Thursday, May 18, 2023

Friday Night Double Features Vol. 30

 by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley

Double feature suggestions from Patrick and Adam to help kick off your summer!

Double Feature 1:

Adam: #1: Nemesis (1992)
Patrick: #2: Class of 1999 (1990)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Cherry 2000, Hardware, Fortress, Circuitry Man
Patrick: Theme: Cyberpunk on a Budget

Patrick: This double feature would kick so much ass. Have you seen Class of ‘99? I love the idea of doubling Pyun and Mark L. Lester, two of my faves. Looking up titles to program, I realize I’m much more into low budget ‘80s and ‘90s sci fi than I am anything expensive made today. I realize that’s not a profound statement.

Adam: I haven’t seen Class of 1999, but I definitely want to knowing you’re a fan and also with me having seen Class of 1984 last Junesploitation and enjoying it. I’m totally with you on enjoying Cyberpunk on a budget more than current, expensive sci-fi. The limitations are often charming. I really need to see Fortress as well.

Double Feature 2:

Patrick: #1: Tropic Thunder (2008)
Adam: #2: In the Army Now (1994)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Renaissance Man, Major Payne, Stripes
Adam: Theme: Military Comedies

Adam: Turns out I really like military comedies and never realized it. Tropic Thunder is a movie I have nostalgia for since its release coincided with my days doing improv in Chicago. I remember being at bars with other improvisers convinced we were going to get on SNL and eventually have our own auteur vehicles like Tropic Thunder. Boys will be boys amirite?! I paired it with In the Army Now which I haven't seen in 20+ years but remember liking. Pauly Shore is underrated. He just was Pauly, take it or leave it and that takes guts.

Patrick: I wanted to revisit Tropic Thunder since talking about Ben Stiller as a director last week on the podcast, and I love pairing it with ItAN. I, too, miss Pauly Shore movies because we don’t get comedy vehicles that like any more where you pretty much knew what you were getting and that was ok.

Double Feature 3:
Adam: #1: Fast Five (2011)
Patrick: #2: Walking Tall (2004)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Rundown, Southland Tales, The Scorpion King
Patrick: Theme: Movies The Rock Didn’t Ruin

Patrick: Remember when Dwayne Johnson was a reason to see a movie? He was kind of exciting. I know you feel like he ruined the Fast franchise, but I like him in this one because he’s basically the antagonist. I was way more excited about Tyrese coming back than I was about them adding The Rock in 2011 because I love 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Adam: I think Dwayne Johnson was a welcome addition to the Fast series for 5 & 6 but then he seemed to think it was all about him (Hobbs used to be a specific guy and then just became The Rock persona) and became an emblem of the hollowness the franchise devolved into after Paul Walker’s passing. I’m so down for this double feature though because Fast Five (while not my favorite movie of the series) is the peak for the franchise’s action set-pieces imho and Walking Tall (2004) is one of the greatest films ever made. I’m due to revisit The Rundown since it’s celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Double Feature 4:

Patrick: #1: Escape from L.A. (1996)
Adam: #2: Mission: Impossible (1996)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Harriet the Spy, The Phantom, A Very Brady Sequel
Adam: Theme: Paramount Summer 1996

Adam: I always consider “The Mountain” to be classy, fancy pants movies for dads but they had a little bit of mall in them back in Summer of ‘96. I’m a fan of most of these movies (I haven’t seen Harriet the Spy, Escape from L.A. is a movie I don’t love but will revisit anytime) and the idea of putting them all together seems fun. I also want to revisit the original Mission: Impossible just to compare it to how far we’ve gone in the franchise. They’re epics of size & scope as Ben Lyons would say. P.S. A Very Brady Sequel is really funny. That's not a hot take, is it?

Patrick: I don’t think I’ve seen A Very Brady Sequel since the day it opened but I remember being a fan. Good summer lineup, Paramount! Is it bad that the first Mission: Impossible, while a movie I like, is one of my least favorites of the franchise? And it’s De Palma! What’s wrong with me?

Double Feature 5:
Adam: #1: Judgment Night (1993)
Patrick: #2: Blown Away (1994)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Lost in Space, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Predator 2, Tales from the Crypt episode “Beauty Rest”
Patrick: Theme: Hopkins Bump

Patrick: There’s no better reason to open the Linderground Cinemarink than to program a double feature by one of our mutual favorite guys, Stephen Hopkins. I want to see if we can book him to come out and tell the story about punching out Peter Greene. He seems like the coolest guy, and I love his movies.

Adam: YES! I’m overdue for a revisit of Blown Away. P.S. I love that you added “Beauty Rest” which is one of my favorite Crypt episodes. I also really like the other two he did - “Abra Cadavar” and “Staired in Horror.” Stephen Hopkins rules! He deservedly punched out Peter Greene!

Double Feature 6:

Patrick: #1: The Truman Show (1998)
Adam: #2: A Perfect Murder (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Godzilla, Hope Floats, Deep Impact
Adam: Theme: Opening Weekend Top 5

Adam: I want to take a time machine back to 1998 to watch the Bulls in the NBA Finals in person (I could probably afford it with deflation) so I might as well bring a double feature with me as a souvenir. Is that how time travel works? I like The Truman Show a lot but haven’t seen it in a long time. I wonder how it plays today compared to 1998 when broadcasting your life for the world to see was a forewarning and not a common occurrence. I’m also excited to see A Perfect Murder again since I’ve grown to love Michael Douglas even more than I used to since you and I talk about him frequently. He’s our sleaze king.

Patrick: We stan a sleaze king. I have so much fondness and nostalgia for Summer ‘98 because it was the summer I started hanging out and going to movies with Erika, so even though I don’t necessarily love a lot of the movies that came out at that time I am so happy to travel back and revisit them. Truman Show rules. Peter Weir rules.

Adam: Is now a good time to reveal my massive Laura Linney crush? I’m a big fan of frazzled.

Double Feature 7:
Adam: #1: River’s Edge (1986)
Patrick: #2: The Doom Generation (1995)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Mean Creek, Bully, Kids
Patrick: Theme: Wasted Youth

Patrick: I swear I’m not trying to alienate you with the double since I know you just recently said you don’t love these kinds of movies. I mostly just want to revisit The Doom Generation because there was a point in the ‘90s when it was my least favorite movie. I suspect I was wrong about that.

Adam: I’m 50/50 here. I really want to see River’s Edge (it’s one of my unseen Keanus) and The Doom Generation has been on my radar recently because of its re-release on the rep circuit but this theme…I’m going to need a crisis blanket. I’ve seen all the films in the trailer block once and yet they’re seared into my memory.

Double Feature 8:

Patrick: #1: Lifeforce (1985)
Adam: #2: Masters of the Universe (1987)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Invasion U.S.A., Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Cyborg
Adam: Theme: Cannon Movies Adam Has Seen in a Theatre

Adam: This is inspired by my recent experience of getting to see Cyborg in a theater played on 35mm. It felt good to see a Van Damme movie in a cinema again. I really like Cannon normally but I’m a bit of a novice. This is sort of a greatest hits kind of night for me rather than being adventurous, but I’d love to see Lifeforce and Masters of the Universe back-to-back with a crowd.

Patrick: Holy shit is this a night made for me. We maybe have seen all the same Cannon movies in a theater!

Double Feature 9:
Adam: #1: The Wood (1999)
Patrick: #2: Lake Placid (1999)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Eyes Wide Shut, The Blair Witch Project, American Pie
Patrick: Theme: Mid July 1999

Patrick: Remember all the things I said about Summer 1998? That goes double for Summer 1999 because the movies were so good.

Adam: Yeah, they were! Any combination of two films from the five listed here would be a great double feature. We didn’t know how good we had it. This double reminds me of Blockbuster since I was working there when all of them were released on DVD and yes, VHS.

Double Feature 10:

Patrick: #1: Hollywood Homicide (2003) - Joe
Adam: #2: Paranoia (2013) - Jock
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Working Girl, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Firewall - Jacks
Adam: Theme: Joe, Jock & Jacks

Adam: The theme here is movies where Harrison Ford played a character named either Joe, Jock, or Jack. It makes very little sense, but it has a catchy sound and lets us have a random Harrison Ford night. I like Hollywood Homicide more than most people and Paranoia is insane in the best possible way. Ford plays a character named Jock Goddard which is one of the best names I’ve ever heard for a corporate executive in real life or fiction. Even more unbelievable is Richard Dreyfuss plays Liam Hemsworth’s dad in that movie, which means he slept with Helen of Troy apparently.

Patrick: This is an amazing theme and a chance for me to finally see Paranoia. Part of me wishes we could retcon every Harrison Ford movie and have him named Jock. I want Jock to go on trial in Presumed Innocent. I want Jock to bring his family to the jungle in Mosquito Coast. I want to Regard Jock.

Adam: Lol. Regarding Jock.

No comments:

Post a Comment