by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Patrick: #2: The Green Inferno (2013)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Ravenous, FYC “She Drives Me Crazy” music video, Parents, Tales from the Crypt episode “What’s Cookin’?”
Patrick: Theme: Cannibals!
Patrick: It’s an obvious and hacky theme, I know, but a) I thought we might need a change of pace after Silence of the Lambs and b) I found a way to work a Tales into our very first double. Neither of us liked The Green Inferno when we saw it together at a preview screening a decade ago, but I’ve come around on it since then and I’m hoping this is a turnaround viewing for you too. Not that you have to like it. It’s your life.
Adam: Thank you for programming “What’s Cookin’?”, one of the best Crypt episodes. I like the variety of the evening going from intense to goofier. I haven’t seen The Green Inferno since that screening (remember how Lorenza Izzo was there and neither of us appreciated it enough?), so I’m due for a revisit.
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Adam: #2: Dogfight (1991)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Little Nikita, Running on Empty, Stand By Me
Adam: Theme: River Phoenix Tribute
Adam: It’s sorta trendy I’ve noticed for film bros to be River Phoenix bros. It’s like the James Dean thing, where the mystique pulls them in. I’ve at times been 100% a River Phoenix bro but nowadays I’m more like a 90% RPB. I especially like him in Stand By Me and Dogfight (which is my favorite of his performances and a wonderful movie). I’m excited to revisit My Own Private Idaho. I jumped on the chance to watch that at a young age because of Phoenix and Keanu Reeves but I think I was too young to get on its wavelength. I’m due for a rewatch. Have you seen Little Nikita or Running on Empty? Any good? P.S. I couldn’t resist programming Dogfight because I saw that in a film course in college and remember walking out of the theater gobsmacked like I learned an essential life lesson that changed my brain chemistry. It’s pivotal in my journey of being a reformed frat douchebag. I want to extend that courtesy to the young film bros who come to the Linderground Cinemarink that evening.
Patrick: I always appreciate a River Phoenix performance but will fully admit I’m not a full RPB. I have, however, become more of a Gus Van Sant Bro (GVSB) in recent years so I’m excited to show My Own Private Idaho to an unsuspecting audience and see how they react. (I was also too young to appreciate it when I urged my dad to drive to Piper’s Alley in the city to see it theatrically in 1991 because I would go to any length for Keanu.) I love pairing it Dogfight. I watched that movie because I knew you loved it and you were totally right about – it’s so, so special. I’ve never seen Little Nikita but I did watch Running on Empty for a Brian Saur show and it’s incredible. You should watch it as soon as possible.
Double Feature 3:
Patrick: #2: White Zombie (1932)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Gojira, Them!, My Bloody Valentine
Patrick: Theme: Horror Movies That Inspired Band Names
Patrick: Is this a reach? I don’t love the idea of putting White Zombie second because that movie makes me sleepy but I liked the idea for the theme so I kept it. Black Sabbath is one of my favorite Mario Bava movies and a great warm-up to what should be a banger second movie instead of White Zombie. I know everyone loves the “Drop of Water” segment but I kind of like all three.
Adam: I’m into it because I’ve never seen White Zombie so watching it after one of my favorite anthologies (Black Sabbath) sounds great. I like all three segments too. The Wurdulak segment has really grown on me. P.S. We’re showing the cut that has "The Drop of Water" last. I prefer it to the edit where they put it as the first segment.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: Memories of Murder (2003)
Adam: #2: Mother (2009)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Burning, The Housemaid, Oldboy
Adam: Theme: South Korean Thrillers
Adam: For some reason I have a foggy memory with South Korean movies where I often can’t remember if I’ve seen them or not. Memories of Murder is definitely one of my unseen Bong Joon Ho movies so I’m excited to see it for the first time at the Linderground with you and an audience. I think I’ve seen Mother (2009) but remember nothing about it. I like that the theme is broad, but the double feature is still two movies by the same director. Now I’m just giving myself credit for programming. I’m gonna go now.
Patrick: I’m in a very similar boat! I’ve never seen Memories of Murder – it was hard to see when I first got on my South Korean movie kick and now there’s a Criterion disc that I own but haven’t watched because I’m a bad cinephile – and have seen Mother but don’t remember a ton of it so this will be like a night of brand new movies. I’m super excited for it. When I first started watching the 2000s crop of Korean movies I was pretty blown away because I didn’t know you could do some of that stuff in a movie. It opened me up to a lot of new things like eating a live octopus and swearing revenge on those who have wronged me.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: The Groomsmen (2006)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: You’ve Got Mail, Choke, Bewitched
Patrick: Theme: Heather Burns Night
Patrick: I think you’re a fellow Heather Burns admirer, right? She came on my radar with her great deadpan deliveries in You’ve Got Mail and then found a totally different way to be funny in Miss Congeniality. She should have been a bigger star and I always like when we dedicate a night to these unsung actors at the Cinemarink. I couldn’t resist pairing it with The Groomsmen because even though she’s given almost nothing to do in that movie, it’s an Eddie Burns I’ve never seen theatrically. Did it even get released theatrically? Do you think Jay Mohr will come to the screening?
Adam: I am a Heather Burns guy. I wish she had a Judy Greer career where we got to see more of what she can do. From what I’ve seen, I think Miss Congeniality is probably the role where she has the most space to do that. I really like this double because it also gives me an excuse to finally see an Eddie Burns movie I’ve never gotten around to. This has the potential of being my double feature pic for our FNDF show in December! P.S. According to Wikipedia, The Groomsmen opened in 26 theaters, so it probably just never got to Chicago. P.S. P.S. Yes, Jay Mohr will totally be there, but he has to bring Scott Wolf and bicker with him the whole night.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: Bad Moon (1996)
Adam: #2: WolfCop (2014)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Bloodthirsty, Ginger Snaps, Skinwalkers
Adam: Theme: Canadian Werewolf Movies
Adam: This is a little bit of a cheat because Bad Moon is a American-Canadian production but I wasn’t aboot (see what I did there) to let that stop me. I love Bad Moon and like WolfCop and think these two together in a theater would be a great night with a crowd. I was struggling to find enough movies to fill out a trailer block, so I added Bloodthirsty from 2020, which is admittedly a movie I’ve never heard of.
Patrick: I’ve never heard of Bloodthirsty either, so I’m excited to discover it together. What an absolute banger night this is. I like that WolfCop is second because we’ll all be ready to let loose and party after all 75 minutes of Bad Moon. Do you think Sarah Lind will come to the screening? Or Primo the dog?
Double Feature 7:
Patrick: #2: Freaked (1993)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: ‘93 Flops
Patrick: Theme: Hocus Pocus, RoboCop 3, Ghost in the Machine
Patrick: I love that we can program a double of huge flops from 1993 and that both of them (as well as Hocus Pocus) have become huge cult movies. It just goes to show that movies have lives of their own beyond their initial release and we can’t worry so much about box office performance. I also made sure to program the trailer for Ghost in the Machine for you because I know you have affection for its brand of wackiness.
Adam: This is right up my alley. I’m an unapologetic fan of Freaked and a very apologetic fan of Super Mario Bros., which is a movie that’s broken through my defenses over the years and one I feel like watching every few years. If any of you reading this haven’t seen Ghost in the Machine, you should. It’s fantastic technology horror cheese.
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Backdraft (1991)
Adam: #2: Only the Lonely (1991)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Curly Sue, Heaven is a Playground, V.I. Warshawski
Adam: Theme: Chicago 1991
Adam: I’d like to take you back to Memorial Day Weekend 1991 when I was just turning nine years old and had a choice of basically any movie to see in theaters for my birthday movie. This was the weekend both Backdraft and Only the Lonely came out. I picked Drop Dead Fred. This decision haunts me because Backdraft and Only the Lonely are probably among my top 50(?) favorite movies and I’ve never seen either in a theater. This is to right that wrong. I love how both movies feature Chicago. I’m romantic about how the city looked back in the early '90s when film production in the city was plentiful and the Bulls/White Sox were all the rage.
Patrick: This is an incredible double in large part because I have such affection for this time in movies. Every movie from this period looks like 100 million bucks and the fact that they’re set in Chicago only makes them better. I love both of these movies, too. This is my pick for the month. Great job, bud.
Double Feature 9:
Patrick: #2: Brave (2012)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Good Dinosaur, Turning Red, Luca
Patrick: Theme: Pixar Movies I’ve Never Seen All the Way Through
Patrick: I know I’m a bad person for never seeing WALL-E all the way through and I’m sorry about that. I think the others in the lineup are more forgivable. No one ever got mad at anyone else for not finishing The Good Dinosaur. I know some of the other movies have a reputation for being good so I should get around to seeing them, but something about present-day Pixar bugs me and I can’t put my finger on why. I”m broken.
Adam: Yeah, the specialness of Pixar hasn’t really been in there for about a decade (was Inside Out the last one that seemed wholly original and classic Pixar?). I’ve enjoyed a few of their recent output (like Luca) but I see what you’re saying. I still haven’t watched Elio. Don’t feel bad for missing Brave, it’s real rough.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: Number One with a Bullet (1987)
Adam: #2: Lethal Weapon (1987)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Beverly Hills Cop 2, Ernest Goes to Camp, The Secret of My Success
Adam: Theme: Chicago Area Box Office Top 5 as Reported by Variety (May 29, 1987 - June 4, 1987)
Adam: It’s a little lazy of me to double up on Chicago themes this month but I thought this was a fun way to program a double feature led by Number One with a Bullet (which I have not yet seen). I was back and forth between having Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Lethal Weapon as the second feature, but I went with Lethal Weapon because it’s two cops as buddies compared to BHC2, which is more a team of buddy cops. I give credit to Chicago for having both Number One with a Bullet and Ernest Goes to Camp among their top five movies one random May weekend. We always had taste. P.S. I love going back to my Newspaper site where I pull archives and see that the Chicago Tribune used to not just post the box office results but managed to check the Chicago specific top 10. It was only in the late '80s-early '90s that they did that but it’s one of my favorite things to read.
Patrick: It’s a great buddy cop double and a hyper-specific theme. Chicago was smart to make NOWAB and Ernest Goes to Camp successful. We should be tastemakers for the rest of the country. I’d love to know what other movies were hits here that weren’t very big in other parts of the country. We’d have the rest of the US eating deep dish and watching Jim Belushi movies in no time.
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