My Favorite Romance Movies

1578   7.1   7.5 

In this intellectual remake of the 50's classic, Jeff Goldblum portrays a professor whose experiments metamorphisizes him into a large, hairy, decayed-flesh ridden housefly. And in the process, still gets to score with super-fly 80's beauty, Geena Davis.
*sigh*....only in the movies, I guess.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

1045   6.9   7 

A tale of romance & time travel that was hopefully successful enough to warrent a whole series of follow-up sequels ( The Time Traveler's Kids, The Time Traveler's In-Laws, The Time Traveler's Mistress, The Time Traveler's Drunk Uncle, The Time-Traveler's Pet Retriever, The Time Traveler's Guy He Knows To Get High End Jewelry Below Manufacturer's Cost, The Time Traveler's Four People Who Lead Him To Kevin Bacon Under Six Degrees......
well....I'm sure you get the picture).

2933   6.6   7.2 

That d00d from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure falls in love with Miss Congeniality after she displays the skillz to be able to drive a speeding bus that will not make any of it's stops, no matter how much you keep ringing the bell.

982   7.1   7 

A secretary finds that the responsibilities of her duties and her relationship with her boss have evolved (though some may say "devolved") from a brand spanking new job into just a spanking job.
Ahem.
Now, while I found this movie engagingly quirky & for the most part, kinda sexy,
it really would've been higher on my list if only (and this is definitely a spoiler alert!!) the lead character, at one point of the movie, wouldn't have taken a dump in her wedding dress.
Call me a stiff shirt, but in my opinion, I don't think that's very romantic.
Like, at all.

638   6.8   7.5 

I guess that the main reason why I like this movie is b'cuz it shows something we rarely get to see on the bigscreen (or anywhere else, for that matter);
a partially naked Amish woman.
And let's be honest....
the image of something like that is just plain hot.

56   7.3   6.5 

What many of today's young movie-goers don't know is that back in the 70's, there were a slew of films that were released strictly to fill the screens of the now practically extinct cinema venue known as the drive-in. While most were just something to pass the time away as adolecsent hormone-driven teens made out in the car, some of these movies were pretty entertaining.
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry was just one on the long list of sub-genre B-list flicks of crazy car movies who's main driving thrust was to let out a clarion call to all those in positions of authority to simply & unabashingly "eat my dust".
A sentiment that when shared by the two lead roles in this flick, made him crazy, & her dirty.


Or is it the other way around.....?

1363   7.2   7.5 

The source code is a code (duh-uh....!) that allows for a person to mentally have a second chance at contributing to the greater good before one's existance comes to an end. At least, that what's it supposed to do according to the math. However, as it turns out, in reality, what it really does is more than that.
I won't say anymore, for fear of spoiling, other than to say that one of the after effects of the source codes allows for a romance to "blossom" from where one doesn't expect at first.

4052   7.6   8.1 

I'll be honest with you guys....while "beautiful" isn't exactly the word I would use to describe my mind,
I doubt that anyone would kick it out bed for eating crackers.
Though, when I think about it,
it could probably stand to lose a few pounds.
Some lipstick probably wouldn't hurt it either.

939   6.3   6.7 

Okay, after his intro in the first movie, Supes finally gets to take the kid gloves off, kick some real @ss & take names. Three rogue Kryptonians come to Earth to reveal to the Last Son of Krypton that he's not exactly the last son of Krypton.
The only problem is, his love for a mere mortal woman demands that his cape, tights & superpowers have all gotta go.
And so the fate of the world finds itself hanging in the balance as The Man Of Steel must decide between either his heart's desire of kneeling before Lois Lane,
or
his super-terrestrial duty of kneeling before Zod.
In the end, Kal-El discovers comes to discover that with great power not only comes great responsibility, but also, great sacrifice too.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

7764   7.9   8.7 

After watching this film, with it's innocent yet epic meanderings through through the human heart, I got so inspired, that I decided, on a whim, to go running all the way across the country for my one true love. However, by the time I got to the end of my block, I got so devastatingly winded, & I was weezing so desperately for air, that I thought for sure, my left lung had collapsed in on itself.
So, instead, I just reminded myself that "stupid is as stupid does", & went back into my house & ate an entire "box of chawk-letts".
Which, of course, is what life is kinda like.

790   7.2   7.3 

If anybody out there reading this has a strong disliking towards the popular kids in high school, or just to girls named Heather,
then this is the film for you.

Christian Slater does his best "Jack Nicholson" slant in an effort to put some dark comedy into the romantic comedy.
And back before Winona was stealing clothing accessories from major department stores,
she was stealing our hearts on the big screen as one of the major 'it" girls of 80's cinema.
In other words, two actors early enough in their careers & who haven't yet matured out of the quirkiness of their youth, to portray a "Mephistic" match made in heaven.

92   6.4   6.7 

What dreams, or nightmares, may come from the imagination of an eleven year old. Especially when those dreams can transverse into the real world of the awakened.
In a manner of true puppy dog romance, and with the use of pencil & paper, a little girl innocently experiences her first true dream love.
With the term "dream love" taken to it's most literal sense.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

227   6.4   6.8 

A tale of one hitman & one hitwoman who hit it off with each other.
In more ways than one.

4264   7.3   8.1 

John Connors is the hope of the future against the Age Of The Machines. But before any of that worldwide epic struggle ever started, he was nought but a gleam in the eye of a time traveling rebel & the woman that he had sworn to protect & then, grew to love.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

199   7.5   7.4 

The book may have based more on the "Ten Days That Shook the World",
but this movie is based more on the two people who changed each other's lives. Two people whose relationship was complex, passionate, & strong enough to allow then both the ability to journey from world of upheaval to the next & to get them not just through it all, but also through each other.
Emotional evolution set up against the backdrops of political revolution.

5796   6.7   7.4 

151   5.8   6 

At one point in his life, just about every young boy in America fantasizes about living the life of a gigolo.
Then comes along this movie, & shows that being a ladies' man-for-hire, isn't as sexually glamorizing as one might think.
Even if one looked like Richard Gere & sported a wardrobe supplied by Armani.
Even a well-groomed, well-dressed male prostitute needs someone to count on during life's rough bumps.

2518   6.6   6.9 

I ain't 'fraid no ghost.
Especially if it takes on the form of a dirty dancing roadhouser like Patrick Swayze.
Ghost is a romance film whose supernatural twist plotline pulls at not only the right heart-strings, but also at the same time, at the just the correct amount of logistical levers of suspended-believibility that are required when entering into the world of cinematic escapism.
Swayze plays the perfect polarly opposite straightman to Whoopi Goldberg, who fills up the screen with her comedic charisma, while Demi Moore exudes the same effect, but with her angelic beauty. All this combined with a story that provides just enough Hollywood-scripted plausibilty to a plot-idea that hovers in implausibilty.
For me, all this was just the right mix of ingredients to allow my otherwise jaded hairy pimp-ass to sit still thru the entire run of this blatant but high quality chick-flick (which for me, is usually a rarity).

605   8   7.8 

A simple story of a simple girl who discovers that she can simply leap thru time. But instead of using her powers for good, or even for evil for that matter, she uses it in a manner that we all wish we could if we were so magically endowed (especially if we were her age): to make up time when we were late, to retake exams we didn't study for, to get to our favorite snacks in the fridge before our annoying little siblings got the chance to polished 'em off, etc..
Which all leads up to a simple coming of age story that is as simply & beautifully told as it is simply & beautifully animated.
Simply put, simply beautiful.

272   6.4   6.6 

A biopic of Ritchie Valens, one of the musical artists who's aspiring career was cut short on the day that the music died.
It's not only a story of how a teenage boy rose from migrant worker to rock star by winning the hearts of the music world, but also of how Valens won the heart of the love of his all too brief life, which provided the inspiration for his biggest hit song "Donna".

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

469   6.9   6.8 

Back in the day, quality sword & sorcery movies were incredibly rare. This & Legend were the only ones I ever really liked ( wasn't much of a fan of Willow), up until when LOTR finally got made many years later.
And while legend focused more on it's stunning sets & character designs, this one was geared more thru it's storytelling & character developement (tho, this one's also was very appealing to the eyes).
A love story appropiated thru the genre, it stars Ferris Bueller, Scarface's girlfriend & a replicant.

1151   7.8   8 

Boy meets girl,
boy totes his tommy gun,
girl is swept off her feet,
together they go out on a spree,
& then go down (literally) into history.



A gangster flick in the classic sense of the genre,
depicting the story of the original gangstas
of the original on-the-run gangster couple.

655   6.4   7 

A bank robber on the lam & the sexy U.S. marshall on his trail. A formula-looking pic, that goes beyond that description by trying not to be anything else but that. Wry dialogue & situations that are handled as though this was just everyday stuff.

126   7.2   7.6 

Love knows no bounds.
Even in the midst of an intergalactic war with a buncha Martians (in this case, they are particular type of Martian known as "Tarsians"),
this movie shows that as long as you've got a cell phone, a good distance carrier & a hell of alot patience,
long distance relationships can work.

And as most of us who've been stuck in a short distance relationship for awhile know,
sometimes, the idea of flyin' around in space in cool manga tech-gear & battling a buncha aliens, light years away from Earth, sounds alot like heaven.

2599   7.3   7.9 

Two love stories intersect in this Intelligent, straightforward & "martially artistic" film from the burgeoning genre of cinema known as wuxia.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a pure fun action flick merged into a story whose simplicity is hidden behind the human depth of a group of characters who each believe their respective struggles of love, honor & justice to be truly epic.

214   6.4   7 

A film that shows that even a sad sack loser can get lucky sometimes & steal the heart a hot babe.



Starring an actor whom's work I really like, William H. Macy.
For me, he's one of those actors that seems to make more right decisions than bad when it comes to choosing a part in a film.
And while it's always cool to see him in any movie, when he's the lead character, it's usually even cooler.

5439   8   8.4 

Another effort by Jim Carrey to be taken seriously as an actor in a romance story in the not too distance future (as a matter of fact, Eternal Sunshine's setting seems so not so distant, that it may supposed to be occurring in a parallel present-time reality) about the contradictory choice to forget an unforgettable love, if the technology existed which allowed the human mind to do so.

194   7.2   7.1 

An outsider police detective comes to town investigating a case, meets a prostitute who can probably help him, & naturally, the two fall in love.
In other words, imagine the movie Pretty Woman, except totally & completely different.
Klute is a film whose story was probably enhanced beyond it's premise by the high calibur performances of it's two lead actors, the always intelligent & distinctive Donald Sutherland,
& the even more intelligent & always beautiful Jane Fonda.

187   7.9   7.6 

Take West Side Story, update it, take the outdateness & the musical numbers out,
then
take Midnight Run, take out the humor & the police,
then
add in some Colors (the movie), but from the other side of the border,
and finally,
add in some really good acting with a strong script,
sprinkle on some subtitles,
and
what you end up with is film that is Nameless
(or in Spanish, Sin Nombre).

7737   7   7.6 

Wanna know how good Titanic is?
Because of this movie,
I have developed a lifelong hatred towards icebergs.
Also,
for a brief moment there,
this film actually had me believing that a man would actually allow himself to freeze to death in the icy ocean waters of the North Atlantic, just b'cuz he loved a girl so much that he couldn't bring himself to ask her if she could maybe scoot her fat ass over on the drift board just a little bit,
to make room for his skinny butt.

....godd@mn icebergs......!

997   7.6   7.9 

The down-to-earth tale of two strangers who find themselves coming together with a shared love for creating music
& ultimately, the end up creating a love for each that they can never truly share.
A nice lil' no frills romance story without the typical cumbersome complications of the...uhmnn, well.....romance.

555   7.6   8 

Humphrey Bogart & Katherine Hepburn in a "gritty" riverboat "journey movie" set along an East African river during WW II, & portraying two individuals, each with a mindset on a completely different side of the spectrum.
However, after confronting a series of obstacles during their quest, they begin the process of developing a relationship, & soon, the old romance adage of opposites attract starts to take affect as two people from two different worlds end up coming together, first for a common cause, & then, for each other.

421   6.8   7.4 

Gina Gershon & Jennifer Tilly.
God@mn.
Now, those are my kind of lesbians.

180   7.1   7.2 

The only Barbara Streisand movie in any of my lists.
Seriously.
I promise.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

2241   6.5   7.1 

"Wax on. Wax off."
Or for this list,
maybe the movie quote
"Different but the same" would be more fitting.



Either way,
don't forget to breathe.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

1985   7.2   7.6 

What do you do when you've been comfortably numb for so long that you're can barely feel reality?
Go back to the neighborhood where you grew up, bump into your friends from high school, start becoming aware of the slightly weird idiosyncraticities in them &/or in their lives, have one of those catharthic big talks with your dad, & most importantly of all (& this is key), start dating Natalie Portman.
Welcome back to the "living".
Welcome to the Garden state.

800   7.8   8.2 

At first glance, this seems like a typical Hollywood picture of this era: the insanely attractive couple of Ingrid Bergman & Cary Grant, both looking at their most perfect, in a lush looking film with spy intigrued plot, with the added feature of a small cadre of Nazi's thrown in for good measure.
Yet, the characters' personalities and their dialogue towards each other as they try to embitterly mask the feelings of love & longing that they must fight thru in order to complete their respective missions, reveals that this is an atypical film (for it's time, at least) with a feeling of cinematic bite that can only be the signature of Alfred Hitchcock. Add to the fact, that Cary Grant, usually a more of a comedic lead with skills of perfect timing, pulls thru this serious, & uncharacteristicly bitter role with a result that leads the viewer to sincerely sympathize with his character just cuz we know that deep inside, there's a good heart in there somewhere.

184   6.5   6.7 

Bugsy is a mob flick that doesn't even try to compete with other mob flicks. And therefore, it succeeds as a gangster movie that stands out on its own. It almost completely removes the realistic-type dialogue & the grittiness that is usually associated with this genre. I can almost sense the same sheen that the old black & white mafia films used to use to screen over the mobster characters & give em that "romanticized" look that they became famous for back then. For all their ruthlessness, the major players in this story come off as very likeable people.
However, with the strong chemistry that comes from the duo of Warren Beatty & Annette Benning, this is also a mob-flick that inhabits the romance flick also. This modern real life couple does a great job of portraying the old style romance with the kind of bite edged slant that fits the over-all feel of Bugsy.
Plus, you just can't beat the acting by the supporting cast of Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliot Gould & Joe Mantegna.

702   5.7   6.1 

Not as good as the 1972 version (but let's be honest here, despite Steven Soderbergh being at the helm, this version stood almost no chance of replicating the masterpiece status that is Tarkovsky's) but still a solid & more streamlined remake that effectively modernizes the theme of it's original.

1095   6.5   6.9 

While this movie couldn't match the spontaneous quality of it's predessor, back when this came out, it was still rare for a sequel to reach the level of both box-office & financial success that this one did. The romance between the Rock & Adrian flows wonderfully into it's next level as two people trying to form a unity based on each other's distinct personalities. Carl Withers is not forgetten as Apollo Creed as this installment enters deeper into the life of the champ who's titleship comes into question. And even Mickey manages to surprise us by revealing some of the heart that seemed hopelessly buried beneath his years-long thick crust of curmudgeon hide.
As a follow up to the the first film, the plot in Rocky's 2nd. crack at the worldbelt felt like an natural extension of the story that had begun in the first film & not just as a sequel out to cash in on the success of that initial effort.

1542   7   7.3 

For any of you out there that are fans of the Seinfeld television series,
despite what Elaine says about this movie,
The English Patient is definitely worth see worthing. At least, even more so than Sack Lunch (Losing My Lunch is what it shoulda been called.... ;)), that's for sure.



My apologies to anyone who is not a Seinfeld fan & therefore hasn't got a clue as to what this entry is talking about.

147   6.2   6.6 

Return To Me is a return to the old days of romantic cinema, with just the right amount of overindulgent sweetness, just missing the saccharine mark. For the type of plot premise that this movie is, it's script manages never to cross into the realm of dialogue & lines that constantly remind the viewer that the characters live within that part of the dimension of cinema that is inhabited by the romance genre.
A formula love story done with enough maturity & with a genuinely (not to mention, metaphorically) honest heart, that I couldn't help but be swayed by it.

1370   7.5   7.9 

This would be a great movie with just the famous "Sicilian scene" all by itself.
However, that part is just the sweet chewy center of a hard bitter tootsie pop of a movie, that no matter how many licks it takes to get to it's middle, it still seems like it's not enough.
Directed by Ridley's Scott's brother, Tony & written by Quentin Tarantino, this is a modern day lovers on the run story told with enough style, edge & violence to make the idea of Elvis as a guardian angel in this flick actually believable.
Well, sort of.
Anyways, if all romance films were made like this one,
then you could be sure that my girlfriend wouldn't have to use the implication of sex afterwards just to have to drag hairy pimp-ass to the theatre any time a chick-flick was playing.

1365   7.1   7.5 

Growing up, it always frustrated me whenever the majority of big budget action flicks or martial arts movies of the time often seemed to sacrifice on story to make room for the expansive bangs & the expensive effects. It was generally said, that in these types of movies, you couldn't really have both, particularly, at a consistent high level. And I was one those kids who always asked "Why not?"
And then came the House Of Flying Daggers. And with it's beautiful story of love & intrigue, combined with lavish costumes, great performances & unique individually themed action sequences it seemed to asked the very same question.

535   7.7   8 

The best thing that I like about this movie is that it's both a spongy thriller & a creamy romantic comedy, in one.
In short, Charade is what you would call a "cinematic Twinkie".

3088   7.6   8.2 

A "wicked smaht" southie must come to terms with his past, his brawling behavior, his psychiatrist, his extra-ordinary talent & his tendency to run away from responsibility.
And on the journey of self-realization, finds that sometimes, the best way to heal old wounds,
is simply, to go see about a girl.

2173   7.2   7.2 

"You cannot say to the sun, 'More sun.' Or to the rain, 'Less rain.' To a man, geisha can only be half a wife. We are the wives of nightfall. And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind. "

148   7.8   7.7 

A small movie that, even though it tends to hit you with it's easy point over the head like a hammer at times,
features engagingly warm & down to earth performances by Earnest Borgnine & crew.



" You don't like her. My mother don't like her. She's a dog. And I'm a fat, ugly man. Well, all I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees. I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me. If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad."

You tell 'em, Marty.

373   6.4   6.9 

An alien being comes down to Earth, morphs into a human form in order to understand our species & then begins a race against time to meet with his star-faring rendevous party before the government military can get it's hands on him/it. But not before he/it can get a girl pregnant.
Simply put,
this movie is E.T. for adults.
Or at least, it's for those of us whose mind's are mature enough to understand that when it comes to traffic lights, red means "stop", green means "go" & yellow means "go very fast".

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

2684   7   7.3 

Juliette Binoche & chocolate.
Two great tastes that taste great together.
And yeah, I know I should probably get into more detail about why I think this is such a quality film,
but to be honest, whenever I think I of this movie,
I can't get the idea of a chocolat Binoche out of my mind.
:homerdrool: