by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley
Double Feature 1:
Adam: #1: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Patrick: #2: Idle Hands (1999)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Mummy (2017), Nina Forever (2015), An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
Patrick: Theme: Me & My Dead Friend
Patrick: One of my favorite things about American Werewolf is the presence of Griffin Dunne as David Naughton’s best friend, who (spoiler) is killed early in the movie and continues appearing as a ghost in progressing states of decomposition throughout the story, encouraging David to kill himself. I must not be the only person who loves that aspect, though, because a number of filmmakers have ripped it off throughout the years. The big invention of 1999’s Idle Hands is to have two dead friends instead of just one. Are you an Idle Hands guy? I think it’s pretty ok. I think it would be fun if everyone who comes out for this double could also bring the ghost of a friend with them. When we show the trailer for the Tom Cruise Mummy, we should show the version that leaked without any dialogue that just had sound effects. It’s way better than the movie.
Adam: I struggled with Idle Hands the one time I saw it but would totally give it another try for 35mm Jessica Alba. This is a really cool theme. Even though I love An American Werewolf in London I might be most excited about seeing The Mummy trailer again. How did that one get so far away from Tom Cruise? It doesn't even feel real.
Double Feature 2:
Patrick: #1: 3 From Hell (2019)
Adam: #2: Clerks III (2022)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: 31, The Family McMullen, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
Adam: Theme: Fathom Entertainment Releases
Adam: Not to reveal a movie kink but I kinda like when directors who’ve been chewed up and spit out by the Hollywood system go the Fathom route. There’s a certain amount of “oooh, looks like I’m the premiere” to seeing one of these movies as a special Fathom event in theaters. It started to become a tradition for a while with the latest from Rob Zombie and Kevin Smith. I’m almost always disappointed by these movies on the first viewing and then slowly warm up to them a little on subsequent watches. Except Clerks III. I will never watch that one again.
Patrick: We might be in opposite corners on this since it bums me out when directors we like go this route, but I’m realistic enough about the industry and shrinking cult fanbases to recognize that it’s a necessity. I’m glad they’re still playing theaters at all, even if it is for just one or two nights. I love this lineup even if I can’t stand Clerks III. Wait, does this mean you’re coming around on The 4:30 Movie too?
Double Feature 3:
Patrick: #2: Jekyll & Hyde: Together Again (1982)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Saved by the Bell “Rent a Pop” episode, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, The Under Achievers
Patrick: Theme: Mark Blankfield Tribute
Patrick: I first became aware of character actor Mark Blankfield on an episode of Saved by the Bell (which, don’t worry, I programmed) in which he played a waiter who pretended to be Zack Morris’ dad in an interview. Whenever I would see him in movies after that I’d be like “Oh, it’s that waiter from The Max who wants to be an actor!” He plays the blind guy in Men in Tights, a movie with like five good jokes but which is very easy to watch. A few years ago I finally saw 1982’s Jekyll & Hyde: Together Again for the first time (which has lived in my head since reading the description of it in the TV Guide when I was very young) and fell for just how stupid and silly it is. I can’t defend liking it or Mark Blankfield, so it seemed appropriate to devote a night to his memory.
Adam: I'm 100% on board partly because I wasn't familiar with Mark Blankfield before now. I've seen the Mel Brooks movies listed here but he never really registered. I'm glad to have a night where we can hyper-focus on a journeyman, working actor like Blankfield. Those are some of my favorite themes we do at the Cinemarink.
Double Feature 4:
Patrick: #1: Brain Donors (1992)
Adam: #2: Stay Tuned (1992)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Captain Ron, Encino Man, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Wayne’s World
Adam: Theme: Zany 1992 Movies
Adam: I’ve never seen Brain Donors but I’m starting to become a little bit interested with your recent enthusiasm for it, plus it has a cartoon poster and I’m a sucker for movies that do that. I thought it would be fun to make a time capsule of sorts to other zany 1992 comedies and give me an excuse to watch the underrated John Ritter movie Stay Tuned on film at the Cinemarink. I can’t believe Peter Hyams directed that. It seems even more like a Dennis Dugan joint than Brain Donors.
Patrick: Does it sweeten the pot at all to tell you that Brain Donors features Claymation credits? Another amazing night at the movies. We really used to have it all, didn’t we? These movies played theaters. I’m a Stay Tuned fan too, but as much as I love Peter Hyams I do think he might have been the wrong guy to direct it. This is one instance where I might have liked to see the Dennis Dugan version.
Double Feature 5:
Patrick: #2: The Village (2004)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Hail, Caesar! (2016), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Sicario (2015)
Patrick: Theme: Shot by Roger Deakins
Patrick: I had a hard time picking which Roger Deakins to pair with Blade Runner 2049, a legacy sequel I actually liked in 2017 and have never once felt compelled to revisit. I kind of wish there was no Harrison Ford/Deckard stuff in BH2049. It’s handled as well as it could be but I’d rather have a standalone sequel about the Ryan Gosling character. Then I landed on The Village and a) liked the idea of seeing that again in a theater and b) thought it would pair well for some reason on vibes alone. I was mixed-positive on it opening night, but that’s been Shyamalan’s biggest grower for me over the years.
Adam: I haven’t seen Blade Runner 2049 since opening night but am in the mood to watch it again. I remember really liking the Gosling-De Armas stuff, probably because I'm so lonely jk. I keep trying on The Village but the second half hasn't clicked for me yet. I love the first half, though. I think my biggest Shyamalan grower is The Happening. I know it's bad but I like the vibe of it. It makes me feel melancholy in a way that a truly awful movie shouldn't have the power to do so.
Double Feature 6:
Patrick: #1: Center Stage (2000)
Adam: #2: The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Art of War, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Rules of Engagement
Adam: Theme: My Still Unseen 2000 Movies
Adam: I checked off a lot of unseen 2000 movies in the lead up to F This Movie Fest this year but there’s only so many hours in the day so I missed these. I’ve heard things (maybe, good things) about Center Stage over the years -- mainly from you and Doug, so I’m curious to check that out. Plus, early Saldana! I’ve been hankering to see Viva Rock Vegas, too, since your discovery of it back in March. I mean, it has to be better than the 1994 The Flintstones, right? It’s so odd to me that I know that even though I don’t like The Flintstones I know that I will see it at least six more times in my lifetime. That and Godzilla (1998). It’s gonna happen. To pretend otherwise is to act like you won’t ever hear The Beatles “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” again.
Patrick: I’m right with you on The Flintstones, a movie I don’t like that I can never really be rid of. We might as well stop kidding ourselves and just switch out the Viva Rock Vegas reels for the OG. Center Stage is fine? I’m not a big fan, but I get why dancers and/or Doug would love it. I have definitely oversold Viva Rock Vegas so I’m excited to sit next to you at our screening and get your reaction in real time.
Double Feature 7:
Patrick: #2: The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: House of Wax, The Crazies, Let Me In
Patrick: Theme: Actually Good 2000s Horror Remakes
Patrick: Probably a stupid double but I figure if we’re going to commit to mean-spirited, humorless horror, let’s go all in. I like both of these movies a lot even though I didn’t love Evil Dead the night we saw it and immediately recorded a show on it. That’s one of my Podcast Regrets.
Adam: Yeah, I feel bad about that one too. Remember the scene in that movie where they ask her to get rid of her drugs and she has like A LOT of heroin? I really like Jane Levy in that movie. Too bad she had to cancel Flashback again. I only saw The Hills Have Eyes remake once and remember being upset by it because of what they do to Ted Levine and Vinessa Shaw. Can I bring them both with me to this double so I know they're ok?
Double Feature 8:
Patrick: #1: Tenet (2020)
Adam: #2: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Othello, Wild Wild West
Adam: Theme: Branagh Villains
Adam: I ironically like Kenneth Branagh in European villain mode. He gets all this press about being a great actor and then he shows up in Tenet or Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and picks a dialect that sounds like something I would have come up with. I probably should’ve followed Tenet with Frankenstein but that would be a long night and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a movie that doesn’t demand your attention like Tenet does so it would be a better come down.
Patrick: Shadow Recruit is the much better follow-up to Tenet, a movie I think I’ve programmed way too many times at the Cinemarink. We should re-do our Best of 2020 show because that would be like my #2 at this point. You know what else I would have on there? News of the World. You know what I wouldn’t have on there? Most of the rest of my list. Anyway, Kenneth Branagh convinced the world he was our new Olivier but really he’s kind of a ham sandwich.
Double Feature 9:
Patrick: #2: Dragonslayer (1981)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Masters of the Universe (1987), Pet Sematary (1989), Cabin Fever (2003)
Patrick: Theme: Fucked Up Leg Wounds
Patrick: I’m proud of this one because except for Cabin Fever, all of these movies messed me up as a kid specifically because of the leg wounds. We should get Cathy Moriarty to come out and dress as a nurse in the lobby. This double is going to give people ideas.
Adam: Omg this theme is amazing. Courtney Cox's pizza leg in MOTU was hard-core. There’s no going back from that. Can we all show off our leg wounds between the two movies? I'm honestly shocked you didn't plug Rosanna Arquette in Crash (1997) into here somewhere.
Patrick: Only because that one is hot.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: The Hunted (2003)
Adam: #2: U.S. Marshals (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Fugitive, Men in Black, No Country for Old Men
Adam: Theme: Not Another Fugitive!
Adam: I program this theme with love because I really enjoy Tommy Lee Jones in this mode. I think The Hunted (2003) is crazy underrated and one of my favorite 2000s action movies. It’s so efficient and macho. It seemed right to program it with U.S. Marshals because it’s the most programmer of the bunch here. I just recently revisited it. It’s fine. It’s definitely not as good as The Fugitive but Jones is fun in a victory lap kind of performance. I always laugh at how many times they say “the Chinese consulate” in that movie. It must happen a dozen times over a 15-minute stretch.
Patrick: I only recently saw The Hunted for the first time and it does kind of rule. I’m not there yet on U.S. Marshals. I love Wesley Snipes but that movie has a Wesley Snipes problem because they couldn’t think of anything to do with him but make him Richard Kimball 2.0 and that’s not what Wesley does. I do love how easily this double feature will go down, though. It’s so much craggy. Two crags for the price of one.
Double Feature 10:
Patrick: #1: The Hunted (2003)
Adam: #2: U.S. Marshals (1998)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: The Fugitive, Men in Black, No Country for Old Men
Adam: Theme: Not Another Fugitive!
Adam: I program this theme with love because I really enjoy Tommy Lee Jones in this mode. I think The Hunted (2003) is crazy underrated and one of my favorite 2000s action movies. It’s so efficient and macho. It seemed right to program it with U.S. Marshals because it’s the most programmer of the bunch here. I just recently revisited it. It’s fine. It’s definitely not as good as The Fugitive but Jones is fun in a victory lap kind of performance. I always laugh at how many times they say “the Chinese consulate” in that movie. It must happen a dozen times over a 15-minute stretch.
Patrick: I only recently saw The Hunted for the first time and it does kind of rule. I’m not there yet on U.S. Marshals. I love Wesley Snipes but that movie has a Wesley Snipes problem because they couldn’t think of anything to do with him but make him Richard Kimball 2.0 and that’s not what Wesley does. I do love how easily this double feature will go down, though. It’s so much craggy. Two crags for the price of one.
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