The Sugar Club – True Romance
The Sugar Club is showing Tarantino’s 1993 Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque love story True Romance. Have a drink, order some pizza and then settle in to watch Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette play a pair of star crossed lover on the run from the mob with a suitcase full of cocaine. Hang around after the film and dance to the film’s 50’s rockabilly soundtrack.
IFI – Bound and Weekend
The IFI is showing a double bill of LGBT+ romance films. ‘Bound’ is the first feature by the Wachowski sisters, who would go on to make The Matrix, and it follows Violet and Corky as they plan to rob the mafia. This confident neo-noir thriller was a huge critical success upon its release in 1996. The other option is ‘Weekend’. Director Andrew Haigh is now a staple of the British indie scene. Weekend, his debut feature, is the story of two men who spend a weekend together, slowly falling in love in spite of the fact that at the end of the weekend one of them is moving away for two years. It’s a beautifully subtle and genuine love story, perfect for Valentine’s viewing.
Lighthouse – Thelma and Louise
For those less romantically inclined, The Lighthouse is showing 1991’s ‘Thelma & Louise’. Hollywood royalty Ridley Scott made this film after phenomenal success with Alien and Blade Runner. Now a landmark feminist film, Thelma and Louise follows Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon on a road trip when they become accidental fugitives. Perfect for those celebrating Galentine’s day over Valentine’s day.
Stella Theatre – Phantom Thread and The Shape of Water
For those with a little more cash to spend this Valentine’s day, the newly opened Stella Theatre in Rathmines offers food, cocktails and expensive couches to watch from. Stella is showing two of this year’s Oscar Best Picture nominees. Phantom Thread is a gothic romance about a 1950’s dressmaker and his obsessive relationships with the women in this life. While The Shape of Water is parisian-style fairytale romance between a mute woman and a sea creature. Both are unconventional, but equally beautiful love stories.
Muireann O’Shea – Film Editor
