Nick Kurtz
For the Retro Fresh Valentine Baller
“Say Anything…”
In this late 80’s throwback, John Cusack plays an average high school graduate aspiring to court the valedictorian, whose protective father has odd intentions regarding her future. Cameron Crowe’s cult classic continues to circulate with that iconic boom box scene that any sensible gent worth their weight in D batteries takes notes during. Quirky and extremely heartfelt, “Say Anything” remains a fixture in the community of modern romances with its memorable quotations and mastery rom-com formula.
For the Closet Valentine Lover
“Chasing Amy”
Kevin Smith’s raunchy brand of highly intelligible offbeat stoner humor stands out in a story about comic book artist Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck) in his pursuit of sexually free Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), which soon tests the boundaries of best friend and blatantly heterosexual partner Banky Edwards (Jason Lee). With appearances from legendary loiterers Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), “Chasing Amy” sacrifices cheesy romance for realistic human tendencies and defenses for and against falling in love in a manner that challenges both the audience’s limit of slapstick and their perspective on why love is hard for certain people.
For the Valentine Left Too Many Times on the One Night Stand
“Lost in Translation”
Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star in a transient account of two individuals, culture shocked and love locked, searching for solace in a place where no one understands them, Tokyo. Drawn together through their mutual concern about their emotionally formidable and often absent significant others, the two protagonists develop a relationship we may look at strangely but can still completely understand. Oftentimes hilariously uncomfortable, Sofia Coppola brings you a mellow shot of reality with an added dose of misunderstanding.
For the Valentine’s Day Disaster
“Punch Drunk Love”
Adam Sandler channels a specific type of socially awkward recluse in this Paul Thomas Anderson original. It connects two people, Sandler and Emily Watson, desperately hopeless with love and life in an atmospheric surrealism that delicately compliments the bizarre nature of the films characters. Philip Seymour Hoffman also supports in a perfect role that displays exactly why his character acting will be sorely missed for years to come. There are times where you’ll laugh and others where you’re frozen because of a reaction giving you a whirlwind experience with love.
For the Valentine without the Valentime
“Friends with Kids”
In a film that reunites a handful of the cast of “Bridesmaids” as spiteful couples with children, Adam Scott and Jennifer Wesfeldt decide to raise a child as friends in order to avoid the hardships of marriage. Jon Hamm, Chris O’Dowd, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig co-star and playfully poke fun at the conflicts that amount from sharing your life with someone you loved so much at one point while staying honest with their integrity in bringing the laugh while maintaining a serious tone. Smart and familiar, “Friends with Kids” is a somewhat gimmicky situation that is potentially disastrous despite the enormous appeal.
