by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: No Escape (1994)
Patrick: #2: The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Armageddon, The Relic, Raising Cain, Terminator 2
Patrick: Theme: ‘90s GAH
Patrick: I know she’s known best for her collaborations with James Cameron, but to look at Gale Anne Hurd’s ‘90s resume is to appreciate all the cool genre shit for which she’s responsible. I’ve been meaning to revisit No Escape since that MVD Blu-ray came out and pairing it with some Ghost and the Darkness just makes sense because they’re both B-movies made with A-list production values, actors, and directors (Martin Campbell and Hopkins Bump). I actually think this double would play really well.
Adam: This is a cool theme. I like when we get to highlight someone’s work behind the camera. I was so happy to finally pick up No Escape on Blu-ray. I’ve wanted to see it since it came out but by the time I got around to it, it was difficult to find at a reasonable price. To close the evening out with a Hopkins flick is (chef's kiss).
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: Nightmare Alley (1947)
Adam: #2: Native Son (1951)
Adam: Theme: Shot on Chicago's State Street
Adam: I went back-and-forth a lot on this double feature. First off, I’m excited to have the opportunity to revisit the original Nightmare Alley. It’s a great movie. The New Beverly is doing a double feature of it with Roustabout this month so that ruled out a carnival theme for me. I over-thought this and saw on IMDB that one of the filming locations for the 1947 Nightmare Alley was on Chicago’s State Street so I latched onto that. I’m honestly more interested in the trailers/shorts for this one but it should be a good time. I read up on Native Son and it sounds like an interesting film noir (with a weird history) which should go well with Nightmare Alley.
Patrick: I’m showing Nightmare Alley to a class right now! It’s not going well. And is it wrong that I heard about that double feature on Pure Cinema and immediately wanted to see Roustabout on the big screen more than Nightmare Alley? Roustabout is so much fun! My point is this: I have never seen Native Son.
Double Feature 3:
Patrick: #2: The Net (1995)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Virtuosity, BrainScan, Disclosure
Patrick: Theme: ‘90s Internet
Adam: This sounds like such retro fun! I can’t wait for the trailer block. We’ve got two Dennis Millers here too, between The Net and the Disclosure trailer, babe.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: Halloween (2007)
Adam: #2: Death Sentence (2007)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Bourne Ultimatum, Resurrecting the Champ, Rush Hour 3, Stardust, Superbad, War
Adam: I was trying to avoid any of the obvious connections for Halloween (2007) and decided to go autobiographical. August 2007 was a solid month at the movies, especially compared to recent Augusts. I paired Halloween (2007) with Death Sentence because they’re similarly mean-spirited. I might need your support during this double feature since I’ve never been able to revisit Death Sentence. I was expecting it to be nasty but not THAT nasty when I saw it on opening day. P.S. I’ll never forget the day in August 2007 when my power went out and I went to the movies to see War and a (surprisingly sold-out) Resurrecting the Champ screening while I waited for my power to come back on.
Patrick: Love this double feature and love the trailer block. It would be kind of unpleasant for sure, but I’m ready for it. I have never seen Resurrecting the Champ and from now on I’m going to pretend it’s because I tried to go that day and couldn’t get tickets.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: Pajama Party (1964)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Pajama Game, Slumber Party Massacre, Everyone has to wear PJs
Patrick: Theme: Pajama Jammy Jam
Patrick: So Pajama Party is not my favorite of the Beach Party series, but it’s got enough of the Beach Party DNA that I still dig it. I actually think it would be a really fun night at the movies to watch this after House Party 2, a movie I’ve only seen once but remember enjoying. Is it as good as House Party?
Adam: I’m not sure. House Party 2 is one of my blind spots. I’ve seen the first and the third (which has an amazing running joke about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) being played at a bachelor party). I love that this will give me an excuse to finally see House Party 2 and pick up new pajamas.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: Time Bandits (1981)
Adam: #2: Highlander (1986)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Dragonheart, First Knight, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Zardoz
Adam: Theme: Sci Fi/Fantasy Connery
Adam: Sean Connery surprisingly did a lot of Sci-Fi/Fantasy movies which is funny to me because they seem like movies he wouldn’t gravitate to or enjoy as a viewer. I could be wrong. I just never got a vibe from him that he was even slightly nerdy. I’m not crazy about Time Bandits (I’m sorry…I’m just not generally a Terry Gilliam guy) but I’d be interested in trying it again in this context. This reminds me that I should probably watch First Knight finally. I have it on a triple feature DVD with Family Business (which I also need to see) and Robin and Marian (which I should watch so I get even more excited about Connery’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves cameo). P.S. I don’t like cameos. Do you, Patrick? That being said, the Connery one in Costner Hood is pretty great.
Patrick: Cameos tend to take me out of whatever I’m watching, especially nowadays when all I’m seeing is an onscreen deal that was made. Sorry for programming Time Bandits! I think it will be a fun night of sci-fi/fantasy regardless because of how many dorky movies Connery made, as you correctly point out.
Double Feature 7:
Patrick: #2: The Aviator (2004)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Independence Day (1996), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Dude Where’s My Car? (1999)
Patrick: Theme: Big Screen Spiner
Patrick: This probably won’t work as a double even though I like both movies (I like The Aviator way more now than I did when I saw it in 2004). I don’t know how much of a Spiner guy I am. Data’s cool and I like him in interviews, but he tends to distract me when he shows up in things. I guess it kind of goes back to the cameo conversation, right?
Adam: Seeing how these two play together will be interesting. And yes, The Aviator is great. I remember seeing that on Christmas Day 2004 with a girl I used to date. I loved it, she didn’t like it and I impulsively got defensive like “Sorry Martin Scorsese isn’t good enough for you.” If we weren’t both Jewish, I wouldn’t have said that to her on Christmas. Did I ever tell you that I got carded when I went to see Star Trek: Generations when I was 12? What the hell did the theater think they were protecting me from? We should card everyone under 17 for this double feature.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Crooklyn (1994)
Adam: #2: My Girl 2 (1994)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Block of “Awesome 90s Toy Commercials That Every Girl Loved!” from YouTube, The Baby-Sitters Club, Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain, Now and Then, Set It Off, Waiting to Exhale
Adam: Theme: 1990s Female Coming of Age Comedy/Dramas
Adam: First off, I love Crooklyn and there were many ways I could go on this double feature. I decided to try something super specific and less obvious by making this an evening for women who were ‘90s kids. The pairing with My Girl 2 was just because that and Crooklyn were both from 1994. I’d be interested in revisiting it though. I remember thinking it was sweet and a nice cool down from the great but devastating 1991 My Girl. The trailers should be fun too. I need to invite my friend Lesley to this because for years she was making a running joke about watching The Baby-Sitters Club (1995) when our friend group was trying to pick out a movie to watch. I haven’t spoken to her in at least three years so this might be a weird phone call.
Patrick: I think she’s ready for it.
Double Feature 9:
Patrick: #2: Zero Effect (1997)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Last Days of Disco, Malice, In the Land of Women
Patrick: Theme: Underrated Castle Rock Joints
Patrick: I originally wanted to do a Castle Rock movies set in Castle Rock double bill, but there aren’t enough to make it work. Instead, I went with what would be an amazing night at the movies because all of these are so good.
Adam: I want to go to this double feature immediately. I’ve been meaning to see Dolores Claiborne and Zero Effect but never got around to either of them. I’ll bring my 35mm Malice trailer!
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: Deja Vu (2006)
Adam: #2: Out of Time (2003)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Beyonce “Deja Vu” music video, John Q, Antwone Fisher, The Great Debaters
Adam: Theme: 2000’s Denzel
Adam: I’m pumped to revisit Deja Vu. I remember liking that one quite a bit. I originally had this as a night dedicated to Tony Scott & Denzel Washington collaborations but changed it last minute to 2000s Denzel because a) I want to spotlight Out of Time, which is good and underseen and b) Deja Vu and Out of Time are similarly Denzel with love & lust on the brain. I picked the trailers to match the features, which are all PG-13 Denzel’s from the 2000s.
Patrick: Deja Vu rules and is definitely in my top 5 Tony Scott movies. Maybe Top 3. I feel like I would come away from this double a much bigger Denzel fan.
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