by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: Serpico (1973)
Patrick: #2: Prince of the City (1981)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Insider, All the President’s Men, John Grisham’s The Rainmaker
Patrick: Theme: Taking on the System
Patrick: Holy shit this double. It wasn’t necessarily intentional that both movies were about police corruption or that both are directed by Sidney Lumet, but once I thought of Prince of the City (a movie that rules) I knew I had to pair these two. It will be a long night of gritty New York procedural drama, but I am here for it. I wouldn’t immediately think of myself as a fan of this theme on screen but even the trailers have me excited because, in the words of Tom Atkins, they’re all fucking good.
Adam: I can’t wait for this one! My strategy for picking what to headline double features with this year are movies from my own collection. Pairing Serpico (which I saw once and really liked) with Prince of the City (which I’ve never seen but always heard was good) sounds great to me. I love the trailer block. I need to get around to seeing All the President’s Men for the first time too.
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: Get Over It! (2001)
Adam: #2: Head Over Heels (2001)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Antitrust, The Shipping News, The Wash
Adam: Theme: 2001 Movies That Grossed $10M to $11M at the Domestic Box Office
Adam: 2001 was overloaded with programmer movies so I thought it would be fun to build a night around a few of them that made a mild impact at the box office and were probably more successful at the video store. Sorry in advance for The Shipping News trailer. Get Over It! rules (there’s a lot of competition but it might be Mt. Rushmore Dunst adorableness) and I’m excited to finally see Head Over Heels although I remember hearing that movie had a shitting scene, so I’ll leave the theater during that part because I hate shitting in movies. Pissing I’m not a big fan of either, but it’s at least more cinematic. I should’ve booked Antitrust as the second feature the more that I think of it. Oh well, it’s too late now.
Patrick: I saw Head Over Heels the night it opened and remember really hating it, but I don’t know why. I wasn’t as much of a Freddie Prinze Jr. guy as you and literally the only thing that sticks in my head all these years later is the shitting scene you mentioned. Maybe a revisit can turn things around? Probably not. That’s ok! I’m coming to the Cinemarink that night just to see Get Over It! on 35mm. The closing credits dance to “September” is one of my favorites and one of Dunst’s Top 3 “looks like Erika” moments so of course it’s what cemented my crush on her.
Double Feature 3:
Patrick: #2: Hard to Hold (1984)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Dune (1984), Prince “Let’s Go Crazy” video, Spellcaster, Desperately Seeking Susan
Patrick: Theme: ‘80s Pop Star Vehicles
Patrick: Plenty of musicians have tried their respective hands at acting, some with more success than others. I wanted this night to be a tribute to the One and Dones, star vehicles designed to launch the movie careers of a couple rockers that completely belly flopped. To be fair, Rick Springfield acted both before and after Hard to Hold, but that was the one clearly designed to capitalize on his rock stardom. These are both pretty bad movies, but I would seriously love to watch them together. This night would be so fun.
Adam: This sounds fun. Susanna Hoffs was one of my first crushes so this night of programming will finally be the impetus to get me to open my sealed DVD of The Allnighter. It’ll also be good to get more familiar with the persona/music of Rick Springfield. I’m passively aware of his music but for some reason I got into my head when I was younger that I can’t support both him and Bruce Springsteen so since I’m already a fan of The Boss the buck stopped there.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: The Raid 2 (2014)
Adam: #2: Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Warriors, The Untouchables, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Signs, Inglourious Basterds
Adam: Theme: Movies with Baseball Bat Action Sequences
Adam: The first thing that came into my head with The Raid 2 was the baseball bat fight and that quickly led to me remembering the fight sequence involving a bat in Day of Reckoning. I like both movies a lot and honestly, I’m surprised I don’t go back to them more. Maybe it’s harder to feel nostalgic about 2010s movies for me because I was older and didn’t grow up with them? Bats are fun. Should we do a bat giveaway like they used to do at baseball games? Like the first 50 in line get a bat. And there’s a piñata in between movies.
Patrick: Bat Night during these two movies might be asking for trouble. What’s our security sitch at the Cinemarink? Think we can get Rob to bounce? No one would swing a bat at his pretty face.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: The Juror (1996)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Chamber, Before and After, Diabolique (1996)
Patrick: Theme: Roger Ebert Two-Star Movies from 1996
Patrick: There’s something about two-star movies that makes them totally skippable – they’re not good enough to warrant me checking them out nor are they bad enough to pique my curiosity. They’re just kind of there. Proof of this theory: I’ve only ever seen The Juror from this lineup, and it’s the most two-star movie that ever two-starred. The Demi bump makes me want to revisit it, though, so I’m down for a four-star night of two-star movies.
Adam: This sounds fantastic to me. I really like Daylight. It’s Stallone in sad bastard Cliffhanger mode and it really works as a disaster movie. I don’t remember liking The Juror, but I’d love to revisit it after The Substance and Juror #2 captured my heart last year. From this lineup, I’ve also seen Diabolique, which is not good, and The Chamber, which is also underwhelming but scratches my always there and I wish it wasn’t Chris O’Donnell itch. I like that the trailer ends with him running away crying. Not many trailers do that.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: Who’s Minding the Store? (1963)
Adam: #2: Fitzwilly (1967)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Mannequin, Shopgirl, Last Holiday
Adam: Theme: Department Store Comedies
Adam: After recently revisiting The Shop Around the Corner and the Alison Brie Macy’s ad, I realized I have the hots for media depicting the day-to-day operations of department stores. I’ve never seen Who’s Minding the Store? or Fitzwilly but I’d love to go to this to see a couple of department store movies set in the ‘60s. Plus, Fitzwilly sounds like Free Willy so when I put the title on the marquee it’ll feel satisfying. Is Who’s Minding the Store? a Jerry Lewis movie you like a lot?
Patrick: I love it. I mean, it’s no Cracking Up, but what is? All of Jerry Lewis’ collaborations with Frank Tashlin are good, but this is one of my favorites because it’s so sketch/set piece-heavy. And I’ve never seen Fitzwilly either, so that’s a great pairing because I love ‘60s comedies so I feel like the perfect audience for this double.
Double Feature 7:
Patrick: #2: Bubble (2005)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Underrated Soderbergh
Patrick: Theme: The Underneath, Solaris, Side Effects
Patrick: Steven Soderbergh makes a lot of good movies that a lot of people like! But he also makes some good movies that not a lot of people like. This is a night devoted to those. The Informant! rules and so does Bubble. I feel like it’s been a while since I really loved a Soderbergh joint, though. Is that right? Am I forgetting a great one?
Adam: I agree with you on The Informant! and Bubble. I like both quite a bit. I remember Bubble was one of the first movies to play on-demand and in theaters at roughly the same time. I don’t think Soderbergh has made a great one in a while either, although I’m a fan of Contagion, Magic Mike, Side Effects, and Unsane. I thought No Sudden Move and Kimi were good, but I’ve never thought about them again after my initial watch. I’m excited Soderbergh has two theatrical movies coming out soon. I especially want to see Presence.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Legal Eagles (1986)
Adam: #2: Havana (1990)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Sneakers, Indecent Proposal, Up Close & Personal
Adam: Theme: After You’re Out of Africa
Adam: I’m not the biggest Robert Redford fan but I’d go to this double feature to finally see what all the hype is about with Legal Eagles, a movie I feel like you title-drop regularly. I can’t remember if you like it or not though. Are you a fan? Theme aside, I’m happy to book Havana with it because it’s a movie I remember chasing Oscar clout so obviously that it annoyed me even in 1990 when I was 8 years old. I was going to see Home Alone and The Rescuers Down Under and seeing the poster for Havana at the theater and thinking “You want Best Picture so bad, don’t you Havana?”
Patrick: I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of Legal Eagles so much as I am fascinated by it. Like, what is it? Not a comedy, not a drama…it’s just this thing with pretty people and a kickass Rod Stewart song. Havana will be a first time watch for me and I’m pretty excited about sleeping through it.
Double Feature 9:
Patrick: #2: Knowing (2009)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Ghost Writer, Man on a Ledge, P2
Patrick: Theme: Summit Thrillers
Patrick: I miss Summit. They were like a JV Lionsgate. When they got absorbed, Lionsgate just became Lionsgatier. I like that these are both sci-fi movies made by good directors and yet both barely exist even though I like them both.
Adam: Yeah, they both are kind of forgotten, aren’t they? Source Code is my favorite Duncan Jones movie and I’m due for a rewatch. I’m ready to forgive him for Warcraft, which is the most inside baseball blockbuster of the 2000s. Knowing rules, too. It’s so bleak and Proyas-y. It held up well when we covered it for a Travolta/Cage episode a few years ago. Offhand, I don’t share your nostalgia for Summit but when you package the night like this (with those trailers) then maybe I do appreciate them more than I previously thought.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: High Fidelity (2000)
Adam: #2: Return to Me (2000)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: About Last Night, My Best Friend’s Wedding, While You Were Sleeping
Adam: Theme: Schmoopy in Chicago
Adam: With Valentine’s Day coming up next month, I felt like getting the jump on other rep programmers and put together a romantic comedy double feature. I like both movies a lot and it’ll be fun celebrating the greatest city in the world for a few hours. P.S. I love High Fidelity but feel sometimes like I’m not cool enough for it, while Return to Me feels exactly like the Chicago movie I’d be in if I were a movie character.
Patrick: This double is so, so good. I love all these movies, and I love Chicago so I’m excited to put them all together. I’m definitely more High Fidelity than Return to Me (it’s my favorite book and one of my favorite movies) and if I’m cool enough for it, you are definitely cool enough for it. We keep trying to show it to Charlie and he’s resisting so I’m going to give him Minnie Driver’s heart and see if that changes him.
I'll bounce for Bat Night if I can dress as the Batman.
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