What To Watch (or not) On Valentines Day

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Tomorrow is Valentines Day. Most of you (not me) will be spending either the whole day or part of the day with your significant other (boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife etc.). Although many of you (me) don’t actually have a significant other. A very popular thing to do on valentines day is to watch a movie, so I have compiled two lists, one for people who are with someone and one for people on their own. I have also included some tips on how to pick a movie to watch in case you don’t want to watch the ones I suggest.

I’ll start with movies for couples, basically these will all be “chick flicks” because admit it, she’s picking the movie.

There are many classic movies to choose from, all good, but I’m going to suggest some that are more modern. A very obvious one would be Valentines Day it follows the lives of a bunch of couples living through one Valentines Day. It has a similar story to Love Actually because all the couple interact with each other in some way. You could watch Love Actually if you don’t mind a Christmas themed movie.

You could also watch Leap Year. It is about a woman who wants her boyfriend to propose to her but he won’t. When she finds out that he’s going to Ireland she learns about a tradition where a woman can propose to the man on a leap year. She then travels all the way to Ireland to propose getting into all kinds of problems along the way.

There are a few others that I’m sure most of you have seen but are good to re-watch for Valentines Day: P.S. I Love You, the Last Song, A Walk To Remember, Titanic, The Notebook.

You could also watch a movie with more than one of these actors in it: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey or Leonardo DiCaprio.

Now it’s time for movies for people on their own. The main rule is to try to avoid anything I mentioned in the above section. You’ll just get depressed because you’re on your own. Remember: Whatever you do, DO NOT GO TO A MOVIE THEATRE!!! That is rule number one of being single on Valentines Day. No matter what movie you go and see I guarantee there will be at least four or five couples in the last few rows making the whole thing awkward. Don’t think that because its called something like Face Eaters From Another Planet Eating People For 2 Hours in 3D, There won’t be any couples, because there will be. STAY HOME! Go to your computer and open up uTorrent, or go to your local movie store and rent something.

The next thing you need to know is what kind of movie to rent or download. Anything with the words “Kill”, “Zombie”, “Apocalypse”, “Evil”, “Race”, or any words similar to those, usually is a good choice. Although if it has the word “Love” in it, then all the killing, zombies, and apocalypses can’t make it better.

Any movie with any of these actors, or actors usually associated with them should be good: Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, or Arnold Schwartzenegger

If you have a day to spare you could watch a trilogy, or series of movies such as the Lord of The Rings trilogy, the Resident Evil Trilogy, the Die Hard series, or perhaps Star Wars (the original trilogy, unless you really want to watch the new ones).

Now you know what to look for, whether you are single or together, your valentines day should be full of movie watching bliss.

Movie A Day: Day 41

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Todays movie is another con movie, Catch Me If You Can

An FBI agent (Tom Hanks) tracks down and catches a young con artist (Leonardo Di Caprio) who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general and history professor, cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in 26 countries.

This is one of my favourite con movies. Its fun, entertaining, and i really enjoyed watching how easy it was for the conman to just fit in to a new job that he wasn’t at all qualified for. Its actually based on the life of Frank Abignale Jr. who wrote a book about his life as a conman. If you haven’t read it, then do that too, right after you watch this movie.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 40

Cover of The Usual Suspects (Special Editon)

Todays movie is The Usual Suspects

Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen (Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey) are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?

-Via IMDB

This is a very interesting movie. I’m sure most of you have seen it. If you haven’t then you should go do that right now. So many other movies and other forms of popular culture are still referencing this movie. Before you watch another heist or con movie, watch this.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 39

Todays movie is another Terry Prachett book adaptation. Its the Colour of Magic

As Rincewind (David Jason) involuntarily becomes a guide to the naive tourist Twoflower (Sean Asitn), they find themselves forced to flee the city of Ankh-Morpork to escape a terrible fire, and begin on a journey across the Disc. Unknown to them, their journey & fate is being decided by the Gods playing a board game the whole time.

-via IMDB

If you are going to watch Going Postal then you should watch this first. It is after all the first of the Discworld novels. Its better then Going Postal but that’s my opinion, mainly because i like most of the actors in this better than in the other. Its a definite watch.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 38

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Todays movie is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I found this on a disk when i was cleaning my room. Couldn’t remember watching it so its perfect for this.

In the Victorian London, the barber Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is married to the gorgeous Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and they have a lovely child, Johanna (Played by various actresses depending on age). The beauty of Lucy attracts the attention of the corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who falsely accuses the barber of a crime that he did not commit and abuses Lucy later after gaining custody of her. After fifteen years in exile, Benjamin returns to London under the new identity of Sweeney Todd, seeking revenge against Turpin. He meets the widow Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) who is the owner of a meat pie shop who tells him that Lucy committed suicide with arsenic many years ago, and Turpin assigned himself tutor of Johanna. He opens a barber shop above her store, initiating a crime rampage against those who made him suffer and lose his beloved family.

-Via IMDB

This is a very Tim Burton movie. If you’ve seen the remake of Willy Wonka, this has the same appearance/theme only more R-rated.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 37

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Today’s movie is Going Postal. Its a made for TV movie but a movie nonetheless.

Based on Terry Pratchett’s 33rd Discworld novel involves a skillful con artist Moist Von Lipwig (Richard Coyle) who finds the tables turned and it’s he himself who conned into becoming the Ankh-Morpork Postmaster General. A position that has not been filled in years.

Having read the book Going Postal it is difficult to fully enjoy this movie because i know how the story should be. But, having said that, this is an enjoyable movie. If you enjoy the Terry Prachett books then you should still like this. Even if you’ve never read the books then you will enjoy this. Unfortunately I don’t think you can buy this on DVD yet but there are a few torrents and other places to download it.

Recommendation: Buy (Figuratively)

Movie A Day: Day 36

Cover of City Slickers

Todays movie is City Slickers

Mitch (Billy Crystal) is a middle aged big-city radio ads salesman. He and his friends Ed (Bruno Kirby) and Phil (Daniel Stern) are having mid-life crisis. They decide the best birthday gift is to go on a two week holiday in the wild west driving cattle from New Mexico to Colorado. There they meet cowboy Curly (Jack Palance) who not only teaches them how to become real cowboys, but also one or two other things about life in the open air of the west.

– Synopsis via IMDB

I had a great time watching this movie. It might not have been the best movie but you should enjoy it. Watch it.

Recommendation: Download

Movie A Day: Day 35

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Todays movie is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It’ll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

-Synopsis From IMDB

This was an alright movie. It was a typical Disney movie. There’s the unwilling (at first) hero, his teacher, a threat and an impending bigger threat. There were some entertaining scenes but altogether it was a mediocre film.

Recommendation: Download

Movie A Day: Day 34

Cover via Amazon

Todays movie is The Aviator

This movie is about the rich director/aviator Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio). It follows his life from the late 1920’s to the mid-1940’s. It shows the production of one of his biggest films, Hells Angels, the construction of the Hercules plane (Later known as the Spruce Goose) and his many relationships with movie stars such as Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) and Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett).

Its a great movie. The way its made, the story, the characters, everything. The only problem is that it is REALLY long. Too long. I got bored because of some of the long scenes at the end.

Recommendation: BUY

Movie A Day: Day 33

Cover of Fools Rush In

Todays movie was a suggestion from Miroslav G. It’s Fools Rush In.

This movie is about two people, Alex Whitman and Isabel Fuentes (Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek) who have a one night stand one day in Vegas. She gets pregnant and they decide to get married. After a quick Elvis wedding they both have to deal with their families and their different cultures.

Its a typical romance movie. A Sunday afternoon movie. There really is nothing special about it. Matthew Perry is quite funny. The rest is average

Recommendation: Download