citizens, who suddenly becomes a criminal after a near death experience brings him out of the closet and makes him determined to live his ideal life — no matter how big the price tag. He eventually goes to prison and it is there he meets the love of his life (Ewan McGregor). That’s when things get really crazy.
His psychotic devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts him to attempt more and more extravagant cons.
5. “Ruby Sparks” (2012)
A depressed novelist writes about the perfect woman and she comes to life.
Every guy’s dream, right?
Not even close.
This dark little romcom stars Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan and takes what could be easy breezy laugh-based territory here and delves into the nature of jealousy, possession and what it is takes to really know someone.
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