Today is Valentine’s Day and the movie companies are taking full advantage of it by releasing some of their movies a day early.
The most likely date movie opening today is Safe Haven, based upon Nicholas Sparks’ (The Notebook) novel about a young woman (Julianne Hough) with a mysterious past who lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower (Josh Duhamel) forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
Also starring Vancouver’s Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother), it is directed by Lasse Hallström, who most recently received acclaim for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen as well as Casanova, Chocolat and Dear John, also based upon a Sparks novel.
Beautiful Creatures is another Valentine’s Day contender as it deals with young love in another small town; however, this love story has a supernatural twist.
When a new girl arrives in the town of Gatlin, she quickly captures the attention of a young suitor. He quickly gets more than he bargained for, as she possesses powers that have long kept her at a distance from others.
However, their budding romance is threatened by the dangers posed by her powers and the Claiming, a process that will decide whether her powers will serve good or evil.
With a cast including Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum and Emma Thompson, Beautiful Creatures is adapted from the novel of the same name by writer/director Richard LaGravenese (P.S. I Love You).
If the movie is a success, expect sequels as there are three other novels in the series.
A Good Day to Die Hard is not your typical date movie and is best suited for that relationship described as a “bromance.”
Bruce Willis returns for his fifth outing as John McClane, but this time the indestructible U.S. cop is out of his element as he travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son.
However, his estranged son is actually a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear weapons heist and they must team up to save the day.
Opening a day late for Valentine’s is the suitably titled Amour, the story of retired music teachers Georges and Anne, an elderly couple whose relationship is tested after she suffers a debilitating stroke.
A French-language film from Austria, it is nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Foreign Language Film (which it is sure to win). For those who do not mind reading subtitles, this is definitely a must-see.
Also opening on Friday is the animated Escape from Planet Earth, a 3D animated comedy set on the planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova is a national hero to the blue alien population.
But when a rescue mission from a notoriously dangerous planet turns out to be a trap, it is up to Scorch’s scrawny, risk-adverse bother Gary to save the day.
The all-star voice cast includes Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Ricky Gervais, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, Sophia Vergara, George Lopez and William Shatner.
