At The Movies

by Sandra Olmsted

   Film Critic at The Cinematic Skinny on

   LightHeart Entertainment and Media

What could be more a part of the way the world celebrates love? From scary movies that allow people to cuddle in the theaters to romantic comedies that get us laughing together, Valentine’s Day has so much to offer movie lovers.

For those looking for horror to scare you and your date together, Heart Eyes is your basic serial-killer-starks-lovers movie. Admittedly, I have seen this movie in its various versions too many times. However, for those who want to use fear to cuddle up in the theater, this is the ticket to falling into each other’s arms and maybe stealing a kiss.

For a film that will terrify on a deeper level and evoke crying in each other’s arms, director Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here is the film to see. I’m Still Here recounts Brazil’s hidden history of atrocities during a brutal dictatorship. Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s biographical book, the Paiva family’s tragedy unfolds through the eyes of Eunice Paiva, the mother of five children, who must fight the government and protect her family. The filmmaking is exquisite and relies on cinematic images and sequences to tell the story and not on dialogue, always a bonus with a subtitled film. My reaction in one brief word: Sobering!

For quirky romance with a huge dollop of martial artist violence, Love Hurts is a choice that can please those craving true love conquering all and those wanting martial arts battles to the death. Although the star, Ke Huy Quan, looks a lot like a young Jackie Chan, this film takes the violence too far and lacks the humor of Chan’s films.

For a more authentic version of a romantic comedy, no ticket is needed for Amazon Prime Video’s direct-to-streaming You’re Cordially Invited. In this Golden Age-style rom-com, it is apparent from the beginning who is destined to end up together despite their conflicts — or maybe because of them? Think the Hepburn-Grant pairings in The Philadelphia Story or Bring Up Baby although this film doesn’t rise to that level of excellence. Reece Witherspoon holds up her end of the difficult chemistry of combat turning into love, while Ferrell gets sucked into his less mature persona and leaves much of his character’s potential for growth underutilized. Still, it has its moments of charm, giggles, and squirm-inducing jokes because weddings are always disastrous on some level.

Finally, if a babysitter isn’t available, the whole family can see Paddington in Peru. When Paddington and his London family trek halfway around the world, they end up lost in the Amazon jungles searching for Paddington’s beloved Aunt Lucy, who disappears from her retirement home. While the movie feels a little long and the usual heartfelt, heartwarming message a little tacked on to the end, the jungle adventure does harken back to adventure films like Jumanji. With a lot of popcorn, the latest installment in the Paddington franchise will at least keep the kids placated for about two hours.

Finally, an upcoming Valentine’s event at B&B Theatres West Olive Creve Coeur might be of interest. The theater will host a WINE & CHOCOLATE TASTING on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13th at 7:30 PM. Bartenders will prepare 3 separate wine and chocolate tastings, while discussing the pairing process and sharing interesting facts and wine knowledge fun for wine sommeliers to complete beginners.

The pairings include a lovely Chardonnay + White Chocolate for the crisp and clean type, a darker option of Merlot + Dark Chocolate, and then for our strawberry lovers a Strawberry Cocktail + Chocolate-Covered Strawberry. Great for friend or a cute Valentine’s Day date! Tickets are available now ($35 per person). Must be purchased online prior to the event at https://bit.ly/3C62B7D

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