To see or not to see…that is the question?

This Valentine’s day and many people will choose a quiet night with a movie after a candle light meal. However, what movie to choose is always a difficult one, so here is my guide to a few movies you should try and ones you should definitely stay away from.

Ones to go for.

UP

Possibly the biggest tearjerker Pixar has produced so far, Up follows the adventure of OAP Carl as he goes on a dangerous expedition with his house and a lot of balloons. As well as being beautifully animated and hilariously funny, ‘Up’ is deeply moving. If your date does not cry within the first ten minutes then they are soulless and should be broken up with immediately (ok, that might be a bit extreme, but the point still stands). This film gives a loving portrayal of a successful relationship without over doing it on the schmaltz.

Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle’s awards-show-stealing film that follows a slum boy through the hardships of rural India may not seem like the best date film, but it certainly pushes the right emotional buttons. It has scenes of great joy and great tragedy, great beauty and great horror, but there is always the constant love between the two leading characters Jamal (Dev Patel) and Latika (Freido Pinto). This love is Jamal’s motivation for everything he does and that is what makes the film the perfect one to watch cuddled up on the sofa together, but be prepared to both laugh and cry.

Ones to avoid

Date Night

Don’t let the title fool you; this film is not one for the first date DVD night in. Following a middle-aged (sorry, Tina) couple as they try and put some spark back into their love life doesn’t fill you with romantic feelings so much as dread as to what you and the person next to you will eventually turn into. The film is surprisingly funny despite the lukewarm reviews and Tina Fey and Steve Carell are likable enough to pull off the leading roles. But if I have to be shot at to have a ‘happy and content’ marriage I think I would rather be single.

500 Days of Summer

This film is very much an anti-romcom indie flick. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as the central couple the film chronicles their 500-day relationship and how it quickly grows and slowly falls apart. The film is shown non-linearly with good moments shot right beside sad moments. It is disheartening to witness the guy get the girl of his dreams only to realise they are not in fact compatible. There is nothing that kills the mood faster than being shown on screen a relationship go through all the right hoops, including that couple trip to Ikea, only to not work out.