Forsaken Stars

I make no bones about it, I am a sap. As much as I love sci-fi/horror, I also cherish my fantasy romances. Here are a few if you’re a sci-fi & fantasy fan wondering what films to watch with your honey:

Highlander (1986) Starring Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown and Sean Connery as the Spaniard Ramirez. This is the ultimate sword-swinging, immortal love story that will bring the ladies to tears and have the gents cheering. Connor MacCleod is an immortal that has not one but two great loves at either ends of his life over the course of millennia while battling others like him for “the prize,” and “there can be only one.” After dozens of follow ups and spin offs, I hear they’re remaking the original. Stick with this one.

The Princess Bride (1987) Directed by Rob Reiner. Starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon. “Is this a kissing book?” A young Fred Savage asks his grandpa Peter Falk near the beginning of this romantic comedy fantasy charmer. In bed sick for the day, the boy listens to his grandpa read a story filled with giants, sword fights, heroes and villains, and yes, a beautiful princess, so there’s bound to be at least a couple of kisses. What sets The Princess Bride apart is its witty and clever lines of dialogue, which will have you quoting them for years to come. My favorite? “No more rhymes now, and I mean it!” (Pause.) “Does anybody have a peanut?”

Beauty and The Beast (1991, Disney, Animated) Starring Paige O’Hara, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers. This one is a no brainer. The music, the animation, the magical and tragic story of a man turned into a beast to tame his vanity and selfishness saved by the beauty and kindness of the woman he comes to love and who grows to love him in return? Priceless. Aladdin and the Little Mermaid work too, but this is a love story in its purest form.

Blade Runner (1982) Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young. You know why this science-fiction noir thriller is so enduring? Because it’s Star Wars meets Casablanca, baby! Deckard, a Blade Runner, is brought out of retirement to “retire” four replicants who have gone rogue, and along the way falls in love with Rachel, a woman who is as mysterious as she is beautiful. Get your hands on the movie AND the sexy soundtrack by Vangelis and you can’t go wrong.

Don Juan DeMarco (1994) Starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway. Okay, so this one is one of those movies listed under Fantasy because it’s main character may be delusional, so he lives in a fantasy world of his own making. Or does he? Brando’s psychiatrist must cure a young Johnny Depp who believes he is Don Juan, the greatest lover in the world. Most women are perfectly willing to agree to that fact as they read this. Men, watching this film with your women is like giving her roses, candy, and putting on Barry White all rolled into one! AND it’s also got a great soundtrack! So good in fact, the DVD comes with a feature that allows you to cut the dialogue audio and just enjoy the music while you watch!

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Directed by Irvin Kershner. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. If you and your honey are both Star Wars fans, I can’t imagine anything more romantic than sitting down on your Millenium Falcon Bed and watching the love blossom between Han Solo and Princess Leia while they banter on the ice world of Hoth, escape from the Empire in an asteroid field, or make goo goo eyes at each other on Cloud City. It gets a little rough at the end, but hopefully by that point, you’ll both be in a galaxy far, far away.

The Fountain (2006) Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Starring Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn. If you’re love is way out, wild and existential, if you love to have conversations about the universe and philosophy with your sig-ot, then you may just love The Fountain. Spanning a thousand years and three parallel stories, this film covers love, death, spirituality and time with some incredible effects and visuals.

Superman (1978) Directed by Richard Donner. Starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve. Ladies, what’s more romantic than having a stranger from another world come to your balcony and take you on a tour of New York City–ahem, I mean Metropolis–in his arms, flying under his own power? And then, whenever you’re in trouble, he comes to your rescue? C’mon, this is romance gold. To return the favor, pick up Superman II (1980) for the guys, there’s a lot more action, but there’s also still plenty of romance!

If you’re a died-in-the-wool Christopher Reeve fan, try the uber-romantic Somewhere In Time (1980) where he travels back in time (in his own mind?) to fall in love with Jane Seymour. It’s poignant and a bit of a head-scratcher, but it defines the word “lovely.”

You didn’t think I was going to forget The Fifth Element (1997), did you? This Luc Besson-directed movie is a homage to science-fiction and love itself! The ladies love Bruce Willis as the hapless hovertaxi driver, the gents love Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, the alien warrior/savior hottie, and only a select few enjoy Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod, but hey, at least Gary Oldman fans can squee at his performance as the so-bad-he’s-fun Zorg. Luc Besson went on to direct another very romantic, very French film, Angel-A (2005, subtitled), which I also highly recommend. This one is about another ass-kicking woman, Rie Rasmussen, helping an even more hapless scam artist, Jamel Debbouze, get his life together.

Share this: