Love Story

Never thought I would read the following sentence, let alone write it. For a film about suicides, Wristcutters: A Love Story is strangely life-affirming. This film about slackers stuck in limbo between life and death is upbeat in an offbeat way. In its opening sequence a depressive dude named Zia (Patrick Fugit, the almost famous star of Almost Famous) morosely cleans his apartment and proceeds to commit the act referenced by the title. But instead of curling up under the oblivion blanket, Zia is stranded in the afterlife.

Interracial love is the sensitive subject of the film that leads this week's list of new home video. MISSISSIPPI MASALA 1/2 (1992) (Columbia TriStar) 118 minutes. Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury. An exuberant film by Salaam Bombay! director Mira Nair, this is an exotic and erotic love story about an interracial couple - a black American who has never seen Africa and an African-born Indian who has never seen her native land - whose cultures have more in common than they ever imagined.

Television is easing into the big ratings month, November, known as a sweeps period (when ratings accrued translate to future ad rates), with what I call warmup films. They're not good enough for the hot sweeps competition but are good enough to keep viewers entertained for a couple of hours. One such film is CBS' "Conspiracy of Love" (tomorrow at 9 p.m. on Ch. 10) starring 12-year-old Drew Barrymore as Jody, the focus of a tug of war between her devoted grandparents, played by Robert Young and Elizabeth Wilson, and her deserted mother (Glynnis O'Connor)

In Shopgirl, Claire Danes is Mirabelle Buttersfield, a displaced Vermonter, an artist, a twentysomething salesgirl at the gloves counter on the couture floor of Saks in Beverly Hills. She can stand idle for hours, interrupted by the occasional shopper looking for evening gloves to go with that Oscar de la Renta gown. And then one day Mirabelle is interrupted by a nice enough man of middle age, apparently out to buy a present for his wife or girlfriend. He's not sure if he should choose gray or black.

We shouldn't have to tell you this, but here's a word of advice for guys who might be curious: Don't make love to a vacuum cleaner. It sucks! Alas, some lonesome fellow - from Long Branch, N.J., of all places - decided to date his Hoover. Of course, he was only in it for the sex. So it did what any upright appliance would do - it severed the relationship. And that's how a 51-year-old man became less of a man - and nearly bled to death in a bizarre mechanical love tragedy.

THIS IS a valentine to Philadelphia and our Kimmel Center. Even cynics should forgive me, remembering the day. In truth, I can't help myself. I love the center because it is majestic. I love it because the lifeblood of so many marvelous Philadelphians is in it, enriching its soul and strengthening it. I love it because it's world-class. I love it because we did it - against great odds - when so many said we couldn't. Of course, no love is perfect, and this includes the Kimmel.

If the course of true love never did run smooth, then what of the course of true loathe? A Fish in the Bathtub, a ruefully funny film starring Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara as Sam and Molly, squabblers closing in on their 40th anniversary, suggests loathing is a knotty form of love. Can this marriage be saved? Or must it first be detangled? The film's title refers to a large carp that irascible Sam brings home one night and parks in the tub. The fish is not a symbol. It is a symptom.

There is a terribly affecting quality about "The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love," Maria Maggenti's auspicious film debut. Despite its provocative themes, it represents teen screen romance at its best. Flawed acting and imprecise editing actually add to the charm of this delicate love story. Randy (Laurel Holloman), a grungy, tomboyish loner and Evie (Nicole Parker), a prissy, popular girl, meet at the gas station where Randy works. Their differences are startling.

Diva offers flashy, winning and totally unpredictable proof that a French connection can exist between the opera stage and the underworld. Part police thriller, part offbeat love story - between a diva (Wilhelmenia Fernandez) and a smitten postal worker - it keeps the viewer off balance with its dash and many surprises. Diva is a tale of two tapes. One records the voice of a prima donna and the other the last words of a murdered prostitute that could incriminate various powerful figures.

A passionate romance set against the background of a war that puts the lovers at the mercy of great events beyond their control is an almost surefire theme that has drawn filmmakers from Casablanca to The Year of Living Dangerously. But even in a crowded and much-traveled field, Max Farberbock's Aimee and Jaguar is a standout. The sheer improbability of the lesbian relationship between Lilly (Juliane Kohler), a loyal and upright German officer's wife, and Felice (Maria Schrader)

Is Washed Out just a darling of the blogs? No. The hip-cult music bloggerati surely adore them, but that's not why this Atlanta band is a success. It comes down to this: Their music is an accompaniment to the love story of the mind. Yes, Ernest Greene — the band's tentative crooning singer, composer, and keyboardist — did indeed make his initial electronic singles, epic yet intimate, into online and downloadable favorites. He's credited with being a leading voice in what's labeled "chillwave.

Theater Carousel The story of a summer romance that leads to hardship & heartache. Closes 4/22. Villanova University - Vasey Hall, 800 E. Lancaster Ave., Villanova; 610-519-7474. $23-$25. Crowns A woman moves in with her Southern aunt & is introduced to the role hats play in the local culture. Closes 4/29. Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water St., Wilmington; Box Office: 302-594-1100. $35. Curse of the Starving Class Dark comedy about a farm family dealing with financial ruin & ruthless debt collectors.

Theater Professional/semi-professional A Reptile Dysfunction Musical comedy. Closes 3/30. The Mask and Wig Club, 310 S Quince St.; Box Office: 215-586-3729. $30; $15 students. Azuka Theatre: Hope Street & Other Lonely Places Five Philadelphians united in loss & love search for answers in the big city. Closes 4/1. First Baptist Church, 123 S. 17th St.; 215-733-0255. www.azukatheatre.org. $22-$27. Brat Productions: Let's Start a War Satirical punk-themed cabaret show about a cocktail party where the kitchen staff are plotting to overthrow the rich.

Shakespeare's plays contain lyrics or references to more than 100 songs. Today, the Bard no doubt would have written Twelfth Night as a musical. That's the sense given by Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre's enchanting production. From its first line - "If music be the food of love, play on" - Fabian Obispo's original music accentuates the melancholic theme in a duke's rejoinder to a fool's question: "Would you rather have a love song or a song of good life?" "A love song. I care not for good life.

FOR ONE, brief shining moment, we Catholics found common ground. It was as solid as the thinnest layer of spring ice, but it was still real. And then, with one carefully-crafted "compromise," President Obama sent us flying back to our separate corners to glare at our enemy siblings. That might sound a bit melodramatic for those who have no understanding of what it means to grow up in the Church of Rome. The only other group of "religionists" who make such a big deal about their heritage are the Jews, and even they have ethnicity to bind them together beyond the dogma.

When I was in my first year in college, Rob Shutler lived across the hall. He was an architecture student and had many fine qualities, but of course what impressed me was he could do a handstand for two minutes, and when we went skiing once, I saw him with my own eyes do a flip off a ski jump. He said his father was from Northfield, Vt., and that's where Rob had also learned to ski so well. I met his dad back then, but he was a busy guy, a three-star general in the Marine Corps.

A mind-twisting cable film and a mind-blowing movie top this week's new DVD releases. The Sunset Limited, Grade B-plus: The film, which originally aired on HBO, is based on the play by Cormac McCarthy. It's an example of how a production can be sparse in setting and action and still be powerful and moving. After a suicide attempt by White (Tommy Lee Jones) is thwarted by Black (Samuel L. Jackson), the two men go to Black's sparse apartment to talk. The entire film is their discussion of life, death, and the existence of God. Their opinions are as much a contrast as their names.

Months after her husband was killed by the Nazis, an emotionally torn Kate Schmid fell in love. Hermann Hoerlin was a tall, rugged mountain climber who helped her through a crisis. But Schmid was Jewish. The man she loved was not. Yet against the backdrop of Nazi Germany, they found a way to marry when their union was forbidden by law. For years, only the bare bones of their story were known to their daughter, Bettina Hoerlin of Chestnut Hill. Then, about eight years ago, she opened a suitcase that had belonged to her parents, long dead.

This Valentine's Day, abandon the obvious gestures (roses, chocolates) in favor of design-conscious gifts that won't wilt or melt. - Caroline Tiger Share something sweet Give your ice cream lover (and her flavor of choice) special attention with Alessi's "Big Love" ice cream bowl and spoon ($56) and "Love" set of ice cream bowls ($64). Available at alessi-shop.com . A piece of his art Design junkies will heart the Kaj watch ($110)

IF CUPID were Catholic, this would never have happened. Saint Joseph's University showed its conservative side yesterday when it prevented a lesbian couple from entering a Valentine's Day contest run by its alumni association. Thanks to an outpouring of support for the two women over Facebook, the decision was later reversed. "Our alma mater . . . told us that we are not really, fully part of the SJU community," Megan Edwards and Katie MacTurk wrote in a Facebook post. "Words cannot express the disappointment and sadness we felt after hearing this.