Critics Pick Very Different Movies For Valentine's Day

For some it's roses and chocolate. For others it's killing zombies and crushing on monsters. Romance on Valentine's Day especially at the movies is what you make it. On this day that celebrates love. We have two film critics with some very different ideas about which films make the best romantic viewing. K PBS Arts reporter Beth commando. Welcome Beth. Well thank you and host of the movie well as podcast Yazdi Bethel Willa Hello Maureen. Now welcome to you both. Valentine's Day usually conjures up images of hearts and Cupid but now for you Beth no this holiday has always baffled me I mean Valentine was a saint that was clubbed to death and beheaded. And unless you think that losing your head is what romance is all about. I really can't understand why the holiday has been named after this. And you know for me I always think of St. Valentine's Day Massacre and things like that. Okay so after those lovely images what film would you like to start off. I would like to start off with a film I adore which is called the honeymoon killers and this is a black and white film and it's hardly ever screened but it's about a real life crime spree. This man Ray would con lonely hearts out of their money and then he met this woman Martha who fell in love with him. And even after she finds out what he does she still loves him and here's a little scene from it. Now that you know everything about you still love me yes. He would still commit suicide from it all unfolded. Please don't. Well we can all see why you like this for Valentine's Day. It's great Tony a little Beyoncé and Shirley Stoller in this film and it's just this perfect portrait of dark destructive love but they love each other passionately. So Yazdi let me go to you. You have what might be thought of as a more traditional pick for Valentine's Day Roman Holiday. I film a lot of people love very much Audrey Hepburn Gregory Peck. What makes this a great romantic film. I think it's the ultimate rich girl poor boy story. But the good sense to play out both the fairy tale aspects as well as the hard cold truth of reality. So you know it plays both of those so beautifully. It's heartbreaking. It is. And I don't know in the history of cinema has the camera loved her face more than Audrey Hepburn in that movie. Oh God. Row. By. Row. I would cherish my visit in memory. As long as I. Was so all right from traditional to some big picture bath. Well the perfect Zam rom com is Shaun of the dead. This is the absolute perfect film for people who don't like romantic movies and people who don't like horror films you can find like the perfect film here. It's a guy who's got your typical problems with his girlfriend they're having a little rocky patch. I understand what you're trying to say. OK I agree. She can start tomorrow. Restroom you know the place doesn't the fish just the two of us things change. And the zombie apocalypse happens right in the middle of that. And so he's got to deal with zombies and his girlfriend but it's they find they're meant for each other. They do. So it's got Gore and it's got some sweetheart to it. YAZDI back to you. You love Moonstruck but you feel it has a slightly twisted take on your standard Hollywood romance. I do I think it's a very smart film which is only disguised as romantic comedy. And 30 years after having been made it still holds up remarkably well and it fools you into thinking that it'll be your standard fare but it's very subversive and how it upends those conventions and let's just aired this clip which is not routine for a romantic comedy. The runner. I love you. Not not like they told you love is that I didn't know this was love don't make things nice. It ruins everything. It breaks your heart. And makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. Snowflakes like. Start. Not us. Not us. We are here to ruin ourselves. And to break our hearts and love the wrong people and and die. Nicholas Cage and share sort of breathing in the background there. Now you YAZDI You have another somewhat unconventional romance pic of the Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Yeah I really liked that film and I think people don't usually think of it in the context of Valentine's Day it's known primarily as a very trippy sci fi film a very original ideas but I really like that the ultimate tenet of the movie is that even after somebody whose memory is completely erased to people who are meant for each other will ultimately find themselves. What is more romantic. And that's Jim Carrey right. That's Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Yeah. OK Beth I object to that. Now your final pick is a kind of cross species romance card. There is no greater love story in the monster universe than the unrequited love of King Kong for the lovely and Darrow played by Fay Wray he risks all for her and sacrifices everything to prove his love. And this film is great. There's this naughty little prick code scene where he's undressing her and you know thank goodness that they got interrupted because I'm not sure exactly where that would go but you know this big ape just has a crush on her and you know it took me years to realize that the reason I hated Fay Wray was because she let King Kong get killed. I mean all she had to do was go. Like in hug him and hold onto him and the planes wouldn't have shot him down. So I thought it would be great to go out with the final scene from King Kong and this is Carl Denham looking at the dead body of Kong Denham airplanes Gunner. Oh no it wasn't airplanes. It was beauty killed the base mutilated. There's a love story. Story it's the only film that makes me cry. I want to thank you both Beth and Yazdi and listeners can find their 10 best list for Valentine's Day movies on BET's cinema Junkie blog. Happy Valentine's Day. Thank you. Thank you.