This weekend sees the premiere of two massive tentpole blockbusters: Wicked and Gladiator II. It’s more than likely that cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike will be watching these two films as a double feature, so with that in mind, our crew got together to pitch some other unconventional double features! Let us know your ideas @SiftPop!
Let’s go back, shall we? Take a stroll with me down memory lane. The year is 1990 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just made over $135 million at the domestic box office. Kids everywhere have ninja fever, and studios are ready to pounce on the money-making opportunity. In 1992 we got 3 Ninjas, a movie that lets kids live out their fantasy of becoming ninjas… by watching a trio of kids take on adults and defend their house, Home Alone-style, after becoming ninjas. Then, the following year, we’re treated to Surf Ninjas, a campy and self-aware shlock-fest where young adults find out they’re the princes of a far-off land. To defend their new home they must become ninjas… who surf… to defeat the evil Leslie Nielsen. Look, these are not good movies. But if you’re a millennial ‘90s kid, this is nostalgic catnip. So if you’re in the mood for some stupid ninja fun, or maybe a new duo of kid-friendly silliness for the family, or just an overdose of nostalgia, this might just be the double feature for you. (Heath Lynch)
What do you think of when someone mentions “faith-based” films? You probably think of the plethora of cheaply made, preachy, and aggressive films we get today that have no interest in telling a compelling narrative. This is frustrating, since we used to get films like The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, award-worthy films. Thankfully, we still get some solid, faith-based movies today, which have complex and nuanced approaches to faith. Two such films take the horror genre and mix rich themes about faith: The Exorcist and Signs.The journeys of Father Karras (Jason Miller) and Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) are parallels, as they both deal with loss and confront their lost faith. Both of their films are feature iconic scares and compelling tales full of rich themes. Their leads might not meet the same fate, but they both deliver satisfying explorations of faith. You can get scared AND process your own faith. What a great double feature. (Shane Conto)
This year, The Fall Guy made for a really fun time at the movies by focusing on Ryan Gosling’s stunt man (Colt Seavers). Not only is he our protagonist (along with the rest of the crew working to make the stunts feel real), but the film makes great stunt work a real focus and highlight, putting their money where their script was at. However, it’s not the first time Hollywood’s made the stunt man front and center — and, no, I’m not talking about The Fall Guy TV series. In between their team ups on Smokey and the Bandit and its subsequent sequel, Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham made Hooper, where Reynolds played aging stuntman Sonny Hooper looking to prove he’s still got it and hold off the young up and comers in the industry. What the 1978 film was able to do with its stunt work is incredible to watch. For fans of action movies — particularly those that take pride in making their stunts look real — this would be an incredibly fun night. (Jake Bourgeois)
For three years, my college roommate tried to convince me to embark on a marathon he’d been thinking about for years — he called it “Yank My Mank Crank,” and it involved watching Jason Statham’s Crank, followed by David Fincher’s Mank, concluding with a double dose of Statham in Crank: High Voltage. Apart from dedicating half a day to movies I don’t particularly love, there was a random madness to his proposed venture, and that’s what I thought was so funny about the idea — but if you want to watch slapstick action that flagrantly and hilariously disobeys the laws of physics, you might as well watch good movies. Why not start with Modern Times, the Chaplin masterpiece that many consider one of the greatest silent films? It’s not only a culmination of Chaplin’s clever antics, but of his emotional storytelling, bringing us on a true journey beyond the goofiness one might assume the film is solely constructed of. If you’re looking for a modern analog, look no further than Hundreds of Beavers, the low-budget sensation that took indie theaters by storm this year. It perfectly captures the spirit of comedy Chaplin had perfected and upgrades it with 21st century technology (which Chaplin undoubtedly would have had a field day with), including seamlessly integrated animation, incredible costumes, and stunts for days! This double feature will have you in stitches, proving that some humor is truly immortal. (Rowan Wood)
On the surface, it can sometimes feel like two movies are connected just due to the fact that they’re from the same genre of film. In this case, musical. But then you dig deeper and find out there’s another connection. In this case, musicals that take place in New York City, and have a character that sings about running away from their problems to live in another city, and inexplicably decides that Santa Fe, New Mexico has to be their final destination to find ultimate happiness. Yeah, we don’t understand it either, but there it is. Christian Bale’s Jack Kelly and Adam Pascal’s Roger Davis have nearly the exact same character arcs, down to their niche-specific motivations, and even end up with similar resolutions, both inevitably deciding to confront their problems and stay with their friends and found family in New York. The fact that both of these movies are also fairly beloved musicals in their own right makes this a double feature worth diving into, but when you get down to this level of specific similarity, it’s hard not to pair these flicks together. (Heath Lynch)
Despite the growing mistrust in the news, investigative journalism is one of the bedrocks of our societal foundation. When properly presented, this kind of reporting can be some of the most riveting and thrilling filmmaking you can find. That’s what you get with the one-two punch of The Post and All the President’s Men. But it’s not just that these are compelling movies about journalism that makes this a solid double feature — it’s the fact that both films follow The Washington Post and their investigative reporters as they get to the bottom of back-to-back, real-life events. The Post follows the leak of the Pentagon Papers and the New York Times Co. v. United States Supreme Court case in 1971, whereas All the President’s Men dives into the subsequent Watergate Scandal in 1972. When watching these two films in succession, the stories seamlessly blend together, making for an overarching narrative that perfectly captures the political climate of the early ‘70s. What’s really impressive, though, is how both of these movies earned Best Picture nominations (amongst many others) at the Oscars, even though they were made by completely different directors, actors, and production teams, and released 41 years apart. With exceptionally riveting, intertwined, true narratives, stellar ensemble performances, and tightly constructed direction and editing, this is a double feature for the ages. (Heath Lynch)
Though it might seem a strange comparison to those who have not watched both films, the influence of the 1973 The Wicker Man can be felt throughout the entirety of Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz. Despite tackling wildly different genres (folk horror vs. action film parody), both films follow a strikingly similar structure: A police officer is stationed at an isolated, British locale whose residents have more than a few skeletons in their closets. Where The Wicker Man paints a bleak portrait of small-town horror, Hot Fuzz offers a more comedic take on the fish-out-of-water trope. If the plot similarities are not enough to convince you, along with a smattering of British character actors, Hot Fuzz also features Edward Woodward (lead of The Wicker Man) in a supporting role as Tom Weaver, head of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance. Though Point Break or Bad Boys II may seem like the more obvious films to pair with Hot Fuzz given their multiple references in the film, The Wicker Man feels more thematically in line with Wright’s screenplay for Hot Fuzz,and would provide even greater variety in terms of viewing experience. (Foster Harlfinger)
Often referred to as “The Golden Year of Hollywood,” 1939 brought theater audiences not one but two of the most visually striking films of the time, Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. These two fanciful gems of the silver screen shared not only a director (Victor Fleming), but a game-changing and financially risky new innovation in film production: Technicolor. Unfortunately, Technicolor in Tinseltown wasn’t the most newsworthy event of 1939, as by the end of the year, America would be brought into the throes of World War II. Two-screen theaters were incredibly rare in 1940, but it was technically possible for moviegoers to escape the uncertainty and stressors of wartime by actually seeing the films in a double feature (though realistically that would involve travel to the next town for the second film). Regardless of logistics, what makes these two such a great pair is the optical opulence and escapism they provide, as both engulf you in the worlds they portray with their striking use of rich contrasting colors, ornately detailed costumes, and sets designed on a grand scale even by today’s standards. Clearly the phrase “spare no expense” was at play as Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion) was literally draped in an actual lion pelt, and David O. Selznick created the effect of Atlanta burning by setting fire to facades built on his back lot using explosives. The experience of being immersed in a time gone by followed by one that never existed may be an unconventional pairing but certainly a visually interesting one. (Patrice Downing)