Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Patrick: #2: Trapped in Paradise (1994)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Ref, Mixed Nuts, A Flintstones Christmas Carol, Little Women (1994)
Patrick: Theme: ‘94 Christmas
Patrick: Why was 1994 such a good year for Christmas movies? I mean, there were so many. Or did there just used to be this many every year and I’m forgetting how good we had it? I’ve never seen the remake of Miracle on 34th Street, so thank you for programming it here. Is it good? Am I confusing it with All I Want for Christmas? I think I’m at the point where I just have to admit I like Trapped in Paradise. It went from being a Nicolas Cage holiday movie I tolerated to a Nicolas Cage movie I feel like revisiting every year. It’s syrupy but sincere and I appreciate that. I like this double to kick off our December at the Cinemarink.
Adam: You’re right;1994 was a stacked year for Christmas movies. I saw the Miracle on 34th Street remake for the first time in the last couple of years. It’s fine. Mostly, it made me want to watch the original again. It’s better than All I Want for Christmas but I’d rather rewatch the latter because it’s insane and the most 1991 movie ever made. My favorite thing about Trapped in Paradise (besides Nicolas Cage and Madchen Amick) is that Dana Carvey decided to do a Mickey Rourke impression in it for whatever reason. This would be a fun, festive night at the Cinemarink. I feel like these two would benefit by playing together.
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: I Come in Peace (1990)
Adam: #2: Species (1995)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Alien Nation, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Starman
Adam: Theme: Humanoid Aliens
Adam: Alien Nation might have been a better movie to pair with I Come in Peace, but I couldn’t resist how much fun it would be to watch Species as the second feature after Dolph & Benben. I also have you to thank for finally getting me to watch I Come in Peace because it was a movie whose existence fascinated me at age 8 but I completely forgot about it until I think one of your Heavy Action columns???
Patrick: I wanted to program a Christmas action movie that wasn’t Die Hard and wasn’t a Shane Black joint. I came close to showing Invasion USA but then I remembered that I Come in Peace is a holiday movie, and it felt like a no-brainer. This is part of that trilogy of greats from Craig R. Baxley and the one that probably gets the least amount of love. Do you think Benben will come to our screening? And will he bring Hot Stowe with him?
Double Feature 3:
Adam: #1: The Hateful Eight (2015)
Patrick: #2: The Tall Men (1955)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Great Silence, Ravenous, Cut-Throats Nine
Patrick: Theme: Snowy Westerns
Patrick: Oh boy do I love snowy westerns. Even the trailers for this one get me all pumped up because I like all these movies so much. I know it will be hard for any movie to follow The Hateful Eight, but The Tall Men is enough of a shift in tone to work in the second slot. It’s the movie that made me fall in love with Jane Russell and turned me around on Clark Gable finally. The Hateful Eight is probably the Tarantino movie I’ve seen the most times at this point because I watch it when the season changes every year and then usually one or two more times that season. I find it so, so watchable.
Adam: I heard on the latest Pure Cinema Podcast that the New Beverly apparently cranks up the A/C during The Hateful Eight showings so we should try to top that. I’m thinking we get a giant oscillating fan and hold piles of snow in front of it throughout the night. We’ll pay whoever does that at the theater time and a half. I’ve never heard of The Tall Men so I’m really looking forward to this double. I haven’t seen The Hateful Eight very much at home but surprisingly I think it’s the Tarantino movie I saw the most times in theaters during its first run. I just kept going back over and over (I think the final tally was 7 times), so it’s cool we’re both playing one of our comfort movies.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: Tangerine (2015)
Adam: #2: Happy Christmas (2014)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Best Man Holiday, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Love the Coopers
Adam: Theme: 2010’s Christmas Comedy-Dramas
Adam: This was tough. I tried to do an L.A. Christmas movie theme but didn’t find anything that paired well enough with Tangerine (the only major Sean Baker movie I’ve yet to see, although I consider myself a fan of his work). Pairing Tangerine with Happy Christmas would be good because a) this would be a super short night at the movies and b) it’s an excuse to revisit Happy Christmas which I own but haven’t thought about in a few years. I included the trailer for Love the Coopers because it’s one of my least favorite trailers of all-time and I want to stand up after it in the Linderground Cinemarink and say “See! Isn’t that one of the worst trailers of all-time?” and people go “Yeah!”
Patrick: Tangerine is, as of this writing, my favorite of all Sean Baker’s movies and the only one I think I love, even though I too consider myself a fan of his work. I kept reading Happy Christmas as Happiest Season and the theming still totally works because it’s such an indie Christmas double. I don’t remember the trailer for Love the Coopers at all but I’m going to watch it now and want it to become an institution at the Cinemarink.
Double Feature 5:
Adam: #1: Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Patrick: #2: The Santa Clause (1994)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Fred Claus, Noelle, The Nightmare Before Christmas
Patrick: Theme: Santa’s Replacement
Patrick: I don’t love this theme and I’m not proud of it but I haven’t seen Ernest Saves Christmas since the second-run theater my sister and I walked to in 1988, and I’ve never seen any Santa Clause movie so this is a reason to see both. Why is finding a replacement for Santa a popular plot for family movies? Shouldn’t Santa just be Santa forever? I know, I know – not if Tim Allen has anything to say about it.
Adam: I guess there’s only so many plots you can have for a Santa movie??? I have nostalgia for The Santa Clause but I’m not sure if it would work watching it the first time in 2024. It’s very 1994. It’s maybe the best of the trilogy but Santa Clause 2 is the sexiest. I’m not the biggest Ernest Saves Christmas fan. My go-to Ernests are Ernest Goes to Jail and Ernest Scared Stupid. And yet, despite all of this, I would go see this double feature first out of all of these. I like the Ernest Saves Christmas poster enough where whenever I see it, I think “Alright, one more try.” My brain is broken.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: The Bone Collector (1999)
Adam: #2: The Hurricane (1999)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: For Love of the Game, End of Days, Man on the Moon
Adam: Theme: 1999 Universal Pictures
Adam: After the recent round of press Denzel Washington did for Gladiator II, it made me want to go back and watch The Hurricane (because he pinpoints him losing Best Actor at the Oscars for that movie causing a subsequent 15 years of bitterness) and pairing it with another Universal Pictures Denzel movie from 1999 sounds like a blast. If you had to pick a favorite movie from all 5 listed here (the double feature and the trailers), what would it be? Are you a fan of The Bone Collector or The Hurricane? I haven’t seen them since I saw them but don’t remember either being more than ok.
Patrick: I love ‘99 so much so I’m totally down for this because I have affection even for the movies I don’t love (End of Days) and barely remember (The Hurricane). I’m not the biggest Bone Collector fan but I recently rewatched it for the first time since theaters and was a) surprised to realize it’s a Christmas movie and b) nostalgic for when Hollywood made movies like it. My favorite of the list is probably Man on the Moon but if I’m being honest the first one, I’m pulling off the shelf to revisit is For Love of the Game. #Courage
Double Feature 7:
Adam: #1: Shampoo (1975)
Patrick: #2: Bulworth (1998)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Heaven Can Wait (1978), Reds, Love Affair
Patrick: Theme: Written by Warren Beatty
Patrick: Sorry for going off theme here, but I couldn’t find another Christmas movie to pair with Shampoo. I know you’re not a Warren Beatty guy, so I feel guilty devoting a night to him, but Shampoo rules and I’m due for a Bulworth rewatch given the way things have gone since it came out. Maybe Warren Beatty was on to something. If we get bored, we can sing “Last Christmas” by Wham! and stay on brand.
Adam: I’m into this. I like Warren Beatty. I just think he’s strange. I’ve never seen Shampoo and haven’t seen Bulworth in a long time so I would buy a ticket to this double feature.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Trading Places (1983)
Adam: #2: 48 Hrs. (1982)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Best Defense, Beverly Hills Cop, The Golden Child
Adam: Theme: Early Eddies
Adam: It’s a lazy theme but I couldn’t resist programming two solid early-'80s Eddie Murphy’s together. This would be a fun night at the movies. Do I need to see Best Defense or The Golden Child?
Patrick: I wouldn’t waste time on Best Defense – Eddie is a glorified cameo – but you might like The Golden Child? I don’t think it’s great but it’s just weird enough to be charming. We picked the two best early Eddies to show, so the trailers are just a bonus.
Double Feature 9:
Adam: #1: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Patrick: #2: The Living Daylights (1987)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The World is Not Enough, For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball
Patrick: Theme: Underrated Bonds
Patrick: These might be my top two Bonds, so this is maybe my favorite double of the month. I’ve never seen a pre-Brosnan Bond theatrically and this would be a great way to check two of the best off the list. I really do think that if Sean Connery had made OHMSS his last Bond movie, it would be widely regarded as the single best entry in the franchise.
Adam: I love this double feature too. I’m seeing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service this weekend for the first time and I’m pretty excited since its reputation is so strong and it’s the Christmas Bond. I also need to revisit The Living Daylights. I know I started watching it once but didn’t finish it because I got sidetracked by something else. I’m probably the world’s biggest Licence to Kill fan so I owe it to Gentleman T. Dalts.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: Carol (2015)
Adam: #2: Her (2013)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Catch Me If You Can, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Django Unchained
Adam: Theme: Movies I Saw in Theaters on Christmas
Adam: I picked this theme I guess because it’s a gripe of mine. I don’t really like seeing movies in theaters on Christmas Day (actually the whole week between Christmas and New Years) because I notice a lot of people who don’t go to movies any other time of the year (and usually can’t behave themselves) go during this week because they’re back together with friends & family. Despite my gripe, I have gone to the theaters on Christmas morning several times mainly because I needed to cram in popular end-of-year titles before the calendar year is up. Carol and Her are two of those cases. Trailers aside, this also works as a Rooney Mara double feature.
Patrick: I used to like going to the movies on Christmas (before kids, obviously) but I think moviegoing has changed so much since I used to do it that I would dislike it now, too. It’s bad enough going on a regular Friday. This is a really strong double of two good movies. I haven’t rewatched Her since the theater, but I remember it being good when we saw it for Erika’s birthday. Do I need to revisit it? Probably, and doubling it with one of my favorite Todd Haynes movies sounds like the way to do it.
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