Say 'I love you' with film this Valentine's Day
Speakeasy playlist
By Nick Knittel, Contributor
February 14, 2008 | 2 p.m.
So you’ve got your chocolate candies, a fist full of roses, a candle-lit dinner, that oh-so-special mix tape and the love of your life on-hand for an extra special Valentine’s Day.
But something’s missing. Slow down, Romeo (or some female equivalent of such) and take it easy. You can’t jump right into carnal delights just yet. No, no, you’ve got to set the mood first, and what better way to do this than with a good old-fashioned movie like Mom used to make?
What’s that? You don’t like Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan either? You’re in luck, friends - Speakeasy is proud to present a movie playlist with some not-so-obvious choices for seducing that special person in your life. Even if you happen to be alone this year, the following delights are sure to do better than that leftover porn tape from last year's festivities.
10. "The Science of Sleep"
The first of three French films on the playlist, “The Science of Sleep” does not have the happy-go-lucky quirkiness that most movies of its type do, especially considering it is from Michel Gondry, the adorable, little visionary from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Although it is eccentric (it’s hard to really call it anything else), it’s also really depressing. But it’s a good kind of depressing. Not every love story can have a happy ending, after all, and Gondry’s tale of a man with an out-of control-imagination (Gael Garcia Bernal) who falls in love with his next-door neighbor (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming. Gondry seems to have an intimate knowledge of the desire that creative minds have to share their worlds with the ones they love and the limitations behind such desires. Even though there isn’t a happy ending, “The Science of Sleep” is special in its own disjointed way.
9. "The Fountain"
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so it is not entirely about love. Darren Aronofsky (of “Requiem for a Dream” infamy) bounced back last year with this science-fiction masterwork about death and immortality that spans over a thousand years. At its heart, “The Fountain” is an old-fashioned love story about boy meets girl, girl gets cancer, boy travels backwards and forwards in time (and out of love) to save her and the Tree of Life. It’s a weird, haunting, beautifully personal film that will either leave you stunned or scratching your head when the credits roll, or both.
8. "High Fidelity"
Music and love go hand-in-hand, and few films demonstrate this better than “High Fidelity.” Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, John Cusack plays Rob Gordon, a thirty-something owner of a semi-failing Chicago record store who has just broken up with his longtime girlfriend Laura. An obsession with top-five lists launches Rob on a journey through his "top five worst break-ups ever" as he tries to reconnect with Laura and somehow grow up in the process. “High Fidelity” is a hilarious and honest look at love and relationships in the world we live in, as well as the passions that drive us.
7. "Amélie"
It’s hard to describe just how undeniably adorable “Amélie” is as the second French film on the playlist. The film is just so damn cute. “Amélie” focuses on, well, Amélie (Audrey Tautou), an imaginative, somewhat naïve young woman in Paris who finds a long-lost treasure in her apartment. She decides to reunite the object with its former owner and when she sees the joyous reaction from such a deed, she makes it her mission to match the people in her life with the things they desire. She stumbles into a love of her own in the process. “Amélie” created quite the fervor when it was first released in 2001, branding Tautou as “that chick from ‘Amélie'" from that point on. The film is quirky and sweet, bristling with humor and imagination while sweeping you off your feet the way a good romance should. Plus, it’s French. Everybody likes the French.
6. "Annie Hall"
Maybe this is too obvious, but “Annie Hall," widely considered to be the best film Woody Allen has ever made, has too much to say about love and relationships to be ignored. It is rumored that the film is partially based on the real-life relationship between Allen and co-star Diane Keaton, who plays the titular character, though both have denied the claims. To those who don’t know, Allen portrays neurotic stand-up comedian Alvy who breaks up with the equally neurotic (if not more so) Annie. Allen leads the audience through a haphazard recollection of the relationship and the ways it failed and worked. “Annie Hall” would later inspire just about every major romantic comedy afterwards and it is easy to see why the film is regarded as such a classic. Allen is hilarious; the scenes have real emotion and the end leaves you wanting more.
5. "Punch-Drunk Love"
“Punch-Drunk Love” is not for everybody. It picks up with Barry Egan (Adam Sandler, in his best performance), a small-time business owner who meets a mysterious woman (Emily Watson) and falls in love with her. It seems so innocent on the surface, but throw in a blackmailing phone sex operator, emotional instability and Philip Seymour Hoffman as an evil mattress salesman, and pretty soon you’ve got one of the weirdest love stories around. This movie divides people. Emotionally screwed-up people have never really been ripe for a love story, but the chemistry between Sandler and Watson make their flawed characters cute, even though other viewers may view it as disturbing and uncomfortable. “Punch-Drunk Love” comes from Paul Thomas Anderson, of “Magnolia” and “There Will Be Blood” fame, and his style paints such a different portrait of romance that it should not be missed.
4. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
How did this film get made? “Eternal Sunshine” seems too good to be true and too bizarre to really make it through mainstream audiences. The story comes from Charlie Kaufman, the brilliant writer of “Being John Malkovich,” and director Michel Gondry (two Gondry films on one list? deal with it), about Joel (Jim Carrey at his best), a man who decides to undergo a procedure that would erase the painful memories of the girl (Kate Winslet) he just broke up with. Everything seems fine and dandy, but a hitch develops when Joel realizes how important the memories mean to him, so he tries to stop the procedure from taking place. It should be pointed out that most of the movie takes place inside Joel’s head as he bounces from memory to memory, trying to outwit the erasers. Weird, right? Not only is the concept brilliant (how useful would such a device be in real life?), but it is also amazingly poignant in its execution. “Eternal Sunshine” is another painfully honest movie that captures all the wonderful and horrible moments in relationships, but one that does so in a truly unique style.
3. "Before Sunrise"/"Before Sunset"
“Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset” are sequels of the best kind: Not only do they describe a single-contained story, but the films reveal a chronicle of emotion that almost appears to be happening in real time when viewed back-to-back . “Before Sunrise” came out in 1995, showing two people (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who meet randomly in Vienna, fall in love, and spend only one night together before leaving for their respective homes. Lightning strikes twice, however, as the two meet again in Paris nine years later, though this time with only an afternoon between them. The two films can best be described as two-hour conversations as both characters reveal insecurities and emotions in constant back-and-forth thought. These films are the kind that hurt to watch because they're so unflinchingly honest in their portrayals in which two people try to figure out if these chance meetings mean something in a world where they’re no longer kids but adults with responsibilities. Watch both back to back for a tear-fest extravaganza.
2. "Once"
Swoon. An indie masterpiece, “Once” is an almost perfect modern-day love story via Dublin and it also happens to be a subtle, moving musical. An unnamed man (Glen Hansard, of the Irish rock band The Frames) works as a street musician when he runs into an unnamed girl (Marketa Irglova). The movie spans about a week as both Girl and Guy attempt to record an album together and, of course, fall in love in the process. “Once” is truly different from other love stories and the minimalist presentation adds layers to the realism and emotion found within the film. The soundtrack is also one of the best around, with the song “Falling Slowly” being able to reduce women to tears in a snap, or at least turn to collective sighs and high pitched “awww's" the way any good love story should.
1. "Top Gun"
Don’t act surprised. It’s all there, baby. Not all of us have the time to analyze such detailed symbolism and imagery available in “Top Gun," but it’s comforting to know that our most inquiring minds are hard at work explaining it for us. No further explanation is necessary.
Film is the great communicator, and there’s no better way to tell your loved one you want to jump his or her bones (or that you’re gay) than a good romance. Press play and let the movies do the talking.
---