For the minority of women out there who didn’t see ‘Twilight’, who like their martinis dry – not pink and sweet, and long for the days when men were men – not vampires, werewolves, or personified by a forgettable B-list actor, here are a few movie picks about love, romance, heartbreak, and the infuriating other sex that I think are worth lining up for.  

What are your favorites?

1. The Thin Man series:  The original ‘Nick’ and ‘Nora’ are the antithesis of those couples who wear matching outfits and pose in their bourgeois marital bliss (eg: Posh and Beck).  Instead, they’re the kind of couple you aspire to be a part of and love hanging out with as you regale in their pitch perfect chemistry, genuine mutual affection, and sharp sense of humor.  Despite being made in the 30s, Nick and Nora feel strikingly modern with their quick-witted barbs and equal-opportunity martini drinking.  

2. Broadcast News:  A movie that dared rock the romantic comedy boat and revealed one of the hard truths of mating – which is that you can’t fall in love with someone you don’t respect.  It also is one of the most honest movies about career women and the challenge of finding a life partner you adore and respect but also want to have sex with.  And sadly, revealed the fallacy of the ‘Himbo or pretty boy’ – which is that much like anything tasty and hot (eg: Shanghainese soup dumplings, french onion soup…), it’s no good the next day.

3. Manhattan:  A funny and bittersweet story about how our desire to fall in love can reduce us all into needy, neurotic creatures doomed to repeat our mistakes.  Woody Allen’s magic here is his ability to make desperation and a deep lack of self awareness seem really painful and funny at once.  

4. Annie Hall:  For those who declare that watching two people fall in love is the most boring thing that needs to be reduced to a cliched 2 minute montage, this film will throw that moronic Hollywood screenwriting 101 truism out the window.  There’s nothing more real and charming than seeing the central characters obsess and wonder about their appeal to each other.  A wonderfully post modern treatment of how men and women continue to simultaneously intrigue and infuriate one another .

5. When Harry Met Sally:  A nice 90′s era cousin to ‘Annie Hall’, this film captures so well the differences between the sexes without reducing the characters to ‘Men are From Mars and Women are From Venus’ cliches.  Also one of the few romantic comedies where the supporting couple (thanks to a pitch perfect Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher) are just as interesting, if not more so than the leads.

6. In the Mood For Love:  I give tremendous props to Wong Kar Wai who with the visual magic of Chris Doyle manages to capture the angst and longing of unrequited love and elevate it from banal, pedestrian mooning into a sublime work of art.

7.  Bright Star:  Jane Campion creates a master work here and delivers a tender love story between poet John Keats and his neighbor Fanny Brawne, with hand crafted period details that are so closely observed and intimate.  The film and actors are so nuanced yet vulnerable; with their every blush and ache, we are reminded of the exuberance and fragility of young love.  In particular, the power of Keats’ love notes upon Fanny is truly palpable as she hungrily absorbs every word in anticipation of his return (no CGI’d ghost of Keats reciting poetry as he chases Fanny across the English countryside).

8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:  Beyond the cleverness of the concept and script, the film remains emotionally truthful and resonant.  There’s a wonderful, bittersweet element to this movie that reflects that universal urge to not wake up – to stay in that ‘waking dream’ and cling onto the essence of falling in love before it becomes tarnished by the pain of reality.