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The Best Couples in Video Games

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The Best Couples in Video Games

A few years ago, we wrote about all of our absolute favorite couples in video games, but in a span of five years, a lot of things can change. So we’ve updated our list to include more of our favorite couples, from casual games to more serious RPGs, and to celebrate the growing representation of interractial and LGBTQ+ representation. Flip through our gallery below to check out all the couples we love, or keep scrolling to read.

Gaming’s Greatest Romances

Player’s romantic choice isn’t a new thing to RPGs, but it was for Assassin’s Creed, which up until Odyssey had consistently presented players with heteronormative protagonists (with the exception of Jacob Frye, who was revealed as bisexual in Syndicate’s DLC) and predetermined relationships. Like its Greecian roots, Odyssey celebrated the ability to love anyone no matter the main character’s assigned gender, letting players decide if they wanted their Kassandra or Alexios to be heteronormative, gay or bisexual/pansexual. It’s been done before in plenty of other games, but Odyssey’s special in that, well, it doesn’t hide its influences and allows players to get on with literally everyone. Random philosopher? A shipbuilder? Really important supporting lead? We ship it all. – Aiden Strawhun

Athena and Janey Springs – Borderlands: Pre-Sequel

If there’s anything Borderlands is not, it’s subtle. In Borderlands: The pre-sequel by Telltale, Janey literally introduces Athena as her girlfriend. One demeaning, poorly-timed and derogatory joke later, the two are schmoozing through the title and Tales from the Borderlands together. Borderlands has always been unapologetic and flamboyant, and its roster of characters have always matched those themes, but these two, in particular, fit the bill to a near-perfect degree. – Aiden Strawhun

Eddie and Ophelia – Brutal Legend

Sexy goth girl Ophelia is rock roadie Eddie Riggs’ fighting ally and love interest in Tim Schafer’s Brutal Legend. He meets her when they both wind up looking for the same giant axe, then Ophelia introduces Eddie to her gang and their romance blossoms. However, the path of true love never did run smooth, and it gets more than a little bumpy when Eddie is told that Ophelia is a traitor. Ophelia, heartbroken that Eddie doesn’t trust her and believing him to be the real traitor, decides to throw herself in the Sea of Black Tears. In the end, it turns out that there was an evil Ophelia — an imposter – who was doing all the bad things. If you return to the iron cross-shaped rock after you have beaten the game, you can see Ophelia again and have one last snogging session. – Emma Boyes

Isaac and Nicole – Dead Space 2

The year is 2508 and Isaac Clarke is one of a team of miners that boards the USG Ishimura after receiving a distress call from the vessel. It turns out no good turn goes unpunished, as the ship is teeming with the undead. That’s especially bad news, as Isaac’s girlfriend Nicole Brennan is one of the ship’s crew. However, sees her and she appears to be ok, although they don’t have any time to chat and catch up. Later in the game, she appears again to help him out by recalling the shuttle that government agent Kendra has commandeered after she tries to leave without him. Towards the end of the game, Isaac sees the original distress transmission, which shows that Nicole committed suicide by lethal injection before Isaac ever boarded the ship. The Nicole he saw was just a vision created by the Marker artefact to try and trick him into bringing it back to the planet Aegis VII. Love hurts. – Emma Boyes

You and All The Daddies – Dream Daddy

It’s becoming less rare to see queer couples of all sorts in video games, mainstream and independent, but it’s still somewhat of a rarity to see wholesome, meaningful representation of gay men in gaming. Dream Daddy goes a place many games have yet to go, and not only provides an incredible dating sim, but one that truly scratches an itch for the queer community while tackling themes of parenting and male-presenting body positivity simultaneously. Big daddies, little daddies, daddies of color–the player gets to choose whatever kind of daddy they want to pursue in this game, and do so in a way that is lighthearted but doesn’t make light of its material. For that, we have to make a spot for this game in our list of legendary loves in gaming because it does what so many other games haven’t dared to do just yet. – Aiden Strawhun

Cloud and Aerith – Final Fantasy VII

Sometimes video games genuinely shock you – and Aerith’s untimely death was one of those moments. The game seemed to be setting her up to be hero Cloud Strife’s main love interest, and then suddenly (before even the end of the first disc, for heaven’s sake) she’s dead, just like that. Aerith Gainsborough is a young flower seller who hires Cloud as her bodyguard in exchange for one date. When she ventures into the Forgotten City alone, the game’s antagonist, Sephiroth, kills her by impaling her through the torso with his sword while a helpless Cloud can do nothing but watch. The game goes on, but the loss stays with you, making you determined to get even with the evil Sephiroth on Cloud’s behalf. – Emma Boyes

Squall and Rinoa – Final Fantasy VIII

Squall Leonheart and Rinoa Heartily meet at his graduation ceremony when she pulls him on to the dance floor and they share a moment. Seems like romance should blossom there and then, but there’s a problem. Rinoa is dating Seifer, Squall’s arch-nemesis and all-round bad guy. Rinoa and Squall meet again on a mission – she hires him to help her liberate Timber as part of the resistance movement that she secretly heads. The two grow closer as the game goes on, ignoring minor problems like her turning into a sorceress and being imprisoned in a space station. At the beginning of the game, Squall is an unlikeable, self-centered teenager, but by the time the end credits roll, his relationship with Rinoa has turned him into a far better human being. – Emma Boyes

Tidus and Yuna – Final Fantasy X

Tidus is a professional blitzball (an aquatic sport kind of a cross between soccer and water polo) player from Zanarkand who somehow becomes transported to another world – Spira. With no idea of how to get back home, he joins up with a rag tag group of guardians who are accompanying the beautiful Yuna on a pilgrimage across the land. Yuna has chosen to become a summoner – if successful, she will defeat the destructive force called Sin that plagues her world. However, as she nears the end of her quest, it becomes clear that defeating Sin isn’t as simple as it seems, and doing so could mean her own death or that of Tidus, who may not even be real. One of the most heart-breaking endings ever seen in any media, whatever you think of Tidus and Yuna, you can’t fail to be moved at the way their story ends. – Emma Boyes

Serah and Snow – Final Fantasy XIII

Who doesn’t love a romance that spans numerous timelines? Seems to be a theme throughout the Fabula Nova Chrystalis saga. Serah is the younger sister of FFXIII heroine Lighting and fiance of hot-headed blonde bombshell Snow Villers. In the first game, she’s cursed with a task from the alien masters of the planet Pulse, the Fal’Cie, to bring her sister, fiance and a number of others to receive their own curse and become the pawns of the Fal’Cie, which are called l’cie, themselves. After completing the task, she then turns to crystal, setting off the journey her sister and Snow go on to save her from her eternal slumber. But of course, her tangled web of platonic and romantic love doesn’t end there. The tables turn in FF XIII-2 when Serah takes the leading role of her own journey to save both her sister and her fiance, of which are stuck in different timelines and states of godhood. Casual. So not only do these two lovebirds topple monster and deity alike for one another, but they also, quite literally, withstand the test of time for one another. Whoever said love is easy was very, very mistaken. – Aiden Strawhun

Luna and Noctis – Final Fantasy XV

Luna being completely out of Noctis’s league can’t be ignored, but these two betrothed rulers to-be really do have something special between them. Maybe for Luna it’s her dedication to her role in Noctis’s succession and to her people, but it’s easy to see Noctis’s feelings in his innocent, awkward and somewhat childish reactions when she’s brought into the conversation. But of course, no good romance in Final Fantasy can’t end in tragedy, or hop through a couple of different timelines, and while we don’t get to see much of these two lovebirds develop their relationship in-game, we do at least get to see them topple monsters, summon a god and reunite at the end of their long journeys. Supportive relationships are ones we like to see, and these two certainly fit that bill to a T. – Aiden Strawhun

Dom and Maria – Gears of War 2

Gear soldier Dominic Santiago lost both his children on Emergence Day, and after their deaths, his wife Maria sank into a deep depression. Nothing seemed to help her feel better, and one day she just goes out for a walk and never comes back. Dom is heartbroken, and can be seen in the game looking at the photo he keeps of the two of them in his wallet. When he’s not fighting the locust horde, he’s tirelessly trying to track her down. Tragically, when he does eventually find her, she’s been tortured so badly and partly lobotomised and in such a bad way that she doesn’t even recognise him. Deciding that the Maria that she used to be wouldn’t want to live like that, he tells her he loves her and then puts her out of her misery. – Emma Boyes

Sam and Lonnie – Gone Home

While we never explicitly see Sam and Lonnie in the flesh, Gone Home tells the story of a younger sister who’s run away from home to be with the young woman she’s fallen head over heels for. Gone Home is played from the perspective of Sam’s sister Katie, who’s come home from an extended time away. It’s an exploration game, where the story only really comes together at the end after all the little pieces Sam has left behind finally come together. Through letters and belongings and photos and strange codes, Sam quietly comes out to her sister in an unexpected, but not terribly uncommon way. The twist of the truth of Sam and Lonnie’s story is why we’ve got them here–it’s a queer love story that gets it right and has also had a left us with a very bittersweet, lasting memory about young love, acceptance and coming into one’s own. – Aiden Strawhun

Gordon and Alyx – Half-Life 2

After the Black Mesa Incident and the subsequent alien occupation of our planet, a suppression field was placed around the Earth, making humans infertile. The population grows old, but no children are being born to replace them as they die. This is the world where Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance live. Their relationship is never explicitly stated, but it’s insinuated on many occasions throughout the game and the sequels, particularly by Alyx’s father, Eli, who badgers the pair for grandchildren as soon as the suppression field has been taken down. Gordon is actually around 20 years older than Alyx, making him a dirty old man, but since he spent those two decades in stasis they’re technically the same age, so we’ll let him off. – Emma Boyes

Ico and Yorda – ICO

Ico is a young boy who has been considered an unlucky omen for his village – so the villagers cast him out and lock him inside a sarcophagus in a nearby castle. An earthquake frees him from his prison and he starts to explore. Along the way he meets a young girl called Yorda, and although they don’t speak the same language, the pair form a bond and journey through the castle’s many rooms, looking for a way out. They hold hands as they explore together, and Ico helps the less agile Yorda get around, clearing the way so she can follow him. The Queen of the castle, who also turns out to be Yorda’s mother, isn’t too happy about their trying to escape and turns Yorda to stone. Ico rescues his princess and they finally leave the castle, waking up on a nearby shore together, to presumably live happily ever after. – Emma Boyes

Sora and Kairi – Kingdom Hearts 3

The universe has been shipping Sora and Kairi since 2002. We don’t make the rules. But it wasn’t until its latest iteration, Kingdom Hearts 3, that we really got to see the depth of feelings the pair has for one another, before, of course, being separated once again. After time and time again of saving each other, and giving one another a purpose to keep moving forward in their incredibly deranged and twisted universe, we really just hope these kids are going to be ok. After all, having your heart stolen multiple times, and then returned, is no small feat, and while the intention may be to keep these two platonic, their innocent and child-like admiration of one another is one of the purest and sweetest romances we’ve seen in games in a good, long while. – Aiden Strawhun

Link and Zelda – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Link and Zelda may not be a true item in this iteration of the Zelda series, but it’s difficult to not see Zelda’s literal heart eyes at Link in his memories. In this version, Link awakens 100 years after Ganon takes over Hyrule and he must save the kingdom once again by finding the modern-day descendants of Zelda’s once-legendary team and piecing together his own past as Zelda’s personal knight. Link’s a man of few words, but even though he can only grunt and yell, it’s enough to tell that he’s devoted to this princess. – Aiden Strawhun

Link and Zelda – Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The story of Link and Zelda is retold in every game with different characters in a different world. In every story Zelda is kidnapped, and Link sets off on an adventure to save her. In Skyward Sword, for the first time, Zelda’s not a princess, but the daughter of the local headmaster. Link is her childhood friend, and she’s not just sitting around helplessly waiting to be rescued, she has her own quests and important role in the story. The pair live on Skyloft, a village in the clouds and have never ventured to the world believed to be below them. When Zelda is swept away by demonic forces, Link follows her to the land below the clouds, solving puzzles, battling frightening monsters and tracking down items to find his favourite girl again. – Emma Boyes

Chloe and Rachel – Life is Strange

Rachel played more of a passive role in the first game, but in the prequel title, Before the Storm, we got to see Chloe and Rachel’s chaotic love develop. Chloe, a troubled, grieving teen, finds solace in the wild and carefree Rachel. She’s everything Chloe has never been and takes her on adventure after adventure–and gets her into a fair share of trouble. But their tumultuous relationship and friendship is the perfect example of everyone’s first love and the clumsy imperfection that comes along with it. And that inkling so many of us who’ve experienced trauma and grief seek in finding a way to run away and start anew. – Aiden Strawhun

Max and Mona – Max Payne 2

Max Payne and Mona Sax meet when she pours him a drink – a good start, but it turns out she’s laced it with a sedative and is a hitman for hire – and she seemed like such a nice girl. She’s presumed dead at the end of the first game, but it’s revealed in Max Payne 2 that reports of her death were greatly exaggerated. She reappears as a suspect in the murder of Senator Gate and, for reasons best known to himself, Max agrees to work with her. It turns out Mona’s working for Vladimir Lem and she’s ordered to kill Max. Since they’ve danced the two-backed beast, the femme fatale can’t do it and so Vladimir turns his gun on her and shoots her instead. Although, let’s be honest, even if it hadn’t come to that, it was just never going to work out. – Emma Boyes

Snake and Meryl – Metal Gear Solid

Solid Snake and Meryl Silverburgh’s romance follows a rocky road indeed in the first episode in the Metal Gear Solid series. The first time they meet, Meryl mistakes Solid Snake for his identical clone, the evil Liquid Snake, and then, after she realises her mistake, has her mind taken over by Psycho Mantis and tries to kill him. Luckily, Snake realises she’s not quite herself, and manages to knock her out rather than killing her. The two bond in a nuclear warhead storage building before she’s captured by Sniper Wolf. She’s then wired to a nuclear bomb. If any couple deserves a happy ending it’s these two, and if you play your cards right, in the end, they get it, driving off in a snowmobile together into the sunset. – Emma Boyes

Gregg and Angus – Night in the Woods

Gregg needs an Angus. They might be just anthropomorphic characters in a fictional world, but their laid-back story is one that hits closer to home than expected. Gregg and Angus have been close since high school, and are said to be the only gay couple in the entirety of Possum Springs (but they aren’t the only queer residents). And as is the dream for many small-towners, the pair is planning on skipping town once they’ve got enough money to leave. But what makes these two special isn’t that they’re part of a minority, but that their relationship carries an air of authenticity and vulnerability many games can’t quite get right. From their casual flirting, proclamations of love, occasional squabbles and gushy nicknames, their relationship feels real and tangible–not forced or faked. Yes, they love each other, but they’re also best friends, and the deep sense of trust the two have in one another permeates throughout the entire game. – Aiden Strawhun

The Prince and Farah – Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The Prince of Persia and Princess Farah team up in Sands of Time to track down the magical Hourglass of Time. They find themselves trapped together in the catacombs, and with nothing much else to do, they fall in love and er, get to know each other a bit better. Farah tells the Prince of a secret word her mother told her – Kakolookiyam – which she should say if she was ever alone and afraid, as it would make a door appear. While the prince is sleeping, she then abandons him and sets off alone on the mission – believing she has a better chance of completing it solo — but is killed. The Prince arrives too late to save her, so in his grief, uses his powers to rewind time to prevent her from dying. However, as he changes history, the two are never trapped in the catacombs together and never fall in love, so when he tries to kiss her, she rejects him. Before he leaves, she asks him his name, and he replies ‘Kakolookiyam’ before vanishing into the night. – Emma Boyes

Guybrush and Elaine – Secret of Monkey Island

Possibly the silliest name in video games, Guybrush Threepwood has a big crush on the sexy island governor, Elaine Marley, although it’s quite clear to everyone except him that she’s out of his league. Elaine is constantly being kidnapped by undead pirate LeChuck, who fancies her too, and Guy takes it upon himself to always try to rescue her, even though she’s quite capable of doing that on her own. Somewhere along the line, Elaine actually falls for Guybrush, and the two are married at the end of The Curse of Monkey Island. We bet Guybrush still can’t believe his luck and pinches himself every time he wakes up next to her. – Emma Boyes

Yuri and Alice – Shadow Hearts

Shadow Hearts is a criminally underrated Japanese RPG series. One of the main characters, Alice Elliot, has the ability to hear the voices of the dead and uses her creepy talents to work as an exorcist. When her father is killed by the evil warlock Roger Bacon (seriously, what kind of name is that for an evil warlock?) she crosses paths with Yuri Hyuga, who has been hearing voices in his head telling him to find and rescue her. Meeting Alice changes Yuri – he goes from being a character called ‘the Rude Hero’ to caring about others and the fate of the world. When Alice dies at the end of the game to save his soul, he is heartbroken. In the sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, in his grief he attempts a ritual to bring her back from the dead, but is unsuccessful. At the end of the game, if you get the ‘good’ ending, Yuri dies and the voiceover says that now he and Alice will be together forever. – Emma Boyes

Mono and Wander – Shadow of the Colossus

The spiritual sequel to ICO, in Shadow of the Colossus, the game starts with a young man – Wander – carrying a young woman – Mono. Wordlessly, he places her dead body on an altar. She was killed as a sacrifice as she was believed to be cursed, although beyond that, nothing much is known. Wander journeys to the Forbidden Land to speak with an entity called Dormin, who has the power to bring the dead back to life. Dormin agrees to his request to resurrect Mono on one condition – he must find and kill sixteen huge, lumbering creatures called Colossi. Wander agrees, but alas, a happy ever after for the pair was never meant to be as, having completed his mission, he is killed before he can get back to Mono. However, Dormin keeps his word, and she is brought back to life, alone. – Emma Boyes

Casey and Beatrix – Slime Rancher

We never get to meet Casey in Slime Rancher physically, but rather, through a series of letters and notes scattered about the ranch for the Slime Wrangler herself, Beatrix, to discover. Their relationship is clear, but Casey’s gender identity isn’t so obvious unless you’re paying attention. Casey is an androgynous name, but, in some letters, is addressed with she/her pronouns, making her and Beatrix queer characters. We love Slime Rancher for its casual, goofy and generally wholesome atmosphere, but this sort of subtle characterization and storytelling is what we love the most about it, especially since Beatrix, a woman of color, is front and center. – Aiden Strawhun

Jackie and Jenny – The Darkness

Jackie Estacado and Jenny Romano are childhood sweethearts that grew up together in an orphanage. They’ve been dating for years, but Jenny has no idea what Jackie really does for a living. He’s never quite got up the courage to tell his sweet, law-abiding missus that he’s actually a contract killer for mafia don Uncle Paulie. At the beginning of the game, you hang out with Jenny at her place, chatting about the usual things couples chat about and then snuggling up to watch a movie together on the sofa. You can watch the whole movie, if you like. Inevitably, when Paulie and Jackie fall out, Jenny sadly ends up being collateral damage, something that haunts Jackie through the rest of the game and its sequel. – Emma Boyes

Ellie and Riley – The Last of Us: Left Behind

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us won our hearts for a multitude of reasons–from great gameplay and design and fabulous characterization in the base game alone. It shines even more in the title’s DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, which is played from Ellie’s perspective as she tries to save Joel after a battle. She ends up running into an old friend named Riley, who is excited to see her and tell her about how she’s joined the Fireflies. It’s clear from the start that these girls have a deep bond, but their friendship goes even deeper than that when Ellie takes a moment to share a kiss with Riley. Ellie and Riley are young, and awkward, and dealing with situations that go far beyond themselves, but their kiss showed gaming that even in the worst of circumstances, intimacy and self-discovery can still exist. – Aiden Strawhun

Aya and Kyle – The Third Birthday

Aya Brea is an FBI agent and Kyle Madigan is a private investigator, and the pair meet in PlayStation 2 game Parasite Eve 2. By the time of The Third Birthday (effectively Parasite Eve 3), they’ve made plans to get married, but events overtake them and the wedding is never to be. It turns out that this game’s Aya is actually her sister Eve, who did a very un-sisterly thing and took over her body. When Aya finally gets a chance to return to her own bod she finds that Kyle is dead and, not wanting to live without him, asks Eve to kill her. Instead, Eve kills herself so that time can reset. At the end of the game, Kyle is shown leaving, saying he is going to search for ‘eternity’, to try and find his Aya again. We hope there’s a sequel and he does. – Emma Boyes

Zachary and Jonas – The Walking Dead: Michonne

Telltale’s always been one for player-guided narratives but has never shied away from putting queer characters front and center. In The Walking Dead: Michonne, Jonas and Zachary’s fate can go one of two ways, as goes for many of the characters in The Walking Dead universe. But if the two survive, their relationship is one that is similar to that of Riley and Ellie’s in The Last of Us–that these two gay men, despite being handed an awful set of cards in a terrible world, were able to find comfort and stability in one another. They’re hardly the first couple in this particular series, but they’re one of the most memorable, despite playing supporting roles, because they’re part of the world around them rather than being tokens as so many gay couples are typically treated within entertainment. – Aiden Strawhun

Johnny and River – To the Moon

Johnny is an elderly man near the end of his life in a future where doctors can grant you one last wish before you die. They do this by using a special machine to enter your memories and shuffle things around so that you get to live out the life you always wanted – in your head, at least – and die happy. Enter Dr. Eva Rosalene and Dr. Neil Watts, who was called by Johnny’s caretaker. Johnny’s last wish is to go to the moon, something he never got around to doing in real life. His wife, River died a few years before, and as we journey backwards through his memories we see their good times and bad times, culminating in the sweet moment when as kids, they meet for the first time. Their relationship feels utterly believable and real and their devotion to each other is touching to watch. To The Moon is essentially a love story, and since it’s a story first and a game second, we don’t really want to spoil it for you by saying any more. – Emma Boyes

Elena and Nathan – Uncharted

Elena Fisher is a TV journalist and Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter. At first Drake sees Elena solely as a meal ticket – he’s cons her into paying for an expedition to find and recover the coffin of Sir Francis Drake – knowing full well the coffin is empty. Then their boat blows up and sinks and once back on dry land, Nathan abandons her, believing she will jeopardize his real mission – to find El Dorado. However, you can’t get rid of Elena that easily and when some debt collectors come for Nate, they run into each other again. Several adventures later, after a game’s worth of sexual tension, they finally kiss. The game ends with Drake promising Elena he’ll finally make good on his promise to give her a good story for her show. – Emma Boyes

Geralt and Triss – The Witcher 3

Redheads are pretty hard to forget. Triss has had a prominent role throughout The Witcher series, playing a very big role in The Witcher 2, and an even larger one in The Witcher 3. Of course, she’s one of the many romanceable characters in The Witcher, but she and Geralt’s romance is one for the books. Aside from being a literal fireball, Triss has an air of generosity and care that her more mysterious, and equally alluring, counterpart Yennefer doesn’t always have. She’s stubborn and sharp as a whip, but kind and nurturing. She makes a good foil to Geralt’s cold and hard demeanor, and is one of those ladies who just brings out that inner softie in him. – Aiden Strawhun

Geralt and Yennefer – The Witcher 3

It only took several books and three video games for Geralt to find his legendary sorceress lover, but nevertheless, he finally found her in The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 its self is too big of a monster to sum up easily, but these two are particularly memorable because of the bond they share–which was initially because of a djinn. A side mission forces that bond to be broken, and well, their feelings just don’t change. And if that isn’t the test of true love, especially when your love is quite the playboy, then we don’t really know what is. Like Triss, she brings out the good, softer qualities in Geralt, but unlike Triss, she challenges him and allows him autonomy Triss’s personality doesn’t seem capable of doing. – Aiden Strawhun

Did we get your favorite couple in here? Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.

Source : IGN

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viralhottopics · 8 years ago

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Hulus January Arrivals Clearly Want Us to Party Like Its 1999

For cinephiles with more refined tastes than mine, theCriterion Collection’s mass exodus from Hulu to FilmStruckmight be truly traumatic. But Hulu’s not dead yet:its January offerings, which include seemingly every movie released in 1999, make it clear that the streaming platformunderstands me now more than ever.In fact, it seems that Hulu has figured outour new year’s resolutions.We should find commonality inconcentrated orange juice; we should build unlikely partnerships justas we feel like ending it all; we should find a way to dream, if onlyfor a moment, that the men who hacked our election were actually a bunch of young Matthew Brodericks. So as the year turns over, and auldacquaintances beforgot, enjoy these stories of unruly computers, Kevin Bacon dancing, Nic Cage drinking, and Woody Allen being neurotic. Lucky for us, the Ryan Phillippe/Sarah Michelle Gellar masterpiece Cruel Intentions hasnt been added to the Criterion Collection yet. Perhaps 2017 wont be so terrible after all.

Amlie (2001)

With a little #hashtagtivism and some creative accounting, surreal beat out fascism for Merriam-Websters 2016 Word of the Year. What better way to celebrate than with asurrealistic rom-com? Amlie (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman with a strange childhood who sets out to change the lives of the people around her. We can all use a strange, lovely escape sometimes.

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Annie Hall (1977)

If you’ve always wondered why your parents swear by the guy behind Curse of Jade Scorpion and that weird Amazon show with Lindsey Lohan, watching Annie Hall could finally answer your question. Woody Allen’s neuroses have become a clich, but his signature style plays perfectly and feels fresh in this story of a love affair gone wrong. Also, Diane Keaton won a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Annie Hall.

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Cruel Intentions (1999)

The incredibly 90s reimagination of Les Liaisons Dangereuses stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe as wealthy, oversexed, and conniving stepsiblings. The plot, as in the original, is driven by a bet: if Phillippe cant deflower their New York prep school headmaster’s innocent daughter of (Reese Witherspoon), he has togive his stepsister the keys to his Jaguar. Come for the rich kids acting badly, stay for Joshua Jackson with bleached hair!

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Footloose (1984)

When Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) shows up in a small Midwestern town, he is shocked to learn that rock music and dancing have been outlawed by the local minister (John Lithgow). If you like extravagant choreography, street-racing, small-town clichs, or beautiful preacher’s daughters, youre in luck. If not, it’s still worth watching just to sharpen your Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon skill set.

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King Kong (1976)

Ahead of next year’s release of Kong: Skull Island, it’s time to revisit all the Kongs (well, except the truly insaneKing Kong Lives). The 1933 Kong was groundbreaking, and while no one would describethis remake that way,watching a young Jeff Bridgesand Jessica Lange is plenty of fun so long as you can lean into the campiness.

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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Nicolas Cage won the Oscar for Best Actor for this performance. Do you really need another reason to watch this movie?

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Nicolas Cage won the Oscar for Best Actor for this performance. Do you really need another reason to watch this movie?

All the Lethal Weapons (1987-98)

Die Hard holds the crown for Best Christmas Action Movie (and Best Los Angeles Holiday Film), but Shane Black’s original Lethal Weapon is right on John McClanes bruised and cynical tail. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is on the verge of retirement when hes partnered with Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), a wild-eyed, more-than-half-crazy widower with a death wish. Together, the unlikely pair tries itsbest to get along and crack a drug-smuggling ring. The sequels never reach the brilliance of the original, but theyre all fun.

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Mission Impossible (1996)

There’s a very real possibility that Tom Cruise was grown in a lab specifically to play the part of Ethan Hunt. Say what you want about Cruise, but the man can sell a stunt, wear a tux, and ride a motorcycle. Brian De Palma’s adaption of the 1960s TV seriesamounts to little more than some great action sequencesbut when that music starts playing, we defy younot tohave fun.

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Sleepy Hollow (1999)

This retelling of the legend of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman sits at the peak ofTim Burtons Lesser Filmsor, depending on how you see the (visually eccentric) world, is the simply the worst of his best. Regardless, its refreshing to watch a pre-Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp, still full of lifethat striking face not yet covered with half-tint glassesacting alongsidethe consistently, wonderfully weird Cristina Ricci.

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South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Trey Parker and Matt Stone got some bad reviews for the latest season of South Park, but no one wouldargue against their track record as provocateurs. The unlikely musical, released moments before the Bush Era began, tells an all-too-familiar story about political correctness, small-town uprisings, and international conflict. The film that brought us thisnevereclipses the genius of Book of Mormon, but it’s stilla damn good movie musical.

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Trading Places (1983)

In the interest of resolving a nature vs. nurture argumentand settling a bettwo wealthy brothers scheme to pull a prince-pauper shell game with atrader at their commodities brokerage firm (Dan Aykroyd) and ahomeless man he’s had arrested, Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy). Hard to believe Murphy was just 22 when this John Landis classic sparkedhis legendary mid-80s movie run.

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The Untouchables (1987)

While it’s impossible to know for sure, chances are Lauryn Hill wasn’t actually beefing with Robert DeNiro when she said, “So while youre imitating Al Capone, Ill be Nina Simone/And defecating on your microphone.” DeNiros portrayal of the legendary Chicago bootlegger is great, and worth checking in on ahead of Tom Hardys upcoming Capone imitation. But the real gem in this film is Sean Connery as the veteran cop who takes Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) under his wing.

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WarGames (1983)

A young computer wiz (Matthew Broderick) hacks into government computers, altering the geopolitical landscape and nearly setting off World War III. The hopefully-not-ripped-from-future-headlines plotmay feel a bit too close to home right now,but it’s still a can’t-miss.

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