Thursday 13: 13 Movies for Valentine's Day

Whether you're spending the night in with someone special, or you're going stag (in which case, you're still spending it with someone special), here's a few of my favourite romantic movies for Valentine's Day (I should have put it in order, but I didn't really)...

1. Better off Dead (1985) - I've heard that John Cusack hates this movie, but I always get a kick out of it. Now, suicide is not amusing, but that kick in the gut from lost love (and surviving it) can be - and is, in this movie. My preferred way of spending Valentine's Day - my little love note to the suckiness that is romance at times. If nothing else, you'll learn the invaluable rule: pay your damned paperboy on time.
2. Juno (2007) - While Twee Hipsters normally just make me want to vomit, these ones deserved a big hug.
3. French Kiss (1995) - Cheesy? Oh, oui! Certainement! Worth a good bowl of popcorn and a few hours? Oh, most definitely, yes! Kevin Kline is so oddly compelling in this film, I watch it over and over - and Meg Ryan? Well, she's just adorable.
4. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - Yes, a teen comedy. But I fell for it! I feel no shame.
5. The Wedding Singer (1998) - I know, Adam Sandler isn't exactly the First Name in Romance, but this movie has me sighing every time - and if you're alone on Valentine's Day, his rendition of "Love Stinks" will have you jumping with glee on your sofa.
6. The Pelican Brief (1993) - Not a romance, you say? I guess not. But the chemistry kills me, and friendship, affection, partnership can all be better in the long run than the most sappy of proclamations, no?
7. Say Anything (1989) - I know, the second Cusack movie on the list, but come on! Lloyd Dobler is basically wonderful - a noble slacker, before slackers just became punks, and he's absolutely dedicated to one principle: I can love Diane Court better than anyone else in the world. Something of a men's liberation film, I think. And nothing will ever top that ghetto blaster scene, which could never be reproduced. (Imagine him holding up an iPod dock?)
8. John Adams (2008) - Yep, I mean the HBO miniseries. Has there ever been a screen couple as wonderful as John and Abigail Adams are in this series?
9. City Lights (1931) - Such perfection! So sublime, it isn't even really a movie. I don't know if that makes sense, at all, but my goodness... I don't know if this movie has a HEA ending or not, but the beauty of that last scene is transformative.
10. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) - Possibly one of the most stirring romances, ever, in my opinion. Love saves a drowning man, not because he's rich or swank, but because he's good and he deserves it. Really, how can you do better than that?
11. LA Confidential (1997) - A hooker with a heart of gold and some pretty seriously effective bromance - this one has something for everyone! Plus, Bud White - need I say more?
12. Notting Hill (1999) - In the late-90s and the early-00s, no one did romantic comedies like the Brits, and this one hooked me. I saw it in theaters at least three times, if I recall, and I still pull it out every now and then. So cute! And, yes, it was fairly fresh when it was new; that so many films have copied it since is no fault of Notting Hill's.
13. Pride and Prejudice (1995) - The Big Granddaddy of all that is wonderful.

Bonus: Bull Durham (1988), anyone? Yum!

So, what are some of your favourite romantic flicks?

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! And happy viewing!