Valentine’s Day Special: 5 Romantic Movies That Don’t Suck

It’s been a while since we’ve done a Listomania, but we feel we must not allow a holiday about getting some to pass uncelebrated. Still, don’t say we’re not romantic, there are even many romantic films we actually enjoy! Well…. five…..

So here’s our list of Valentine’s Day films you can watch with the Mrs and not gnaw your arm off in boredom, Hit the jump:

1) Love Actually

Yes, it’s a Christmas film that covers all kinds of love, from familial to platonic, but it is still a film about romantic love and a pretty good one at that. Hugh Grant’s, Colin Firth’s, Martin Freeman’s and Keira Knightley’s segments all manage to take chick-flick clichés and make them funny, real and sweet without being saccharine. All thanks to a certain Mr Curtis.

2) Slumdog Millionaire

Was there anyone who didn’t like this movie? Everyone from the ardent film geek to someone who hasn’t seen a movie since Pretty Woman was won over. On the surface, the movie is about the dreams of Western capitalist game shows corrupting other cultures with their twisted idealism, but when the result is that impoverished Dev Patel can afford to run away with his childhood sweetheart turned gangster moll, only the hardest of hearts could argue politics.

3) Priceless

Whilst seeing sweet little Audrey Tautou as a ruthless gold digger is a little off-putting at first, you can’t help but be won over by her charm in any role. This wonderful film shows how the French do everything better by adding a little touch of class. No Adam Sandler for this romcom, just a fantastic cast and a brilliant script that falls somewhere between Breakfast At Tiffany’s and Mon Pere, Ce Heros. If you’ve never seen it, you need to hunt it down.

4) Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Our review of Scott Pilgrim is one of our most popular posts and we have a long-running disagreement with The Black Dog Podcast regarding the film’s quality, so you should well know our love for this movie and the comic that spawned it by now. The central conceit of overcoming your intended’s seven evil exes to win her hand is both fantastical allegory and very relateable. The outcome is like Romeo and Juliet meets Streetfighter: a treat for all.

5) 10 Things I Hate About You

Likewise, our review of 10 Things sang its praises. This Shakespeare adaptation has the boon of taking a profoundly mushy concept and peppering it with a cynical, grungy, sardonic twist, not to mention making it very, very funny. However, this tale of star-crossed punks still ends with love conquering all.

This post was originally published at DayHWStoodStill.com

Reperspective: Resident Evil

A nadir for many people, the Resident Evil films are seen as where Paul W S Anderson started to go wrong before he’d even begun.

The rest of us, however, know he is a genius and love these movies, so there. Hit the jump to find out why…

Resident Evil

Umbrella corporation, T-Virus, mansion, everything else here has nothing whatsoever to do with the game, which is perfect. The game’s plot may work as a FPS, but a great movie it would not make. Instead, we get a nice little plot with moments that even the series’ detractors can’t knock. Yes, much of it is cheesy, but you’ve got to love the laser grid and, hey, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Salmon, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy and Milla’s muff. It’s let down by some shoddy CGI, but still remains an action classic.

Resident Evil Apocalypse

Anderson writes and produces, but offers directing duties to a first-time minion. Game references abound, from Jill Valentine to the Nemesis, like zombie-doggie treats to the fans howling for a more game-like setting, but, beyond the initial set up, this is again its own universe. The plot hurtles along with little rhyme or reason, but there is nonetheless some charm here. The no-name cast are all pretty likeable, unheard of in most B-movies, and the whole film has an Escape From New York feel to it. Not up to the first outing, but still enjoyable fluff.

Resident Evil Extinction

Yes, it’s Resident Evil does Mad Max and that is Niki from Heroes. Again written by Anderson, but with Highlander director Russel Mulcahy in charge, the jump in quality is evident. The opening section is a little derivative and the plot is pretty contrived, but there are a lot of nice moments that keep this one ticking along; the Birds reference is particularly amusing. This one is lightest on game references, though we do get a game-style boss at the end.

Resident Evil Afterlife

Anderson is back and doesn’t it show! We tie up all the plot threads from the last films, whilst taking the series in a whole new direction; this time it’s Resident Evil does The Matrix via Dawn Of The Dead. Meanwhile, bullets, swords and hammers fly at the camera in glorious 3D. This is, of course, what the medium was made for: cheesy stunts, not to replace 2D, thankyou Mr Cameron. We get some fan-pleasing moments, including the return of a distinctly Battlestar-looking Jill Valentine in a post-credits sequence that leads the way into what looks set to be an even-more frantic fifth outing. What more could you ask for?

This post was originally published at DayHWStoodStill.com