Entries Tagged 'Date Night Reviews' ↓

Never send me to the movie store alone. I went to rent Cloverfield last weekend and walked out with the movie and a few video games for the Wii to try. As I went to checkout, the clerk was in awe that I, an elderly lady of 31, played Nintendo games. I guess he might have just been trying to make conversation, but I left there feeling like I need to stop and get some Bengay in case I injured myself.

Anyway, one of the games I picked up was Boom Blox. It’s an action puzzle game developed in part by Steven Spielberg. He got involved because he wanted a game he could play with his kids, so the co-op mode is fantastic. The game boasts hundreds of levels, but not all are available when playing with two players but there’s still a good bit of variety including Jenga-type puzzles, building structures to get points, throwing balls to break structures and more. Boom Blox is a perfect games for couples because of the team working involved in some of the levels. I can honestly say that on several puzzles we had to talk about how to tackle the task at hand. Sometimes we’d try his was first and if that didn’t work, I’d come up with a plan. Not surprisingly, the best tactics cames working out a solution together. Plus, I just LOVED the adorable block-shaped farm animals. I’m such a sucker for adorable animation.

Buy or rent you might ask? I’d go with rent unless you plan on utilizing the game’s create mode where you can build your own levels. I think kids would enjoy that, but I didn’t think it was the great. I also wish the co-op mode was a little longer because we finished most of it in the few weekend hours we played together. But for the $5 rental, it was worth it. It’s just another example that the Nintendo Wii can bring gaming to the masses and keep people having fun together!

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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!

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If you haven’t figured it out by now, both my husband and I are pretty geeky. We like geeky things, we watch geeky things, there was even this one time we did algebra problems for fun (and I’m no good at math). BUT! Sometimes knowing or reading about geeky things can actually be beneficial to even the coolest of couples. I’m talking about board and card games! Whether it’s Candy Land with the kids or euchre with your great aunt Sally, games have a way of bringing people together, including couples. That’s why today I’m going to review our latest obsession - Carcassonne.

According to Wikipedia, Carcassonne is “a tile-based German-style board game for 2 to 5 players” and won the Game of the Year (Spiel des Jahres) in 2001. Carcassonne is a city in France famed for it’s walls and this game of strategy makes good use of city walls, roads, rivers and cloisters to section off areas. The object of this turn-based game is to use tiles and your game pieces to claim towns and the land around the towns to get points. Be careful, you might think you are the sole farmer on a piece of land, but your opponent might get a tile that ties your land and his land together, essentially canceling out your game piece (called Meeples). Plus you have limited pieces to work with at any given time, so you have to choose carefully! I like to this of the game like a simpler Risk in a way (a game I detest, BTW).

Game play takes about 30-45 minutes on average, so that’s 30-45 minutes more you’re doing something with your spouse rather than staring mindlessly at the tv or worse yet, not even being in the same room! And if your a geek at heart, there are a bunch of expansion packs to make Carcassonne even more challenging! Wanna pick it up for your next date night in? We found the best price at Amazon.

Technorati Tags: board game, date night, carcassonne, meeple

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Husband and I are happily filling up the Tivo with hours and hours of new fall programing but we still like to hunker down on the weekends for some movie watching. I wonder what it is that watching TV doesn’t feel like a date, but if you rent a movie and turn off the lights it’s suddenly much more date-like? I don’t know, but I’m not going to complain!

Anyway, I need to let all the chick-flick lovers out there know - Unless Drew Barrymore stars in it, it’s highly unlikely I will review it. I’m not so not a fan of chick-flicks. And if it’s an adaptation of a classical romantic novel ala Jane Austen - I’m not only not going to review it, but I’m probably going to mock it. That is how I roll.

But scary movies are always fun date night movies! I know most women out there aren’t big into horror movies filled with violence but a good suspense movie can always fit the bill. Disturbia (PG-13) has a scene with some blood on a window and a couple times when someone gets knocked out but it’s not filled with explicitly violent scenes (i.e. no chainsaws, meat hooks, crazed hillbillies/mountainmen).

Disturbia is about a teenager (Shia LeBeouf) who witnesses his father dying in a car accident. LeBeouf’s character become a troubled teen and lands under house arrest for an entire summer. With nothing but time on his hands, he starts spying on neighbors to keep himself entertained. He thinks it’s innocent enough, when he starts to think his neighbor is a serial killer. With the help of his best friend and new neighbor/love interest he’s determined to prove it. It’s a modern twist on Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window”.

This movie is so great for a date night movie because it’s filled with those suspenseful chance scenes - absolutely perfect for curling up together on the couch. Think of being a teenager again - scary movies were always an excuse to move closer to your date. Just because you’re married doesn’t mean you don’t have to act like a kid again! So grab a blanket and be prepare for some good, old fashioned cuddling!

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HBO has long been known to push the limits of cable TV and for years has been delivering excellent, well written television shows. I still get sad when I drive by a funeral home now that Six Feet Under is over. I’m anxiously awaiting the Sex in the City movie next year too. But there’s something new on HBO this season and it’s decadent, I tell you. Have you seen it? Have you seen Tell Me You Love Me?

First of all, I’ll be the first to admit, the only reason I decided to watch it initially is because the ladies on The View said it was like porn. But they also said it explored relationships in a different way. I didn’t bring it up to Randy because although the porn aspect would probably intrigue him, I really didn’t have much hope for the relationship exploration part. With Tivo armed and ready, I waited until the first couple episodes aired to give it an honest shoot. Continue reading →

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