Due to weather and plans being canceled and general laziness, last weekend was simply divine. We had date night on Friday which included dinner and renting a movie. Saturday was an MS Walk, grilling out and more movie watching. As it just so happens, we watched two Oscar nominated movies - No Country for Old Men and Juno. Both were very good, but I was disappointed in the ending for No Country. I won’t turn this into an essay on Coen Brother films, but I’ll just say they’ve had better endings. Juno on the other hand was great and a perfect date night film.

We spent quite a bit of time at the movie store picking out something we both wanted to see. And we usually do because our taste in movies can differ slightly. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of films we agree on but for some reason I am drawn to anything that was popular at obscure film festivals while he enjoys movies with knights or any epic tale that lasts 3 hours. We usually save these movies for when the other is busy or out of town.

But it gave me an idea - Two Movie Date Night. A marathon, so to speak. First, decide on a theme. Next, head to the video store, split up and each pick a movie that you feel best captures the theme (whether you’ve seen it or not)! This way, you each get to see a movie you’ve been dying to see or wanted to see again plus you get a little more insight on how your mate interprets your theme. Here are some ideas:

• Movies you loved as a child
• Movies you loved as a teenager
• Biggest fear (i.e. movies about clowns, etc)
• Dream vacation spot
• Character you most admire
• Most heroic act
• Character you most identify with

The list could go on and on. I know, you’re thinking: “Two movies in one night? We just don’t have time for that.” Make a late Friday or Saturday night out of it! If you have children you can stipulate it needs to be a family friendly movie. Just make sure you watch the movie and try to see why your spouse thought it matched the theme. Later when you have some time, talk about it a little. It’s a non-threatening way of opening up a dialog to learn more about your partner in a fun, casual way!