A Misfit's Guide to Valentine's Entertainment

For those of you out there who'd rather celebrate this most loving of corporate holidays by spending some time at home, here are a few viewing suggestions for both the coupled and singled out there listed in no particular order.

I'm assuming you've all seen these movies and shows but, just in case, thar be some spoilers ahead...

The Fifth Element
Luc Besson's futuristic ass-kicker features Milla Jovavich in the role that made her a go-to action chick. She and Bruce Willis traipse about blowing things up and dispatching of baddies en route to saving the world from Gary Oldman and a giant, talking, evil asteroid. Plus Chris Tucker screams like a chick throughout the whole thing and that's just funny.

Farscape
For those of you who want to spend some serious time indoors, pick up some episodes of this brilliant and unfortunately canceled series. Every season is great but Season 3 is where John Crichton and Aeryn Sun's relationship really solidifies up.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher star in the initially great Superman relaunch from the 90's that I mostly adore. I'd suggest picking up Season 1 when Lois and Clark are at their flirty best.

The Terminator
Michael Biehn plays a soldier who travels from the future to protect Linda Hamilton, the mother of the eventual leader of a war against artificially intelligent machines, from one of said machines sent back to assassinate her (Arnold Schwarzenegger back when his accent was thicker). Keeping true to the mind-frak that is time travel, the two fall in love and the soldier ends up fathering the very man who sent him.

Starman
The story of a visiting alien (Jeff Bridges) who must make it to Arizona in three days for his rescue ship or else he'll die. It's a good thing he disguises himself as Karen Allen's recently dead husband to hide from the pursuing government agents and mess with her emotions, paving the way for the longest long-distance booty call ever.

Independence Day
Ah, impending doom by the hands of seemingly unbeatable aliens. Will Smith and Vivica Fox's relationship solidifies, Jeff Goldblum rekindles his fire with Margaret Colin and...oops. Bill Pullman's wife dies. Two out of three ain't bad. Plus Adam Baldwin and a cameo of sorts by Brent Spiner.

The Mummy
An essence-sucking creature of doom attempts to resurrect his long-departed love while two perfectly alive adventurers begin their own relationship. It's one of my favorite movies ever.

Willow
This fantastic Ron Howard film is far more fantasy than sci-fi but it rocks my world so I'm including it anyway. Incredibly quotable and enjoyable, Val Kilmer's roguishly hot Madmartigan gets doused with pixie love dust and ends up falling for Joanne Whalley's quasi-bad Sorsha, daughter of the evil witch attempting to take over the lands. Much like beer goggles, only this ends better.

Legend
Back before Tom Cruise was crazy and Mia Sara was Sloan in Ferris Bueller, they teamed up with the unspeakably rad Tim Curry in this creepy little romance about unicorns, the/a devil, and the end of the world. It, like Willow, is a fantasy film but I felt a story about a boy who still madly loves a girl despite her inadvertently bringing about near Armageddon needed to be included. It sends the message about love perserving through all while subtly driving home the point that maybe you should listen to your significant other's advice every once in a while (he told her not to touch that unicorn...).

Back to the Future
Michael J. Fox plays cupid in the 50's to ensure his parents get together and, thus, he continues to exist. Ah, sweet love for the sake of self-preservation...

Xanadu
For women who really want to prove their significant others love them or those who want to hang out with friends and enjoy something deliciously mockable, pick up this gloriously awful musical starring Olivia Newton-John as a muse who's come to help Michael Beck (aka Swan, the main character from The Warriors) and Gene Kelly open a roller rink. No, really. The music is by Electric Light Orchestra, there's a random animated sequence by Don Bluth and Gene Kelly does a number on roller skates. Words fail to describe its awesomeness.

Terminator 2
For those girls out there with a little anger in them, pick up this gem and watch Linda Hamilton's transformation from dewy-eyed simp to buffed butt-kicker.

Species
Speaking of channeling anger, what better way to let your bitterness go than watching Natasha Henstridge absolutely destroy guy after guy after guy. Not for the faint of heart or stomach.

Aliens
Ripley returns to take on a colony that's overrun with the acid-spewing bastiches, only this time with Space Marines and Paul Reiser. Michael Biehn makes his second appearance on this list as a love interest that never quite works out because...

Aliens 3
...he gets unceremonious taken out off-screen at the beginning of this installment along with Newt, the only non-Sigourney Weaver survivors of the second film. The destruction of Ripley's make-shift family should be enough to warm the most cynical and bitter of hearts.

Shoot 'Em Up
It's not a sci-fi movie but it's got a lot of gun play, an awesome bad guy played by Paul Giamatta, the visually pleasant Monica Belucci, and the equally eye-rewarding Clive Owen. Everybody wins.

300
Okay, not exactly sci-fi either but...um...hotness. This is yet another case in which everyone wins.

Do any of these help you out? Have any recommendations to add?

Comments

Kudos for including Xanadu! I was all about that movie at age, well, I was too young to remember how young I was, but I dug it. Seriously. I would love to see it on Broadway, but alas, I live a little too far away to convince my husband the trip would be worth it!

Andrea C | Feb 15, 2008 6:49:41 AM | #

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And, oh yes, I agree about Val Kilmer in Willow. He was at his finest acting-wise in Tombstone, but probably at his hottest in Willow. The long black hair beats the peroxide-do in Top Gun! Wow, Tamara, with these and Lois and Clark and Terminator, you are really bringing back some childhood memories for me with this list! Thanks!

Andrea C | Feb 15, 2008 6:52:09 AM | #

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Ladyhawke. Two lovers, eternally together, forever apart. Simply the best fantasy romance ever put on the movie screen.

Romantic, funny, dramatic, adventurous, simply everything you'd want in a V-day movie.

Tim R. | Feb 15, 2008 7:24:13 PM | #

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