Valentine's Day Movies to Impress

One of these days I'll get back to making this a proper family centered blog, but currently, my mind is fixated on more important matters: movies. It is my opinion that movies are the one subject you can still have an overstated opinion about and still not hurt other people's feelings. Even music can be a sensitive subject, but with movies, I'm not afraid to boldly state: "I loved Rocky IV as much as Rocky III."

But picture this, ladies: It's Valentine's Day. Your significant other has pawned the kids off on some nice relatives or friends and he's cooked you a special Valentine's Day meal. He sent you away for a little retreat at the spa, and you come home to see him with his dress pants on, white buttoned-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and an apron tied around his waist as he is preparing the last of your dinner. You sit and enjoy your wonderful dinner together, then he invites you over to the couch where he has chosen a movie for you to both enjoy while you snuggle on the couch. He presses play and the intro music starts to play for ... Top Gun? Rambo? Bond?

No. The trick to a great date-night movie is to meet close to the middle. Here is a list of girl-centric movies that guys can still stomach:

• Say Anything: John Cusack comes across as a real guy's guy, while girls "get" him. Bonus is the great soundtrack you can always expect from a Cameron Crowe-directed movie.
• Bridget Jones' Diary: The best fight scene between two guys fighting over a girl ... ever. And Colin Firth loving Bridget Jones "just the way she is" all whilst helping her cook in a suit. Don't go near the sequel.
• The Notebook: This is high on the cheesy meter, but it works. Oh, does it work.
• Love Actually: There's a lot of stories intertwined in this movie, some very sad, but in the end, it's about the sweet, exciting adventure of falling in love.
• Notting Hill: The roommate is enough comic relief to keep your man seated next to you during the entire show.

And if it's your turn to make Valentine's Day magical, might I suggest the following guy-centric films that you would actually enjoy:

• Gladiator: The death of his wife and child sends Russell Crowe into the depths of despair. You know your man couldn't bare living without you.
• Batman Begins or Batman: The Dark Knight: They're just really good movies, and you get the sense that Rachel is the real reason Batman has become the superhero he is today.
• Rudy: Though he's never seen it, Kulani claims to hate Rudy. (It's his bias against everything Notre Dame.) But it's a great movie about believing in your dreams when no one else does, and working hard to achieve those goals. Even though there's not much romance, it really gets the heart beating, preparation for things to come (wink, wink).
• The Count of Monte Cristo: Finding your one true love again after believing he was dead? Forget about it. It's so romantic you'll chew your arm off. Practice the following line now so as not to sound fake: "Babe, I pray I never have to know life without you, because I don't think I would make it."

What are your Valentine's Day movie suggestions?